Out on a Limb Pt.2
PROVERBS 14:12 We read these two scriptures last week…
12 ¶ There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
The way you go is connected directly to the way you think – of what you think is right. If your thoughts are contrary to the word, then your way will be contrary to the word also.
PROVERBS 12:15
15 ¶ The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.
In other words, we must realize that the thoughts of our own reasoning can easily deceive us, and that is why we must learn to put our trust in the word of God above our own human thinking – as believers we much totally master this skill.
JAMES 4:8a
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. God is not going to push himself onto you – he will act according to your willingness to draw closer to him. And how do we draw closer to Him? By prayer, and by Him revealing Himself to us through the revelation of His word.
Out on a Limb Pt.2
**We know that Human beings are very capable of believing things that are totally false.
*We are made by God to be believers and believe things, that is how God designed us. And He design us to believe His word even though it may not always make sense to our logical minds, because as believers we know that when God says something, it doesn’t have to make sense to us to be true to us, but we know that it is true, not because it always makes sense, but because it is His word - and because it is his word, that is what makes it the absolute of truth, and so Satan perverts what should be a good thing of a person believing in the word of God, and replaces it with the reasoning power of the human mind, and that is why people are often so very easily deceived away from the truth, because they trust more in the reasoning of a man’s mind than the word of God.
**You will even find many Christians’ believing in certain things about God that aren’t even true, simply because of the reasoning powers of the human thinking - and it is very hard to change people’s thoughts once they have become convinced about something in their own minds and by their own reasoning.
**So you cannot draw nearer to God when you have a misunderstanding of His word, because a misunderstanding of His word will lead you to a misunderstanding of His Character – and that will prevent you from getting any nearer to God than that misunderstanding will allow you – so God has to somehow unmuddled your mind from that misunderstanding in order for you to continue to draw nearer to Him.
113-1 SMYRNAEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.4
… no true believer is any stronger and spiritually healthy and alive than his knowledge of and adherence to the pure Word of God,
*People can so easily become prisoners to the deception that they have come to believe in their minds, and it takes the grace of God, and the washing of the water of the word to bring them out of that condition.
**This term “Out on a Limb” we find is used by Brother Branham in different places in the message to describe how that a person or a group of believers can go out onto the thin end of a branch of a limb (of the tree of the truth of the word of God) with a certain doctrine of truth to the point of falling off the entire tree, or at least not being able to get back from off that limb.
*When we are born into this world, we are born with a mind that is all muddled up, and that needs to be unmuddled by the truth and revelation of the word of God. That is why it is the word that washes our thinking, it washes all the wrong ways of our own thinking out of us and brings us into a clear understanding of the word of God, and that is what reveals God, and that is how we are drawn nearer to God in our relationship with Him.
ADOPTION.1_ JEFF.IN AD.1 SUNDAY_ 60-0515E
67 How many's received the promise of the Holy Ghost? Oh, aren't you glad that you're in the land over here now, eating the old corn, eating the strong things of God, and got a clear understanding. Your--your spiritual mind is all unmuddled up. You know exactly Who He is. You know exactly What He is. You know exactly where you're going. You know exactly all about It. You know in Whom you have believed and persuaded He's able to keep that which you've committed to Him against the day.
***You know God’s character; you know His motive and His will for your life. You know His undying love and care for you and that He has prepared a great eternal life of joy and peace and pleasures forever more for you to look forward to and to enjoy with Him as his children – all these things you have come to know about Him of His purpose towards you. “How could I ever love my God enough, where would I be if not for His healing touch”. That knowledge will draw you closer to Him.
**So in all this, we are speaking of our relationship with God, because death is separation from the right relationship with God by falling out of agreement with the thought of God, in other words death is to think and believe contrary to the word of God, but life is to be in the right relationship with God by our minds coming into agreement with His revealed thoughts.
THE.KINSMAN.REDEEMER_ JEFF.IN V-6 N-8 SUNDAY_ 60-1002
40 ... This Book of Ruth was one of the outstanding books that they accepted. Why? If it's just a love story, why would the writers and ancient sages accept this Book as inspired? Because there's a hidden revelation in It. And in this hidden revelation, you catch the real meaning, and It'll bring you real close to God.
***When we catch the real meaning of the word of God, then that is what brings us into a close relationship with God. We are not in a servant/God relationship in this age, this is bride relationship age of where the secrets that have been hidden since the foundation of the world are now being revealed to the bride in these last days, and sometimes these truths are found closer to the outer limbs of the tree of where the good fruit lays, but yet these truths must also fit perfectly with the rest of the entire body of truth of the tree because scripture does not contradict itself – God is not the author of confusion.
**Any truth (if it is the truth of the word of God’s eternal thoughts) will not fall off the tree into things that are contrary to the doctrine of the rest of the tree.
HOW.THE.ANGEL.CAME.TO.ME.AND.HIS.COMMISSION_ CHICAGO.IL FOOTPRINT.BOOK MONDAY_ 55-0117
12 Now, there's a limb on the Tree, that's Calvinism, but there's more limbs on the Tree, too. A tree has more than one limb. He just wanted to run it on out there into Eternal Security, and after a while you go on off into Universalism and you drop off out there somewhere, there's no end to it. But when you get through with Calvinism, come back up and start on Arminianism. See, there's another limb on the Tree, and another limb on the Tree, just keep on. The whole thing together makes the Tree. So I believe in--in the... in Calvinism as long as it stays in the Scripture.
MARRIAGE.AND.DIVORCE_ JEFF.IN V-3 N-13 SUNDAY_ 65-0221M
67 … You'd run out of Scripture when you go this way, you run out of Scripture when you go that way. We want to know where Scripture meets Scripture, and know what's the Truth of it.
**We have been dealing lately with the subject of the “Categories of Eternal Life” of which some of these things may seem to have been out on a limb, and yet we know that they are completely true because the entire scripture speaks the same thoughts.
266-3 SARDISEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.7
… We will actually show by Scripture that multitudes who were not even born again will go into eternal life. As strange as this may sound, it is certainly true.
It is true because it is what the scriptures teach us, and not only certain scriptures, but the entire rest of the bible supports and testifies to that truth also. Mathew 25 and many other places.
DEMONOLOGY.PHYSICAL.REALM_ CONNERSVILLE.IN DE 21-40 MONDAY_ 53-0608A
34…Oh, let me correct this just a little bit, or say something. Somebody's going to go away and say, "Brother Branham is a Calvinist." No, I'm not. I'm a Calvinist as long as Calvinist is in the Bible. But when Calvinist gets out of the Bible, then I'm an Arminian. See? I believe in holiness and I believe in Calvinist too; but both of them, one run out on a limb and went this way, and one run out on a limb and went that way. If it wasn't for the Book of Ephesians to bring it back and put it in the right place where God did, we'd all be all mixed up. But they both got a doctrine, but they go to seed on it, each one; that's the holiness and the Calvinists too, the Arminian. Now, Calvinists have something true. I believe that, that the Calvinistic doctrine...
***Scripture is self-balancing – the limbs of the tree are still a part of and are connected to the tree. That is why we can take almost any scripture and run out on a limb with it to the end of the limb, and if we are not careful we could keep going until we would fall off the entire tree – this is how denominations end up where they are, they put man’s interpretation to scripture and then keep going until they fall off the tree, but the way to stay on the tree is to include all scripture from Genesis to Revelation, because it takes the full word of God of the entire thought of God to bring life and true revelation to our understanding – and true revelation of the word brings us closer to God.
**Ignatius of Antioch is reported to be a student of Saint John along with Polycarp. His Theological View was what has been termed as Modalism.
*The best historical evidence indicates that Ignatius was appointed the third bishop of Antioch by one of the apostles (likely John) and that he was actually mentored by the apostle John himself along with Polycarp.
Therefore, it makes sense to believe that the theology of Ignatius would be the same theology of the original apostles.
*So how did that change, and how did they all fall off the tree at the Nicaean council of 325 AD?
**They introduced the ways of man’s reasoning until they got so far out on a limb that they fell completely off the tree and produce a concept of God in the minds of the people that was different to the true God, thus separating people from the corrected relationship that man was meant to have with God.
**If we take the doctrine of the trinity in the way that the modern Church explains God of how they say that there are three separate persons in the Godhead.
*This teaching can only put you further away from having the right relationship with the true God, because how can you have the correct relationship with God when you have a conception in your mind that He is made up of three different persons that somehow make up one person – your brain can’t figure that out not matter how hard it tries.
So now when you pray, you kind of have three instead of one, and so then which person of the God head do you pray to – and the further you go with this idea, you just fall off the tree farther and farther.
**So this is why that you will find that the doctrine of Trinitarianism will not bring close to God, but it will actually separate your relationship with God.
**And this is why that you will find with any doctrine, that if it is wrong (like the doctrine of the trinity), then you will run out of scripture in that you may seem to get your doctrine to fit some scriptures, but not all the scripture – and that will bring confusion and weaken your relationship with the Lord because it is not a clear understanding that these things produce.
**Any truth (if it is the truth of the word) will mature clearer and clearer as God unfolds that truth greater and greater.
HOW.THE.ANGEL.CAME.TO.ME_ OWENSBORO.KY SATURDAY_ 53-1107
E-20 I believe that before the foundation of the world, according to Ephesians 1, that God knew us, and knew that He was sending me, and the other ministers, and so forth, to preach the Gospel before the world was ever formed. I believe that's Scriptural teaching. That's got a lot of Calvinistic wing to it. I believe the Calvinist was all right. They got a--they got a Scripture to stand. So has the Arminian, but they both run out and ride on limbs, broke off, made issues. God just brought the whole thing back, and stuck it in the Book of Ephesians, and straightened it out. That's right, just exactly.
*Both have good truth – but they kept going too far with that truth so that it starts to conflict with other scriptures, but all scripture must dovetail - it is the entire word of God that brings the true meaning of the thoughts of God to our understanding.
THE.GODHEAD.EXPLAINED_ CHICAGO.IL V-2 N-24 TUESDAY_ 61-0425B
35-1 And here's what's the matter with a lot of you Assemblies of God and other men on these healing services. I don't blame you. There's so much called... And Tommy here, is a good brother, and we know how solid he stands, but there's so much in the land today under the name of Divine healing, no wonder you don't want to sponsor a meeting in the city. They come and bleed the people, and go out, and what have they got? Don't give the people a bit more than you do from the platform, from your own pulpit; and you're right, brethren. I'm telling you, you're right.
But it's just like I was reading the history of Martin Luther. It said, "It wasn't a mystery that Martin Luther could protest the Catholic church and get by with it (You've read his history.) but that Martin Luther could hold his head above all the fanaticism that followed his revival. There was the mystery. And when the phenomena is done, the uncircumcised follows--just like it was in Egypt; and it always has cause trouble out in the land. We know that when we get out there, which they raised up Korah, God had to destroy. But brethren, I don't blame you.
35-3 Brother Jaggers set there and tried to tell me that that was the Holy Ghost a doing that and said... And then I had in his own paper. I said, "Brother Jaggers," now I said, "I am a seventh grade pupil, and you are a Doctor of Divinity and studied to be an attorney. You was raised up in a clean, decent church, the Assemblies of God. Your father helped to found that faith, and you pulling away, that's up to you." But I said, "That's up to any man that wants to do that. I don't draw any lines there, but when it comes to a place that an instrument like you could win thousands of souls to Christ, would build your ministry upon a sensation." I said, "Brother Jaggers, you build a column like that, if you haven't got a counterbalance for that, it'll fall after while, and you got to have Scripture for what you are talking about."
He said, "There is Scripture."
I said, "Produce it."
He said, "Well, Brother Branham," said, "that's the Holy Ghost doing that."
I said, "Show me the Scripture where It said the Holy Ghost ever made blood come out on somebody, so forth like that. Just show it: oil pour out of them. You said that oil was for Divine healing, and you said that woman's blood would be the salvation of nations." I said, "If that is so, then what happened to the Blood of Jesus Christ? It takes away, and anything that is against It is anti. It is against It"; I said, "it becomes an antichrist doctrine."
"Oh," he said, "Brother Branham, you'll learn someday."
I said, "I hope I never learn like that. Now, brother," I said, "I love you, and you're my brother." And I said, "Brother Jaggers, you're going to get on a limb after while that you can't get back off of. Come back to your church, and come back and stay with the Gospel." And I said, "Don't build it upon sensations." I said...
36-1 For now, he's got--he's baptizing to Eternal Life. You know, every time you baptize, you go back to a young woman or man. Now, that's going to... He ain't going never die, so that is he on the end of the limb right now, them vitamin pills out of the Dead Sea...
You see, but that's what it is, brother. You start on those little sensations, and you men here that's got these churches, you let something like that come into the city, and you know, the devil is shrewd, and he--he jumps in on those things like that. He fusses at it. And he--he gets people wound up, and he causes confusions in the church and things, but that isn't so.
INFLUENCE_ CHICAGO.IL V-21 N-6 SATURDAY_ 63-0803E
48 I know of a man in the world today, a fine man, too, a good man, a real preacher of the Word, and I--I would say a--a real brother, and I talked to him not long ago. And he kept having sensations, and he built his ministry completely upon sensations, now they're baptizing to Eternal Life, "the people are not going to die." I'm afraid they're out on a limb that they'll never have no way to get back off of that, see, but because that's wrong.
PROVERBS 30:11-13 – This was one of our opening scriptures last week…
11 There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother. (Notice – from a single man to an entire generation)
12 There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet is not washed from their filthiness. (What they do is right in their own minds, and yet it is filthy in the sight of God and will actually lead to destruction and death)
13 There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.
From an individual taking the wrong pathway of what they think is right, to an entire nation of people who have become so proud of their culture of what they think is the best and right way of living, and yet are on a pathway to complete failure – and that is the description of this end time generation that we find ourselves living in today. We have forsaken the word of God for the wisdom and thoughts of man.
THE.WORLD.IS.FALLING.APART_ ALBQ.NM FRIDAY_ 63-0412M
213 When a woman gets from behind the table in the kitchen, in the house, taking care of her own little ministry God give her, her babies, she's out of the will of God. (This is the condition of the whole world now – look where these modern ideas of man have led our generation too)
214 Put her in a pulpit, she's out of the will of God. There's no Scripture for a woman preacher. I want some man to stand and tell me that, look me in the face. There's no such a thing. That, Pentecost is the grassroots of that stuff. Never was! Adam was first formed, and then Eve. Adam was not deceived. But, yet, you do it. And you see where you got yourself? Way out here on a limb, that, you can't come back on now. But there you go. That's it. That's the world. That's what you want. That's what you want. That's what you got. See?
PROVERBS 12:15
15 ¶ The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel (of the word of God) is wise.
**We can go out onto the limbs of where the good fruit is because those limbs are a part of the tree, but if those limbs are truly a part of the tree, then their truth will also be found in the balance of the entire body of scripture, because all truth (if it is truth) will only make the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation become clearer and clearer to our understanding, and that is what brings us into a closer relationship with God.