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This Day This Scripture Is Fulfilled (65-0219) |
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1-1 Just remain standing, if you will, while we bow our heads for a word of prayer.
Dear heavenly Father, we are grateful tonight for this, another
opportunity to come and present this glorious, marvelous Gospel of
Jesus Christ. We thank Thee because that He still remains the same
yesterday, today, and forever. We thank Thee for these people who have
gathered out here in the time of this cold weather and still with their
anticipations great, looking, believing that something extraordinary is
going to be given us from God. We come with that hope, Lord, to every
meeting. We thank Thee for the services night before last at the
tabernacle. Thank Thee for the service here last evening and for the
service today at the tabernacle. We're looking forward now what You
will have for us tonight.
Father, we know that anyone that's able to move their hands could turn
back the pages of the Bible, but there's only One Who can make It live
and be real, and that's You. Father, we're looking for You to do that
tonight.
Bless us in every way. Our hearts are so full of joy as we see the time
approaching when we're going to meet Him face to face, the One that
we've loved and lived for all these years. Many new converts, Lord, has
been made. Understanding that a great host, forty or fifty, is to be
baptized in Your Name in the morning from the service last night. O
God, please continue, we pray, until every predestinated seed of God
has seen the Gospel Light and come into the fold.
We ask You to hide us tonight behind the Word; blind us to the things
of the world and let us see Jesus. May there be a Mount Transfiguration
experience among us tonight that we see no man save Jesus only. We ask
it in His Name, and for His glory, and a-vindication of His Gospel.
Amen. May be seated.
1-5
I'm just going to turn this mike, or this desk, just slightly sideways,
if it's all right, so that I can see both sides of the audience. I
guess I can get these microphones around here right. All right, just a
moment.
We are greeting from the main auditorium here tonight, our friends in
Arizona, California, Texas, and across the United States by the way of
telephone. This–this is going nationwide (this service tonight) by the
way of telephone. So we trust that God will bless us.
Can you hear back over to the–in the auditorium to the left? All
right, they're going to check now the telephone system to see if it's
working all right.
2-3
Everybody happy tonight? See? Well, that's fine. On this side? Amen.
I'm so glad to see that you're all seated comfortably. And now,
tomorrow night if the–the crowds keep increasing, they'll also be
telephone direct; there is tonight; I think some of them's down there
at the Tabernacle. And tomorrow morning the services cannot be had at
the Tabernacle, because the–there'll be a florist there decorating the
church for a wedding tomorrow afternoon. And they have transferred
the–the services in the morning up to Brother Ruddell's church (one of
our associates) and up on the–the highway here: 62. Has it been
announced? It's been announced. And if it overflows up there, we'll
take the rest and send another minister down to Brother Junior
Jackson's down in Clarksville. The reason we had it at Brother
Ruddell's, it's close here and we can–and we thought you could find
that easier. And then we'll take care of it in some way, and be sure to
get all those baptisms in for tomorrow, and I hope there'll be another
hundred or two added to those for baptism tomorrow.
2-4
And now, tomorrow night… I never like to announce anything you speak
on ahead of time, but one night in the service, or one day, I want to
speak on the subject of "Who is This Melchisedec?" because it's a–a
subject that I think we're living in the time when these revelations of
which has been the question down through the age of, "Who is this
Fellow?" And I believe that God has the answer Who He was. Some said a
priesthood; some said a king; some… But there's got… As long as
there's a question, there's got to be an answer to that question which
is right. Cannot be a question without first being an answer.
2-5 Now, we trusting that God will give us a blessing tonight out of His Word as we read It.
And
you've had… Billy told me to tell you that you've sure had fine
cooperation with the peoples here that's been in the parking system,
the police and everything. Keep it up; that's very, very good.
We hope to see the time (maybe in the near future) when maybe we could
bring the tent here to the city and put it up out here in the ball park
where we could stay for some length of time, maybe for three or four
weeks' revival, constantly. But here, we just barely get to know each
other, and then we have to say good-bye and we go again. But I'd like
to come and stay an extensive trip, one time where you could stay so
you don't have to close out in a night or two, but just stay and teach
day and night, day and night, on and on. Maybe somebody go home and
feed the chickens, milk the cows, and come back next week and continue
on with the service. I–I like that. So the Lord be with you.
3-3
Now, before I leave, perhaps Sunday morning or Sunday night, or
sometime (one of these services), I know you're all waiting to hear the
message on the truth about marriage and divorce, which is one of the
great problems of the day. And I… Just as sure as I'm standing here,
I believe that the correct answer is in the Word of God, and I believe
that that's what I promised to come back for.
I suppose, knowingly… As far as I know, I want to have another
service here in Jeffersonville on Easter Sunday, and we'll–for sunrise
service and then Easter Sunday; so we'll announce it ahead and try
maybe to get the auditorium, if possible, or somewhere, for
Sunday–maybe come Saturday and Sunday. Have to fly in and back out,
because it's near the time… I have to check it first with the
schedule I have and one of my–my–my itinerary in California. And then
immediately after that, I've got to go down into–to Africa. So keep in
touch and pray for us.
3-5
Now, tonight I want to call your attention to a portion of God's Word
found in the 4th chapter of St. Luke–the 4th chapter and the 16th
verse it will begin, Jesus speaking.
Now, we want to draw from that a conclusion of how dynamic is the Word
of God. Now, we all can figure out the mechanics, but it takes the
dynamics to make it work. We can figure out what the mechanics of a
machine (automobile), but then it takes the dynamics to make the wheels
go to operating and moving.
Now, Jesus had returned to–to Nazareth where He was brought up. On
down in the Scriptures here we find that they said, "We heard you did
such and such over in Capernaum; now let us see you do it here in your
own country."
Jesus said, "A–a prophet is not without honor except in his own
country." And of course, that's where you're brought up at and where
people know you. And there He had a–a bad name to begin with by Him
being born without an earthly father. They called Him a illegitimate
child–that Mary was actually pregnant before she married officially,
Joseph. But that isn't so; we know it isn't so.
4-3
And on this Scripture, what caused me to fall my eyes upon this was of
something that happened just recently in Phoenix, Arizona. It was the
last day of the service that I was to speak at the international
convention of the Full Gospel Business Men, and in this convention
there was a visitor with us which was a Catholic bishop, which is, he's
of the Chaldean Rites of the Apostolic Catholic church, the Most
Reverend John S. Stanley, O. S. D. He is the Archbishop of Metropolitan
United States in the Catholic church. This happened to be his card and
his–and his address.
And he was a visitor with the Christian Business Men, and I had seen
him there the day before. And when I was speaking on Saturday night, I
believe it was, or Saturday morning at the breakfast, and I–as I was
speaking he kept watching me. I thought "That man certainly is
disagreeing with everything I say." And, you know, you could–you could
just see him; he'd keep his head up and down, but I didn't know what
was just exactly working on him.
4-5
So on Sunday afternoon when I got up to speak, I was going to take my
text on "Birth Pains," where Jesus said that as a woman in travail with
a child, she's travailing in birth. And so I was going to speak from
there as "Birth Pains" (the subject), saying that the world is in birth
pains now. The old has to be done away with so the new can be born;
just like a–a seed has to rot away in order to give new life. And how
the pains, birth pains, struck the world in World War I. She had a
terrific pain, because they had poison gas and so forth that almost
could destroy the world. And in World War II she struck another harder
pain; they had blockbusters and also an atomic bomb. She cannot stand
another labor pain. With these missiles and things today, one more war
will throw her out into space, for she will now be delivered, and
there'll be a new earth. The Bible said there will be.
Under every prophet's message Israel got a birth pain, because that
these prophets would come on the scene after the theologians and
clergymen would have the church all in a organization form. And when
them prophets come on the scene with THUS SAITH THE LORD, they shook
them churches and she had a birth pain. Finally she had birth pains
plumb on up until she delivered a Son of the Gospel which was the Word
Itself made flesh.
5-2
So the church really is in birth pains tonight again for the
deliverance of the Son–Son of God to come again. All of our
theologians, all of our systems, all of our denominations has rotted
right out from under us. So we are in birth pains. And a Message from
God always throws the church in heavier pains. But after while she's
going to be delivered of a bride that'll bring forth Jesus Christ to
His Bride.
And then, thinking this man had disagreed with me so much, when I
raised up to speak this message, I turned in my Bible to find the page,
and my wife had just given me a new Bible for Christmas. My old Bible
was about fifteen years old, and the thing was just about tore to
pieces. The pages, every time I'd open it up, would fly out of it
and–but I knowed just where to find every Scripture. So I'd studied
close in that Bible, and I'd just picked up the new one because the
other one looked so ragged to go to church with.
5-4
And when I started to turn over in St. John where the Scripture was
found, I started to read the 16th chapter, and the verse that I was
looking for wasn't there. So I thought, "Strange." I turned back again;
still it wasn't there. And Brother Jack Moore from Shreveport,
Louisiana, a bosom friend of mine, he was setting there. I said,
"Brother Jack, isn't that found in St. John 16?"
He said, "Yes."
And this Catholic priest got up out of his seat, from about a hundred
clergymen setting on the platform, walked over close to me, with all of
his robes and gowns and crosses and so forth, and got right up close to
me; and he said, "My son, be steady. God is fixing to move."
And I thought, "A Catholic bishop telling me that."
He said, "Read it out of my Book."
And I read the Scripture out of his Book, and took my text and went on, preached my sermon.
Afterwards, when I got through, he got up after I was gone and said,
"There's one thing that has to happen. After that, the church has to
get out of the mess that it's in, or we have to get out of the mess the
church is in." So one or the other.
6-3
And I was on my road home (back down to Tucson) that evening, and the
kids was crying for a sandwich, and I stopped to get a sandwich at a
little stand. And my wife said, "Bill, I never was so nervous in all my
life to see you standing up there fumbling through that Bible." Said,
"Didn't it make you nervous?"
I said, "Nope." I said, "I knowed it was in there somewhere; they just didn't have the page in. It's a misprint."
And she said, "To think that I got you that Bible. It looked like every eye in there was right upon me."
And I said, "Well, you couldn't help that. That was a misprint in the Bible." I said, "They just never put the page in."
Well, I got down and looked at it again. Just perfectly as it could be,
but the 16th chapter, ends portion–the portion of it just about three
inches from the bottom, over at the 17th chapter, on the other side
does the same thing; and being a new Bible, those two pages had
perfectly stuck together, and I was reading from the 17th chapter in
the stead of the 16th.
"Well," I said, "that's all fine. It's for some cause."
6-5
And just as plain as you could hear any voice, a Voice come to me and
said, "He entered into Nazareth to where He was brought up at and went
into the synagogue as it was His custom. And the priest gave Him the
Scriptures to read, and He read Isaiah 61. And when He had read the
Scriptures, He set down, handed the priest back the Bible, the Book,
and set down. And all the eyes of the congregation was upon Him, and
precious words proceeded from His mouth and He said, 'This day this
Scripture is fulfilled.'"
"This day this Scripture is fulfilled." How accurate is the Scripture.
If you'll notice this, in Isaiah 61:1-2 is where our Lord was reading
from: Isaiah 61:1-2. But in the middle of the second verse of Isaiah
61, He stopped where it said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me to
preach the acceptable year." Then He stopped. Why? The other part, to
bring judgment, it didn't apply to His first coming, but His second
coming. See, it didn't apply there; how the Scriptures never make a
mistake. They're always perfect. Jesus stopped just where the Scripture
stopped, 'cause that was exactly what was to be vindicated in His day.
7-2
Now, and that first coming… The second coming He will bring judgment
upon the earth, but not then. He was to preach the acceptable year.
Notice, the Messiah standing in the platform to identify Himself with
the Word of promise for that age. How strange–the Messiah standing up
before the church. And look at these precious words, when He says here,
"To preach the acceptable year…"
The acceptable year, as we all know as Bible readers, was the year of
Jubilee, that when all slaves and prisoners, as they were–been taken
prisoners, and they had to give a son to pay a debt, or a daughter to
pay a debt, and they were in bondage. No matter how long they'd been in
bondage or how long they was supposed to stay there, when the year come
of the Jubilee, when the trumpet sounded, every man could go free if he
wanted to go free. You're free; you was no more a slave.
But if you desired to remain a slave, then you had to be taken down to
the temple, stood by the temple post, and they took a awl and bored a
hole in your ear. And then you had to serve that slave master the rest
of your days.
7-6
What a perfect example it is of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When It's
preached, the acceptable time and the time of Jubilee, anybody, no
matter who you are, what color you are, what denomination you belong
to, how far you've stooped in sin, or what's wrong with you, you can go
free when you hear the–God's Gospel trumpet sound out. You are free.
But if you turn your back upon the Message and refuse to hear It,
notice, you were bored in the ear with an awl. That means to say, that
you have crossed the line between grace and judgment and you will never
hear the Gospel again. You'll never get any further; you must be a
slave to the system you're in the rest of your days, if you refuse to
hear the acceptable year.
Now, the other part of it, as I said, didn't need to be answered,
because this coming Messiah, a time now, is when He will bring
judgment.
8-2
Now, how could those people ever fail to see Who He was? How did they
ever miss it? How could it be when it was so plainly made known and
showed? How could they ever miss seeing when He… What a Word. Think
of it. "This day is this Scripture fulfilled before your eyes."
Who said it? God Himself, Who is the Interpreter of His own Word. "This
day is this Scripture fulfilled." The Messiah, Himself, standing in the
presence of the congregation and reading a word out of the Bible
pertaining to Himself, and then saying, "Today this Scripture is
fulfilled," and they still failed to see It.
What a tragedy that that would be, but it's happened. It's happened
many times. How could it happen? Of course, like it did in other times,
by believing man's interpretation of the Word. That's what caused it.
Those believers in them days (so-called believers) was taking the
interpretation of what the priest had said about the Scripture.
Therefore Jesus, not belonging to any of their ranks or their
societies, He was excommunicated from their company. And therefore,
they could not identify Him with them, because He was different from
them. The Person of Jesus Christ was so unique that no one should've
missed seeing that that was the Son of God, because He was a perfect
identification of the Scripture that was wrote of Him. That's the way
any Christian is known: when his life identifies the very things that
the Christian's supposed to do.
9-1
How He could stand there and say, "This day this Scripture is fulfilled
right before your eyes"… How outstanding. How so plainly, and yet
those people misunderstood. Why? Is because they took the
interpretation of some order of priests that they were listening to.
And history always repeats itself, and Scripture has a compound meaning
to It and a compound revelation.
For instance, like it says in the Bible that "Out of Egypt I call My
Son (referring to Jesus)." Run the margin on that and you find out it
also referred to Jacob: same Scripture. Jesus was His greater Son.
Jacob was His son that He called out of Egypt, which the Scofield
reference and all other references give to it, because that's the
Scripture it was referring to, so it had a–a double answer. It had a
answer to Jacob called out and to Jesus called out.
And so is it today. Is because that we're in such a turmoil as we are,
and people fail to see the Truth of God, is because there's too many
manmade interpretations of God's Word. God don't need nobody to
interpret His Word. He is His own Interpreter.
9-4 God said in the beginning, "Let there be light," and there was light. That doesn't need an interpretation.
He said, "A virgin shall conceive," and she did. That doesn't need any interpretation.
When–God's
interpretation of His Word is when He vindicates and proves It to be
so. That's His interpretation, by making it come to pass. That's where
God's interpretation is, is when He makes His Word come to pass; He's
interpreting It to you.
Like if there'd never been light and He said, "Let there be light," and
there was; that don't need anybody to interpret. But we get manmade
systems mixed into it. And when you do, you–you get it out of line.
It's always been that way.
9-7
But I still think of how striking it must've been. Think of it. The
Messiah. Why did they fail to see Him? Because their very leaders that
ought to have knowed Him, that ought to have been versed in the
Scriptures, that ought to have been understanding of the Scriptures,
they belittled this Man and said, "He's an illegitimate child of–to
begin with." We wouldn't believe that. Years later we don't believe
that; we would die for the purpose to say that He was a virgin born
Son. And it'll come to pass someday that the very things that we see
Jehovah doing today, men in the ages to come, if there is, will die for
the thing that we're talking about today. You'll have to do it when the
mark of the beast comes on, and they're not allowed to preach the
Gospel this way.
10-1
When the great union of churches comes together, which is in order
right now for the world church, you'll have to seal your testimony with
your own life to this. You must believe it now. If those priests could
rise up that condemned Him, would not condemn Him.
But you say, "If I'd have been there, I would've done so-and-so."
Well, that wasn't in your age, but this is your age. This is the time.
You say, "Well, if He was here…"
The Bible says He's the same yesterday, today, and forever the same; so
He is here. But He's here… As the world has civilized and become
greater and educated more, He's here in the Spirit form, which they
cannot kill or put to death. He died once; He cannot die again. He had
to be made flesh in order for God to be put to death in the flesh for
sin. But this time He can never die; It's the Holy Spirit.
10-3
Now, how to think that they had them things against Him. Another thing,
that He would not join any of their ranks. Then you see, that still
made Him a bad person. He wouldn't join their–their organizations,
wouldn't join their priesthood, and He wouldn't have nothing to do with
it. And then besides all that, He tried to tear down what they built up.
He went into the temple. We call Him a meek Man; He was, but many times
we misunderstand what meekness is. He was a Man of compassion, but yet
we fail sometime to understand what compassions is. Not human sympathy
isn't compassion, but compassion is doing the will of God. He passed
through the pool of Bethesda, the gate; there laid people, multitudes
of them. Multitudes is no certain number, but there laid multitudes:
lame, blind, halt, withered. And He had compassion on the people
always, and He went to one person that was not lame, blind, halt, nor
withered. Maybe had a prostate trouble; maybe he had some little
infirmity that was retarded; he had it thirty-eight years. It wasn't
going to bother him, wasn't going to kill him. He was lying on a pallet.
And He said, "Wilt thou be made whole?"
And the man said, "I have nobody to put me in the water, but while I'm coming, well, someone steps down ahead of me."
See, he could walk; he could see; he could get around, but he was just feeble.
And Jesus said to him, "Rise up. Take up your bed and go to your
house." And Jesus was questioned on that. For you remember the
Scripture said this…
11-1
No wonder. If He'd come to Jeffersonville tonight and make a act like
that, they'd still talk about Him. But remember, He came to do one
thing: was the will of God. Now, that's found in St. John 5:19; you'll
get the answer. He said, "Verily, verily I say unto you, the Son can do
nothing in Himself but what He sees the Father doing, that doeth the
Son."
Now, they ought to have knowed that that was the very vindication of
the prophecy of Moses: "For the Lord your God shall raise up a prophet
likened unto Me."
Did you notice when He seen the man He said… Jesus knew that he'd
been in this condition for many years. See, being a Prophet, He saw
that man in that condition, and went down there, and waved–waded His
way around through those people, mincing through the crowd until He
found that certain man. Passed by the lame, halt, blind, and withered,
yet a Man full of compassion, but compassion is doing the will of God.
11-4
Now, we find Him, as He would not join up with them; He would not have
nothing to do in their ranks; then He was an outcast. He would not have
any… Besides that He went into the temple one day. A man went in
there and found the house of God just about contaminated as it is
today. They were buying, selling, changing money, and He turned over
the money tables took ropes and plaited them and beat the moneychangers
out of the temple and looked upon them with anger. And said, "It's
written (Hallelujah.), My Father's house is a house of prayer and
you've made it a den of thieves. And you with your tradition has made
the commandments of God of non-effect."
Oh, could a bunch like that ever believe in Him? No, sir. They had been
so hog-wallowed in the muck of societies and filth of the day until
they were so ecclesiastical froze up until they couldn't feel the
vibrations of the power of Almighty God. No wonder the little woman
could touch His garment and get healed by it, and a drunken soldier
could spit in His face and feel no virtue. Depends on how you approach
It; depends on what you're looking for. When you go to church it
depends on what you're looking for.
12-2
Now, we see Him standing there. No doubt but what the people had
already warned Him–warned–the priest had warned the people, "Now,
he's coming over here next Sabbath, and when he does, don't you listen
to him. Now, you might go and sit here, but don't pay no attention to
what he says, because he don't belong to our group. He's an outcast. He
has no fellowship card; he don't even have an organ–a organization
paper with him. He doesn't have nothing like that."
"What is he?"
"Some renegade boy that was born down here of illegitimate birth by–in
a carpenter's home, that a mother conceived him before they were
married, and they're trying to hide the thing up with some supernatural
thing. We know that when the Messiah cometh He'll come down the
corridors of heaven and go to our high priest and say, 'Here I am,
Caiaphas.'"
But we find out that He didn't do it that way, because it wasn't
written in the Word that way. It was a manmade tradition that caused
them to believe that. The Word said that He would come just the way He
come. And there He stood, reading the Word and saying to them, "This
day this Scripture is fulfilled in your eyes," and still they fail to
see Him or recognize Him, like He did in all other ages.
12-5
Noah could've said the same thing the day that he entered into the ark
and the door closed. Moses could've raised that window in the top of
the ark, looked out upon the congregation (Remember, God closed the
door.) and he could've said, "This day this Scripture is fulfilled in
your eyes." But was too late for them then. He had preached a hundred
and twenty years to try to get them into that boat that he had built,
telling them that the Scripture said THUS SAITH THE LORD it's going to
rain. But they waited too long. But Noah could've easily said that:
"Today, this day, the Scripture is fulfilled."
Moses, the same day that the Pillar of Fire come down on Mount Sinai
and give witness to his testimony, Moses could've said, "This day this
Scripture is fulfilled."
Moses, you know, was a called man of God, a prophet. And while he was
being called, being a prophet, he had to have a supernatural experience
in order to be a prophet. He had to meet God face to face and talk with
Him. And another thing, what he said had to come to pass or no one
would've believed him. So no man has a right to call himself thus,
until he's talked face to face with God on a back side of a desert
somewhere, where he met God Himself. And all the atheists in the world
could not explain it away from him; he was there, and he know it
happened. Every Christian should have that experience before they say
anything about being a Christian: your own experience.
13-3
I talked to my nephew awhile ago, a little Catholic boy, that said,
"Uncle Bill, I've run from pillar to post, going everywhere trying to
find something." Night after night, before this meeting started, he's
been crying, and at nighttime he's been dreaming dreams of coming in,
running up to the altar (where preaching) and making a confession that
he's been wrong.
I said, "Melvin, no matter where you try to go, how many churches you
join, how many 'Hail Mary's' you say, or how many blessings you get
from men, you've got to be borned again of the Spirit of God. It's the
only thing that'll satisfy the human heart."
I–I know they've got a substitute today of being borned again, just
shake hands with the preacher and put your name on the book. But,
friends, that is a dogma. It's not a Bible Truth. If it would, the Acts
of the Apostles in the 2nd chapter would have to read like this: "When
the day of Pentecost was fully come, the pastor walked out and shook
hands with the people."
But said: "When the day of Pentecost was fully come (at the
inauguration of the church), there came a sound from heaven like a
rushing, mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were
setting."
That's how the Holy Spirit come the first time; that's how It's come every time since that time. He's God and changes not.
14-2
Now, it stumbles people. They say, "That was for another day." Well,
He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Every time the church ever
received the Holy Ghost, It's always come like He did the first time,
under the same prescription: Acts 2:38, never has changed; never will
change.
Like a doctor's prescription for a disease, he'll write out a
prescription for a disease (the doctor does), and take it to some quack
druggist, and he puts too much of the antidote in it, it's so weak it
won't do you any good. He puts too much of the poison in it, it'll kill
you. It's got to be wrote just according to the doctor. And the
doctor's prescription on how to receive the Holy Ghost is given to us
by Dr. Simon Peter on the day of Pentecost.
I'll give you a prescription: "Repent every one of you and be baptized
in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall
receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, for the prescription is to them
that's far off and even as many as the Lord our God shall call.": the
eternal prescription.
14-5
Moses had had this experience. He went down into the country and he
begin to tell the people, "I met a Pillar of Fire. It was in a burning
bush, and He told me to tell you, "I AM THAT I AM. 'Go down; I'll be
with you. Take up the stick in your hand and hold it up over Egypt;
whatever you ask, it'll be done.'"
Well, probably some priest said, "Nonsense."
But when they seen the real facts of this take–come to pass, they couldn't hold it any longer. They knowed he was sent of God.
Then if Moses said he saw that and testified to it to be the truth,
then God's obligated, if that is the truth, to identify and vindicate
that man's word the truth. That's true.
If Jesus Christ stood there and read that day, "This day is this Word
fulfilled before you," God's obligated to make that Word come to pass.
We stand here tonight and say that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday,
today, and forever. God's obligated to prove that to be so, because
It's His Word. Now, what does it do? It takes faith and believing Him,
takes faith and believing His Word that It is the Truth.
15-2
Notice what come to pass when Moses brought the children out and all
those that followed him. Those who did not follow stayed in Egypt, but
those who followed Moses, when they come out of the Red Sea and got out
into the wilderness, God came down upon Mount Sinai. That Pillar of
Fire set the whole mountain on fire and a Voice spoke out of there, and
God gave the Ten Commandments. Moses could've walked up there before
the people and say, "This day this Scripture that I have told you as
His prophet comes to pass. This day, I've told you that God met me up
there in a burning bush in a Pillar of Fire, and He said, 'This all…
This will be sign. You'll bring the people right back to this place
here again.' And there is God in the same Pillar of Fire I told you He
was in, hanging right yonder on the mountain. This day this prophecy is
fulfilled. Here He is to vindicate that the things that I've said is
the Truth"
God give us more men like that, that's honest and sincere and tell the
Truth, that God Almighty could vindicate that His Word is still Truth.
He remains the same yesterday, today, and ever. Why wouldn't He do it?
He promised to do it.
15-4
Joshua might've said the same, the day that he come back to
Kadesh-Barnea where they had journeyed so far in the wilderness. They
were doubting the land being the kind of land that God said it would
be, but God told them it was a good land; it was flowing with milk and
honey. And Joshua and Caleb was the only two that would believe it out
of the other ten that left. When they come back they had the evidence;
they had a bunch of grapes that two strong men could only carry.
Joshua and Caleb could've stood right there and said, "This day this
Scripture is fulfilled. Here's the evidence that it is a good land."
Sure. Why? "There's the evidence that it's a good land. Where'd you
ever get such things as that in Egypt?" There was no such places. "But
this day this Scripture is fulfilled."
He could've said the thing–same when he prophesied and said the walls
of Jericho would fall down after they'd marched around seven
times–seven days, seven times a day. And when they marched around that
last time, the walls fell down. Joshua could've stood up and said,
"This day, the Chief Captain of the host of the Lord that told me weeks
ago that it would happen like this, this day this Scripture is
fulfilled. There laid the walls flat on the ground. Come on. Let's go
take it; it belongs to us."
This day this Scripture is fulfilled. How wonderful, men of God has stood for the things that's right.
16-2
Israel, at the river when they'd possessed the land, went over. How
they going to do it? It's the month of April; the floods are coming
down, because the snow is melting up in Judaea. Oh, what a poor general
it seemed like that God was to bring His people there in the month of
April when the Jordan was higher backed than it ever was.
Sometimes… I might could stop here if I had time to give you just a
little tip. Sometimes you may be setting out there with cancer; you
might be setting with a disease. You think, "Why, me being a Christian
would be in this a-way? Why would I be setting like this if I'm a
Christian?"
Sometimes God lets the things get so dark that you can't see up,
around, or anywhere else, and then He comes and makes a way through it
for you, that you might say, "This day this Scripture is being
fulfilled, that He promised to do."
16-5
He let the Hebrew children walk right into the fiery furnace. They
said, "Our God is able to deliver us from this fiery furnace, but
nevertheless, we'll not bow down to your image." When they walked out
of there with the smell of the furnace upon them–no smell of the
furnace, rather, upon them, they could've said, "This day is this
Scripture fulfilled."
When Daniel come from the lions' den, he could've said the same thing.
John the Baptist, after four hundred years of ecclesiastical
teaching… No wonder that church was in a mess at that time. When he
appeared in the wilderness, the Jordan, he could've stood right there
on the bank, as he did, and say, "This day this Scripture (Isaiah 40)
is fulfilled."
17-1 How I could stop here and tell you what that old priest told me. He said, "Son, you never finished that message."
I said, "Keep still."
He said, "You mean them Pentecostals don't see that?"
I said, "No."
He said, "I see it." And a Catholic priest too. He said, "Why didn't you go on?"
I said, "Keep still."
He said, "Glory to God, I see it."
And
about that time the Holy Ghost fell on his sister setting out there in
the meeting, and she raised up speaking in unknown tongues and gave the
interpretation of the very thing that the priest and I were talking
about on the platform. The whole church, the whole place went into a
roar. Carried on over into Oral Robert's convention last week, or week
before last, and was the talk of the convention. How that that priest
setting under… The Holy Spirit revealed out there through a woman
(his sister, I believe it was) of what was taking place up there on the
platform and revealed that thing that we were hiding.
The hour that we're living, this day this Scripture is fulfilled. This day the evening lights have come, and we fail to see it.
17-4
Notice, John said, "This day, I am the voice of one crying in the
wilderness, as said the prophet Isaiah. Prepare the way for the Lord."
They didn't understand him; said, "Oh, you're Jesus?"–"you're the Christ," rather.
He said, "I am not the Christ." He said, "I'm not worthy to loose His
shoes." But he said, "He's standing among you somewhere." For he was
sure that He would be there. He'd be in his day 'cause God told him he
was to introduce the Messiah.
One day a young Man come walking down through there, and he seen
a–like a Light over the top of Him (a Sign), and he cried out,
"Behold, the Lamb of God. This day is this Scripture is fulfilled
before you."
18-1
Sure, at the day of Pentecost, how Peter stood up and quoted the
Scripture of Joel 2:38, when they was all laughing, those people. They
couldn't talk in their own language; they was jabbering off something
else. The Bible said, "Cloven tongues." "Cloven" is a "parted tongue,"
not saying nothing, just a jabbering, running around like a bunch of
drunk people.
And they all said, "Well these people are drunk; look at them. Look how
they're acting, how them women and men… They're disorderly," said
that religious group of that day.
Peter stood up in the midst of them, said, "Men and brethren, you that
dwell in Jerusalem and you that dwell in Judaea, let it be known unto
you that these are not drunk as you suppose, seeing it's the third hour
of the day, but this is that which was spoke of by the prophet Joel:
'And it'll come to pass in the last days, I'll pour out My Spirit upon
all flesh.' This day this Scripture was fulfilled." Certainly.
18-4 Luther was right on time. Wesley was right on time. Pentecost was right on time. Nothing out of the order.
Now,
I ask you to consider the age and time we now live in with the promised
Word for today. If back in other ages men could say, "This day this
Scripture… This day this Scripture…" then what about the Scripture
for this day? What's promised for this day? Where are we standing? What
hour are we living, when the clock is beating, the scientific clock,
three minutes before midnight?
World has got the jitters; the church is in a bed of corruption.
There's nobody knows where they're standing. What time of day is it?
What about the Scripture for this day?
18-7
The conditions of the church–the conditions of the church today… In
the world, politics, our world system is just as rotten as it can be.
I'm not a politician; I'm a Christian, but I ain't got no business
talking about politics, but I just want to say they're rotten on both
sides.
I voted once; that was for Christ. I got to win. The devil voted
against me, and Christ voted for me. Depends on which way I cast my
vote. I'm glad I cast it on Him. Let the world say what they want to; I
still believe that He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. He'll
prove it. He certainly will. Certainly.
The increase in crime, juvenile delinquency… Look at our nation, once
the flower of the earth. Our great democracy was born back there
and–the Declaration of Independence–and the Declaration of
Independence was signed, and we had a democracy, and our great
forefathers and the things that they done. We had a great nation; but
she is now rottening and crumbling and shaking and giving away, and
trying to tax people to get money to send over yonder to buy friendship
with our enemies. They're throwing it back in our face. One world war,
two world wars, and still moving on to a third one. Certainly. Politics
is rotten, corrupted, rotten to the bottom, just exactly what Matthew
24 said it would be: "Nation would be against nation, kingdom against
kingdom." All these things would take place. Let's consider this now.
19-2
All right. Notice another: the increase in scientific research. Now,
one time just a… My grandfather went to see my grandmother in a ox
cart. Now, it's a jet plane or even a–a orbit into the–into the outer
space. It's great. How… Who said this? Daniel 12:4 said knowledge
shall increase in the last days. We see the hour we're living.
Notice now the–the conditions of the world, the condition of science.
And notice again today in our educational system; now don't try to deny
this; I've got the newspaper clippings: teaching sex in our church–in
our schools of young students to have sexual affairs with one another
to see if they can mate in the world. Yes, sir.
How about in our priesthood? Tonight I got a piece out of the paper
over in Los Angeles, California, of where a bunch of clergymen (Baptist
and Presbyterian ministers) brought a bunch of homosexuals in and
practiced homosexual, saying they was trying to win them to God, when
that's one of the curses of the hour: a Sodomite. And the law even
arrested them.
19-5
Now, where are we at? Our whole system has rottened out from under us.
I seen the increase of homosexual across the United States has
increased twenty or thirty percent over last year. Think of that: men
living with men, just exactly like they did in Sodom.
Increase in crime, juvenile delinquency, what hour are we living? This day this Word of prophecy is fulfilled.
The religious world, the church itself, the church, the called out
church (that we call the called out church), the last church age, the
Pentecostal church age, where is it? It's in Laodicea as the Scripture
said.
Today they've let down the bars. Their women are half-dressed; their
men are… It's a horrible thing. Some of them married three or four
times, on deacon boards and everything else. They've let down and
brought in corruption, because they've set in councils and took the
place with the world. And today they got better buildings than they
ever had. Some place one of them is building a fifty million dollar
auditorium: fifty million dollar: Pentecostals that used to be down on
the corner twenty-five years ago beating a tambourine. Said, "We…
because…" The Scripture said in Revelations 3 that you are rich.
Said, "I'm rich; I set as a queen; I have need of nothing." "And
knowest thou not that thou are wretched, miserable, poor, naked, blind,
and don't know it." This day this Scripture is fulfilled in your eyes.
Amen.
"Amen" means "so be it." I'm not amening myself, but I mean I believe it's the truth. This day this Scripture is fulfilled.
20-3
The Pentecostal church is in a Laodicean condition. Oh, they still jump
and holler and carry on when the music's beating. When the music stops
beating, or the beatnik music some of them play and call it a
Christianity, and whenever that stops, all the glory's gone.
If it's a real praise of God, there isn't enough whistles and enough
the power in the world to stop it. When it really comes from God, it
don't take music to be beat up; it takes the Spirit of God to come
down, that does it. And they've long forgot it, because they classed
the gift of the Holy Ghost, initial evidence of speaking in tongues;
and I heard devils and witches speak in tongues.
The Holy Ghost is the Word of God in you that identifies Itself by
accepting that Word. Outside of that it can't be the Holy Ghost. If it
says it's the Holy Spirit and denies one word of that Bible, it cannot
be the Holy Spirit. That's the evidence whether you believe it or not.
20-6
Notice another great sign. the Jews are in their homeland, their own
nation, their own money, a member of the United Nations; they got their
own army; they got everything. They're in their homeland which Jesus
said, "Learn a parable of the fig tree." There they are, right back in
their nation. This day this Scripture's fulfilled.
The Jews in their homeland, this day this Scripture is fulfilled. The
Laodicea church age, this day this Scripture (Matthew 24) is fulfilled.
The world is in corruption (the whole thing), nations against nations,
earthquakes in divers places, great whirlwinds coming down, shaking the
nations and so forth, great disasters everywhere: this day this
Scripture is fulfilled.
21-2
Now, we found out the condition of the world. We see where the church
nominal–normal–organization, denominations, we see where they are. We
see where the nations are. And we see that this day these promises is
fulfilled. Now. But in this day there is to come a super, Royal Seed of
Abraham. That's exactly what it'd be, would be a Royal Bride to the
Royal promised Son. As I spoke last night, it won't be a natural seed;
it'll be a spiritual Seed. There's to be a spiritual Bride raise up,
which will be the royal Seed of the royal faith of Abraham's Royal Son.
She is to come on the scene in the last days, and the time and the
place is a promise that's given to Her. According to Malachi 4 (a
Scripture) there is to rise a Message that will shake the hearts of the
people right back to the apostolic fathers again.
There is to rise one on the scene in the power of Elijah, that'll rise
on the scene; a wilderness man that'll come out and will have a Message
that'll come right straight back to the Word again. That's the hour
that we're living in.
21-4
Then consider. Now, I ask you at this hour, you people here at
Jeffersonville, in 1933 the supernatural Light that fell down yonder on
the river that day when I was baptizing five hundred in the Name of
Jesus Christ (I was about a twenty year old boy.), what did It say,
Jeffersonville? What was it at the foot of Spring Street there, when
the "Courier Journal" (I think it was the "Louisville Herald") packed
the article, and it went plumb across the Associated Press, plumb into
Canada. Dr. Lee Vayle cut it out of the paper way up in Canada in 1933.
When I was baptizing my seventeenth person under this Witness (and you
know the rest of the story), and when I was standing there baptizing
that seventeenth person, a Light come down from heaven, a shining down
above there like a star falling from heaven. A Voice said, "As John the
Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming of Christ, your Message
shall forerun His second coming into all the world." This day this
Scripture is fulfilled. Thank You, Lord.
22-1
This day… God promised it. What happened? This day It's went around
the world. And when God came down there and said that (when I was a
little boy) in a burning bush or a bush up yonder on fire with a Pillar
of Fire–up here at Wathen's place on the Utica Pike, packing water
back there from that barn to a moonshine still. You know the truth of
it.
He said, "Don't you never smoke, or drink, or defile your body, for there's a work for you to do when you get older."
I testify to that being the truth that I saw it. And God, as He did
with Moses, spoke out before the congregation down yonder and said,
"This is the truth." This day this Scripture is fulfilled in the midst
of us.
Watch what He said about the discernment and how it would be, from
laying hands upon them to knowing the secret of the heart. This day
this Scripture is fulfilled before our very eyes. These promises that
was made.
22-4
Notice, all these promises have been vindicated and fulfilled by the
God of the promise. Look, hanging in Washington, D.C. tonight, the
picture of the Angel of the Lord. As George J. Lacy, the head of the
F.B.I. fingerprint and document for the United States Government,
examined it from Houston, Texas, and said, "This is the only
supernatural Being that was ever photographed in all the world." He
ought to know; he's the best that's in the world for it.
Notice, there It hangs as the Truth, the same Pillar of Fire that led
Israel back yonder in the wilderness. We seeing It again today, the
same kind of a message of "Come up out of Egypt…?…" This day this
Scripture is fulfilled. You know the Message that He said.
22-6
Look at the vision of Tucson three years ago. When standing up there on
the lane, when five years before that He said, "The day that the city
drives a stake down in front of that gate, turn yourself towards the
west." My tabernacle folks that's here knows that that's prop–at that
time. That's right.
And the day that Mr. Goyne and them was up there and drove that stake down, I said to the wife, "There's something about this."
She said, "What is it?"
And I went in and looked in my little book; there it was. And that next
morning at ten o'clock, setting in there in my room there about ten
o'clock, the Angel of the Lord came down and He said, "Go to Tucson.
You'll be northeast of Tucson and there'll come seven Angels in a
cluster that will shake the whole earth around you." And said, "It'll
be told you from there."
How many remembers that here, way before it happened? There's men
setting right here in this building tonight was standing right there
when it happened, and said the Seven Seals of the hidden mysteries of
the entire Bible would be open and fulfill Revelations 10, that in the
seventh angel's Message these things should come to pass. This day this
Scripture is fulfilled before our eyes. This day this Scripture is
fulfilled.
23-4
Last year standing in the same place (Mr. Wood here and I), going up
the hill in the–kind of mourning about his wife being sick, the Holy
Spirit said, "Pick up a rock laying there; throw it up in the air; when
it comes down say, 'THUS SAITH THE LORD, there'll be judgment strike
the earth. Tell him that he will see the hand of God in the next few
hours.'"
I told Mr. Wood (that's present tonight) and I guess eight or ten of
the men–or fifteen that was there at that time, when it took place the
next morning, where the Lord came down in a whirlwind and ripped the
mountain out around us, and cut the tops of the trees loose, and made
three blasts and said, "Judgment is heading towards the west coast."
Two days after that Alaska almost sunk beneath the earth. And since
then up and down the coast the belches of God's judgment against that
spiritual screen.
23-7
There is a iron curtain; there is a bamboo curtain, and there is a sin
curtain. Civilization's travel with the sun; so has the Gospel. They
come from the east and went west like the sun goes, and now it's on the
west coast. It can't go no further; if it goes further, it'll be back
east again.
The prophet said, "There will come a day that cannot be called night or
day," a dismal day, a lot of rain and fog, just enough how to know how
to join a church or put your name on a book. But it shall be Light
about the evening time. This day this Scripture is fulfilled.
The same–the same s-u-n that rises in the east is the same s-u-n that
sets in the west. And the same S-o-n of God that come in the east and
vindicated Himself as God manifested in the flesh is the same S-o-n of
God in the western hemisphere here, that's identifying Himself among
the church tonight, the same yesterday, today, and forever. The evening
Light of the Son has come. This day this Scripture is fulfilled before
us.
24-3
Where are we at in this Abrahamic age? Where are we in this great time
we're standing, the great hour that we're living? All the visions has
been fulfilled. How about when a little minister friend of ours here,
associate sister church (Junior Jackson), come running up to us one
night (me down there) and said, "I had a–a dream, Brother Branham,
that's bothering me. I seen all the brethren gathered upon a hill." And
said, "Upon this hill you were teaching us out of letters that was
wrote, looked like in some letters that time had carved out in the
rock. When you finished that–all of that was finished, you told us,
said, 'Come close,' and we all gathered up." Said, "You reached from
somewhere and looked like got, like a crowbar and whipped the top of
this little pyramid open. And when it did," said, "granite rock with no
writing on it. And you told us to look in upon this. And you all–we
all started looking." Said, "I turned my head, and I noticed you going
towards the west just as hard as you could, towards the setting of the
sun." How many remembers it?
24-4
And I stood there a little bit till the Holy Spirit revealed it. I
said, "The entire Bible, as much as has been revealed to men through
justification, sanctification, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, the
baptism in Jesus' Name, and all these things has been revealed, but
there is secrets that's hid inside, because the Bible's sealed with
Seven Seals. I must go there to find it."
That morning when those seven Angels come down and blasted the earth
and rocks flew every way, seven Angels stood there and said, "Return
back to Jeffersonville from where you come from, for the Seven Seals of
the seven mysteries will be opened."
Here we are today, we're understanding serpent's seed; in a few days,
if God willing, we'll understand the correctness of marriage and
divorce and all these things that God's opened, every Seal, the
mysteries, since the foundation of the world, and we've been–enjoy the
Presence of His blessings. That is true. This day this Scripture…
25-3
The "Life" magazine packed an article of it, "Mystic circle of light
goes up in the air above Tucson and Phoenix" in the same way that I
told you nearly a year before it happened, how it would be in a–like a
triangle. The picture hangs in the church down there. You that took
that magazine has it. There it was just exactly. They said it was
twenty-seven miles high and thirty miles across. They don't understand
yet what happened. It appeared mysteriously and went away mysteriously.
And Brother Fred Sothmann, Brother Gene Norman, and I stand there,
three as a witness, like it was up on top of the mountain: Peter,
James, and John to give witness; stood there and watched it when it
happened and seen it done. There it is, hanging in the sky so far
there's no humidity, no moisture, nothing to make a–a fog. How could
it come there? It was the Angels of God returning back after their
Message. This day that prophecy has been fulfilled in our midst. This
day this Scripture has been fulfilled.
Watch. Seven Seals has been opened, the whirlwinds to the west coast.
Now, don't miss it like they did back yonder. Now, our attention a
little closer to our day.
25-6
What does the Scripture say about today and about the time we live in?
Jesus speaking… I won't have time to take them all, but I want to
take this one 'fore we close. Jesus said in St. Luke the 17th chapter,
the 30th verse, Jesus Christ, the Word Himself (Do you believe
that?)–Jesus Christ, the Word Himself made flesh, spoke and said what
the Word would be in the end time, what would be the sign of the end of
the world. He told them nation would rise against nation, but He said,
"As it was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be in the day when the Son
of man is being revealed."
Now, when Jesus came to the earth, He came in the name of three Sons:
Son of man (which is a prophet), Son of God, and Son of David. Now, He
lived here on earth; He never did say He was the Son of God. He said,
"I'm the Son of man." Jehovah Himself called Ezekiel in the prophets
"son of man," because He had to come to fulfill Scripture as a prophet.
Moses said, "The Lord your God shall raise up a Prophet likened unto
me." That's the reason He could not be the Son of God there, because He
was the Son of man. He… The Word came to the prophets and He was the
Word in Its Fullness: Son of man, the major Prophet, not the major
Prophet, but the God Prophet. The Fullness of the Godhead bodily was in
Him; therefore, He was the Son of man.
Now, for two thousand years He's been known to us as Son of God,
Spirit. And in the millennium He'll be Son of David upon the throne. We
all know that, who believe the Scriptures.
26-3
Now, Jesus said just at the end of this church age that we're living
in, that the Son of man would be revealed again in the same manner it
was as it was at Sodom. Watch how historically He gave it. He said, "As
it was in the days (first) of Noah, how they were eating, drinking,
marrying, and giving in marriage." Then He brought next to last to the
Son of man at Sodom, 'cause there He was dealing with Jews. Here at
Sodom He's dealing with Gentiles. There He drowned them all by water in
judgment. Here is the Gentiles; He burnt them all at the day at Sodom.
That's right; the Gentile world burnt there.
And so will it be when the Son of man reveals. It's not no more water,
but it'll be fire this time. Jesus read from the same Genesis 23 that
we read from, when He read about Sodom.
26-5
Now, we admit the conditions that's spoke of–of–the world condition
of Sodom, Sodomites, Sodom condition. We every one will say, "Amen" to
that; we believe that. All right, and the spiritual condition of
Laodicea, the church natural, we'll say, "Amen" to that, and accept
their signs. We know that every sign is there: the church is in
Laodicea; we know that. We know the world is in a Sodom condition. Is
that right? We'll accept that. But what about the sign of Abraham, the
one waiting for the promised son? That was another one. Remember, they
had a Sodom back there; they had their messenger. And Abraham had a
Messenger to him. Abraham was waiting day by day for a–almost an
impossible thing to happen: Sarah, ninety and him, a hundred. According
to the promise of God he was still waiting. In the midst of all
criticism he was waiting for that son. So is the true believer still
waiting for that promised Son to return.
Notice, just before the son arrived, there was a sign given him. Is not
the sign of the coming Son to be revealed to the Royal Seed of Abraham
that's waiting for the Royal Son, as same as it was to father Abraham
for the natural son? That right? Jesus said so here in St. Luke 17:30;
before this time come, that the Son of man would be revealed like He
did in the days of Sodom, before the destruction of Sodom. Now, we're
looking for a sign.
27-2
Now, let's take the…?… conditions of time as it was in Sodom.
Notice, that all went out in Sodomite, the world. I think one of the
movie directors put on a picture not long ago, and I got to see it;
that was Sodom. If you ever see it and there's nothing else on but
that, take a look at it. It was certainly a good picture of the United
States today–Hollywood, just exactly, the same kind of dressing and
everything else that they did right then, big drunken sprees and
everything else–a religious cult of people, so-called religious.
Notice, and Sodom had a witness. And it was a fellow by the name of
Lot, which was just a nephew to–to Abraham. Now, Abraham did not go
down in Sodom. He and his group–he had a big group with him, enough to
fight off about a dozen kings and their army; so he had a big group
with him. And he was setting out there under an oak tree one day when
everything was going wrong for him; nobody had anything to do with him,
but he was still holding on to that promise.
Watch now, closely, before we close. While he was setting there, down
come three Men walking to him. Two of Them went down into Sodom and
preached the Gospel to them that come out–to Lot. Is that right? But
One stayed with Abraham. Notice, the One that stayed with Abraham was
God Himself; the other two were Angel messengers.
28-1 Now, down in Sodom they done no miracles, only smiting them the blind; and preaching the Gospel always smites them blind.
Now,
look at the set of that day. There is a church natural. Always in
threes (as I said last night) God is represented. There was Sodomites,
the Lotites, and the Abrahamites. It's in the same position tonight,
the world's setting just like that.
Let me ask you something. Look at this setting now. Abraham called this
Man that talked to him, Elohim. The Hebrew word "Elohim" means "the
all-sufficient One, the One that's the Eternal One, Elohim, God Himself.
In the beginning… Genesis 1 said, "In the beginning, God…" Take the
Hebrew word there-the Greek word rather, "In the beginning Elohim
created heavens and earth."
28-4
Here He is, Genesis, about 22 here… He said…?… Begin at–or about
the 20… He said… And he called this Man's name Elohim. Why did he
do it? God represented in a human flesh, that set down with Abraham and
eat a calf sandwich, drinking some milk, and eat some bread (God
Himself) and disappeared right before Abraham. But He give him a sign.
Notice, and that sign was that He had His back turned to the tent. And
remember, Abraham, his name was Abram a few days before that, and Sarah
was Sarra before that–S-a-r-r-a, then S-a-r-a-h and A-b-r-a-m to
A-b-r-a-h-a-m. "Abraham" means "father of nations."
Now, watch real close here, and we'll see the setting of the hour that
we're now living, as Jesus told us to look for this setting. We've seen
all the rest of it right; now let's see to the Royal Seed, what setting
they're supposed to see.
Now, this Man said, "Abraham, where is your wife, Sarah?"
And Abraham said, "She's in the tent behind You."
Now, He'd never seen her. How did He know that his name was Abraham?
How did He know her name was S-a-r-a-h? "Abraham, where is your wife,
Sarah?"
Said, "She's in the tent behind You."
And He said, "I ('I,' a personal pronoun)–I am going to visit you
according to the promise. Your wife's going to have that baby. You've
trusted Me now; I'm going to make it come to pass."
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And Sarah in the tent behind (eavesdropping, or eardropping, ever what
you call it), listening through the tent, she said–laughed up her
sleeve and she said, "Now, me, an old woman like I am, have pleasure
with my lord and him old too, out there a hundred years old. Why, this
hasn't happened for many, many years."
And the Man, M-a-n, setting there eating, in human flesh, drinking and
eating like an ordinary man with dust on His clothes, and had dust on
His feet, and Abraham washed it off: God Himself, looked around and He
said, "Why did Sarah laugh back in the tent, saying this?" He knew,
could discern the thoughts of Sarah in the tent behind Him. Is that
right?
Now, when the Royal Seed of Abraham come on the earth, what sign did He
show? (Son of man.) Simon came up to Him one day. Andrew brought him.
He said, "Your name is Simon; you're the son of Jonas." He said… See,
that made a believer out of him.
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Philip went over and got Nathanael; come back and said, "Come see a Man
Who we have–we've found: Jesus of Nazareth, Son of Joseph."
He said, "Now, wait a minute. Could anything good come out of that fanaticism?"
He said, "Come see."
So when Philip come up in the Presence of Jesus with Nathanael, Jesus
looked over at him and said, "Behold, an Israelite in whom there's no
guile."
He said, "Rabbi, when did You know me?"
He said, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree, I saw you."
He said, "Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God. You're the King of Israel."
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When the little woman at the well, in her immoral conditions, come up
(a little panoramic something like this) to draw some water, Jesus had
sent His disciples away to get vittles. And when she come up to draw
water, He said, "Bring Me a drink, woman."
She said, "It's not customary for You to say that. We have segregation
here. Now, you Jews have nothing to do with us Samaritans; we have
nothing to do with you."
He said, "But woman, if you knew Who you were talking to, you'd ask Me
for a drink. I'd give you waters you don't come here to draw."
He found where her condition was, what it was. He said, "Go get your husband and come here."
She said, "I don't have any husband."
He said, "You've said the truth. You've had five, and the one you're living with now is not yours."
She said, "Sir, I perceive that Thou art a prophet. We know when the Messiah cometh He'll show us these things."
Jesus said, "I am He."
On that she run into the city and said, "Come see a Man Whose told me the things I've done. Isn't this the very Messiah?"
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Watch, He did that before the Jews and the Samaritans, but never the
Gentiles. The Gentiles, we people were heathens in them days (the other
nations), packed a club on our back, worshipping idols; we wasn't
looking for no Messiah. He only appears to those who's looking for Him,
and we're supposed to be looking for Him. But those who claim to be
looking for Him, the church itself, when they seen that done, they
said, "He's a devil; he's a fortuneteller, a Beelzebub."
And Jesus said that sin would be forgiven them because He hadn't died
yet, but said someday the Holy Ghost will come and do the same thing,
and to speak one word against It will never be forgiven. That's this
day, where every word has to hang together. Speak a word against It,
it'll never be forgiven in this world or the world to come.
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That was the Royal Seed of Abraham. And here that Royal Seed of Abraham
(which come because of that identification of that Man setting there
with Abraham) come to prove it was the same God promised that in this
day, as it was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be in the coming of
the Son of man, when He is revealing Himself as Son of man. Amen. This
is the day for the Scripture to be fulfilled.
Look at the setting we are today. Look at the church where the Son of
God… Look at the dismal day; look at all the prophecies. Now, a
strange thing–our visitors are due then, if the setting has to be like
at Sodom.
There were three of Them come along–three outstanding Men sent from
heaven; we'll admit that–three of them; One stayed with Abraham. They
all started there, but One stayed with Abraham; the rest of them went
down in Sodom. Is that right? And Abraham had a changed name, from
Abram to Abraham. True? Not one time has the history–church of the
world ever had an evangelist to go to it with a name ending in h-a-m
till this day–Billy G-r-a-h-a-m. Is that right? G-r-a-h-a-m, six
letters. A-b-r-a-h-a-m is seven letters, but G-r-a-h-a-m is six
letters, which is the world: man. See?
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Look what's went out there today is them messengers from heaven. Is
there a man on earth that's got repentance so preached so plainly as
Billy Graham? Has there been a man that has had an effect upon the
people like Billy Graham? Never has there been internationally a man.
Oh, Billy Sunday and so forth was here in the United States, but Billy
Graham's knowed worldwide. See where's he's calling? Out of Sodom. And
he's got his accompanying party there with the Pentecostal church: an
Oral Roberts.
But what about the elect group? What kind of a sign are they supposed
to see? What are they supposed to have? Hallelujah. "It shall be Light
in the evening time." This day this Scripture is fulfilled. This day
God's promise is fulfilled. We know that to be the truth. He's here
tonight as He was then.
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Now, to preach it… As I said awhile ago, if you preach anything and
it's the Gospel Truth, then God's obligated to vindicate that. Is that
true? Now, if that be so, let the God that wrote the Word, let the God
that made the prophecy, let the God Who is God of the Word come forth
and prove that He's still God.
As Elijah went up on the mountain watching–Elisha went watching
Elijah, he said, "I want a double portion." And the mantle that was on
Elijah fell upon Elisha. He walked down and doubled that blanket up and
struck the river and said, "Where is the God of Elijah?" And the same
thing that happened for Elijah, happened for Elisha. And the same
Gospel, the same power, the same son of man that was yesterday, is
today, and will be forever: Hebrews 13:8. You believe it?
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Now, I ask you. I cannot be Him, but He is here. We are only a carrier.
Some of you people out there that's sick and afflicted (that you know
that I don't know you, let God now, if I can humble myself enough…),
you pray and ask God.
I don't guess… There isn't a prayer card in the building, is there?
No, I don't… We never give out any prayer cards. We're going to have
prayer meeting–or healing of the sick at the church. But you pray, and
you know that I'm a total stranger to you. See? You know me,
Jeffersonville. I don't want people from Jeffersonville to do that; I
want people from away from here somewhere. See if God still reveals.
See if He's still the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Do like the little woman did. He passed through and she said, "I
believe this Man." She had a blood issue and she said, "If I could
touch the border of His garment, I believe I'll be made whole." Is that
right? Because of her faith, that day the Scripture was fulfilled. He
bind up the heart of the broken heart, healed the sick and the lame.
When she touched His garment and walked out and set down, He turned
around and said, "Who touched Me?"
How'd He ever know in that great throng of people (probably thirty
times what's here tonight, thousands of them), how did He know it? He
said, "Who touched Me?" He didn't say that just to be saying, He said
that because it was true. And He said, "Who touched Me?" And directly,
He looked around and seen the little woman (where she was setting or
standing, whatever position she was in), told her her blood issue was
over. That was Jesus yesterday; that's Him today. You believe that?
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I don't know you; God does. But you got pains in your side that's
bothering you. That's right. You're setting there praying about it. Am
I a stranger to you? We're stranger to one another; stand up if it is.
I don't know you. It's this man right here on the corner, this young
fellow. You also got a bad throat. That's right. You're praying about
that; you're all nervous about something. You're going to have to leave
the meeting, because you're a minister. You got some engagements you
got to take care of. That is right. You believe God knows who you are?
Reverend Mr. Smith, now you can go and be healed; Jesus Christ made you
whole. Go on to your meeting; your throat won't bother you. Who did he
touch?
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There's a man setting right back here; he's suffering. He's got a tumor
on his left lung. He doesn't–he isn't from here. You have been a mine
worker. That is right. I'm a total stranger to you; if that's right,
shake your hand. The tumor's in your left lung, and you're up for an
operation right away. That's right? Uh-huh. You're not from here;
you're from out of town. You're from Virginia. That's right. You
believe God knows who you are? Mr. Mitchell (That's right.), go home
and be well. Jesus Christ makes you whole. Ask the man; never seen him
in my life. He was setting there praying. This day this Scripture…
Here's a lady setting right back here behind me, as Sarah was in the
tent. She's praying for a daughter. Stand up. The daughter's not here;
she's away. The daughter has… You're the same as it was when a woman
come to Jesus who had a woman that was variously vexed by the devil.
The woman is–girl is demon possessed. She's not here; she is
from–you're from North Carolina. You believe that, and that's the
Truth isn't it? Mrs. Orders, you can go home. If you'll believe with
all your heart, you'll find your daughter like found when Jesus Christ
in the days gone by, said it would be.
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This day this Scripture, the sign of Sodom, the sign of the Super-Seed,
the sign of the natural church, this day this Scripture is fulfilled in
your midst. Do you believe it? Will you accept Him right now as your
Saviour and Healer? Stand up to your feet every one of you and say, "I
accept my healing; I accept Him as my Saviour; I accept Him as my
King." Each one stand to your feet.
This day… Listen, friends. He read the Scripture, handed the Bible
back to the priest, and said all the eyes of the people were fastened
upon Him. And He looked upon them and said, "This day this Scripture is
fulfilled."
I've read the Scripture, with a dozen or more evidences that we're
living in the last day, the generation that would see Jesus Christ
return to the earth. And I say to you tonight again, this day this
Scripture is fulfilled in your sight.
You in Tucson, you in California, you in New York, on these telephone
hook-ups, this day this Scripture is fulfilled in your sight. Let us be
glad and make merry, for the marriage of the Lamb is at hand, and her
Bride–His Bride has made Herself ready.
Let's raise our hands and give Him glory, all ye people. God bless you.
