Unveiling no 47
The
Character of The Exodus
August 26,
2018
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
We've been talking about the character of Christ
for the past couple sermons and I would like to look at this subject perhaps one
more time this morning. We've seen thus far that we are ordained to come into
the very image of the first born son, and in doing so we are to reflect His
character as the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4.
In we can say by Scripture that in fact until we do come into the image of the
first born son, and reflect the very character of Christ we cannot expect a
change of the body and a catching away in the Rapture.
Now, it all begins with the Apostle Paul telling us
that he does not want us to be ignorant concerning what is going to take place
at the end time during the Parousia of Christ.
1
Thessalonians 4:13 But
I would not have you to be ignorant,
brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others
which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and
rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (and then in verse 15
Paul begins to lay out the plan) 15 For this
we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the Parousia of the Lord shall not
prevent them which are asleep. (that tells us that at
the Parousia of Christ those which are alive at that time will not go before
them which are asleep.) 16 For
the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, (brother Branham
told us that the Shout is The Message)
with the voice of the archangel, (William
Branham also taught us that the Voice is the resurrection) and with
the trump of God: (and he also taught us that is the call to the
wedding supper in the sky, the higher dimension, so we will have to be caught
up at that time. But before that can happen he says) and the
dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort
one another with these words.
So at the time of the Parousia or the Presence of God
coming down will begin the unfolding of the great plan of God which begins with
His presence and ends with us being caught up to always be in his Presence.
So the Lord has come down, the Shout has gone forth, the
prophet has been taken off the scene like Moses was before the people could
enter into the promise land, and now we are in that time wherein we await the Voice
which is the resurrection ministry, and during that time, we will gather
together with the saints that have been asleep for the past 2,000 years, and
then we will go to the wedding supper.
So what is happening now? and what parallel do we see in
Scripture at the first exodus? Well to find out let's go to the Book of Joshua.
Joshua 1:1 Now after
the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, (now this terminology
"It came to pass" speaks to
us what took place after that Moses the vindicated prophet of the hour had left
the scene. Remember, under the prophet they left Egypt, the church carnal, but
they had yet to enter into the promised land. And then we read, Now after the death of Moses the servant of the
LORD it came to pass,
that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun,
Moses' minister, saying,... and we will read what the Lord spake unto Joshua, but
before we do let's look at the type of the First Exodus with the last Exodus. The
prophet messenger goes off the scene and then a minister, ministry, is left to
take the people over.
So we see that Joshua was a minister And since he was called a minister of
Moses that means he was under Moses, showing
the close relationship between the Prophet of the hour and the ministry that he
associated with. Now, not all the ministers who associated with Moses were
Joshua and Caleb in type, because 90% of them doubted the Word of God, the
promise for the hour and they didn't go in.
From his sermon Experiences
1 47-1207 P:31 brother Branham said, "You notice one more thing before I close
this series of this. Now, before... Now... shadows and types here has come on up to this hour.
If that was shadow and type, then the rest of it must come to pass. Now, so
that you'll get this... And I want you ministers especially to get this. Remember, their leader Moses all the time
was a type Christ the spirit today. Is that right? But Moses
never took the people across Jordan. There was a new order came. Was
that right. Moses never
took the people across Jordan, the church manager. Joshua took the people across.
And friends, our great organization is not going to take the church across
Jordan. Now, remember that. Joshua come in on the scene. See? God is going to
send the nine spiritual gifts to the church. It's going to pull it together and she'll cross Jordan. Remember He said,
"Rise
now, and let's cross this Jordan," He
said to Joshua. And I believe that if there ever was a time of all the
church history, that Voice is now, "Rise, we're going across Jordan now." That's right.
Now, remember, 90% of the ministers who followed Moses
didn't believe they could take the land of promise, but Joshua did.
That is exactly what brother Branham said in his
sermon Seed
shall possess the gate 61-0212E P:47 Joshua also, after he'd had a trial at Kadesh,
come back and ninety
percent of the ministers said, "We can't take it."Joshua
said, "We're more than able to take
it," him and Caleb. And he was the only two out of the
two and a half million people that went over. What did he do? He come
down to Jordan, holding him out of the promised land. But he possessed
the gate of the enemy. Why? Because He took God at His Word.
He'd had a trial, and he believed it. He knowed God kept His Word.
So he possessed the gate of the enemy.
Now, some people think I'm divisive when I say 90% of the ministers
just don't get what this message is all about, but that is
exactly the same percentage that God's vindicated prophet to this hour said that
90% of the ministers didn't get it at the first Exodus and we've already read
where he said that was a type of this third Exodus that we're in now. So just
have faith, brothers and sisters, I'm not speaking out of derision when I say
that, I'm speaking the truth and echoing what God's Prophet said.
Again br. Branham said in his sermon God keeps His Word 1 57-0306 P:17 "And, friends, I
want you to notice that Caleb and Joshua was looking at one thing,
and the ten
was looking at something else. The ten was looking at circumstances, and Caleb and Joshua was looking at
God's Word. They said, "We
can take it, for we're well able to do it;
because God said we could do it."And I
believe tonight as hard as I have preached and other ministers who sees the vision...
I still believe that there's some way that we can break down the middle wall of
partition and make churches of God one together as a brotherhood.
I don't know how it will be done, but God has said that He would have a Church without blemish, without spot, without
wrinkle. And He's going to have it.
And in his sermon As I
was with Moses 60-0911M P:18 brother Branham said, "Now, Joshua, the
new warrior... Only
two left now, that ever left the promised land; and that was
Joshua and Caleb. Now, Joshua, the new commander, to lead an army, the
second to the place where a great man like Moses stood... It was no little task.
I think of a minister
today that's called of God to step into the tracks where Jesus stood,
what a command, what a commission. But each that's called of God is commissioned to
stand in that same place. "I'll be with
you, even in you, to the end of the way." Each minister's called to stand
where He would. "The works that I do, shall you do also." Each minister's ordained of God,
is commanded to stand in the tracks of Jesus Christ and perform the duties that
Jesus performed. That's quite a command.
And so those people who took the words of the ten
ministers lost out on entering into the promise of God. They came up to the
land but failed to go over. Just like today, people come up to the Promise but
fail to enter in. They all followed Moses, a vindicated Prophet Messenger, they
all were baptized under the cloud as Paul said.
1
Corinthians 10:1 Moreover,
brethren, I would not that ye should be
ignorant, (is
not that exactly how Paul stated in 1 Thessalonians 4 that we should not be
ignorant? But he said they are ignorant) how that all our
fathers were under the cloud, and all
passed through the sea; 2 And all
were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And all
did all eat the same spiritual meat;4 And all did drink the same spiritual drink:
for they all drank of that spiritual
Rock that followed them: and that
Rock was Christ. 5 But with
many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should
not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.
So we see that they all had the same spiritual
experiences along with Moses, they ate the same manna he did, they drank from the
same rock he did, but only Joshua and Caleb believed the report,
while the others lost faith and as a result everyone of them died as Jesus said
in John 6:49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
And brother Branham told us that meant they were eternally
separated from God.
Modern events made clear by prophecy 65-1206 P:65 All them Israelites, after they had seen
Moses perform that and brought them right up to the great council, where it was
to be held, every one of them said, "We'll go with Balaam, because we
think Dr. Balaam's right. He's smarter, more educated, everything, so we'll
just take it."And God never did forgive them. He destroyed them
right there in the wilderness. And Jesus said, Himself, "They'll never come; there's none of them
saved." Jesus said...They said, "Our fathers eat manna in the wilderness
for forty years."He said, "They're every one dead (eternally separated from God).
They're every one dead." Certainly. Because they
listened to an error. When Moses a-vindicated of God and a leader to
show them the way to the promised land, and they had come so far all
right, but then they wouldn't go along with him. Now, believers can
see it, but unbelievers cannot see that vindicated.
And so we read from his sermon Mark of the beast 61-0217 P:68 brother Branham say,
"Just like
it says over there, many gets turned up in that Hebrews there. See? "If we sin willfully after we receive the knowledge of
the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins." Take a mother like... Someone asked me, "What
does that mean? If we sin willfully after we
receive the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin." Well, he hasn't never got into it yet.
That's right. He just received the knowledge of it. Just like in
Israel, when Israel started to cross going into the promised land, they
sent the spies out. Two of them come back, said, "We can take it," Joshua
and Caleb. The other ones said, "No, we can't do it. So they hung right there on the
border until they died. And the ones believed the promise
went over in.
Now,
let's go back to the book of Joshua and continue our reading to get the type
for this day of what is to take place after the prophet messenger left the
scene.
2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
So we see that when the prophet went off the scene God was still talking to a ministry that He set in the church and
ordained to lead the people to the promises that Moses had taken them up to,
but before he could go over with them he was taken off the scene. Just like
today's Exodus. And it was the duty of this ministry God set in the church to
take the people into that promise as we just read in Joshua chapter 1. And then God
promised the people through this ministry the following...
3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
Perseverance
62-0608 P:86 Heavenly Father, give us that faith
tonight. May we come, and after tonight be perseverant in our faith; because we
can have faith if we know You've promised it in Your Word. Anything that You promised,
and our faith takes a hold
of, it belongs to us. You told Joshua, "Everywhere
the soles of your feet sets, that I've given you." And we realize that footsteps meant possession.
O
people if you will only believe that promise, then the land is yours. The promise is unto you and your children, and as many as the
Lord our God shall call.
He
also promised, "and all thine
offspring with you." How's he going to do it br. Brian? I
don't know how, but that's His business. My business is to just believe what he
promised is for me. If he promised it He is obligated to do what he promised or
He's not God.
And
then we read in verse 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the
great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto
the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
Now, this is special to me because we set here just
outside Lebanon ourselves just like they did, and so this is special to me.
Now, you might say, "o nonsense" but to me I see myself in this Word
more plain than I see myself in this present world.
5 There shall not any man be able to stand
before thee all the days of thy life: as
I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
O My, did you hear what God said to the five-fold
minister Joshua? He said "as I was with Moses,
I will be with thee."
That same Pillar of Fire that led Moses
continued to lead the five-fold ministry of Joshua. And the same three rainbows that represented the
presence of God to brother Branham that he himself called the Pillar of Fire. That
same three rainbows that showed Himself to the
end time Prophet Messenger showed Himself to us and proved that He is still
leading us, just like He led Joshua after Moses went off the scene. And just as
He said "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee",
God has shown that He is still with us and leading us to the Millennium.
From his sermon Third Exodus 63-0630M P:130 brother
Branham said, "That was a burning Fire, that Pillar of Fire in the bush.
When He died and rose on the third day, and Saul met Him on the road down, He
was back to that Pillar of Fire. Said, "I
come from God and I go to God." When
Peter was in prison, that Pillar of Fire come
in and opened the doors and took him on the outside. That's right. (and
just to add, Peter was not the Messenger to the Ephesian church Age, he was
just an Apostle which is just a five-fold minister.) Where did that Pillar of Fire lead them? Now, remember, Moses
was not the Pillar of Fire. He was the anointed leader under that Pillar of
Fire, and the Pillar of Fire only vindicated his message with signs
and wonders. And that Pillar of Fire led them to the land that God promised them,
where He, Himself, would be made flesh among them someday. Is that right? What
did they do? Murmured and squirmed and everything else to show it was under the
blood of an ordinary lamb. But this time (Glory to God.) the Pillar that we
see among us, the
Pillar of Fire will lead us to the millennium, where He will
return to His people in that great millennium reign after this exodus, where
we'll live eternally with Him.
Again we hear brother Branham in his sermon Third
Exodus 63-0630M P:126 promise us... "Now, I want you to notice, this same Pillar
of Fire is leading
the people again to a promised land, the millennium, where we found
under the inspiration of this Sixth Seal, that's never been taught before, how
the earth has to be purified for the millennium. The Pillar Fire is leading them to a
millennium. And notice, the Pillar of Fire that led Israel from the
bondage in that exodus, the Pillar of Fire, under the leadership of God, God
was the Fire, and the Pillar of Fire only anointed the prophet. The
Pillar of Fire was to stand as a heavenly witness that Moses was called out.
You remember Dathan and them, said, "Well, we ought to start an
organization. Moses, takes too much upon yourself. You try to say you're the
only holy one among us. All the congregation of the Lord is holy. How can you
take this upon yourself?"And Moses fell on his face and started weeping.
God said, "Separate yourself from him. I'll
just open up the earth and swallow him away."
Type. How could Moses, told them that he was telling them what God had said,
God vindicating it to be the truth...
But that same Pillar of Fire also was seen with the ministry of Joshua who
was the minister of Moses. In other words he was a five-fold minister which are
under a Messenger prophet. And he stayed with Joshua and the people until they
entered into the land of promise. And he promised to stay with us until we are
led to the millennium.
Again from his sermon Power of decision
55-1007 P:44 brother Branham said, "Now, it's a type of the Holy Ghost.
When Moses had crossed from Egypt into this wilderness on his road to the
promised land, as the
same type of the Church coming up out of the world, separating
itself from the world, in the wilderness journey, going on their way to
the millennium, perfect. Has to
be. And now, God led them in natural, because they were loose in the
wilderness, and He led them in the natural. He's leading us today in the spiritual.
And the same Pillar of
Fire that led the children of Israel, here He is leading us, the same
One, same Pillar of
Fire, leading us on, the supernatural Light of God moving on, leading
the Church spiritually.
And remember, God in that Pillar of Fire said, "As I was with Moses, so shall I
be with thee." and the word "as"
means: in the same manner or the same way, for He said, "I am God and I change not".
So then how was God with Moses? He led
them in that pillar of fire. And How did God lead Joshua,? The
same way using the same Pillar of Fire.
Then how must God lead the five-fold ministry today? God
said to his five-fold minister, "Moses minister
Joshua", 6 "Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land,
which I sware unto their fathers to give them."
And if you only knew what lays just ahead of us. The
inheritance of the saints, that is what Paul spoke of in the Book of Ephesians.
And Ephesians
Parallels Joshua.
That is what God's prophet
taught us. In his sermon God who is rich in mercy
65-0119 P:12 "Now, if many of you like to just mark down Scriptures
that a minister reads... And I would like for you to tonight, if you would,
to turn to Ephesians. And I was speaking last Sunday on the Ephesians, how
that the Book of Joshua was the Ephesians of the Old Testament, and how it was
a Book of redemption. And redemption has two different parts:
"come out of" and "entering
into." First, you have to come
out. Some people wants to bring the world in with them; but you got
to come out of the world to enter into Christ. You have to come out
of unbelief to enter into faith. There cannot be one thing in your way.
To really have genuine faith, you must absolutely leave everything that's
contrary to the Word of God behind to enter into faith. And that was the
Book of the Ephesians of the Old Testament: Joshua. Where, Moses
represented the law, could not save no one, but grace could, and here "Joshua" is the same
word like Jesus, "Jehovah-Saviour."And now then, we find out that we have come to
another Ephesians, another Ephesus now. Where that in our
intellectual denominations and so forth, and all of our educational programs
has come to its Jordan, then we must have an--an Ephesians again.
We must have an exodus to "come out" and to "go into," for
the rapture.
As I was
with Moses 60-0911M P:22 Now, Joshua had to take this command. The
people said, "Let God be with
you as He was Moses, and we'll know that the same Spirit that led us this far
can take us on."Oh, how the church ought to look
this morning to find the Spirit working amongst people, if you want a church
home where the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead, the Holy Spirit,
that'll move amongst the people. That's the Spirit that God's raising up in the last days
to take the people over into the other land, into the full promise of all the
blessings of God, and to the full commission that He gave, or the promise.
"The promise is unto you and to your
children."As Israel sought for that promised
land, knowing that it was somewhere, because there had been somebody there
before, so is the church. We know that there's a land somewhere. There
is a power somewhere, because there's been others over there. We know that land
lays beyond the river, where we are headed towards, this morning, trying
to go into that promised land. Joshua knew that that land was there.
He went first and found out, there he could come back as a witness. God-called ministers ought not
to be so stuffed out with theology; but have visit the land to where
we're going, bringing back evidence of the Divine love and power of
Jesus Christ to make known to their congregations that there is a land beyond
the river.
Joshua 1:7 Only be thou strong and very
courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee:
turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever
thou goest.
That means as a commissioned five-fold minister we are
commissioned to say what the tapes say, to stick with what the prophet
Messenger taught us.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night,
that thou mayest observe to do
according to all that is written
therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou
shalt have good success. 9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is
with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Now, brother Branham said in his sermon Blind Bartimaeus 60-0713 P:56 "Joshua,
the great mighty warrior who took Moses' place... '" A type of the
Holy Spirit now, taking...See, Moses didn't bring the children into the promised
land. He was the law giver, but he didn't bring the children into the
promised land. Joshua took them over. See? And the Holy Spirit's the One that's
taking them over now. Christ made the way and the plans, and was
the giver of the law and so forth. But the Holy Spirit takes the Church to the promised land,
the rapture, taking it up, the Holy Spirit in the rapture.
And from his sermon Adoption
or placing 60-0522E P:58 Moses, being a
type of Christ, led the children up to the promised land; then Moses did
not take the children in the promised land. Joshua took the people in and
divided up the land. Jesus paid the price, led them up to the Holy
Spirit. God sent the Holy Spirit down, and He positionally put the
church in order, each man, filling him with the Presence of His Being.
You see what I mean?
And from Church choosing
law for grace 61-0316 P:59 But, brethren, let's put ourselves together and go over. We
must go over. The great
Joshua, the Holy Ghost that received the promise from God, that come down to
lead us, He's never doubted it. Joshua never doubted it; he was
God's general. That's exactly right; he was God's general. And he was
the one who led the children. And it's the same Holy Spirit, God's
General, the Chief Captain that stood at the gates of Jericho when Joshua come
up. The same Chief
Captain, our General, wants to lead us into the promised land, and He's the only one can do it.
Our organizations will not do it: THUS SAITH THE LORD. Mark that down. Put that
in your book and see if that was right or not. No organization will never take
you over. It'll keep you right on the mountain. But the Holy Spirit will
take you to the promised land.
And so we see that if Joshua parallels Ephesians,
then let's look at the Book of Ephesians and in Ephesians 1 Paul speaks to us about receiving the Holy Spirit and getting ready
for adoption of sons and the
inheritance of the saints. Then in Chapter 2 Paul speaks of our being in quickened
by Christ, and the contrast in our life from what we were to what He has called
us to be as sons. Then in chapter 3 Paul tells us of his own experience how God took
him and changed him by the revelation and he became a minister of the Gospel
that we might come to the same doxa of God that God had shown him. And then in
chapter 4
we hear Paul tell us that God has set in the church five gifts to bring the
church to full maturity and to the place that we might grow up into the very image of Christ
himself filled with the fullness of His Character.
Let us pray