An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages
Chapter 9 · The Laodicean Church Age
To rebuke is to reprove. To reprove is to “expose with a view to correction.”
Thou Knowest All Things
July 16, 1952 · Hammond, Indiana
28Now, we know drinking and carrying on is sin; but the whole thing is because of unbelief. ’Cause if you believe God, and Jesus Christ to be His Son, you are absolutely not going to do those things. You believe that? “He that’s born of God does not commit sin.” See? All right.
You must believe. The whole thing lays in faith. Jesus said, “He that heareth My Words and believeth on Him that sent Me, has Everlasting Life, shall not come into condemnation, but’s already passed from death into Life.” Do you believe that’s the truth? There it lays. There isn’t nothing else that you can do, only believe. And if you believe, then them little immoral things will just drop off, like that. As you believe, you become love. And love is God. And you begin to wind yourself into Christ. And these other things, you don’t have to quit doing them; they just quit themselves. There’s just no desire to do it. “The worshipper having purged, has no more conscience, or desire of sin.” Hebrews 9. See? “The worshipper once purged . . . ” See what I mean? When the worshipper is purged, is when he is born again, when his old nature dies, and a new nature sets in. Then he becomes a part of God, a son of God. He gets new Life, and the Life is . . . And the Greek word there is “Zoe,” which means “the Life of God.” And you become an offspring of God. And God can’t hurt you without hurting Himself. See what I mean?
Letting Off The Pressure
June 9, 1962 · Aberdeen, North Carolina
58Now, you say, “Brother Branham, I don’t smoke, drink, chew, commit adultery.” That—that ain’t it. That’s not sin. That’s the attribute of sin. That’s the attribute of unbelief. See, if you believed, you wouldn’t do that. See? No, that ain’t what sin is. People can . . . Unbelief is sin. “He that believeth not is condemned already.” See? That’s just a attribute of unbelief.
But if you can beat all that away from you, say, “Lord God, I believe just exactly what Your Word says, and I believe (as we preached last night), that the appearing of the Lord comes before the coming of the Lord,” for it’s just two different words altogether. See? Now’s the appearing, as He promised in the last days that He’d be with us.
And what a Refuge, and what a consolation it is, Christians, that we can stand here tonight in the Presence of God in the face of His Word, and the impossibilities that He’s promised in here, we can see manifested right before us. What a wonderful thing. If that isn’t a Refuge, if that isn’t a haven of rest, I don’t know what would be, to see Jesus, Who said, “The works that I do shall you do also.” Oh, what a promise that is. Now, how many believe that that’s the truth? All right. Now, let us pray.
Expectation
October 1, 1955 · Shawano, Wisconsin
15As I said today to a friend, “It’s the atmosphere.” That’s what it is. You want to . . . If you want to get a great healing service here tonight, let’s have a great atmosphere of belief, believing you’re going to be healed. See? Now, no matter how real Jesus would be here at the platform, or out there, He couldn’t heal you unless the atmosphere is right for your healing. See?
Now look, when Jesus went into His own country, many mighty works He could not do because of their [Audience says, “Unbelief”—Ed.] unbelief, is right, unbelief. No matter how great He was, He was Jehovah God invested in a body of flesh. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. But He could not move until faith come.
Planting The Vine And Where To Plant It
September 20, 1959 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
59People don’t believe in shouting. The thing of it is, they haven’t got spiritual joy. And the joys of the waters of Life can flow through. That’s a whole lot is the matter with the Branham Tabernacle, because that unbelief, the cares of the world had bound the people until it cannot produce spiritual growth.
60That’s what’s the matter with our nation. That’s the matter with our churches. They have no joy. And the joy of the Lord has departed. As was written one time in the Scripture, the Hebrew word of Ichabod, which means, “The Presence of the Lord hath departed.” That’s over our churches, because that we left off of the original foundation, and placed ourselves into creeds and denomination, and permitted the things of the world to dry up our experience with God.
It Becometh Us To Fulfil All Righteousness
October 1, 1961 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
88See, Aaron, the high priest, before he could ever be anointed, he had to be washed with water. Therefore, when Jesus, before He could be anointed, our High Priest, He was washed with water.
89And then that anointing Oil poured upon Him, to anoint Him. Like Aaron was anointed with oil; He was anointed with the Holy Ghost. “For John bare record, seeing the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and going upon Him; and a Voice saying, ‘This is My beloved Son in Whom I am pleased to dwell in.’” So the Bible said that, “Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost, went about doing good things.” See, He was anointed.
90And before He was anointed, He had to fulfil all righteousness. See, He had to be washed with water before the Anointing come upon Him.
91And it’s a very beautiful type of us today, as priests unto God. We must be first baptized, confess our sins and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, washing away our sins; and then you shall receive the Anointing, the gift of the Holy Ghost. See, washed first, and then anointed for the service. No minister should enter the pulpit without first being baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ. ’Cause, there is only . . . Remission of sins is only in Jesus Christ’s Name, no, not another name under Heaven given among men. “Repentance and remission of sin must be taught in His Name, beginning at Jerusalem.” That’s where the Holy Ghost fell and anointed, first. So, a minister or any believer must first be washed from his sins, in the Name of Jesus Christ; and then anointed with the Holy Ghost, to bring forth a testimony for God.
Elisha The Prophet
October 2, 1956 · Chicago, Illinois
21Now, a double portion of Elijah’s Spirit come on Elisha, and he done twice the miracles that Elijah did. And a double portion of the Holy Spirit . . . Now, I want you to notice, Elijah had a robe as a symbol. A robe was what he was wrapped in. And it was a symbol of the Holy Spirit. And as he went up, he watched, and the robe fell back from the chariot. And he picked up the robe, and laid it on his own shoulders, and went down to the Jordan, and started doing miracles.
And Jesus, the baptism that He had was the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which was in Him, that come on Him at the river Jordan after He was baptized in water. John bare record seeing the Spirit of God like a dove coming upon Him. And notice, then when He went up, He sent back the same Robe that He was wrapped in, the Holy Ghost upon the Church.
And now, people that believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and afraid to take Divine healing? When we . . . And afraid to declare yourself a member or associate among those believers? Why, you should be ashamed, you . . . It’d be the greatest honor to know that I have been wrapped in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. And He seen fit to do that.
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages
Chatper 9 · The Laodicean Church Age
Ephesians 4:24, “And that ye put on the NEW MAN, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” This New Creation is not the old creation made over, or it could not be called a new creation. This is exactly what it says it is, “NEW CREATION.” It is another creation, distinct from the old one.
Satan’s Eden
August 29, 1965 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
61God’s Eden was established in righteousness. Satan’s Eden is established in sin, because Satan is sin. God is righteousness, and God’s kingdom was established in righteousness, and peace, and Life. And Satan’s establishment is in sin, and religious sin.
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages
Chapter 3 · The Ephesian Church Age
The true church of Jesus Christ, the bride, is likened to PURE gold. Her righteousness is HIS righteousness. Her attributes are HIS own glorious attributes. Her identity is found in Him. What He is, she is to reflect. What He has, she is to manifest. There is no fault in her. She is all glorious within and without. From beginning to ending she is the work of her Lord, and all His works are perfect. In fact in her is summed up and manifested the eternal wisdom and purpose of God. How can one fathom it? How can one understand it? Though we cannot do that, we can accept it by faith, for God hath spoken it.
Who Is This Melchisedec?
February 21, 1965 · Jeffersonville, Indiana
67Now we see the attribute, sons of His Spirit, have not yet entered into the Word-form body. But, a theophany; this body is subject to the Word and earnest, waiting for the earnest, change of the body.
68Now, the different between Him and you, as a son. See, He was, at the beginning, the Word, an en morphe body. He came in and lived in that, in the Person of Melchisedec. Then, later, we never heard no more of Melchisedec, because He became Jesus Christ. Melchisedec was the Priest, but He became Jesus Christ. Now, you by-passed that. Because, in that form, He knowed all things, and you have never been able to know that yet.
You come like Adam, like me, you became from the attribute to the flesh, to be tempted. But when this life is finished here, “If this earthly tabernacle be dissolved, we have one already waiting.” That’s where we go; that is the Word. Then we can look back and see what we done. Now we don’t understand it. We have never become the Word; we’ve just become the flesh-man, not the Word.
69But, and look, clearly makes it clear, you will never be the Word unless you was a thought at the beginning. That proves the predestination of God. See? You can’t be the Word unless you’re a thought. You had to be in the thinking, first.
But, you see, in order to stand temptation, you had to by-pass the theophany. You had to come down here in flesh, to be tempted by sin. And then, if you stand, “All the Father hath given Me will come to Me, and I’ll raise him up at the last days.” See, you had to be first.
70And then, you see, He come right down, the regular line, from attribute to . . . Before the foundation of the world, his name is put on the Lamb’s Book of Life. Then, from that, He become the Word, the theophany, that could appear, disappear. And then He become flesh and returned back again, resurrected that same body in a glorified condition.
But you by-passed the theophany and become flesh-man, to be tempted by sin. And then, “If this earthly tabernacle is dissolved, we have one already waiting.” We have not yet the bodies.
71But, look! When this body receives the Spirit of God, the immortal Life inside of you, it throws this body in subjection to God. Hallelujah! “He that’s born of God doth not commit sin; he cannot sin.” Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus; they walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” There you are. See, that throws your body subject.
You don’t have to say, “Oh, if I could just quit drinking! If I could just . . .” Just get in Christ, and it’s all gone, see, see, because your body is subject to the Spirit. It’s no more subject to the things of the world; they’re dead. They are dead; your sins are buried in baptism, and you are a new creation in Christ. And your body, becoming subject to the Spirit, try to live a right kind of life.