Questions & Answers
Questions 324 (COD Page 1044)
If (s-a-n-d-...) standing in line to get into church is going to be only a memory, what is going to happen if we are not going through the tribulation? Are we to be–be seen–same–some suffering? If we’re not to see...
See? I...This question is probably this. I’m trying to hurry; I–I–I oughtn’t to do this. Ought to lay these back, ’cause there’s a place you could stay on it a hour (see?) and it–just tear it down. I’ll–I’ll stop.
229 Look. The people are wanting to say that, thinking that they–the Church is going to hit the tribulation. See? It won’t; It can’t (see?), because It’s already redeemed.
230 Now, the church, the–the nominal believers like Lot, he’s going through the tribulation period (see?) and be saved as if it was by fire. Noah went through the tribulation period, carried above it, come out with Ham who polluted the earth again. See? Lot came out, his own daughters slept with him, and had children by his own daughters. See? But Abraham brought forth the Royal Seed, brought forth the Seed of the promise. Enoch went to glory in the rapture, just took a walk and went home. He never went through the tribulation period. You see?
231 There you are. See? It does not, the Bible cannot by a type...And the types can’t fail. See? It does not predict that the Bride...Now, the church will go through the tribulation period.
232 Now, the people say, “What about the early saints?” That was the changing of the dispensations. That was under persecution, which if you was here to hear this Church Ages, and to see how they went out into that darkness and had to do that, then that shows where they had to take that persecution, because each one of the church ages and everything begin to show that they went darker and darker, till they finally went
to a complete place that they denied His Name and picked up another name that they lived and were dead, Sardis. And then it come on out, Thyatira and Sardis, and then come out–then it begin to come out to the Philadelphia and so forth, and then come to the time of the calling out of the Bride which was to escape all the damnation. It counted worthy to escape all this damnation and wrath that’s to come upon the earth, that you might be counted worthy to escape it, not go through it, escape it. See? Do you understand now, everybody? See?
233 The church, the lukewarm, the anything outside of the elected Bride will go through the tribulation period. They will not raise in the first resurrection: “The rest of the dead lived not for a thousand years,” just the foreordained, predestinated, elected Bride, God’s own elections. “Who is it, Brother Branham?” I don’t know. I can’t tell you who it is, but I know it’s going to be there, ’cause the Lord said they would. See? They are the ones that’ll go up from the tribulation, but the rest of them will go through the tribulation, go down, and everything will be killed before the Millennium. Then the–the righteous shall come out in the Millennium and live a thousand years.
234 And after the thousand years, then the great White Throne judgment comes, and then the dead, both right and wrong is raised. And the books are opened, and the Book of Life was open; and the saints, the Wife and the Husband, set and judge the world. And there it comes to pass the saying: “And He’ll judge all nations with a rod of iron.” All nations shall stand before Him there, and He’ll judge them with the rod of iron. He’ll separate the sheep from the goats and say to the goats, “Depart,” and the sheeps, “Come, ye blessed of My Father.”
235 Now then, there will be a camp meeting of the saints upon the breadth of the earth. And Satan is loosed out of his prison and goes to make war again with the saints, just exactly what he done in Glory to begin with. And then God rains fire and brimstone out of the heavens, and the whole earth is removed like...It just burn up and destroyed. And there’s no more sea, no more water, no more nothing left on the earth. Volcanic will spray and burst and blow, and the whole thing...
236 “And I saw a New Heavens and a New Earth: for the first heavens and the first earth was passed away; and there was no more sea. I, John, saw the Holy City descending from God out of Heaven as a Bride adorned for her husband.” Remember it? And in this Bride... “Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men,” and God shall dwell with them upon this pyramid-shaped City fifteen hundred square miles. And in the top of the City there’ll be a Light. Amen!
Oh, that city on Mount Zion,
As a stranger, yet I love it still.
I’ll meet you in them ages,
When I reach that city on the hill.
237 On top of Mount Zion will set the Lamb. And the City will need no light, for the Lamb is the Light thereof. And above the Lamb will be the Father, which is the Logos, God, the great Light, the Eternal Light that’ll shine just above the Throne. And Jesus will not be on His Father’s Throne, He’ll be on His Throne. And the Father will hover over the Son, which the Father and Son will be One. “And while they are yet speaking, I’ll answer. Before they can think, I’m thinking for them.” That’s right.
238 And Jesus will commit a perfect, perfect age to a–the perfect living God, that He has redeemed and give over to the Father. Is that right? Will turn to God the Father which is Spirit, not a man, Spirit. All nature of goodness gathered together, that’s God. And in goodness...Now, anything perverted from good is evil; that’s Satan’s kingdom. All good belongs to God. All evil belongs...
239 And then God became material in a Man called Jesus Christ which was His Son. This Son gave His Life that He might bring other sons, that God might become tangible, working in all in all. “In that day you’ll know that I’m in the Father, the Father in Me, I in you and you in Me.”
240 Oh, brother, that’ll be a real day. You won’t have to drive over from Birmingham to hear the Message; the Message will be right with us then won’t it? Oh, it’ll be a–it’ll be a wonderful, wonderful time. We’re looking for that day; God hasten it to come.
241 That great City setting there (now, see?), it will not...You think, “Fifteen hundred miles high?” That’s what the Bible said. Now, it will not be fifteen hundred miles right straight up like that. See? We have another geographic measure that all sides are equal; that’s a pyramid. See?
242 And the City will start probably about a sixty degree. And if it starts, fifteen hundred miles of that, just think how high that will be, but how long it’ll take to be there. You’ll hardly know you’re walking up the hill. For fifteen hundred miles high at a sixty degree, you’re just about like this. See? And the City’s all on this hill. And it’s just as high as it is long; it’s just as long as it is wide. The height, by the depth, by the breadth, it–it’s equal; all the walls are equal. A pyramid has four walls, and these four walls will be...
243 Now, the walls around the City will be–be two hundred and sixteen feet tall, hundred and forty-four cubits, and each one of them is a stone. Just think of that City, friends. Oh, my! What–what do we set here in this hot place? What do we do these things? Why do we drive like that? Why do we–why do we toil? It’s worth every inch of the way. Oh, the toils of the road will seem nothing,
When I get to the end of the way.
That’s right. And, oh, what a time that’ll be.
244 And there Jesus will set on the Throne. And out from under the Throne will flow the river of Life, trinkling down these four walls into little chasms, and into little branches, and come form up a river, and down through by the City. It’ll go right down through the streets like that, and on each side stands the trees of life that’ll bear–or change their fruit every–every thirty days. Oh, what a City.
245 And remember, God, the Creator, that created the heavens and earth, is in Glory right now preparing that City. Abraham looked for It. He left his home; he separated everything that was dear to him and looking for...Why? He was a prophet. And being a prophet, he was connected with the Spirit and part of the Spirit. And Something told him within him, “There is a City,” and he started looking for It. Said, “I’m a pilgrim, a stranger. I’m looking for a City whose Builder and Maker is God.” He knowed that City was somewhere. Oh, my! And I believe that right on the grounds where he looked for It, right there in Palestine, there’s where It’ll raise up, for It’s on Mount Zion. There’s where She’ll be.
246 Look where She’ll stretch out into the–into the sea, from sea to sea. Think of that fifteen hundred mile City setting out there on the mountains of the Lord. Oh, that’d be wonderful!
247 And the lion and the lamb shall lay down together. The lion will eat straw like the bullock. And the bear will be gentle, and the wolf will be tame. What a time it will be! Nothing shall hurt or destroy; everything will be in peace and love. There’ll be no more old age; there’ll be no more sickness, no more dying.
248 Folks, this is not some Santa Claus story, some mythical something, it’s written in the Word. And never has the Word failed. And to think of the very promise of...Not back in the Bible day, but in this day, the day that God–today. Not one iota has ever failed of His Word. Oh, I’m bound for that City. I love It, don’t you?
249 No! Now, Brother, Sister, it says twenty after nine. I know I got some friends here from way down in Kentucky. I know I got friends here from different parts of the country. If you want to stay all night, I’ll pay for your room. I told you, you had dinner waiting for you and pay for your motel if you wanted to stay. And only thing you have to do is see him back there, and I’ll sure do it. I’ll do anything I can to help you. I love you.
250 I don’t mean to answer these questions maybe sometimes contrary. If you don’t believe it, that’s perfectly all right. I want you to love me just the same, because God knows I do you that way. I only answer these questions the best of my know–I might been wrong in some of them, friend, but it wasn’t willfully wrong. If I’d had about six or eight questions, so I could just stayed right with them and just explained it right down, but I, instead of running all through them now...I have a few of them about marriage and divorce. I just had–thought
I’d answer a few of them. I couldn’t find no more laying here, picking them up, but I got some very important questions here, very important questions. I want to answer them for you if I can.
251 Now, if you living around here close, call Billy, Wednesday; I’ll know by then whether I’ll be back. I’ll pray this week. But I’ve got a lot of private interviews, oh, a pile about like that. And I got nearly that many in Arizona to make one of these days when I can. And it’s people who are really sick. Some of them have got problems, and they just don’t know what do–husbands and wife with problems.
252 And some of these here had to be turned to private interviews, because I could not read it right out, what the people said in here about their marriage affair and things like that. And I had Billy just to go back and find out who they are, and–and call them, and tell them we’ll just put them on interview, so I can talk of them. Some very serious, and it’s questions that should be answered.
253 I’m here to try to help you, because I love you. You’re my children that I have begotten to Christ. I claim every one of you. I claim you tonight; I claim you all time; I always claim you and that–as my brother and sister. You’re my children; I–I’m your father in the Gospel, not father as it would be a priest, I’m–I’m your father in the Gospel as Paul said there. I have begotten you to Christ, and now, I–I espouse you to Christ; that’s engage you to Christ as a chaste virgin. Don’t let me down! Don’t let me down! You stay a chaste virgin.
254 “How will I do it, Brother Branham?” Stay right with the Word; live clean and pure; have nothing to do with the things of the world. If the love of it’s in your heart, say, “Oh, Jesus, please take that away from me. I don’t want to be like that.” Now I don’t mean just to be some person that’s–that’s saying this. I–I mean to be a genuine believer. Believe Jesus Christ and live for Him every day. Don’t do no evil.
255 Now, a lot of times I speak of Calvinistic belief. Now, don’t think that that lets you loose to do anything you want to. A fellow the other day...I said, “Did you go to church?”
He said, “I went hunting.”
The man’s wife come to me, and she was coming from the laundrymat on Sunday. And I said, “Why didn’t you go to church?”
She said, “I done my washing.”
I said, “You shouldn’t have done that.”
“Well,” she said, “I’m not an old legalist.”
I said, “But I thought you were a Christian.” See? I said,
“Did you know you’re putting a stumbling block in somebody’s way.” See? I said, “It...”
“Well, awh, I–I believe this. I don’t have to do those things. I’m not a legalist.”
256 Well, look my Brother, Sister, look here. Paul said, “If eating meat puts a stumbling block in my brother’s way, I’ll eat no more meat as long as the world stands.” And I think it’d be a whole lot better...
257 Now, say, “Brother Branham, you hunt. Didn’t you ever hunt on Sunday?” Let me tell you something. Not–I’m not patting myself to the back of this, but I’m...I’m not a Sabbatarian now, I believe the Holy Spirit is our Sabbath. I beileve that, but I believe we should honor that resurrection as a memorial. That’s a memorial that I...If you honor any day, honor that resurrection.
258 Now, there’s no law on keeping any certain day, because you enter into the Sabbath, the peace, when you enter into Him. I’ve got that question in here to answer pretty soon anyhow, if the Lord willing, about what is the Sabbath day? I’ll explain it, God willing. And now notice, remember this. See? When I was a little boy, right up here where Eichs lived on the road, I was about fourteen years old; I was trapping for a living. The only thing I had to help get bread in our house was catching skunks, muskrats, opossums. I loved trapping, and I had to do it. I’d go to school smelling like a skunk, and I–I had only one pair of clothes, and that’s all I could wear. That’s all I had. Mom would take them off and wash them, put them back on; and now, that’s how I went to school, little boy. But I was standing up there one night; I said, “I got them traps set up there around Wathen’s, up above that.” I’d leave every morning about two o’clock with a lantern to run these traps, then get back in time to go to school. I’d catch a rabbit; I got fifteen cents out of it. I’d get a box of shells out of that, and maybe that kill three or four rabbits. What we didn’t have to make some biscuits and rabbits–why, gravy for supper, I’d sell the other, and maybe get enough to get some bread, or some meal, or some flour to make gravy with. I don’t know whether you had to live like that or not.
259 I’d set trotlines on the river; go down, and get them fish, and sell them for ten cents a pound. Set my trotlines. I didn’t have no boat; I’d swim out with a log. Get in the river–and it’s still cold–put my bucket of bait out here on the log and to–paddle and paddle out like that, my naked body in the river, and run this...Had me a string on this side, tie my fish up. Them old catfish finning me in the leg going along like that, and put my bait on...
260 But look, a many a night have I went out in that river at eleven o’clock and shake every piece of bait off that line. If I couldn’t catch enough in six days, I didn’t want the one come on the seventh. I’ve stood there in the rain.
261 One night I can just see myself yet standing, leaning against...I was a sinner; but I was standing, leaning against the post like this, the door. Oh, it was pouring down rain, pretty near eleven o’clock. I said, “I’ll be late tonight, but I’m going and spring every one of those traps. I won’t catch him on the Sabbath.” I said, “I won’t–I won’t set them traps.” God honored that.
262 I remember the time when I always wanted, I always, all my life wanted to be a hunter. My grandfather was. You know, my grandmother come off the reservations; she drawed a pension. I just love outdoors.
263 And I remember I always wanted...I–I just wanted all my life...Thought if I could ever get enough money till I could own a .30-30 rifle...If I could ever do it, then I’d get a bunch of traps. I’d go to the mountains; I’ll let the rest of the world go by. I thought, “Maybe sometime if I’ll take my .22 and practice to be a good shot, some hunter sometime will want me to go along. If I get to be a pretty good shot, he’ll let me go along for his protection; I’ll get to go hunting.” I look, hanging on my walls, and the best rifles that money can buy hangs there, till I can lone people rifles to go hunting.
264 He lets me go into the mountains and preach, and some of the best guides there is in the world takes me hunting, free. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.”
265 When I...Even this morning, an old deer hunter here somewhere with a .35 Remington–I didn’t really need the rifle–but he put his arm around me, said he’s getting too old to hunt, “I want to give you my rifle.” I thought of that when I was a little boy, how, if I’d ever thought I’d owned a rifle like that, oh, my, what it would’ve been. And now, I just think, hanging there on my wall, fine rifles, places to go hunting.
266 I remember going out, and the boys would buy ice cream cone. And sometimes some of them would have a extra nickel and they’d buy me one. My, I couldn’t buy them one back. I thought, “If I...”
267 And they sometimes used to buy these old, what we call “mudlark hamburgers.” Don’t know whether you all remember or not, but some of you old-timers...You get it for a nickle, a whole lot of fried onions with it. Oh, I love those things. A little kid we didn’t have...Just cornbread and molasses–you know how it is–to eat.
268 Now, somebody’d buy me one of them hamburgers, and boy, I’d lick my fingers where I held it. It was–it was–taste so good. And I thought, “Boy, that man, if I could only buy him a hamburger.” And now, I can buy a church their supper.
269 I remember all those things, and where did it come from? The grace of God, nothing that I did.
270 I remember going down the street here and I talked to somebody. My father–you all know it–he drank; he made whiskey. And that–nobody had nothing to do with me. I’d go down the street and try to talk to man; I still meet them man today. Try to talk somebody, if there’s nobody else to talk to, they’d stand, “Yeah, uh-huh.” See? I was a Branham.
271 So, I’d feel real bad, and turn around, and walk away. I thought, “I’m not guilty of that. I didn’t do what my daddy did. I never drank in my life. Why do I have to stand that?” And I was telling the wife here not long ago, “I almost have to stay out of town.” God has done been good to me.
272 I thought over there where he told Nathan setting there one time. Nathan...David said, “Is it right for me to live in a house of cedar and the ark of my God under a tent out there covered.” He... Nathan, the prophet, said, “David, do all’s in your heart, ’cause God’s with you.” The prophet made a mistake, not willingly. That night the Lord come to the prophet, said, “Go tell my servant David, ‘I took him from that sheepcote, herding them few sheep out there; and I give him a name like great man that’s in the earth. (Never said He gave him the greatest name, He just give him name like great men that was in the earth.) I’ve done all these things for you, David. I’ve cut off your enemies wherever you went. I’ve been beside you. I’ve never failed you, and I won’t fail you. But I can’t let you build the city.’”
273 I thought of that, of a place now where God has helped me and let me know great man, let me go around the world. And people from around the world calling to come pray for them, and sick people, and–wanting a few minutes with you, where just a few years ago they wouldn’t even turn–they’d turn their head to see me on the street. And now, the business man prosper by the people that I bring into the city and have here, through their food and their motel bills, and things like that, have–going to the motels and around in the city and things like that.
274 People who...People didn’t love me at all; nobody had any use for me. And now, by the help of God, I believe that I’m directing the Bride of Jesus Christ. Oh. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.”