Questions 113 (COD Page 545)
Does he that…Does he at all times have control over the Spirit as to when and how to act?
219 Yes, sir. Yes, sir, the Holy Spirit controls. Yes, sir. It has control of you and you have control of It, and It’ll never make you do anything contrary to the Scripture. It’ll make… “The Spirit does not misbehave Itself unseemingly.” That’s right. Okay.
220 “From one who loves you…” Yeah, that’s–that’s in this place. All right, now we’ll jump to another one here and see where we’re at.
221 Now, I think that had a basis. Now–now, when I’m calling these now, if there’s a question…Was there a question anymore on this? We all understand it? We understand how we believe It now?
222 [A brother says, “I got one question.”–Ed.] Go right ahead. On this here yet? Okay. [“Yes, on that one there. I kind of hesitated, but…”] Don’t hesitate, this is–this is…[“You were talking about the man that’s preaching, and if he’s not preaching the Message that Christ brought forth, and regardless what happens in his ministry. When he comes in contact with the Truth and he rejects It, then what?”] He’s lost. Excuse me just a minute for…[“I was in reference to predestination or ordained before the foundation of the world.”] That’s right. That’s right. See? [“Then, as it was, he wasn’t to be that way?”] Wasn’t to be that way in the beginning, see. “They went out from us because they wasn’t of us.”
223 For instance, like this, it’s the same thing in Hebrews 6. See? People misinterpret that Scripture so much, they think it’s “impossible.” He said, “It’s impossible for those which were once enlightened and made partakers of the Holy Ghost, if they shall fall away.” See, they just don’t get It. He says, “It’s impossible for those which were once enlightened and partakers of the Holy Ghost, seeing that they should fall away to renew themselves again to repentence, see they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame; counted the Blood of the covenant wherewith He was crucified with an ‘unholy thing,’ done despite to the works of grace.”
224 Well, to me, it’s a revelation. Sure. It’s just like Acts 2:38, and Acts…and Matthew 28:19. You just have to catch It, you see.
225 Now look, here it is, the same thing. Well, now, he’s speaking to Hebrews. See? Now read on down through the chapter, far as them goes ahead and say, “For it’s a fearful thing to fall in the–fall in the hands of the living God.” Now, here’s a man just like that borderline believer. Here, here’s a…Here, the same thing was here, perfect example I see in my mind.
226 God called Israel out of Egypt. All these people come forth, every one of them was delivered, crossed over the Red Sea into the wilderness. Is that right? The Red Sea…When they got ready, listened to Moses’ message, started to march, (justification) they turned around, started here.
227 They come to the Red Sea, (the Blood), and went through the Red Sea, and behind them all the taskmasters was laying, dead. They was just about three days from the promised land right then. See? That’s all they were, less than forty miles, see. So there they are, just two days would have put them over there good.
228 That’s what I aim to preach at Phoenix in a few days from now, at the Business Men’s meeting, Staying on this Mountain. But He kept them right there for forty years ’cause they…Uh-huh! See?
229 So they come to this and they looked back, (sanctified), “Oh, hallelujah! Praise God! Glory to God. Hallelujah! There lays the old thing that once bothered me, is dead. The old cigarettes I once smoked is gone. The old liquor I used to drink is all in the red sea of the Blood of Jesus Christ. O glory to God! Hallelujah!”
230 Every one of them come up here, they face Canaan now, crossed Jordan. Well, he took a representative out of each tribe. Is that right? And he sent them over. Well, some of them said, “Ah, ah, ah, we can’t do it. No, it–it…Why, we look like grasshoppers up aside of them!” See?
231 “Now, what kind of a church would I preach to if I taught that Holy Ghost and all that stuff like that? Why, I’d have empty seats. My Methodist people would walk out, my Baptist people, my Presbyterian.” Let them walk out. They were goats to begin with! You want sheep, see. See? You’re not pastoring goats. Pastor sheep! What’s the use of pastoring goats when…?…and there’s sheep to be pastored? See? And here–here you are over in here, see. I always said I’d preach to four posts and preach the Truth, the Church. Yes, sir, come over here.
232 But see now, what’s he done? They come back, and Joshua and Caleb, two percent, or is that kind of percentage…two out of…two twelfths of them, two twelfths. Well, there was twelve of them, that’d be two out of twelve, two twelfth of them believed It. They go right on over into the promised land, said, “Boy, this is a good place to be.” Ol’ Joshua and Caleb, boy, they was trusting the Word; God give it to them, said “that’s yours.” They go over, they whacked off a big bunch of grapes, and here they come pulling her back like this. “Come on, fellows! This is a wonderful place! Take a bite,” see, grapes about that big around.
233 And, oh, man, they seen them, said, “Ah, we can’t do it.” When they went back, they said, “No, brother, this Moses has done brought us out here in the wilderness,” this Holy Ghost, you see, which he represented, “done brought us out here in the wilderness. And here we are, our ministry is ruined, and we couldn’t do a thing like that.”
234 “Go back,” see, “they which were once enlightened, justified by faith, sanctified.” See, they come across this second altar and look over into the promised land. “We which were once enlightened and have been…have tasted of the Heavenly gifts.” See, “tasted” of It. They brought it back. “We see that It’s right. We actually see It.” “Tasted of the Heavenly gifts, made a partakers of this Thing, you see, this Holy Spirit, partook of It.”
235 “That’s good, boy, look at that–that man. Why, I know he was blind, now he can see. Look at that old…Boy, what happened to that fellow? Whoever thought that kid out there without no education…yonder he stands with the Fire in the world.” You see? See? See?
236 And then fall away, see, and has…to renew themselves, go back again to repentance, go on back to preach repentance instead of that which He said the first, laying the…let us…You know, about laying again the foundation of dead works to repentance, and so forth. We will, God willing, you see. See, we’ll do that. We’ll go back and lay this foundation back then, but go back unto repentance themself, to repent of it for ever being up there. “I’m sorry I was ever up there,” and count the Blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified with as though It was an “unholy thing,” and done despite to the works of grace. He’s gone, brother! That’s all. He’s finished. See?
237 Well, now, see, it’s impossible for an elected child to do that. He ain’t going to do that. “My sheep know My Voice.” If it’s called in Canaan or wherever it’s at, they’re going. See?
“My sheep know My Voice.”
[A brother asks, “And they need to believe in Acts 2:38, too, don’t they?”–Ed.]
238 That would take that, every bit of the Scripture, take It all in. That’s exactly right, brother.
William Marrion Branham
61-0112 Questions And Answers
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