This day this Scripture is fulfilled

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 Thank you Brother Demos, Brother Shakarian, Demos Shakarian, Brother Carl Williams and delegates all. I just think that Brother Plowman here just expressed what I wanted to tonight, that he's just taken my speech right from me. Because I have enjoyed this, I believe, this convention more than any convention I've ever been in. I've never seen in any convention more harmony and such real fellowship and brotherly love.
Another thing that I've done, I've met many new delegates of heaven, new brethren I've had the privilege to shake hands with, and to talk to.

2 Just a few nights ago I was listening to the Baptist brother sitting over there, I can't think of his name---Irvin, and he brought a card to me from, I believe it's his aunt, that's sitting here tonight. She's held that prayer card for some twenty years.
She was brought into the meeting dying with a disease that maybe the doctor could explain what it is. It's something like leprosy, but it isn't leprosy. You just ... there's an operation that could cut some kind of a cord up here, something, but she'd be like a plant; she'd have to sit there. And while she was sitting there, perhaps her card not called or nothing, didn't get in the prayer line, the Holy Spirit directed me to her. And she's back there tonight. We're very thankful for that.

3 Would you stand up sister; turn around, turn around. God bless you my sister for your gallant faith in the Son of God. May he keep you well until the time he calls you home, and this mortal will take on immortality.
I'm so thankful for that to think she held that card for all these years now. And then was brought here to me and show me tonight. You know I was saying it's like bread upon the water; it returns to you when you try to do something for somebody else.

4 Now I have also had the privilege of meeting many of these fine ministers and I certainly appreciate their fine fellowship, this cooperation. Brother Carl announced that we'd be back next year if the Lord is willing, and we're here on earth. And I hope to meet everyone of you here next year again. May each one bring another delegate with him and with she.
Now there's just one thing that I would like to say a little something about, maybe for just a moment, because Dr. Reed is to speak next, and I've come all the way over here tonight. I've got two hundred and fifty miles that I , to make this trip to hear Dr. Reed, and just something happened a while ago that I would, but Dr. Reed I'd drive a thousand miles to hear him, but something has taken since I've been here. I would drive a thousand miles just to hear what I heard a little while ago, such a wonderful thing. Something that flesh and blood cannot reveal; it takes the Holy Spirit to do it. And to see someone who encouraged my life in such a way, and I certainly will be very grateful all the rest of my life. What I wanted to say was if I ever have to have an operation, call on a medical doctor, you could come to me Dr. Reed right away. I can trust the man to operate if I have to have one. Hands that believes in God, that would be the one I want working on me. And so we, I trust I'll never have to have it, but if I do, I want he or a man like him to do the work if he couldn't be there.

5 I had something happen last night that, or yesterday afternoon rather, that was just really kind of strange to me. And I'll be brief because I don't want to take my brother's time, as he's going to speak. But I suppose it's kind of a complimentary to my ministry. I watch little things, just every little thing has a meaning to me. I don't believe that anything happens to a Christian by chance. I think it's ordained of God because Jesus said he'd make all thing work together for good to them that love him. So therefore, I believe that every little thing in the little humble ministry that he has given me to help you people, to help everyone---and you all are a help to me, helping each other to get to glory, in that every little thing has a meaning to me.
But it was hard for me to believe that yesterday afternoon when I lost my text up here. I tell you I never was so gotten in my life. Then, my wife gave me a new Bible for Christmas.

6 My old one was just worn out; I've had it almost twenty years now, was give to me by the Houston Gospel Tabernacle people many years ago when I started out on the campaigns. And so I just, I cherish it so much, and I---the leaves, the pages crossing the sea and around, until I just dropping out and I pick up a page maybe in Genesis, have to look back over in Deuteronomy somewhere to find it---you know just stuck it somewhere back in the Bible. So she got me one for Christmas, and I hated to lay the old book aside. It's been so dear to me. I said if I went before Jesus comes, lay it on me. Let this go down with me, and I'll come up with it when we come up. So that's my opinion anyhow.

7 As I used to tell a little story, hope this is not sacrilegious, but I went to a man told me one time, I believe it's Brother Earl Cricket meeting up in New York. And I met a man; he said, "Say what do you do with these business men, being a preacher?"
I said, "I am a businessman."
He said, "What kind of business are you in?"
I said, "Assurance." Now he thought I said, "insurance," you see; so, I said, "assurance."
He said, "Oh! What kind of insurance do you sell?"
I said, Eternal life." Said, "I don't sell it. I'm just a policy holder myself, and I try to perscribe it to others."

8 I remember a boy I went to school with one time; he was an insurance salesman. Now insurance is all right, but I don't have any. And so he come to my house and he said, "Billy, I'd like to sell you some insurance." He said, I know your brother ... (my brother sells for Metropolitan). He said, "Well," said, "I would I'd like to sell you some insurance."
I said, "Oh Wilmer thank you." He may be here tonight, a nice brother. He writes the articles in The Upper Room, the book The Upper Room.
So I said, "I have assurance."
He said, "What?" And my wife looked at me as if I was a hypocrite.
She said, "Billy?"
And I said, "Yes Hun, I have assurance!"
He said, "Oh, I'm sorry." He said "I heard you didn't have any insurance."
And I said, "No, I have assurance!" And he caught me right quick when I said that.
He said, "What'd you said?"
I said, "Assurance."
And he said, "What do you mean?"
I said, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
I'm an heir of salvation,
Purchased of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in his blood."
He said, "Billy you know I appreciate that," said, "that's a very good thing," but said, "son, that'll not put you out here in the grave yard."
I said, "But it'll get me out! I'm not bothered about getting in, it's getting out!" So I think that's the way we feel tonight.

9 Last evening when I picked up that Bible, and I couldn't find that text, and I picked up that new Bible, I was reading out of the old, and I picked up the new one and put it under my arm and run up here. And I turned over to that place, and I thought, why here ---I believe it's St. John 16:21, and it wasn't the reading at all.
I said to Brother Moore, "Is that where that's at?" "Yes."
And I looked back, and it wasn't there. I thought, well they got a misplaced page in it. Then my brother here, Brother Stanley, he came over, Bishop Stanley rather, and I don't know what the man meant. It was such a comfort. He walked up close to my side, and said, "Hold steady brother. God is maybe going to do something."
And that just encouraged me, to think that he had said... I wonder if he realized he had prophesied, but talking to him a few moments ago just before getting up here, I'm sure he did.

10 So I brought in my message upon the---"Birth Pains," and so forth, and my little rude way of doing it, about the lily. How it's born down, begotten, and comes up and draws up the sun and the dew drop and so forth. And then the corruption of what it has to die out of, to be borned out of rather, to come out. And I was trying to make an illustration of the church. Just like the doctor here if he went to treat a patient. We've got doctors today that says you can rub your foot over the back of the heel and heal the cancer on your face, you see. But a good doctor wouldn't listen to such a thing as that. He treats the patient according to the book that he's reading on medical research.
And that's the way I try to do to treat the patient. When I see the church sick; I don't want to try to tell them they need a new hand shake, or something like that, or a new organization. I have to treat it according to the book, and I know it's here. And so when I see the church look like breaking out with measles, I want to take the very prescription I think is right for the measles, to get it out of the church; when I see sin breaking out in it, the same way.

11 Now I try to make a comparison with Esau and Jacob, and then bringing times down, and I won't go into that, but bring it down to the last part, and my last scripture to use was comparing it not unscripturally, but as Jesus said it would be.
What the main doctor said the condition of the church would be in this last days: it would be a Laodicea, rich, blind, naked, poor church. And it would be compared with the days of Sodom. Now we know that's the truth.
If you noticed it historically he brought in the days of Noah first, and then the days of Sodom, and that's just the way it's traveled. Just the same way history has many times repeats itself. History does and so does promises of the Bible.
For instance, like in Matthew 3 verse 30, it says out of Egypt I have called my Son. Now if you would run the reference on that it was Jacob his son he called out of Egypt. That was his lesser son, but his greater Son Jesus was called out of Egypt too. So it had a compound answer.

12 So, and seeing as they went along talking about that, and then I brought my thoughts of that, and I walked down off the platform and went out. My children, going home, wanted to stop by here somewhere and get a sandwich and I went.
The wife said, "Billy, I was so nervous I didn't know what to do." Said, "I gave you that Bible."
I said, "You never wrote it, and you never put it together Honey."
She said, "But just to think I gave you a Bible that had a flaw in it!"
I said, "Hun maybe it wasn't." And so one of the children picked it up, and we feel the pages and all. It looked all right, but right down at the bottom it was two pages sticking together see. And the 16th chapter was on this side and then the continuation of the 16th chapter come up on the other side and the 17th started on the... See it's just perfectly exactly the same across, and that Indian paper, real thin sticking together.
And I was reading out of the 17th chapter all the time, instead of the 16th chapter.

13 And I thought, God why did you do that? Why would you do such a thing? Done... that's me feeling you know, to see what it's all about, because I think nothing happens by chance.
Now I was thinking about the comfort of this brother here, coming telling me, "Hold steady," he being a priest. "Hold steady, maybe God is going to do something," or something in that manner.
And I thought how could that be, and then sitting there, like a thunderbolt out of heaven it came to me. Now this might not make sense to you, but it does to me see.

14 I remember in Luke the 4th chapter that Jesus entered the synagogue at Nazareth where He was brought up at, as His custom was to go into the church on the... synagogue, on the Sabbath. And when he did, we notice there that the priest gave the Bible, the scroll. Jesus, looking through the scroll found a certain place, Isaiah 61, and He read the Scripture. Then He handed the Bible back to the minister. And then as He turned to the audience, all eyes was upon him, and he said, "This day this Scripture is fulfilled."
And we know how peculiar that scripture reading was because He just took a portion of the 1st and 2nd verses of Isaiah 61:1 and 2. But He read down this far, where: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to bind up the broken hearted, and to give, heal the sick, and to open the blinded eyes, and to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." And then he stopped, for the next was to bring judgment. That would apply to His second coming, not His first coming. And He stopped, and turned around, and said, "This day this Scripture is fulfilled." How direct that was!

15 What a statement it was to the teachers, and to the people that were present. That He could make this plain to the people, this day this Scripture is fulfilled. For here He was the Messiah, yet they didn't believe it. Here He was the anointed one for that hour. Every bit of His ministry from His birth up had proved to be what He was. And yet they could not believe it! What a statement. But He could say today, and if a person opened up their eyes they could've known what day that they were living in, for that was His hour, for He was right there doing exactly what the Scriptures of the prophets had said would happen in that day. Here He was doing exactly what God had prophesied would happen. How did they miss seeing it? They should have known right quick, seeing what His ministry was, there's the Messiah. They would have known it because He said the scriptures fulfilled.

16 I think of today, and notice what that was as the priest gave the Word over. The Word was read and handed back to the priest. And the last quotation out of my text that I had in my scriptures wrote down was St. Luke 17:30 where Jesus referring back to this day that we're living in, rich Laodicea age, and yet rotten in politics---church politics and national politics---just as rotten as it could be. And then He said, as it was in the days of Lot, so shall it be in the coming end-time.
Notice what He said there: in the day that the Son of man will be revealed, see, in the days that the Son of man will be revealed.
Now I want to draw your attention, see He came in three names. He came as Son of man, which was prophet, and that's what He did. He proved His ministry by being a prophet. We all know that, everyone of us knows it. He never said He was the Son of God. He said He was the Son of man. Now today He is the Son of God, which He returned back, and now He's in the form of the Holy Ghost the unseen person, but yet God, the Son of God. In the millennium He sits upon His Father's throne, which He'll be Son of David. He revealed Himself first as Son of man, a prophet. This age, to the church age Son of man, or Son of God. And in the other age Son of David, three sons.

17 But you notice here, He said at the ending of the church age, and it got in such a mess till... He would be revealed again as Son of man: "when the Son of man, is being revealed." How appropriate was that mixup yesterday; and I hope you don't miss it. We have had the revelation of Son of God, but the last promise that Abraham had before the son was made, or brought into existence, the one that he was been promised. Before the promised son showed up, God manifested Himself there at Sodom as a prophet, being a man in flesh---God Elohim. As I heard someone speaking of a little while ago, which the Godhead bodily was in Him. He was the fullness, Elohim is the fullness of the godhead bodily. And we notice there when Lot saw, when Abraham saw Him coming he said, "My Lord." There was three of them, and down in Sodom Lot saw two, and said, "My lords," lack of revelation.
So notice what's taken place here when He come up, how He made Himself known.

18 Could we not, could I not say this if I'd just been on my toes see; the brother prophesied when he said to me what he did, "this day!" Watch what he did right after the reading of that Scripture in the days when the Son of man, not a man, not a human being, the Son of man will reveal Himself among His people again. This day, this promise of this hour that we're now living in is fulfilled before our very eyes.
He turned immediately to the congregation and ten, or twelve, whatever, people it was out there, unknown, he did the very same thing he did at Sodom. This day has this Scripture been made manifest before you. It's been made true before you. Then my brother, sister, delegates, ministers, whatever we are here, children of God.
How close are we to His coming then? If we're now seeing the Scripture that He promised just before the fire fell in Sodom to burn up, and liken this day to it, and seeing that Scripture right before our eyes being fulfilled, how close are we to the coming of the Son of God then? How close is the manifestation of the Scriptures like He did through Abraham, bringing the Church up in type, which He was the promise to the Church?
And now we find out Abraham's natural seed how they failed, but the royal seed of Abraham which is by faith in the promised Word is now being manifested on the earth today. We are at the end-time my brother, sister. We're at the end

19 and we have not one other type.
I have to type Scriptures because I don't have education enough to bring out words and things. I make a type, but if I see the shadows, if I never had seen my hand and see the shadow, I know I have five fingers. And that's the way you have to watch the Scripture types of the Old Testament. What does it do? It foreshadows this and Jesus said that Sodom was the foreshadow of the end-time now. In the very Scriptures that was promised to Sodom, the very Scriptures that was taking place to Sodom, that Jesus said would repeat itself again in this day. It's made known right before us today.
God bless you. Don't miss it! And if I don't see you here next year, when you climb the golden stairs I hope to meet you up there. God bless you. [break in tape]

20 ...according to the Scriptures we're seeing manifested before us the last sign and type. The words of Jesus Christ said this is so. Just as it was at Sodom, we see the world in it's condition; we see the church in it's condition; we see the Elect being called out of every denomination. The light that's in those places moving out now to take the form of the seed.
We pray, Heavenly Father, that we'll awaken, and quickly. As the brother just said now, he seen before his face, and when he had his eyes closed just masses going before you. Oh God we feel that's there's masses untouched yet. Help us dear God; may we go from this convention with such a warning in our heart, knowing that this day the Scripture is fulfilled. In Jesus' name. Amen.

21 [Brother Demos Shakarian speaks, and brings a prayer request.]
Distance is no difference to God, He's omnipresent---He has to be to be God. Some of the greatest things that I've noticed being done in my own humble ministry is by telephone or someone calling in, great things taking place. Let us agree together that God will heal this people that's sick.

22 Dear Heavenly Father we bring them into your presence by prayer. We know that one night there was an apostle that was shut off from all activity then; he was in a jail, and he was going to be beheaded the next day. Down at John Mark's house they had a prayer meeting, and right in those inner cells there came that same pillar of fire that followed the children of Israel, or the children of Israel followed it through the wilderness, came right in because that prayer meeting, and opened every door and brought the apostle out on the street again free to minister. We understand that these ministers, missionary people, is bound in now; they're even in a coma. Lord you are the same yesterday, today, and forever; hear our prayer tonight. O God you said when you pray, believe that you receive what you ask for, it shall be given. Lord we believe, and pray that in Jesus name that you'll heal them Lord, for Your glory. It's been said, been asked, now let it be done. Amen.

23 [end of tape]

This day this Scripture is fulfilled

You can find this sermon at ChurchAges.net

1 Just remain standing, if you will, while we bow our heads for a word of prayer.
Dear heavenly Father, we are grateful tonight for this, another opportunity to come and present this glorious, marvelous gospel of Jesus Christ. We thank Thee because that He still remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. We thank Thee for these people who have gathered out here in the time of this cold weather, and still with their anticipations great, looking, believing that something extraordinary is going to be given us from God. We come with that hope, Lord, to every meeting. We thank Thee for the services night before last at the Tabernacle. Thank Thee for the service here last evening and for the service today at the Tabernacle. We're looking forward now what You will have for us tonight.
Father, we know that anyone that's able to move their hands could turn back the pages of the Bible, but there's only One who can make it live and be real and that's You. Father, we're looking for You to do that tonight. Bless us in every way. Our hearts are so full of joy as we see the time approaching when we're going to meet Him face to face---the One that we've loved and lived for all these years. Many new converts, Lord, has been made. Understanding that a great host, forty or fifty, is to be baptized in Your name in the morning from the service last night. Oh God, please continue, we pray, until every predestinated Seed of God has seen the gospel Light and come into the fold.
We ask You to hide us tonight behind the Word; blind us to the things of the world and let us see Jesus. May there be a Mount Transfiguration experience among us tonight that we see no man save Jesus only. We ask it in His name, and for His glory, and a-vindication of His gospel. Amen. You may be seated.

2 I'm just going to turn this mike, or this desk, just slightly sideways, if it's all right, so that I can see both sides of the audience. I guess I can get these microphones around here right. All right, just a moment.
We're greeting from the main auditorium here tonight, our friends in Arizona, California, Texas, and across the United States by the way of telephone. This is going nation wide (this service tonight) by the way of telephone. So we trust that God will bless us.
Can you hear back over in the auditorium to the left? All right, they're going to check now the telephone system to see if it's working all right.

3 Everybody happy tonight? Well, that's fine. On this side? Amen. I'm so glad to see that you're all seated comfortably. And now tomorrow night if the crowds keep increasing, they'll also be telephone direct---there is tonight; I think some of them's down there at the tabernacle. And tomorrow morning the services cannot be had at the tabernacle, because there'll be a florist there decorating the church for a wedding tomorrow afternoon. And they have transferred the services in the morning up to Brother Ruddell's church (one of our associates) and up on the highway here---62. Has it been announced? It's been announced. And if it overflows up there, we'll take the rest and send another minister down to Brother Junior Jackson's down in Clarksville. The reason we had it at Brother Ruddell's, it's close here and we can ... and we thought you could find that easier. And then we'll take care of it in some way. Be sure to get all those baptisms in for tomorrow, and I hope there'll be another hundred or two added to those for baptism tomorrow.
And now tomorrow night...

4 I never like to announce anything you speak on ahead of time, but one night in the service, or one day, I want to speak on the subject of Who Is This Melchisedec? because it's a subject that I think we're living in the time when these revelations of which has been the question down through the age of, "Who is this fellow?" And I believe that God has the answer who He was. Some said a priesthood; some said a king; some ... but there's got ... as long as there's a question, there's got to be an answer to that question which is right. Cannot be a question without first being an answer.

5 Now, we're trusting that God will give us a blessing tonight out of His Word as we read it.
And you've had... Billy told me to tell you that you've sure had fine cooperation with the peoples here that's been in the parking system, the police and everything. Keep it up; that's very, very good.
We hope to see the time (maybe in the near future) when maybe we could bring the tent here to the city and put it up out here in the ball park where we could stay for some length of time, maybe for three or four weeks' revival, constantly. Here, we just barely get to know each other, and then we have to say good-bye and we go again. But I'd like to come and stay an extensive trip, one time where you could stay so you don't have to close out in a night or two, but just stay and teach day and night, day and night, on and on. Maybe somebody go home and feed the chickens, milk the cows, and come back next week and continue on with the service. I like that. So the Lord be with you.

6 Now, before I leave, perhaps Sunday morning or Sunday night, or sometime (one of these services), I know you're all waiting to hear the message on the truth about marriage and divorce, which is one of the great problems of the day. And just as sure as I'm standing here, I believe that the correct answer is in the Word of God, and I believe that that's ... what I promised to come back for.
And I suppose, knowingly, as far as I know, I want to have another service here in Jeffersonville on Easter Sunday, and we'll ... for sunrise service and then Easter Sunday; so we'll announce it ahead and try and maybe to get the auditorium, if possible, or somewhere, for Sunday. Maybe come Saturday and Sunday. Have to fly in and back out, because it's near the time... I have to check it first with the schedule I have and one of my itinerary and in California. And then immediately after that, I've got to go down into---to Africa. So keep in touch and pray for us.

7 Now, tonight I want to call your attention to a portion of God's Word found in the fourth chapter of St. Luke. The fourth chapter and the sixteenth verse it will begin. Jesus speaking:
... This day is this Word fulfilled in your ears.
Now, we want to draw from that a conclusion of how dynamic is the Word of God. Now, we all can figure out the mechanics, but it takes the dynamics to make it work. We can figure out what the mechanics of a machine (automobile), but then it takes the dynamics to make the wheels go to operating and moving.
Now, Jesus had returned to Nazareth where He was brought up. On down in the Scriptures here we find that they said, "We heard you did such and such over in Capernaum; now let us see you do it here in your own country."
Jesus said, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country." And of course, that's where you're brought up at and where people know you. And there He had a bad name to begin with by Him being born without an earthly father. They called Him an illegitimate child---that Mary was actually pregnant before she married, officially, Joseph. But that isn't so; we know it isn't so.

8 And, on this Scripture, what caused me to fall my eyes upon this, was of something that happened just recently in Phoenix, Arizona. It was the last day of the service that I was to speak at the International Convention of the Full Gospel Businessmen, and in this convention there was a visitor with us which was a Catholic bishop, which he's of the Chaldean Rites of the Apostolic Catholic Church---the Most Reverend John S. Stanley, OSD. He is the Archbishop of Metropolitan United States in the Catholic Church. This happened to be his card and his address.
And he was a visitor with the Christian Businessmen, and I had seen him there the day before. And when I was speaking on Saturday night (I believe it was, or Saturday morning at the breakfast), and as I was speaking he kept watching me. I thought "That man certainly is disagreeing with everything I say." And you know, you could just see him; he'd keep his head up and down, but I didn't know what was just exactly working on him.

9 So on Sunday afternoon when I got up to speak, I was going to take my text on birth pains---where Jesus said that as a woman in travail with a child, she's travailing in birth. And so, I was going to speak from there as birth pains (the subject), saying that the world is in birth pains now. The old has to be done away with so the new can be born; just like a seed has to rot away in order to give new life. And how the pains, birth pains, struck the world in World War I. She had a terrific pain, because they had poison gas and so forth that almost could destroy the world. And in World War II she struck another harder pain; they had blockbusters and also an atomic bomb. She cannot stand another labor pain. With these missiles and things today, one more war will throw her out into space, for she will now be delivered, and there'll be a new earth. The Bible said there will be.
Under every prophet's message Israel got a birth pain, because that these prophets would come on the scene after the theologians and clergymen would have the church all in an organization form. And when them prophets come on the scene with "Thus saith the Lord," they shook them churches and she had a birth pain. Finally she had birth pains plumb on up until she delivered a Son of the gospel which was the Word itself made flesh.

10 So the church really is in birth pains tonight again for the deliverance of the Son---Son of God to come again. All of our theologians, all of our systems, all of our denominations has rotted right out from under us. So we are in birth pains, and a message from God always throws the church in heavier pains. But after while she's going to be delivered of a bride that'll bring forth Jesus Christ to His bride.
And then, thinking this man had disagreed with me so much, when I raised up to speak this message, I turned in my Bible to find the page, and my wife had just given me a new Bible for Christmas. My old Bible was about fifteen years old, and the thing was just about tore to pieces. The pages, every time I'd open it up, would fly out of it but I knowed just where to find every Scripture. So I'd studied close in that Bible, and I'd just picked up the new one because the other one looked so ragged to go to church with.

11 And when I started to turn over in St. John, where the Scripture was found, I started to read the sixteenth chapter, and the verse that I was looking for wasn't there! So I thought, "Strange." I turned back again; still it wasn't there. And Brother Jack Moore from Shreveport, Louisiana, a bosom friend of mine, he was sitting there. I said, "Brother Jack, isn't that found in St. John 16?"
He said, "Yes!"
And this Catholic priest got up out of his seat, from about a hundred clergymen sitting on the platform, walked over close to me, with all of his robes and gowns and crosses and so forth, and got right up close to me; and he said, "My son, be steady. God is fixing to move."
And I thought, "A Catholic bishop telling me that!"
He said, "Read it out of my Book."
And I read the Scripture out of his Book, and took my text and went on, preached my sermon.
Afterwards, when I got through, he got up after I was gone and said, "There's one thing has to happen. After that, the church has to get out of the mess that it's in, or we have to get out of the mess the church is in." So, one or the other.

12 And I was on my road home (back down to Tucson) that evening, and the kids was crying for a sandwich, and I stopped to get a sandwich at a little stand. And my wife said, "Bill, I never was so nervous in all my life to see you standing up there fumbling through that Bible." Said, "Didn't it make you nervous?"
I said, "Nope!" I said, "I knowed it was in there somewhere. They just didn't have the page in. It's a misprint."
And she said, "To think that I got you that Bible. It looked like every eye in there was right upon me."
And I said, "Well, you couldn't help that. That was a misprint in the Bible." I said, "They just never put the page in."
Well, I got down and looked at it again. Just perfectly as it could be, but the sixteenth chapter, ends portion---the portion of it just about three inches from the bottom, over at the seventeenth chapter, on the other side does the same thing; and being a new Bible, those two pages had perfectly stuck together, and I was reading from the seventeenth chapter instead of the sixteenth.
"Well," I said, "that's all fine. It's for some cause."

13 And just as plain as you could hear any voice, a voice come to me and said, "He entered into Nazareth to where He was brought up at and went into the synagogue as it was His custom. And the priest gave Him the Scriptures to read, and He read Isaiah 61. And when He had read the Scriptures, He sat down, handed the priest back the Bible, the Book, and sat down. And all the eyes of the congregation was upon Him, and precious words proceeded from His mouth and He said, 'This day this Scripture is fulfilled.'"
"This day this Scripture is fulfilled." How accurate is the Scripture! If you'll notice this, in Isaiah 61:1-2 is where our Lord was reading from---Isaiah 61:1-2. But in the middle of the second verse of Isaiah 61, He stopped where it said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to preach the acceptable year." Then He stopped. Why? The other part, to bring judgment, it didn't apply to His first coming, but His second coming! See, it didn't apply there; how the Scriptures never make a mistake. They're always perfect. Jesus stopped just where the Scripture stopped, because that was exactly what was to be vindicated in His day.
Now, and that first coming... The second coming He will bring judgment upon the earth, but not then. He was to preach "the acceptable year."

14 Notice, the Messiah, standing in the platform to identify Himself with the word of promise for that age. How strange---the Messiah standing up before the church! And look at these precious words, when He says here, "To preach the acceptable year."
The acceptable year, as we all know as Bible readers, was the year of Jubilee; that when all slaves and prisoners, as they were ... been taken prisoners, and they had to give a son to pay a debt, or a daughter to pay a debt, and they were in bondage. No matter how long they'd been in bondage or how long they was supposed to stay there, when the year come of the Jubilee, when the trumpet sounded, every man could go free if he wanted to go free. He was free; he was no more a slave.
But if you desired to remain a slave, then you had to be taken down to the temple, stood by the temple post, and they took a awl and bored a hole in your ear. And then you had to serve that slave master the rest of your days.

15 What a perfect example it is of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When it's preached, the acceptable time and the time of Jubilee, anybody, no matter who you are, what color you are, what denomination you belong to, how far you've stooped in sin, or what's wrong with you, you can go free when you hear the gospel trumpet sound out! You are free! But if you turn your back upon the message and refuse to hear it, notice, you were bored in the ear with an awl. That means to say, that you have crossed the line between grace and judgment and you will never hear the gospel again! You'll never get any further; you must be a slave to the system you're in the rest of your days, if you refuse to hear the acceptable year.
Now, the other part of it, as I said, didn't need to be answered, because this coming Messiah, a time now, is when He will bring judgment.

16 Now, how could those people ever fail to see who He was? How did they ever miss it? How could it be, when it was so plainly made known and showed? How could they ever miss seeing when He... What a Word! Think of it! "This day is this Scripture fulfilled before your eyes!"
Who said it? God Himself, who is the interpreter of His own Word. "This day is this Scripture fulfilled." The Messiah, Himself, standing in the presence of the congregation and reading a word out of the Bible pertaining to Himself, and then saying, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled," and they still fail to see it.
What a tragedy that that would be, but it's happened. It's happened many times. How could it happen? Of course, like it did in other times, by believing man's interpretation of the Word. That's what caused it. Those believers in them days (so-called believers) was taking the interpretation of what the priest had said about the Scripture. Therefore Jesus, not belonging to any of their ranks or their societies, He was excommunicated from their company. And therefore, they could not identify Him with them, because He was different from them. The person of Jesus Christ was so unique that no one should have missed seeing that that was the Son of God, because He was a perfect identification of the Scripture that was wrote of Him! That's the way any Christian is known---when his life identifies the very things that the Christian's supposed to do.

17 How He could stand there and say, "This day this Scripture is fulfilled right before your eyes!" How outstanding! How so plainly, and yet those people misunderstood. Why?---is because they took the interpretation of some order of priest that they were listening to. And history always repeats itself, and Scripture has a compound meaning to it and a compound revelation!
For instance, like it says in the Bible that "Out of Egypt I call my Son" (referring to Jesus). Run the margin on that and you find out it also referred to Jacob---same Scripture. Jesus was His greater Son. Jacob was His son that He called out of Egypt, which the Scofield reference and all other references give to it, because that's the Scripture it was referring to, so it had a double answer. It had a answer to Jacob called out and to Jesus called out.
And so is it today! Is because that we're in such a turmoil as we are, and people fail to see the truth of God, is because there's too many man-made interpretations of God's Word. God don't need nobody to interpret His Word, He is His own interpreter!

18 God said in the beginning, "Let there be light," and there was light. That doesn't need an interpretation.
He said, "A virgin shall conceive," and she did. That doesn't need any interpretation.
God's interpretation of His Word is when He vindicates and proves it to be so! That's His interpretation---by making it come to pass! That's where God's interpretation is, is when He makes His Word come to pass; He's interpreting it to you.
Like if there had never been light and He said, "Let there be light," and there was; that don't need anybody to interpret. But we get man-made systems mixed into it. And when you do, you get it out of line. It's always been that way.

19 But I still think of how striking it must have been. Think of it! The Messiah! Why did they fail to see Him? Because their very leaders that ought to have knowed Him, that ought to have been versed in the Scriptures, that ought to have been understanding of the Scriptures, they belittled this man and said, "He's an illegitimate child to begin with." We wouldn't believe that. Years later we don't believe that; we would die for the purpose to say that He was a virgin born Son! And it'll come to pass some day that the very things that we see Jehovah doing today, men in the ages that's to come, if there is, will die for the thing that we're talking about today! You'll have to do it when the mark of the beast comes on, and you're not allowed to preach the gospel this way.
When the great union of churches comes together, which is in order right now for the world church, you'll have to seal your testimony with your own life to this.

20 You must believe it now. If those priests could rise up that condemned Him, would not condemn Him.
But you say, "If I'd have been there, I would have done so-and-so."
Well, that wasn't your age, but this is your age! This is the time!
You say, "Well, if He was here..."
The Bible says He's the same yesterday, today, and forever---the same; so He is here. But He's here... As the world has civilized and become greater and educated more, He's here in the Spirit form, which they cannot kill or put to death. He died once; He cannot die again. He had to be made flesh in order for God to be put to death in the flesh for sin. But this time He can never die; it's the Holy Spirit.

21 Now, how to think that they had them things against Him. Another thing, that He would not join any of their ranks. Then you see, that still made Him a bad person. He wouldn't join their organizations, wouldn't join their priesthood, and He wouldn't have nothing to do with it. And then besides all that, He tried to tear down what they built up!
He went into the temple. We call Him a meek man; He was, but many times we misunderstand what meekness is. He was a man of compassion, but yet we fail sometimes to understand what compassion is. Not human sympathy isn't compassion, but compassion is doing the will of God. He passed through the pool of Bethesda, the gate; there laid people, multitudes of them. Multitudes is no certain number, but there laid multitudes---lame, blind, halt, withered. And He had compassion on the people always, and He went to one person that was not lame, blind, halt, nor withered. Maybe had a prostate trouble; maybe he had some little infirmity that was retarded; he'd had it thirty-eight years. It wasn't going to bother him, wasn't going to kill him. He was laying on a pallet.
And He said, "Wilt thou be made whole?"
And the man said, "I have nobody to put me in the water. But while I'm coming, well, someone steps down ahead of me."
See, he could walk; he could see; he could get around; but he was just feeble.
And Jesus said to him, "Rise up! Take up your bed and go to your house!" And Jesus was questioned on that. For you remember the Scripture said this...

22 No wonder. If He'd come to Jeffersonville tonight and make an act like that, they'd still talk about Him. But remember, He came to do one thing---was the will of God. Now that's found in St. John 5:19; you'll get the answer. He said, "Verily, verily I say unto you, the Son can do nothing in Himself but what He sees the Father doing, that doeth the Son."
Now, they ought to have knowed that that was the very vindication of the prophecy of Moses: "For the Lord your God shall raise up a Prophet likened unto me."
You notice when He seen the man He said... Jesus knew that he'd been in this condition for many years. He being a prophet, He saw that man in that condition and went down there and waved ... waded His way around through those people, mincing through the crowd until He found that certain man. Passed by the lame, halt, blind, and withered, yet a man full of compassion; but compassion is doing the will of God.

23 Now, we find Him, as He would not join up with them, He would not have nothing to do in their ranks, then He was an outcast. He would not have any... Besides that He went into the temple one day. A man went in there and found the house of God just about contaminated as it is today. They were buying, selling, changing money, and He turned over the money tables, took ropes and plaited them and beat the moneychangers out of the temple and looked upon them with anger! And said, "It's written [Hallelujah!], My Father's house is a house of prayer and you've made it a den of thieves!" You, with your traditions, has made the commandments of God of none effect."
Oh, could a bunch like that ever believe in Him? No, sir! They had been so hog-wallered in the muck of societies and filth of the day until they were so ecclesiastical froze up until they couldn't feel the vibrations of the power of Almighty God! No wonder the little woman could touch His garment and get healed by it, and a drunken soldier could spit in His face and feel no virtue! It depends on how you approach it; depends on what you're Looking for. When you go to church it depends on what you're looking for.

24 Now, we see Him standing there. No doubt but what the people had already warned Him ... warned ... the priest had warned the people, "Now he's coming over here next Sabbath, and when he does, don't you listen to him. Now, you might go and sit here, but don't pay no attention to what he says, because he don't belong to our group. He's an outcast. He has no fellowship card; he don't even have an organization paper with him. He doesn't have nothing like that."
"What is he?"
"Some renegade boy that was born down here of illegitimate birth by a carpenter's home, that a mother conceived him before they were married, and they're trying to hide the thing up with some supernatural thing. We know that when the Messiah cometh He will come down the corridors of Heaven and go to our high priest and say, 'Here I am, Caiaphas.'"
But we find out that He didn't do it that way, because it wasn't written in the Word that way! It was a man-made tradition that caused them to believe that. The Word said that He would come just the way He come! There He stood, reading the Word and saying to them, "This day this Scripture is fulfilled in your eyes," and still they fail to see Him or recognize Him, like they did in all other ages.

25 Noah could have said the same thing the day that he entered into the ark and the door closed. Moses could have raised that window in the top of the ark, looked out upon the congregation (remember, God closed the door), and he could've said, "This day this Scripture is fulfilled in your eyes!" But it was too late for them then. He had preached 120 years to try to get them into that boat that he had built, telling them that the Scripture said "Thus saith the Lord" it's going to rain! But, they waited too long. But Noah could have easily said that "today, this day, the Scripture is fulfilled."
Moses, the same day that the pillar of fire come down on Mount Sinai and give witness to his testimony, Moses could have said, "This day this Scripture is fulfilled."
Moses, you know, was a called man of God, a prophet. And while he was being called, being a prophet, he had to have a supernatural experience in order to be a prophet. He had to meet God face to face and talk with Him. And another thing, what he said had to come to pass or no one would've believed him. So, no man has a right to call himself thus, until he's talked face to face with God on a back side of a desert somewhere, where he met God Himself! And all the atheists in the world could not explain it away from him; he was there, he knowed it happened. Every Christian should have that experience before they say anything about being a Christian---your own experience!

26 I talked to my nephew a while ago, a little Catholic boy, that said, "Uncle Bill, I've run from pillar to post going everywhere trying to find something!" Night after night, before this meeting started, he's been crying, and at nighttime he's been dreaming dreams of coming in, running up to the altar (where preaching) and making a confession that he's been wrong.
I said, "Melvin, no matter where you try to go, how many churches you join, how many 'Hail Mary's' you say, or how many blessings you get from man, you've got to be borned again of the Spirit of God! It's the only thing that'll satisfy the human heart."
I know they've got a substitute today of being borned again---they shake hands with the preacher and put your name on the book. But friends, that is a dogma! It's not a Bible truth! If it would, the Acts of the Apostles in the second chapter would have to read like this: "When the day of Pentecost was fully come, the pastor walked out and shook hands with the people."
But said: "When the day of Pentecost was fully come [at the inauguration of the church], there came a sound from heaven like a rushing, mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting!"
That's how the Holy Spirit come the first time, that's how it's come every time since that time! He's God and changes not.
Now, it stumbles people. They say, "That was for another day."

27 Well, He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Every time the church ever received the Holy Ghost, it's always come like it did the first time, under the same prescription---Acts 2:38. Never has changed, never will change.
Like a doctor's prescription for a disease. He will write out a prescription for a disease (the doctor does), and takes it to some quack, the druggist, and he puts too much of the antidote in it, it's so weak it won't do you any good. If he puts too much of the poison in it, it'll kill you. It's got to be wrote just according to the doctor. And the doctor's prescription on how to receive the Holy Ghost is given to us by Dr. Simon Peter on the day of Pentecost!
I'll give you a prescription: "Repent every one of you and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, for the prescription is to them that's far off and even as many as the Lord our God shall call!" The eternal prescription.

28 Moses had had this experience. He went down into the country and he began to tell the people, "I met a pillar of fire. It was in a burning bush, and He told me to tell you, 'I AM THAT I AM. Go down; I'll be with you. Take up the stick in your hand and hold it up over Egypt; whatever you ask, it'll be done.'"
Well, probably some priest said, "Nonsense!"
But when they seen the real facts of this come to pass, they couldn't hold it any longer. They knowed he was sent of God.
Then if Moses said he saw that and testified to it to be the truth, then God's obligated, if that is the truth, to identify and vindicate that man's word, the truth! That's true.
If Jesus Christ stood there and read that day, "This day is this Word fulfilled before you," God's obligated to make that Word come to pass!
We stand here tonight and say that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever! God's obligated to prove that to be so, because it's His Word! Now, what does it do? It takes faith in believing Him. It takes faith in believing His Word that it is the truth.

29 Notice what come to pass when Moses brought the children out and all those that followed him. Those who did not follow stayed in Egypt, but those who followed Moses, when they come out of the Red Sea and got out into the wilderness, God came down upon Mount Sinai. That pillar of fire set the whole mountain on fire and a voice spoke out of there, and God gave the Ten Commandments. Moses could have walked up there before the people and say, "This day the Scripture that I have told you as His prophet comes to pass! This day. I've told you that God met me up there in a burning bush in a pillar of fire, and He said, 'This will be sign. You'll bring the people right back to this place here again!' And there is God in the same pillar of fire I told you He was in, hanging right yonder on the mountain. This day this prophecy is fulfilled. Here He is to vindicate that the things that I've said is the truth."
God give us more men like that, that's honest and sincere and tell the truth, that God Almighty could vindicate that His Word is still truth! He remains the same yesterday, today, and forever. Why wouldn't He do it? He promised to do it.

30 Joshua might have said the same, the day that he come back to Kadesh-Barnea where they had journeyed so far in the wilderness. They were doubting the land being the kind of land that God said it would be, but God told them it was a good land; it was flowing with milk and honey. And Joshua and Caleb was the only two that would believe it out of the other ten that left. When they come back they had the evidence: they had a bunch of grapes that two strong men could only carry.
Joshua and Caleb could've stood right there and said, "This day this Scripture is fulfilled! Here's the evidence that it is a good land." Sure. Why? "There's the evidence that it's a good land. Where'd you ever get such things as that in Egypt?" There was no such places. "But this day this Scripture is fulfilled."
He could have said the same when he prophesied and said the walls of Jericho would fall down after they'd marched around seven times---seven days, seven times a day. And when they marched around that last time, the walls fell down! Joshua could have stood up and said, "This day, the Chief Captain of the host of the Lord that told me weeks ago that it would happen like this, this day this Scripture is fulfilled! [There laid the walls flat on the ground.] Come on. Let's go take it; it belongs to us."
This day this Scripture is fulfilled. How wonderful, men of God has stood for the things that's right.

31 Israel, at the river when they'd possessed the land, went over. How they going to do it? It's the month of April; the floods are coming down, because the snow is melting up in Judea. Oh, what a poor general it seemed like that God was to bring His people there in the month of April when the Jordan was higher backed than it ever was.
Sometimes... I might could stop here if I had time to give you just a little tip. Sometimes you may be sitting out with a cancer or you might be sitting with a disease. You think, "Why, me being a Christian, would be in this a-way? Why would I be sitting like this if I'm a Christian?"
Sometimes God lets the things get so dark that you can't see up, around, or anywhere else, and then He comes and makes a way through it for you, that you might say, "This day this Scripture is being fulfilled, that He promised to do."

32 He let the Hebrew children walk right into the fiery furnace. They said, "Our God is able to deliver us from this fiery furnace, but nevertheless, we'll not bow down to your image." When they walked out of there with the smell of the furnace upon them---no smell of the furnace, rather, upon them, they could've said, "This day is this Scripture fulfilled."
When Daniel come from the lions' den, he could've said the same thing.
John the Baptist, after 400 years of ecclesiastical teaching... No wonder that church was in a mess at that time. When he appeared in the wilderness, the Jordan, he could've stood right there on the bank, as he did, and say, "This day this Scripture [Isaiah 40] is fulfilled!"

33 How I could stop here and tell you what that old priest told me. He said, "Son, you never finished that message."
I said, "Keep still."
He said, "You mean them Pentecostals don't see that?"
I said, "No."
He said, "I see it." And a Catholic priest, too. He said, "Why didn't you go on?"
I said, "Keep still."
He said, "Glory to God, I see it!"
And about that time the Holy Ghost fell on his sister sitting out there in the meeting, and she raised up speaking in unknown tongues and gave the interpretation of the very thing that the priest and I were talking about on the platform! The whole church, the whole place went into a roar! Carried on over into Oral Robert's convention last week, or week before last, and was the talk of the convention. How that that priest sitting under... The Holy Spirit revealed out there through a woman (his sister, I believe it was) of what was taking place up there on the platform and revealed that thing that we were hiding.
The hour that we're living, this day this Scripture is fulfilled! This day the evening lights have come, and we fail to see it.
Notice,

34 John said, "This day, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, as said the prophet Isaiah. 'Prepare the way for the Lord!'"
They didn't understand him; said, "Oh, you're Jesus... You're the Christ," rather.
He said, "I am not the Christ." He said, "I'm not worthy to loose His shoes, but" he said, "He's standing among you somewhere!" For he was sure that He would be there. He'd be in his day, because God told him he was to introduce the Messiah.
One day a young man come walking down through there, and he seen a ... like a light over the top of Him, (a sign), and he cried out, "Behold, the Lamb of God. This day this scripture is fulfilled before you!"
Sure,

35 at the day of Pentecost, how Peter stood up and quoted the Scripture of Joel 2:38, when they was all laughing, those people. They couldn't talk in their own language; they was jabbering off something else. The Bible said, "Cloven tongues." Cloven is a parted tongue. Not saying nothing, just a jabbering, running around like a bunch of drunk people.
And they all said, "Well, these people are drunk. Look at them. Look how they're acting, how them women and men... They're disorderly," said that religious group of that day.
Peter stood up in the midst of them, said, "Men and brethren, you that dwell in Jerusalem and you that dwell in Judea, let it be known unto you that these are not drunk, as you suppose, seeing it's the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoke of by the prophet Joel: 'It'll come to pass in the last days, I'll pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.' This day this Scripture was fulfilled." Certainly.

36 Luther was right on time. Wesley was right on time. Pentecost was right on time. Nothing out of the order.
Now, I ask you to consider the age and time we now live in with the promised Word for today. If back in other ages man could say, "This day this Scripture... This day this Scripture..." then what about the Scripture for this day? What's promised for this day? Where are we standing! What hour are we living, when the clock is beating, the scientific clock, three minutes before midnight?
World has got the jitters. The church is in a bed of corruption. Nobody knows where they're standing. What time of day is it? What about the Scripture for this day?
The conditions of the church---the conditions of the church today...

37 In the world, politics, our world system, is just as rotten as it can be. I'm not a politician; I'm a Christian, but... I ain't got no business talking about politics, but I just want to say they're rotten on both sides.
I voted once; that was for Christ. I got to win. The devil voted against me, and Christ voted for me. Depends on which way I cast my vote. I'm glad I cast it on Him. Let the world say what they want to, I still believe that He's the same yesterday, today, and forever! He will prove it. He certainly will. Certainly.
The increase in crime, juvenile delinquency. Look at our nation, once the flower of the earth. Our great democracy was born back there in the Declaration of Independence. And the Declaration of Independence was signed, and we had a democracy, and our great forefathers and the things that they done. We had a great nation; but she is now rottening and crumbling and shaking and giving away, and trying to tax people to get money to send over yonder to buy friendship with our enemies. They're throwing it back in our face. One world war, two world wars, and still moving on to a third one. Certainly. Politics is rotten, corrupted, rotten to the bottom. Just exactly what Matthew 24 said it would be: Nation would be against nation, kingdom against kingdom, all these things would take place. Let's consider this now!
All right,

38 notice another: the increase in scientific research. Now, one time just a... My grandfather went to see my grandmother in a ox cart. Now it's a jet plane or even an orbit into outer space. It's great. Who said this? Daniel 12:4 said, "Knowledge shall increase in the last days." We see the hour we're living.
Notice now the conditions of the world, the condition of science. And notice again today in our educational system. Now don't try to deny this, I've got the newspaper clippings---teaching sex in our chur... our schools of young students to have sexual affairs with one another to see if they can mate in the world! Yes, sir.
How about in our priesthood? Tonight I got a piece out of the paper, over in Los Angeles, California, of where a bunch of clergymen (Baptist and Presbyterian ministers) brought a bunch of homosexuals in and practiced homosexual, saying they was trying to win them to God, when that's one of the curses of the hour---a Sodomite! And the law even arrested them.

39 Now where are we at? Our whole system has rottened out from under us. I seen the increase of homosexual across the United States has increased 20 or 30% over last year. Think of that! Men living with men, just exactly like they did in Sodom.
Increase in crime, juvenile delinquency. What hour are we living? This day this Word of prophecy is fulfilled.
The religious world, the church itself, the church, the called out church (that we call the called out church), the last church age, the Pentecostal church age---where is it? It's in Laodicea as the Scripture said.
Today they've let down the bars. Their women are half-dressed, their men are ... it's a horrible thing! Some of them married three or four times, on deacon boards and everything else. They've let down and brought in corruption, because they've set in councils and took the place with the world. And today they got better buildings than they ever had. Some place one of them is building a fifty million dollar auditorium---fifty million dollar! Pentecostals! It used to be down on the corner twenty-five years ago beating a tambourine. Said, "We ... because..." The Scripture said in Revelation 3 that you are rich. Said, "I'm rich, I sit as a queen, I have need of nothing." "And knowest thou not that thou art wretched, miserable, poor, naked, blind." and don't know it! This day this Scripture is fulfilled in your eyes. Amen!
Amen means "so be it." I'm not amening myself, but I mean I believe it's the truth. This day this Scripture is fulfilled.

40 The Pentecostal church is in a Laodicean condition. Oh, they still jump and holler and carry on when the music's beating. When the music stops beating---or the beatnik music some of them play and call it Christianity---and whenever that stops, all the glory is gone.
If it's a real praise of God, there isn't enough whistles and enough ... the power in the world to stop it! When it really comes from God, it don't take music to be beat up; it takes the Spirit of God to come down; that does it! And they've long forgot it, because they classed the gift of the Holy Ghost ... initial evidence of speaking in tongues, and I heard devils and witches speak in tongues!
The Holy Ghost is the Word of God in you that identifies itself by accepting that Word. Outside of that it can't be the Holy Ghost. If it says it's the Holy Spirit and denies one word of that Bible, it cannot be the Holy Spirit. That's the evidence whether you believe or not.

41 Notice, another great sign. The Jews are in their homeland, their own nation, their own money, a member of the United Nations, they got their own army; they got everything.
They're in their homeland which Jesus said, "Learn a parable of the fig tree." There they are, right back in their nation. This day this Scripture is fulfilled.
The Jews in their homeland---this day this Scripture is fulfilled. The Laodicea church age---this day this Scripture (Matthew 24) is fulfilled. The world is in a corruption, the whole thing. Nations against nations, earthquakes in divers places, great whirlwinds coming down shaking the nations and so forth, great disasters everywhere. This day this Scripture is fulfilled.

42 Now, we found out the condition of the world. We see where the church nominal, organization, denomination, we see where they are. We see where the nations are. And we see that this day these promises is fulfilled. Now! But in this day there is to come a super, royal seed of Abraham. That's exactly what it'd be, would be a royal bride to the royal promised Son. As I spoke last night, it won't be a natural seed, it'll be a spiritual seed. There's to be a spiritual bride raise up, which will be the royal seed of the royal faith of Abraham's royal Son. She is to come on the scene in the last days, and the time and the place is a promise that's given to her. According to Malachi 4, a scripture, there is to rise a message that will shake the hearts of the people right back to the apostolic fathers again.
There is to rise one on the scene in the power of Elijah, that'll rise on the scene, a wilderness man, that'll come out and will have a message that'll come right straight back to the Word again. That's the hour that we're living in.

43 Then consider. Now, I ask you at this hour, you people here at Jeffersonville. In 1933, the supernatural light that fell down here on the river that day when I was baptizing five hundred in the name of Jesus Christ (I was about a twenty year old boy), what did it say, Jeffersonville? What was it at the foot of Spring Street there, when the Courier Journal (I think it was the Louisville Herald) packed the article of it. It went plumb across the Associated Press, plumb into Canada. Dr. Lee Vayle cut it out of the paper way up in Canada, in 1933!
When I was baptizing my seventeenth person under this witness (and you know the rest of the story), and when I was standing there baptizing this seventeenth person, a light come down from heaven, shining down above there like a star falling from heaven. A voice said, "As John the Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming of Christ, your message shall forerun His second coming into all the world." This day this Scripture is fulfilled!

44 Thank you, Lord.
This day God promised it. What happened? This day it's went around the world. And when God came down there and said that ... when I was a little boy, in a burning bush, or a bush up yonder on fire with a pillar of fire, up here at Wathen's place on the Utica Pike, packing water back there from that barn to a moonshine still. You know the truth of it.
He said, "Don't you never smoke, or drink, or defile your body, for there's a work for you to do when you get older."
I testify to that being the truth that I saw it! And God, as He did with Moses, spoke out before the congregation down yonder and said, "This is the truth!" This day this Scripture is fulfilled in the midst of us!
Watch what He said about the discernment and how it would be, from laying hands upon them to knowing the secret of the heart. This day this Scripture is fulfilled before our very eyes,

45 these promises that was made.
Notice, all these promises have been vindicated and fulfilled by the God of the promise. Look, hanging in Washington, DC tonight, the picture of the Angel of the Lord. As George J. Lacy, the head of the FBI fingerprint and document for the United States government, examined it from Houston, Texas and said, "This is the only supernatural being that was ever photographed in all the world." He ought to know; he's the best that's in the world for it.
Notice, there it hangs as the truth, the same pillar of fire that led Israel back yonder in the wilderness. We're seeing it today, the same kind of a presence that come up out of Egypt! [unclear words] This day this Scripture is fulfilled. You know the message that He said.

46 Look at the vision of Tucson three years ago. When standing up there on the lane, when five years before that He said, "The day that the city drives a stake down in front of that gate, turn yourself towards the west." My tabernacle folks that's here knows that's prop... that time. That's right.
And the day that Mr. Goyne and them was up there and drove that stake down, I said to the wife, "There's something about this."
She said, "What is it?"
And I went in, looked in my little book. There it was! And that next morning at ten o'clock, sitting in there in my room there about ten o'clock, the Angel of the Lord came down and He said, "Go to Tucson. You'll be northeast of Tucson and there'll come seven angels in a cluster that will shake the whole earth around you." And said, "It'll be told you from there."
How many remembers that here, way before it happened? There's men sitting right here in this building tonight was standing right there when it happened, and said the seven seals of the hidden mysteries of the entire Bible would be opened and fulfill Revelations 10, that in the seventh angel's message these things should come to pass! This day this Scripture is fulfilled before our eyes! This day this Scripture is fulfilled.

47 Last year standing in the same place (Mr. Woods, here, and I), going up the hill, kind of mourning about his wife being sick, the Holy Spirit said, "Pick up a rock laying there, throw it up in the air. When it comes down say, 'Thus saith the Lord!' There'll be judgment strike the earth. Tell him that he will see the hand of God in the next few hours."
I told Mr. Woods (that's present tonight) and I guess eight or ten of the men---or fifteen that was there at that time, when it took place the next morning, where the Lord came down in a whirlwind and ripped the mountain out around us, and cut the tops of the trees loose, and made three blasts and said, "Judgment is heading towards the west coast!"
Two days after that Alaska almost sunk beneath the earth! And since then up and down the coast the belches of God's judgment against that spiritual screen.
There is a Iron Curtain, there is a Bamboo Curtain, and there is a Sin Curtain!

48 Civilization's traveled with the sun, so has the gospel. It come from the east and went west like the sun goes, and now it's on the west coast. It can't go no further; if it goes further, it'll be back east again.
The prophet said, "There will come a day that cannot be called night or day [a dismal day, a lot of rain and fog, just enough to kind of know how to join a church or put your name on a book]. But it shall be light about the evening time. This day this Scripture is fulfilled!
The same ... the same s-u-n that rises in the east is the same s-u-n that sets in the west. And the same S-o-n of God that come in the east and vindicated Himself as God manifested in the flesh is the same S-o-n of God in the western hemisphere here, that's identifying Himself among the church tonight---the same yesterday, today, and forever! The evening light of the Son has come. This day this Scripture is fulfilled before us.

49 Where are we at in this Abrahamic age? Where are we in this great time we're standing, the great hour that we're living? All the visions has been fulfilled. How about when a little minister friend of ours here, an associate sister church (Junior Jackson), come running up to us one night (me down there), and said, "I had a dream, Brother Branham, that's bothering me. I seen all the brethren gathered upon a hill." And said, "Upon this hill, you were teaching us out of letters that was wrote, looked like some letters that time had carved out in the rock. When you finished that, all of that was finished, you told us, said, 'Come close,' and we all gathered up." Said, "You reached from somewhere and looked like got like a crowbar and whipped the top of this little pyramid open. And when it did," said, "granite rock with no writing on it. And you told us to look in upon this. And we all started looking." Said, "I turned my head, and I noticed you going towards the west just as hard as you could, towards the setting of the sun." How many remembers it?

50 And I stood there a little bit till the Holy Spirit revealed it. I said, "The entire Bible, as much as had been revealed to man through justification, sanctification, baptism of the Holy Ghost, the baptism in Jesus' name, and all these things has been revealed; but there is secrets that's hid inside, because the Bible's sealed with seven seals. I must go there to find it."
That morning when those seven angels come down and blasted the earth, and rocks flew every way, seven angels stood there and said, "Return back to Jeffersonville from where you come from, for the seven seals of the Seven Mysteries will be opened."
Here we are today. We're understanding serpent's seed; in a few days, if God willing, we'll understand the correctness of marriage and divorce and all these things that God's opened, every Seal, the mysteries since the foundation of the world, and we've enjoyed the presence of His blessings. That is true. This day this Scripture...

51 The Life magazine packed an article of it, "Mystic circle of light goes up in the air above Tucson and Phoenix"---in the same way that I told you nearly a year before it happened, how it would be in a ... like a triangle. The picture hangs in the church down there. You that took that magazine has it. There it was just exactly. They said it was twenty-seven miles high and thirty miles across. They don't understand yet what happened. It appeared mysteriously and went away mysteriously.
And Brother Fred Sothmann, Brother Gene Norman, and I standing there, three is a witness, like it was up on top of the mountain---Peter, James, and John. They give witness; stood there and watched it when it happened and seen it done! There it is, hanging in the sky so far there's no humidity, no moisture, nothing to make a fog. How could it come there? It was the angels of God returning back after their message. This day that prophecy has been fulfilled in our midst! This day this Scripture has been fulfilled.
Watch. Seven seals has been opened, the whirlwinds to the west coast. Now, don't miss it like they did back yonder.

52 Now, our attention a little closer to our day.
What does the Scripture say about today and about the time we live in? Jesus speaking ... I won't have time to take them all, but I want to take this one before we close. Jesus said in St. Luke the seventeenth chapter, the thirtieth verse---Jesus Christ, the Word Himself (do you believe that?)--- Jesus Christ, the Word Himself made flesh, spoke and said what the Word would be in the end time, what would be the sign of the end of the world. He told them nation would rise against nation, but He said, "As it was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be in the day when the Son of man is being revealed."
Now, when Jesus came to the earth He came in the name of three Sons: Son of man (which is a prophet), Son of God, and Son of David. Now, He lived here on earth, He never did say He was the Son of God. He said, "I'm the Son of man" (Jehovah Himself called Ezekiel and the prophets "Son of man"), because He had to come to fulfill Scripture as a prophet. Moses said, "The Lord your God shall raise up a Prophet likened unto me." That's the reason He could not be the Son of God then, because He was the Son of man! He ... the Word came to the prophets and He was the Word in its fullness! Son of man, the major prophet ... not the major prophet, but the God-Prophet. The fullness of the Godhead bodily was in Him, therefore He was the Son of man.
Now for two thousand years He's been known to us as Son of God, Spirit. And in the Millennium He will be Son of David, upon the throne. We all know that, who believe the Scriptures.

53 Now Jesus said just at the end of this church age that we're living in, that the Son of man would be revealed again in the same manner it was as it was at Sodom. Watch how historically He gave it. He said, "As it was in the days [first] of Noah, how they were eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage." Then He brought next to ... last to the Son of man at Sodom, because there He was dealing with Jews, here at Sodom He's dealing with Gentiles. There He drowned them all by water in judgment; here is the Gentiles, He burned them all at the day at Sodom. That's right. The Gentile world burnt there.
And so will it be when the Son of man reveals. It's not no more water, but it'll be fire this time. Jesus read from the same Genesis 23 that we read from, when He read about Sodom.

54 Now, we admit the conditions that's spoke of, the world condition of Sodom, Sodomites, Sodom condition. We every one will say "amen" to that; we believe that. All right. And the spiritual condition of Laodicea, the church natural, we'll say, "amen" to that, and accept their signs. We know that every sign is there. The church is in Laodicea, we know that. We know the world is in a Sodom condition. Is that right? We'll accept that. But what about the sign of Abraham, the one waiting for the promised son? That was another one. Remember, they had a Sodom back there, they had their messenger, and Abraham had a messenger to him. Abraham was waiting day by day for almost an impossible thing to happen---Sarah, ninety, and him, a hundred. According to the promise of God he was still waiting. In the midst of all criticism he was waiting for that son. So is the true believer still waiting for that promised Son to return.
Notice, just before the son arrived, there was a sign given him. Is not the sign of the coming Son to be revealed to the Royal Seed of Abraham that's waiting for the Royal Son, the same as it was to father Abraham for the natural son? That right? Jesus said so here in St. Luke 17:30, before this time come, that the Son of man would be revealed like He did in the days of Sodom, before the destruction of Sodom. Now, we're looking for a sign.

55 Now let's take the conditions of time as it was in Sodom. Notice, that all went out in Sodomite, the world. I think one of the movie directors put on a picture not long ago, and I got to see it. That was Sodom. If you ever see it, and there's nothing else on but that, take a look at it. It was certainly a good picture of the United States today. Hollywood, just exactly, the same kind of dressing and everything else that they did right then, big drunken sprees and everything else---a religious cult of people, so-called religious.
Notice, and Sodom had a witness. And it was a fellow by the name of Lot, which was just a nephew to Abraham. Now, Abraham did not go down in Sodom, he and his group. He had a big group with him, enough to fight off about a dozen kings and their army; so he had a big group with him. And he was sitting out there under an oak tree one day when everything was going wrong for him, nobody had anything to do with him; but he was still holding on to that promise. Watch now, closely, before we close. While he was sitting there, down come three men walking to him. Two of them went down into Sodom and preached the gospel to them to come out, to Lot. Is that right? But one stayed with Abraham. Notice, the one that stayed with Abraham was God Himself; the other two were angel messengers.

56 Now, down in Sodom they done no miracles, only smiting the blind. And preaching the gospel always smites them blind.
Now look at the set of that day. There is a church natural. Always in threes (as I said last night) God is represented. There was Sodomites, the Lotites, and the Abrahamites. It's in the same position tonight, the world setting just like that!
Let me ask you something. Look at this setting now. Abraham called this man that talked to him, "Elohim." The Hebrew word Elohim means the "all-sufficient One, the One that's the Eternal One." Elohim, God Himself.
In the beginning... Genesis 1 said, "In the beginning, God..." Take the Hebrew word there, the Greek word rather, "In the beginning Elohim created heavens and earth."

57 Here He is, Genesis, about 22 here ... He said [unclear words] Begin or about the 20... He said... And he called this man's name Elohim. Why did he do it? God represented in a human flesh, that sat down with Abraham and ate a calf sandwich, drinking some milk, and ate some bread---God Himself---and disappeared right before Abraham! But He give him a sign. Notice, and that sign was that He had His back turned to the tent. And remember, Abraham, his name was Abram a few days before that, and Sarah was Sarai before that. S-a-r-r-a then S-a-r-a-h and A-b-r-a-m to A-b-r-a-h-a-m. Abraham means "father of nations."
Now, watch real close here, and we'll see the setting of the hour that we are now living, as Jesus told us to look for this setting. We've seen all the rest of it right, now let's see to the royal seed, what setting they're supposed to see.
Now, this man said, "Abraham, where is your wife, Sarah?"
And Abraham said, "She's in the tent, behind You."
Now, He'd never seen her. How did He know that his name was Abraham? How did He know her name was S-a-r-a-h? "Abraham, where is your wife, Sarah?"
Said, "She's in the tent, behind You."
And He said, "I [I, a personal pronoun], I am going to visit you according to the promise. Your wife's going to have that baby. You've trusted Me, now I'm going to make it come to pass."

58 And Sarah in the tent behind (eavesdropping, or eardropping, ever what you call it), listening through the tent, she laughed up her sleeve, and she said, "Now, me, an old woman like I am, have pleasure with my lord and him old too, out there a hundred years old? Why, this hasn't happened for many, many years."
And the man, m-a-n, sitting there eating in human flesh, drinking and eating like an ordinary man, with dust on His clothes, and had dust on His feet, and Abraham washed it off, God Himself, looked around and He said, "Why did Sarah laugh back in the tent, saying this?" He knew, could discern the thoughts of Sarah in the tent behind Him. Is that right?
Now, when the royal seed of Abraham come on the earth, what sign did He show (Son of man)? Simon came up to Him one day, Andrew brought him. He said, "Your name is Simon; you're the son of Jonas." He said... See, that made a believer out of him.

59 Philip went over and got Nathanael, come back, and said, "Come see a man who we've found, Jesus of Nazareth, son of Joseph."
He said, "Now wait a minute. Could anything good come out of that fanaticism?"
He said, "Come see."
So when Philip come up in the presence of Jesus, with Nathanael, Jesus looked over at him and said, "Behold an Israelite, in whom there is no guile!"
He said, "Rabbi, when did You know me?"
He said, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree, I saw you."
He said, "Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God; you're the King of Israel."

60 When the little woman at the well, in her immoral condition, come up (a little panoramic something like this) to draw some water, Jesus had sent His disciples away to get victuals. And when she come up to draw water, He said, "Bring me a drink, woman."
She said, "It's not customary for you to say that. We have segregation here. Now, you Jews have nothing to do with us Samaritans, we have nothing to do with you."
He said, "But woman, if you knew who you were talking to, you'd ask me for a drink. I'd give you waters you don't come here to draw."
He found where her condition was, what it was. He said, "Go get your husband and come here."
She said, "I don't have any husband."
He said, "You've said the truth. You've had five, and the one you're living with now is not yours."
She said, "Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet! We know when the Messiah cometh, he will show us these things!"
Jesus said, "I am He!"
On that she run into the city and said, "Come, see a man who's told me the things I've done: Isn't this the very Messiah?"

61 Watch. He did that before the Jews and the Samaritans, but never the Gentiles. The Gentiles, we people, were heathens in them days (the other nations), packed a club on our back, worshipping idols; we wasn't looking for no Messiah. He only appears to those who's looking for Him, and we're supposed to be looking for Him! But those who claim to be looking for Him, the church itself, when they seen that done, they said, "He's a devil, he's a fortune-teller, a Beelzebub!"
And Jesus said that sin would be forgiven them because He hadn't died yet, but said someday the Holy Ghost will come and do the same thing, and to speak one word against it will never be forgiven. That's this day, where every word has to hang together. Speak a word against it, it'll never be forgiven in this world or the world to come.

62 That was the royal seed of Abraham. And here that royal seed of Abraham (which come because of that identification of that man sitting there with Abraham) come to prove it was the same God promised and in this day, as it was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man, when He is revealing Himself as Son of man! Amen! This is the day for the Scripture to be fulfilled.
Look at the setting we are today. Look at the church where the Son of God... Look at the dismal day; look at all the prophecies. Now, a strange thing---our visitors are due then, if the setting has to be like at Sodom.
There were three of them come along---three outstanding men sent from heaven, we'll admit that, three of them. One stayed with Abraham. They all started there, but one stayed with Abraham. The rest of them went down in Sodom. Is that right? And Abraham had a changed name, from Abram to Abraham. True? Not one time has the history ... church of the world ever had an evangelist to go to it with a name ending in h-a-m till this day---Billy G-r-a-h-a-m. Is that right? G-r-a-h-a-m. Six letters. A-b-r-a-h-a-m is seven letters, but G-r-a-h-a-m is six letters, which is the world, man. See?

63 Look what's went out there today is them messengers from heaven. Is there a man on earth that's got repentance so preached so plainly as Billy Graham? Has there been a man that has had an effect upon the people like Billy Graham? Never has there been internationally a man. Oh, Billy Sunday and so forth was here in the United States, but Billy Graham's knowed worldwide. See where's he's calling? Out of Sodom! And he's got his company imparted there with the Pentecostal church---an Oral Roberts.
But what about the elect group? What kind of a sign are they supposed to see? What are they supposed to have? Hallelujah! "It shall be light in the evening time!" This day this Scripture is fulfilled! This day God's promise is fulfilled. We know that to be the truth. He's here tonight as He was then.

64 Now, to preach it... As I said a while ago, if you preach anything and it's the gospel truth, then God's obligated to vindicate that. Is that true? Now if that be so, let the God that wrote the Word, let the God that made the prophecy, let the God who is God of the Word, come forth and prove that He's still God!
As Elijah went up on the mountain ... watching, Elisha went watching Elijah, he said, "I want a double portion." And the mantle that was on Elijah fell upon Elisha. He walked down and doubled that blanket up and struck the river, and said, "Where is the God of Elijah?" And the same thing that happened for Elijah, happened for Elisha. And the same gospel, the same power, the same son of man that was yesterday, is today, and will be forever! Hebrews 13:8. Do you believe it?
Now, I ask you. I cannot be Him, but He is here. We are only a carrier.

65 Some of you people out there that's sick and afflicted, that you know that I don't know you, let God now (if I can humble myself enough) ... you pray and ask God.
I don't guess... There isn't a prayer card in the building, is there? No. We never give out any prayer cards. We're going to have prayer meeting ... or, healing of the sick at the church. But you pray, and you know that I'm a total stranger to you. See... You know me, Jeffersonville. I don't want people from Jeffersonville to do that; I want people from away from here somewhere. See if God still reveals. See if He's still the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Do like the little woman did. He passed through and she said, "I believe this man." She had a blood issue and she said, "If I could touch the border of His garment I believe I'll be made whole." Is that right? Because of her faith, that day the Scripture was fulfilled. He bind up the heart of the broken heart, "I healed the sick and the lame."
When she touched His garment and walked out and sat down, He turned around and said, "Who touched me?"
How'd He ever know in that great throng of people (probably thirty times what's here tonight, thousands of them), how did He know it? He said, "Who touched me?" He didn't say that just to be saying, He said that because it was true. And He said, "Who touched me?" Directly, He looked around and seen the little woman, where she was sitting or standing (whatever position she was in)--- told her her blood issue was over. That was Jesus yesterday; that's Him today.
You believe that?

66 I don't know you; God does. But you got pains in your side that's bothering you. That's right. You're sitting there praying about it. Am I a stranger to you? We're stranger to one another; stand up if it is. I don't know you. It's this man right here on the corner, this young fellow. You also got a bad throat. That's right. You're praying about that. You're all nervous about something. You're going to have to leave the meeting, because you're a minister. You got some engagements you got to take care of. That is right. You believe God knows who you are? Rev. Mr. Smith, now you can go and be healed; Jesus Christ made you whole. Go on to your meeting, your throat won't bother you. Who did he touch?

67 There's a man sitting right back here, he's suffering. He's got a tumor on his left lung. He doesn't ... he isn't from here. You have been a mine worker. That is right. I'm a total stranger to you. If that's right, shake your hand. The tumor's in your left lung, and you're up for an operation right away. That's right? You're not from here, you're from out of town. You're from Virginia. That's right. You believe God knows who you are? Mr. Mitchell (that's right), go home and be well. Jesus Christ makes you whole. Ask the man; never seen him in my life. He was sitting there praying. This day this Scripture...
Here's a lady sitting right back here behind me, as Sarah was in the tent. She's praying for a daughter. Stand up. The daughter's not here; she's away. The daughter has... You're the same as it was when a woman come to Jesus who had a woman that was variously vexed with a devil. The woman is ... girl is demon possessed. She's not here; she is from ... you're from North Carolina. You believe that, and that's the truth isn't it? Mrs. Orders, you can go home. If you'll believe with all your heart, you'll find your daughter like found when Jesus Christ in the days gone by said it would be.

68 This day this Scripture---the sign of Sodom, the sign of the super-seed, the sign of the natural church---this day this Scripture is fulfilled in your midst! Do you believe it? Will you accept Him right now as your Saviour and healer? Stand up to your feet every one of you and say, "I accept my healing; I accept Him as my Saviour; I accept Him as my King." Each one stand to your feet.
This day... Listen friends. He read the Scripture, handed the Bible back to the priest, and said all the eyes of the people were fastened upon Him. And He looked upon them and said, "This day this Scripture is fulfilled."
I've read the Scripture, with a dozen or more evidences that we're living in the last day, the generation that will see Jesus Christ return to the earth. And I say to you tonight again, this day this Scripture is fulfilled in your sight!
You in Tucson, you in California, you in New York, on these telephone hook-ups, this day this Scripture is fulfilled in your sight! Let us be glad and make merry, for the marriage of the Lamb is at hand, and her bride ... His bride has made herself ready!
Let's raise our hands and give Him glory, all ye people. God bless you.