FULL OBEDIENCE TO THE WORD

ENTITLES US TO THE TOKEN

CHAPTER THREE

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<Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.> (Isaiah 1:18-20).

I will read yet another scripture from I Samuel 15:20.This story always saddens me. I have read this over forty years and it always touches me.

<And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.

But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.> (I Samuel 15:20-23).

See also I Samuel 15: 24-35.

PUNISHMENT FOR DISOBEDIENCE

What a sad story and punishment for disobedience. This story is pathetic. God never did forgive Saul for that sin of disobedience as much as he cried and as much as he wept. Can you picture that? Here is a mighty king, the first king of Israel and he was taller than all the men in the army and at that point he did wrong because he hearkened to the voice of the people instead of listening to the Word of the Lord.

Acts 5:29 <…We ought to obey God rather than men.>

That is what the apostles said when they were challenged. Here is a poor, little prophet, Samuel with the Word of the Lord. He was called since he was a child, from a little fellow and he lived before Israel. And Saul became king and he did wrong and to see how that man said, “I have sinned Samuel, before you and before the Lord, forgive me.” And then Samuel said, “I will not turn again with you to worship the Lord.” And, he turned away from Saul and Saul grabbed a-hold of his clothes, the king on his knees begging a prophet who was a humble little man. Saul was a king that could have put Samuel to death, but he was sorry with his whole heart for what he had done and instead of finding mercy, he grabbed a-hold of the mantle of the prophet and then it tore. He held it so hard crying for mercy until it tore in two; and instead of mercy the prophet of God prophesied and said,

I Samuel 15:28 <…The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.>

That man was David. And look at the sin that David committed, friends, and then God forgave David for adultery and murder; and look at Saul. I always compare that to see how Saul begged for mercy and never found it: disobedience.

And it breaks my heart always, to think of Moses that when he thought God had forgotten his disobedience at that rock, speaking lip-to-ear, he said, Lord, would you not let me go over and see the land? I always feel blessed to see how the Lord speaks to His people just like if He is a man. He said,

Deuteronomy 3:25-26 <I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.

But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.>

For that one disobedience the meekest man upon the earth, Moses, God never forgave him. And at the end of it, He took him up and said, “Come upon this mountain that you may die. I will show you this land but you will not enter therein.”

Beloved, disobedience is a terrible, terrible thing, and Samuel described disobedience in I Samuel 15, and said,

I Samuel 15:22 < And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.>

Friends, it is better to obey than to pay your tithes, and give your offering and do many mighty works of righteousness. We are a people who are called to obey the Word of God.

God did not send a prophet in vain. He sent a prophet, anointed by the spirit of Elijah to bring unto us a holiness message, the commandments of the Lord which the church forgot over two thousand years. But these little things that the Lord restored by the prophet, He wants us to obey them. And full obedience to the Word of God will entitle us to this Outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is not a matter of picking out what you want to obey, and what is good for you, or what is easy or what is hard. Friends, that holiness message must be obeyed or we are not going in the Rapture. That is my emphasis.

QUALIFY FOR TOKEN AND RAPTURE

That holiness message was sent to us to prepare each one of us for an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and when we get that Outpouring of the Spirit, then we are prepared for that Rapture. Without that Outpouring of the Holy Spirit nobody goes in the Rapture. There is not a living soul upon the earth today that will go in the Rapture unless the Lord brings that Outpouring of the Holy Spirit. That will qualify you for the Rapture but obeying the abc’s and surrendering your heart unto the Lord, to do what He tells you to do is the thing that will qualify you for the Token, the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Fullness of God, the Kingdom of God. Everybody wants to be qualified for the Rapture but first you must be qualified for the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And what qualifies you for the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit? Full obedience! It was already declared by Elijah the prophet, “Full obedience to the Word entitles us to the Token.”

Check your Bibles, friends, from Genesis to Revelation and consider the words: obedience and disobedience. The human race, from the very start went into disobedience, disobedience to God’s Word; therefore the only way that we will get back to God is by obedience. If disobedience caused all the corruption that there is, and all the sin, and all the death and everything that goes with it, there is only one way to get back to God and that is obedience to His Word.

Yes, there is nothing small that we could overlook. People are deceived and they think that’s a small matter, that is a small thing and I could do that even though the Bible said that, even though the prophet said that. It is not so, friends. I believe the prophet of God: full obedience to Word of God entitles us to the Token.

The Token is none other than the Holy Ghost in the fullness of Its measure and It’s the same article that they had on the day of Pentecost. That’s the only way that you will get this Outpouring of the Holy Spirit. So, it is one thing to believe that there is an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit coming but then, friends, the next thing is to be prepared. God has set His servants over the church, He has set gifts over the church, gifted men to bring the church into obedience and we must obey the Word of God.

It is true that we have three kinds of believers and don’t matter what we preach people would do what they want to, that’s a sad condition. You have the unbeliever that sits right there to the end and he does not care nothing, he has his own plans, he has his own aims and ambitions, yes, he doesn’t believe in his heart what is being said. That’s a terrible condition to be in. And then we have the make-believer that pretends to be obedient, pretends to be a Christian, pretends to be standing for the Word of God but then like Judas he is a thief. he has hate, he has jealousy, he has murder, he has rebellion in his heart and he does not love the Lord Jesus. And then, we have the believer, and the believer may be full of weaknesses and faults like Peter but he is determined to stand. He said, “Though all men forsake you, I will go with you even unto the death.” The right attitude towards Life and the Lord. The believer is not a perfect man. He has faults, he has failures, but his attitude is right and his spirit is surrendered unto the Lord. This is what divides the unbeliever and the make-believer from the believer: that word “surrender”. The unbeliever is not surrendered to the Word, and the cause of Life and Eternal Life, and the make-believer is not surrendered, no, but the believer is surrendered. And the believer may have a lot of faults and failures but his heart is surrendered and we have that example in Peter.

Oh, he was always doing some stupidness or asking a question until the Lord had to correct him, one time he had to tell Peter,

Mark 8:33 <…Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God…>

It was a devil upon Peter that was trying to foul up the plan of God. Peter was an aggressive fellow, he wanted to find out everything from the Lord, he wanted to be protective to the Lord. He was so aggressive that when they came to do harm to the Lord he pulled out his sword and chopped off a man’s ear. The Lord had to correct him, He said, “Your hot temper is not good, Peter.” He said,

Matthew 26:52 <…for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.>

But he was a believer. He had the desire to stand for the Lord, but friends, he failed and the Lord said,

Luke 22:32 <But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not…>

But he denied, and he cursed and he swore but the man’s heart was surrendered to the Lord and that was proven a little later on.

Later on after the Token fell, soldiers were approaching him and he started to run again, and he heard a voice and It said, “Peter, Peter would you deny me again?” And he turned right around and went back unto the army and said, “Crucify me upside down for I am not worthy to be crucified like my Master.” That upside down cross, up to today represents the martyrdom of Peter. It is one of the most horrifying deaths, to be crucified upside down, where all the blood from your body will run through your mouth and your nose, but he stood for the Lord. That determination of Peter to stand for the Lord, He anointed it later, and the determination that you have today to stand for the Lord somewhere down the line the Lord will anoint you to fulfill that desire.

The determination that you have young man, to overcome that lustful problem, to overcome that tongue, to overcome that nonsense in your life, to overcome the foolishness that is bound up in your heart as a young lady or a young child, you hold that desire right there, the Lord is going to anoint you to overcome. Don’t change your mind because of trials, because of pressure that you may go through. Stand, hold on right there, yes, and the Lord is going to take care of the weaknesses.

Brethren, what I told you here this morning and what I am trying to bring to you about this great Outpouring of the Holy Spirit is most necessary. You must be prepared. The Bride hath made Herself ready. And I have a few quotations of Brother Branham concerning preparation and I want to link that in the Bible.

BUILD INDIVIDUALS INTO STATURE OF CHRIST THAT

THEY MIGHT BE POWER HOUSES

Quote W.M.B.: 27-5 Were not building an organization. I'm not here this morning to build an organization. Christ never sent me to build an organizations. Christ sent me to build individuals to the statue of Jesus Christ that they might be the power house...?... dwelling place of His Spirit by His Word. (Stature of a Perfect Man 62-1014m)

Beloved, the mission of every minister upon the earth that is true to God, is that he must have that vision of bringing men unto perfection, making them receptacles, sanctified and holy by the holiness message that they might be tabernacles for the power of God that is coming. Any minister that is not preaching that and advocating that and spending all his time and energy in that effort is not preaching the message of the hour. Our vision, my vision, this morning with the vision of the ministers present, and in India, and Africa, and the Untied States and wherever it goes is to prepare your souls through sanctification of the spirit that you might be receptacles to receive the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit. If I tell you that you’re going to receive that Spirit with all those things in your life I would be a deceiver this morning but we are not deceived. We are following the pattern of the major prophet called William Branham. He said, we are not trying to build up a congregation or an organization better than anybody. He said, “I am here this morning to help produce individuals in the stature of a perfect man that they can be power houses for God.” Friends, I am trying to produce power houses for God. I want to see every one of you filled with that Outpouring of the Spirit. I want to see my brethren have nine diverse gifts in operation, I want to see the five-fold ministry set in order then we are going to show this world a living Lord Jesus Christ. That’s the aim, that’s the ambition. Alright!

Preparation for the Rapture: that’s the effort. What’s the vision that every minister must have? What’s the vision of Brother Branham?

END TIME MESSAGE IS TO GET THE BRIDE READY AND

PREPARED FOR THE RAPTURE

Quote W.M.B.:222 The end-time message is to get the Bride ready and prepared for the rapture. What can it do? According to Malachi 4, is bring them back to the faith that was once delivered to the saints: bring them back to the faith of the fathers, the Pentecostal part, in the restoration time. "I will restore, saith the Lord." (End Time Evangelism 62-0603).

WORLDWIDE VISION IS FOR THE BODY OF CHRSIT TO GET

READY FOR THE RAPTURE

Quote W.M.B.: E-44 Jesus never died just for Methodists, and Baptists, and Pentecostals. He died for the entire body. And the worldwide vision is for the body of the Lord Jesus Christ to get ready for the rapture. (Escape Hither Come Quickly 58-0202).

That should be the vision of every minister. Not run from here to the end of the earth just making disciples. Brother Branham ran from here to the end of the earth seven times around the world and he won hundreds of thousands of people, and there was nobody to prepare them for an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit nor the Rapture.

100, 000 CONVERTS – AS SHEEP AMONG WOLVES

Quote W.M.B.: 762-85 What if I was in India, go back to India... And maybe in two or three weeks, when I was over there two nights, and maybe a hundred thousand converted to Christ, nowhere to go. The next day take a plane and start back to Rome, then to the United States, leave them just like sheep put out among wolves. What if I had a group of men, young men trained in the Message (See?) to say, "Now, wait a minute, before I leave here, we're going to set in order these churches. I'll have a man who I've already telegrammed him, and they got the money; they're on their road here right now to take over this, a good man. There's two or three young men with him who'll be his helpers and assistants."

And a church of this faith can be set there which will be a outpost in India, outpost in Germany, outpost in Switzerland. While right now, we should've had them all around the nations where I've been... Then from there comes another, from another comes another. See what I mean?... What could've been done under this? It'd been ranking in the millions. Sure. We've lost that time. (Taking Sides With Jesus 62-0601).

CHURCH SET IN ORDER

The church should slow down at this time, and preach the holiness message, get the church in order as you see here this morning: a church being set in order. That a man would not get up to spit while the presence of the Lord is in our midst, and while the Word of God is being preached, people in aches and pains, sick and afflicted and would not get up to go outside unless it is necessary. That is Holy Ghost order: people worshipping in the Spirit. It would not be long until such a people get an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit for, “out of the presence of the Lord shall come forth another refreshing.”

Acts 3:19 <Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.>

There will be another refreshing. I am telling you, friends, that your time is not spent in vain, our gathering is not in vain, the heat that you sit in is not in vain, the hours that you spend before the Lord in prayer and listening to the Word is not in vain. You are doing the greatest thing that any human being could do right here this morning. People are out to enjoy themselves with this and that but we are here enjoying the Word of the Lord. The entrance of Thy Word giveth joy. This is our hope, this is our stay, this is our great hope of salvation. All the labours of a man are for his belly. But, let me tell you friend, the hours that you spend here today, the moments that pass are for eternal benefits. We are going to be a people that shall never die. My God, I just cannot get over the fact that people will never die and never get old.

Yes, friends, all the labours that you labour for the whole week: catching your fishes, working in your office, going to school, labouring for Caesar has no benefits. All the labours of a man are for his own belly. In other words it goes down to the toilet, it goes to the dung hill. Your house will remain here and it will burn. If you have money in the bank the pope will take it, but friends, what we are doing here this morning by building up our souls by the Word of God has eternal benefits, this is the thing that will last. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word of God shall not pass away. And if you have the Word in you, you cannot pass away because you are founded on the Word of God. Oh merciful God! Children, you are doing the greatest thing this morning. Old lady, old man, brothers, you might say, “I am tight here. I wish I had some more room.” You’re doing the greatest thing: bearing patience, sitting there, friends. Believe what I am telling you, the greatest thing is to sit at the feet of Jesus. Oh my!

Martha started quarreling because Mary was not washing the dishes, and the Lord looked around there (He knows when you are fussing) and said,

Luke 10:41 <Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things.>

In other words, you are too anxious about the natural things. But Mary hath chosen that good part, to sit at the feet of Jesus, and that is where you are sitting this morning. We feel His mighty presence.

Oh beloved, we are trying to be prepared for that Rapture. What is your attitude and ambition towards It? I am going to show you some prophecy this morning to confirm all what I have told you. What is your attitude towards this preparation? Do you look at It as just some messages that the preachers are preaching and just harping upon you and trying to frighten you? No friends, you will regret that attitude, yes. Oh merciful Lord!

PREPARING PEOPLE FOR THE RAPTURE

Quote W.M.B.: E-15 Noah working away…he was looking also for a miracle. And the church today as it's laboring away under the task of preaching the Gospel, with signs and wonders a following, they are preparing for a miracle: the rapture of the church and the going home. Preparing people, getting them light, unburdened from the things of the world, and getting their souls set in the Presence of God, that when Jesus does appear the second time in glory, those who are ready will rapture and be caught up together to meet Him in the air and be with Him. (Junction of Time 56-0115).

CHILDREN OF DISOBEDIENCE TO GOD’S PROMISE

What are you doing here this morning, children? Preparing for the Rapture. You are automatically preparing for an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, trying to walk in obedience to the Word of God. God has given me an obedient bunch of people, and I am thankful to God. You might say, “But, I know such and such did so and so, and they did such and such.” We have three kinds of believers. I cannot account for the make-believer and the unbeliever. No friends! I am accounting for the elect of God, the Bride of Christ. I preach to everybody as the elect of God, but when you resist correction and you want to show a disobedient spirit, then I know that you are a child of disobedience, because there are children of disobedience to the Word of God.

Woe be unto you if you are a child of disobedience. Do you know what a child of disobedience is? Don’t get frightened young fellows. That does not mean to say that you heard the Word and you made a mistake. It means that people are set in their ways, and it doesn’t matter what you preach their minds are already made up to go their way. Isn’t that clear? That while they hear the Word of God they already have in their minds what they are about to do even though it conflicts with the Word of God, and the pastor, and the prophet and the message. They have their minds already made-up what they want to do, who they want to listen to, who they don’t want to listen to, who they want to hate, who they want to despise, who they want to jealous. They have it already made up in their minds of which service they will attend and which they would not attend. Yes. Children of disobedience! Children of disobedience towards the promises of God. They hear about an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit and they care nothing about It, they don’t even believe that It is coming but I am telling you that none of your unbelief will stop the promise of God. It’s coming, it’s coming, it’s coming. It is going to be here, my friends, and right now there are people upon the earth that are sighing and crying for the abomination that is done in the cities and the Lord is coming in power to set a mark upon them.

Ezekiel 9:4 <And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.>

LET’S GET READY FOR THE FIRE FALLING TIME

Quote W.M.B.: 45-7 A voice come down through the loud speaker said, "All things are ready." …"Let the fire fall." …Brother, let's get all things ready, for one of these days, the fire's going to fall. We're going up. Now, let's get ready for the fire-falling time.

We're in the last days…And we're ready for the coming of the Lord. The thing to do is separate yourself from all sin. Separate yourself from anything that pertains to the world. Don't love the world or the things of the world. Let no man, by his creed, deceive you. You stay right straight in the promise of God, the Word of God; and that Word, if It's the Word, for this day, God vindicates It so. (Invisible Union of the Bride 65-1125).

Get ready for the fire falling time. The prophet took his children to a great, big show where a great, big show was going on and a great fire falling time was coming down from the mountain by the army, yes, and a man came out and said, “All things are ready. Let the fire fall.” Inspiration struck the prophet of God and he said, “That’s correct!” He said, “One of these days the Fire will fall.” But the church got to be ready first before the Fire falls. I am still crying out the same message today that the Fire is going to fall soon, but first we must be ready before the Fire falls. I love to hear the prophet:

THE CHURCH HAS TO MAKE HERSELF READY

Quote W.M.B.: E-27 And we know that those that are going to make up that bride is going to be His church, and they're going to appear before Him without spot or wrinkle. And they have the material on earth now to make themselves ready. If you notice, it said, "She has made herself ready." So many says, "If the Lord will take this evil spirit from me, from drinking, or from gambling, or from lying, or stealing, I'll serve Him." But that's up to you. You got to do something too. "They that overcome shall inherit all things," they that overcome. You have power to do it, but you must be willing to lay it down. See? She has made herself ready. I like that Word.

You see, God could not push us through a little pipe, pull us out on the other end, and then say, "Blessed is he that overcometh." You had nothing to overcome; He just pushed you through. But you've got to make decisions for yourself. I have to make decisions for myself. In doing that, we show our faith and respects to God. (Marriage of the Lamb 62-0121e).

FOOLISH VIRGINS DIDN’T HAVE HOLY SPIRIT – MISS BEING IN THE BRIDE

Quote: 279-1 It is the second resurrection wherein the five foolish virgins come up. Notice that they were virgins. They did not have the Holy Spirit so they missed being in the bride, while the five wise who had oil became a part of that bride. (Sardisean Church Age - Church Age Book Cpt.7).

Beloved, the difference between the foolish virgins and the wise virgins is that the wise virgins had the Holy Ghost and the foolish virgins did not receive it. This Holy Ghost that the wise virgins had is what we are preaching about. We are preaching about an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and there is enough power in it to rapture you from the face of the earth. This is very clear here that the foolish virgins did not attain to that power of the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the wise virgins came up to that place of the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit. That is just not an anointing on the outside, to say that I got an anointing, and I spoke in tongues and, I got sanctified and I am living a life for Jesus Christ. I am re-emphasizing here that there must be enough power to rapture you from the face of the earth and that’s the same power that was resident in our Lord Jesus that brought Him again from the dead and took Him away in a Rapture, and also brought the saints that were dead for thousands of years from the grave. I believe this is as clear as a whistle that a fool shall not err therein.

Romans 8:11 <But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.>

PROPHECY - UNDPREPAREDNESS FOR

THE OUTPOURING

Now friends, my emphasis on the last message and my emphasis on this message here this morning, is that we could preach the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit and we could believe an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit but there is an important thing here that we must face and that is preparation for that Outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And that preparation has to do with the holiness message. You cannot be disobedient.

People think that they have so much revelation of thunders and all kinds of heresies that they even preach a doctrine now that the holiness message was for the seventh church age and they don’t have to obey that because it was the law, and we moved from the law unto grace. You are talking about devils’ doctrines. When you sisters dress like the prophet said to dress, they say that you are legalistic. When you let your hair grow out, they say that the preacher is legalistic. So they brand you as old ladies, they brand you as fanatics, but little do they know, that is what the prophet taught. We must be obedient to the Word of God.

So now, what I am telling you here about preparation for the Outpouring, for the Rapture, friends, is prophecy. And this was prophesied in our Bible in the parable of the foolish and the wise virgins. And here we have an example of preparedness by the wise virgins and here we have a picture of unpreparedness by the foolish virgins. Now, this is not a made up story but this is prophecy for the end time. A prophecy for the end time is over here in the foolish and the wise virgins. I am not preaching on the foolish and the wise virgins this morning, because we preached about that many times but I am showing you that this is prophecy.

There are two groups of people right now upon the face of the earth and this has to do with end time prophecy. And may I bring it right down to all that are under my voice here today and those that will listen to this tape: there are two major groups of people: the wise virgins and the foolish virgins and they are seated under this message. “How do you know preacher, that they are seated under this message? That’s a wide statement and you must be careful of how you speak.” Well, I am very careful, and I will show you that they are under the message. The Bible said,

Matthew 25:6 <And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.>

And the Bible said, they all arose and went out to meet the Bridegroom. (Matthew 25:1-13) Both the foolish and the wise virgins went out to meet the Bridegroom, but something happened along the way.

Everybody that follow this message is looking for the Rapture but something happened on the way. The foolish virgins realized something that she never realized before because she was slumbering, she was sleeping in her spirit, and she realized something was on the way. And when she realized that, she said to the wise virgins:

Matthew 25:8 <…Give us of your oil…>

Friends, the time is going to come around this message that people are going to realize that what we are saying is the truth. They are going to realize that what I am preaching here this morning is the gospel truth that you got to get the final Outpouring of the Holy Spirit to go in the Rapture and when they do realize that they will start asking the wise virgins, “Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.” Let that digest, friends.

Why would these people say, “Give us of your oil” after they were on their way to meet the Bridegroom and not before that? Before that they were “okay”. It goes to show that they were in a Laodicean condition: “Packed up, sealed up and ready to go and they had need of nothing.” Well if you think that you have need of nothing you would not be begging and asking for anything; and if you think that you are okay in this congregation this morning, you have no need to prepare, you have no need for prayer, you will think that you have no need of repentance, you will think that you have no need to correct those offences, and you will argue with the preacher, you will fuss with the preacher because you think that you have need of nothing, that you are good as anybody else and you belong to the message and, “I got baptized in Christian baptism and I am looking for the Rapture.” I am telling you that you are deceived of the Devil.

Friends, the foolish virgins finally did believe what we are preaching here this morning but she believed it too late. This isn’t something that’s hatched up. This is prophecy that I am talking about. This what I am telling you about, that you got to be prepared for an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit and when you get the outpouring of the Holy Spirit then you’ll go in the Rapture is Bible prophecy, and I am proving that this morning in the parable of the foolish and the wise virgins. What was the problem of the foolish virgins? Unpreparedness! And what was the victory of the wise virgins? She was prepared, she hearkened to the voice of Malachi 4:5-6. He just spoke to us here and said, “You must be prepared.” He said, “It’s fire falling time, you must be prepared church.” He said, “That is what the preachers are trying to help you to do: prepare.” You must be desperate in preparation.

People that are desperate don’t come here and sleep. People that are desperate don’t come here where the preacher cannot see them and sleep in the middle of the church and sleep in the back. No. something is wrong with your spirit.

Now, these two groups of people are seated right here this morning, they are seated right there in your church Brother Watson, they are seated right there in your church Brother Asserwathan, Brother Mc Gahee, they are seated right at G.C.C. Brethren that will listen to this tape, they are seated under this message right through the world, and when they hear about being prepared for another Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, they cannot comprehend it, they don’t want to comprehend it, they are “packed up, sealed up and ready to go”; their heads are filled with the mysteries that Brother Branham revealed by the Holy Spirit, filled with intellectualism. They study the message so much until they think that their intellectualism will take them in. You could believe all the heresies and the “Thunders”, you are not going to lift one foot off the earth, you are not going anywhere with that attitude.

Except a man humble himself and become as a little child he shall in no wise enter this Outpouring of the Spirit. You got to humble your heart, you have got to humble your soul, you got to beg God for mercy. Yes. You are not going to come in here, and have your own way and your own ideas and say, “Well, I don’t care what he says this morning, he is trying to frighten me.” That is a bad reflection. Yes. Oh my, understand me right, brethren.

WISE VIRGINS’ KEY TO SUCCESS

This is prophecy. Look at these wise virgins. Let’s look at the good part first. Now, the wise virgins had the victory. Okay. The only way that she could have had that victory, was that her lamp was lit. That means that her soul received the revelation of the Bridegroom. If you don’t understand that don’t try to interpret it. The lighting of that lamp is the revelation of the Bridegroom. That was the Light of Life. So she had the Light of Life, and when that happened, the oil that she received was the Holy Ghost. Oil represents the Holy Ghost but the fire that was burning out there, the lighting of the lamp was a revelation of the Son of Man, a revelation of Christ.

I Corinthians 12:3 <…no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.>

The Oil goes together with the Fire. Do not put this somewhere far down the road with about five women. These are people that are seated right here, people sitting, and hearing me this morning but their attitude is going to determine their eternal destination. It is end time prophecy and the virgins are born on the earth: they are in church, they are under the message but their attitude will determine whether they are wise or foolish. Preparation for this Outpouring of the Spirit is most important.

The wise virgins were no better than the foolish virgins because all were virgins. However, something made the wise virgins better than the foolish virgins though all were virgins, they were holy people, church members, loving people that wanted to serve the Lord, belonged to the message, paid their tithes, and gave offerings. I will tell you the difference that qualified the wise virgins for the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The wise virgins had a surrendered heart; they had a surrendered heart to the abc’s that the prophet brought.

You might say, “Prophet? Quite down there?” You are missing the mark, friends. This is end time prophecy. The one that told them that the Bridegroom was coming was William Branham, Malachi 4: 5-6, the Elijah’s spirit forerunning the second coming of the Lord. These are people like you and I. Don’t look for some kind of a white dressed women coming down the road. This is you and I, we are represented here and the church of the endtime is represented here. The first group which is the wise virgins are those who go in the Rapture and the second group over here are those that cannot go in the Rapture. Study their attitude.

The wise virgins had a surrendered heart and because they had a surrendered heart, their souls became alight by the revelation that was preached, and they received the Holy Ghost that led them to perfection. And then, they went out to meet the Bridegroom fully ready. All of them started on that journey but there is something that happened to the wise virgins even before the Bridegroom came and that is when she heard the message, she heard the gospel, she had a surrendered heart and because of that surrendered heart she started to obey the abc’s.

“Well, give us a little picture of that Brother Bruce.” A picture of that is that she loved her shepherd, wherever those shepherds were in any part of the world they loved them, respected those shepherds, their spirits were surrendered to them. You might say, “I am surrendered to the Lord.” You better think that over. If you are surrendered to the Lord you will be surrendered to your shepherd because that shepherd is speaking for the Lord whom you cannot see, and that shepherd that you are looking at, he is speaking the Word of the great Shepherd. So their spirits were set in a certain way towards that shepherd, they valued that man, they valued that gift, they valued the words of that man, they were filled with joy to know that man is going to tell them the words of life. It’s joys unspeakable and full of glory and because their spirits were surrendered, whatever their shepherd told them, even though they did not understand it in the Word of God, they were willing to submit. They were prepared to go unto the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I don’t have time to explain this but the marriage represents the Outpouring of the Spirit because the marriage is when the Bride and the Bridegroom becomes One, that’s the Capstone coming to the Body. They were prepared. How were they prepared? They were prepared because they surrendered and they had surrendered hearts.

Malachi 4 said not to break the speed limit, if you break the speed limit it is premeditated murder. Here is a sign that says thirty miles an hour or fifty miles an hour and if you break that and kill a man then it’s premeditated murder. Don’t matter how small that looks, that surrendered heart of the wise virgins will say, “I believe that. Lord, help me, don’t matter how busy I am, to obey instructions.”

SPEEDING – PREMEDITATED MURDER

Quote W.M.B.: 133 The reason we got so many loose-leaf things in the earth today, the penalties are not strong enough…If a man's caught doing anything wrong down the road, speeding, he oughtn't to be given less than ten years; he's premeditated murder. (Christ Revealed In His Own Word 65-0822m).

Oh brother, if only I could explain to you this morning that the condition of your heart got to be right, yes. This Rapture is not for goat spirits. A sheep yields and follows the shepherd but a goat runs in front waiting for a chance to run away from him or put some horn on him. Alright!

So now, there is a holiness message sent in the end time by Malachi 4:5-6. Now these wise virgins were adherent to that message and she believed that message: “It doesn’t matter what the Word says I want to obey. I have no idea of my own, I have no interpretation of my own. I want to follow, I don’t know, I want to follow.” Now, the message in itself was the abc’s and it was the thing to prepare those people hearts for the Outpouring of the Spirit. You cannot bypass these abc’s of the message and receive that Token. Impossible! You cannot. That’s the emphasis that I am laying this morning. The abc’s made a way for them to get the revelation of the Son of Man.

John 14:23 <…If a man love me, he will keep my words…>

If you love God you’re going to obey the abc’s: you will dress right, you will act right, you will speak right and if you make a mistake you will repent, you would not have a goat spirit that fight, fuss and butt up at the Word. You will be constantly in the Word of God and prayer

Quote W.M.B.: 17-5 And how will the Messiah--the people that's believing Him know it, unless they're constantly in the Word to know what He is. Daniel said the wise shall know, but the foolish, the unwise wouldn't know. They shall know their God.

18-2 Now, now, how He said It'll appear in the last days is to bring the people back to the Word, so that the Bride will know Her Husband, know Her Mate, the revealed Word. That's why this has to happen. It wasn't in the reformers; wasn't in Luther, Wesley, and the Pentecostals, and them; the Scripture says it wasn't. But it will come; that is His promise for this age.

We're living in the age that His coming will be in. She must be identified in Him. Any woman must be identified with her husband, for the two are one. And Christ's Bride has to be identified with Him, for the two are One, and He is the Word, not the denomination, the Word. (Feast of the Trumpets 64-0719m).

Brethren, what you are hearing for all these years is the Bridegroom, this is the Bridegroom’s ministry. I am not Him. The Word is the Bridegroom, the Word is God, the Word is Christ. No man upon earth is Christ, no man is Jesus and no man will ever be Jesus, but the Word is God. Now don’t take this lightly: unless you are constantly in the Word of God and prayer you would not know the Messiah when He comes for He will be the revealed Word of God.

Now the key to success of the wise virgins was a surrendered spirit. They were not a people that do what they want to although they heard the Word of God. There are people that do what they want, even though they heard the Word of God, even though it is contrary to the wishes of the shepherd, they are “big men” and they are “big women”, even when the Bible said that only children are going to receive the Kingdom.

Anytime you are too big in your spirit, and you want to fuss with the minister, you want to fuss with the deacons, you are not little in your sight, and that is what Samuel told Saul. “When thou was little in thy sight the Lord sent you on a journey and you were obedient. But since you became big in your sight,” (in other words,) the Lord sent you on a journey and here you are telling me that you obeyed the voice of the Lord. “If you obeyed the voice of the Lord, King Saul, what does the bleating of the sheep mean in my ear, and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” He said, “I have saved the best to sacrifice unto your God.” Then Samuel rebuked him and said, “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offering and sacrifices as in obeying His voice?” He said, for “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the Word of the Lord He hath also rejected you from being king.” The Lord told Saul to kill everything: sheep, and oxen, and king and people. He saved the best. He said, “I feared the people and disobeyed the voice of the Lord.” Beloved, we ought to fear nobody; we must not let anybody influence us to do the wrong things: a backslider, a brother, a sister, a minister nor a heretic.

The key to the success of the wise virgins was a surrendered heart. You cannot be obedient until you have a surrendered heart. If you’re not surrendered to your father, young fellow, you cannot be obedient to him. Little sister, unless your heart is surrendered to your mother and you cherish her counsel you cannot be obedient. And church, you cannot be obedient to your shepherd until your hearts are surrendered to him as a man of God, bringing the Word of God to you, trying to prepare you for the Rapture, and you value his labours. Otherwise you will consider that man as a dog, you would not care if you obey, you would not even think about his labours. When he tries to correct you, you will butt up and fuss up and kick up like a mule. Now, it reflects another thing and that is, you have not seen the Word of God. Friends, when you cannot surrender to a ministry like the one that you are sitting under you are a blind man and you don’t know what is going on. That is how surrender comes. You must see the Word by revelation

APPRECIATION FOR WILLIAM BRANHAM & THE WORD

Friends, if you were in organization, believing a Trinity, under heretics following all kinds of isms and here a man passes by one day, after you sat there five years, ten years, fifteen, twenty years, thirty years, thirty six years like this old former Baptist man here, and you hear the Word of God, and you really heard it, and you recognize truth and you know that is God’s servant of whom you had the privilege to pass your way and you was sure that that is the Word of God that he was bringing to you, brethren how can you not surrender? If you are sure about that you will appreciate that so much and, Brother Lloyd, you will see your privilege. You might say, “Why me? That man could have gone somewhere else.”

Romans 10:15. <…How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!>

Immediately your appreciation would come for that man. Let me say of Brother Branham. We were in darkness and the Lord sent a prophet, anointed by the spirit of Elijah, how can I not appreciate Branham? And do you know why the people hated him? Because they never understood the message and they are blind, but we heard the message and when we heard the message we appreciated Brother Branham, we wish the man was alive today, we wish that we could go and meet Brother Branham. My brother, it’s not the personality, it’s not the flesh, it’s because you appreciate the Word and the ministry that was sent to you, and we know that represents Jesus Christ and it represents Eternal Life. That holds well for every pastor that is preaching the Word of God: he represents Eternal Life to you, he represents Jesus Christ to you. You may say, “I love God but I don’t love that pastor’s head.” Something is wrong with your spirit. Yes sir. Beloved, you must appreciate It, and if you appreciate that and you recognize that as Eternal Life, you recognize that as the truth, that you have never heard before in all the days of organization, if you had belonged to the plain message and never heard anything about an Outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and thought that you were ready to go in the Rapture, thought that it was just to get baptized, and “When I get baptized I can go in the Rapture.” Then a man passed your way and showed that you were bound for the tribulation, bound for hell, you got to appreciate that ministry. You got to appreciate the man. You got to appreciate the preaching. Now if you appreciate that preaching, then you want to be led. Then that would lead you to surrender. Do you know the thoughts that you would be taking? You will come up to that man and say, “Pastor, I want to confess that I know nothing. I never had anything in my organization. All that I knew, a little while after is that God sent a prophet, and he sent a message. I never knew how to prepare for the outpouring. Never knew how to prepare for the Rapture. I appreciate you Pastor.” Yes. Now you could say that with your mouth. But friends, the appreciation is going to come by a surrendered spirit and if you have a surrendered spirit, you will be led. A sheep that has a surrendered spirit will be led. Not that when the pastor comes to you and tell you that you are going wrong, this is wrong and that is wrong, you will challenge the Pastor. When you say, “Yes. I always get wrong when I come to you.” Watch that spirit. It is an arrogant spirit. It is a spirit of the Devil. It is a spirit that will take you through the tribulation. Watch out, friend.

Now, are you understanding the lineup? I am talking about the wise virgins, and her quality was a surrendered spirit. The only way that she could have become surrendered is first to understand what she came to and the privilege that she was given. And when she seen that man of God, that pastor, that prophet, that teacher, and how deceived she was in organization and under the message, she immediately embraced the truth, and came right down and said, “I surrender. I thought I had known something, but I know nothing.”

Anybody that comes out of Pentecostalism, Baptist or organization or under the message where those heretics work and still thinks that they know something, when they come under this, something is wrong with their experience. I am saying to you with all respect that, you or nobody had known anything about this message, until you heard the Token preached to you, until you heard the Son of Man preached to you. But your head was filled with all kinds of intellectualism of what the prophet of God said, but it could not take you in the Rapture. So when you want to boast about knowing this and knowing that and knowing the next before you came to this, you have not seen what you came to. The day that a man sees what he came to, he would understand that he does not know anything, and as Brother Sam rightly said, he had nothing in his church and that is true. I ‘Amen’ that. He had nothing. You were not born again. You had not the Spirit of God in you. You had no revelation, but yet some boast that they were looking for the Outpouring. You heard a rumour and you were preaching a rumour. Yes, but you did not know how to prepare for the Outpouring of the Holy Ghost. Now that is the truth of it. That is the truth of it. You had nothing, and anytime you think you had something back there, over in Laodicea. All that was there was blindness, nakedness and madness. That is all you had and whether you came from an Independent, you came from Pentecost, or you came from where you came, you had nothing. That is who the Prophet was sent to. A blind bunch of people, naked bunch of people, and a bunch of mad people, that did not know the left hand from the right hand.

Yes sir! The only thing that makes sense to this message is the preaching of the Token and the preaching of the Son of Man. You knew nothing with all the heretics that you followed. You had known nothing. When you came to this you had to start all over. I am saying, you could not be born again in your Pentecostal hog-pen. No sir! They had a corruptible seed and William Branham brought the incorruptible. Yes! He that soweth the good seed is the Son of Man and if you are born again, tell me about the Son of Man sowing the good seed, then you have it right.

CAN’T GIVE WORD BIRTH

Quote W.M.B.: 85-3 Now, the Protestant hasn't got Jesus; it's got a denomination (See?), … So she can't give Word birth to her children, none of them. She is a harlot herself. The Bible said she was. (Spoken Word Original Seed 62-0318e).

SHE CAN’T GIVE SPIRITUAL BIRTH

Quote: 86-2 She can't give birth, spiritual birth; she can give denominational birth now…She can't give spiritual birth, because she was a harlot. Only thing she can give is denominational life and a lot of ballyhoo. (Spoken Word Original Seed 62-0318e).

EVERY PERSON THAT’S BORN BY HER WILL DIE

Quote: 74-4 Then if a denomination can only bring forth a hybrid child, why do you want to belong to it for? Now, brethren, that's the reason I'm against it. She's a whore to begin with…Now, her children are come from the womb, dead. She's got to die. That's exactly right... Listen, just as sure as every mortal person that breaks the womb of a woman will die, so will every person that's born by them will die, 'cause she's a hybrid, illegitimate, and her children are illegitimate. That's correct. I hope that don't go over your head. (Spoken Word Original Seed 62-0318e).

There we are. The wise virgins, their great success was a surrendered spirit and let me compliment this church, my brothers and sisters. Many, many people’s hearts are surrendered to this ministry. Many people are ready to die for this, because they could look back and see where they were and how deceived they were and where they are today. They pay their tithes without question, they give their offering without bothering about it, they trust their shepherd with all their hearts. That reflects a surrendered heart. Their surrendered spirit is eternal life. I could go into a lot of types. A wife must surrender to her husband before the seed is planted.

A SURRENDERED SPIRIT - RESERVED SPIRITS

Mary had to surrender to the Angel of God and she said, “Be it unto me according to thy word.” Oh! I feel the power of the Holy Ghost. Think of that little virgin, seventeen years of age, with a blind mother. Think of the privilege. Oh God! Think of the privilege, out of the whole world that God could have looked down, Brother Joe, out of all the women in the world and Israel, and send an angel to her and say, “Blessed art thou amongst women.” And she was troubled at his saying, because she considered herself as nothing. “How could I be more blessed than all women upon the earth?” And she was troubled at his saying. She said, “Sir, I do not understand that.” He said, “Thou shall conceive and bring forth a child.” She said, “How can this be, seeing that I know not a man.” A young teenager was talking. He said, “The Holy Ghost shall over shadow thee and that which is formed in thee shall be called the Son of the Highest.” “Be it unto me according to thy Word.” My God! When you hear the Word and you hear the angel sent to us, as there was an angel sent to us today at the end of the six thousand years. On the sixth day, an angel was sent unto Mary. God needs a surrendered heart. She said, “Be it unto me according to thy word.” It compels us to do the same.

The Lord appeared to His disciples one time; He said, “Cast thy net on the right side for a draught.” They said, “But Lord, we fished all night and caught no fishes, but at thy word.” Never mind my experience as a fisherman. Never mind my experience, my knowledge, my understanding and all what I know in the organization. Lord, at thy word we will cast the net.” When everybody says it is all over, we are taking Him at His word. There is yet a harvest of fishes. Right over there in India; three hundred thousand waiting. Oh my God! They are waiting in Africa. Waiting in the Philippines; waiting around the world. Nevertheless, at thy word, we will cast the net and when they cast the net there were so many fishes in there, yet the net was not broken. When we cast this net, no matter how many fishes come in. This is an unbreakable net. It is word upon word, precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little, that makes up this net. And we will catch that three hundred thousand in India. I am searching for them down there Brother Watson and Brother Asserwathan. We are searching for them. We are searching for them over there in Africa. This gospel is going into China, it is going into Japan, and with all of that, this net would not be broken. We want to obey the gospel.

A surrendered spirit is life. Only when Mary surrendered life came. I said, when she surrendered life came forth; Eternal Life came forth. Yes, it is only when the disciples surrendered and said “at thy word”, they caught the fishes, and that is what we are doing. This is not the time to run from coast to coast evangelizing; this is no time to run here and there. Prepare what you have there in India, prepare what you have there in Africa, prepare what you have there in G.C.C., for the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The difference with the foolish virgins is that the foolish virgins reserved their spirits. There are people sitting right in our midst, whose spirits are reserved. They have not let go to the leadership of the Holy Spirit and the ministry. Do you know why people think like that? Because they think they know something too. Yes, they think that they know what they are doing too. So they have reserved spirits and the foolish virgins’ spirits were reserved. Why were their spirits reserved? They lacked vision. Vision on the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Yes, vision on the Bridegroom. So if you lack vision of what is going on here, you will lack faith. You will be full of unbelief. You would not be certain of what is going on. “Just what is going on?”

In your eyes it is looking like a money-making something and do you know what you will do? You will sit down and see how many men are working in the church and you are going to try to figure out how much tithes are coming in. And if you are a mathematician, you will try to work out, and see this, and see that and see the next. But a surrendered heart, when a man surrenders his heart, he surrenders his money too. Yes, he surrenders his family. He does not get jealous when his wife goes over to the office, and say, “What are they talking about so long?” His heart is safely trusting in his shepherd and he knows that, that man is set there for Eternal Life. They are not afraid to send their wives and children to the office, and they do not interrogate them when they leave the office. “What did you go there for?” “What did you tell the pastor about me?” I will tell you right here, you have some things to hide and you tremble like a leaf, because you think that your wife is telling about your nasty ways. It goes to show that your heart is not yet surrendered. Brother this is a simple thing that I am talking about. To show that if your heart is surrendered, friend, you would actually believe. Yes, but then if your heart is not surrendered, then you will have a carnal mind.

Romans 8:6 <For to be carnally minded is death…>

When you have a carnal mind, it reflects death. It reflects no Eternal Life.

<…but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.>

Do you know why people are so miserable and they do not have any peace? They are carnally minded. But to be spiritually minded is life and peace. When you are spiritually minded your mind is set on Eternal Life, and on the Hereafter. You think about the Millennium, you think about the Rapture, you think about the Token, you think about never dying. But when you are carnally minded you are worried about your money, you are worried about your house, you are worried about your wife, you are worried about this and worried about that. Martha, Martha, thou are cumbered about too many things. To be carnally minded is what? Death! But to be spiritually minded is what? Life and peace with the Lord. I may not be jumping up with joy and getting emotional, but peace flows like a river, down on the inside. When the billows roll, the anchor holds, in the storms of life. When the sickness comes. Oh my God! My brothers and sisters, when troubles arise, when persecutions arise, when death faces you, you are calm. Do you know why? You know that you are serving a God that is greater than the sickness, bigger than the troubles, bigger than all the persecutions. Yes, if it pulls you down a little bit, it may get you concerned. But you have peace down on the inside.

To be spiritually minded is what? Peace, friends, that is what we have today. That is why people cannot understand why we are always smiling. Brother Jack was with the Chief Immigration Officer and the Chief told him, “Jack, you are always smiling.” Boy I tell you, big men wants what we have. The rich do not have it, the educated do not have it and the pretty do not have it. All the famous people do not have what you have. It brings peace down on the inside. Peace, that is what we want. My God! Give me time to preach. Yes sir! Oh beloved, it is so wonderful. For to be carnally minded is death: that is the foolish virgins. But to be spiritually minded is life and peace, that is the wise virgins. The wise virgins were all settled down, all contented, waiting on their Bridegroom, she dropped asleep too, but then after a while she heard a call and she obeyed that call. That is so wonderful. Yes, because the carnal mind is enmity, against God. For it is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be.

Friends, in order for you to obey all of God’s Word, you must have Eternal Life in you. You must be born again. Your minds must be changed from natural to spiritual and the way that you get born again is to come there and say, “Yes, I want eternal life, I want to obey. At all cost I want to go in this Rapture.” You can hear the Word of God, and God will change something down in you. He will change your mind, change your thinking. Yes. That is what the Bible said, and if that is not changed after sitting and hearing the Word of God, it is going to be an enemy against the pastor and against God. That is what the Bible is saying here. I am not making up this.

Romans 8:7 <Because the carnal mind is enmity against God…>

If you are an enemy of God, you will be an enemy of His Word, enemy to His people. You will be filled with bitterness, hatred, malice, strife and jealousy down inside of you. Oh God! Brethren, if that is inside of you, that does not mean to say that you are lost. It means that you are not born again yet. If you have arrogance down inside of you, brethren, enmity and jealousy, it does not mean to say that you are not a child of God.

You need to be born again, you need to have a change of nature.

Romans 8:7 <…for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. >

You see you are trying to obey God’s law, but you have an evil nature and it is going to give you trouble. When something is up against you, you will kick up and fuss up like a mule. It goes to show that you are not born again yet. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Romans 8:9 <But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.>

It takes the Spirit of God down inside of you and if the Spirit of God do not come and change your carnal, natural mind you cannot obey the Word of God.

SKEPTICS TO THE WORD

You will be a skeptic of the Word. Now some people willfully do not surrender their spirits after coming to the Word of God. Even because they do not understand the Word. They do not see the need to surrender. So they are skeptics to the Word. “Preachers, under this kind of preaching, you expect to have skeptics?” Yes skeptics, suspicious of their pastor, suspicious of the Word that he preaches, because they do not have a revelation. Yes, you are leaning upon intellectualism, You depend upon your smartness, to figure out this revelation. It does not work so. No sir! You depend upon your brains. You will not get this by your brains. You will go in the mad house. Yes. You have to use your heart. That is how you get revelation. Out of an honest and a good heart, they brought forth a hundred fold. Now friends, people are disappointed in the world there, in people, in religion, in this, in that and what happens is that they develop a certain complex. When they develop that complex, they come under the Word of God and they reserve their spirits. “Boy, I trusted that certain man and that certain church and it did not work out.” So they reserve their spirits. As long as you reserve that spirit from that Man of God and from the Word of God and the Lord you cannot be born again.

Now friends, back in the world, people trusted their religions and gave all to their religions. People yielded all to the dope, people yielded all to education, people yielded all to science, people yielded all to heresies and the heretics, people yielded all to vices, people yielded all to the rock and roll music. But when they come to the Word of God, their spirits are reserved. Yes, “Well, I have to check this thing out, you know?” Yes, you are a blind fellow. You have not seen the Word of God and you depend upon your intellectualism.

They think that when they yield to the Word of God and the Spirit of God, they are yielding to a man. They think they are yielding to the pastor. Friends, you got to yield to the Word of God. They read some kind of a funny book of how people could lead people astray, and how they could get them brainwashed and so on and they are using that kind of a medium to check out everything, intellectualism. So you find that they are reserved and go that much and they will tell themselves, “I do not want to be brainwashed. Let me give myself a few services off and when I give myself a few services, in case I am being brainwashed, I could break that spell.” That is the kind of people that sit under the Word. They do not want their children to yield to that Pastor too much. If they see that their children are around the pastor, they want to find out what they had been speaking, because they are trying to protect their children from being brainwashed, when the pastor is trying to wash their heart. I do not brainwash anybody, I am trying to wash your heart. It is filthy and nasty. All evil proceed out of the heart, Jesus said. So it is a heart washing. Bear patience with me, brethren. But I am telling you about the kind of people that sit under the Word and what cause them not to surrender. They read some kind of a nonsensical book and they study some kind of a cultism. So they are watching for these things here or wherever the Word of God is preached and they are trying to judge and determine if this is right or wrong by these kinds of books.

They do not want their children to yield to that. No! And if their children start yielding and get close to the pastor, get close to the people and start praying a little extra and start listening to the tapes a little extra, start talking about the spiritual too much, they rebuke them. They say, “You are getting fanatical. You are playing Mr. Holy. You are playing Sister Holy. You are becoming fanatical.” You are the fanatic. You big dumb man, big dumb woman, you are the fanatic. You are a formal fanatic, intellectual fanatic, educated fanatic. Yes sir! Every soul ought to yield all to the Lord Jesus Christ. Take all the Word of God, all the Spirit that they could get. We want the fullness of the Holy Ghost. Pay no attention to anybody. Pay no attention to a father like that, a mother, a sister, nor a brother like that. They will take your soul to hell. Yes sir! “You mean Brother Bruce, under the Word of God you could find carnal people like that?” Yes brethren, three kinds of believers. Foolish virgins and wise virgins. Yes! Skeptics, suspicious, intellectual, smart, big brains. Using their brains to figure out the Word.

Those are the same people who come and after that they hear the Word of God say, “Well, I am tired of hearing one thing over and over. It is one thing that we hear, and you know it is a kind of a circle, from the Seals right back to the Seals. It is the same thing that they are saying over and over.” You are a blind man. It is the Light that shineth more and more to the perfect day and the church is growing. We are understanding better, the Light is shining more today and there are people here that are not hearing the same today. They are hearing something new. Every time we are gathered here it is something new. This message this morning is something new. Preaching the foolish virgins is something new. We are growing. The problem is not with us. The problem is with you. You are a dwarf; you are a midget sitting in the House of God. No spiritual midget is going up in the Rapture. You got to grow in the Lord. You got to be prepared. My God! How could people be like that? Yes sir! “I had my suspicion; I guess I will hold back my tithes because I do not know what is happening to everybody’s tithes.” Take it all and bury it in a hole, brother, yes, like that slothful servant. He took the talent and buried it and when the Lord came, He said, “I know that you are a man that is reaping what you never sowed and you are an evil man.” He said unto him, “You know that I am a hard man and you never put my money into the bank for me to get interest when I come back? Cast him into outer darkness.” That hypocrite! Now that will happen to those kinds of people with that kind of an idea, you are cursed for that kind of attitude. Yes sir! My God!

They do not trust that Man of God, with their wives and children. “He may defile them.” But they trusted them with rock and roll music before they came here. They trusted them to wear shorts. Nobody was defiling them. Trusted them with pants. Trusted them in the company of relatives. You see the dumbness of people? Yes, but when you meet a man of God that lives a life before you, and preach the Word of God, you get so smart now. You pretend that you have so much discernment and so much brains. “You got to watch that pastor you know, although everybody trusts him, you still got to watch him. I got to watch a little five more years. He may turn out to be one of those money Satan.” And meanwhile your soul is not growing, because you have no faith, and you do not have the Word in you to make you grow. All that unbelief is going to do, is to put you in this bunch here, amongst the foolish virgins. You cannot surrender.

A man does not have to use his brains to find out who is God’s servant and what is truth. “Is that so, Brother Bruce? But how, how, how?” My sheep hear my voice. What theological college did the woman at the well went to, to find out who was speaking to her, which pastor did Nathaniel go to after he heard the Word of God? Tell me what school did the Ethiopian man went to, to humble his heart and say, “How can I understand, save I have some man to guide me?” That is humility. The treasurer in Africa for the Queen Candace. “How can I understand, save I have some man to guide me? Come up into the Queen’s chariot, thou man of God. Sit in a place that you are not even worthy to sit. What does the prophet mean here? Tell me what the prophet mean here. Speak he of himself, or speak he of another?” And he preached Christ to him. “I do not understand when he said, I would ride this trail again. Speak he of himself, or speak he of another?” He was speaking of Christ. The ministry that is coming in the Bride. Some of you are straining. But you will have eternal benefits. Oh my God.

Yes, my beloved. It is so wonderful, it is so great, it is so precious, to think of a spiritual mind. Spiritual minds have no questions like that. Something bears witness in their hearts. “That is God’s Word. No matter who says what, that is God’s servant, that is the revelation for the hour. If I follow it I am going in the Rapture, if I follow it I am going with the Lord.” My God! That is what we want to believe. Yes sir! Then we act like children of God. Those are the children of God: when your heart is surrendered like that, when you do not resist correction.

I am sure those foolish virgins were resisting correction. That is what sent them through the tribulation, to purge out the things in their lives that they never adjusted. The prophet of God said that, the foolish virgins went through the tribulation for their purging. My beloved, who wants to go through the tribulation for their purging? I want my purging here. I want to be purged by the Blood of Jesus Christ. I want to do a little fasting, I want to overcome here. I want my purging here. My purging is chastening from the pulpit. When you get your purging from here and you kick up, and fuss up and butt up, it shows what kind of spirit that is in you. You still have a carnal mind down in you. It challenges your birth, it challenges your spirit, it challenges your election. When somebody reports your evil ways, you are mad vexed. You get angry with them. You would not speak to them. That is the carnal mind.

When an officer is set in the House of God, and he reports to the minister, the activities of the people if they are doing wrong, some brand them as spies. Oh yes! Some brand them as news carriers. No, they are doing their duty. The prophet of God said on the Hebrew Book, he said as follows:

Quote W.M.B.: 337-278 And any persons that knows a guilty person, and you don't go to them and talk, then you're the part of the Church of God that's going to answer for that sin. That's right. (Hebrews Chapter 7 Pt.2 Church Order 57-0922).

Quote: 339-292 Now, if there's anything wrong in the church that you ever know of, some individual or some person or anything, you are duty bound and will answer before God if you don't clear that thing out, you, the church. Now, you remember, it's not on my shoulders; it's on yours. And anything wrong in the church, God will make you answer for it. That's right. That's the way He runs His church. That's the way it is in the Bible. That's the order of the Bible. (Hebrews Chapter 7 Pt.2 Church Order 57-0922).

When any spirit rises up and has hate to the people that report their wicked ways, hate to the minister, hate to the deacon, hate to the song leader, hate to the saints they have an evil spirit, their minds are carnal yet, their minds are carnal to the core, their spirits are not surrendered. When they are filled with arrogance at correction, it challenges their salvation. They are unprepared, for the outpouring of the Spirit. You must correct that before that outpouring comes.

These foolish virgins, they were more interested in the natural. Let me stop a little bit. I am talking to this congregation. We came in as paupers, most of us, paupers, dogs, beggars, here in the Caribbean. Some of us did not have food to eat and Brother Bruce was lined up right with that. We did not have houses, we did not have motor-cars, brothers, and sisters. We did not have friends, we did not have families, but after we took the Word of God, God gave us motor-cars, He gave us houses, He gave us lands, He gave us Love, He gave some businesses, money more than they could spend, and in such a time like that, because of the material blessings some people do not have time to pray. They do not have time to come and do a little fasting. They do not have time to come and serve the Lord and they get proud like Saul. When they were little in their sight, they were in the tabernacle of God. When they were little they took corrections, but when they get big in their eyes, they say, “Do you know my worth? Who is concerned about your worth? I want to know Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I do not want to know your worth. Yes sir! Your worth to me is if you have the Word inside of you. That is the true worth. I do not want to know the worth of your money, your house, your land, your car or other items.

Yes sir! I know no man after the flesh, but after the spirit. What do I care about your worth? You came in here as a pauper and a dog, begging for a piece of roti to eat, begging for a loan. After you got that loan and you done your business and you prospered, without any interest charged to you, I want to ask you this question. Did you ever come back and put extra money into the offering plate and say, “Lord, I did not have to pay interest for the money that my brother gave me, or lent me. As thanks worthiness I am giving you just five percent of the interest that I would have paid in the bank?” Did you do that? Did you come to God and say, “Thank you Lord.” Many got loans to build a house, to buy a motor-car, to feed their children, to send them to school, and such people turn right around and say, “I do not have time to attend a prayer meeting.” You got too big and the Lord could take it away too.

Few sit in the House of God and when the pastor speaks to you, you want to flare up, you want to butt up in his face. You were given thirty days to correct your life and you are so stubborn like a mule that you let the thirty days pass, stamped up and walked out. It represents a carnal mind. Yes, that pastor is killing himself to pastor the church. Everybody should be obedient. We got to pray. Yes, we got to pray. We got to come down to that place where we are concerned for one another.

A man of God here, playing that guitar, breaking his hand. Do you know how he makes that music? He cannot even lift his arms, he cannot write at certain times. Did you ever consider the music coming from the guitar and give thanks to God? Did you ever consider what the ministers have to go through, to bring a message to you? Where is our concern, where is our love, where is our appreciation? Not because the ministers do not come up here and say, “I have the flu today, my back pains me, Oh brethren, I have some problems.” That does not mean to say that everything is good. Yet they do not take their burdens and throw them on the congregation. No friends. You put your burdens upon the ministers, they have no where to go but to God, and still people will be checking out and checking out for years in unbelief.

Any man that resists correction and claims to have the Spirit of God and be born again, he is a bastard. Out of shame, how God blessed us, my beloved, with everything, we should give thanks. Let us say you are poor and do not have what others have. At least you have peace, at least you have joy, at least you have friends, at least you have brothers and you have pastors. God gave you them by the dozens. We ought to be thankful to God. Lift your hands and give him a praise offering for all that He has done for you. Amen.

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