And Thy Seed Shall Possess The Gate Of His Enemy (62-0121M)

 

^E-1
I'm as usual, hour or two late. The pastor got up and said, "Now, I
want to introduce to you all the late Mister Branham." Well, I have a
lot of things to do so I–I just get late once in a while. But this
time I couldn't help it. It was because of the weather that did it this
time. I can lay it onto the weather and get by. Had to postpone it,
Brother Rose, just a little bit. Good morning, Sister Rose. And glad to
have this morning here, Brother Rose and Sister Rose, and Brother
Sharritt, and the many brethren, you fine people out there.
I hear that somebody tells me when it rains in Phoenix, everybody just
stays in bed, such a change, you know. One of these days I'm going to
get a free meal. They tell me that you can have a free meal every day
the sun don't shine. I'm going to watch it today, make them pay off for
that.

^E-2
I was speaking last night out to some church; I really don't remember
the name of it. And… So I–we had a wonderful time last night out at
the service. And over to Brother Outlaw's, and up to Tempe, and we just
having a fine time in this fellowship. And I'm expecting to meet all
these minister brothers at the convention, so we'll have time just kind
of lounge around, Brother Rose, and talk to one another. And that's
what I come for, is to have fellowship. And we had–looking upon our
schedule and finding so many places. But I thought this was the
grandest opportunity, because I got to–to meet the different ones, to
get to see them and pass along.

^E-3
Sometimes in preaching, every minister's misunderstood one way or the
other. And many times people take something that you say and just kind
of… It leans a little bit to them, so they'll say it that way; and
then the next one gets it, it's leaning a little bit more. First thing
you know, it's plumb out of cater.
So–so we, many times in preaching, I kinda swamp down on denominations
and organizations and things. Sometimes people says then, "Brother
Branham's against an organization."
That's wrong. I'm not against no organization. But it's so many times
that people just depend on that organization (You see?), and placing
their hopes all upon that instead of upon Christ.

^E-4
They want to see how many members they can get for that organization.
Now, that's very fine. I–I… That's all right. I think that every
organization ought to get every member it can get. That's very fine.
But when you come to taking the unconverted and placing more on that
than you do upon the emphasis of the Holy Spirit, like Brother Rose was
saying here awhile ago and things, then you get–you get the people
thinking, "We belong to this, and we belong to that." After all, we all
belong to God. See?

^E-5
Now, if I seen a man going down the river in a boat… And I live by a
river in Indiana, the Ohio River, and I'm right by the falls. It's a
very wicked place, them falls, 'cause it'll crash you up right now. And
if you ever go over that falls, there's no boat could ride it, because
it sets about a forty of fifty foot straight down drop and then a big
churn comes up at the bottom which it hits right on the rock, the
bedrock there. And I guess the–the–the caps, the white caps, gush
beneath the falls at forty feet high (See?) where it hits down, flies
up again and then just goes right, tumbling like that, and goes down
into a big key race that's about sixty or seventy feet deep. And in
there is a whirlpool that whirls it around this way and brings, it out
and goes down through a channel. There's just no way of ever surviving.
You see?

^E-6 A man went off here some time ago with a life jacket on. They only seen the thing when he dropped [Brother Branham snaps his fingers–Ed.]
like that. Even that life jacket, that terrific current just taken him
right under and never did find him. Never did know what become of him.
He hung up on the rocks or edges down in there maybe a mile or two
around like that, and no way of surviving.
And if I seen somebody going down the river in a little old boat
setting there reading, going on, and I go to screaming at him, "Get out
of that boat. That boat will not be able to shoot those ripples." Now,
it isn't that I've got anything against that man, if even if I have to
bawl him out and talk real hard to him. It isn't I've got anything
against the man; I love the man, but I know he's going to crash up.
That's the reason I holler at him, because he's not… It's because I
do love him is–is the reason I holler. If I didn't care I'd say,
"Well, good riddance," and go on (See?), if I didn't care for him.

^E-7
But the reason I say those things is because I'm zealous of the church.
I–I'm zealous of God's church, and I–I do hate to see It just
becoming organizational-minded; and I know that trend, that that's the
way that every church has went to the rocks, right like that, right
down through that organizational trend.
Just think of the revival in the time of Lutherans, look where it went.
And as soon as it ever hits that, it never rises again. The Lutherans
never did come back. Look at the Wesley Methodists; never did come
back. Look at the Pilgrim Holiness, Nazarenes, all the rest of them,
Baptists, Presbyterians. They have a revival, and then some man raises
up with the power of God on him, he starts to move in the Spirit. Then
as soon as that man's gone, then they set in an organization from that.
Like the Moody Bible Institute, fine place, but it'll never be like
Moody had it. See? And the things that Moody stood for, they're a
million miles off of it. So there you are. And now, it's all
intellectual where Moody had it on the Spirit. You see?

^E-8
And so you–you find out that in those things… Now, when I first
started to come here to Phoenix years ago in the Pentecostal move, had
an opportunity to start an organization myself. The Latter-Rain
brethren came to me and said, "This is it. Let's start. Why, we'll
be–be bigger than all the rest of them."
I said, "Mercy, that's not it. That's not–that's not the thing,
brethren, you're–you're a million miles off the–off the road. God
will never bless it. Read your history; read the Bible. There'll never
be another organization come out of it that come from this." That's
right. This will organize and go into the… It's in the Laodicean
condition now. But I'll tell you, brother, there's no more God blessed
organizations to rise up. There'll be nothing of this. We're at the
coming of the Lord. See? And God will take the remnant out of this big
ecumenical move that's gone on now for the Bride, but there'll never be
nothing to organize spiritually anymore. See? It's finished.

^E-9
When I see my brethren, precious brethren, leaning that way, then I
just pour it in with all I got. And sometimes brothers say, "Well,
Brother Branham's against us. We're…" That is wrong. My,
that's–that's the farthest thing from my mind, is to be against
anybody. I'm–I'm for you; I'm your brother. See? And trying my best…
And that's the reason I never joined any certain organization, so I
could stand in the breach and say, "Brother, don't. That's not the way
it is, to say we belong to the Assemblies." That's wonderful. The
Assemblies of God's been a terrific blessing to me. "We're the
Foursquare." Well, look what a blessing they've been to me. "We're the
Jesus' Name." Look what a blessing they've been to me. "We're the
ones-the-others," whatever, they're all blessings; they're–they're
God's people. See? And God's people is in all of it.

^E-10
And when we get to associating ourselves saying, "We're just a little
better here than the Church of God," (You see?), or, "we're a little
better than the Foursquare, or the Jesus' Name," or something like
that, when we're just a… We might differ a little bit in ideas. We
all went to eat dinner today; we all take different pie; but we're
eating pie just the same. You see? That's the idea. So the idea of it
is if–if we can just see our fellowship. So don't go to leaning toward
organizations; lean towards Calvary. You become dead to these other
things.

^E-11
And I do believe, let me say this while it's on my mind. I do believe
that an organization has played a good part. For there's many times,
brethren, as bad as we hate to think it, there's been things that crop
up among us and things like that, that's been heresies. And people will
just take those heresies and scatter the people any way. And a group of
brothers get together that's–that I… What I mean is going out like
they did in the early days and all kinds of stuff. And–and we have it
all yet today (See?), just still a moving. And a people that can bring
themselves together…

^E-12
The real picture of Pentecost, to my opinion, when it comes to
organization, is the–the church, Brother Pethrus, the Filadelfia
church in Sweden. Now, they don't care what kind of a doctrine you
have, as long as it's Scriptural. If you want to see it this way, or
that way, or anything, as long as you have fellowship and live a real
clean holy life. There you are. That's good. And if you want to say
that Jesus is coming on a white horse, and the other one says He's
coming on a white cloud, look for Him that way. Just go ahead, as long
as you live a good clean life and have fellowship. That's the way.
That's it. That's…

^E-13
Well now, that's one reason, friends, that I'm with this Business Men's
group. Because I know there's a lot of things in there ought to be
straightened out. But it's the–it's the best that we have. That's
right. Yes. There's a lot of things that I'll have to say and–and
you… The brethren here will tell you. I never pull any punches with
them. I'm here as God's servant to tell the Truth. And I've got to
answer for it. That's right. Brother Rose said, "That's why we like
you." Well that's–that… Well, we can't… We–we've got to stay with
this Word. See?

^E-14
Just some time ago, I think, was you in… I was overseas, or over in
the island last year, and they had a meeting, and some of the brethren
was bragging about in this great meeting where they had business men
around the country. And they were speaking about, "I had a little place
down on the corner. My business was no good. And I had a horrible time.
And the first thing you know, I–I come in to receive Christ, and–and,
oh, I got everything now."
Now, that's good. We appreciate that. That's good, but prosperity don't
always mean Christ. See?…?… and we have to watch that. Now, that's
good. See, I… Nothing against that, but I kinda got after the
brethren that night when we went down to the motel where we–the group
of us were staying, and Brother Shakarian and all of us.

^E-15
And I said, "Well, now…" I said, "Brethren, I'm going to tell you," I
said, "I–I think you brothers are the finest group of men I've ever
met in my life." But I said, "The thing of it is…" And I said, "I
don't belong to any organization, but I do belong to that fellowship
with that. I pack their fellowship card with me, the only card I pack
because it represents all the organizations. You see? And that's what I
like. That's what I'm striving for." But I said, "The thing that
worries me that you brethren, before those men down there, which are a
thousand times more prosperous than you are… And then trying to tell
them that Christ is prosperity. Don't never try to sell them that. See?
Don't never try to compare with the world. Let the world come over on
our grounds; don't go off on their ground." See, see? You go off on
their ground… We'll never shine with them. After all, the Gospel
don't shine, it glows. Hollywood shines. The Gospel glows. There's a
lot of difference between glowing and shining.

^E-16
And so, now, and I said, "The early Pentecostal brethren that had
something, tried to get rid of it, and feed the poor, and so forth like
that, and went out without nothing, (See?) to preach the Gospel, to
associate." I said, "Now, we're trying to brag on how much we got." I
said, "What a difference it is."
And one precious little brother, after a few moments he raised up, said
to me, he said, "Brother Branham, that was one of the greatest mistakes
that people ever did."
And I said, "Now, look, brother, I wasn't trying to hint for people to
sell what they got. But I'm just trying to make a point to these
business men."
He said, "That was the greatest mistake the people…"
I said, "They did that by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit told them to
do that." The Holy Spirit tells anybody to do anything, you do what He
tells you to do.
And he said, "Well, it was the worse mistake the church ever made."
I said, "Why, brother?" And right there before the men who'd been talking to.
He said, "Because as soon as a little fuss come up in the church
there," there was a difference between the Greeks and the–and the
Hebrews and so forth. He said, "Those people didn't have a place to go.
They didn't even have any home to return to."
I said, "Just exactly the will of God."
He said, "How could that be the will of God?"
I said, "They went everywhere scattering the Gospel, 'cause they had no place to go."
The Holy Ghost don't make any mistakes. It just doesn't do it. That's
all. And as I was speaking last night, you just have to take a hold of
God, and take a hold of His Word, and hold right on to it. No matter
where It leads you, just keep following It. Keep it going like that.

^E-17
But I'm certainly a–a supporter of this Business Men's fellowship.
Every convention that I'm invited to, I always go and speak, say
everything that I can, not just try to make up something to say that
would please somebody so-and-so. But every time when I go to my
meetings, I try to study and pray and fast, and say, "Lord Jesus,
what–what could I say that would help that people."
Everybody knows I'm not a preacher; I'm not a speaker. I–I'm… Anyone
knows that. I'm not a preacher. My–my message is praying for the sick
and so forth like that. But I'm not a preacher; anybody'd know that'd
hear me preach. But what I do say, I want to put the punch in that'll
do something. Not to say, "Isn't he a–a forceful speaker? Doesn't he
use his grammar right? Isn't he wonderful in the pulpit?" I don't want
that. I–I couldn't do it. God never called me for that. But I'm trying
to find something that'll help that person and that church to be a
better church, help it to be a better people, praying over it.
Now, I was kind of talking I guess, 'cause I seen a few people still
gathering in and it raining. That's the reason I was saying these
things.

^E-18
Now, it's a quarter after. And now, I want to thank Brother… I knowed
Brother Fuller for a long time, always loved him from the bottom of my
heart. And we have a lot of things in common, Brother Fuller. And so
we… I seen Brother Fuller now for many years, and I knowed him to be
a real genuine man of God, and I love him. And I'm here this morning to
fellowship. So sorry that I missed his night that when it was
advertised in the place here. But it was something I couldn't help. And
I–I'm glad to be here this morning, see his church nice, and how God
has prospered them, and blessed them, and–and everything that He's
done for them. I certainly appreciate that. May God continue to bless
him, and bless this tabernacle, and–and the–the board of trustees,
deacons, and all the members of the church. And may you grow and
prosper in the grace of the Lord, is my humble prayer.

^E-19
Now, before we approach the Word, let's approach the Author first.
Let's bow our heads just a moment for prayer. While we set solemnly now
in the Presence of God with our heads and hearts bowed, is there a
request in your heart, that something that you have need of, that you'd
want the Lord to give to you, that I might remember you in my prayer
this morning here at the church? Would you just let it be known by
raising your hand? Just keep it in your mind what it is. The Lord grant
every one of you your requests.

^E-20
Gracious and holy Father God, Who created all things through Christ
Jesus to His glory, we come into Thy Presence this morning with
thanksgiving on our hearts. And as we have drove through the rain, and
the wind's a blowing, and the rain's a falling, we pray, heavenly
Father, that You'll pour out upon us the rain of heaven, the spiritual
rain, the latter rain and the former rain together in our hearts today.
We pray, Father, that You will bless this church. We're so thankful for
it, for its pastor, for its congregation, for the–a place where the
people can meet with a roof over their head and a nice comfortable seat
to set in.
We go back in our minds to the history of this early church, this early
Apostolic-Catholic church, and see how they set on slabs of rocks or
anything that they could to hear the Word of God, and then kneel on the
floor, and it cold and rock and dirt, and there hold their hands
towards heaven and enjoy the Presence of the Holy Ghost. Give them such
a determination in their life till they would walk into a lion's den,
never even make a move, but smile on their face, looking towards
heaven, knowing that in a few minutes they'd be in the Presence of Him
Who they loved.

^E-21
Oh faith of our fathers living still, in spite of dungeon, flame, and
sword. Renew into us, O Lord, such faith. Give unto us the great
apostolic blessing of the Holy Spirit. Each one today that had their
hands up, You know what they have need of, Lord. You know what was
behind that hand, what motive and objective in that heart. Thou alone
can supply every need, Lord, and I pray for them not knowing their
needs, but offering my prayer as a petition for them. As Your servant,
I pray sincerely for each one that whatever they've asked, may they
receive. Bless them, Father.

^E-22
And now, as we read of Thy Word and teach this Sunday school class, as
it was this morning, I pray that You'll take these words and shell
every unbelief off of them, Lord, that any power of Satan would try to
kernel up that would keep it from growing. May it go into every heart
and there become fruit trees of righteousness, Lord. Faith bringing
forth that which You have ordained Your Word to do, saying, "It shall
not return to Me void, but It'll accomplish that which It was purposed
for."…
Now, Lord, sanctify Your servant. Your Word is already sanctified. And
together may we be able to feed the flock which the Holy Spirit has
give us the–the tutorship. We ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.

^E-23
Now, to you that likes to read sometimes along with the–the message,
I'd–I ask you if you turn in the Book. And I got just a little Sunday
school message like to the people this morning.
Can you hear me all right all around all over the place? I moved this
microphone up. I'm just a little hoarse. I… Soon as I got down here,
I took the flu. The devil tried his best to keep me away from here. I
don't know. I believe that God will surely pour out something great
upon this convention this time, because Satan's done everything he
could do to keep me away from it.
But now, we're going to read out of Genesis the 22nd chapter. And you
that will turn in your Bible, let's read a portion of It together.
Genesis 22, let's begin at the 9th verse.

I want to take that last phrase there for a text; "And Thy Seed Shall
Possess The Gate Of His Enemy." That's a–a wonderful promise. Now,
we're all acquainted with this story, perhaps read it over and over
time after time, of Abraham and how God called him out of his country,
and how he was just a ordinary man, nothing special. But God called him
and made him a promise.

^E-24
Now, I want you to notice that this promise that God made Abraham
wasn't only just to Abraham, but it was to his seed after him. Now,
many people says, "Oh, if I'd have been like Abraham, if I would've
been where God had talked to me and–and give me the assurance like He
did Abraham, then I would've–I–I would really have faith, Brother
Branham, if I just had–if God had talked to me like He did Abraham."
But you have the same promise that Abraham had; that is, if you are a
seed of Abraham.
Then you say, "But, Brother Branham, I'm a Gentile. I could not have the seed of Abraham."
The seed of Abraham wasn't the natural seed; it was the spiritual seed.
For the circumcision of that was nothing, the promise to him was given
before circumcision. But it was given to him before circumcision. And
it wasn't because he was circumcised and in the covenant with God that
way; is because that Abraham believed God.

^E-25
And the Scripture said that when we are dead in Christ we become
Abraham's seed. Paul speaks of it, "And that which is Jew is not Jew
outwardly, but Jew inwardly." Therefore, if you are borned of the
Spirit of God, you are Abraham's seed and are heirs with Abraham
according to the promise. See? Therefore every promise that God gave
Abraham is yours, because spiritually you are Abraham's seed. And
you're more of a Jew than you would be if you were born in the Jewish
blood and then–and then be a orthodox Jew in that church and a denier
of this precious Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ. See? You're
more of a Jew, because you are a Jew that is borned of a promise from
heaven which God gave Abraham, and Abraham accepted it by faith. And
that's what made him what he was. After all, a Jew is just separation
and crossed over Hebrew and so forth like that.

^E-26
Now, but when you have separated yourself from the things of the world,
crossed over that separating line, and are sojourning in a strange
land, a land like you wasn't in in the beginning, with a people that
you never associated with in the beginning, then you become a spiritual
Jew. Because the same way that Abraham, by faith, left his country,
left his people, went into a strange land with strange people, you have
left your people, left the world behind, left your associates behind,
crossed over through the Blood of Jesus Christ, and are sojourners
seeking for a city whose Builder and Maker is God, like Abraham was.
Pilgrims, along with Him, dwelling in tents, churches, fellow citizens
of the Kingdom of heaven, heirs of all things through Jesus Christ.
See? We have crossed over, separated.

^E-27
Now, Abraham… The promise is made to Abraham and his seed after him.
Now, God give this promise to Abraham of his seed would possess the
gate of his enemy after He had tried Abraham, tested Abraham.
Now, after the testing come… Then Abraham had already been converted
(we would call it) from paganism into God, and then God had give him as
a sign of the Holy Ghost, the circumcision. Then after the
circumcision, then come the testing time, a very pretty type here of
the church. That after we have got saved, then we are give the seal of
the promised circumcision, which is not of the flesh but of the Spirit,
and the Holy Spirit is our Circumcision. It's God's sharp knife. It
separates and cuts off the surplus of the flesh of the world from us.
The Word of God, sharper than a two-edged sword…

^E-28
So you see, come right back again. The Word of God is the thing that
the Holy Spirit uses, not creeds, not denominations, but the Word is
what separates us from the things of the world. It cuts away our ideas
and things, and wholly consecrates us to God. Jesus said, "If ye abide
in Me, and My Word in you…" There you are. Then it isn't your word,
it's His Word. Then you see, "If ye abide in Me and My Word in you, you
could ask what you will." See what it is? You're not speaking your own
word; you're speaking His Word. So then the Holy Spirit is the One that
takes the Word of God and separates us from these things of the world.
See? Circumcision, cutting off… Then you go through a testing time.

^E-29
Now, Abraham, after he was called out the land of the Chaldeans in the
city of Ur, he become a pilgrim, a sojourner. And then God called him
after he had been proven that he was going to go on and take God at His
Word. Then what God did then was give him a sign that He had accepted
him. And He circumcised him. And he circumcised Ishmael and all of his
household.
And now, you see when–when you are called out, first you go through a
trial to see if you're going to really go on. And then God gives you
the Holy Ghost which is the sign that He has accepted your faith that
you profess to have in Him. You follow me now? He's going to accept it.

^E-30
Now, I was talking to… There may be some precious Baptist brethren
setting here. And everyone knows that I come out of a Baptist church.
Now, I was talking to my Baptist brother, and he said to me, "Brother
Branham…" He was a Doctor of Divinity, a fine man, real Christian. He
said, "But Brother Branham, where do you get that baptism of the Holy
Spirit being anything different than faith in Christ Jesus?"
I said, "It is different, my precious brother."
He said, "Don't you think that when you receive Christ, you receive the Holy Spirit?"
I said, "Correctly." But I said, "You see, you're only professing that you have received Christ until He recognizes it."
He said, "Brother Branham, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness."
I said, "Yes, but God gave him a sign that He had received his faith
when He give him the seal of circumcision, that He had recognized his
faith." Amen.

^E-31
Now, when we receive Christ as our Saviour, then if we're sincere in
that, then God gives us a sign that He has received our faith in
Christ, by giving us the seal of circumcision, which is the Holy Ghost.
That's the seal of circumcision. "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God
whereby you're sealed to the day of your redemption," not to the next
meeting, but to the day of your redemption. That's right, Ephesians
4:30. Now, that's how we receive the Holy Ghost.

^E-32
And now, if you say, "Oh, I'm a believer," and God's never give you the
Holy Ghost yet, He's never recognized it. You're just confessing that
you believe. But when all the doubt…
I'm not saying you're not a believer now; in a certain portion you are
a believer. But when God has found favor, you found favor with Him,
rather, and He recognizes you to be His child, and He knows your heart,
and He sees your sincerity, He knows all things are cut away from you;
then He seals you into the Kingdom of God by the Holy Ghost, proving to
the world that He has accepted what faith you profess to have in Him.
Get it now?

^E-33
Now, immediately after that comes the temptation. Every son that cometh
to God must first be chastened, tried. Jesus, as soon as He received
the Fulness of the Spirit on the river when John baptized Him,
immediately the devil took Him into the wilderness to go through a time
of temptation. But when He took the Word of God and overcome the devil,
"It is written. It is written," He came back out then ready for His
ministry.

^E-34
And that's the way God did Abraham. Now, God, after calling him out of
his land, and he separated himself from his land, his people, and then
God give him the seal of circumcision, then give him the son, then he
went down to that final test, right down to the time he had to offer
his own son Isaac for a sacrifice. And He said, "Seeing that you spared
not your only son, I know that you love Me." He give him that test.
Then immediately after that, the battle was won then, He said, "And
your seed shall possess the gate of his enemy." Amen. I like that.
Shall possess the gate of his enemy… We'll get to that final point
just in a few moments, the Lord willing. Now, He's found the–this
Abraham faithful. After He found Abraham faithful, then He gave him the
promise of possessing the gate of the enemy.
Now, there are times where many of us Pentecostals has made a mistake
in saying, "Well, the Holy Ghost's poured out on me. Glory to God
that's all I have to have." No, sir, you're just then getting started.
You… It's not then; it's your test and your trial.

^E-35
Just like we find in–in–over in the–the–the Old Testament; testing,
trying, and then placing a son: adoption, placing the son after he's
already a son, been borned into the family, he's a son. Then he would
be tested and tried and raised up by tutors and see how he comes out.
And then he's placed positionally equal, almost to his father.

^E-36
Now, that's what it is today. We've had about forty years of testing of
Pentecost or more (See?), testing the church, seeing whether they're
going to stand or not, seeing what you…
And see, there's where I get it again. Instead of holding onto the
cross and to the Word and moving on, we become fashioned after the
world, dropping this way, or dropping this a way, or patterned after
this. As I've always spoke so hard against people in this modern trend
today, the women cutting their hair and–and the men carrying on and
everything, and just wearing immoral clothes and things. And I get so
much criticism over that. But what is it? It's trying to save that
church. It's trying to get them up here to the Word of God regardless
of what the other world has to say about it. Stay with God's Word.
Amen. See?

^E-37
See, the thing of it is, like I was saying last night, the Pentecostals
are waiting for a rushing mighty wind; but they failed to hear that
still small voice. See? That's just wrong to do those things. They
think as long as the wind's a rushing, all right.
But that didn't attract the prophet's attention. The rushing wind never
bothered the prophet Elijah in the cave. The mighty thunders and
lightnings and pouring down never attracted him at all, but what
startled him was that still small voice, that's something speaking with
inside. "My Word is Truth; let every man's word be a lie and Mine be
true." That's what attracted the prophet. And it'll still do it. The
Word of God always attracts that spiritual mind, because it is the mind
of Christ in you that knows that that Word is true.

^E-38
And you go through a testing time. The church goes through a testing
time. Each individual goes through a testing time before it can ever
possess the gate of the enemy. Abraham went through it. Christ went
through it. After Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit there at the
river of Jordan, He went through a testing time. After Abraham was
called out, put into his land where he was to be a pilgrim, then give
circumcision and God met him time after time. Yet he had to go through
the time of testing. Every seed of Abraham does the same thing, Abraham
and his seed, an organization, a church.

^E-39
That's the reason we find our organizations falling by the wayside, is
because when it come to the test… What test? God's Word. There's the
test. God's Word is the test. Will we do what a bunch of men says do or
will we do what God says do? That's the difference.
There He come, the days of Dwight Moody, the days of Finney, Sankey,
Knox, Calvin, Spurgeon, all the rest of them, those spiritual men,
their organizations followed after them. They've got up a bunch of men
back there that's cut their ways into it, each one believing this and
that, and adding a little here, and taking a little away there, and
adding a little here until finally they made an organization out of it.
And when they do, the real true believer… God comes right around and
picks up some little humble person, breaks that thing to pieces. Right.
Always done it, God doesn't change. Just tears that thing to pieces…
Some spiritual-minded people who'll stay right with that Word…

^E-40
Let me tell you; I got a letter at home of one of the finest churches,
big organizations in the Pentecostal move. That poor broken-hearted
woman wrote me a letter. And she said, "Brother Branham, I had wore
long hair and had a bun on the back of my head." She said in the… "My
husband liked it." And she said, "We moved from the city where we had a
church that was real spiritual into where this big church, the first
church of the city." And said, "When we got in there, all the
Pentecostal sisters had cut off their hair." And said, "They got after
me about it, and I said, 'No, no, I believe the Bible says for us not
to do that, dishonorable to do that.'" And so she just said, "And they
kept… and laughed at her, and said, 'Hey, your–your tire's going
flat on the back, your spare,' and all like that. They got after my
husband in such a way till I–he forced me to cut my hair." And said,
"And I've been condemned ever since."
Think of it, a Pentecostal church that's supposed to stand for the Word
of God. That's where your organization takes you to. Right. They fail
to hear that still small voice of the Word that calls them to the
truth. They're all listening for rushing mighty winds, and a lot of
shouting and dancing, and saying they got power. That's all right. I
believe in that too. But brother, when you can dance and shout, and
then turn around and deny the Word of God, and live like the world,
there's something wrong somewhere. That's right.

^E-41
The Spirit of God comes down in that still small voice and directs you
right straight to Calvary where we are dead and our life is hid in God
through Christ and sealed by the Holy Ghost. Then that Word alone lives
there. "Then if ye abide in Me and My Word in you, ask what you will
and it'll be given to you." There's the difference.
I hope I don't appear to you as a fanatic. If I am, I'm–I'm–I'm
ignorant of it. I–I believe that God's Word is Truth, and It must
abide right here. And if It abides here, It will show Itself outwardly.
It's got to. Your life, your whole makeup will be different.
So when God gave Abraham the test, he come through a hundred per cent.
And when God cannot give an organization a test because it's all mixed
up… God don't deal in that way with organizations. He don't deal with
nations in the Gentile race. He took a people out of the Gentiles.
Israel, He took a nation; but of the Gentiles He took a people out of
the Gentiles for His Name's sake. So you see, it's not an organ–it's
not an organization, it's an individual He takes out of the Gentiles.
And when the test comes, you see what happens? We did come out for
justification. We did receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost in the
Pentecostal move.

^E-42
But when it comes to the test time, get polished scholars, wants to be
like the world, just like it was in the days of Wesley's move and all
the rest of them. They go to school; they–they learn science, and they
learn all these other kind of things that–that goes along with
education. And they try to learn psychology, just the best thing…
"Well, don't say this, let them do this and that because it'll…"
See, you're accumulating and building… Your–your–your objective is
wrong; your motive is wrong. You're building to an organization instead
of building to Calvary. How can you build to Calvary and not coming by
the way of the Word? For we are washed by the water of the Word. "Ye
abide in Me and My Words in you, then ask what you will."

^E-43
There's where we see the defeat of the Pentecostal movement, because
they get away from the Word. The Word will say one thing; they'll try
to make that organization come in there somewhere; and they'll walk
right away from that Word, and take it right in with the organization.
Can you see where it's gone to? It's almost like the rest of the
churches. But then we dance and shout, and speak in tongues, and jump
up-and-down. Them's all right. Your organization's all right. I hope I
made myself clear. But the thing is that still small voice of the Word
speaking forth. That's it.

^E-44
You go through a test. God tests you like He did Abraham. He tests
Abraham's seed after him. And now, the reason that we don't possess the
gate of the enemy, the reason there's so much among us is because that
we're not able to stand the test. And let me tell you something, a test
of the Word is right.
The reason that we do not have, and we never will have in the
organization… I think Pentecost has got some fine organizations. Some
of the finest men that lays–lives on the face of the earth belongs in
them–them organizations. Assemblies of God, I got friends in there.
My. A brother right there in Indiana I'm going to have a meeting, I
believe away–right away, Brother Roy Weed, he's a district man of the
state of Indiana. I believe that to be a godly man. Yet he's a district
man of the Assemblies of God. Foursquare? Oh, my. How many… Rolph
McPherson, and many of those brothers who are godly men, nothing on
their lives, they're good men… Over in to the Oneness, what they call
themselves, Oneness, or not… I don't… think they call it the Jesus'
Name church… Jack Moore, just calling one out of a–out of… There's
hundreds of them, fine men, good men, godly men.

^E-45
But the thing of it is, brother, is this: when you hang to that
organization… See? God takes those organizations and they're every
one fallen. Look at them, worldliness creeping in. Look at their women;
look at their men; look at their condition. I could point you
Assemblies of God people that's got deacons on their board that's
married two or three times. Preachers carrying on, women with their
hair cut, wearing shorts, makeup, and still professing to have the Holy
Ghost, depending on the evidence of speaking in tongues or jumping
up-and-down or shouting. They failed that still small voice of the
Word. That Word keeps you bound to the cross. That's where it lays.

^E-46
That's why we don't have genuine prophets in the church today like
Agabus. That's why the church today, they–they hardly respect speaking
in tongues when somebody speaks, because they heard so much bogus and
carry on till they don't know what is right and wrong in it.
Interpretations that's just merely illusions, somebody just saying
something because he feels led. That's not interpretation.
Interpretation–not somebody stands and speaks in tongues, another one
gets up in a few minutes and–and interpret what he said. When one's a
speaking, the other's interpreting right there saying word by word,
same expression and everything, the same. This man might be
prophesying, but it isn't interpretation. Some of them… this kind of
a voice giving something that's back here giving something else to some
say ten words, another say fifty words behind it for an interpretation.
Interpret means to say word by word. If it's a Word of God, it's got to
come word by word, line upon line, line upon line. That's the way the
Word's got to come. But what have we seen, so much bogus…
And they did that in order… Instead of staying with the Word, they
packed that down there. As soon as a man did that, they called him a
Pentecostal. And you know what happens. When the test comes, the
testing time, then the seed begins–just shows which is seed and which
is not.

^E-47
Now, regardless of what took place, Abraham stayed with the Word, the
promise. But today the organization can't do that. And some of you
precious brothers that belong to those organizations, you disagree with
them once, you know where you're gone.
How many of you… Now, I don't say in this building now, but how many
has been in my study, how many has been with me saying, "Brother
Branham, we know that's the truth, but if we're kicked out here, what
are we going to do?"
Brother, what are we going to do? Hang to Calvary, hang to the promise, hang to the cross, regardless.
And over in there they got some of the finest men. See? But what I'm
trying to do is say that that has got to fail. It always has failed and
always will fail. But it's whether you fail or not with God. Keep God's
Word and His promise first; you'll be tested by It.

^E-48
You'll sign papers that you'll do this or do that. Even against the
Word, you'll still sign it. That's right. In your hearts you know it's
wrong. That's that still small voice speaking, that Word. No wonder we
can't move on because what something's happened. You separated yourself
from that still small voice. You run out too quick. God was calling
you, but you run out too quick because the thunders roared, the
lightning flashed, the mountains shook. It never moved Elijah, that
prophet. He wanted that voice first. He said, "I'll lay right here."
So many today started off healing services, carnal in comparisons, all
kinds of things and sensations that never even appeared in the Word of
God. That's right. What is it? We ought to sing that song "They That
Wait Upon The Lord." Let me humble my pride and call on Your Name. Let
me wait, Lord, till I hear that still small voice. And that voice will
be a Scriptural Voice. It'll speak exactly with the Word. Amen.

^E-49
All right. Found, Abraham after he'd been put–called out, separated
from his loved ones, from his family, from his home, for his kindred
into a strange land… By faith he did that. Then because that he did
it, God give him circumcision to prove that he was God's son. And he
believed in Him because he was believing the promise. Yet he
couldn't–he didn't see it natural, but he professed anything contrary
to God's Word was a lie. No matter how much evidence come up, it's
still a lie.

^E-50
I hate to say this but I'm going to have to. Look, and when you take
women (I'll say it for one thing, that's visible–can see.), that claim
to have the Holy Ghost and not decent enough to–to leave their hair
grow, there's something wrong somewhere. A woman that will put on a
garment that pertains to a man and wear it, when the Bible says it's an
abomination to a–to God for a woman to wear a garment pertains to a
man. And then you claim to have the Holy Ghost and do that?

^E-51
I spoke on that one day, in Oregon; there's a woman wrote me a great
big letter. She said, "Brother Branham, you got a wonderful ministry,
but you're sure ruining it." She said, "Now, what about," said, "I wear
overalls all time." Said, "What about going out in the garden to pick
some–some garden and with a dress on. Don't you think it'd look much
better with overalls on than it would be, or dungarees (ever what it
is), than to have a dress on?" And said, "Look, I ride up into the
mountains with the boys when they go up to herd the cattle," and said,
"I get into the mosquito infested area." Said, "Now, with a–with a
dress on, they'd eat me up. With overalls they don't bother me."
I said, "That's thinner than the broth made out of the shadow of a
chicken that starved to death." Mercy, that ain't got one Word of God
about that. That's your own opinion. God said, "Let every word be a lie
and His be true." My wife wears a dress; she picks in the garden. She
has no trouble about it. And anyhow, a woman ain't got no business with
a bunch of men out there a herding up cattle anyhow. She ought to be in
the kitchen where she belongs. That's right.

^E-52
They're just trying to find an excuse. But there's none. God's Word's
plain that a woman that's borned of the Spirit of God will… And a man
that's borned of the Spirit of God won't let his wife act like that.
What did He say? She that takes–cuts her hair dishonors her head, and
her husband is her head. She's dishonorable. I'd better shut up.
All right. Now, see–see… That's enough. You know what I'm talking
about. I don't say that through malice. If I say that through malice,
God have mercy on my sinful heart; let me get down here at this altar
and repent. I'm saying it because, friends, I love you. And I'm trying
to tell you what's the truth, and that's God's Word. We got to hear
that small voice of God to measure up to the Word. We're going to a
time of testing. Hallelujah.

^E-53
Did you realize that after that testing time come, that tutorship of
that son that was borned into a denominational family… If he stood
the test and remained with the father's desire, then that boy was taken
out and he was put on a garment, and then there's a ceremony said. And
that boy was placed then into the family to which he was borned in.
That's what's the matter with our Pentecostals today. They just jump
here and there, and organizations are pulling this way and that way.
And they don't stay with the Word. If you'll stay with the Word, then
God seeing, "if ye abide in Me and My Word in you…" His… He cannot
deny It. It's His Word. Then there'll be a time sometime, when you'll
be taken out, and set aside, and be given something that's genuine.
Hallelujah. Power of the Almighty God which God's waiting for His
children, but they just won't line up…
When it comes to that testing time, will you accept it? "Well, the
church will put me out." All right, there you are. Then go… It's not
Abraham's seed. Abraham's seed doesn't act like that.

^E-54
Abraham's seed… Now, I don't care what come contrary to Abraham, he
stayed right with that Word of promise, just stayed right with it. No
matter how Sarah come, others come, different ones come, everything, he
counted it as though it was. And he looked, he believed that he could
see the promise, because God promised it to him, and that was all there
was to it. It was God's Word, stayed right in him.
Then He give him that final test. "I'll give him a double portion of
trying." Now, he's already got the son; he sees he got that. "But now,
I'll tell him take that son up and kill it. And let that son, when he
see… Will he kill that son? I'll try him out." Abraham, true to the
Word…

^E-55
How when you receive the promise, how are you going to stop the thing?
How–how you going to… How you going to ever expect to be a father of
nations, and here you are a hundred and fifteen years old now? Abra…
Little Isaac about fourteen or fifteen years old. How are you going to
be a father of nations when you're a hundred and fifteen years old, and
here's your only child, and you're destroying your only evidence that
you have? Amen.
"How am I going to make it if I get out of an organization? How am I going to make it if I do this?"
Oh, listen to that still small voice that comes with the Word. The Word…
You say, "I heard a voice tell me this."
If it's contrary to the Word, it wasn't God's voice. God's voice comes with the Word.

^E-56
Then Abraham walked right up there to the voice and still, small voice
of God to the Word of God to take the life of his own son. He said,
"Stay your hand, Abraham. I know you love Me now. And all those after
you (Hallelujah.), all those that come after you that's willing to take
My Word, it'll be your seed, and there it shall possess the gate of the
enemy."

^E-57
Wished I could had time to tell you something that happened a few days
(See?), of what's taking place. Oh, my. "Shall possess the gate of the
enemy, your seed after you. Abraham, who blesses you will be blessed,
and who curses you will be cursed." Jesus said, "It is better for a
millstone to be hanged at your neck and to drown in the depths of the
sea."
And these organizations that turns out those godly men, because they've
taken a stand for truth, the Word, and the Spirit and power of God and
stay with the Word, you see what happens? They're drowned in the sea of
forgetfulness. Better that a millstone is hanged at your neck and
drowned in the depths of the sea than to even offend the least of these
anointed ones. What are they? Abraham's seed staying with the Word of
promise.

^E-58
Some of our churches are getting to the place they deny–they deny
Divine healing; they don't want it in their church anymore. That's
right. Our Pentecostal organizations don't want no more Divine healing.
What is it?
Don't you see how the devil's worked. He's got around there and said
some bogus things along like that. And just intellectual men thinking
they're spiritual, and look at that, and say, "Look at that one, look
at that one." I ain't looking at that.
If you're Abraham's seed, you'll look at the promise of God, what God
said to do about it. That's it. Abraham's seed, we look at a promise. I
don't care how many falls this way and how many falls that way; the
promise remains true. You've got to come through those testings. See?
Yes. Abraham first tested and then sealed, then given the promise that
his seed should possess the enemy's gate. I like that.

^E-59
Then they possessed their enemy's gates after they were tested. The
thing of it is, we can't stand the testing. That's the reason that our
organizations cannot stand the test. It is not the will of God. It's
the… God has blessed it. But it isn't the will of God because (See?),
you've got a whole company of men here with whole companies of ideas,
and they pool them together and come out with the best they can. Some
of them say, "This is a big man, you can't deny his word." Well, that's
the same way the Catholic church is organized: same thing, upon a bunch
of intellectual believers, intellectuals. They look at it, cope it with
the times. You can't do that. Everything else is a lie but God's Word.

^E-60
Abraham never looked at one thing but God's promise. Regardless of what
was, he stayed with God's promise. Then that's the reason we don't find
more… An organization can't possess the gate of the enemy. There's
too many fangled minds in there. Got to take an individual that
possesses the gate of the enemy. You can do it if you wish to. Yes,
sir. Let's try a few for a few minutes, see if they stay in the
Scripture.

^E-61
Now, there was a time down in Babylon when there was a–an image set
up: pretty type of the Catholic church. And all that didn't bow down to
that image would be burned in a fiery furnace. Now, it was a showdown
whether they was going to stay when God said, "Thou shalt not have any
other gods before Me or make any image of anything."… That's what God
said.
The showdown come. All the rest of Israel falled right in, and when the
trumpets sounded, and the–and the psalteries sounded and the–and the
flutes sounded, why they all fell down before this image. But there
were three of them that said, "Nothing doing." They heard that still
small voice. And they stayed in line with the Word.
What did they do? Stayed with the Word. And after… They–they–they
said, "If you don't do it… We'll give you another chance, or we'll
throw you in the fiery furnace."
Said, "Our God is able to deliver us from that fiery furnace." [Blank.spot.on.tape–Ed.]

^E-62 Now, Brother, what about you? "What will I do, Brother Branham?" Stay with the Word. Stay with the promise.
"My church will all walk away from me." Stay with the promise. They'll
have to fade–go away someday anyhow. But God won't. Stay with the
promise.
"Well, I tell you, they'll kick me out." Stay with the promise, just
the same; stay right with the promise. Now, if you can stay with the
promise and stay there, stay right with them then. Fellowship with
everybody.
But now here… Now, you'll never win any other way but besides
fellowshipping with everybody. You got to. Now, when they got so bad
and immorally, then stay away from it. That's right. Don't get on the
enemy's territory. But as long as you're trying to win your brother,
that's different. See?

^E-63
Now, watch, but you'll never win the opinion of the organization, one
person (No sir!), when they got their rules set, "We believe this,
period."
If you'd write up your doctrines, "We believe this, comma," it'd be
different. A period means we believe this, and you've got to come to
this and sign this paper, or that's all of it. But if you say, "We
believe this, comma, plus as much as we can learn from God. We're open
to the Holy Spirit," then you're going on, brother. Yes. That's going
to be different now. But you see, if you got it wrote with a period,
and God gives something another comes up that proves to be His Word and
truth, you can't move, 'cause it's a period. That ends it.

^E-64
That's where the Lutherans died. That's where the Methodists died.
That's where the Baptists died. That's where the Presbyterian died, and
there's where the Pentecostal are dying. That's right. That's right.
They die right there. Just look. 'Cause they–it's already wrote out.
There's nothing you–you can add to it or take from it. It's–it's
there; that's your doctrine.

^E-65
Luther could not accept sanctification. No sir. He done said, "Just
shall live by faith." Not Martin Luther, but that group that followed
him. That's right. Not John Wesley, but the group that followed him.
That's right. Not Calvin, but the group that followed him. Not John
Smith of the Baptist church, who prayed so hard at nighttime, till his
eyes was swelled shut, for his church. And his wife had to lead him out
to feed him with a spoon at the table: not him, but this bunch of
Baptists that follows him, organization that come behind him. Not
Alexander Campbell, but those who followed him. Not the Pentecostal
move at the beginning who had all things in common and fellowshipped
with everybody, but the groups that come and said, "No, we're this, and
we're this, and these are issues and that's that." Separating
themselves, seemingly not having the faith. That's right. That's what
did it. There's the evil thing. Amen. I feel religious this morning.

^E-66
The ch… Hebrew children, after they had stood the test where they
would stay for the Word of promise or not, they were put to a trial.
And what did they do? They possessed the gate of the enemy. Amen. Why?
They stayed on the Word. Stay with the Word, that voice of God that
speaks to you.
Now, all reason says, "Now, look, Babylon, it wouldn't be no different,
because we're–when we bow before this image, we're worshipping God
anyhow. Well if we do it this way, we mean it this way."
Do it the way God said it. What if God said, "Moses, take off your shoes, Moses, you're on holy ground."
He said, "Thank You, Lord, I sure believe in You. I'll just take off my
hat instead. It's too much trouble to unlace my shoe." See, it would
never work. He said, "Shoe." He didn't say hat. That's right. It's got
to come line by line, what God says and line up with His Word.

^E-67
Now, after they'd had the test, they possessed the gate of the enemy of
fire. They found out when they went right down to the end, staying on
God's Word, they possessed the gate. That's right.

^E-68
After Daniel… There'd been a proclamation went forth and signed by
the Medes O Persians that could not be changed, that if anybody prayed
to any other god, let him be throwed into the lion's den. And Daniel
knew that God's Word was to pray to Him only. So he just opened up the
windows and prayed anyhow. Now, he never got back in a corner; he
opened up the windows towards the temple. He wasn't ashamed of it.
And we don't want to practice our religion on Sunday, and Monday do
something else, or believe in our heart one thing, and come before
somebody else and say, "Well, I don't know. I… Yeah, I think you're
right." Be what you are. If you're not, get out of the pulpit, get out
of the church. That's right, 'cause you're an indebtiment to both. Say
what you are. Say what you believe. Then you have nothing to back up
from. You're standing just exactly what's true. Everybody knows your
colors. Men will appreciate you, any man.

^E-69
A woman might be as ugly as all get out. She might be big, fat, little,
skinny, black-headed, brown-eyed, blue-eyed, gray-eyed; one, one way
and one the other. But if that woman is clean, lady, there ain't a man
in the country but what ought to take off his hat to them if he's got
an ounce of man in him. That's right. Because she's–she produces what
she is, and men appreciate it.
So will God appreciate a man that'll be what he is, or a man that
professes Christianity. Let's be a Christian filled with the Holy Ghost
with the Word of God or forget about it. That's right, 'cause otherwise
you become hypocrisy, and living a different life. And people will see
you run out here to dances and smoking and things like that, and
claiming to be a Christian. Then, see, you put a stumbling block in the
other's way. See you women sometimes, how they cut their hair and dress
and act in these little old dresses on, look like a skinned-down weenie
or something, and going out there on the street, walking around with
heels about that high, mincing down the street. Is that Pentecostal?
Then the–the other churches say, "They claim they've got something
that they haven't."

^E-70
You are sealed and marked by the Holy Ghost. You're not in the dance
halls tonight and hugged up in some man's arms that's not your husband
the next night, and come back to church and dance all over the place.
That's not Pentecostal. That's hypocrisy. That's filth.
I'm not so much saying it to you, but you realize these tapes that's
made here goes over the world. So I just preach like it's to the whole
world. When I feel God saying, "Say something," I just say it, 'cause I
don't know where it's going to. That's up to Him to take care of that.
Just stay with the Word. That's right.

^E-71
All right. No, Daniel would not bow down to their proclamation whether
he was throwed out of their organization or not. He stayed right at the
window, stayed with the Word of God. He wasn't ashamed of it.
What happened? They throwed him into a lion's den but he possessed the
gates of the lion's den. Why? Glory. Because that God said his–your
seed shall possess the gate of the enemy. Ever what the enemy is,
you've got the gate.

^E-72
Oh, how many times could we… Look at Moses following in the line of
God's commandment, went down into Egypt. Looked like everything was
contrary. He had some impersonators that went with him. He went out
with a couple of–of signs to show that he was sent: Throwed down a
serpent and so forth like that, and here come the impersonators along
and throwed theirs down. What could he do? Nothing. God never told him
they was going to do that. He wanted to test Moses. He was the One Who
permitted Jannes and Jambres to throw down their serpents–or their
rods.
So there stood Moses in the line of duty. Throwed down his rod; it
turned into a snake; he said, "Look at that, Pharaoh. That's what my
Lord told me to come, do before you."
Pharaoh said, "Come here, Jannes and Jambres." They throwed their rods
down; they turned into snakes. Watch what Moses did. Was his face red?
No, sir. He still believed God sent him. He stayed with that promise
and what happened?

^E-73 That's when you're before the–some of your conference meetings. Your face might turn red a little bit. Stay with the Word.
What
happened? All at once this big cobra of Moses come around and swallowed
them up. God vindicated. After his test, he said, "I want you by this
sign to let them children go out yonder. I want you to send them back
home where they belong. God come down here–tell–sent me down here to
deliver them. I want them to go back."
He throwed that down there. And oh, the test come. Moses, what are you
going to do? turn around and walk away and say, "I might have been
wrong"? No, sir. Moses stood right there. God commissioned this. Glory.

^E-74
God says anything, stay with it. No matter what takes place, stay with
it. If they put you out and say, "We won't cooperate, won't do this,"
stay with it.
Moses stayed right with it. What happened? He possessed the gate of his
enemy. Hallelujah. The devil said, "I'll stretch the Dead Sea in front
of you." But it opened up. They couldn't keep them in Egypt no longer.
He possessed the gate of the enemy. Why? Because he stayed with the
commission God give him. The commandments of God, he stayed with God's
Word and he possessed the gates of the enemy.

^E-75
Joshua, after he'd went through a test… He'd been down and had
probably swam across Jordan, him and Caleb, with the spies. When he
come back up from the Jordan, he got up to Kadesh-Barnea. And all of
them said, "Oh if we start, that'll break our organizations to pieces.
We just can't go…"
That spirit don't die. "Oh, we can't have that. If we teach that to our
people, what will we do? We'd take pretty near half the deacons in the
church out. They're married twice, three times. What will we do? We…
Why, if we told our women that they had to wear long hair, you know
what they'd do? They'd leave the church. And what would we do? Why,
we'd be considered old fashion."

^E-76
Jesus was old fashion too. "We can't do that. We can't do that. It's
too much for us." You know what a borderline believer gets to. Hebrews
the 6th chapter explains that. "He which was once enlightened, been
made partakers of the Holy Ghost, then fall away, to renew himself
again…" He come to that borderline and refused to go over (That's
it.), refused to completely believe, 'cause…
What did Caleb do? What did Joshua do? He said, "We're more than able to take it." Why? They stayed with what God promised.
Why, they said, them others said, "Why, they're giants. They got all
walled in; they're and this way. Why, we couldn't touch them in no way."
Joshua said, "We're more than able to do it. Quieten, you people. Shut-up, set down." Amen.

^E-77
I tell you, faith is a great big thing when it comes on the Word of
God. He's not afraid then. Faith's got hairs on the chest, big muscles.
It says, "Shut-up." Everything else scoots to the corner (That's
right.) when God speaks. "If ye abide in Me and My Words in you, say
what you will." There you are. Oh, I like that. Um. Devils will tremble
and sinners awake. Faith in Jehovah will anything shake.
How can you have faith when you know you're not work–walking in His
Word, when you know there's things there that you ought to say and you
don't say it? There's things there you ought to teach and you don't
teach it. There's things there that you can't say, and how can you have
faith when you know you're wrong?

^E-78
If our heart condemn us not. There you are. There you are. But stay
with that Word where there's nothing condemned. There's no condemnation
to them that's in Christ Jesus that walk not after the flesh but after
the Spirit. The Spirit leads with the Word, 'cause the Spirit can only
come out of the Word, 'cause His Word is Spirit; and It can only… The
real true Spirit of God can only speak the Word of God. Oh, my, my, my.
Get away world. Satan, leave us.
Don't be afraid to say to this mountain, "Be moved." Say it. Stay there
and watch her crumble. That's right. But if you got any condemnation
there, you better–you better keep still. You're just babbling then.
You're not saying the truth. You're not saying the things that–that
you should say.

^E-79
All right, we find out then that Joshua, after he went through that
test, he seen the evidence of a good land, and he stood there at
Kadesh-Barnea and complained against all of them, and said, "We're more
than able to take it. We can take it."
What was the idea? Cross over. What was Moses' idea? Show this sign and
bring the children out, and looked like it failed. But he stayed with
the Word, and the gate of the Dead Sea could not hold him. He went
right on through it. He possessed the gate of the enemy.

^E-80
Joshua, looking at the promise of God, said, "We're more than able to
take it." That's right. And when he come down to the Jordan, what did
she do? She gave away. Amen. That's it. He possessed the gate of the
enemy.
That Jordan was keeping him back from going over and taking that
promise. But when he got down there, he was the seed of Abraham. Why?
He believed God's Word. That's the only way you can be a seed of
Abraham, is to believe God's Word. And then what did he do when he come
down to where he was ready to take the enemy? God opened up the gate,
and he possessed it, took it, went over.

^E-81
When the first battle, his first conflict he had with them, the walls
was so big they could run a top–chariot race on top of them. How's he
going in to get them? They run from him, got back inside. The enemy
will do too, but you'll take the gate of the enemy.
Said, "Lord, what must I do?" He was walking around one afternoon,
meditating. He seen a Man standing with His sword drawed. Joshua pulled
his sword and said, "Are You for us? Are You for our enemy?"
He said, "I'm the Captain of this host."
"What must I do?"
"March around it thirteen times; sound a trumpet. You'll take the gate of the enemy."
She fell down. Yes, sir. Why? He was a seed of Abraham that kept the
Word of God. He taken every gate that come to him. Certainly. (It's
getting late, I got to quit.)

^E-82
Look, all these precious heroes (got a page full of them wrote down
here), but all these precious heroes, the things that they did, they
finally died.
But then come the real faith Seed, the Royal Seed of Abraham, Jesus, a
promise. Abraham had Isaac, true, after the flesh. But the real Seed
wasn't in that organization system, It was in that promise of God's
Word, that He'd make him a father of nations, not through Isaac but
through the Royal Seed, Jesus. That was the Royal Seed which…
Actually, the seed of Abraham… Jesus was not a Jew, neither was He a
Gentile. He was God.

^E-83
See, the… You Catholics here, bless your hearts, but when you worship
Mary as a goddess, what's the matter with you anyhow? Mary wasn't
nothing but a woman. God chose her; she was a incubator. That's all. A
incubator, that's what a woman is. But she's associated with the seed
of the man.
But… It's a mixed audience, but I've got to say this so you'll
understand what I'm talking about. Now, you listen to your–your doctor
and I'm your brother. Surely you can.

^E-84
Mary had no pollen in Christ. There was no sexual feeling when the Holy
Ghost overshadowed her, not a bit. But God Almighty, the Creator
created the blood cell and the pollen. Amen. If it was pollen from
Mary, then the dead rise not. Glory. That just come fresh. I just
caught that.
Then if you say there's no difference what we do, then why did God tell
us to abstain from things wrong? Why did God raise up the body of
Jesus, if it isn't so? So you see, there could not be a woman connected
into it. If there was, then His body was after His mother, Mary;
because she had a sexual affair by a–an overshadowing by a spirit that
caused her to–to discharge a sperm. And it's wrong. The Holy Ghost by
immaculate conception… Hallelujah. There He created both sperm of man
and woman.
Did Jesus call her "mother?" Find it in the Scripture. He called her
"woman." Hallelujah. Woman… That's fresh. That's the reason it's
doing it the way it's doing. "Woman, behold your son." Million miles
closer to her than He was…

^E-85
He was God. He was neither Jew nor Gentile. He was God, both flesh and
body, God dwelling in Him. God dwelling in the sperm of a woman?
Couldn't do it. That sperm of the woman had to have something to do
with our flesh. But it was the Blood plus the sperm that God
overshadowed.
He could put it on a stump if He'd wanted to. Yes, sir. He could put it
anywhere He wanted to, but He brought it because the woman being in the
fall. There come forth an immaculate Son of the living God, created,
virgin born, both body and soul.

^E-86
Why did David say, "I will not see My Holy–let My Holy One see
corruption (My Holy One see corruption.), neither will I leave His soul
in hell?" David said that. See, both soul, body, and spirit was created
of God by Him. The woman was not a mother; it was a woman. I believe
she was a good holy woman. Absolutely, she'd never been a incubator.
God would've never chose no dirty incubator (Lord willing, I'm
preaching on that tonight) but a–an old dirty incubator to bring
His–to bring His Son to the earth in. He chose a virgin, knowing not a
man, neither did she have any sperm discharge or anything else when the
Holy Ghost overshadowed her, because God in His immaculate, infinite
way created in her: soul, body, and Spirit of Jesus Christ. That's
right. He was a virgin born Son of God. What did that do? It broke the
gate of the enemy. Hallelujah. Whew. This is getting good to me.

^E-87
Look, why? He broke the gate of the enemy right there, that every man
that's born in this world by a sexual desire, that could not go to
heaven because sex is what started it in the beginning in the garden of
Eden… Why did they cover themselves up? When He did that. He broke
that thing in two right there, and possessed the gate of the enemy. By
what? Taking the Royal Seed of Abraham at the very first time and
smashed it to the bottom. The Royal Seed of faith and promise, not a
conception of Mary but of God, broke the gates. That's lets the human
being pass through the gates. Glory to God.

^E-88
What did He do? Then took all the gates of the enemy. He took the gate
of sickness. Sickness could not exist in His Presence. No, sir. Neither
could anything else exist in His Presence. A funeral procession could
not stand in His Presence. No. What did He do?
Joshua died, Moses died; all the rest of them died, but not this Royal Seed. Death could not stand where life was.
That woman from Nain came out with her boy, stopped and said, "Rise up,
son." That girl that was dead, Jairus' daughter, He spoke a word back
yonder into the unknown world out there and said, "Daughter, arise."
Lazarus, dead four days and his body rot, and his soul been away from
him for four days; He said, "Lazarus, come forth." Glory to God. There
He is. What did He do? He broke the seals of everything. Hallelujah.

^E-89
When He had to die then, He could not hold that life. He'd have never
died, but He had to give that life. And when He give that life, He died
a death. And His precious soul, as the Bible said, descended into hell
to take my place and your place: The Royal Seed of Abraham. The what?
He was the Royal Seed. Oh, glory.
Now we are the Royal Seed. What? That stay with the Word just
like–like He was. For in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word, made flesh and dwelled among us. Don't you see
where the Royal Seed lies? The Royal Seed is that stays with the Word.

^E-90
You weaklings that's willing to compromise with the devil, with his
fashions of the world. (I'm not speaking to you.) Out there, you
preachers that knows that you preach the days of miracles is past, you
preach there's no such a thing as the baptism of the Holy Ghost, shame
on you and call yourself the Seed of Abraham.
The Royal Seed stays with the Word. The Royal Seed, not born by man,
nothing to do with man or woman. The woman is the church, nothing to do
with the church. Mary had nothing to do with the Seed. Neither has the
church, so-called organization, got anything to do with the Seed.
It's borned of what? Not of an organization, not Methodist, Baptist,
Presbyterian, Catholic, Lutheran, and so forth; but borned of the Royal
Seed of the promise of God. That's the one that takes the gate of the
enemy. It's already been took for him. "For if ye abide in Me and My
Word in you, ask what you will, it'll be done for you." There you are,
it's the promise. It's already done.

^E-91
His precious soul descended into hell where I ought to went. But on
that third day… Samson taking the gate of the city on his back had
nothing to do with this; He took the gates of hell, the gates of the
grave, and everything else. He didn't pack it up on the mountain, but
He destroyed it. Hallelujah. He possessed the gate of the enemy.
The atmospheres that was filled with the devil's power above that
Angels or nothing could come down. There could not be no intercession
because the blood of goats would not take away sin, but His own Blood
took away sin.
And He ascended on high, led captive captive; He give gifts unto men.
Now, every one of Abraham's Seed that's willing to pay the price to
come down and repent of their sins, be baptized in the Name of Jesus
Christ for the remission of your sins, be filled with the Holy Ghost
and stand the test…

^E-92
And when you get the world out of you, the things that's gone,
everything that's wrong, everything that seems wrong, like the women
with their hair, the men with their carrying on, and the churches with
their organizations, and the–and the–the pastor that'll cater to his
deacons, and–and all those kinds of things… Some worldly bunch of
something another get in there and cause a poor pastor, kick him out of
church… Go on, pastor; God bless you. Stay right with the Word. Take
nothing…

^E-93
He ascended on high. What did He do? He cut a hole, a gate, that the
prayer of this seed of Abraham… Why? Why? If we be the body of
Christ, if we are dead, we reckon ourself dead and buried in Christ and
raised with Him in resurrection. He is the Head of the Body. Where the
head is, the body's with it. And then this morning where every one
that's did that is seated with Him in heavenly places with the Royal
Seed. Praise God.

^E-94
No gate… You can't pray this far and say, "Oh, oh, there's a word."
Uh, uh, it closes you off right there. But if our heart condemn us not,
we know that we're walking in the commandments of God. We see our lives
cleaned up; we see it. Every Word that God commanded we keep It. Then
the gates of every enemy is possessed. Then ask what you will, it'll be
done for you. He shall possess the gate of his enemy. Oh, brother, what
a church that would be.
When I come back again to Phoenix, if the Lord permits me, I hope when
I walk into this tabernacle, that these pews will be lined, and every
pew in the full Gospel movement in this city will be lined with saints
of the living God. Look like Christians; talk like Christians; act like
Christians, with a Spirit of God moving among them to where if one
would sin, the Holy Spirit call it out right then.

^E-95
It'll do it. You've seen it in the prayer lines up here on the altar.
Where, say, "You have to go back there and make that right with your
husband." "Go tell your wife that you was out night before last with
that woman setting on a certain, certain place." If It'll do it here by
walking in the Word, listening to that still small Voice, It'll do it
in you. You're Abraham's seed.
Then no sin… Preacher, wouldn't you like to see that in your church?
Walk into church, look down along here, see both men and women, godly,
saintly, setting there just charged with the power of God. Sin could
not walk in. A man walk in and set down, the Spirit raise up and say,
"John Jones, you come from so-and-so a city, a certain-certain place.
He's here to find healing for his body. (See?) He did a certain thing
at a certain place. He did this. He take–has to take this back and
make this right. Then God will heal him of that cancer, THUS SAITH THE
LORD." Oh, my, my.

^E-96
Give me a church. Give me ten men who're really jewels of God, the
Royal Seed, put them men together and watch what'll take place. Give me
this little houseful of people like that, and I'll show you a light
that the world will run to it. That's right. That's what God wants us
to be. You're a city setting on a hill; you're Royal Seed of Abraham.
It shall possess the gate of its enemy. Sickness? There's a cause for
sickness. There's a cause for these things. And God the Holy Spirit is
here to reveal that thing and tell you why you don't get it.
What's the matter with us? We don't have to wonder will It do it; It's
already doing it. What do you do? Watch that prophet. He listens, not
to the rushing wind, "Glory to God. Hallelujah." That's good. Now,
remember, I'm not condemning that. I hope everybody understands that.

^E-97
Somebody says, "Brother Branham don't believe in saying 'Glory to God,
Hallelujah.'" Well, look at me up here now. I believe in shouting,
speaking with tongues, dancing in the Spirit. But, brother, when you
fail to hear that still small voice of the Word, that's the thing that
gets you. That's the thing.
Elijah knowed all this revival was going on outside, but he was… It
never attracted him outside to it. But when he heard that still small
voice of God, then he was attracted. And he veiled his face, come out.
Why? Elijah was the seed of Abraham following the Word. "If ye abide in
Me and My Words in you, then ask what you will and it'll be done for
you."

^E-98
Let's bow our heads just a moment for prayer. Oh, church… How when I
get through preaching like that, how I feel. The Spirit drops away from
me, and I look back. I see people that would actually go down in their
pocket and take food from their children to give it to me. I see little
women in here, maybe with short hair. What would they do? They'd do
anything in the world for me that they could. Man living with a wife
like that, and me just cut him to pieces with that Word, hurting, his
conscience is dropped down. And yet that man would go out there and
slave and send me his tithes. That's right.
That makes me feel sick, got back to the flesh then. You see? What
did–what I say? I don't mean to hurt. It's not that. But oh, brother,
and my darling little sister and brother, if that be God's Word, and
this be His Spirit making that Word come to life to you, what will it
be at the day of the judgment? I'm trying to get you ready for that
day.

^E-99
Please, please just take His Word. If I ever preach anything that's not
the Word, a promise of God, then you've got the right to come to me.
But that's the Word.
And it's because I love you. Isn't because I–I don't want you in the
boat; it's because the boat won't pack you through. You're going to
crash up one of these days, and you got to come to judgment. Guilty of
the least is guilty of the whole. And when you know that anything is
right to do it, and it's the Word of God and the promise to do it, and
then you don't do it, then what about it? You'll be asked to give a
reason, what then? When this message this morning faces you yonder on
the screen at the day of judgment, what about it?
Think of it, friends. You may die before the day is over. All of us may. And one thing sure, you're going to die.

^E-100
I stood the other day watching my mother, me holding her on my arms. I
held my dad a little before that and watched him go. I seen them come
down at the end of the road, who thought they were really all right,
say, "Oh, Brother Branham, oh, if I could only live a little longer":
too late then. And remember, death doesn't change the soul; it only
changes its dwelling place. And if you see that something within you…
Be reasonable now. If you see that something within you is making you
act that way and feel that way, like you ought not to feel, repent this
morning, will you, friend? Come, be… You don't have to be like that.
You're a miserable person. And live the true Royal Seed life. God wants
you today.

^E-101
Will you raise your hand and while your head's bowed and your hearts,
say, "Brother Branham, I raise my hand to God. Honestly, from my heart,
that's what I want to be. That's really what I want to be. I've–I've
got messed up out here and everything else. But really, I–I don't want
to be like that. I want to be what you've been talking about this
morning. Pray for me, Brother Branham; I'm raising my hands to God, not
to you, Brother Branham, but to God. And in my heart… He knows my
heart; I long to be the kind of Christian you're talking about, a royal
Seed of Abraham through Jesus Christ."
Raise your hands now and say, "I'll… Pray for me, Brother Branham."
God bless you. God bless you. Surely He will do it for you.

^E-102
Our heavenly Father, in the Light of Thy Word, in the power of Thy
resurrection… And I realize, Lord, that poor people many times got
twisted up out here through different… The–the people hardly knows
what to do, one coming, saying one thing, and one coming, saying
another.
And here in Phoenix, this great city of–of, well, tourists, where
everything from across the nation drifts into it, both physically and
spiritually… Standing on the mountain the other day and thinking how
many times God's Name is used in vain in a day down here, how many
adulteries that's committed, how much sin is mucked in the streets here
in barrooms and bar flies and everything, many of them professing to be
believers, Christians…
Women going down the street with a cigarette in their hand, walking
with immoral clothes on when You said it stinks before You, it's an
abomination, like an old, dirty, filthy, stinking urinal somewhere… O
God, how could've woman that claims to have the Holy Ghost do such a
thing and know that in the Saviour's nose, that smells like that?
Stinking… How could He have such a thing as that in His Kingdom?
Father, if they only knew they're a million miles from it.

^E-103
I pray, God, have mercy. No one wants to go to that regions of the
lost. No one wants to go down there, Father. Far be it from any of us
going.
Yet down in there is a good heart in that person, that man, that woman,
a man and woman that's charitable and nice and kind, and have just been
deceived by the devil. The devil done that.
Satan, I'm against you because you're an enemy of my Lord. You're a
enemy of His Word. And I charge thee by Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
as a mortal being, knowing that I have no power within myself. I
haven't power to stop you. I haven't power to make any of these women
clean up, any of these men that's listening to this tape or–or
wherever. I have no way of making them clean up. I'm powerless.
But I do have the authority of God's Word, as a servant, to preach It,
and duty bound to that authority. Neither this policeman out here has
power to stop a car, but he has authority to do it.

^E-104
And, Satan, you might as well go to squeaking your brakes, 'cause I
charge thee by Jesus Christ, that you turn these people loose
throughout the world, wherever this message may go; turn them loose. I
claim them, that they are bought; they're not their own. They're bought
with a price of the Royal Seed of Abraham, the Lord Jesus.
Thou filthy, dirty, stinking hypocrite, deceiver of men, leading them
blindly into the ditches of hell, turn them loose. I charge thee by the
living God, by the Sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, that you turn them
loose, that their souls may be charged with His blessing, and with His
Presence that they might possess the gate of every enemy. You've got
them waiting for this, that, or the other, or some holy touch or
something else. But I'm saying you're going to lose your hold.

^E-105
How could sickness stand in an anointing like this? Only when they
refuse to look yonder at the promise like father Abraham did, when he
could see Him in a figure hundreds of years away coming. Turn them
loose. In the Name of Jesus Christ, let them people go.
May the power of God, the understanding of the Word as they're washed
this morning by It, may the understanding of keeping God's Word and His
promises true, a hold that cannot be broken by Satan… May each one
lay a hold of that promise, saying, "This is it. I'm holding to it. God
made the promise. I'm the seed of Abraham; how could I doubt His
promise?" and move right on through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Been cutting this morning, friend. Let's worship now, sweetly.

^E-106
Could it be possible, not sacrilegious, certainly not… This is a–is
religious. Let's raise our hands to Him we love, and say,

Now, to every woman or girl in here, this is my hand. God love you. To
every man or boy in here, God love you. I love you. Now, I can't reach
out and get each one of your hands, but God express to you what I mean.
While we sing that again, just turn around and shake hands with
somebody. "This will all men know that you're My disciples when you
have love one for the other one.

^E-107
Don't you love Him? That sweet feeling of the Holy Spirit… The Word
is a cleansing process, just scours you out, makes you a new creature,
takes away all… The Word is sharper than a two-edged sword,
circumcising, cutting away all the things of the world. See? Then we
feel clean, scoured out, accepting and believing Him. That's how we can
sing, "I love Him, I love Him, Because He first loved me, And purchased
my salvation on Calvary." Isn't that beautiful? I just love it with all
my heart. See? Let's try it again, everybody now, real to the top of
your voice now.

(more…)