I am going to read the thirteenth and the fourteenth verses of Daniel 7. These are the verses that actually are the center, I don’t mean it is placed center within the chapter, which strategically, they are; but I mean they are the center verses that show forth the key to the chapter.
Daniel 7:13-14 “I saw in the night, VISIONS (notice visions -it is a plural word, indicating the seventh chapter to contain more than one vision asit breaks from one to another will go back and pick up another detail and project it through to its position and place that, then it will go back and pick up something else and take it through. That is why he said I saw in the night, visions.) And, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him; his dominion is an ever-lasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”
To really clarify these two center verses in our minds, many things must be shown to make the picture projecting here understandable; we even have to bring in how God remains to be ONE all the way through the prophetic picture; but for the sake of the trinitarian-minded person, he looks at the verses here, and he sees from a natural mind, it looks as if one like the Son of Man came to the Ancient of Days. Within himself, he would say, that is a man walking up to another person to receive something. Always remember, Jehovah God is Spirit. He is the Father of all creation, therefore, when He made the world and placed His creatures in it -start with Adam and Eve – our Father gave Adam and Eve authority to rule or govern this earth. From the Garden of Eden is where His command and commission was given to the human family. Adam and Eve are regenerators. We know that Satan comes in and deceives Eve which brought about the first original sin, setting the entire scope in perversion. Creation and the human family starts its long decline downward. Paul says in Corinthians that through one man’s disobedience, many were made sinners – one man, through his disobedience or disobeying God’s Word, it brought this curse on the whole human race. It caused the entire creation to fall. God allowed Satan to come in between the animal kingdom and man to the extent that the animal kingdom is angry with us. It goes to show that this is God’s way of chastising man; hence, if it fell through man, by man having received from God, our Father, the command to subdue it and replenish it and refill it, and to beautify it, then God has to do this again through a man. He must redeem it back through a man. This is the very thing we are looking at here in verses 13-14, along before Jesus who was the Christ, became man, long before He ever was flesh or anything, He was the logos – the expression of God there in the bosom of the Father. Always He was there. We must realize when the Word became man and took upon Himself flesh, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS ETERNAL SONSHIP. The flesh had a beginning, but that Spirit of Life that was in the flesh had NO beginning, it was Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the Spirit always was. That Spirit was with the Father in the beginning; but when that Spirit departed from the bosom of the Father into a human form, that is why it pleased the Father that in Him, the Son-ship, all the fullness of God’s Godhead dwelled bodily. The Word Godhead there means all of His authority, all of His attributes, His wisdom and His knowledge, all of His Holiness and all of His virtue should be manifested there in a bodily form.
When this was accomplished and Jesus Christ was brought upon the earth in the form of a little baby, growing up like any other person; when He was grown, He was in the office of a prophet. All of the great prophetic Spirit of God which knew all things was invested in Him; and that great Jehovah Spirit was invested in the Sonship of Jesus Christ, the eternal Spirit went about leading that vessel of clay to exercise and do the things of a prophet. He was the prophet of all prophets! As He fulfilled that office, He died on the cross – the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world – past, present, and future. At Calvary, the sins of all the human race were judged in Jesus Christ. Past, present, and future. That is why Jesus could say in St. John 5:24, “He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, hath everlasting life (or eternal life), and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. ” When Jesus says come into condemnation, He mains, will not come into the judgment, where the wicked are judged. He has passed from death, spiritual eternal death, which will leave them all down here, unto life. No wonder He could say, “All that the Father giveth to me, I will in no wise lose any, but will raise them up again at the last day”. The last day when He will raise up all life. When He fulfilled that prophet office, He dies as the Lamb of God, passing out of that prophet office He dwells in immortality. He rose from the grave in immortality, because being God in man, He has power to lay His life down and power to take it up again. The scriptures show He ascended into heaven to fulfill a second office. God invested in this man a second office, that of High Priest. On earth, He was the sacrifice, now He must go back into the Holy place into the presence of God to be an interceder for the sacrifice upon the cross of Calvary. Remember, no High Priest ever entered into the Holy place in the Tabernacle until the sin offering was up on the altaralter. Jesus Blood being shed, He took that blood and went into the Holy place. He walked into the Holy place, and He sprinkled the Blood upon the mercy seat. He never sat down, until Jehovah said, “I forgive the people.”
In the scriptures portraying Him standing on the right hand of the Father, means He is standing on the right hand of Jehovah’s Spirit, interceding for the human family, saying save this one, and save that one; we know that all the Father has foreknown, will be a given to His intercessory High Priest office. The scripture says He arose from the grave, and appeared unto many for the space of forty days, before ascending on high, He said, “All power and authority in heaven and in earth is given unto me,” meaning invested in me. Father Jehovah turns it over to Him. Here is the reason Christ appeared unto John, the apostle, Revelation I dressed exactly like a High Priest, but in this scene He was wearing a white wig, showing that He is a judge also. We all know that the High Priest in Israel in strict order, did judge Israel’s social and moral sins, didn’t he? Jesus is High Priest throughout the seven church dispensations. I must bring all this in, because Daniel 7:13-14 does not show His High Priest work, these verses only show Him as He passes out of that High Priest office, coming now to receive the next office, that of Kingship. It is through the seven church ages, He is a High Priest in the heavens. He is interceding to Jehovah’s Spirit, standing on the right hand of power, because that authority to be a High Priest is invested in Him. As a judge, He could say to His disciples, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel. Whosoever ye bind in earth, I will bind in heaven.” Only a judge can do that, only a judge can remit your guilty cause; therefore, He is a judge, and He is power of attorney. Only an attorney can plead your case. The same man that pleads your case will be your judge. That is His office now, for two thousand years, He has been pleading that you and I might come to Him through His own sacrificaI work on His alter, which was Calvary, the cross, where He gave His own life, a perfect Lamb, a sacrifice, becoming one of us that He might die in our stead. The Holy Blood was offered; therefore, He has gone back into the Holy of all Holies, right into the very presence of Jehovah’s Spirit, which is Eternal, that He might plead your case and mine, and that He might be the judge over it all. Notice some New Testament scriptures show Christ standing, others show Him seated. In the office of High Priest, HE IS STANDING, no High Priest in Israel sat down when ministering in his office. In another place, He is the judge and He is seated. No judge STANDS to judge, he is always seated at his bench. He sits in His chair, “Next case, please. What is the cause, etc.” So in one position He is standing, and in another position, He is seated. He goes to show the authority to be exercised there in that position. Is that established? Just like on earth, He was a prophet, but He was also the Lamb of God wasn’t He? When He fulfilled that prophet office, ministered for three and one half years, He simply laid aside this office, now He has to forfeit those powers, otherwise, He would probably have just smitten them all blind when they came to arrest Him, but He couldn’t, yet He said, “I could call for twelve legions of angels”. He didn’t call for these angels, to have done so would mean He was now projecting that Lamb nature, now ready to face the cross, the sacrifice, yes, He is a Lamb. That is why Isaiah said they led Him like a sheep to the shearers and a Lamb into the slaughter, and He opened not His mouth, so He was the Lamb of God.
Now we behold Him in His office as High Priest through the seven church dispensations, interceding for the atonement work, calling out of the Gentiles a people for His Name. The same Spirit that was in Jesus here on earth as a prophet, came back on the day of Pentecost setting forth the church dispensations and bringing the Kingdom of Heaven into motion. This interval is called the Grace Age or Church Age, the fullness of the Gentiles, because grace was given to the Gentiles. The church age is calling out a Gentile Bride who one day will be presented to Him when this seventh age comes to a close. Since the church age is broken up into seven intervals; Christ as High Priest is interceding through all seven. It is an office work that has been invested in Him, as He is there in the presence of Jehovah’s Spirit, back in the glory world. That is why He said, He came from God and He goes to God. Again He said in St. John, “Glorify thou me with the same glory that I had with thee before the world was.” As we see this last age winding up and coming to a close,we know that down on earth among the nations, we have all of this beast system that had risen, in Daniel’s vision.
For the beginning of this fourth beast system we must turn back the pages of history some 190 B.C. Around this time, we know the Roman Empire rose up and began to project itself through the world. Rome was ruling the world when Christ came on the scene. The Roman Empire was pictured in the scriptures as that gigantic head that Daniel saw come up. Just one head, it had no horns at first; Daniel observed closely that fourth beast coming up in the first part of the chapter. Here he stated, “After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a FOURTH BEAST, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth; it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it; and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns.”
Notice, what Daniel was actually describing, he saw the fourth beast protruded up and he saw it live and grow until it actually did have ten horns; therefore, he beheld it, he watched that entire (Continued on page 2)
Roman system grow and grow through time. Notice a step further how he described It in verse 8 – I considered the horn (or this fourth beast, In the Spirit, in night visions he saw all these beast systems come up; but the last one he saw come up was Rome. He was more intrigued with this one than with the others. He watched It grow, He saw it appear (first with only a huge head. He watched until eventually It devoured the entire earth, and stamped the residue with lts feet, It broke and would tear to pieces, that was the spirit of the Roman Empire under the great leadership of the Caesar Empires. On and on he watched It go out through time until finally It developed ten horns. Now what is transpiring? Daniel is seeing preview of what shall transpire hundreds of years after his death. Daniel only saw the head of the Beast; but another man of God, John, the apostle, around 96A.D. wrote the book of Revelation, he saw this same vision, he picked up the same thing; but John described the beast’s WHOLE BODY. As he witnessed the entire thing until the empire broke up into ten kingdoms. In John’s vision the beast not only had ten horns, but it had several heads. When it got over to John’s hour, he saw the fourth beast’s whole body like a leopard with feet like a bear and a mouth like a lion; but as Daniel saw it in the first part of the seventh chapter, he beheld and there came up amongst these horns, ANOTHER LITTLE-HORN.) “And, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots; and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. This is all history.
The crumbling of the Roman Empire makes way for the ten horns and the little horn. What caused the Roman Empire to begin to crumble? It was because that old Ceasar Kingship began wan away, In other words, It began to lose its Influence. Time had come, the Roman system kingdom was so large that It couldn’t keep its subjects in control; therefore, a spirit was projected into it to cause different parts to break off, this breaking up created a spirit within the Roman government. There were insurrections, internal revolts and everything else until finally that great Imperial kingship under the Caesars, which brought the Roman Empire to its greatest glory now begins to weaken and deteriorate. It began going Into different cycles, adapting different forms of government, that it exactly why Revelation 17 says – FIVE are fallen, one is, one is not yet come. The Bible says, five are fallen – I have in my possession the histories relating to this very event. After the Roman Empire had climbed to its greatest, from 96 A.D. to 180 A.D. was the period called the “FIVE good Caesars”, Emperors, these being the ones that Introduced vice and luxury in the empire. They were the ones that introduced all kinds of modern living, which was the very thing that contributed to the downfall of the great Roman Empire. Following this downward road, the entire Roman government began breaking up. This ushered in the next period of Roman rules around 300 A.D. under Constantine.
The Roman rule went off for a period, this being a period of different kings, causing the entire Roman world to fall apart. The spirit that had entered into its government was causing the break up, lowering its power in order to bring these ten horns out seen upon the fourth beast’s head in Daniel’s vision. Where does a horn grow out of an animal’s body? It grows out of the head, of course, you can see this old spirit coming into the headship of this old Roman system? Now unable to control the empire, because of its’ weakness and tremendous size, Constantine the Great, through his period tried hard to hold it all together. He constantly was in a conflict. wars, trying to hold these outlying territories and bring them under his control. It was during one of these conflicts Constantine had the vision of the sign of the cross, and seeing these words written, “By this thou shalt conquer and shalt overcome.” That very vision caused him to reach right out and embrace Christianity and make it another state religion. He married the Christian Church to the Roman state, and sat in the first council in 325 A.D. at the Nicene Council. Brothers and Sisters, this is where Christianity, as a religion, was married to a pagan Roman state. Then began the long squabble of who is going to be the biggest bishop. The argument of who is going to be the biggest preacher -from Jerusalem, from Cairo, from Antioch, from Constantinople, which at this time, was second capital of the Roman Empire, this was the two legs that the entire Roman system stood on.
This was the sixth period, THE SIXTH FORM OF ROMAN GOVERNMENT. The old Ceasar head was breaking up. When she goes into the seventh, we find them removing the capital from Rome to Constaninople, by that time the bishop in Rome was pulling for power and supremacy. He had already been elevated to the supreme office of bishop over the entire universal church. He had gotten his eye off the Kingdom of God, and got it onto the world now; and by that time, they moved the capital again from Constantinople and brought it back to Rome, the old Caesar throne now had lost its power, and the pope stepped up on the throne; therefore, fulfilling the scriptures in the Book of Revelation 17 that eighth, yet he is of the seventh, THE EIGHTH HEAD WAS AN ECCLESIASTICAL FORM OF CHURCH GOVERNMENT COMING AND TAKING OVER THE LAST FROM THE OLD ROMAN CAESAR GOVERNMENT. It isn’t that it was seven different men, but it is showing the different forms of government that seven men had established. Is that understood?
To think, we have evangelists on the scene today who say the AntiChrist will come from outer space, others will say the AntiChrist will come from Russia, How Absurd! The Anti-Christ was established way back in history, as who he was and still remains to be the same. That is why it shows in Revelation 13, John saw, just entering into the tribulation period, the deadly wound on that beast, was the seventh head, see, the seventh head on the beast was the LAST FORM of Roman political power, and the eighth was ecclesiastical head, coming in and blending in with it. It did not add eight heads on to the beast, it still retained the seven heads, which was the seven stages of Roman government, and that was the state that Rome would exist in throughout the age until the end at the coming of Christ. The eighth head was an ecclesiastical head, church government coining up taking over the last form of Roman government and established It, still keeping the seven heads on the beast. The last form of political government and the church government BLENDED TOGETHER. That is exactly why Daniel saw ten horns but then he saw another little horn come up in the midst of them. That makes it sound as if there were eleven horns put on it, but there were not eleven horns placed on the fourth beast. Go on down further In the seventh chapter and there are still only ten horns on the beast. Yes, that little horn was an ecclesiastical power that he projected from his church government, that horn was projected out through France, Belgian, the Netherlands, and throughout all those other horns. The little horn is an ecclesiastical horn with his office in Rome. Since his office is in Rome, then the head on that beast is his form of government. We know that from the ninth, to the twelfth centuries, the pope cracked the whip over every temporal king In Europe, didn’t he? Their governments, their kingdoms, were subject to that papal hierarchy.
Daniel observed that fourth and last beast very closely, asking the angel of the vision many questions. He watched this vision pass through many stages until he saw this little horn come up. In it were the eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. He was seeing the ecclesiastical head come into power, he saw it come up, he saw it project itself and I grow and grow until he saw those eyes like unto the eyes of a man. This little horn was given a mouth to speak great things. That coincides with the latter part of Daniel 7:9. The 9th verse says, “I beheld till the thrones were cast down”. Now what Is he talking about? He goes on to say, “And the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow.” Now what is Daniel watching? The second coming of Christ to receive His Kingdom. The coming of Christ will destroy all the people that have made up that system, won’t it? It will destroy their physical existence on the earth. Now the spirit of that system, which IS A SPIRIT OF SATAN, projected and culminated to bring all this into being, the spirit of that, will be taken and cast into the Lake of Fire. That is what it says in Revelation 19; but what Daniel sees, is the whole system of people had made up this system, standing before the judge to receive their judgment. They can not appear for judgment any place else; Christ destroys them, that is why it says in Revelation 14 and 15, the angel flies through the heavens with the everlasting gospel,saying if any man receives the Mark of the Beast, receives his mark in the forehead and upon the hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, that poured out without measure, means without mercy, at the second coming of Christ. He will cut off everything that has ever been made up in that system in the Battle of Armageddon, palming out His wrath. He will DESTROY the PHYSICAL EXISTENCE of people that have made up that system. We know that the people who made up this system back through the many hundreds of years are all dead, therefore, they remain dead; waiting for the last resurrection, but the living He will destroy with the brightness of His coming. All the mass of it will meet its eternal judgment at the great white throne, that is why Daniel saw it standing there, His hair was like wool, His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him, thousands, thousands ministered unto Him, THAT IS THE FINAL JUDGMENT. That is where all who have had any part of that system will be judged. Here stood the Judge, (Acts 17) That is why we have to place each judgment in its proper place, that out of it we may see its effect and its purpose to accomplish for what-ever age it has been designated for.
In verse II of Daniel 7 – I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake; I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. Remember that is her last judgment. We know at the second coming of Christ, every wicked person will be physically cut off, but he will not be eternally, judged until the Great White Throne Judgment. He merely remains to be a dead subject, BUT THE SPIRIT OF THE SYSTEM THAT MADE THE INDIVIDUAL A PART OF THAT WILL BE CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE long before all the individuals who took part in it. The spirit of the beast system and the spirit of the AntichristAnti-Christ will be cast into the Lake of Fire upon Christ second coming, but the people that have made it up, have yielded to that thing are slaughtered by the sword of His mouth; that is why the Bible says to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field, come, and drink blood til you be full, and eat flesh until ye be filled, for this is a supper of the great God This is where God, Jehovah, allowing His wrath to come through! (Continued on Page 3)
the God-man, Jesus, to be executed for by fire and by sword will He plead with all flesh, and the slain of the Lord in that day shall be from one end of the earth unto the other. Their bodies shall become as dung over the face of the earth. Here the righteous shall go out on the face of the earth and look upon the carcasses of the wicked. Yes, David said he saw the wicked in his day spreading himself like a green bay tree, but he said he watched him in his latter estate, he saw him cut down to the ground. Daniel says in verse 12 – As concerning the rest of the beasts, (these other beast systems back through time that he had already seen, Daniel, at present, was living in the Babylonian beast system, his life extended into the first part of Medo-Persian empire (second beast). They had their dominion taken away; yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. This means when the Romans, the Roman system, came into being, when the Roman Empire really began to rise, it reached right back there and pulled in those territories of all those other empires; and as it did so, THAT DIDN’T MEAN IT REACHED BACK THERE AND GOT THE SAME PEOPLE, but the scripture meant it got the territories which held the same spirit, and incorporated within it, then projects that on throughoutthroughtout the ages and it still retains to be there.
As we see in these 13th and 14th verses one like the Son of Man come to the Ancient of Days, we know who the Ancient of Days is. It Is God, Jehovah, Spirit, eternal. Watch Him, now when the time comes when all this beast system has culminated, He will allow it to pass into this awful tribulation period. We know what he does. The Anti-Christ rises to his power, for God is giving Satan his last opportunity,his last chance, to do his diabolical work, as he does, then the time in God’s great mind has now come for Jesus to come forth and receive His Bride. As He comes forth to receive His Bride, that is exactly why Brother Branham, preaching the seven seals, when He took the Book out of the right hand of Him that sitteth on the throne, (Rev. 5) notice how that is pictured -when he looked for a person, someone to open the book, he looked and he saw there was no man in heaven and no man in earth that was worthy to open the book. The book remained in the right hand of the Father. Let’s look at it that way; BUT IT WAS NOT A PHYSICAL HAND, it is merely the position that the Father retained to Himself until the dispensation comes for that to be executed, then the Father, by His hand of authority, invests it into the God-man, Christ Jesus. God, the eternal Spirit, is seeking to redeem and reconcile all back to Him-self, through the God-man. Watch what happened, when John saw no man was worthy to open the Book, he began to weep, the angel said, “Weep not, for behold the Lion of the Tribe of Judah hath prevailed to open the book,” and when he saw it, what did John say took place, sure he saw a throne, a position of glory and power; but the very one that sat right In the midst of that throne was a lamb with seven eyes, and seven horns, – it was Christ, Himself, sitting there. You know yourself there is no such thing as a Lamb with seven horns and seven eyes. These are symbols of Christ, Himself, sitting there al-ready in the position of the God-man; but when the dispensation comes, He now receives from the Father, the eternal Jehovah Spirit, that authority to come to earth for His Bride. It is the Book of Redemption. That is what He said the Book was. It is the Redemption Book which entitles Him now to come and receive His Bride to Himself. It is not one man walking up to another man saying, “Here, give me the book”, for He was already sitting in the thorne. Notice, don’t miss this truth, John didn’t see Christ coming from BEHIND the throne. He didn’t see Him coming from UNDER the throne; but he saw the Lamb coming OUT FROM THE MIDST OF THE THRONE. A Lamb, having seven horns and seven eyes, which pointed Jesus to what He was back on earth, because on earth He was the Lamb of God. He was that divine nature in a man to become a sacrifice for everyone of us, SO IT WAS GOD IN A MAN, GIVING HIS OWN LIFE THAT HE MIGHT REDEEM HIS CHILDREN BACK TO HIMSELF. As a man, He was a Lamb, and invested in Him were those seven spirits, those seven redemptive spirits of God invested in Jesus Christ. They are the seven spirits of God and they are all in Christ, so He was the one who was worthy. Rev. 5 shows the dispensation of time had come, that the mediatorial work was over. Now He was to take the Book of Authority, the Book of Redemption, to come and claim what it consisted of and what His mediatorial work had accomplished.
Many people, because Brother Branham preached that, got off on a wild horse; and here Is what they began saying, nobody else can ever be saved, it is all over. Now we must begin to realize, In all possibilities, it pointed to the (act that the mediatorial work “FOR THE BRIDE” WAS GETTING ABOUT OVER; but what about those who come up through great tribulation? We must remember this, that as mediator, this work was accomplished through the grace age. His mediatorial work will have accomplished all its redemption FOR ANY SOUL which ever be redeemed, regardless to whether they were people in the Gentile Bride of Christ, (elected number or not) that must be established, is that understood? His mediator work must cover the tribulation saints, all saints regardless of what hour they appeared or will appear. This office did not just allow Him to be a mediator for the Bride, He did not just die for the Bride, but for all saints. That is why Jesus Christ died for the sins of the whole world. That does not mean that He died for everybody within the world; but He died for the sins of the entire world, meaning the saints OF ALL AGES, that God the Father, Jehovah, knew and kept in His own mind and had given unto Jesus, regardless of what position of life they hold with Him, His mediatorial work accomplishes it, and His sacrificial life was offered once and for all. He was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world, but manifested in these latter times to take away sin. His mediatorial work accomplished all that the saints of the Old Testament looked forward to. He said, “Forgive them”. Their sins were not remitted by the blood of bulls and goats but it was just pushed forward, pushed forward, just like a man going to the bank, I can’t pay my debt, and the bank says, “I’ll renew it”. The bank year after year kept renewing it until one came along who said, “I will pay the entire debt.” So Jesus paid the bill right there, “Father, forgive them”. Now His mediatorial work will point back before the cross, then His mediatorial work will point on to all in the Millennium, not for the Bride only, but for the other subjects, other people, for other things that were already retained in the mind of God to fulfill His plan in the Millennium. In the mind of God it is already finished, it Just merely needs the time to fulfill itself. In the mind of God, He has already drawn the picture. That is why in Ephesians it says, “He counseled with His ownself.” He knew all of this before It ever was. He just counseled with Himself, l am going to do this, I am going to do that; and in His own mind, He sees how it is going to be,but when He spoke His own thoughts into existence, why it took ages as far as you and I are concerned for us to see the entire thing all culminate itself and climax.
We see now He has taken the Book, which means He is to come for His Bride. As He takes that Book, (Rev. 5)He is absolutely standing before Jehovah,eternal Spirit, in the same position as Daniel sees Him, Daniel 7:13-14, standing there ready to receive a kingdom. It means that Jehovah is going to invest in Him the authority to be a King. No wonder when Jesus rose from the grave, and appeared to His disciples forty days, before His ascension into heaven, His dis – ciples asked Him, “Wilt thou now deliver the kingdom to Israel?” No wonder the Jews couldn’t hardly receive and understand Him. The Jewish followers wanted Him to be a Messiah, a King, right then; but it couldn’t be, Brothers and Sisters, because in the mind of God He had already chosen that that would be a Bride given to His Son to rule all the nations the Millennium. Daniel saw all that. God couldn’t get ahead of His picture could He? Because of this the Jewish nation was blinded; but it was just like them, “wilt thou now deliver the kingdom to Israel?” Jesus said, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath kept or reserved in His own heart” meaning in His own mind, for all that lies in His authority. Jesus just dropped the subject right there and went on to say, but you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you. See, He did not even touch that Kingship office, It would have projected the Kingdom back to Israel, wouldn’t it? He said, however, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has kept or re-served in His own power. Let’s look over in the Book of Acts and see how Peter picks that up. Peter has the same revelation. The second time Peter preached to the Jews he said, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins be blotted out, and God will send Jesus, the second time, whom the heavens must receive until the time of restitution of all things.” And He shall send Jesus the second time, Brothers and Sisters, to restore back to the earth all things whatsoever the prophets of old had written. While He is there as High Priest and Judge, no nation will be set up and established, there will be wars and wars and fussing and feuding – it is the devil working out there. God, Jehovah, retains it in His own power yet, see the dispensation of time had not come. God keeps that unto Himself , but that authority which He invested into the Sonship of God, it is executed and calling out a Bride through the seven church ages. Now the redemption of the Bride has come, no wonder Jesus said, “When you see these things come to pass, look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.”
There He stands before the great Jehovah Spirit, and there was given unto Him, this authority, there was given to Him dominion. Now we know what dominion is, it is the right to rule. There was also given to Him Glory, Glory means that within that dominion, within that right to rule, there is going to be something glorious about it. It is going to be wonderful, and the Kingdom means what in His dominion He rules over. He will establish something, so then we do know that what the disciples really asked Him there when He arose will be carried out when He returns to earth with His Bride; therefore, she has got to be taken up, married to Him and return.
Since there was given unto Him, Glory, let’s see what that Glory would be like. Jesus told His disciples one day, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, there be those standing here that shall not taste of death until they see the Son of Man come into the Glory of His Kingdom.” About eight days after that, He took Peter, James, and John on a high mountain; there He was transfigured before their very eyes, what did He say just a few days before? There are going to be some of you here witness my glorious return when I do come In the power of my Kingdom, you will see it in a miniature, in a preview. Three of them saw it, Peter, James, and John saw Him transfigured before their very eyes. They said that His raiment shined like the noonday sun, and the Glory of God surrounded the whole thing; Brothers and Sisters, the power of God was so great, they all fell and just had eyesight enough to see what was going on. In all that Glory, there stood Moses and Elijah was talking to him of things that He was going to suffer. The disciples heard them talk, They heard the conversation: and probably Peter, James, and John were just shaking all over. In Miniature type, He was showing forth the Glory of His coming. Let’s take it a little further and see what else was portrayed right there, Jesus had said, “There are some of you here that shall not taste of death til they see the Son of Man coming in the power and glory of His Kingdom.” His kingdom was future, but He was giving a preview to them what it would be like. If Moses and Elijah was there talking to Him and they saw Him in that Glory, that goes to show that the Spirit of Moses and Elijah will precede the second coming of Christ when He does come to earth to rule and reign as King, and Moses and Elijah will appear in Jerusalem. Since Moses died and Elijah didn’t die, that also projects further back, that He will come with His saints in a Kingdom and there will be those that were dead that He will bring with Him, and there will be those that will never die (raptured) that He will bring with Him. That goes to show, Brothers and Sisters, right there that the dead in Christ shall rise first and we which remain alive shall be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with Him, we will come back with Him in the Glory of His Kingdom.
Yes, there was given unto Him a Kingdom, Glory, Power, Honor, dominion that all nations and languages should serve Him-where? Right in the Millennium reign of a thousand years, Christ and His Bride. Let’s see how far that goes with His Bride.
Go with me now, Daniel watched those four beasts coming on down through verses 15, 16, and 17 and the angel told him, these great beasts are four kings, or kingdoms, which shall rise out of the earth, which they did – Babylon, Medo – Persia, Greece, right on down to the Roman Empire, which was the fourth and the last. He saw them all rise out of the earth and take their place; but he watched it straight on through to the end of the tribulation, here he said the saints of the Most High shall take the Kingdom, showing that the Bride goes up and comes back, she will take over the governmental reignship of all nations of this world. The saints of the Most High shall take the Kingdom, and possess the Kingdom forever, even for ever and ever.
Now do you see Brothers and Sisters, why the Bride of Christ must attain to something much higher than just a little old church going. The average church goer today does not even know which way North is or South is, they don’t know what the Millennium is for, who is going to be there anymore than a jack-rabbit does. Brother, that Bride of Christ is not going to be a bunch of ignoramuses, irresponsible people that don’t know anything. No Sir, she is to be conformed to the very image of Christ Himself. Brother Branham projected this thing through all the years of his preaching, Brothers and Sisters, that the Bride of Christ was going to be a selected group of people. Can’t the people see that it cannot be a bunch of people that believe in one thing one day and something else another day, they have got to be a people that finally makes up their mind that this is right or this is wrong. They have got to be steadfast. Amen!
The bible said the saints would possess the kingdom. Who gives it to the saints? Christ, as Jehovah gave it to Him, He turns around and gives it to His wife and says, “Honey, come on, we are going to go down there and clean the place up.” That is the absolute truth, Brothers and Sisters. It may sound crazy to a lot of people out in this world, but that is the absolute truth. God would not let a prophet see it like this if it meant something else. Couldn’t you Just see God turning the reins of the governments of the nations over to the average church goer now? They would be in worse shape than what they are, because they cannot even set up the right kind of church government. Do you realize that? They cannot even set up the right kind of church government and run it right, let alone run the nations. Brothers and Sisters, it is real, I know it is real. Praise His Name!
In Daniel 7:19 “Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast (In other words, see, it is a succession of visions, one vision would go so far and stop, another would pick up something else, watch that one, it goes so far and stops. Now he says I want to know a little more about this fourth beast.) which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet.” Verse 20 “And of the ten horns that were in his head (what he saw there was it all grow up and she stands right there) and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke very great things, whose look was more stout than that of his fellows. ” Brother, that was that old Anti-Christ fellow standing right there – the pope. Daniel said, I beheld it, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them. That is exactly what it says in Revelation 13, the same shall make war with the saints, and shall overcome them. That Is Revelation 13 – right there in that tribulation period. The same horn made war with them, the tribulation saints, overcome them, now watch it, verse 21, I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them – verse 22, Until the Ancient of days came. (When the Ancient of Days did come, who was it? It was Jesus the Christ, for up here He received from Jehovah who was the Ancient of Days, that authority
that lay in Him, and it was invested in Him, so now He is Jehovah. He is the Ancient of Days. He has got the Kingdom, He has got the authority, and It is the King. Revelation 19 – and heaven is opened and he saw Him sitting on a white horse. He is girded about with a girdle dipped in blood. On His breast was a new name that no man could know but Himself, and I-Ss name is called the Word of God. Out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword that with it, He should smite the nations and rule them with a rod of iron. Now He has got that kingdom. He is the Ancient of Days. He is the God-man coming now to execute that authority. See, He couldn’t do it as a High Priest, and a church age dispensational judge over sin, but He can now. He doesn’t look anything like a prophet now. He doesn’t even look anything like a High Priest, Brother, He is a King. He has the garb of a King. He has the sword of a King. He is riding on a horse ready to fight a war, and that horse portrays that He is coming in judgment. He Is going to conquer every nation, every king will bow at His feet, and invested in Him is the authority to execute wrath, judgment, and He will slay the wicked with the rod of His mouth.
The Ancient of Days came and Judgment was given to the saints of the Most High. There it is right there. God worked out His plan and waited until this should be known. God never ordained that Luther and down through the ages should know it, but He retained it and kept it right here until the hour comes when the Bride dispensation was ready to go to meet Him and then she must know it. She has got to know her position. She has got to know what she is going to do. The Bride of Christ does not step into this thing blindfolded. The Bride of Christ will be knowing what she Is walking into. The Spirit of Christ stands out there and beckons her to come closer and to know these things.
Verse 22 – Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Verse 23 – This he said, the fourth beast shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. Watch there where it says, shall devour the whole earth. Devour the whole earth, it is a prophetical word, but we know that the Roman Empire did not devour the whole earth. It never devoured the whole earth to the extent that China went under it. It felt its sway. That is the reason it is Communism now.
Take the countries of Burma, Tibet, Japan, Siberia and all that far East which is Russia now, though it was not many ages ago, the far Eastern, part of the world, It was never brought In under the old Roman Empire. It felt the diabolical influence from the priests and missionaries going them but it never did feel its political influence. So you see, you take a verse of scripture and you project it so far, but it devoured all of what we would say was the prophetic world. Is that understood? It devoured all of Europe, all the Middle East, and historically all these beast powers constantly in time moved Westward. That is why the entire Eastern part of the world today is fast going under the hammer and sickle of Communism. Back through the 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th, 1801 and 19th part of the centuries it had Its little touch of Catholicism, and Vietnam Is the last little foothold of Catholicism in the Far East. Catholicism there is a little minority but actually Buddhism is the national religion. We see what Communism is seeking to do, It is going to kick out Catholicism, Buddhism, and everything else. It will only use these different things to keep trouble while it moves in.
Watch this last beast. The Bible says it shall devour the whole earth and shall brake It down and tread it in pieces. He is going back picking it up and watching it project itself through to the second coming. Watch the ten horns for it says the ten horns are the kings that shall arise, and another shall arise, that is right, as the Old Roman system, one head, no horns on it at that time, as it reached its peak and began to break away and go through the different political governments and changes, out here goes a horn, and another horn, and another horn until there are ten horns on it; but all at the same time, there is another little horn rising up on it, and that is a papal horn. Out of the midst of these ten horns that arise, another horn shall arise, a little papal horn shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, that is right, for he shall be a political, ecclesiastical horn, and the OTHERS ARE POLITICAL HORNS, and he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, that is Revelation 13 coinciding with Daniel 7:25, so Daniel and Revelation has to go together and neither prophet contradicts each other. He shall wear out the saints of the Most High, that is tribulation saints, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given Into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. That is three and one-half years.
Verse 26 – But the Judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion (that is right, the manifested Word will destroy the entire AntiChrist system) to consume and to destroy It unto the end.
Verse 27 – And the kingdom and dominion, the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High. See that prophet establishes that twice, to put a stamp and an approval on it, that the saints of the Most High shall possess the kingdom. It shall be given to them. Yes, the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him. Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my understanding was all mixed up, that is what he meant in verse 28 when he said my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me; but I kept the matter; in my heart.
Do you see what the saints of the Most High are? It is the Bride of Christ? Does that establish it? If you can see that, and you can see what she is, and now she received that authority, that authority of hers has to be when Christ comes out of His mediatorial work. He is ready now to come for His Bride, and as He comes for His Bride, they are married, now He is ready -see He can’t go into a King first and then back up and go into the Bride chamber, when He comes out of that mediatorial work, He comes and gets His Bride, they are married, and as He goes out of that groom period, which is a little short interval of time, as far as time is concerned, now He is ready now to come to earth. He has the authority to be King. He has the authority now to smite everything that is contrary, because all that authority of Jehovah which is the Ancient of Days, having no beginning or ending, do not even know where He came from, for He says, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, and all that is invested in Him. The physical flesh Sonship had a beginning, but that which was in Him had no beginning. Now He is a king riding a white horse, and think of His wife in Rev. 19, and all the armies of heaven followed Him riding white horses, clothed in fine linen. That is why Jesus said immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall withdraw her light, and the powers of the heaven shall be shaken, and the prophet said the stars shall fall even as the fig tree casts her untimely figs, and all the heavens shall give vent to this event. God just reaches up and shuts the celestial lights off, and the greatest prophetical plague is fixing to set in motion. That is why the scriptures say that all eyes shall see Him and look upon Him. The Jews shall see Him, for there comes their King they rejected.
Think of it, when He was on earth, He was a prophet. The prophet rode into Jerusalem one day upon a little old mule and the people cried, Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed Is He that comes in the name of the Lord. The next time He comes He won’t be riding a mule, He will be riding a white horse. He won’t be just a prophet, but He will be a King. Amen! And he saw upon His head many crowns, or royal diadems, it means there is Invested in Him to be King over every king; but oh, there Is that Bride on horses too. Now He is riding a white horse and she is riding one too. For what purpose? To execute wrath, judgment, and authority. When He has destroyed this whole beast system and brought this entire battle of Armageddon to its climax and culmination, the wrath of God will be poured out as well, for remember, it lays within His authority to even gather the nations to that battle; but it also lays in His authority to call the fire out of heaven. What it is, is that He even has authority over Nature, and Nature will give vent to God’s judgments. Think of it, all of it lies in Him. That is why the Bride of Christ is coming on white horses; as this period is coming to its close, which actually sets in motion the period of the Millennium to begin. It will officially begin by the gathering of the little element of people that has survived the wrath, the onslaught of all the wrath that has been poured out, that is why you don’t even see Him portrayed still on the white horse, no, now He sits on the Throne of David in Jerusalem. After a king has destroyed his potential enemy by defeating him battle, now he takes his throne, he is no longer on his horse. As long as He is on His horse it means He is ready to fight again, but when He goes to His throne He is ready 43 say, “come on, I will reign over you.” When He goes to His throne which is the throne of David, and the Law shall go forth from Zion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem, so will the Bride go to her throne. That is her capitalcaptial city. That is headquarters, but she will take her position all over the earth, in cities, in nations, little towns, and little villages. That is why every man will sit according to the authority that has been invested in him, and that is determined by how obedient he has been down here as a Christian. Brothers and Sisters, if this is not the Word of God then I have to be the biggest deceiver that has hit for a long time.
DAVID A MAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART
Turn with me please to the Book of First Samuel, and I want to read one verse out of the sixteenth chapter of I Samuel, verse I: “The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul, seeing have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; and I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”
We have a character here which we desire to discuss. That person is David. Many examples come out of the life of David. I could speak today on one characteristic of David and tomorrow I could take up another characteristic that shows out of David’s life a man of determination, a man of trust-worthiness and faithfulness. God has always looked for that quality in His people, has He not?
Let’s look at David as we try to bring out his quality to show forth here. In this message we are going to discuss two Biblical characters, Saul and David. Certainly from both of their lives we learn much. Both were Israelites, and both were believers in the one true God of Israel; but there was something terrible that happened to Saul and took possession of him and brought him to his utter ruin. The very thing that guided David was the very thing that caused him to be a man after God’s own heart. It is the very thing that caused David to find grace and favor in the sight of God when David was in a dark hour; we must realize as we try to explore the character shown forth in David, it is exactly the character that God wants in us. I am not indicating that you as an Individual will be able to project forth 100%, just like everybody else; for recall how Jesus said some would bear 30, some 60, and some 100 fold. God Is looking for that character that is the highest esteemed in everything. We will always notice how David presented himself when this certain quality is shining.
In our message, we notice that Saul has been more or less dispensationally rejected to be King; yet, for a while, he continues to reign, in fact, quite a long while. God had told Saul that his kingdom was rented from him. Samuel, the prophet, mourned and mourned over the fact of Saul being rejected completely as king to reign over Israel. Samuel never again visited Saul. Samuel became so grieved in his spirit, one day the Lord said, get your anointing oil, in other words, probably a nice polished steer horn; maybe it had gold plated knob on the end, and a certain plaited type of rope hooked to it or something, anyway it was solely designated and used strictly for that of the anointing purpose. The Lord said fill up your anointing horn, fill it up with oil and go down to Bethlehem to Jesse’s house, for there you shall anoint me a king. God had chosen one. This one was a man after God’s own choosing, yet he was just a man as any other man; but this man truly would be one after God’s own choosing. Lord, if I go down there and Saul hears about me going, he will come and kill me, so what am I supposed to do? Samuel, take a heifer with you and say, “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord,” and this will appease Saul and his jealousy. Remember, Saul was brought to his ruin through jealousy as is projected here in the scriptures.
Saul had disobeyed the Lord. Samuel had told him to go down to Agag and take that tribe of Agag and utterly destroy it, don’t save anything alive, not even the King. On the way down there in the battle he let the people of Israel talk him out of doing the full will of God. When he came back, he found himself completely rejected as king over Israel. It goes to show, we may obey God part of the way, but when we come up to the actual precise thing itself that God is wanting to get at, if we turn away from that then, we have lost God’s complete favor. So friends, it pays to mind God. To mind God is to listen to him and carry out all of His Word, because Samuel said it is better to obey than to sacrifice, and to hearken is better than the fat of rams that would be offered upon the best sacrifice to God. After that the Bible says that a troubled spirit came upon Saul, and he began to be faced with moody spells.
Samuel comes to the town of Bethlehem, to the house of Jesse. Jesse and everybody in town was upset at the visit of the prophet. The villagers thought trouble was coming. They thought the prophet had come to strike them, and they began to ask him what have you come here for? Have you come in peace? He said, “I come in peace to sacrifice.” He sought for Jesse’s house and he said Jesse, I want you to go and get your sons, I want to sacrifice. Samuel even invited the entire village to come and sacrifice with him. The Lord had told him, to whom I speak to you about that is the one, anoint him.
The sacrifice was made, time came for Samuel to say to Jesse, bring your sons before me. The oldest one came- nice, tall, well built young man, probably had extra good training. As this young man stood before him, Samuel in his own mind thought, surely this will be the selected one, which again goes to show you, there is the human element; but God projects His own Will above all of that, and friends and neighbors, when God wants His will to be done, I don’t care who you are, who I am or who anybody else is, God will definitely put up who He wants to, and no group can stop him. The human element has nothing to do with God choosing a man for what He wants. I want you to know when Jesus Christ chose the twelve apostles, there was no human choice there whatsoever. The scriptures reveals how He was guided by the Spirit in that choosing. Jesus had His own personal friends. Lazarus was certainly one of His closest; but I want you to know that Lazarus was never chosen to be one of the twelve apostles. Even while Jesus was beyond Jordan preaching, word was sent to Him, he whom thou lowest is sick, Jesus said, this is not a sickness unto death but unto the Glory of God. There is no human element now that can influence God to do anything before His time. A few days later Jesus said Lazarus sleepeth, let’s go wake him. The disciples thought He meant, he is just asleep, let him sleep; but Jesus said plainly, Lazarus is dead, let’s go raise him. Again this reveals no human element can entice or influence God in what He does. God has a Will, He has a choice, and He Is going to do it. He will knock everything else out of the way, though it may take time, He will knock everything else out of the way. All He asks you and I to do is to find His will and see His footsteps in it and to walk therein. It may not go the way we think it ought to; but if we will walk in His footsteps, it will go the way God wants it to go.
Samuel had asked Jesse to bring all of his sons before him, naturally the oldest one came first. Then the second one came. Still God did not speak to Samuel concerning either one. As he looked at the first one in his heart he thought this has to be him; but the Lord said you look on him after the outward appearance, but I LOOK UPON HIM AFTER THE HEART. God knew what qualities was in the man, not how he looked physically. One by one they went by until seven sons had passed before him. Samuel began to be troubled in his mind. I have come down to anoint the Lord a king, and I know the one must be in this household, but God has not even spoken concerning any one or the other. That makes Samuel really think now and he looks at Jesse and remarked, don’t you have another one? Notice, here is the human element again, Jesse was bringing out THE BEST that he had as far as he was concerned. Samuel said haven’t you got one more son, and Jesse said yes, the youngest, but he is out on the back side of the farm. He is out there herding sheep, just a little lad of maybe 15, 16 years of age, and Samuel said to Jesse, go get him! When they went and got him, he looked like anything else but the man to be a king. He probably had not washed his hands for a little while; and since he was a sheep herder, he probably stank like one. I imagine he just sat out there on a rock and played and sung and played with the little lambs and everything. I have done it myself. I used to raise sheep, and you like to get around and hold the little fellows and just watch them play. There is something about sheep, they have an odor to them. I imagine he smelled anything else but like a king; but no sooner had that little fellow stepped before Samuel then the Lord said, that’s him. Samuel took that horn of oil and he pulled the top out of it and he poured it right down on his head. That was God’s choice because there was a quality there that God was going to project.
Let’s watch this little fellow as he moves toward his throne. He was anointed king then, that was God’s choice; but from the time – potentially he was already king -but he had not yet reached his position of authority. From his anointing to his literal placing on the throne, Brother, if I had an old rag doll here I would just like to illustrate to you really what he went through, that little fellow was kicked, spit upon, ridiculed, beat, run, chased, made fun of, made an outcast to the Israelites and everything else; but in all of it each time he was kicked and beat and ridiculed it was bringing him one step closer to the throne.
That was God’s way of bringing him one step closer to the throne. It wasn’t just, come on David and take the throne. God didn’t immediately set him on the throne though he was already anointed King over Israel. Had He done this, David would not have known one thing about being a king after he got on the throne. Watch how God, step by step, brings this young man, already anointed King, to his throne. Brothers and Sisters, God is in a process of, step by step, bringing you into Himself and placing you in Himself. There is a place in Him for you, and I have nothing to do about it. I couldn’t keep you out of it if I had to, and you can’t keep me out of my place If you have to; therefore, if we can learn to develop a Christian character within our own being that will project the right attitude, we will have no trouble in finding our place in Christ. Friends and neighbors, in the angelic world and that which has already been perfected, there is no squabbling and bickering and fussing among the angels. God is wanting now to perfect that in the family of His children.
Saul still has possession of the throne; but remember, potentially he has already been rejected, though still on the throne. This troubled spirit had gotten on Saul and it makes him feel moody and discouraged, blue at times. Finally he inquires help from some of his servants. His servants got together and said, let’s see if we can’t find a good musician to go and sit in the presence of Saul and play for him. They inquired throughout all the land and they heard that Jesse had a son by The name of David. Notice that, little David had already potentially been anointed to be king, so now God is using that spirit on Saul to get His man right up the ladder. God works on both ends. I know from here to there, my the road is rough and a lot of people are going to be affected, but God is projecting His plan and His purpose. As that old spirit got on Saul he became constantly more bitter all the time. Getting as moody as he did was what promoted the condition for the servants to say, let’s look for a good musician. That is right in the plan of God. Friends, it goes to show that when God reaches out there in the world to pull you into Himself and into His Will, He will allow many things – It may be in your own house; It may be in your church; it may be in your community; it may be where you work – but remember this, all things work together for good to them that love God who are called according to His purpose. You may not understand why they look down upon you but remember, as you purpose in your heart to walk In the Will of God and to walk scripturally and wisely, you have nothing to fear, though it may look so dreadfully dark you will find yourself, step by step reaching that place.
Word was sent to Jesse to bring David unto Saul. David, a little lad, is brought to stand before Saul, the King. Saul looks upon him and immediately fell in love with David. Saul didn’t know that David was already anointed, the one chosen, no sir! David no sooner had played upon the instrument than Saul became so happy that the moody feeling left him. That was God’s way of introducing David into the King’s palace. God let David get acquainted with what it was like being up there where a King was; but God was not ready to put him on the throne yet. He had only introduced him unto it. David was showing a Wise approach to it, he wasn’t getting all exalted and puffed up, saying, l am up in the king’s palace now, I am going to have me a spell, no sir, he was just the same little David in that palace that he out there herding sheep. That is exactly the way God wants us to be. That is the Only way to be. We are nothing, Brothers and Sisters, Just clay in the hands of a Father. God is seeking to perfect His Will and purpose for our lives. Little David didn’t know what was in the process. He didn’t know what God was doing; but because he had a good attitude and approach of being called upon to fulfill a job, he went at it in the right way. He was in the king’s palace just to play music though God had already anointed him to be King. You take people today, if they get one little glimpse that they are going to be something, they are not content just to play music. They are not even content to herd sheep. They are not even content to carry food to their brothers or anything else. They are ready to tear things open to get there just as soon as they can. That is exactly why people wreck their entire Christian life and testimony, they don’t take It in God’s timing, they want to hurry the process. I know it is dark at times. I know it gets rough, and little David went over a rough road, you know he did. They came forth kicking and treating him so rough; but he waited God’s time for the throne. David was even forced to fellowship with many people that he necessarily would not have fellowshipped, had they let him alone.
Little David, playing in a king’s palace. He was just as happy there as a lark. He enjoyed playing before the king. David made King Saul very happy, the Bible says that everytime David would play that evil spirit would leave Saul. That introduces him to the palace, the environment of being up there where the king was. He sees the throne, he sees the position and King Saul made David his armour bearer. In other words, wherever Saul was, David was right there by his side carrying the king’s armour, carrying his sword and shield, carrying everything! See, it introduced him to be right up there among the big shots. It introduced him to the king’s palace, that kingly realm. It didn’t make him puffed up because when the war broke out with the Philistines, Jesse’s three sons had to leave for the army, David had to go back home and herd the sheep. David went right back home and he wasn’t grumbling and complaining about it. Now he is out on the back side of the desert, a king, already anointed, already chosen; he hasn’t gotten to his throne yet; but he is on the way. What is a king doing out there herding sheep? He is playing his harp and writing songs. The biggest percentage of his songs were written out there. He was out there playing his harp and watching the lambs; watching them run up and down the little green pastures. What a place for a king to be! He should have been up here on the throne. Everybody has got the idea, let’s hurry it up, let’s get it going – no, God’s Will is for him to be out there; then one day the time comes. God sees He has already introduced him to what it is like to be up among the ranks of the big shots, now He is going to introduce him in another way. Watch closely how God introduces him another way. When God introduced David in among the big brass of the army, it didn’t puff him up a bit. Had it done so, he would have been grumbling and complaining because he had to go back out there herding sheep. He was just as content to be back herding sheep as if he had never been in the palace. That projected the one quality in David, CONTENTMENT. That is a necessity. Contentment – not letting it go to his head but being content.
God now will project another hidden quality out of David, this one is bravery with confidence that His God is able to deliver him, for when he becomes king he must take the position at the head of the army, being an example for the army to follow. For this performance, God brought Israel to heavy conflict with the Philistines.
For days there had come forth a huge giant standing out some 300 yards in front of the Philistines. All he does is curse and spit at the frightened Israelites saying, “one of you come over and fight and if he kills me then we will serve you, but if I kill your man, then you serve us.” For days his voice echoed through the little valley as he stomped up and down roaring and snorting. They are all entrenched, both armies. Finally, Jesse says to David, “David, come here.” David comes up obediently to his dad and he says I want you to take so much parched corn and these ten loaves of bread and these ten cakes of cheese, and I want you to take them quickly and saddle up your donkey and take them to the army for your brothers. Take these ten cakes of cheese and give them to the captains or the lieutenants over the outfit. David said O.K., and he saddles up his donkey, throws the bag of food across his saddle horn and away he goes.
Upon reaching the outskirts of the Israelites camp, naturally he is stopped by the sentry to whom he states his mission, telling him he has three brothers out there and he has brought food for them and also food for the leaders of the army. The sentry says O.K., and David said, “take care of my mule while I am gone.” Now watch, David is going solely for the purpose of carrying food. How many times do we find ourselves doing a lot of things and we don’t know why we are doing it; but we are doing it to be finding ourselves walking into the very Will of God. As he goes through the host of the Israelite camp, he is inquiring, I am David and I have got three brothers and their names are such and such, can you tell me what outfit they are in? Then a commander or runner takes down through the line and finally David finds their location. There are thousands of men entrenched up and down the valley floor. As David is in the process of passing out the food, and giving the cheese to the officers; suddenly, out of all the communications, he hears voice from across the valley, – “hey, you Israelites, you so and so’s, when will one of you come and fight me ?” David turned around and said, “who is that, what’s wrong with that guy ?” Some of the Israelite officers said, “that fellow has been doing that for days He has been bragging saying if we send one out there to fight him and we kill him then they will serve us, and if he kills our man then we are to serve him.” The officers said that even Saul, the King, has asked for a volunteer saying any man who wants to volunteer and go out and fight him, he will give him his daughter as a Wife. David said, “what did you say?” They told him again. David went around to some more and they told him again, and about that time his brothers heard what he was up to, and they said, you little smart-aleck, you are always getting into things like this. You want to be different. Why don’t you go back home where you belong? They thought he was just a nosey little kid, but that is exactly the way God wanted it to be. After his brothers said you are just showing off, that’s not any of your business, you leave that guy alone out there, now get out of here and leave us alone. He left his brothers alone; but he went over to where there were some more Israelites and said, what did Saul really say? What did he really promise ? They told him again.
David walked up to one of the officers and said, “you go tell the king that I will go out and fight the man.” Now just imagine a lad saying that he would go out and fight that thing standing out there just frothing at the mouth and walking up and down the valley cursing everything. It had to be this kind of setting for God to produce His plan. He is about to project the quality that has got to be projected in David, Why? Because, He is going to cause David to find favor in the eyes of the people. See, David is coming up God’s way, not the way man wants to do it, not through the way of learning and training, no sir, but it is through the rank of experience and quality that God looks upon.
Finally, one runner goes and tells King Saul. Saul sends for David but when little David went up there, Saul looked at him and said, “David you are nothing but a lad, you have never been trained to fight like that. That man has been a warrior from his youth up, that is all he knows. You are not qualified to go out there and fight him.” Now spiritually, that is exactly the way this modern church world looks at the ministry of the Lord. They always want to say, what school did you go to? What degrees do you have? What credentials do you have; but Brothers and Sisters, in the Lord, we don’t need that bunch of stuff. “David,” Saul said, “that Goliath would Just mop the ground with you.” “I herded sheep for my father and a lion and a bear came and took a lamb,” David said, “I chased them both down and I took the lamb away from them,and when they jumped on me, I grabbed them both by the whiskers and slayed them.” David said, “now the God that caused me to be delivered out of their paws, will also cause me to be delivered out of the hands of the Philistine dog out there.” David was just as confident in saying that as anything could be. He wasn’t showing off, it was Just a common thing for him to look at it that way.
Saul said, “well, If you are determined to go, here put on my armour.” David put it on and it almost caved him to the ground. After he got it on David said, “I have never been trained to use this.” He didn’t know how to use it, he didn’t know how to wear It. He didn’t know how to shield himself, he said, “get this stuff off me.” That is just exactly the way the ministry of the Lord for this last day is acting. They don’t need the school of theology and all of that junk. All that they need, Brothers and Sisters, is the training and the schooling of the experience that God will give to His people. Brother, He is doing it too.
Strip David down and he looked Just like a sheepherder. Hanging on his side was a little sheepskin sack there and he had a slingshot, that Is a lad for you, Just a slingshot. Saul said, “Well, God be with you, but watch that guy.” That little lad started stepping out there in front of that army; and can hear his brothers, oh, we are going to take our brother home dead and Dad isn’t going to like this. It is going to break Mom’s heart; but as this little lad steps out in the front, and even as he moves down toward the creek bank – suddenly that old giant looks up and sees him. As he stares at David he wonders, what in the world are they sending out here now? The fact that this being Just a lad took the giant by such surprise and curiosity that he doesn’t even bring that old helmet down over his forehead, he just has it pushed back. He is so intent on looking at the smallness of the creature before him, he said, “You little dog, I slay you today and give your carcass to the fowls of the heavens.” He cursed David in the name of his God. David said, “Why, you uncircumcised Philistine, you come to me in the name of your god with sword and spear; I come to you in the name of the Lord God of Israel, and this day I will have your head and feed your carcass to the fowls of the heaven.” As David was saying this, he was already busy placing a little gone in that sling shot and David had one spot in mind, a spot right between his eyes. David kept walking toward the giant awaiting his opportunity. He knew if that giant ever dropped that shield that was it. David caught him just right and he got the sling up and when he let that thing go, that rock went right in and sunk in that giant’s forehead.
What was it? God was permitting it to be in this manner to show forth the quality of bravery in the life of David, His new leader, Why? Because a king needed that quality and when David did that before the entire Israelite army, Brothers and Sisters, David was on his way to throne, but time was not yet. He was on his way but he wasn’t there yet. God was projecting these qualities in him as he is on his way. First, He wasn’t puffed up, second, he didn’t get scared. He could stand right up there and face his opponent and that is what God wanted to project. When David returned unto the Israelite camp carrying that huge giant’s head dripping with blood, it provided courage for the Israelite army to advance on the frightened Philistines. The soldiers brought David into the presence of the King, and King Saul had a great big celebration and Jubilee.
Notice, now David is going to get kicked around, just see If he can take it. When the news began to get out in the civilian population and the people began to come in and celebrate the victory, they put this great big robe on David and placed him out where the people could see him, then they began to sing – David has slain his tens of thousands and Saul his thousands. They were dancing and playing music, they were really celebrating. David has killed his tens of thousands and Saul his thousands. Saul became extremely jealous. If Saul had shown the same quality to David he would have stepped right out there and stood by his side and lifted him up to the people, and said, people, God is with this man mightily to deliver. The people would have respected Saul for this and he possibly could have held his position a little longer; but oh my, right back Into the palace he went, a few days later Saul took out of his belt a knife and Saul was ready to pin David to the wall but David ducked, then made his way out. The scripture says David conducted himself wisely in all of those things. When he went forth before the public, they were elevating him up, he just walked up and down the streets like he was nothing. He conducted himself wisely. When in the king’s palace and Saul was acting the way he was, David never once showed himself to be agitated or angry over Saul’s conduct. He conducted himself wisely- why- that is the very character that God wanted him to project.
Yes, as time moved on, the people more and more began to elevate David. God had it to be that way. Why? Because this was going to be their king, and Saul was on his way out. As Saul was on his way out, David was on his way up, many months pass by as Saul ii on his way out and David is on his way up.
Finally, It came to the place that Saul was so jealous he could not even stand the ground that David walked on. Everytime he got around David he was ready to kill him, finally Saul made a great plot to put David at the head of the army to take him out and see if he wouldn’t get killed. He would come right back every time. I want you to know when the enemy plots against you and you are in the Will of God, you will come right back every time. They can’t kill you. They can’t do away with you. They can’t even annihilate you, Why? Because you are in the Will of God. Finally, it just got so miserable that David had to flee. Saul had plotted and planned. He had connived and he did everything that he could, because that jealous spirit was on him and he couldn’t shake it loose. He was solely bent on destroying David. As Saul is on his way out, that jealous spirit projecting Itself more, but this is only perfecting that quality in David. We find that David was forced to flee the ranks of good social people, morally, spiritually; and he fled off down into the country into a wilderness area, and there his family came to him, his relatives came to him, and all the people that had confidence in him came to him, and even the cutthroats and rustlers, etc. , came to him. All of those that you would think were looked down upon as being nothing in the eyes of the general population, they went forth and joined him and said we are with you. Four hundred men stood on his side down there in the wilderness making their way, living there – think of it, a king running. He had to, but now we notice Saul and a bunch of people down there about like it is today, they are not content to let well enough alone, they have got to keep trouble stirred up. Here they come up to King Saul and said, David is in a certain cave area down there and said If you will go down you can get him. That evil spirit got upon King Saul and here he comes down to that cave. Saul got his army together and started. Now the scripture says that he came into the area where he knew that David was, and as he came in this area, David and his men were in this great big cave country, sort of a great rocky cliff and caves probably ran back through it like big honey combs. David and his men were way back in there. Saul did not know necessarily that David and his men were in there but rather that they were in that general area. Night came, Saul and his men went up in the mouth of the great big cave and made camp for the night. David had a spy watching them all day long. When night came, we found that David was going to prove himself to Saul that he was not out to do him any harm though he knew that Saul was out to do him harm. See, David was returning good for evil.
Watch David! The spy reports Saul’s position to David, They waited until the hours drifted deeper into the night. Saul is sighted as he sleeps, and David, with several of his men moved in toward the mouth of the cave. it had been told David that God would deliver his enemy into his hands and he could do whatsoever was in his heart. He would have been in God’s permissive will, wouldn’t he? David, however, wanted that higher quaIity of favor with God, so instead of taking God’s permissive will, he wanted God’s perfect Will; but in order to convince Saul that he did not mean him any harm, he slipped over all these sleeping bodies and pulls his knife out and reaches out and cuts away the hem of Saul’s garment and moves back. Even David’s own man said, just let me have one lick at him. I will take one stab and that will be it. I will not hit him a second time, just one lick; David said, “Don’t touch the anointed of the Lord.” David moved back into the cave and waited until daylight came. As Saul and his men woke up and began to flee out move across the valley, David and his men came and hollered out across the valley, “My Lord” – Saul turned around and said, “Is that you my son David?” David said, “Yes”, then David had a little talk with him. David asked Saul, why do you keep hounding me? Why do you keep me? You are chasing me like a dog would a flea. Don’t you Saul that I have no intention of doing harm to you? David told Saul, you came out here to get me, but I want you to know that I mean no harm to you? Don’t you know last night would have killed you”? David held Saul’s garment up for him to see. “Doesn’t this prove to you that I have not done you any harm?”He had to do this in order to prove to Saul. When Saul looked up and saw that, he began to weep said, “My Son, I know one day you will King over Israel.” Saul went back home and forgot about it for a while. A few months passed on and here came another group of tongue wagglers. They have seen David and his men over in another country, and here they came up to Saul – say, we heard that you were after David? Saul said, “Well, I was.” They said, “Well, we know where he is now. He is encamped down here in a certain valley, if you would just get ready, you could go down there and take him by surprise.” That old jealous spirit rose up again. There is always somebody who is not content to leave well enough alone and they just want to agitate; and it gets in the Christian family, and Brothers and Sisters, that is what, as Christians, we must watch. We are living too close to the end time to allow ourselves to be split up, cut up and spiritually killed to please Satan and his evil devices. Let’s watch these characters as they tell Saul. Saul gathers his men together once again and goes forth after David. The further he goes, the worse that spirit possesses him until finally his mind is obsessed with the thought that if I ever get my hands on David again I am going to permanently put an end to him.
Saul heard David was camped in this certain valley, but David’s sentry had already observed Saul’s approaching and reported to David who immediately set his army in certain position. After they were placed in this position, they watched Saul as he leads his army right down into this valley. Saul moved his army into this valley, David said, “We will wait until night to make our move.” They keep a watchful eye on Saul’s army. Down in the valley Saul had dug a large trench where he prepared his sleeping quarters for the night. By His side was his personal bodyguard Abner. There were other body guards bedded down around him. With Saul was his saddle, his canteen of water and his spear. The saddle substituted for a pillow; the spear he stuck in the ground; his water canteen hung from his saddle. Night had fallen! David said to his gallant army, “Who will go with me down into the camp to see Saul?” Abishai, who was Joab’s brother, a gallant man, stepped up and said, “I will!” Now just think of it, David again is going into Saul’s camp for one reason, TO PROVE HIMSELF AGAIN TO SAUL THAT HE MEANS NO HARM, The two men cautiously moved through the darkness. The scriptures say that the Lord had caused a deep sleep to come upon Saul and his army. God put them all to sleep! David and Abishai moved down into the camp, stepping over bodies, my, I can just see them moving around like that, saddles laying everywhere, bed rolls, etc. Finally they came to this big trench where Saul had bedded down. Down the embankment they go and I suppose they thought, boy, we are right in it now, what if someone would wake up; but right down in there they go. God is with them. David and Abishai go right into a thorny tent where Saul Is lying fast asleep; and Abishai says, “let me get him”, but David said, “don’t touch the anointed of the Lord. Don’t touch him, for any man that touches him will be guilty”. David said, “Perhaps the Lord will strike him, or perhaps he will fall ‘n battle, or perhaps he will die in his own time; but God forbid that I should touch him.” David said to Abishai, “Take his spear and pull it out of the ground, and take that cruse of water off the saddle, ” They reached down and got his spear and cruse of water and they moved back upon the hillside. There once again they waited until daybreak. As the day begins to dawn, Abner, Saul’s bodyguard wakes up and the camp wakes up and they begin to prepare to make their departure. David steps out on a large high rock and his voice echoes through the valley, “Oh, Abner, thy mighty man, dost thou know that thou art worthy of death, doest thou not know that thou art thy Lord’s bodyguard, and that in the night we stood in your midst?’ About that time Saul said, “Is that you my Son David ?” David said, “Yes, it is.” Again David said, “My Lord, why did you come out again to harm me? Are you chasing one like someone would chase a partridge in the field? Don’t you know, my Lord, that last night I could have had your life, but I have not touched you. I have not done anything. Now if the Lord told you to do that, go offer sacrifice” – means maybe change his mind -“but if a bunch of those tongue wagglers did that, then they deserve to be cut off like a bunch of dogs.” That is exactly what he said to Saul. David said, “Saul, is this proof enough to you that l am not out to do you any harm?” David said, “See, here is your spear and here is your cruse of water.” Saul began to weep. Saul said, “My Son, thou shalt surely be king over Israel. Will you promise me one thing David ?” “What is it?” David asked. “Promise me that when you come to the throne, you will not cut off my seed.” David said, “Yes, that will be a promise.”
Brothers and Sisters, I have just brought this message to you to project the quality that God was after. David truly was a man after God’s own heart. Why was he a man after God’s own heart? He was a man that looked at every situation that he was confronted with and he looked at in a wise manner. There were many times that God projected him and offered to him a permissive will; but David didn’t take the permissive will, he didn’t want that. David could have cut SAUL’S throat every time couldn’t he? If he had done that It would have been in the permissive will of God. David could have destroyed Saul because certainly he was a man who knew how to use a sword; he had already cut that Philistine’s head off and he had gone out and killed many many other Philistines; but in this particular case, he was wanting the higher quality of Christian spiritual virtue which was being projected right there. As he did, each time it was bringing him one step closer to the throne. Saul left him that day, never to disturb him again. Not long after this, David’s words came to pass – leave him alone perhaps he will die or he will fall in battle, or the Lord will take him. A short time after this event, Saul went forth to battle the Philistines and fell mortally wounded in battle. Jonathan, Saul’s son, who had become so closely knitted to David like that of a brother, and who grieved at the way his own father had sought his dearly beloved friend, fell wounded in battle also, and they had themselves killed lest they be taken into the hands of the Philistines and be tortured, etc. We find that after Saul goes off the scene, now the people go get David and they bring him to the throne.
What is it? God had to perfect the quality of his king, for David was king after God’s own choice. Now God was placing this man, humans had nothing to do with it, it was God’s choice, right? Though the human element of Jealousy, etc., tried to hinder it, yet you can’t hinder God That is exactly why the scriptures says he that exalted himself shall be abased and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Why? God exalts the humble and He abases the proud; therefore, God wants to perfect Christians in qualities like Himself in our lives, and many times you will find yourself kicked about by your own people, your own church crowd and everything like that. They will hatch up all kinds of things about you. They are out to destroy you and everything; but as you show your determination to walk wisely before God and to show forth Christian quality, God will see to it that you get exactly where you are supposed to be.
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