A Hidden Life (55-1006A)
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That's fine. Shall we pray. Our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee today
above all things for Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who died at Calvary
to redeem us back into this wonderful fellowship. And we are very
grateful for His blessings on us at this present time.
Now, our beloved president of this country… And we're grateful to
him, Father, for when he was brought in, the war's ended. And now it
seems like the peace talk is settled in Russia and many great things.
And we love him, Father, as a leader of our nation. And we hear that
he's had a heart attack, and we understand that he's a Christian and he
loves You. And to him, Father, we're–we're grateful for all he's done,
and we need such a person this day as a–a leader in our nation.
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And as brethren together, we offer a prayer to You for his deliverance,
that You will heal him solid, soundly well, that these afflictions upon
him will only be brought around to draw him closer to You to know that
all he must do is to rely upon Thee.
And may he hurry back to the White House, Father. And may all the days
of his reign here on earth, may there be peace among the nations. Grant
it, Lord.
And let men get a taste of what will be when the great Ruler of heaven
shall come, the Lord Jesus, and then peace shall reign in every heart
and there will be no more wars. Grant these blessings, Father, we ask
in Jesus' Name. Amen. May be seated.
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I was just a little late to hear, I guess, the singing, and I met
Brother Waermo outside. And I don't see Brother Ekberg, so I guess I
missed it again today. I like that singing, good old fashion singing.
Say, you got quite a few preachers here, I will say that, that… Very
fine to see this fine convention, and it's my great opportunity today
to–to address you, speak to you about the Lord, which I know many of
you could tell me about it. And I'm just a baby to many of you, and
when it comes to addressing ministers, I'm very, kindy a little shy
about that.
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But you're told that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen. And my friend, Joseph, sure used some of
that the other day, when he gave out in the meeting that the… He
never asked me; if he'd say, "Can I announce it?" I said, "No, Brother
Joseph." But after he'd done announced it, well, I–wasn't nothing to
do but come over. So you–you have to bear with me a little while if
you will, be so kind to do it. And this afternoon to speak awhile, and
then tonight, get ready for tonight's service…
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We're all so grateful for this great move of the Lord God and this–and
this convention here and the Philadelphian Church, for Brother Boze,
for all of his staff, and the peoples of Chicago and around about.
We're grateful to you people.
To my opinion it's such things as this here that keeps the backbone in
America. We wouldn't have any America, if there wasn't any Lord Jesus
here to help us be America. After all, the backbone of every nation is
it's morals. When the morals drop in a nation, then the nation's gone.
Motherhood broken, you just might as well fold up. All other nations
have done it and ours is no exception.
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And we believe that the–the great time, when arms will be stacked for
their last time, and the taps will sound for the last time, is soon at
hand, when King Jesus shall come and take over the reign here on earth.
And we're all looking for that. And that's why these conventions are
held, and that's the reason that we're all gathered together, because
we have things in common to talk about. Course our key note is Jesus
Christ the Son of God.
And I would look at present times at the things it is now, I would be a
very discouraged person. But I learned a lesson one time, a little
thing that I heard a man say. They was going to give away a Schwinn
bicycle to the best rider. I don't know whether I ever quoted it in
this church or among these people or not.
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The boy that could ride a–a twelve inch plank a hundred yards could
get a–a new Schwinn bicycle. And many of the boys around the city,
they thought they could ride it, and was going to win the contest. And
they had one little boy there was kind of a sissy. They was sure he
wasn't going to win it. So all the boys got on their… One by one to
try to ride it and all of them fell off but the little sissy boy. He
rode on to the end of the plank, got off, won the Schwinn bicycle. All
the other boys got around and said "How did you do it?"
He said "Now, fellows, I tell you what you done." Said, "When they
started you off…" (They give them a little push so they could get
started, hold them up, let them start.) Said, "You were looking down
like this, trying to keep your bicycle on the board." But said, "I
never noticed down here. I… See, you do that, it makes you nervous,"
and said, "you fell off." Said, "I just put my eyes on the end and kept
going towards the end."
That's it. If we look right around here brethren, we get nervous, but let's look at the end, at the end.
E-8
Brother Jack was just quoting at the dinner table today, something that
struck real down deep in my heart. And it said that a little boy was
lost, I believe it was in Ireland or Scotland one. And he didn't know
how to find his way back. So the people were getting around him and
trying to find… He said, "Well," said… In the city he lived in over
the hill somewhere where there's a great big cross, said "If you'll
just show me that cross, then I can go home." That's right. That's
right. If you can show me the cross, I will find my way home.
That's–that's the way home, isn't it. Amen.
E-9
Now, I don't know to speak to an audience like this; I just thought I'd
read a little verse or two of Scripture here and then maybe speak on
the Word just for a few moments in my own old fashion sassafras way of
doing it.
And so over in Hebrews the 10th chapter and the 19th verse we read this:
Let's ask our Lord to bless His Word. Father, we are so grateful to
have the Word, for faith cometh by hearing the Word. And we as Your
servants today, as men and women setting here come in out of the field
to refresh ourselves in this convention… We pray, heavenly Father,
that You'll come to us again this afternoon as Thou has always done,
for You promised You would, and would bless us together today and let
Thy Word find its resting place in every heart. For we ask it in Jesus'
Name. Amen.
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I would… Thought maybe, just knowing, last evening and never prepare
anything, 'cause it's usually something else when I get there. But just
happen to think on this: "Having boldness to enter into the holiest of
holies by the blood of Jesus Christ." I thought I would might take a
little text this afternoon for a few moments on "A Hidden Life."
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Now, most all of us are in these conventions and so forth to try to
find out how to have a closer walk with God. I'm sure that's your
brothers' I–way this afternoon. Now, I was thinking maybe I'd talk
about the supernatural. And I don't know how to approach that. It's
just as much mysterious to me as it is to you. And I thought then a
hidden life with Christ, some way that we could hide away, and get away
from all of it, and live with Christ.
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Am I looking at Henry Groat. God bless you, Brother Henry, I haven't
seen you for a long time and brother. I just happened to look back and
seen Dad and recognized him.
When I had my great breakdown or come off the field for about eight
months, they were real brother and daddy to me. They stayed right with
me all the time. I never will forget the day that Brother Groat there,
we went out in the cornfield to pray. I was so nervous; I stayed in the
vision so long I couldn't tell whether I was in or out. I never will
forget Brother Groat when he knelt down to pray with me. He put his
arms around me, just simple like said "Now, Papa God, will You come and
help Brother Branham? Papa God, will You come help Brother Branham?"
That's always stayed with me, Brother Groat.
Oh, what will it be, Brother Groat, some day I hope to have my arm
around you and set down by the evergreen trees where the fountains of
the waters of Life is flowing from under the throne. We will be in the
Presence of our Papa God then forever and forever to live in His
Presence.
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Now, God has made it so simple, and–the Bible. And to make the gospel
so simple to even a person like myself that's uneducated would have an
opportunity to speak, preach the gospel. And I–I was saying to the
brethren coming over, how funny I feel to get up there today and know
that before scholars and some of the smartest men in the country is
setting here, and how my grammar how poor it is, and how, oh,
unqualified… But you know, probably you all would feel like I do if
you had to set before some bishops and so forth. But you know brethren,
God doesn't dwell so much in theology. He dwells in love and
humbleness, where you can really, everybody can get acquainted with Him
and know Him. I'm so glad that He's–He hasn't selected just a little
handful or a certain denomination. He said "Whosoever will." And so
that even gives me and you a chance to come in and have fellowship and
speak of Him.
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Now, God has made it so wonderful that in the Old Testament, He, where
usually I go to for refuge for a text once in a while… He's made the
Old Testament in parables and in symbolic forms to express Hisself and
His doings, that the simple-minded might be able to have a conception
of His will and what He's done.
Many times in the Old Testament, how I have went back to find the Old
typing the New. Always, God did and what He's doing now in the New
Testament, He foreshadowed it in the Old Testament. And all of those
who neglected God and forsaken God in the Old Testament, we can see by
example what become of them. And those who dared to have faith in
Jehovah and stepped out in the Old Testament, we see what happened to
them. Now, we make our choice.
And we thank God for a free nation and a place of worship to where we
each one can set our sails in the faith of God and fly away from this
earth. I'm glad of that today for there's plenty of places you couldn't
do that.
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Now, for instance, in the Old Testament how God gave all of His
parables back there and set forth His–His things that would be a
shadow of today, then that's the only way that I can teach the Bible.
They talk about big Greek words and so forth, they'd just tie me in all
kinds of places. But if I look back and see what God did back there as
a foreshadow, then I have some general conception of what He's doing
today, because that was a shadow.
If I'm going to the–to the west, and my–the sun's rising in the east,
and my shadow is before me, and if I never seen myself, or never knowed
what I looked like, or a human being, I'd have some conception of my
form when I seen my shadow. And the Old Testament is the shadow of the
coming of Christ, and everything foreshadowed the cross. And in Christ
all God's redemption, all of His plans, all of the plan of salvation,
all was met at Calvary.
Now, how beautiful in the Old Testament, how God foreshadowed this Holy
Spirit that we're enjoying today. How that He foreshadowed the order in
these conventions that how we could come together in fellowship and
have a–a fellowship together.
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Back there we see how in the early beginning of the–of the church,
that how that God foreshadowed the place today, where I think brethren
that we're entering now for this next blessing. Everyone knows that
we're just on of–of a–a borrowed time like. The great blessing of
Divine healing, and the powers of the supernatural that's gone out,
that's brought about a revival that's actually shook the world the
hardest it's ever been shook in all the wor–all the times. There has
never been a time in any age, that Christianity shook the entire world
like it has in the last five or six years. That's right. In ever
nation, under ever place, through radio, through–by evangelists, by…
We go into a place in different countries where they don't believe in
God, and there they'd find where the ordinary missionary had passed out
some tracks (which is fine), but when they see the operation of the
supernatural, tens of thousands of heathen fall at the cross and serve
the Lord Jesus. It's been a mighty move.
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Now, we've held this ground so long, and I believe with all my heart
that we're on the threshold of stepping into another veil yonder,
somewhere to where the greater mysteries of God will be known to the
church. And me for one, I've got both ears and eyes and heart open to
hear the message when it comes, examine it. For Satan will put out a
many a false runner, but just lay it aside; remember, it's only
signifying that something real is going to take place when you see it.
For Satan will do everything (as I said last night) to blockade the
real jewel of God when it's coming forth. You'll–you'll hear it. He
put out a blockade to catch Abel. He put out one to catch Joseph, one
to catch Jesus and so forth and he will do it, one to get Moses. For
you can notice those things that Satan will try to block it.
And that's where I believe that the many cults and things, as we see
rising over the nation is only a light post to say, "Look out; it will
be here soon."
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I've noticed among our brethren, that many of you, as coming into you
as full Gospel people, coming from the Baptist church myself and
accepting the doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit being a
separate work of the Holy Spirit… And I thought then when we–when
the–Martin Luther reached justification by faith, he thought that
settled it. That was the light for his day. And he preached it, and
believed it, and held on to it, and it was the light of that day.
Then he entered another veil, a man John Wesley… When Calvinism begin
to sweep the nation, and they'd settled down to saying, "What God's
going to do, He will do, and does us no good to have a revival." God
raised up John Wesley, and he certainly smashed Calvinism to the
ground. To the place where it ought to have it's right balance, under
the works of sanctification, the second work of grace. Nazarenes
carried it on, and along come the Pentecostals then next and the
baptism of the Holy Spirit moving on up into higher heights.
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And now, when the brethren received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, they
said, "This is the summit; this is all of it." But, brethren, that's
wrong. See? There is no summit to God's power. We move on and on and
on; it's the unlimited resources of God has never been tapped yet,
blessings and powers that we know nothing about. It's never been even
revealed to Archangels, is laying just ahead for His church that will
believe. "For eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither has it
entered the hearts of men, what God has for them in store that love
Him."
So let's move up and claim our rights. As God opens the gates and
swings out the welcome mat, let's move on up into deeper depths and
never colonize ourselves, to organize ourselves, and to get into a
place where this is–"We believe this and that's all." Let's believe
this plus how much more we can hear from God. I think that ought to be
the motive of every man and woman that loves the Lord Jesus, to receive
all that you can from the hand of His bountiful mercies. That's my
heart.
That's the reason I never joined any organization or took sides with
any group, because I wanted myself wide open for the love of God and
for what He could give to me.
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I noticed in the Bible one time, speaking just for a few moments now.
In the Old Testament when a son was borned into a home, he was a son
when he was borned. He become a son when he was borned into a home. And
the ordinary, typical, oriental home in those days, the son was giving
a place and a tutor that raised the child. Paul beautifully speaks of
it in the New Testament, that how the tutor was to raise the child, and
we were… The law was a tutor to bring us to Christ.
But then, that child when he was borned was in type of the church
today, the borned again by the Holy Spirit. And I believe that God has
been tutoring His church, bringing it up, raising it up, to it's time
now for something else to happen. The church ought to be grown by this
time. But many of us, who ought to be teaching others, are yet desiring
the sincere milk of the Bible. See? We need someone to teach us, when
we should be teachers. And to that I bow my head in shame, that I
should know more about God than I do.
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Now, here is one thing that I do believe, that when a child… The
Bible speaks back there, that when the child had been raised, the tutor
kept the Father posted on the conduct of the child. Now, the Tutor in
this manner has been the Holy Spirit to the Pentecostal and the church.
The Holy Ghost that give…
And remember, the child, no matter what would ever take place, it was
borned a child; it will always be a child. And when a man is borned of
the Holy Ghost, he becomes a child of God, for it is actually a second
birth, a regeneration, that creates something in the man that wasn't
there to begin with. When every man is borned into the household of
faith, he becomes a child. Then the Holy Spirit follows this man and
brings word to God how he is progressing.
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Now, after this child become of age… Now, he's still a child. But if
the child was reckless, and never paid any attention, and wasn't so
interested in the Father's work, that child never become adopted to
that family. But if he was a correct child, a good child, and loved the
work of his father, and was interested, and tried to do all he could to
progress his father's work, then the tutor brought that word to the
father, and there was what's called the placing of the son or as Paul
gives it in–over in Galatians, "the adoption." That we was
predestinated into the adoption of children by Jesus Christ, the
adoption.
Now, the same son that was born into a family could be adopted into the
same family, or placed in the same family, or give a position in the
family that he was borned into. And I do believe that that is the work
of the Holy Spirit today among the church, is trying to place in the
church positionally apostles, teachers, prophets, and so forth, as…
And we've seen many false alarms and so forth moving amongst the
people, which only indicated that the real genuine adoption was at
hand. I believe it. God has to place into the church. That's the
business of God, not of man.
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Now, when this boy became of age, and when he was ready then for his
adoption, and he had proved by–the tutor had told the Father that this
boy was eligible for adoption, he was taken out into a public place,
and there he was robed with a–a robe (a honor robe, perhaps purple, or
some color of royalty), and was set up, and the whole city, all the
people around about, seen the Father adopt his own son into the family.
And then when he was adopted into the family, already a son, already a
child, already a heir of grace, but placed in the family… You get it.
Now, when he was placed in the family and given his position, then that
boy's name on a check was just as good as his father's name on the
check.
Now, I believe that that is the time that the church has arrived at
today, that the next great move in the church is for God, after we've
seen the false alarms… But now, God will place in His church
correctly, apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, not man-made
seminary boughten, but God will place into the church. Not theology
run-overs and overnights, but God will place in the church, as God has
chosen, as the Holy Ghost has tutored this church and raised it up. And
in there God will adopt into His–into the position His sons. They're
already His sons, but whether they are worthy of the position that He
has for them.
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If you'll notice in a perfect type, God did His own Son the same way.
He taken three as a witness (where the mouth of two or three witnesses
every word to be established), Peter, James, and John: love, faith, and
hope. And He taken them up into a mountain apart from the rest of the
world. And there before official witnesses, God adopted His own Son. He
was transfigured before them, and His raiment did shine as the sun. And
a voice out of a cloud said "This is My beloved Son; hear ye Him." Set
Him upon a mountain, put the witnesses there to see it, clothed Him in
a robe as bright as the sun shining in the–in this… They even shined
like the sun in its strength. And God spoke out, "This is My beloved
Son; hear ye Him. God adopted His own Child into the family. "Hear Me
no longer, but this is My Son Who takes over from here on." Amen. That
adoption is near the time in parable of the church. It's time for that.
E-25
Now, let's drop back to the hidden life and find out what this is going
to require to get into this place of adoption. A hidden life, we
realize that in the Old Testament under the Mosaic law, we found out in
there… Any reader knows that there were three, two veils, two
compartments and a congregation in the–the set-up of God's tabernacle
in the wilderness. The first was the congregation, then the holy place
then the holiest of holies. That's God's house; that's God's dwelling
place. That's your dwelling place.
Now, you only live in a three room house, remember. You may have two
bedrooms; you may have three kitchens, but you only live in a three
room house. God lived in a three room House. When God was here on
earth, He occupied a three room House, the Soul, Body, and Spirit of
Jesus Christ.
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In the temporal temple He–He's in a congregation, holy place, and
holiest of holies. Each one of them was separated one from another, and
each one had different furniture in it to show the dwelling place, a
very beautiful type of the church. The sinner first comes into the
kitchen, as it was; the kitchen's where you eat. The living room is
where you commune. And the bedroom is where you rest. Oh, God. See?
The sinner comes in: "Faith cometh by hearing, hearing of the Word." He
comes and eats the Word. Then he's baptized into the faith, and accepts
Christ as personal Saviour, brings him in then to commune with God. But
then he moves on into the bedroom, the still quietness with God, where
all the things of the world is shut out, and he's alone in the
stillness with God. Brethren, sisters, that's the place this
Pentecostal move ought to be today, a not so much babbling, "We're
Trinity. We're Methodist. We're Assemblies. We're Church of God." We
ought to be alone in that quiet stillness with God. Don't you believe
it? Certainly, we ought to be.
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Notice, when the high priest once a year entered in the first veil,
then the second veil… On the outside at the lavers where they washed
the sacrifice, then the sacrifice was killed, put on the brazen altar,
and the blood was put in a charger, and the high priest once a year
walked in behind the veil to make an atonement… And notice the
dressing of this high priest. Before he could enter the veil, he had to
be stripped and dressed right to go in. That's what the church is
today, what it needs is a stripping off of all these little cults and
things, and dressed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and ready to
enter in. His walk must be different, every… Along the hems of his
garment, he had a pomegranate and then a bell. And as he walked, his
walk was so perfect, until the bells played, "Holy, holy, holy, unto
the Lord."
What we need today, is not whether we are Assemblies, or Church of God,
or Oneness, or whatever it might be. Our walk ought to be playing to
the public, "Holy, holy, holy, unto the Lord."
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Another thing, he must be anointed before he goes in. The anointing oil
was made with the rose of Sharon, and the crushing of the rose brought
forth the perfume, and they put it on the oil that run on Aaron's
beard, plumb to the hems of his skirt, covered all over with the
anointing oil, walking right, living right, moving right, dressed
right. There he went taking before him the blood, and as he went behind
the curtain into the third room, there was a veil that dropped behind
him, that the outside world could not see him no more. And every man,
or boy, or woman, or girl, that ever is anointed of God and walks
behind that temple, the Veil of God, the Holy Ghost, puts him in a
secret place. The Veil drops behind him, and the world and all of its
things are cut off behind him.
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That's the reason brethren that we're holding up the adoption of God,
as our difference of life, and fussing, and quarreling amongst one
another, is the reason the veil can't drop behind us and we can go into
that Presence of God. That's right. We're so interested in our
denominations. We're so interested in what the next fellow, what…
"What is that to thee, follow thou Me." It's an individual affair
between every minister. How a minister ought to always get alone to
himself, even before he preaches, before he prays. Before he does
anything he should get alone with God in that quiet place, hid away
with God. How that, that veil once coming down…
E-30
Now, the furniture in this–inside this veil was different from the
outside. Way back in the congregation the laver that washed the
beast… In the next veil was what? It was the–the burning of the
beasts' bodies. And in there was the seven golden candlesticks on
the–that represented the lamp, and give the light. And out into the
outer courts was sunlight. In the first veil was artificial.
Notice, and when they walked in here by this lamp, then they go into
the next court which was the holiest of holies, as they walked in there
anointed. How that God has so planned it out; it's such a beautiful
thing for us, as we see the great plan there of God's eternal
salvation. How that His ministers should walk in this. How they should
prepare themselves to enter into this.
E-31
Now, on the inside of this inner court the–called the holiest of
holies, there was a piece of furniture setting there called the mercy
seat. And the covenant was in the ark. And the ark had two Cherubims.
And it was on the inside. That was the furniture inside of the holy
place. Next, coming out was the golden candlesticks, then on out to the
laver.
Now, it perfectly represents the age of Luther, Wesley, and Pentecost,
exactly, the three steps or dispensations of His grace that's been
given to mankind. We are in the last dispensation. I believe that with
all my heart. See?
E-32
Now, notice, then also in this great move, how God brought them in
there in this great place. Moses one time was told by God when the
manna begin to fall, the manna was a type of life: Christ coming down
from heaven and perishing here on earth, that He might give us life.
The manna came from heaven, laid on the earth, and the people eat it to
sustain life. Christ came down from heaven and become manna that we
might live by Him.
And notice now, the people eating the manna, they had to get it quickly
and eat it. Because when the sun rose, it wasn't long till it was
perished, the type there of Christ, the Holy Spirit. The manna was a
type of the Holy Ghost today. As God brought the church in natural with
natural manna, he's bringing the church today spiritual on spiritual
manna. When the church at first overcome, come over the Red Sea, type
of the blood, passed over into the journey on the road to the promised
land, manna rained the first night. Amen.
And when the church was passed over from life unto death on the day of
Pentecost, God rained a spiritual manna out of heaven, that sustained
the church, until Jesus comes again or we pass into the Millennium,
into the promised land. Amen.
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Oh, when they picked it up and they would eat it, they said it was
sweet. "It taste like honey in the rock," they said. Taste like honey.
David called it honey in the rock, and that's what it is.
Now, notice a type. The manna never did cease to fall until the day
they entered the promised land; for forty years the same manna fell
every day. Hallelujah! How you going to take the Holy Ghost and leave
It in Pentecost, brother, it's been one continually Pentecost. Because
the hardness of men's heart has failed to eat the manna… That's
right.
E-34
Notice, then it was a type. Now, on the day of Pentecost when our
manna… As soon as the people had went into the upper room, and obeyed
the commandments of the Lord Jesus, and tarried, waited at the city of
Jerusalem for the going forth of the Holy Ghost the first time, there
came from heaven, a sound like a rushing mighty wind, that filled all
the house where they were setting; cloven tongues set upon them like
fire. They were all filled with the Holy Ghost and begin the speak with
other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Out into the streets
they went, a cowardly little bunch of preachers, hid away in an upper
room. But all of a sudden there came the manna, come pouring down to
sustain their souls. And out into the streets they went with an
experience, that they'd never had before, a beautiful type of God
sustaining His church through this journey to the promised land.
E-35
Notice, brethren. Then how long was this manna to last? It lasted the
entire journey, until they hit into another dispensation over into the
promised land. How long is this to last? Until Jesus comes. Peter said,
"Repent, every one of you, and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the Holy Ghost;
for the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to them that's
far off, even as a many as the Lord our God shall call." How long was
it to last? As many as the Lord our God shall call. And as long as the
dispensation of grace lasts, God will still call men and women to His
service. So the Holy Ghost is just as real today. Now, He never said…
Now, when they eat this manna, remember, if they eat it… Many people
eat it and said, "This is it." They had to gather it fresh every day.
That's right. They had to gather the manna, fresh every day, because
along about nine o'clock on their second step it would go to melting.
It would perish.
E-36
And many times people living in God's second room, even in communion,
after they've already received the Word, and come into the second step
of receiving Christ into their life, and never yet know what that
secret room is, what that bedroom, what that rest place is, they eat
the manna. But did you notice, if they let it lay too long, it finally
melted out. There was… It–it perished away. And I think a lot of
people has had a lot of campground cramps anyhow, that when they go and
eat of the Lord on the campground, and before another revival can come
along, they're all back and twisted up in some kinda cults or something
else. What's the matter, brother, you've never walked in somewhere
else.
E-37
God said "Moses, make you a golden pot." Hallelujah! And in there place
this manna. And remember, that a believer when he walked in there, that
manna never did run out. It was always fresh and new and sweet as the
days went by as the years went by. And any man who comes to Christ and
hides away and the veil falls behind him, he's in the Presence of
Almighty God, eating the manna day and night, from one hour to the
other. It's always just as sweet as it was the first day of telling to
your soul. That's what we need today, is get in where the things are
at, not stand off and pretend, or not stand off and act, but actually
get in there. Amen. The man once…
E-38
Now remember, only believers, only the elect comes into that, that God
has chosen you. I believe that in Revelations 2 said, "He that
overcometh." So it's promised to overcomers.
You said, "I overcome smoking." That ain't what He's talking about.
There's a whole lot more goes to Christianity besides not smoking
cigarettes or drinking whiskey. "He that overcometh shall inherit all
things, and he will be My son; I will be His God, and (listen) I will
give him of the hidden manna. (Amen.) I will hide him away, and I will
give him the hidden things the world on the outside of the curtain
don't know nothing about it." Hallelujah! Though they eat manna, but
they don't know about this. "I will give to him the hidden manna. I
will give him a stone with his name in it." You get what I mean:
entering into the adoption or the hidden place with God.
E-39
Ministers of the gospel don't care about your denominations and what
the world thinks, but seek to enter in to the hidden manna where the
full revelation of God is make love perfect in your heart, and you and
God and everything else is at rest. Let anything come, what may, you're
hidden away. What a place to live. Oh, just let me abide there. As the
song said, "Let me rest 'neath the tree where the wa–so freely flows,
where the Lamb is the light, and the soul of the saved never die."
Amen.
E-40
Sure they eat manna out there but they didn't know about this. They'd
never been in there. Have you, my dear brother? Don't despise my
ignorance, but I want to ask you something. Have you ever come to the
place in life where Christ meant more to you than all the arguing you
could do about your church? Has Christ meant more to you than all the
world? I don't mean from an emotion or a mental work-up; I mean from
the depths of your heart, that something's settled in there, that
something's taken place, that you don't know how it come, but you're
hid away, and your whole motive is to serve Jesus Christ. Have you
entered that place, my dear brother? Have you come into that place
where you don't care what anyone says, not to go out and act smart, but
till the love of God is so anchored into you, that you can't see
nothing else, you're whole motive is to do the will of God, love for
everybody, flowing free from everywhere? What a place to live. That's
the hidden place. That's the place where we got to come to, my
brethren. That's the place where God reveals His secret things. That's
the place where God does the placing and the calling. You get what I
mean?
E-41
In this same place… We don't have much time, 'cause I got to hurry,
but just for another thought. In this same place they put Aaron's rod,
to make a decision who God had chosen and who he hadn't. And that rod
that was a dead stick, in one night's time come to life, brought buds,
brought flowers, and brought almonds. It both come to life, brought
blossoms, and yielded fruits, a very typical pattern of the sinner
being brought to God into the holy place.
Remember that rod passed over every one of those other elements, and it
got inside the holy place still dead. But to abide… It never come to
life when they first brought it in there. That's the reason the Holy
Spirit's watched you since you received the Holy Ghost, see you're
attitude towards His Kingdom. If it's been selfish motive, if the
things that you've thought of has been in-farther a denomination, or if
it's doing farther, better you, your position, if it's to make you a
man looked up to in the world, if it's to build you a big church some
where, or some popularity, or some other thing outside of increasing or
in-bettering the Kingdom of God, brother, something's wrong. Amen.
E-42
Now, when that old dead rod was brought in there and laid in the
Presence of God Himself, what happened? It budded; it blossomed, and it
yielded fruit, showing that we borned in… That rod was off of an
almond tree, and when it was cut off it died. And when man was cut off
from God, he died spiritually. But once brought into the place of God,
before the Presence of God, he comes to life and he yields life. He
yield blossoms. He yields fruit.
Jesus come to the tree to look for fruit on it. It had everything but
fruit, and that's what's the matter with our churches today, we got
everything but fruit. We can shout; we can speak with tongues; we can
argue the Scriptures; we can teach our theology, but when it comes to
fruit bearing, the tree is very lean. What is the fruits of the Spirit?
Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, patience. It
shows many is still outside on the first altar. You're still open to
the public. You're still listening to hear what John's got to say about
it, what the neighbor will think, or something for yourself. But once
behind the veil and the curtains is dropped, you're hid in God through
Christ. See?
E-43
Notice, what a beautiful picture of the sinner, laying in the Presence
of God. Now, this rod laying there, it was refreshed. It was fragrant,
brought the fragrance of the blossom, and it yielded fruit. The buds
came forth. Now, a beautiful type of that is given earthly speaking.
The first thing that we have to do before we can have a crop, we have
to have seed. And the seed placed in the ground will yield it's fruits.
Is that right? Now, the first thing we have to do is to receive Christ.
Now, the tree had to be an almond tree to start with. And Christ, you
have to receive Him before you come into this place. And then in the
Presence of this great God, then these things take place. What… see
the Word, Christ was the Word. "In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God." Christ comes into the life of
the human being.
E-44
Now, notice, the first thing was a refreshment. What makes the seed
grow? Did you ever get up of the morning and find the dew that fell
down from heaven and refreshes the earth? How does it refresh it? When
it's at peace. The dew don't fall in day time. The dew falls in the
night time, when everything is at peace. The dew can never fall on you,
my brother, as long as you're fussing, and arguing, and stewing about
the things here on this earth. Get alone with God and let the dewdrops
of mercy fall upon you in the stillness. Precious memories, how they
linger, how they ever fill my soul; in the stillness of the midnight
secrets unfold. How that God can get His believer with the curtains
dropped around him alone to himself, He will bring down a refreshing
from heaven, that there's no other person, or no other way in the world
ever know it, only he that's laying there.
E-45
Did you ever walk out of the morning in that real fresh, cool feeling?
God has refreshed His earth. Fragrance, did you ever go into a rose
garden? Down my place they got a lot of honeysuckles. The honeysuckle
don't smell much along in the heat of the day, but it's early of the
morning, when all the air has been purified, then that aroma of the
honeysuckle… Let a man be out fussing, fighting, stewing, and you'll
never get much of aroma from that of the gospel, but let him get alone
one time in the stillness of God.
Every man that comes to the pulpit ought to dwell alone first. Then
comes the fruits, yielding forth it's fruits. Every man that stays in
the Presence of God, into this great secret place, hid away will yield
the fruits of righteousness, peace, love, joy, longsuffering, goodness,
gentleness, patience. Don't fuss about these other things. Get that in
your life, and you'll never get it until you hide away with God into
that land of adoption.
E-46
Another thing, we will call your attention just before we close. Look
at the light, on the outside in the courts it was the firmament that
lit it up, sunlight, and so forth. Some days was cloudy; some days the
sun didn't shine at all. Some days it was dark. Now, that's in the
outer court.
The next court was the lamp of God where the justified stand, and it
was lit by human hands. That's where we argue our denominations, where
we argue our differences, split hairs: "And oh, I don't believe in
Divine healing. I don't believe them visions come from God. I don't
believe this; I don't believe that." You're arguing, because you're
living… Yet you're eating manna, but you're living under artificial
light. That's right. Sometimes the lights goes out. Sometimes your lamp
gets smoked up, but to he who desires to hide away, walk into the next
place, there's no artificial light anywhere. But down in between the
arch of the wings of these Cherubim was a supernatural Light hanging in
there, which was a Halo of God, that lit the whole room. And a man once
entered into that Shekinah glory (Hallelujah!), that moves back there
in the Presence of Almighty God. [Brother Branham knocks on the pulpit–Ed.]
The dimness of this world, any artificial organizations, and all
man-made creeds has passed away, and he's living in the Shekinah glory
of Almighty God.
E-47
My brethren, let's ask God for that place to live. Shall we stand. O
dear Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, my dear brothers and
sisters who are standing here now this afternoon in the housing place
of this little church, called the Philadelphia Church, named after
brotherly love, I pray Thee, dear God, to be merciful from the pastor
to every evangelist, and every noted pastor or teacher, that's in
Divine Presence. And O God, may the Holy Ghost wrap our hearts so tight
against the cross, until we will grab it up, self-sacrificial, and rush
to the Shekinah glory right quick, where we will not be running across
the earth, and splitting hairs with men, and arguing about whether this
is right or not, but live and abide in His Presence and eat the manna,
that's been stored up there for those who are hid away with Him. Grant
it, Lord.
E-48
May that blessing fall on this convention, and every man and woman go
away from here hid away under the Shekinah Glory of Almighty God. Grant
it, Father, I ask this blessing as Your servants for my brothers and
sisters in Jesus' Name. Amen. I believe.
Praise be to His Name. I love Him. Ever to rejoice, standing in the
Presence of the Shekinah Glory that will never go out. This is my
story. This is my song. Singing His Presence all–praises all the day
long. Perfect submission, all is at rest. Me and my Saviour forever are
blest. That's it. How we love Him. Don't you love Him? Oh, How I want
to see Him.
