Who
is This Melchisedec ? # 36 (Q&A # 3)
Bro. Lee Vayle
January
25, 1989
Shall
we pray. Heavenly Father, we’re grateful again to be in this house that You have
given us, Lord… in Your Presence, the presence of each other, Father, to study
Your Word to know what was given us by a prophet, Lord -- so different from
what other people taught, so different from our own thinking, Lord. We pray, therefore, You’ll help our thinking
to come under Your thinking, Lord. As
the prophet said, “We don’t have a thought coming”
but, Lord, we can think Your thoughts. May they be superimposed upon
ours until we have no thinking of ourselves left but every channel to the soul
completely filled with that Word, Lord... there’ll be a transforming life come
forward unto the Millennium hour. So we
commend ourselves to You, in Jesus’ Name.
Amen. You may be seated.
[Question
#1: Recap]
Now,
looking at these questions... we took question #1 and we’ll just recap it to a
degree because there may have been some thoughts that we ‘re left out because
I... many times I’m guilty of just giving you a verse of Scripture and, because
we’ve dealt with it different times, I more or less feel just because I say it, then you’ve fully apprehended what
I have in mind. So we just won’t take
that chance tonight. We’ll go over the
question in 1Cor 15:44, and we might as well just read it at this particular
point.
(44) It
is sown a natural body. It is raised a
spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body.
[Q.#1] He said... the ‘natural’, in the Greek, comes from the thought of the ‘soul’. That’s
correct; it is called a soul-body. We
went into that in Genesis 1:24 and the word ‘creatures’ where many people get
an idea that all that which is completely sensate, has a sensate life --or at
least some type of... maybe not reasoning life so much as a life that is aware
of things and can do something about it by way of movement at all --that thing
has a soul. Well, that’s not exactly
true, because you couldn’t begin to consider the human being on the level of
the animal or the animal on the level of the human being. And as we mentioned, Bro. Branham before
mentioned that...”the inner soul.”
So, a man has a soul which, if animals have souls (which we don’t
believe they do have), would be entirely different. Just because a thing is sensate doesn’t mean
it’s conscious of God. And it’s the soul
that is the place of the consciousness of God.
All right, now:
This
natural is, therefore, a soul-body.
(Which is true.) The soul or the seed of
God builds this body. It’s right. It
builds it out of the material that is at hand for it to build it out of.
Whereof it was denied the privilege of building itself another house which the
Bible calls ‘eternal in the heavens’ (... and we’ll go into that shortly). Can we
correctly say that a basic difference between the natural and the spiritual
body is that the spiritual is begotten and the natural is created?
All right, now to really see what I’ve been
teaching here, we go to 2 Corinthians the 5th chapter and we read a first few
verses there.
(1) For
we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a
building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (Now
something is speaking there, in the first person, as being the legitimate and
proper owner of the house that is made with hands--this human body.)
(2) For
in this (house) we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house
which is from heaven.
Now,
if we go to Job, chapter 14, on the chapter of the Resurrection there... and
Job is speaking concerning the fact of a man dying and rising again. And he mentions that, in verse 14.
(14) If
a man die, shall he live again? all the
days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.
(15) Thou
shalt call, and I will answer thee: Thou
wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.
Now, what’s he talking about? He’s talking about the resurrection; that God
has a desire for the resurrected bodies.
God is not interested in disembodied spirits or disembodied souls. What God wants is a resurrection. That’s exactly why Paul said, “If there is no
resurrection; if Jesus is not raised from the dead, if in this life only we
have hope in God, we are of all men most miserable.” In other words, this little existence here,
this little span that we have here, living in a body of sin and then we don’t
come back in another body which is totally separate and apart from sin but
sensate and being able to understand, and you know, as we do today, he said... then he said, there really isn’t
anything to Christianity. So let’s look
at these verses again...
[2 Corinthians 5]
(1) For
we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved...(and it’s
going to be).
That’s a building made with hands. That’s the one, here, that God made. Now, let’s prove that Job knew what he was
talking about. The Bible says that the
first man, Adam, was created and he was formed.
Now, you notice, [Genesis 1]
(27) (The
Lord God created man) in the image of God created he him; male and female
created he them.
And then it says, [Genesis 2]
(7) And
the Lord God formed man (from) the dust
of the ground. (That’s by His hands.)
So,
therefore, he’s speaking of the human body.
You understand what I’m saying.
Now we have a house ‘eternal in the heavens; not made with hands’. So there’s another body that doesn’t have a
thing to do, evidently, with God forming anybody out of anything. So if there’s any forming to be done, it is
going to be the thing itself with the forming of itself whatever is there to be
formed of, and nothing else. Now, Bro.
Branham said “The word ‘eternal’ means it wasn’t created.” So therefore whatever this
body is made of could not have been created.
That’s why the question …[asks]?…, “The spiritual body, was it begotten
of God?” The spirit itself was begotten
of God...but, better still, I like the term “ was born of God” because that
which is born of God is spirit, or “ That which is born of the spirit is
spirit; what’s born of God is God”.
Now,
to beget means ‘ to cause to conceive, to start a thing going’. The conception would be in the Wisdom of
Almighty God before He began doing anything with Himself and about Himself. Do
you understand what I’m saying? So
therefore, the ‘issuing forth’ would be, coming out of God these sons. Now then, Bro. Branham said, “Jesus
did not bypass this Spirit-form or Word-form body; we do.” Other words, we were not allowed to --by
whatever means God gave which lay in God,--to do this, which would be to have a
body that we could be in at that
particular time. Now, let’s keep reading
and understand what he’s saying.
[2
Corinthians 5]
(1) …an
house not made with hands..., eternal in the heavens.
(2) For
in this we groan, earnestly...
Now,
let’s go back to 1 Corinthians, chapter 15 again and we can see what’s going on
here. Now, he says here in verse 44.
[1 Corinthians 15]
(44) (It’s)
sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. (Now he says) There is a natural body, and there is a
spiritual body. (Now, I’ll go back to this in a second. Let’s keep reading)...
(45) …so
it is written. The first man Adam (became) a living soul.
He couldn’t become the other thing. You see, the ‘becoming’ process was
stopped. The becoming process,
therefore, went down to where the soul could build a body out of things which
were already made and created, and set in pattern a form of life that would
come through humanity. So you have a
natural election and a natural predestination.
And the truth is, the spiritual predestination has to end in a natural
predestination which by that I mean simply a substance which was not there with
it in the beginning but is a created substance.
(This is not hard if you just listen.)
All right, notice verse 46...
(46) Howbeit
that was not first, which is spiritual, but that which is natural (He’s talking
about us); and afterward that which is spiritual (now he says there is a
natural soul-body; there is a spiritual body, or a spirit-body, {See?} There’s… “a
Word-body,” as Bro. Branham
talked about.)
(47) The
first man is...the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven
(48) (And)...is
the earthy, such are they also...earthy; and as...the heavenly, such are they
also...heavenly.
(49) And
as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly.
And
let’s go back here again to the 2 Corinthians. [Chapter 5]
(1) …we
have a building of God. (Now, this is an actual building of God) ...(a) house
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens
So,
this is something entirely different from what people are trying to tell
us. Everybody tries to tell us that this
is that immortal body that we shall have somewhere down the road. And that is not true because First
Corinthians, chapter fifteen is speaking ( as Bro. Branham said and all
theologians agree) that “Scripture has compound meanings.” Now, the average theologian will tell you
that certain Scripture has compound meanings, but you will find that Bro.
Branham said, “All Scripture has compound meanings.” And there’s a compound meaning in here, that
we are looking at. And so when he says in 1 Corinthians 15, “that there is a
soul body and there is a spiritual body”, he is not necessarily looking only
down the line when our bodies shall be glorified. But he said, “... there is a
physical, there is a spiritual”. And Bro. Branham, not only by divine revelation
but by vision, was transported to that place where he saw those who were
sensate beings and they were not amorphous ( that’s without shape), floating
around spirits. They had bodies that you
could actually hold to, touch and show real affection. But there was nothing of the feelings that
were here in a body which was designed to propagate a race.
Now,
he could hug and kiss them over there and it didn’t mean anything. You try and touch a man or woman here, it
means something right away. And there’s
nothing you can do about it because that’s the way you’re born. So, don’t fight
it; just stay away from it. The way to
keep your head from getting knocked off by a guy with a club is don’t get near
the club. The way to keep away from
sexual involvement’s just stay away, or
you will get involved. You’re born that
way. So, who are you trying to kid? You think you’re some superman? Don’t be a nut... don’t be a nut. Otherwise, let’s come up here and see if
you’re smart enough. I’ll pour a kettle
of boiling water in your ear and see if it doesn’t blister. If you’ve got that kind of faith, you could
certainly have the other kind of faith, right?
I’m a tough man, but let’s face it.
You’ve got to bring these things where they’re tough and understand...
you know... don’t gloss the picture and gild the lily. You’ve got to be really honest with these
things.
Now, he said. [2Corinthians 5]
(2) ...in
this we groan, earnestly (to be desired) upon with our house which is from
heaven.
The house that we’re going to get is from
heaven, if you die. Now, listen. The glorified body... Bro. Branham said, “God
will create again (See?) from the
calcium, the potash,” he named a lot of things which... few things which
are part of us, all right. Even mention
cosmic light, “He’ll create again a body that’s still from the
earth.” Do you follow what I’m saying? This one is from heaven. So, there’s a spirit-body, which is a
Word-body, which is a theophanic body (call it what you want) which is an
eternal body which we don’t understand but we bypassed it to get this; then we
go to it. Then of course, with that same
body you back come and pick up your glorified body. (See?)
Then
you notice in here now, we use... the term was used ‘begotten and
created’. I just don’t like the term
‘begotten’; I like the term born, ‘issued forth from’. Now, we issued forth from God without the
ability to have the form we wanted. So
therefore, evidently, God has done something about it. And that form must well
be resting there. I don’t understand it;
I don’t have to understand it. And Bro.
Branham said, “When you’re born again you hear from that theophany, that form.”
You say, “Well, that’s a great mystery and that’s beyond my
thinking”. Then, I’m happy to know
that’s what you think.. It’s beyond my
thinking, too, but I have no problem accepting it. I say, “ When I leave here, I’m going to get
it.” And Bro. Branham said that, “You haven’t any knowing about it. You don’t know
it; you don’t understand. Only Jesus had
that.” So, all right, I accept that
too. So then, I don’t have to know
anything about it till I get there. (See?)
All
right, now... What about the fact, at this...line this up with your glorified
body... O.K., it’s simple as A-B-C.
We’re talking now in terms of people that are standing here that will
not die. (There’ll be some of you, I trust, will be standing here and you won’t
die.) O.K., those that come out of the
ground will have bodies created for them.
Bro. Branham said, “Create again.” But those that are standing here will
be transfigured which means ‘metamorphosed’
like a caterpillar to a butterfly.
There’ll be a process of life that was denied in the Garden of Eden that
you will have… and if I’m here (by the grace of God) I will have, and every
born-again Bride will have. And it’s a
metamorphosis; it is not a creation. It is not a dissolution. And, as we said the other day, it is this
Word of God because the conduit of the Holy Ghost is the Word.
You
see, now, you couldn’t have a Word-body.
So the next best thing we can have, in a body that’s prone to sin, is
the Word that is full of the Holy Ghost. “The words that I speak unto you, they
are spirit and they are life.” And that Word at this hour of this promise is
guaranteed to bring that measure of life at this hour-- is just like people
being born, being begotten, a time of gestation, a time of coming forth,
growing up and all is called maturation and it’s like a transformation. So, at this particular time... as in your
life you couldn’t have gray hair before a certain time, your eye-sight couldn’t
fail ( normal people, that is to say)... couldn’t fail before a certain
time. It took these things... you
couldn’t be mature physically, sexually until a certain time. You see, these things... So now, in this age,
in the Bride that God is building -- that stature of a perfect man in the
church; the church is coming up like one body -- this could not happen until
this time. So what God does, He merely
takes this Word of this hour and the Life that’s in that Word now begins to
form the life in our cells. And there
must be (according to Bro. Branham and the evidence that we have)... there must
be people right now who have within them, that Life that is going to transform
bodies... go right back, like Abraham, sixteen years of age and be right in the
full prime of life. Nothing is going to
stop it.
So,
that’s the answer to the question. I
know that it’s good to just go over it in order for you to see what we covered
last Sunday. Now, we’ll go on to Question
number 2 and I guess that’s all we’ll take. (Now I’m going to cut this fairly
short.)
[Question
# 2]
In looking at Melchisedec,
can we correctly summarize what is meant by the Order of Melchisedec by saying
that this Order is:
(a) That which is in God--
His thoughts, His plan, Father, Judge, Prophets, Saviour, Redeemer, etc.
(b) That which takes place
as a result of God issuing forth sons -- the Son, first of all, then sons,
family, placement, restoration, God coming down to earth, Jesus on the Throne,
New Jerusalem.
…
the way God goes about letting those who issue forth know that both (a) and (b)
and above: example-- prophets, five-fold, and the trickling-down order?
Now,
that thought is all right if you are simply looking at the ... uhhh...how would
I put it ... God and His family, generically and genetically, bringing about a
God-race. And we see how this all came
down based upon the sermon that Bro. Branham preached in ‘Who Is This
Melchisedec?’. Now, let me just go into
this the way I see this ‘Order of Melchisedec’ because this is a pretty tricky
situation when we go into this Order because of the thinking of Latter Rain
which wants to put some glorified meaning upon this Order, which actually is
not Scriptural. It’s a little bit like, you
know, going to the
Now,
let me tell you what we’re going to do. We’re going to start reading in the
Book of Hebrews because that’s the Book that has to come under the Seventh
Seal, one of the Seven Thunders --either one of them or a part of them; I’m not
going to worry about it. And let’s
see... I want you to follow my thinking whether it’s right or wrong. I’m not saying if I’m wrong you’ve got to
believe me. What I’m saying is… I’m going to tell you what I see, whether I’m
right or wrong, because I’m not an authority.
However,
we’ll start reading at Chapter One in the Book of Hebrews . And I want to warn you that there are certain
parts of Scripture that are ‘interpolated’ and I’m going to not even read them;
I’m going to leave them because they’re supposed to be left. They’re just
thrown in there to give you a little better understanding -- that is, a little
more emphasis upon what you are dealing with.
So, we’re going to bypass them because, though they’re not irrelevant,
they’re not pertinent to the subject when you already believe as Paul was
believing. So, we’ll leave some of it
out. Now, let’s start reading.
[Hebrews 1]
(1) God,
who at sundry times ( that’s in many parts)... in (many ways) spake in time
past unto the fathers (in) the prophets;
(2) Hath
in these last days, spoken unto us (in) Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all
thing, by whom also he made the worlds (that’s the ages and everything that’s
been in the past, and everything ...In other words, where it says, ‘Christ is
the Wisdom of God’, you’d better believe that’s the truth. All right... ‘made the worlds’, the ages...)
(3) Who
being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person...
Now,
remember, when you’re dealing with this, it is still an image, and an image is
not the original. The image comes from
the original. That’s why Bro. Branham
said, “The difference between Jesus, as
God, is simply this: he had a beginning.” So, therefore, you could say in the modern
language of the Twentieth Century, that this one could be a clone. Maybe I’m irreverent to say so but it’s the
best I can say because, remember, he’s talking about God in Son, so there’s got
to be Son. So God had to have a Son and
sons... evidently, it’s just like King and Prince-- the King’s there, then the
Prince is there. So we see God here,
He’s Father; He brings forth the son. Now, that’s not the Trinitarian
concept. It may be awful close to it but
it’s not the Trinitarian concept because it stops right there. Now, I know what you’re going to do about it
but Bro. Branham said, “We’re not
Trinitarian; we’re not Oneness.” He
said, “We’re in between.”
And what in the world’s in between?
He said, “Two...two angels went
down to
Now, follow what I’m saying...lots of
things you and I don’t know. You try and
explain it. (See?) You say, “ Well...all right, above the
North...above the equator, you flush a toilet it goes clockwise. You go below the equator it goes
counterclockwise. So you’d better be
careful. Everything is opposite down
there. What does it? You say, “Gravity!” What’s gravity? Tell me!
“Well,” you say, “
“God
(he’s talking about God!) spoke in Son!” You say, “Well, He spoke in an office
of Son.” Well what was...was it an
office? Did Jesus have... Did Mary have
an office? “I’m going to take my office
to the priest and get him circumcised.”
Ho, come on! He was a man. He’s still a man. If you don’t believe that, you haven’t got a
mediator; you haven’t got an intercessor.
You’re out of luck. You don’t
have a High Priest to present a Blood to God.
You don’t have a High Priest that guarantees you the Holy Ghost. Why, we just sit here like a bunch of clowns. Now, he...here’s what he tells you.
[Hebrews 1]
(3) ...being
(the fullness, the effulgence) of his glory, (even) the express image of his
person, (even) upholding all things by the word of his power (And) when he had
by himself purged our (sin), sat down on the right hand of (his own hand...
that isn’t what it says. So, what have
we got? You’re talking of God the
Father, and not God the Son. You’re
talking about God and the son of God.
Now listen, watch... watch this...)
(4) Being
made so much better than the angels (Now, how?) as he hath by inheritance
obtained (the) more excellent name than they.
Now,
anybody can inherit anything. I can
inherit from...[an old]?...relative of mine. (See?) But when you’re dealing with Name, now,
you’re dealing with a different thing.
And this One here, that gave the Name, is his Father. So, now we got a son here and he’s born of
God. He said, “ I came out of God; I go
back to God.” He’s got a better Name than the angels.
(5) For
unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I
begotten thee? (How...what’d He do? He
begot him unto sonship... came forth unto this office of what he’s ordained
to.) And again, I will be to him a
Father, and he shall be to me a Son.
So,
you can see the word ‘begotten’ there; you can have it in the mind of God, but
at the time that he’s talking about, he’s talking about a begetting. Lots of begetting’s in the Scripture. Here’s
another one --the start of the Plan to where the son came forth. Now He’s begetting him unto something
else. Now He said,
(5) ...I
will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son...
Now,
what’re...[you]?...going to do there? Is
God saying, “I’ll be a Father and I’ll be the Son?...I’m going to be to myself
a Father, be to myself a son?” Either you’ve got to go completely crazy or
you’ve got to just believe what it said.
Well, I believe what it said.
God’s doing something.
(6) And
again, when he bringeth...the first begotten into the world, (Now, notice...
“Thou art,my Son, this day have I begotten thee” ...He’s saying to him... And
again, when he bringeth the first begotten into the world) he saith... let all
the angels of God worship him. (So, he’s talking here of an actual coming forth
of a person.)
(7) And
of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a
flame of fire.
(8) But
unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God...
That
word ‘God’, is ‘a good God’... Trace it all the way through, it means
magistrate or one of authority; the same thing.
You can use it in many ways. Like
Bro. Branham said, “You can make a piano into a
god. But,” he said, “When you talk of ‘Elohim’, that’s a
different story.” (See?) Like over
in the Scripture it says, “ Elohim said to Adonai, ‘ The Lord said to my lord,
sit Thou on my right hand’” So just get
the Scripture the way it runs together.
(8) ...unto
the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of
righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
(9) Thou
(lovest) righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God...
Now,
there you are...you’re God and I’m God; you’ve got a God-race. But the Father’s not the son. Can’t be.
But the Father can be in the
son. God was in Christ reconciling the
world; God was in Christ creating the world.
That’s the only way it could’ve been.
You can’t...you cannot change God’s pattern. If it’s way down here a certain area, it’ll go
all the way through. God couldn’t be in Christ in one place doing...?...and
outside of Christ in another place doing something else. Couldn’t be.
Cannot be done. It’s no way He
can do it. It’s got to run in
continuity.
(9) ...even
thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
(10) And,
thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the
heavens are the works of thine hands:
(11) They
shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
(12) And
as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art
the same, and thy years shall not fail
(13) (And)
to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make
thine enemies thy footstool?
(14) Are
they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be
heirs of salvation?
Now, drop right down to verse 5.
[Hebrews 2]
(5) For
unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
(6) But
one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of
him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
(7) Thou
madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and
honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
(8) Thou
has put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in
subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under
him.
(9) But
we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels...
Now,
over here he’s above the angels. Down
here, he’s lower than the angels. So
what happens? He evidently lays aside
his glory--this evidently has to be...what?
Philippians? Let’s go back to
Philippians the 2nd chapter, verse 5.
(5) Let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus
(6) Who,
being in the form of God, thought it not (a thing to be grasped and retained)
to be equal with God:
(7) But
(emptied himself completely...that’s the ‘kenosis’ Bro. Branham spoke of. Everything that God was, He emptied into
Christ. And everything Christ was, he
emptied into the Church.)...took upon (him) the form of a servant and was made
in the likeness of men:
(8) And
being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross.
Now,
I want to ask you a question: Is he talking about God the Father or God the
Son? or what’s it supposed to be?
There’s no God the Son; there’s a son of God. You can’t go to Oneness; you can’t go to
Trinity. So he tells you right here,
Bro. Branham said that Jesus had a pre-existence and he laid aside the theophanic
form which he had knowing all things.
And he said, “Glorify me with the glory that I had with Thee before the
world began.” So there you got it.
There’s nothing you can do about it.
You just believe it. (See?) The
Trinitarian mind and the Oneness mind has completely dominated Theology. The closest anybody ever came to this was the
Jehovah Witnesses, evidently. They said,
“God is God and Jesus is the agent of creation.” The best they could say is that he was the
first creation...but I got news for you, he wasn’t. Birth is not a creation. Now, we get some
pretty, pretty rough sounding things here, but it doesn’t bother me at
all. I just believe what the prophet
said, then go along with it. And when I
believe he said certain things, all I can do is see the Scripture lining up
that way.
[Hebrews 2]
(9) But
we see Jesus who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of
death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste
death for every man. (Not every man at all, but every son. The word man is not
in the Greek at all. It’s not in the
Bible; it should be in italics.)
(10) For
it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing
many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through
sufferings. (Now, it tells you right there that God is going to make us all
...He is going to bring us back to Himself, and many sons to glory; He had to
make the captain of their salvation, which is Christ Jesus, perfect through
sufferings.)
(11) For
both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: (So every
son of God and the son of God come from one source. Now, when did you and I get bigger than
angels? When did God ever say angels are
going to worship you and me? When did He
say to you and me, “Sit at My right hand?”
So you see what you’re looking at.)
(12) Saying,
I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I
sing praise unto thee.
(13) And
again, I will put my trust in him. And,
(again) Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
“...I
and the children which God hath given me.”
Do you think, in this case we’re right back to the Trinitarian hogwash
of Catholics and the Greek Orthodox and the Anglicans and all the Pentecostals? Do you think the Pentecostals want to believe
what is the truth of the Trinity: that the child is the husband of the
mother? Figure that one out. But they do believe it. You know they got a slant-eyed virgin and
baby son in
Perverters everywhere; they’re
crazy! Do you know what happens to
syphilitic people? They go insane. The world is so spiritually messed up, God
calls it a sexual perversion--the whole church, their minds are
syphilitic. They’re gone. And, the syphilitic mind comes to the place,
the fourth generation that’s got it can’t procreate. Do you think there’s any procreation after
the Mind comes on the scene...the Eagle and the Mind? It’s syphilitic; no more children going to be
born...no more children of God, no nothing.
Come on, we’re at the end...we’re finished. I want my mind under the Blood,
Brother/Sister and renewed by the Holy Ghost, by the Word of the Living God,
not this stuff out there. You can beat
your head if you want to. I don’t got no
problem beating my head; I just believe it.
And the more you believe it, the better it is because then you know
you’re different from the rest of these guys.
The Bride’s different; she’s all glorious within and without. Of course nobody’s going to recognize it but God. That’s Okay by us.
Now, it says here.
(14) Forasmuch
then... as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same; that through death he might... (not destroy,
but actually it’s to mean ‘to bring to nothing’) him that had the power of
death, that is the devil: (because, you see the Devil doesn’t get destroyed
till later on.)
(15) And
deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage.
(16) For
verily he took not on him the nature of angels; (No! he was lower than angels,
now) but (he) took on him the seed of Abraham.
(17) Wherefore
in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might
be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make
reconciliation for the sins of the people.
(18) For
in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that
are tempted.
Now,
right here it tells you, this is that priest.
So we’re looking at this priest.
And before you jump to conclusions, I want to warn you that Jesus was a
priest of the Order of Melchisedec, but he also was of the Order of Aaron,
though he wasn’t born a Levite.
Now, let’s watch it. [Hebrews 2]
(17) Wherefore
in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might
be a merciful and (high) priest in things pertaining to God, (in the things of
God and toward God) to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
Now,
you’ve got a double here. You’ve got
Christ making reconciliation for the people, which is from the vertical to the
horizontal or down here...(from the heaven to the earth) but you also must
remember, that Aaron killed the animals that spelled reconciliation toward
God. So, therefore, you look at
Jesus, the Lamb destroyed, you are looking at the Priesthood in two angles: one
where this one is from God officiating toward man, to bring man to God; on the
other hand you see this one propitiating God for man toward God. Now, let’s watch it carefully. Now watch what he says.
(18) For
in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to (help) them that
are tempted.
[Hebrews 3]
(1) Wherefore,
holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High
Priest of our (confession, Jesus Christ);
Now, he said ‘consider’... What’s he
doing? Every single thing that was said
about this man, Jesus, is to one purpose: he’s the High Priest. So therefore, God got His Own High
Priest. Just like Abraham said, “God
will provide Himself a sacrifice.” So
now we see God providing, in the person of the son, a great High Priest. Now, let’s learn about this High Priest; we
go along.
(2) Who
was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses ...(was) in all his house
(faithful).
(3) For
this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded
the house (has) more honour than the house.
(4) For
every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.
(5) And
Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of
those things which were to be spoken after;
(6) But
Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the
confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
In
other words, this is a mental proposition based upon vindication and proof in
order to have a revelation. Now, let me
prove it. Let’s go to 2nd chapter,
verses one to 5. [Hebrews 2]
(1) Therefore
we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest
at any time we...let them slip. (Now he said...he talks about, here, ‘keep your
confidence, now, what you know’)
(2) For
if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and
disobedience received a just recompense of reward;
(3) How
shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be
spoken by the Lord (That’s Jesus Christ, himself) and was confirmed unto us by
them that heard him.
(4) God
also (vindicating them...that’s
right. God...) bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and ...divers
miracles, (even) gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
And
Paul says here--in his interpolation [Hebrews 2:1-4], the interjection—“When
I’m talking about this great High Priest, this son of God, who he is, I want
you to know it’s vindicated.” All right. It’s a mental proposition; you can open your
mind wide to it. Now, if you’re not part
of the Mind Age, you won’t do it. If
you’re part of the Mind Age, you will do it.
And you won’t try to figure it; you’ll take a proven revelation and say,
“That’s it!” And when you come to the
place you can’t battle anymore, you say, “Live, die, sink or swim, that’s
it.” Now, people don’t believe in
vindication. Why, I’m glad they don’t. Merciful God!
Let me tell you, by the time the animals got in the Ark-- they believed
their instincts being...following God’s Holy Ghost--if the people had climbed
in the Ark it would have sunk. Why do
you think God shut the doors? [If]
Everybody came in the
Bible said we’ll be here and “our eye will see it when ten thousand fall
at our right hand. ...[It]?...shall not come nigh thee; only with thine eye
thou shalt see”, if you made the most High God your refuge. The most High God has been brought before us
by delineation, by a Word of a vindicated prophet. Hallelujah, Brother/Sister! We’re not a bunch of down-trodden saps. Hah!
If anybody phones me and says, “Bro. Vayle, where’s your church?” “Well,” I say, “You might not like to
come...?...with us because we’re a cult.”
That’s not a bad word. A fellow
phoned me the other night. He wants to
come; he’s been talking to some people.
He lives quite close to us here...just a new convert of some
description. I said… I had to let him know; I said, “Well, look
here, we’re a cult.” I said, “Who...what
do you know about this thing?” [End
of side one] He’s a real nice fellow. He said he had Bro. Branham’s books. I said, “Well, that’s a different story. You
won’t mind us, then.”
Now,
that’s what he said here. He said,
“You’ve got to hold this to the end.”
Based upon a vindication, you open your mind. Now, let’s face it. If it wasn’t given for you to believe and you
weren’t ordained unto Eternal Life, you couldn’t believe vindication if it grew
like a ten-foot bologna off of your nose.
You...come on, let’s face it. You
wouldn’t work.
Now, watch what he says in verse 7. [Hebrews 3]
(7) Wherefore
(as the Holy Ghost {said}, Today if {you} will hear his voice...{Huh?? He’s dead!
How are you going to hear his voice?
Vindicated witnesses! Paul was
vindicated}
(8) Harden
not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the
wilderness:
(9) When
your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.
(10) Wherefore
I was grieved with that generation, and said, they always err in their hearts;
and they have not known my ways.
(11) So
I sware in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest.)
Now,
listen. He’s telling the people in that
hour back there, about “If you turn this
apostle and High Priest down on the premise of vindication, you are shot!” And in Hebrew 6, he tells them
again...(another interpolation. See?)
(11) ...I
sware in my wrath, they shall not enter...my rest.)
(12) Take
heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in
departing from the living God.
So,
how did he depart from the living God?
By turning down His Word! We’re
not ashamed in His Presence. We believe
His Presence. You talk about Presence,
people are ashamed of It. Now, the ones
that fought us ‘so sincerely’, ...they believe that...”Well, there is a
Presence but, you see, Bro. Vayle’s spirit’s so wrong.” Yah, well fine and
dandy, let ‘em come and get my spirit right.
They might have a job, but it’s up for grabs. (See?) ...’departing from
the living God’.
(13) (...exhort
one another daily, but...Now, listen!
This is tremendous...) But exhort
one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened
through the deceitfulness of sin.
In
other words, the lack of the constant communication in this Message, you’ll
die! Now, for years I’ve preached, you
can die under my ministry. There was a
time you …[couldn’t]?...do it because
you needed pastoral teaching. But if you
don’t know the Truth today--whether you should wink your eye at a girl or not
wink, steal or not steal, cheat or not cheat, pray or not pray--you got no
place here anyway. You might as well go
now. But it’s this Word of Vindication
that keeps you living. This Church will
not go and slump and will not die; we proved it. I proved it personally--flaunted it under
your noses for years. You say, “Vayle,
you make yourself...” I make myself nothing!
I know where I stand, whether you do or not. I know the power of this Word and I’m
standing on It, Brother/Sister. If this
Word that I preach and the prophet, doesn’t have the power to get me out of
here, I ain’t going! I’m going to sit
here and die with you... ‘the deceitfulness of unbelief’ in a vindicated
Message. Well, I think I’m getting out
of here and I think you should come with me.
No problem. (See?)…
(14) For
we are made...(not partakers in the sense that you partake of Christ on this
basic thing right here, but you become companion-- the very things he spoke of
(Second chapter) here where Christ is in the midst of the brethren. How can he be in the midst of the brethren in
unbelief in his Presence? Come on, you
tell me. Can’t do it.... we’re companions) of Christ, if we hold the beginning
of our confidence steadfast (to) the
end;
In other words, you can’t let go of
vindication. Bro. Branham’s
sermons...eighty percent vindication, at
least...a vindication of the Message proven in Who He was. What do you think
Paul’s doing here? He’s proving Who Jesus is...the great High Priest.
(15) While
(they) said, To day if (you)...hear his voice, harden not your (heart), as in
the provocation.
(16) For
some, when they...heard, did provoke; howbeit not all that came out of
(17) But
with whom was he grieved forty years?
was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the
wilderness?
(18) ...to
whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed
not?
(19) So
we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Now, let’s just keep on reading. [Hebrews
4]
(1) Let
us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any
of you should seem to come short of it.
Now, then, you could leave,
actually...most of this out, here...but let’s read it anyway because what he’s
doing is throwing in an interpolation, a warning, and it’s all right, because
it fits us too.
(2) For
unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached
did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. (In other words, they wouldn’t receive it by
their minds based on vindication.)
(3) For
we which have believed do enter (in his rest, and say), As I have sworn in my
wrath, if they shall enter...my rest: although the works were finished from the
foundation of the world.
(4) For
he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise. And God did rest
the seventh day from all his works.
(5) And
in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest.
(6) Seeing
therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was
first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
(7) Again,
he (limits) a certain day, saying in David, Today, after long a time; as it is
said, Today if (you’ll) hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
(8) For
if (Joshua) had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of
another day.
(9) There
(therefore remaineth) a rest to the people of God.
(10) For
he (that’s) entered...his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God
did from his
(11) Let
us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same
example of unbelief.
The
mind refused the vindication of Moses.
The mind refused the vindication of Jesus Christ. And now in the true Mind Age, the mind must
reject the Presence of God. Only those
who are born again have the Mind of God.
Nobody else can get it.
Now watch.
(12) For
the Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and...joints and
marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (When that comes on the scene, you know
you’re in the Presence of God.)
(13) Neither
is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are
naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.
Bro.
Branham said, “You couldn’t hide if you
tried.” Now, listen.
Notice... notice, now in the third chapter, he stopped off...he stops
off in there and he said ...in the 6th verse...
[Hebrews 3]
(6) But
Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the
confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
The interpolation I read, but drop down
to [Hebrews] 4:14.
(14) Seeing,
then that we have a great high priest...
You
see what your interpolations do to you?
They throw you for a loop! Because in the first place he spoke of
vindication and in the next place he speaks a warning. I don’t need it if I’m studying a subject!
So therefore I read... I rip out chapter 2, verses 1 to 5; I go right
down to chapter 3, 1 to 6; carry on [in chapter] 4, to [verse] 14 [Hebrews 4]
(14) ...that...passed
into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our (confession).
(15) For
we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our
infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
(16) Let
us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and
find grace to help in time of need.
In
other words, if your mind believes this, you’ve got grace open to you. Anytime you can come, as long as your mind is
open.
Now watch. [Hebrews 5]
(1) For
every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining
to God...(Now, was Jesus taken from among men?
He certainly was! Was he taken
from God? He certainly was! He’s a man
amongst men. “I came from God; I go to
God” The Only Begotten in the bosom of
His Father. Every high priest...?...
among men is ordained.
(2) Who
can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for
that he himself...is compassed with infirmity.
(3) And
by reason hereof he ought, as for the people...also for himself, …offer …sins.
He’s
still talking about him. But Jesus
didn’t have to offer for himself because he was sinless. So now, he’s a different kind of a priest
doing the work of Aaron, because he’s offering Blood. He’s offering Blood to God. He’s not offering to mankind, now; he doesn’t
offer Blood to mankind. He offered Blood
to God. And he offers the elements to
man. So you’ve got a High Priest that
(4) And
no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was
Aaron
(5) So
also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said
unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee. (What’s that? Begotten from the dead.)
(6) ...he
(said)...in another place, (after that begetting) Thou art a priest for ever
after the order of Melchisedec.
What
does he say over here? [verse 5] “Thou
art my Son, (this) day have I begotten thee” --Let the angels of God worship
him, (See?)… “You’re the perfect candidate.”
And over here [verse 6]: “Thou art a priest...after the order of
Melchisedec.” He couldn’t be that until
first of all he’d offered his Blood to God for the sacrifice of sin. Then offer for God his Life back upon the
people. Couldn’t do it.
(7) Who
in the days of his flesh, (Now watch) when he had offered up prayers and
supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him
from death, and was heard in that he feared;
(8) Though
he were a Son, yet (he learned) obedience by the things which he suffered;
(9) And
being made perfect, (that’s through suffering, sanctification) he became the
author of eternal salvation unto all...that obey him;
(10) Called
of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.
Now,
Bro. Branham said, This one was Melchisedec.
That’s why he said, “Woman, what have I got to do with you?” He couldn’t call her ‘Mother’ because she
wasn’t his mother. But Jesus had a mother. So what have we got? We’ve got God Himself in human form doing the
work that was set out to be done--the giving of Himself, which is a Melchisedec
Order because God’s serving. Giving to
God is an Aaronic Order pertaining unto men.
So God deliberately took His own son... “Lo, a body hast thou prepared
for me.” And God in the person of...not
in the person of but in that temple of that son, did all those mighty works,
vindicated who He was. Then He left him
and the Blood was shed, which was the Blood of God because that’s what the Book
of Acts calls it. Jesus was the Blood of
God that was given back to God as a sacrifice.
Then God poured out the Holy Ghost upon mankind.
Now he says here.
(10) ...the
order of Melchisedec
(11) Of
whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing (you’re) dull
of hearing.
(12) For
when for the time ye ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you
again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; ... become such as
have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
(13) For
every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is
a babe.
(14) But
strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of
use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
That
comes under Malachi, the third chapter.
Only at this time can you discern between good and evil, righteousness
and unrighteousness, and who serves God and who doesn’t. So maturity does not come by way of you and
me developing into harmonious, beautiful saints. It comes by way of the ability granted by God
to receive the revelation which comes to the mind. Well, does it or doesn’t it? William Branham wasn’t any great, mighty,
consecrated man above all other men. It
just happened he ended up that way. But
if you want to study a lot of men’s lives, you’ll find that mighty, mighty men
were consecrated just like Bro. Branham.
When he consecrated himself for the visit of angels, he could have said
, “There’s going to be a bunch of angels come
and I can tell because I’m
consecrating myself.” Hogwash!
It’s because they were coming
he consecrated himself! How could you
consecrate yourself to live forever if this is not the hour? How could you consecrate yourself to being a
pastor if you’re not called to be a pastor?
Huh! You end up with a
‘stupe’--an ignorant person leading people astray. You can consecrate yourself only because
there is that. How’s man’s consecration
going to get any leeway with God? Of all
the nonsense in the world!
Ptheweee! Do you think David
would consecrate himself to be a king?
He could only consecrate himself to be a king because God said he was
going to be a king. And poor old Samuel
came by and he could believe...?...a runt... he’s, you know...a hook-nosed,
beady-eyed little...you know, bandy-legged little bird that twanged on a harp
and tended a few sheep, could be God’s anointed.
“Well,” he said, “Eli, that great man...”
God said, “Oh, Samuel, when are you
ever going to learn?”
“Well”, he said, “I guess I learned
just now.” He said, “Who is it?”
“Well, He said, “Just keep...keep moving.”
“Well,” he said, “There’s got to be
somebody else here.”
(See?)
He was now consecrated. David came by and he didn’t want to be any more
consecrated as a king than nothing. “Oh,” he said, “I like being out there with
the sheep. I take care of the bears and
lions. That way, I have a real nice time (he said)...sing songs...?...great (he
said). I’m not interested.” Couldn’t get out of it. “Woe is me if I be not a preacher of the
Kingdom”...(whatever it is). So then
we’re looking at the picture here, (See?)...
(14) Strong
meat (belongs to those) that are of full age (...when the fullness of the
Gentiles is coming in, the Mind Age)...who by reason of use have their senses
exercised to discern...
How
can you discern except your mind knows what the prophet said ...who is right
and who is wrong?...who teaches right, who teaches wrong?...who serves God, who
doesn’t serve God? How are you going to
know? You’re back with the worldly
church mess. This is the last age
because it’s the age of the mind.
You
know something about the human being?
Have you ever read where people suddenly get their second sight --old
people 75, 85, 90 take their glasses off?
They do it. That’s the picture
what you’re looking at now. You know how
some people are going mentally ill for awhile and suddenly they’re just sharp as a tack; they got
everything. You’re looking at it
now. God lets phenomena come in the
human race to let you know that’s how it is--right at the end of the Mind Age,
the clarity of mind, the eagle soaring, looking down in heavenly vision. Then he throws in an interpolation for the
end-time. Then in verse thirteen ...Now
watch, here...”your senses exercised to discern”.
[Hebrews 6]
(13) For
when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he
sware by himself...(Now, what’s he trying to tell you? He said, “Look! You people can’t take it. You don’t understand. But at the end-time...a full maturity. And
what’s full maturity?)
“God made promise to Abraham, because he
could swear by on greater, he (swore) by
himself.” Rev 10:1-7… the Mighty
One that came down raised His hand and swore...what? Just before the son comes forth in flesh. Just before the physical return (See?) where
Abraham incarnates himself in his son’s body.
You say, “Just a minute.” Don’t
‘just a minute’ me. That’s the Truth
because you’re in your father, not your mother.
And what your mother supplied was only already there because of what was
in your father. It was all in Adam,
honey, it wasn’t in Eve. So the same
thing. Just before God incarnates
Himself in the son again--we crown him King of kings and Lord of lords--what’s
He do? He come on down with a rainbow
over his head, stands upon land and sea, swears by Himself, “Thus saith the
Lord!” When did it ever fail? We got a vindication, Brother, make me...I’m
not... [Nelson Guy]?...swing my feet over the pulpit and do a little
Pentecostal jazz here, but I can think it and my eyes can sparkle and I can let
you know what I’m thinking. Because this
here, well, if it doesn’t put foam in your beer, I’ll tell you that, Brother,
that’ll destroy you. What it does, it
puts a song in your heart and puts a lift in your life. You don’t need to buy spring shoes and
everything else. You just get this in
your heart, you got something. And it gets there by...let your mind open
up. Listen.
(14) Saying,
Surely blessing (I’ll) bless thee, and multiplying (I’ll) multiply thee.
He shall see His seed!...the multiplication...Isaiah 53. God swearing, at this time to the son, “I’m going to put everything under your feet. You’re going to see your seed. They’re all going to be all around you. It’s going to be a thousand year Millennium. And I’m going to bring all the rest up, and bring all the rest in to destroy it all. And I’m going to take my Headship back.” Oh, my God! Can’t you see the perfection of Scripture? Can’t you see where Alpha’s Omega? Can’t you see where everything repeats and repeats and repeats? We’re at that hour right now. (See?)
And
he said, “Melchisedec came down.” No
problem. That was Melchisedec. Melchisedec had to become Jesus Christ. Sure!
He gets incarnated … just back and forth, God glorified.
(15) …
so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise
(16) For
men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end
of all strife.
(17) Wherein
God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability
of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
(That’s like an interpolation, but it’s an explanation.)
(18) That
by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might
have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope
set before us:
(19) Which
hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which
entereth into that within the veil;
(20) Wither
the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest...after the
order of Melchisedec.
Melchisedec
did not offer Blood. Jesus offered Blood
(that’s Aaronic)... turns right around with the emblems and says, “These are
the emblems”. Offers his life; gives it
back upon us. Now, what’s he doing? Standing there with both Orders, because he
was a man. Bro. Branham said, “He was God...he was a man, but he was God.” You’ve got to see the divine side and the
human side, and you can’t make him a second God. You see him as the son of God, generically,
genetically...there’s no way you can escape it.
So we see him in the Order of Melchisedec because Aaron had nothing from
God to offer the people. He
couldn’t...all he could do was offer blood to God and stand in there pleading
for the people, for his sins and theirs.
Jesus did not plead for his sins; he didn’t have any. He pleaded for the people. And his pleading for the people was not
simply a prayer... “O God, accept me because I’m here.” He said, “Let not this cup pass from me,
unless it be Your will.” And he offered
himself unto God; that’s the Aaronic.
Turned right around and gave his life back, ministering to us from God
because his whole life was a ministry from God to us; then turned around and
gave it all back. Isn’t that the same
with you and me? Doesn’t our life come
from God and we give it all back? So
there’s a blending here. It’s got to be
a blending.
[Hebrews 7]…
(1) For
this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham
returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;
(2) To
whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King
of righteousness, and (also) after that... King of Salem, which is, King of
peace. (You notice that Abraham paid a
tithe? Sure, paid a tithe. The Aaronic priesthood wasn’t even
instituted.)
(3) Without
father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor
end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest (forever).
It
tells you right here, there’s a type...God in human flesh, as a type, and
became a priest (See?). You know, the
funniest thing in all the world is that people like to talk about the Blood of
Jesus Christ shed. And they put him
right in there with the Aaronic Priesthood.
But they forget that he gave the Holy Ghost. How many people really believe the Baptism
with the Holy Ghost? Come on! They talk about it; they don’t believe it. They say, “Well, I got it when I
believed.” The Bible makes them a liar;
they didn’t get it when they believed.
It’s, “Having believed, have you received the Holy Ghost?” Do everything they can to destroy the Word of
God. Here we stand today at the
end-time, piling Word upon Word until the Holy Ghost...until God has made a
temple of us for the Holy Ghost, “A living statue unto God,” as Bro. Branham said.
(4) Now
consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the
tenth of the spoils.
(5) (For)
verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the
priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the
law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:
(6) But
he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and
blessed him that had the promises.
(7) And
without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.
(8) (For)
here men that die receive tithes; but there he (What? Received tithes.), of
whom it is witnessed...he liveth.
You
don’t pay tithes to a church.; you pay tithes to Christ. That’s why you’d better be careful where your
tithes go, because [if] the Word of God’s not being preached, you’re being sold
down the river; you’re in debt to God...Sure.
Oh, I know what I’m talking about...people in this Message--not out
there in Pentecost, some place else.
Now listen. [Hebrews 7]
(11) If
therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people
received the law) what further need was there that another priest should rise
after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?
(12) For
the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the
law.
There’s
a change of priesthood because Aaron could not minister from God to the
people. The best anybody could do that,
was a prophet. And it was God in the
prophet doing it. Now, you talk about your Melchisedec
priesthood...let me tell you something ( I’m going to cut this short because we
don’t have to read very much further because we covered the thing) to let you
know this. All you can stand in the
Order of Melchisedec is this: that you are a priest and a king unto God and
will be visibly made so in the Millennium and in the Future which is to
come. And your part and my part right
now is simply one thing: ministering the Word of God in faith and in love and
in help--serving God by serving the people, loving God by loving the
people. But you don’t have service and
love outside the Word.
Laying
your body upon an altar of sacrifice is a plenty good thing, but if you don’t
have what’s supposed to be there, what good is it?...if you don’t have what it
takes (See?). God would not accept an
animal that was blind or deaf or torn or any way imperfect. God could not accept a priest that was
crippled or anything else. Why? Because you’re going back to original Word,
and original Word is original specie; it’s original everything. All we’ve had is hybridization. So if you want to be of the Order of
Melchisedec, genetically you are because you’re a son of God, the same as Jesus
was. But you and I are not in the Order
of Melchisedec as per the office and the place that God placed us. The only time we ever can possibly begin to
come anywhere near a figure, as I’ve said already, is a Melchisedec priesthood...positively
is a servant from God. And the Scripture
said, “Behold my righteous servant...Behold my servant...I’ll behold my
servant.”
It’s not some big exalted thing that you and I even have Bro. Branham’s Message, although that is part of the Truth. It is what it says in 1 Thessalonians 4, at the end-time, “ We do not have any preeminence.” We are just simply people standing here to receive the blessing and the goodness of God at God’s time, in God’s order, in God’s way, in God’s sovereignty. And we have enough brains (yes) to recognize it. And then because of that we know how to serve because the Bible says under...under Malachi, the third chapter, under the return of Elijah we will know who serves God and who doesn’t serve God.
Now,
if you serve anything else but this Word of God and ...?...and I show you time
after time in the Word, the importance of coming together and talking what Bro.
Branham said. You can take anything,
like...your questions are good; I appreciate them. Ask any time you want, question. But you can talk amongst yourselves the very
things I talk about here tonight, because you must keep them in mind. You say, “I’m going to pray fifteen minutes a
day.” That’s wonderful! “I’m going to read my Bible fifteen
minutes.” That’s wonderful. “I’m going to testify.” That’s wonderful...and you can do it all
wrong. Where are you in the Word? See, we have...far as I’m concerned, we must
maintain a tight ship in all areas when it comes to the Word. So, that’s Melchisedec priesthood as I see
it. So I trust you understand.
Now,
we got a few minutes on this...I’m not going to read anymore because it goes
on...it simply goes on and talks about Melchisedec and then it says, [Hebrews
7]
(13) …
of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe...
That’s
Now,
simmer down some of you folk. We’re a
very small church and I read you all like a book. We’re such a small church you read me like a
book. Don’t worry, I’m not hiding up
here and you sitting down, and revealing you.
But you know, in your heart there’s that little worm in there...you’d
like to be ‘somebody’. Forget
it...forget it. You already are. Just learn to fit in. William Branham was a leader and he didn’t
lead anybody. I watched him. He was the poorest excuse, in all this world,
for a leader. He didn’t take anybody
under his tow nor anybody under his command (T-O-W, for tow--like towing a boat
or something.) He gave the Word of God,
let the light shine through, and he became a glorious leader of a Bride. You want to lead somebody? You do it by love. And you can’t do it by love without the
Word. You got the wrong kind of
love. Won’t work.
So, we look at this beautiful Scripture in
here. [Hebrews 7]
(15) ...it
is...evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedec ...(rise) another
priest (the servant).
What’s
Jesus doing? Is he clamoring, “Now,
Father, listen to me. It’s about high
time You gave me the Kingdom.” ? Now,
let me tell you something-- the more you serve, the more you like to serve; the
more you love, the more you like to love; the more you yield, the more you like
to yield. The fuller you get, the fuller
you want to get. So Jesus just kept on
doing what Jesus always has done.
(17) For he (testified), Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. (God serving Abraham.)
People trying to build themselves up before God… why don’t we just relax and know that...Hey! Look-it... “God, do something for me.” But don’t ignore what He’s already done. (See?) That’s what happened over here. They ignored it; they denied it; they died. This church will go in to the Millennium on the conditions I’ve been preaching tonight, and no other conditions, Brother/Sister. I won’t go in and you won’t go under any other conditions... no matter what you and I look like; doesn’t mean anything. God’s already got His own pattern lined up, here.
(17) ...he
testifieth, Thou art (forever) a priest...
(18) For
there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness
and unprofitableness thereof.
(19) For
the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the
which we draw nigh unto God.
How
do you draw nigh unto God? By
recognizing what God is doing for us even now.
You can’t draw nigh unto God by saying, “Lord, I’ve been a better boy
this day.!” And that’s wonderful! We should be better boys and girls. “My righteous servant.”...and he still is not
very pretty to look at. He’s thoroughly
misunderstood. “Why doesn’t he heal the
sick? And why doesn’t he do this? Why doesn’t he do the other thing? O, God!
Jesus, intercede for me!” Unbelief...
unbelief, that’s all. Leadership...get
out of the way. Belief...believe it.
(21) For
those priests were made without an oath: but this with an oath by him that
said..., the Lord sware and will not repent...
God swore and will not repent. The one that He sent is still our servant, trying to minister.
“O Jesus, come and minister”.
“Just a minute, he said, “Hey! Let me get
the wax out of my ear. What did you
say?”
“Jesus, come and minister.”
“What do you think I’ve been doing for two
thousand years? And four before
that...(whatever)?”
Do you get what I’m talking about? You believe what is here now. This church is built on that. You believe, at these services when you come,
something’s going to happen to me so it’ll happen to you. That’s God’s order. I believe with all my heart. I believe to such an extent I put myself on
the limb of stupidity that I could bet you right now (and I’m not a betting
man, though I could do it) I could
stay out of this pulpit for three weeks and try not to think one thought of
God, yet come back in this building and in five minutes something could happen
to me for your sake. Is it different
with Jesus? Isn’t there always something
from him for our sakes? That’s the
Bride, too. That’s the Spirit in the
Bride, to understand… look, he’s never stopped serving.
He can’t die again. The Blood can never be offered; that’s over,
but the Life can flow and flow until the Life flowed to here and we saw
it...without flesh but in a prophet, son of man revealed... “marvel of all
ages’, and walking into the Millennium in faith. One of the last words Jesus said, “Blessed
art thou for believing. But more blessed
are they who don’t see and believe.” We
have seen and believed. For you people
to believe my testimony concerning Bro. Branham, you’re far more blessed in
believing than I am in having believed because I saw him. “ You’re a priest
forever”.
(22) ...so
much was Jesus made a surety (for) a better testament.
Jesus
is my surety, and the very fact that that Person, that man that God appointed,
is not here, is our surety that there’s hope for every single one of us to get
exactly where God wants us and to get in that Millennium. There is still hope for somebody to come
in. There is still hope for every child
trained... there’s still hope for everybody because that’s our surety. Yes, the minute the dead are out of the
graves--we begin to see people coming here--there’s no more surety for anybody
else. We have resurrection faith; we
have transforming faith and it’s all over.
But you see what I mean, the Melchisedec Order as far as I can see...now
if you see something different--somebody teach you different; you get Bro.
Branham something else--that’s fine by me, but I see an Order of people
serving, loving and serving, and you can’t do it apart from the Word. Couldn’t be in there. It’s your vindication, Brother/Sister. It’s your hope. Let’s rise and be dismissed.
Heavenly
Father, we want to thank You again for Your kindness to us, Lord, Your goodness
in all ways and the fact, Father, that You’ve never let us down. Lord, we know that… I believe Lot knew that, Lord, so he let
himself get down there in Sodom and Gomorrah all messed up, and his family
messed up; lost his wife. O God, what a
mess that was! And yet the Bible says,
Lord, Your own Word (and I believe it’s Your Word) said, “Righteous Lot vexed
his soul from day to day.”
Lord,
there’s a lot of slovenliness going on.
And even Sarah should have known better. Bro. Branham said, (I believe it’s
true, Lord) he said that, “You would have destroyed her for lying but
You couldn’t because she was a part of Abraham.” And we see this today, Lord, and yet we also
saw a prophet who was right up there, Lord.
He was a leader but he never counted himself a leader like men count
leaders. He never tried to throw his
weight around. He just backed away,
tried to get out of the way and let You come forward. But, Lord, he believed You. That mind was sharp as a steel trap, Lord, as
a pen of iron flint scratching across a slate board graving itself, Lord. Father, we aren’t going to be William Branham
and we don’t need to be. We don’t need
to be anymore him than we need to be the son of God because we are sons of God
and we’re sons of the prophet, children of the prophet.
So
help us, Lord, to know how to get out of the way. Let these minds and these mouths of ours know
more of Your Word, receive Your Word, talk Your Word back and forth. And just get in that place of real spiritual
relaxation under the Seventh Seal to love You by loving others, to serve You by
serving others and know, Lord, that a Melchisedec Order is one of service. And, Father, we know that there isn’t any
service, the prophet taught us, doing God a service apart from His Will unless
that Word is there, Lord, and we are a part of It.
And
now, Father, we just commend every single person to You tonight. And until we meet again a week from
Saturday--whenever it is, Lord... a Sunday -- we commend each one of us
ourselves all to you, Lord. And let us
now seek more to serve each other in our homes, in our love, in our
companionship, our ways, our prayers, and our study...whatever it is, to just
with all joy open our whole lives. And
by the grace of God, not open other peoples lives but show them that their
lives can be open by the Prince of Peace, the Great Priest after the Order of
Melchisedec.
So
we commend ourselves unto You this night, Lord, in Thy keeping in all the days
to come. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.
‘Take the Name of Jesus with you.’