How can a person have their name on the Book of Life and still be lost?

Questions 369 (COD Page 1119)

 Brother Branham, one of the tapes of the Seven Church Ages you mentioned that Judas had been justified, sanctified. Were these genuine…(There’s a good one.)…explain…experience, genuine experiences of the grace that he received?

You also mentioned that Judas had his name on the Book of Life, and yet, we know he went to hades and was lost. How can a person have their name on the Book of Life and still be lost? Or why does God put persons’ names on the Book of Life when He knows that they will be lost at the end?

271  Now, that’s a good one, isn’t it? Now, this would be good. Now, I’ll just have to depend on the Lord to answer this, ’cause I’m just prowling out, probing out, rather. Look! First, in the…our churches, I mentioned that Judas had his name on the Book of Life.

That’s true. We know that, ’cause Jesus told them when all of them was sent out (Matthew 10), to cast out devils, to preach the Gospel, freely receive, freely give; and they returned back rejoicing because the devils were subject to them.

Is that right? And Jesus told them, and He called their names (which ones they were, how many was sent out); and they come back and Judas Iscariot which also betrayed Him…See? They come back rejoicing because the devils were subject unto them. Now, see, the attitude was wrong there. See? You mustn’t rejoice ’cause I got the power to make a devil move. See? You mustn’t do that, you must rejoice because you’ve even received enough grace to be saved. See you, see? You mustn’t rejoice…That’s how people…

272  Usually people that have gifts are people who don’t want gifts. See? Paul tried to run from the thing, so did Moses. Great leaders like that try to run from the job; they know what lays before them. God… See, if you take a guy that always, “Oh, Lord, fill me with power, and I’ll go out there, and I’ll cast devils.” He’d never do it. God knows better than trust anybody like that. See? He’d never do it.

273  It’s that guy that doesn’t want anything to do with it. Do you see? That’s the guy that God can take him and teach him something sometime. Do you see? So then, Judas come back rejoicing, all of them, that the names…He said, “Don’t rejoice that the devils is subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in the…on the Book of Life.” Now, if you notice and take Daniel also. The Bi-…See? Because your name is on the Book of Life (because it is in Heaven, your name has been recognized), that still doesn’t mean that you are saved. See? You’re not converted until you receive the Holy Ghost. Remember that. You’re only potentially converted. See? You’re not...

274  If–if you ask me for a–for an oak tree and I give you an acorn, potentially you have an oak tree, potentially, but it isn’t developed yet. That’s the reason I believe in security as the way I do. If I–if I ask for a cornfield, and I see corn up about that high, potentially, I have a field of corn. Not it isn’t developed yet, something could happen. See? Now, you’re on your road through justification and sanctification to the baptism of the Holy Ghost. But when you’re genuinely baptized with the Holy Ghost, you’re in the Kingdom. Now, you say, “Brother Branham, is that true?”

275  Now, I haven’t got time now too–to give you Scripture; you just look it up when you get home, ’cause I don’t know…my mind. Have to look back here in my concordance to pick it up. Jesus told Peter, who had been both saved and sanctified…He believed in Jesus, was sanctified.

Saint John 17:17, Jesus said, “Sanctify them, Father, through the Truth; Thy Word is the Truth.” And He and the Word is the same. They were sanctified, potentially, through the Truth, the Word, the Truth. And then, Jesus told Judas…or–or Peter the night of the betrayal, He said, “After you are converted, then strengthen your brother,” after you’re converted.

276  The man had followed Him for three years and had name on the Lamb’s Book of Life, and had cast out devils, and done great works, and healed, and done all kind of…preached the Word, and everything, and still wasn’t converted. See the…You’re leading to conversion. See?

277  The baby that…When the action is taken place between the–the egg and the sperm, or the gene…But when they…Potentially, the baby’s there when the act is done. Then the body is developed, the second stage; but the baby has to be born here, and then it receives the breath of life. It is not yet the breath of life. You say, “Oh, it’s alive!” No, it isn’t! That’s little nerve jerking, muscles. See? The baby hasn’t received life till it’s born. And you may jump and jerk, but you’re not…See you, see? You got to be born. Do you know what I mean? All right.

278  Now, now, he said then that take… “You mentioned that Judas had his name on the Book of Life, and yet, we know that he went to hades and was lost. How can a person, then, have his name on the Book of Life and still be lost?” Now, let me get one more little thing in here for this dear person.

279  Now notice, the Bible said when Daniel saw…He–he wrote the first Book of Revelation, Daniel. And we notice, in the vision, he saw Him come to the Ancient of time whose hair was as white as wool. How many remember reading that? And did you notice, John in Revelation came to the same thing, Revelation 1?

And He stood there; His hair was as white as wool, His feet and the way it looked–Ancient of time. Ancient of time, that is, had no time; the Eternal One. And He came…Now watch! And the saints come to the earth and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which was the Book of Life, one book. They came to the judgment and the…He came, and with Him came ten thousand times ten thousand. Is that right? Ministered to Him, the Bride, the Queen, and King…

280  Who is your little queen in the home? She ministers food to you. Is that right? (What you’re late on now.) But when she–when she ministers to you. That’s what the Bride ministers to Christ, the Word. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but every Word.” See? She ministers the Word to the King, manifesting His promise Word in the age that She’s living in. Amen! Ah, I said something then, you didn’t get it, but…

281  Notice! Oh, my! That was a good one. See? Ministering in the age, the Word. Now notice! And She came…He came, and ten thousand times ten thousand came to Him, and judgment was set, and the books were opened, and another book was opened which is the Book of Life, and they were judged thus. Who was this that come? The Bride which did not have to come to judgment, She’s free from judgment.

282  Another book was opened which was the Book of Life, and those who had their name on the Book of Life had to be judged out of that Book. And Judas Iscariot professed to be a believer, and he had his name written among them on the Book of Life. Is that right? He claimed to have Eternal Life. And his name was put on the Book of Life. So he has to…Why, he has to be judged then to see why did he condemn the Word of Life
then, sell out for thirty pieces of silver. Some sell out to be a Methodist, Baptist or Whatmore.

Sold out his position from the Book of Life. And he’ll judge…he’ll have to be…stand there and judged by that, by the Word. See? That’s why Judas had to do it. See? Judas has to come to judgment. His name was
on the Book of Life, but that doesn’t mean he’s saved. He has to stand the judgment.

283  The sleeping virgin will stand right there under the same–same things. Notice, Jesus said in Saint John 5:24, “He that heareth My Word.” That’s he that can receive It; not he that just hears It preached and go on saying, “Nonsense.” See?

“He that receiveth My Word, He that heareth My Word and believeth (not make-believeth, but truly believe) on Him that sent Me (which was the Word) hath everlasting life and shall not come to the judgment; but hath” (past tense) “passed from death unto Life.” See? That’s it.

284  So Judas had his name there on the Book of Life (that’s exactly right), but he was condemned, because what did he do? He sold out his birthrights. Esau was born in a family with the promise of God. The oldest son had the birthright. How many know that? By a promise of God, Esau’s name was on the book for the birthright (is that right?), but he swapped it for a mess of wild gourds, or peas. Hungry to fill his belly, his meal ticket, he swapped his birthrights for a meal ticket and could find no place to repent.

285  Those spies that went with…over to spy out the land, came and even eat the grapes that Joshua and Caleb brought back. And yet, what did they do? Sold out their birthrights.

286  Jesus said, or Paul speaking with the inspiration of Christ in Hebrews the 6th chapter: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted of the Power of the world to come; if they shall fall away, to renew themselves again unto repentance, seeing that they crucify to themselves the Son of God, and count the Blood of the covenant, wherewith they were sanctified, an unholy thing, and done despite to the works of grace…” It’s impossible for that person to ever come back.

287  Them, everyone besides Joshua and Caleb, died and perished in that wilderness, yet they were believers, yet their names were on the books.

288  And here, Paul speaking, if a man ever comes to a spot that he’s been saved, and sanctified (the Blood sanctifies; Hebrews 13:12 and 13 says the Blood sanctifies), and then comes right up to the gate of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and because of prestige or denomination refuses to walk in It, said, “That person is lost and can never be saved” (see?); for he’s done despite even to the very works of grace that’s called him up
to that place and shown it to him, and then turn around, walk away from it.

He counts the blood of the covenant wherewith he was crucified…Christ was crucified as an unholy thing. Because the Blood that saved him, and justified him, and sanctified him brings him up to the baptism of the Holy Ghost. And then walks away and leaves it…

289  Now, watch that pattern. I’m taking a lot of time, but look! Judas Iscariot followed those same tracks. He was justified by believing in the Lord Jesus and then accepting Him as his personal Saviour. He was sanctified and give the power to cast out spirits; put his name on the Lamb’s Book of Life. But when it comes to Pentecost and the baptism of the Holy Ghost, the fullness of the Word, he showed his colors. That’s exactly what the Canaan spies did; that’s exactly what Esau did.

290  That’s exactly what Satan did to Eve in the garden of Eden: “Surely God will not…”
But she said, “God said…”
He said, “Yeah, I know it says that; I know it says this, but surely…” See, the same thing all the way down through, and so is it today.

291  The church has followed through Justification, Martin Luther; through Sanctification, Wesley. But it, when it comes to the time of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, they show their colors; they want nothing to do with It.

Nazarene, Pilgrim Holiness, Church of God, all those there who believe in sanctification, you can’t lay a finger to it; it’s truth. But when it comes a borderline, come right up to that spot to receive the Holy Ghost for the new birth, then what’d the devil do? Come around and try to twist it around. Oh, he’s…he’ll do everything that’s in his known power to keep people out of there.

292  They brought around on, and say, “You have to speak with tongues. You have to have a sensation. You have to do this.” You have to be born into it. Don’t let no one tell you that sanctification and the Holy Ghost are the same things, ’cause it is not! Certainly it is not! Listen to this Nazarene back here hollering, “It is not.” See? He knows there’s a difference in it, ’cause it certainly is. Brother Capps, our gallant brother. See?

293  Sure, Nazarene…There’s nobody can say a word against them fine religious people; they’re just as nice as they can be. Church of God, Nazarene, Free Methodist, those people are real, but when it comes down to the works of the Spirit, they say, “Oh, oh, that’s the devil.” And what’d they do there? Blaspheme the Holy Ghost. When they do that…

294  Now, what is blasphemy? There’s no forgiveness. Is that right? “He that once enlightened, made partakers, and tasted of the heavenly gifts.” Par-…Tasted–tasted of God’s sanctification: cleaned up from cigarettes, and filthy women, and all kinds of life like that.

“And tasted of the heavenly things.” To see that they walk up to that borderline like those spies did that eat part of the grapes. But what do they have to do? They had to break up their denomination to come over into this. See? Say…See? “Tasted of the heavenly gifts; seeing that they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh; and count the Blood of the covenant wherewith they were sanctified an unholy thing.”

295  Sanctification is when your name goes on the book as a believer. Your word…Your name is wrote in His Blood. See? Sanctification does that; and you come up, when He’s trusted you up to this far, and then come up…They say, “Well, would He know it?”

296  Yes, He knowed it. He knowed you wouldn’t do it in the beginning. He knowed Judas wouldn’t do it. He knowed him from the beginning; he was the son of perdition. But them thing has to be fulfilled. See? The Word has to be fulfilled, all, though types and shadows. Oh, my! We could stay on that for hours.

William Marrion Branham
64-0830M Questions And Answers 3