Token
no 22
Signs
and the last sign
September 27,
2015
Brian
Kocourek, pastor
Wednesday night we read through paragraph 84, and this morning I would like to re-read that paragraph because
it also comes with a warning.
Notice brother Branham said, 84 Now, a scene.
Every spiritual happening is a sign from God.
And then he immediately says, Be careful;
notice that. See? Watch. Every spiritual happening,
everything that happens is a sign.
So we want to accept these words as we accept all words from a vindicated
propjet, but we must also be very careful with what we do with them.
I mentioned, the supernatural occurrences I have witnessed in Uganda, where
the great storm was silenced by the spoken word, and the great weather change
where the temperature dropped by 30 degrees in a matter of minutes after we
prayed for God to do so in Kentucky and Argentina. We also mentioned those
three rainbow in Congo? which were identical to the three that appeared to
Brother Branham confirming his ministry had been true.
So Brother Branham in this paragraph says, "Every
spiritual happening is a sign from God." But then he warns
us to be
careful. And I think that is wise advice, because I am certainly
no prophet, and I am certainly not vindicated to be a bringer forth of the word,
I just take solace in knowing that I am only teaching what a vindicated prophet
said, and I confirm what he said by showing it in the Bible.
I do believe however that I have witnessed along with many, many others,
we have witnessed these supernatural events and therefore as God's Prophet said
right here in this sermon, Every spiritual
happening is a sign from God.
Well, some reading this might quote brother Branham and say, "we have seen our last sign", and I do not
deny that he said that, but if we understood what he was telling us we could
these two quotes together and not have a problem with them. Besides how do you
place the Blood moons that the Bible said God set in the sky to be a sign of
seasons and times. So it is a sign, and we will see the last blood moon sign
tonight beginning at 8:21.
When I returned home and told brother Vayle what had happened, Even
brother Vayle acknowledged to me that he thought the rainbows were either a sign or message from God. Now, this is the man who taught for
many years that we have seen our last sign, yet he said it was either a sign
from God or it had some special significance.
But seeing neither of us is a prophet, neither of us knew what that
sign or Message was or what it meant? It could have been an acknowledgement
from God that what I was teaching concerning the doctrine of Christ and this
relationship between Father and son is the right understanding of the message,
and God was just confirming that to those who were there. I do not know. It
could have been to fulfill the commission in Mark 16.
To confirm I was not just teaching, but God was there to confirm his
Word with signs and wonders.
But what I teach is what brother Branham taught, and I also know that
what I have taught has been backed up by supernatural signs and wonders just
like our prophet was, though mine is a thimble full to what he had.
But brother Branham quoted Jesus many times in Mark 16 where he said, "go forth into all the world and preach the gospel, and these
signs shall follow".... And he never
said these signs would stop because we have seen our last sign. So the last
sign has some other significance to it. Not that it is the last, but it was a
special sign before the coming of the promised son.
Proving
His word 65-0426 P:71 And remember, Abraham and his group never received one more sign from God, until the
promised son arrived. How many knows that's true? That sign of discernment... And the royal Seed of Abraham,
let me hear you, let me tell you. "THUS SAITH THE LORD, you're receiving your last sign." That's according to the Scriptures and the
revelation of God that's in my heart, that speaks that this is the Truth.
Feast
of the trumpets 64-0719M P:119 The last sign that Abraham
(and we are the Royal Seed of Abraham, the Bride), the last sign that Abraham ever seen before the promised sign come--the
promised son come was what? God in the form of a human
being, that could discern the thoughts of the people: one man, not a dozen, one man. No matter
how many impersonations, they had one, and He
discerned the thoughts that's in there. What? And the next thing happened, Abraham
and Sarah turned back to a young man and woman. We know that.
That's why I think those who oppose what we teach concerning John 14:12
don't understand what we teach. we do not teach that the bride must do super
duper miracles. We do not teach the Bride will have this discerning of the
thoughts and intents of the heart. I have never taught such nonsense as that.
But I teach only what brother Branham taught, that the believer of John 14:12
will have the same Spirit as Jesus and the same nature, and he'll live like
Jesus, and speak the same things Jesus spoke, and act Like Jesus and talk like
Jesus because he has Jesus nature.
Brother Branham said in his sermon, I stand at the door and knock 57-1208 P:56 If the spirit of anything was in you, it'll make it act like the
person. If the Spirit of Christ is in you, it'll act like Christ. It'll do the
works of Christ. "He
that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he also." There you are.
In The Messiah 61-0117 P:62 brother Branham
says, “They look
like him. They act like him. They are his flesh, his blood, his spirit.
Amen. That's the way God's church is, His Eaglets, His Messiahettes. They look like Him; they act like Him; they preach like Him; they do the works that He did.
"The things that I do shall he also. More
than this shall he do, 'cause I go to the Father." Amen. "These signs shall
follow My eaglets." Amen "They'll do just as I do. If My
Spirit's in them, then they'll do the works that I do. If they don't do the works I do,
it's because that My Spirit's not in them."
Faith once delivered to the saints 57-0610 P:38 He said, "He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also." That was the Church. Christ left this that His Church would have His Spirit. And the Spirit
of Christ will perform, and act, and live like Christ. Amen.
We would see Jesus 57-0226 P:21 But now, while He's here
working with His Church in the form of the Spirit... Then if His Spirit is
with us, He will act just exactly
like He act when He was here on earth. It'll make you act the same way, because it's not your spirit any more; it's His
Spirit in you, Christ's Spirit in you. "The things
that I do... He that believeth on Me (Saint John 14:12.), the works that I do,
shall ye do also."
See? We'll do the same works,
think the same thoughts, live the same type of life. If the Spirit of God is in you, it makes
you live like Christ, Christ-like.
Identified
Christ of all ages 64-0409 P:78 Jesus said... Do you believe He's the same yesterday, today, and
forever? You believe He promised to do this in this day? You believe that's the last sign that this church is going to
see now before the coming of the Lord appears? You believe we're right at
the end, all the Scriptures was fulfilled, ready for the coming of the Son? Now,
Jesus said, "These
signs shall follow them that believe." Now, you lay your hand over on somebody right next to you.
Now, you're a believer. "These signs
shall follow them that believe."
Now, if He keeps His Word to do this, He'll keep His Word to do that too. Now,
you pray for the person next to you; they're praying for you. See? Now, don't
you pray for yourself; you pray for the person. They're praying for you. Now,
let's all bow our heads while we pray.
Now, I want you to notice something in this last
paragraph. Notice he is talking about the people seeing there last sign which
was the discernment and then he switches over to "These signs shall follow them that believe."
Now, brother Branham is not contradicting himself
here. What he is telling us is the last sign is the sign of the son of man
revealing Himself in flesh to the people discerning the very thoughts and
intents of the heart. But the signs he speaks of "these signs shall follow them that believe", is a sign not a sign to the
age, but is a confirmation to the believer that you are a believer. Jesus said,
"These signs shall follow them that believe".
The Last sign to the age does not do away with the
sign of the believer. His last sign was to the age, to all peoples the
spiritual and carnal church, but the signs and wonders that follow the believer
is to individuals as a confirmation from God that His presence is with them and
God is confirming their Faith and belief in Him. And those signs never cease.
So please do not get confused when men try to tell you that we have
received our last sign, and any talk of signs and wonders is false. Men who
teach such do not know God nor His Word. Anyone who has walked with God will
see God manifest His presence to them in a supernatural way. Because he changes
not. God does not cease to be a supernatural God performing supernatural things
just because we have seen the last sign of discernment before the coming son.
God remains the same, and His nature never changes.
Melchisedec the great prince 55-0109M P:29 Well
then, it's today, to every believer:
"Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.
(How far? All the world.
How many? All the people.)
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that believeth
not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe. In My Name
they shall cast out devils and heal the sick..."
and so forth. There you are. It's God's
promise that He swore He would do it. No matter how much rises up to try to
counterfeit or impersonate it, how
many things raise up to try to contradict it or take it down, it'll go on and on and on forever, for God has swore by Himself that He would keep it.
So I hope that puts to rest all the scarecrows out there.
And after all, it was brother Branham who said the
"he"
Jesus is referring to in John 14:12 is
more than one individual.
In fact it was in a questions and answers on John 14:12 that he says the following. 59-0628E
- "Questions And Answers" 172 88b. Brother
Branham,... Can any
man do the works of Christ unless he was Christ?
Now, i want you to notice what the question
is? Brother Branham Can any man do
the works of Christ unless he was Christ? That's what it is, "Unless he was Christ?"
Now, look at his answer... Sure. That
means YES, yes any man can do the works of Christ even if he is not Christ.
Now, let's keep reading what he says here in explaining how any man can
do the works of Christ.
"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",
Notice brother Branham says the "he" in John 14:12
is whoever it is. This is not singular, it speaks of whoever or anyone who
believes.
Then brother Branham quotes John 14:12, "He
that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also." Any
man,
Notice brother Branham vindicated prophet of God reads it as 'he that believeth" but then tells us that this
is "any man".
"The
man himself can't be Christ, but the works of Christ will follow Every believer."
Again he says the works of Christ will follow " Every believer
". That doesn't sound singular to me.
"See?
He'll do the works of Christ in Any man.
Again, does that sound like he will do the works in only one man to
you? seems to me that people need to learn to read the Words for what he said
and not what they think he said.
"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.
Now, I could give you many, many more just like this quote so please,
please, you who are reading this sermon, don't you know when you say I am
preaching false on this you are saying William Branham is teaching this false,
because I am only saying what the tapes say, and all that the tapes say.
And brother Branham said in Uncertain
sound 61-0315 P:93 "How
do we know whether we're Christian or not? Now, we go
into all the world and preach the Gospel,
and are baptized, and so forth, how do we know that we're
Christian?""These signs shall follow them...
I'll give you a certainty, a certain
sound, a certain sign."
Now, what he is telling us is that the signs and wonders promised in the
Bible are identifiable characteristics that you are a Christian, because you
have the very nature of Christ.
Broken
cisterns 65-0123 P:27 Now,
we notice in Saint Mark the 16th chapter, Jesus
did not say,
"Go ye into all the world, and teach."
He said, "Go preach the Gospel."
'Preach the Gospel' is
demonstrating the power of the Holy Spirit.
"Go ye into all the world, and
demonstrate the power of the Holy Ghost."
Brother Branham says in Christ is the
mystery 63-0728 P:149 I Corinthians the 2nd
chapter. Listen to this great apostle here, Paul, the intellectual servant of
God. Let's looky here. ... I,
Paul,... when I come to you, came not with excellency of speech,... of wisdom, declaring to you the
testimony of God... (I never said, "I'm Dr.
So-and-so. See?) For I am determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. ... my
speech and--and my beseeching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but
in demonstration of the Spirit and... power--of the power: There, see there's the Gospel. See? Jesus
said, "Go ye in all the world and preach the
Gospel." Didn't say, "Go
teach," He said, "Go preach." In other words, demonstrate the power, and
these signs shall follow them. Just teaching doesn't do it.
It takes the actual Spirit Itself
demonstrating these signs. Listen to this. That
your faith should not stand in the wisdom of man, but in the power of God. Oh,
my. See, to change the man... Not what I can explain away and say,
"He's not the same," when He is the same. If I do that, it shows to
me... It ... Surely a man tell me that, would showing me he don't have the
revelation, the threefold revelation of God. See?
And remember, we covered what that three-fold mystery of God was when we
taught in our Christ is the Mystery
series.
Christ
is the mystery 63-0728 P:199 See the threefold mystery now? God manifested in Christ; Christ manifested in the Church;
all together to bring back the
original Adam and Eve again, man and woman, which are one, made out of
the same Blood, and same Spirit, and everything else.
Now, just one more quote on this before we move on...Greatest news flash in history 61-0424 P:5 And
now, isn't it a strange thing that it takes something on the side of
supernatural to make us understand that it's Him, that teaching itself won't do it. He never commissioned His church then
to go and teach the Word. He said, "Preach the Gospel,"
or manifest the Gospel. "And the
Gospel came not through word only, but through the power and demonstrations of
the Holy Spirit," said Paul. Now, therefore the
next verse says in Mark
16, "These signs shall accompany
(or follow) those--them that believe."
Then you see, it takes the accompanying
of the sign of resurrection to confirm the Word to make Jesus positive known to
the people.
So you can see
that the Gospel is to be lived and manifested, And he says the word "preach" the Gospel is to "manifest" the Gospel.
Now, back to the Token and paragraph 84. "And "We're not here by
accident. These things just don't happen by accident. It's a sign. It's a sign to get to safety quickly. Noah was
a sign to his generation; Elijah was a sign to his; John was a sign to his.
See? Everything... The Message of the hour is a
sign. Watch it. Look what it's doing. See? It's a sign. Everything has a meaning.
At no other time could this type of a message ever happen. It could not have
come in Luther's day, couldn't have come in Wesley's day; it couldn't even come
in Pentecostal day. It couldn't do it. See? There's been no such thing happen.
And yet, it was promised in the Bible. See? We're at the end. Nothing could
happen... It couldn't have happen till this time, and it's happening for a
sign, wonder. What is a sign? Oh, little people, my brother, sister, get under that Token quickly. See? Don't, don't take no substitute. Don't,
don't, don't, don't do that. See? Don't just imagine it.
You stay there until you know that the Token is
applied, until your whole, "the
mind that was in Christ is in you"; until
all the nonsense of the world is gone, until the whole heart's desire
is Him. See? Then you know, then
you know something's happening. Jesus said, "These signs shall
follow them that believe," not
make-believers, but believers.
See?
85 Now,
we don't want to take any chance on it. You mustn't do it. The Message of the hour is a sign to the churches. It's sign to the people. Don't, Are you
catching it? I hope on the tape, that they're doing the same thing (See?), and
other parts of the world. See? The hour sign is here. There's a Token that's got to be
applied, and no other time could it have come.
Planting the
vine and where to plant it 59-0920 P:20 That's the way many people are in churches today: good people, just planted in the wrong
place. Now, if a real believer is brought to Christ, and he's planted in
some great denomination that doesn't
believe in miracles, and signs, and wonders of the Lord. That person may be
a genuine Christian, and a Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Jehovah Witness,
something else. In that church, a
genuine Vine of God, but the denominational creeds cuts off the Life of that
Vine. They can't bare its fruit. And usually, what fruits you get off of a
vine that's stunted or not in good ground, is bad fruits. It'll come forth like
apples and be knotty and worm eaten. It becomes a subject for all insects. A
good healthy vine doesn't even have to be sprayed. It's healthy enough to throw
off all of its enemies. So is it with a born again Christian. You don't have to
be spraying them all the time and patting them on the back. They're spiritually
healthy enough to throw off all of the scandal of the world. They are living
off of the true nourishment.
Church Age Book Chapter 2 - The Patmos Vision
P:60
"Those who heard and wouldn't listen will be judged by what they heard.
Those that rested in it saying they believed it, but didn't live it, will be
judged."
Token the
63-1128E P:36 The token was not no good unless the token was
displayed. The token had to be
displayed, not a sympathizer with the token; but the token must be applied. And no
matter how much anyone could prove that He was a Jew, and a covenant Jew by
circumcision, that didn't do anything about it at all. It took the token, not
the covenant. He never said, "When I see the covenant sign," but,
"When I see the token."So today you might be
a professed Christian; you might be with covenant with Christ; but unless that Token is displayed in this late
hour that we're coming to now, there is no way for Him to pass over. The
Token must be displayed. It must be on.
Token the
63-0901M P:113 Notice,
they were not just yet come together to
talk about the message. They come together to apply the blood, to apply the token. That's what you
must do. Pastor Neville, and to this congregation, trustees, deacons, to you
brethren, it's time that we laid aside
all the foolishness of the world, time we laid aside everything else. We've
seen enough now, that we're positive, sure, and the Token must be applied. Without it, you're going to
perish; you must perish. That is the only thing. Oh, don't come together, say, "I believe it." Get beneath it. Get into it. How
to do it? By one
Spirit we're baptized into the Body of Jesus Christ. Everybody believe with all your heart. See? He was not responsible
for any out from beneath it.
86 Notice God's preparation for that time. Now, as we know that the
Bible said, all those things happened for an examples to us... Notice, when God
got ready to judge
87 My, what a perfect thing that is. See? You're under the Blood. Now,
you're under the Spirit, under the Holy Spirit. See, you believe the message of
the day. See? You believe the power, the Pillar of Fire. You believe that
(See?), and you do.
88 Now,
now, look, just to believe it, is not
enough, not to walk around where
it's at, isn't enough. See? That's to make yourself worse. "For he
that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it's
sin,"
See? Those borderline believers... Jesus spoke
of the same thing, Hebrews the 6th chapter. "For it
is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have been made partakers
of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good Word of God, and the world to
come, if they shall fall away, to renew themselves again to repentance; seeing
that they crucify to themselves the Son of God, and count the covenant of the
Blood, wherewith they were sanctified with (the chemistry there)--sanctified..."
It ain't the
Token.
89 The
blood's not the Token now, the Life is the Token.
The Life could not be there, 'cause it was an animal. The chemistry was the
Token. You'd have to have literal blood applied on the door; but now, it's the Holy Spirit. We're
coming to it just in a moment to prove that. See? It's the Life that
is the Token. Your
life is gone, and you are dead, and your life is dead. You are hid in God through Christ, and sealed in there by the Holy Spirit. The mind that was in Christ is in you, and Christ, and the Bible,
and the Word is the same. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God."
Then you, and the Word, and God, and
Christ are the same. "And if ye abide in Me and My word, you ask what you will, and it'll
be done."
See?
90 Put
the power right into Moses' lips to go out there with His Word and speak: Frogs
come. Speak: Frogs left. Speak: Lice come. Speak: Lice left. Amen. But then, the token was required for all Israel.
All
91 Israel
coming out of
And we proved last week that the Token Applied is the life of Christ in
manifestation in the bride, and that is John 14:12, the bride living and breathing Christ
Life, and notice Brother Branham says here, The
church is down in Egypt, in the world, and in sin, and does not care a tinker
about your Token. They don't even believe it. But
Israel loved it, for it was salvation to them. And though
the church makes fun of it, we love what God has shown us concerning the Life
of Christ living and expressing and manifesting Itself out in the bride, "for as He is so
are we in this world".
In closing, brother Branham said in his sermon, Rising of the sun 65-0418M P:47 "I am He that was dead," so dead till the sun said He was dead; the moon said
He was dead; the stars said He was dead; all nature said He was dead. And now,
the whole world has to recognize that He's alive again. He was not only the
Mechanics (God's Word), He was the Dynamics to prove It. And if He, being the
Groom, the Bride has to come forth, 'cause It's
part of Him. And It can only be the
manifestation of the fulfilling of all of revelations and the others that spoke
of the Bride. And It can only
manifest... And if it does something
different from the Groom, it isn't the Bride, because She's flesh of His flesh, bone of His bone, Life of His Life, power of His power. She is Him.
That is exactly what the apostle Paul himself said in, Galatians 3:27 For as
many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
And Ephesians 4:15 But
speaking the truth in love, may grow up
into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: Notice
he said grow up into Him, not unto him.
Earnestly
contending for the faith 55-0123E P:12 He became me that I might
become Him in
heaven.
Christ is the
mystery 63-0728 P:284 And
then the Word moves on down into the
Body from the Head. What is it? This
same word. Nothing can be added or taken from It. So that same Word moves
from the Head as the day comes close, down into the Body, down into the Body
vindicating that they are One. They're
Husband and Wife. They're flesh of
His flesh, Word of His Word, Life
of His Life, Spirit of His Spirit. See? Amen. How do you know it? Bears the same record, same fruit, same Word (See?), manifests
Christ: same Life, same God, same Spirit, same
Word, same Book
(Amen!), same signs, "Things that I do shall you also." Oh hallelujah.
Let us pray...