Episode 327: The Family Altar Audio Devotional – Day 293

Episode Summary:

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)

22 The god of this world today, the worshiped person of this world today, is Satan. And the people are ignorant of worshiping Satan, but it’s Satan impersonating himself as the church, see, as the church. They worship Satan, thinking that they are worshiping God through the church, but it’s the way Satan has done it.

“Oh,” you say, “but wait a minute; we preach the Word.”

23 Look back here at my text, tonight. Satan was the one that preached the Word to Eve, first, “God hath said,” see.

24 It’s that misconstruing that part of the Scripture that applies to the day. He’ll let you know all Jesus did was perfectly well. He’ll let you know all that Moses did was perfectly well. But when you take the promises that They gave for this day, then That was applied to another age. That’s just all he has to do, see, is to get the people to believe It that way, and that—that’s all. For, “You cannot take one Word away from It, or add one word to It.” But that’s what he does.

25 People, ignorantly worshiping Satan, thinking they are worshiping God; as we are warned by prophecy, in Second Thessalonians. That, let’s just read that, Second Thessalonians, the 2nd chapter. Let’s just get it a moment, if I can, right away. I’d like to read that. Just, I believe, Second Thessalonians. I got the Scripture here. In Second…

Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of the Lord Jesus…and by the gathering together unto him,

26 Now, see, “the coming of the Lord, and the gathering to Him,” as God will gather His people to Him in the last days. “The gathering of the people to the Lord,” not to the church, “to the Lord; gathering together unto Him.”

That ye be not soon shaken in your mind, or…troubled— troubled, neither by spirit, nor…word, nor by letter as from us, as…the day of the Lord is at hand.

Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin (“man of sin,” watch what he is now), the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, (that was Judas, see);

Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

27 That deceitfulness of the church of today! See, “the son of perdition,” the devil. “The son of perdition,” the devil. Then, people worshiping Satan in this day, thinking they’re worshiping God. But they’re worshiping him through a creed, a man-made denominations and creeds that’s brought the people right down to the greatest deception that the world has ever knowed of. No matter how much the Word of God promised for this day, is preached and vindicated, they still won’t believe It. They won’t believe It.

28 Then why? We wonder why. Why doesn’t it; why won’t they believe It? When God said He would do a certain thing, and He does it, and still they turn their back from it and turn away from it. Just as Eve knew that what God said, God would do; but she turned her back on it, to listen to what he had to say.

29 Just remember, in other ages, it’s always been the same thing. In every age, it’s always been that Satan tries to pervert that Word to them, making them see some other age.

30 Look, when Jesus come, see, Satan was in that bunch of Jewish teachers, and rabbis and priests, trying to tell them to keep the law of Moses, when the very Word said that in that day the Son of man would be revealed, see, that He would reveal Himself. So they was trying, as long as they kept them religious, and on the law of Moses. See what he did? He was trying to tell them, “That part of the Word is just exactly right, but this Man isn’t that Person.” See how deceiving he is? That’s that real day of deception.

31 It’s been, and now is, Satan establishing his kingdom in the earth. That’s exactly why he’s doing it, for he wants to establish his own kingdom.

32 As a businessman, that’s not a Christian, he’ll work every scheme he can to make you see something the wrong way. If he’s got a—a purpose and a personal gain in making you doing that, making you seeing it that way, he’ll show you everything he can, and keep you off from the truth of it, because he’s got a feeling only for himself. No matter how much he lies and cheats, and whatever more, he’s got personal gain.

33 And that’s why Satan has done this. And he has worked through the ministry to do it, as God promised he would do. Now, he began by a religious deceit in Eden, and has continued ever since.

34 Not by setting up a bunch of communists. Communists has nothing to do with this. It’s the church, that’s where you have to watch, see. It’s not the—it’s not the communists that would deceive the very Elected. It’s the church that’ll deceive the very Elected, see. It isn’t communists; we know they deny God, and they’re antichrist, sure they are, in principle, but they are not the antichrist. The antichrist is religious, very religious, and can quote the Scripture, and make It look so plain.

35 As Satan did back there in the beginning, he quoted everything right down, “God has said, ‘Thou shalt not eat every tree of the garden.’” See, quote It right out.

36 She said, “Yes, we may eat of all the trees of the garden, but there is a tree in the midst of the garden that God said not to eat, for, not even touch it; ’cause, the day we did, that day we would die.”

37 He said, “Oh, surely you’ll not die. But let me give you the reason why God said this, is because…” See, he now what? He quoted this Truth, you see. He said, “It’ll open your eyes, and it’ll make you know good and wrong. You’ll be like God then, if you can do it.”

38 That’s just what he wants to do, and that’s just the same thing he is trying to do today. There’s been a religious deceit since the very beginning at Eden, and has been ever since. In Adam’s time, it was a deceit. In Noah’s time, it was a deceit. In Jesus’ time, was the same. And now is the same, the same way, a religious deceitfulness!

39 Now, we will notice the earth, when God had it under control. Now, when God had it control…had it under His control. Then when Satan took over, by rejecting the Word of God. God one time had the earth under His control. He set it in its orbit. He put it, make it work. He done everything, had it in His control. Now we’ll compare that with after Satan took it in his control.

40 Now, it took God six thousand years. It didn’t take Him that long, but He took that long. Six thousand years, because we’re taught that “one day in Heaven is a thousand years on earth,” and it was six thousand years, or six days that God built the earth. Now, it took God six thousand years to establish it, plant it with good seeds and to bring forth everything after its kind. Everything must come forth of its kind. All of His seeds were good, and so it must bring forth after its kind. God took six thousand years.

41 Finally, when He got it all made, and finally we…finally arrived with its headquarters, of the earth, in a beautiful spot laying east of Eden, called the garden of Eden. God made the world’s headquarters in the garden of Eden, in Egypt, right at the east end of the garden was the headquarters.

42 And over the whole situation, He put His son and His son’s wife, over all of it. That’s right. That’s what God did. He put them in full control. They could speak to the winds, and it would cease to blow. They would speak to the tree, and it would move from here to there.

43 The lion and the wolf fed together, and the lamb laid down with them. There was no evil. It was perfect peace, perfect harmony, everything in perfection, and when God had it under His control. And notice, He had His…He had His world, He had all in operation. He had everything coming. Everything eating vegetations; nothing to die, nothing to be ruined, nothing to be spoiled. Nothing…It was just perfect.

44 And over it all, He placed His beloved children, His son and His daughter, a husband and wife, to control it.

45 God was so satisfied! “And He rested from all His works, at the seventh day,” and hallowed this seventh-day sabbath for Him.

46 Because, God looked it all over, after He had been six thousand years in molding it and fixing it out, making it come into existence; and put the mountains up, and make the volcanics push the mountains up, and the things that taken place in the eruptions; dried it off, and fixed it the way He had it. And it was a beautiful place.

47 There was nothing like it, the great paradises of God! And the great dinosaurs, and whatever more, crawling through it, and of the great animals; no harm in them. They were just as gentle as a little kitten. They had nothing at all; no—no sickness, no sorrow; not one disease germ on the earth. Oh, what a place!

48 The great birds swinging from tree to tree, and Adam could call them by name, and they would fly up on his shoulders and—and coo to him. And, oh, what a wonderful place God had!

49 And then made one of His attributes from His Own Body. God has attributes in His Body.

50 Like, you are an attribute of your father. And, you notice, you was in your grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather’s. But, in that, say, we’ll take it down to like you and your father. Now, you did not know anything when you were in your father. The germ of life comes from the male. The male has the blood cell; the woman has the—the egg; now, therefore, the blood cell has the life in it. And, then, when you were in your father, you actually knowed nothing about it. But, yet, science and God’s Word proves that you were in your father, but you knowed nothing about it.

51 But then the father longed to know you. And with the union of connection with mother, then you were made known to father. Now, you are your father’s attribute. You look like him, and you’ve got parts of your body that looks like your father.

52 Now, that’s the way God was in the beginning. Every son of God and every daughter of God was in God at the beginning. You don’t remember it now, but you were there. He knowed it. And He wanted you to become so He could contact you, speak with you and love you, and shake your hands.

53 Don’t you want your own boy…Isn’t it a great day when your boy can come home and sit down at the table? When he comes back from the battlefield, or something another, scarred up; how you’ll fix the dinner; you kill the fatted calf, or whatever more, and prepare for him! It’s your own flesh and blood, and he was in you. You didn’t know him then, but you knew he was there.

54 And so God knew that we would be here, but then He put us in flesh so we would be contacted. In order He could contact, He become one of us when He become Jesus Christ, the Son of God Himself, the fullness of the manifestation of God. Therefore that was God’s purpose, to display His attributes in fellowship.

55 When I was in my father, I knew nothing about it. But when I become his son and was born of him, I was a attribute, a part of my father. And you’re a part of your father.

56 And as children of God, we are a part of God’s attribute that was in Him, made flesh like He was made flesh, so we can have fellowship one with the other, as a family of God upon the earth. And that was God’s purpose at the beginning. Yes, sir. That’s what God wanted at the beginning.

57 He had everything under control. And He turned man over into the garden of Eden, on free moral agency; say, “Son, it’s yours.”

58 What a beautiful place! God was so satisfied, till He just went back and rested from all of His works. Every tree never brought forth thorns and thistles. No berries ever come off of a thorn tree. Everything was perfect. All seeds were perfect. Everything was in perfect condition.

59 Then when He went to take a little rest, His enemy slipped in with deceit, and took it over, by misinterpreting His program to His children. When, He put trust in His Own child; as you put trust in your daughter when she goes out at night with a man; when you put trust in your son when he has to go with a drinking boy or a smoking boy. See, He put trust in His son, that he would not do anything wrong, and would keep every Word that He said. But the enemy slipped in; like that greasy slicker that would take out your daughter and misbehave himself; or—or some woman would take, go out with your son, and the same thing. See, he slipped in. The enemy of God slipped in and misinterpreted the Word to Eve.

60 Now, he, by this fall, it has took over and possessed the garden of Eden, himself. He took it over. And now he has had six thousand years of deceitful rule; deceiving the people, God’s children, as he did then. Because, they were based on free moral agency, to act any way they wished to. And believing that they would act right, or trusting they would act right, then they’ve come with the wrong act, and sold their birthrights, as Esau did, for the world. And Satan won it, and he took it over. And he’s had six thousand years to build up his Eden, as God had six thousand years to bring His Eden to a close. And by deceit, deceit of the Word, or the people, now established his own Eden in this earth, in sin.

61 God’s Eden was established in righteousness. Satan’s Eden is established in sin, because Satan is sin. God is righteousness, and God’s kingdom was established in righteousness, and peace, and Life. And Satan’s establishment is in sin, and religious sin.

62 Notice how he deceived, his deception, as he said he would. He promised to do this. Did anybody know that? Let us turn to Isaiah, if you want some of these Scriptures. If you…I ought to quote more of them, I guess. Let’s turn to Isaiah the 14th chapter, just a moment, and just see what Satan said here, just a moment. In Isaiah 14, we’ll read it, and watch what this fellow done. Isaiah 14, begin with the 12th verse.

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

For thou hast said in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars (that’s sons), stars of God: and I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation,…the side of the north:

And I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; and I will be like the most High.

63 Now compare that over here with our other Scriptures over in Thessalonians, a while ago, how he said, “He sits in the temple of God, exalting himself above all that’s called God, so that he as God is worshiped as God upon the earth.”

64 There is the god of this world that I preached to you about last Sunday. Here he is today in deceit, that treacherous hour, that tremendous time that we’re living. It’s the most glorious time of all the ages, because we are facing the great Millennium again; we’re facing the Eden again. But right at this age, all the deceit and every tactic that he’s ever used and been able to deceive with, he’s gathered it all together and reinforced hisself; and come down like God, and has put hisself in place of God; religious, and can quote the Scripture and can tell you Scripture, just as Satan did to Eve in the garden of Eden. But leave out one spot of It, is all he has to do, make that gap, where the poison doctrine of the devil can pour through, like the thinking man’s Filter we was talking about the other night.

65-0829 – “Satan’s Eden”
Rev. William Marrion Branham

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