Questions & Answers on Genesis
Questions 7 (COD Page 51)
Matthew 24:29, speaks of “The sun being darkened, the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven.” Will this happen before or after the Rapture, or just before Jesus comes to r-i-... reign on earth?
241 To my humble belief, now, I wouldn’t... I don’t know, I think he’s speaking of Matthew 24, there. Now, Jesus speaking of the stars and things falling, I believe that is just before the
Tribulation period sets on earth.
242 Now, I have a real funny thought here that many of you are going to disagree with me on this, why, I imagine with some of the old-timers hearing teaching that we went through it. See, I don’t believe the Church will go through the Tribulation period. I believe the Church will... Look, I... The only way I teach the New Testament is by the Old Testament shadow, just like the Holy Ghost here for the sabbath day and so forth. Everything is a shadow back there.
243 Now, look back in the Old Testament. When you see the plagues falling, they were in Egypt. Wasn’t they? And God was bringing His people out to the promised land. Is that right? And Israel never received one plague. Just as the plagues... before it went, they went into Goshen. Is that right? And the sun never did dim out, no mosquitos come, no frogs was there, no lice was there, no storms was there, no lightning was there, no killing on the cattle was there, and everything they had was preserved in Goshen. Is that right? It’s a type of the Church going just before the Tribulation period. Jesus said, “When these things begin to come to pass, lift up your head, your redemption is nigh.” See?
244 I believe that the moon and sun and stars... Then they said that... Go ahead and read It, said, “And man run and hid themselves in the... and fell upon their... sought to kill theirselves, and couldn’t do it, and everything.” I believe that takes place just before the Tribulation.
245 Now, watch, the Tribulation comes. When the Tribulation strikes, the Church goes up. Now, remember, just an ordinary church without the Holy Ghost goes through the Tribulation period. It’s only the Elect that goes through.
246 Oh, I could rub something hard here, just for a minute. Would you give me three more minutes? What is the-the raptured people called, the remnant? Is that right? All right... I-I mean it’s-it’s the Bride. Now, the remnant was left.
247 Now, when a woman goes to cut out a pattern for a skirt, you talk about it. She lays the goods out (is that right?), the piece of goods. And she lays her pattern down on this. She does the fixing where the pattern is to be cut. Right?
248 Oh brother, this really do you good! Who does the electing? God does the electing! Is that right? It’s not me to say, it’s Him to say. And He places the pattern over who He will. Is that right?
249 Now, there was ten virgins went out to meet the Bridegroom. Is that right?
250 What is “virgin”? Virgin means “pure, holy.” Is that right? What is a virgin girl? It’s a girl who’s never been touched, she’s a virgin. What is anything that’s pure, like virgin olive oil? It means it’s been distilled until it’s in it’s virginity, it’s pure. What is virgin gold? It’s when all the dross... it’s went through the heat and everything and boiled out all the dross. Is that
right? All of the iron and the pyrite, and everything else, has been boiled out, it’s just in its virginity.
251 Now, there were ten went to meet the Bridegroom. Jesus said so. That right? How many agree with that, say “Amen.” [Congregation says, “Amen!”-Ed.] Ten went to meet Him. Now, watch, all of them were holy. Well, in order to be holy they had to be “sanctified,” ’cause that’s the only cleansing, holy stream that God has, is sanctification. Is that right?
252 Now, watch. All ten of them were sanctified, but five didn’t have any Oil in their lamp, and five had Oil in their lamp. Is that right? What does the Oil represent? Now, not the purity, the virginity. Oil represents the “Holy Spirit.”
253 Now, if I say this to... and hurt a little bit, I don’t mean it in the way I do. Now, you excuse me, and don’t stay away from church. I’m only in the pulpit here to try to help you. See? Now, look, let me show you.
254 There’s not a church on earth could live any more pure than the Nazarene in their teachings, Pilgrim Holiness and them. Is that right? They absolutely believe in the purity of sanctification, not... even to their women wearing rings, and anything. Purity and sanctification, every way, they believe it. The Holiness organizations, all the legalists, that’s their teaching, they believe it. Holy! Women wear long hair and a long skirt. Man ain’t even supposed to roll his sleeves up,
many of them. Everything, not even touch... smoke, drink, any... Nothing of it, see. Holy! You couldn’t live any cleaner.
255 But that same Nazarene church, if a man would speak in tongues in the church, he’d be shot out the door. And they said they wouldn’t even sit with one. Now, that’s true. If you don’t believe it, try it once, find out. Find out once. They hate the very thoughts of it. They said, “It’s the devil!”
256 Five of them... Ten of them were virgins. Five was wise that had Oil in their lamp, and the other five was just as pure and holy but they had no Oil (they were sanctified, without the Holy Ghost).
257 “There’s three that bear record in earth: the water, the blood, the Spirit.” Saint John 5:7... First John 5:7, rather, said “There are three that bear record in Heaven: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, these three are One. But there’s three that bear record in earth: water, blood, and Spirit, they’re not one but they agree as one.”
258 Now, you can’t have the Father without having the Son. You can’t have the Holy Ghost without having Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. They are One. You... They’re inseparable.
259 But you can be justified without being sanctified. And you can be sanctified without having the Holy Ghost; be clean, live a pure life, and have a form of godliness, and deny the Power of healing and speaking in tongues and the great gifts of God (and every one of them in There).
260 There’s your five wise virgins who had Oil in their lamp, rapturing Faith, believing all the signs, wonders, prophecies, and everything. And these five cut out of the remnant was taken away.
261 And the rest of them were still virgins and will not be lost, but will go through the Tribulation period. Jesus said “There’ll be... ”
262 And they said-they said, “Give us some of your Oil, we want the Holy Ghost now.”
263 Now, anyone knows that the Holy Ghost, Zechariah 4, and, oh, James 5:14, all knows that-that it represents the Holy Ghost. Now, they said... That’s the reason we anoint with oil, represent the Holy Ghost; now, “The Oil of the Spirit,” the Bible said.
264 Now, these had the Holy Ghost; and these were sanctified. These were sanctified plus the Holy Ghost, believing all the phenomenons and everything of God’s Power. Everything God spoke of Here, they had it, believing it. These were taken up.
265 And these said, “Give us, to us, now.”
266 Said, “We just got enough to get in with,” and away they went in the Rapture.
267 And they said, “Go buy from those who sell to you,” they said. And they went to try to pray through then, to receive the Holy Ghost, but the Gentile dispensation had been finished and the persecution rose. And He said, “They were cast into outer darkness where there’ll be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.” But in the second resurrection they’ll be the sheep that’s separated from the goats, but never the Bride, never the Elect. That’s the remnant of the Seed of the woman.
268 What is a remnant? The piece that’s cut, left. Same kind of goods. Is that right? You go to cut you a dress out of calico, and you spread out a big piece of calico and cut it out. It’s your business where you lay the pattern. It’s God’s business where He lays the pattern. He cuts her right out. Is that right? And now this, rest of this calico left here, is just as good a calico as in the dress. Is that right? But it’s God’s election. God elects His Church, God predestinates His Church; God foreordained that, foreordains His Church, and He takes that Church out! And the remnant is left to go through the Tribulation period.
269 And that’s where many Bible scholars today get mixed up, thinking that the Bride’s over yonder in the Tribulation. A fellow said to me, said, “I couldn’t tell you, Brother Branham.” Said, “I seen the Bride up in Heaven. And the dragon spurting water out of his mouth to make war with the Bride. And the hundred and forty-four thousand, which is the Bride, standing on Mount Sinai.”
270 I said, “Oh, no. No. No. No. You got it all mixed up. The Bride was in Heaven.” And the remnant of the woman’s Seed, not her... not the pattern, the remnant was there, and the persecution (the Roman Empire) when Catholicism will consolidate and they’ll unite their powers together with the Great church.
271 Why, they got it right... It was on television the other night. The Methodist church is trying to unite Methodist and Baptist and all the full churches of Christ are trying to unite with Catholicism and stand before one plain altar. What did the bishop say when he was put on trial the other night, over there to be a Communist? I was standing, looking at it on television myself. All the bunches of them! And when that time comes, there’ll be a persecution rise. Then the Holy Ghost will fall, and Methodists, and Baptists, and all, will speak with tongues, praise God, and heal the sick and prophesy, and all the signs and wonders will be coming. The Elect will go up, and the remnant will be left here to go through the Tribulation period.
And at the end of the time, when they see what has happened, they’ll have to go down in martyrdom.
272 Then look. You say, “Well, now, Brother Branham, do you mean to tell me there’s going to be... that-that people that’s going to be there at the White Throne Judgment?” They’ll... The Bride will never be judged. No, sir. She’s in Christ. How do you get in Christ? “By one Spirit we are all baptized into one Body.” Is that right?
273 Now, look, look here. The Bible said, “Judgment was set, and the Books were opened.” Is that right? Books of sinners. “And another Book was opened,” which is the Book of Life, and every man was judged thus. Is that right? And who was doing the judging? Jesus and the Saints. He said, “He came to minister, Who is our Ancient of Days, Whose hair is like wool.” And said, “Ten thousand times ten thousands come with Him, and ministered to Him in the Judgment.” Here Jesus returns as King and Queen, the Wedding’s over, and He’s married. Here’s King and Queen standing here. And there stands that sanctified bunch, God said, “Stand to My right side here.” That’s the Book was opened, was sinners, “Get over on My left.” Here’s the ones that had their names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
274 You say, “Brother Branham, my name’s written there, I’ll go!” Wait a minute! Judas Iscariot was sanctified. Whew! Brother, wake up now, pinch, so you can get This, you see.
275 Judas Iscariot, his spirit is the antichrist today. You know that. Jesus was the Son of God, came from God and returned to God; Judas was the son of perdition, came from hell and returned to hell. Jesus taken the repentant sinner with Him; Judas taken the unrepentant with him, “If thou be! If! If! If You
be a Divine healer, do this, If thou be This, do this.” (See, that question mark across God’s Word.) “The days of miracles is past. If It is, show me this. If! If! If!” See? “It’s all true,” God said.
276 Now watch. Judas Iscariot was justified by faith, and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and was baptized. The Bible said, “Jesus-Jesus baptized the disciples, His disciples.” All right.
277 Saint John 17:17, before He could send them out, He said, “Sanctify them, Father, through the Truth. Thy Word is the Truth.” And He was the Word, even before the atonement was made. In other words, “As a preview, Father, of My shed Blood, I sanctify these.”
278 He give them power against unclean spirits, and they went out and they cast out devils. Is that right? And they healed the sick. Is that right? And they come back, sanctified, rejoicing, jumping, shouting, and praising God. Is that right? And said, “Even the devils is subject to us.”
279 And Jesus said, “Don’t you rejoice because the devils is subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in the Book of Heaven.” Is that right? And Judas Iscariot was with them, one of them, called-out, sanctified, and his name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Read Matthew 10 and see if that’s not right. He called each one of them, and Judas and every one of them, right down there. He sent them out, give them power against unclean spirits.
280 Now watch! Put on your shock-proof vest. But when Judas come right up through that church there, as the treasurer of the church, working with the pastor, the... Jesus. But when it come time to Pentecost, he showed his colors. He showed what he was. And with-with enough decency about him, he destroyed himself and hung himself on a sycamore tree, to fulfill the prophecy. And that spirit of Judas will come right up and believe the Lord Jesus Christ. Like Jesus said, “The devils believe and tremble.” He’ll come right up and teach sanctification, just as pure a holy life as it can be; but when it comes to the baptism of the Holy Ghost and the gifts of the Spirit, he’ll deny It! He’ll show his colors every time. There’s that spirit mo-...
281 And Jesus said, “Beware!” Matthew 24, again. “The two spirits will be so close together till it would deceive the very Elect... ” Is that right? Where that pattern’s laying... Brother, better believe in old-fashioned, Holy Ghost preachers around here and get right with God. That’s right. Don’t have a form of godliness and deny the Power thereof. Amen! Everybody feeling good? [Congregation says, “Amen!”-Ed.]
