The Evidence of Predestination
EPHESIANS 1:3-5
3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
We read these two verses last week – we want to go on another verse this week..
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
The Evidence of Predestination – study into this subject in the light of the message of the hour
II PETER 1:10a
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: (Last week “God’s Elective Love toward Us”)
Election = Greek word - ekloge {ek-log-ay'}
1) the act of picking out, choosing; used of the act of God's free will by which before the foundation of the world he decreed his blessings to certain persons; the decree made from choice by which He determined to bless certain persons through Christ by grace
2) a thing or person chosen
Opening scripture…
EPHESIANS 1:5
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
The word “Predestinated” is similar to the word election but it probably a stronger word.
Predestinated = determine before - ordain (1) to predetermine, decide beforehand; in the NT of God decreeing from eternity; to foreordain, appoint beforehand
The true understanding of Predestination was one of the mystery’s and “lose ends” that was to be made cleared in the last days by the seventh angels message.
THINGS.THAT.ARE.TO.BE_ RIALTO.CA V-4 N-6 SUNDAY_ 65-1205
81 And when a child of God, when that predestinated... That's a bad word to use, but it's God. Here is God's Bible.
Predestination was a “bad” word in the sense that appeared to do away with the free choice of a person, and people didn’t like the concept of that, of how God has already predetermining every ones outcome and they appear to have no free choice, but God does not interfere with anyone’s free choice. So the true understanding of Predestination goes deeper than that idea - it is not that God makes people chose or reject Him, but it is the seed that was in them that they came born with that causes them to respond and agree with the truth for the age.
The foreknowledge of God can predestinate, make everything work to His honor. When that predestinated seed, that you was to be, and God called you, and that little eagle of a seed in there heard the Word of God, it will build on top, one Word on top the other one, on top the other one, on top the other one. It'll not mix with any creed.
GOD'S.POWER.TO.TRANSFORM_ PHOENIX.AZ V-16 N-5 SATURDAY_ 65-0911
235 Now then, now, now you can fellowship with Him. You couldn't back there, because you were just a Word in Him, a seed. But now He has manifested you, and now He wants you to fellowship with Him. Then He came down, was made flesh so He could perfectly fellowship with you. See the perfect fellowship? Oh, my, them deep mysteries of God! How wonderful! See, God could not fellowship in the Spirit, so God became man with us.
236 Jesus Christ was God Himself, manifested, 'cause, He was a son because He was begotten, but it was just a tabernacle for Him to live in. "No man has seen God at any time, but the only Begotten of the Father has declared Him." God built Himself a house, a body to live in, come down so that you could touch Him. I Timothy 3:16, "Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness; for God was manifested in the flesh, seen of Angels, believed on, received up into Heaven."
WHO.IS.THIS.MELCHISEDEC_ JEFF.IN V-5 N-10 SUNDAY_ 65-0221E
69 But, and look, clearly makes it clear, you will never be the Word unless you was a thought at the beginning. That proves the predestination of God. See? You can't be the Word unless you're a thought. You had to be in the thinking, first.
These last 3 quotes were all from sermons preached in 1965 (the last year of brother Branham’s earthly ministry), and we find that there were many statements that he makes toward the very last part of his ministry that we know now that it was God correcting our understanding in relation to much of our traditional religious thinking of past concepts, especially the thought that had been established by the Pentecostal age in relation to the evidence of your election and calling.
In the Pentecostal movement, they believed that the proof of receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost was to speak in tongues, that was the evidence as far as they were concerned, and they were completely convinced of that – but we found out that that was not even scriptural. Also according to the scripture the Holy Ghost can fall upon the just and the unjust.
MATTHEW 5:43-45
43 ¶ Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
Even in the early days of the message it was thought that to receive the Holy Ghost was an experience of some supernatural encounter or a sensation or a feeling or a shiver or something – and we are certainly not against experiences with the Lord, and I believe that it is important that we all have an experience with the Lord, but the message teaches us that all those things (as good as they may be) is not the evidence of the indwelling spirit in the realm of the human soul and in relation to a predestinated gene seed of God.
147-2 SMYRNAEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.4
What is it that caused this misunderstanding? The answer is, "EXPERIENCE". We have gone by experience and not the Word. Away with experience as your measuring line. There is only one plumb line, only one rod, and that is the WORD.
We always thought that when you received the Holy Ghost then you had arrived at your final destination, and in one sense of the meaning that is true, but in 1965 the message corrected our thinking that that was not the case with many.
LEADERSHIP_ COVINA.CA V-7 N-7 TUESDAY_ 65-1207
162 ... Many of you think, "I got the baptism of the Holy Ghost, I'm going to Heaven." That don't mean one thing that you're going to Heaven. No, sir. You can have the baptism of the Holy Ghost every hour in your life, and still be lost and go to hell. The Bible says so. Uh-huh, that's exactly right.
As message believers we all believe in justification, sanctification and the baptism of the Holy Ghost, but if it is just the Holy Ghost anointing on your spirit, then if that is as far as it goes, then you will be just another false anointed one at the end time. But if it is the person of the word quickening the gene seed of God that is in your soul by the spirit of the word of this hour, then that is the genuine evidence of your calling and election and that you are a predestinated bride member of this hour.
What identifies you as a predestinated bride member of this hour is that you can hear the true prophet of God and believe the full word of this day.
176-1 PERGAMEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.5
How can any messenger sent from God believe only a part of the Word and deny some of it? The true prophet of God in this last day will proclaim the whole Word. Denominations will hate him. His words may be as harsh as John the Baptist who called them vipers. But the predestinated will hear and be ready for the rapture. The Royal Seed of Abraham, with like faith as Abraham's will hold to the Word with him, for they are predestinated together.
378-1 A.RESUME.OF.THE.AGES - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.10
If vicar of Christ means 'instead of Christ' or 'in place of' or 'on behalf of God' then the pope was calling himself the Holy Ghost, or deposing the Holy Ghost, acting for Him. That was the Judas spirit in him doing that. See how he conquered--going forth conquering and to conquer. Christ did not do that. The only ones that came to Him were already predestinated by the Father.