I believe that that is a very great lesson for the church today, is to try the spirit of anything, have discernment of the spirit. I do not think that we should ever, by any means, ever try to judge a person by the denomination they belong to, or by the group that they are assembled with, whether they be Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, or whatever they are. We should never judge the man by the denomination that he belongs to. We should always judge him by the spirit he has, see, the spirit.
Rev. William Marrion Branham
Really God loves us and He proves it that He doesn’t want anyone to perish but to repent and come to Him. And He keeps on warning us (2Pt3:9; Ezk33:11,Matt18:14). We don’t have to run into anything blindly or anyhow, but we must make a strong investigation into it and we must understand and know the reason why we are doing it or what we are doing it for(Eph5:15,16; 1Thess5:1; 1Jn4:1). We must be concerned about our souls and where we keep it. We must not just hand it to any man in the name of a ‘Pastor’ to keep watch over it. For the Bible says they are not all servants of God who holds the Bible or preaches the word of God. Some are of the devil. Though it is not written on their forehead neither will they tell you that they are the servants of the devil, for the word says they shall come in the name of the Lord Jesus claiming they are the Christ, just to deceive. And you know who Jesus is, the word, and ‘Christ’ means ‘the anointed one’. So it means people shall come with the Bible, the word of God and claim to have an anointing upon them that they are also anointed, and by that they shall deceive many.
Just as Jesus claimed that the anointing of the Lord is upon me and He has anointed me to preach the Gospel and heal the sick, so shall these false anointed ones, too, claim. Don’t you see it and hear it, how that people are claiming to have that anointing upon them and the great but false wonders they are performing?
The Bible says we shouldn’t believe such spirits, or anointing, we should try them, to see whether they are of God. For many false prophets, preacher and teachers have gone out into the world, who are antichrists, against the Word-(1J4:1,2). So we have to prove everything and accept that which is right-(1Thess5:21). All things, all pastors, all churches and all prophets are not right. No wonder Paul told Timothy to follow righteousness, faith, charity, and peace with them that call upon the name of the Lord out of a pure heart(2Tm2:22).
This shows plainly that some do not call upon the Lord out of a pure heart, they are not sincere. They make a profession without possession. There is iniquity in their hearts. It’s only a lip worship, in their hearts they don’t show a bit of Christianity. In deed they totally prove that they are against the word. And note that iniquity means a willful sin or sinning willfully. That is something that you know to be the right way, but you fail to do it the right way. And the Bible says he that knows the right thing but fails to do it, to him it is sin, . So look at the number of Christians, pastors and churches who by this judgment are sinners. For many and almost all of them know the exact will of God or the Truth, but they say “it is nothing if we do it anyhow”. For God only watches the heart. See(Mk7:6-9;Tit1:16;2Tm3:410;Jas4:17;Heb10:26)
They quote certain scriptures they don’t understand and interpret them to suit themselves or conditions that they find themselves in, without looking for the real meaning of them, but they use reasoning, their thinking and suggestions. Yes, sir! That’s the truth (2Pt2:1-3, 3:14-18). The devil quoted Jesus a scripture and it was right that, that was what the Bible says, but Jesus, the Word Himself, didn’t accept that. Why, because, it was not the right place where it supposed to be used. Therefore, it doesn’t hold any water right there, for it holds no revelation and Jesus quoted him the right scripture and he could not stand it, for he realized Jesus had quoted him the right scripture so he flee quickly.
Most people don’t know this so they misquote, misconstrue and misinterpret certain scriptures to their own hurt. They don’t even agree with the teachings of the apostles on communion, baptism, women pastors, feet washing and they try to find their own interpretations to defend their stand, which they have no right to do that. Because, it has been placed right already. And we are commanded not to teach any other, add or take away from it. But to take heed unto the doctrine (Gal1:8,9, 1Tm6:3, 4:16, Rev22:18,19;Pr30:6; Deut4:2). Moses went unto the mountain to receive the inspiration to write the first five books of the Bible. And so did all the prophets. Christ came to the scene and the scribes Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote the things He did and taught men to do. Then came Paul, the Gentiles’ Prophet and Apostle. He went into the desert of Arabia and received the inspiration from God to set the New Testament Church in order, typing it with the Old. And he said if any man or even an Angel from heaven comes to preach or teach any other gospel than what they have already preached or taught, let that man be an accursed or doomed. (Gal1:8,9)
Therefore, we have no right to say those men were wrong or have we received more power or have the right to change or put a different interpretation to what they said in a different way, because of our theology or education. No! what we must do is receive an inspiration from God to type what they said to what we see today or happening at this end time and not to do any other way, for we have had the absolute (2Pt1:13-21) and I don’t think if we got the same spirit as they had we’re going to disagree with what they taught us to do. Because, it is the same spirit of God that is given to us all. And that Spirit does not change. He can’t forbid something or disapprove of something yesterday and come today to say it is right. No! He might not be God then, to say something is wrong and come back, again to say it is right. That is not God at all. (Num23:19; Isa55:8-11).
God can’t condemn women pastors and come back to say it is right today. He can’t say take communion in the evening and come back to say you can do it in the morning or at any time that you wish and with any thing that you wish. He can’t say be baptized and come back to say it is not necessary. He can’t say He hates divorce and now turn around to tell a man to divorce his wife or a woman to divorce her husband. No! That is confusion. But God is not an author of confusion, but a God of order. (1Cor14:34,40)
Jesus said, the words that I speak to you are spirit and life. And the Bible says we compare spiritual things with spiritual things and carnal things with carnal things. And we type spiritual things to carnal or physical things. But we can’t test spiritual thing with the carnal nor test the carnal with the spiritual. So to try the spirit or anointing upon a man or a church and know whether it is of God, you can’t use your five senses –smell, sight, feeling, taste and hearing. No! But the word! For Paul said the Law, which is the word of God, is spiritual, but I am not spiritual. So you can’t just feel what the Pastor is saying is right, because it sounds good in your ears or because you saw him perform many miracles. No! You are bound to be deceived and led astray, for sure.
For Jesus warned, “Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves”, how are you going to know them? He said “you shall know them by their fruits…” Matt7:15,16. You shall know them by what they say concerning the Word, by giving them the word test. After their miracles what do they say about the word? Do they say “we should go after other gods or follow another doctrine or say God doesn’t really mean what He says”? Look everything under this sun is backed by a spirit, but there are two spirits in this world, the Holy Spirit and evil spirits. Give them the word test to know the one from God and the one which is not. The one of God will always pass the test, by echoing what the word says, but the one of the devil will always go with the Eden deception, “you shall not really die”. “That is not what God mean, it is nothing”. Watch it out! Think about your soul. Consider it for it is in connection with your soul, than any other thing you are so careful about. Paul warned us about that long ago, hence we are not ignorant of his schemes or devices (2Cor11:1-4; 2Cor2:11).
People consider carefully the food they eat, the job they would do, to know if it is profit oriented, they consider the wife or husband they would marry, the school they will or that their children should attend. And never consider the church they attend, because they think all churches are going to heaven or leading us to heaven or to God. Look at the deception of the devil. Is it all businesses that are profit oriented, is it all women that will make a good wife, is it all school that can help you make it to the top? I hope no. Then it isn’t every church that can help you make it to heaven. No too waste about that. Satan also has his church and ministers who are come in the name of ministers of God to deceive and lead people into His Kingdom (2Cor 11:13-15, Rev 2:8,9, 12, 2Thess2:3-12)
The church you attend is where you are keeping your soul and if that place is ruled by Satan, then consider where you have placed your soul. Don’t say I was born into it or that is our family church, so you remain in it. John the Baptist was born into his father’s church but never remained in it or joined it, because they were false. So was Jesus, but never did He join the Pharisees’ nor the Sadducees sects or religion, of His day. But He said, “I am come to do the will of the Father”. And we are also called to do the will of the Father and not the traditions of men. Amen. So come out from among them before it is too late for you. For it is later than you think. This is not the time to play church. Or defend a church. God richly bless you for obeying the TRUMPET CALL, the warning signal. Amen
