Out on a Limb
III JOHN 1:3-4
3 ¶ For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee (What does truth inside of a person look like? – it’s when they possess in the spirit of their mind a clear revelation of the word revealed for their day), even as thou walkest in the truth.
4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. (You walk in truth by staying in agreement with the truth as God continues to unfold it to you greater and greater)
PROVERBS 14:12
12 ¶ There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
(Notice – a way of thinking that seems right to the mind of a man – your way of life is chosen by the way you think, in other words, there is a way of reasoning that makes sense to your mind yet it can lead you to destruction and death at the end of that pathway, and yet it seemed right to the best of your understanding. “but the end thereof are the ways of death”.
Death is separation from God, so a man’s own way of what he thinks seems right in his own eyes, yet it can lead him to be separated from God.
*We are speaking of a relationship separation, in other words you cannot have the right relationship with God when your mind is in some form of disagreement with the word of God - that was what the original sin was all about, it was placing human reasoning above the word of God.
PROVERBS 30:11-13
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)
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 be on a pathway to complete failure – and that is certainly a perfect description of this end time generation that we find ourselves living in today.
PROVERBS 12:15
15 ¶ The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. (We are speaking of the counsel of the scriptures of which there is no higher counsel)
Out on a Limb
Brother Branham used this term “Out on a Limb” in different places in the message with the analogy of the bible being like the entire tree of the complete body of truth, and how a person can get themselves out on the end of a particular limb of the tree which is like a certain branch of truth that keeps narrowing down to an end point of a limb.
**In other words, it is possible to keep going out onto the thin end of a branch with a certain doctrine of truth to the point that if you keep going too far out on that limb, then that limb of truth could get dangerously thin and then you run the risk of falling off the entire tree, or at least not being able to get back from off that limb.
By being out on an extreme limb, you could end up so out of balance with the rest of the scriptures that you run the risk of moving outside of the truth of the bible completely into a place of being imprisoned in your own mind with false believes. A human being is very capable of totally believing in things that are totally false.
**This is where the human mind can imprison itself in its own thoughts of what it believes to be truth even if it has little to no scripture for it – and it is very hard to change people thoughts of what they have become convinced about in their minds by their own reasoning. They become prisoners to the deception that they have conceived, and it takes the grace of God to bring them out of that state. You will never argue them out of it by reasoning with them, it takes the washing of the water of the word to wash that out.
**That is why the message teaches us that if we truly have the truth, then all scripture must dovetail with that truth all the way through the bible from Genesis to Revelation, because scripture cannot fight against itself.
REVELATION.CHAPTER.FOUR.3_ JEFF.IN ROJC 645-716 SUNDAY_ 61-0108
285 …Now, remember, everything that we preach has got to come from Genesis to Revelation. Any time you want to be question, come ask me. See? It must be the whole Bible, not just part of it, 'cause God don't change.
This is how we can know that we have truth – it is when the whole entire revelation of the bible fits with that truth. And yet we know that the good fruit is often found out on the limbs of a tree – but we don’t want to fall off the tree while in the process of gathering the fruit – the fruit being the deeper things of the revelation of the word.
PROVERBS 12:15 (read opening scripture again)
15 ¶ The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.
We must never make the mistake of thinking that we are wise in our own eyes – it is a form of pride that will cause you to fail miserably.
If you are to be truly wise, then you must first realize that you are not able to be wise on your own account as a human being with the capacity and intellectual level of the human mind.
***As human beings we are all very susceptible to deception (all of us are), that is just the way the human mind is. We can easily be talked and taken into believing things that are not even true – and so you must realize this about yourself, and then realize that you cannot rely upon your own ability of your own intellect to discern between truth and error just by how convincing something seems to the reasoning of your mind.
**Someone can explain something in such a way that can sound so convincing and yet it can be totally wrong (we have all experienced this) – and yet you will totally believe it and be totally convinced that it is true and there is not even one speck of truth to it, and the end of the pathway of that deception in not good.
****We have seen this same thing play out over the years with certain things that have risen up in the message that sound so good but yet have led people down wrong pathways that have not reveal the mighty God to them, but have actually lessoned their fellowship with God in their relationship with Him.
HIDDEN.LIFE.WITH.CHRIST_ MINNEAPOLIS.MN MONDAY_ 56-0213
E-36 … the Bible said, "The soul that sinneth (that's disbelieveth), that soul shall die." That means... "Death" means "separation." If I die now I'd separate from you, but not from God. You'd separate from your friends, but you'll always be in the presence of God.
This is why a person can be alive as far as they are a breathing and a living human being, and yet be dead at the same time in the sense that they are separated from God in their relationship with Him.
And then on the other hand, a person can be dead by the death of their physical earthly body, and yet be literally fully alive in their theophany body and in the presence of the Lord and with their loved ones who have already crossed over – remember that we are some of the last that are still in this side of the chasm.
GOD.MAKING.HIS.PROMISE_ BROOKLYN.NY SUNDAY_ 56-1209A
E-33 All right. You might separate from your friends here for awhile, but you're in the Presence of God. See? Separation from God is eternal death, so you're gone forever. But you can no more die. "He that heareth My words and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath Everlasting Life and shall not come into the judgment, but is passed from death unto Life."
It’s when your spirit agrees with and unites with the word of God, that is what brings eternal life into you – The spirit of the word of God has taken up its abode in your thoughts and spirit – and that is fellowship with God, that is walking with God, and you cannot walk with God in that way and not have eternal life.
AN.ABSOLUTE_ PHOENIX.AZ SUNDAY_ 63-0127
150 The Bible said, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the ways of death." And there is nobody wants to die. That's separation. We don't want to separate from God. And we don't want...
151 We want to live. Life is the greatest treasure that--that man can have. And now we've got to find what is Life. And He said, "My Word is Life." That's the Life that you should have, the Word living in you.
The word living in us is when the truth of the thought of God has become one with our thoughts – in other words, our thoughts have come into perfect agreement with the thoughts of God – of His word.
***So we are speaking of our relationship with God, because if death is separation from relationship with God by disagreement with His word, then life is to be in the right relationship with God by our agreement with His word.
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 hidden revelation of the word, then that is what brings us into a close relationship with God – and the message of the hour is full of these things that unlock the heart and thoughts of God to us, because this is not servant/God relationship age, but this is a God and His bride relationship age of where the secrets that have been held back since the foundation of the world, God is now revealing them to His bride in these last days, and sometimes these truths are found closer to the outer limbs 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 just finished a series on the Categories of Eternal life.
And we found out that when the 5th seal opened, it showed us that there will be many categories of people who will be saved and enter into eternal life at the great white throne judgement that never actually received Christ or were even born again – and this can seem so contrary to the human mind of reasoning like it is way out on the end of an extreme limb of truth that may have even fallen off the tree, and yet it is not out on a limb, but it is completely the truth.
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 the entire rest of the bible supports and testifies to that also.
*Brother Branham talks about how that there would be a special place in heaven for good old doctors – and we found out that that was a category of eternal life that will be granted at the great white throne judgement.
***Each one of the seals held a mystery of all those who would be redeemed – even all the non-bride categories such as souls under the altar of the Jews who rejected Christ as well as the foolish virgins, and then also the sheep on his right-hand category in Mathew 25.
**This is why the bible is called the book of redemption, because it contains all the names of all the redeemed of the bride category as well as all the other categories of eternal life – every single person of every category of eternal life has their name sealed up in the bible under those different categories in mystery form.
**So going through this study of the last couple of months, I have been personally very aware to make sure that I stayed with the scriptures concerning this subject as of how we saw Brother Branham give the scripture for the good old doctor category, because we don’t want to get out on a limb with these advanced revelations of scriptural truth.
THE.FIFTH.SEAL_ JEFF.IN FRIDAY_ 63-0322
337-5 {33} … We... You can't possibly hit all the things, if--'cause you could take that--just one of those Seals and stay, just--just bring it right through the Scripture, right down. See, it take months and months and months, and you still wouldn't have it, 'cause the--the Seal itself ties the entire Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, one Seal of it.
*The message of the hour actually ties the 5th seal to this scripture in Mathew 5:7 - MATTHEW 5:7
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
Sealed under this one verse of scripture is the names of maybe millions of people that down through history that have shown mercy to others, just as we saw how Brother Branham placed the good old doctor in this category of eternal life.
*There will be multitudes who will be given white robes at the great white throne judgement and go into eternal life base on this single scripture alone.
LUKE 16:24-25 (let’s look at supporting scripture for this truth)
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. (This rich man that had died had not shown mercy to the beggar outside of his home while he was on earth. All he wanted to do was to build more barns to fit all of his stuff in, yet he could not even spare a crumb for others who were less fortunate.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
*The scripture is revealing something to us here that there is a place of comfort that God has prepared in that great kingdom that is to come for people that have had their lives on earth full of struggle and torment – this is the bible.
*So it is clear that there will be millions of people whose names will be sealed under this scripture – remember that God is the judge of all these things, because we cannot reason these things out with our human minds.
ADOPTION.1_ JEFF.IN AD.1 SUNDAY_ 60-0515E
20 Well now, many of these little pretty-faced mothers setting here, some of them sixty or seventy years old, would say, "Well, what have I done, Brother Branham?" You've raised your children. You've done what you were supposed to do.
Maybe some old Dad setting here say, "Well, I've harrowed the fields; I've done this. I never preached." But you did just what God sent for you to do. There's a place for you. (All that serve God’s purpose on earth in this life will have a resurrection and receive eternal life in the great kingdom of God that is to come)
22 Speaking to an old doctor yesterday, one of my doctor friends, buddies, eighty-something years old... And his sister-in-law is here at the church tonight, and she's been just a teeny-teeny bit worried about him. And I went to see him. And as soon as I begin to talk to him, he brightened up, told me about a hunting trip he taken many years ago up in Colorado, the very same country I hunt at. Just as brilliant and bright... And I said, "Doctor, how long you been practicing?"
He said, "When you were nursing." And way down I said... "And many a time," he said, "I've practiced taking my buggy; I put my saddle bags over my horse. I took the little satchel and I've walked."
And I said, "Yes, down along the creek banks, two o'clock in the morning with your flashlight, trying to find a house where a little child had a tummy ache or a mother in labor pains."
"That's right."
25 And I said, "You know, doctor, I believe, across this dividing line here between mortal and immortality, God has a place for good old doctors that's served like that." (Notice – “God has a place for good old doctors” – a “good old doctors” category of eternal life like we have been preaching about lately)
Great tears come in his eyes, and he started crying; he reached up his feeble hands and said, "Brother, I hope so." Across the land, God judges a man's soul, what he is.
Then I give him this satisfying Scripture. Many times, plowing through those dark muddy fields at night, trying to help somebody, maybe never get a penny for it, but it's all right. I said, "Jesus said in the Scripture, 'Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.'" And that is true.
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,
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 in that we can almost take any scripture and run out on a limb with it to the end of the limb until we fall off the tree – but the way to stay climbing the tree is to include all scripture, because it takes the full word of God of the entire thought of God to bring life and true revelation to our understanding.