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1. THE LAODICEAN CHURCH AGE — 1960-12-11

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• ¶52–¶58 She was the one in the garden of Eden that Satan chose for his tool. He didn’t take the man, he took the woman. Why didn’t he go to Adam to give him passions? He come to the woman and give her, see, ’cause that was the one he chose. God took the man, and Satan took the woman. And look right on down, and in the end…When Babylon was set up in the beginning, Hislop’s Two Babylons, a woman! When it come on down into the age; now it’s ending up the Gentile age. Babylon started like that, and ends up with a woman-worship (Mary) in the church. What a day we’re living in! Now, the Laodicea, the—the Laodicean age, the word means “lukewarm.” It’s increased with goods, and thinks she has need of nothing. But the Bible says that she is “wretched, blind, miserable, and naked.” What a condition! The reward to them that overcome in this church age, is to “sit on the throne with the Lord.” Now, the star, or angel, or messenger of this church age, is unknown. Now, the first church age messenger, who was that? Paul, Ephesus. Smyrna? Irenaeus. Pergamos? Saint Martin. Thyatira? Columba. Sardis? Luther. Philadelphia? Wesley. And in the…this Laodicean, we don’t know yet, and probably won’t know until it’s all over. But I’d just like to give my quotation of what this angel will be, what we’re looking for. Would it be all right? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] Being that we’re got a little time, I just wrote a little quotation here what I thought.

• ¶59–¶62a The angel of this Laodicean church, to end it up. Now, he will be at the end of the age, like the rest of them, like the Bible. He’ll be at the end of the age. Not the first of it, at the end of it, because the angel always comes to rebuke for…them for what they done. “To the—to the angel of the church of Laodicea write these things.” See, “To the angel of the church of Smyrna write these things.” See, each one is to the angel at the end of the age. Paul, the end of the age. And on down, end of the age. The lapover, end of the age. End of the age, that’s what makes it lap. See, “To the angel,” speaking what was. This laps over here, “To the angel,” the end of that age. See, picking up right here, made the lap like stairsteps going up, the Seven Church Ages. Now, this angel that comes in this day, I want to…I’ve got something written here, I’d just like to read it. But he will be known the last part of the age. And because we are so close to that—so close to that Light age, that probably he’s on earth now. See, don’t know him. He will be a—a mighty prophet that will be rejected by the church world, for they will go right on in their sins and finally be spued out of the mouth of God, out of the mouth of God’s Presence. I believe it will be one like Elijah. I’m going to give my reasons why. Now, let’s just turn over here in the Book of Malachi, just a moment, I’m going to give you why I think it will be one anointed with the Spirit of Elijah. Now, I want you to put on your—your grace cap now. Malachi, the 4th chapter. Now, listen as I read, and you in your Bible. Now, think real close now for the next few minutes, now, before we go into the church age.

• ¶104–¶107 Now, we find out that Elijah must mean this age to this Church. To prove that it was Elijah: Elijah after he had give his prophecy, Elijah did not have to die, he was translated and was taken up into Heaven; a type of the Church (at the end of this Elijah that will come, at the end of his time), the Church will go in the Rapture, without going through the shadows of death. It’ll be the Rapture! I believe the great Elijah, the great one that’s to come, will be the anointed Elijah that’s prophesied for the last days. Amen! I think he will be, when he comes, the angel, or the messenger to the church in the last days (a rejected, degraded people, as this church will get into, and is already). I think Elijah is promised in the Bible. I think we can understand that, that Elijah was the one that was promised in the Bible to come in this day. Do you believe that? Now, let’s turn now to Laodicea and we’ll see what our Lord has to say to us tonight about Laodicea, a Laodicea. All right, the salute to the church: …unto the angel of the Lord… The 14th verse to the 3rd chapter of Revelation: …unto the angel of the Lord…of…Laodiceans write; These things which saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, and the beginning of the creation of God; Oh, my! We got all…If we had all night on that right there, how the Lord would reveal that to us! Watch!

• ¶111–¶115 That would make a Presbyterian shout. Just think of it! “Beginning of the creation of God.” Now, I…Oh, how I like that, “the creation of God,” when God was created, when God was made flesh in Jesus Christ and dwelt among us. Now—now, the next verse would be (to the other churches) commending, but He didn’t commend this church. He had a complaint against it, not a commend. He didn’t commend this for nothing, this Laodicean age. With all the Light that they had, and went back on It, they didn’t need any commending. Uh-huh. They needed a rebuke, and they got it! He had a complaint for this church, not a commend. Now I want to read the 15th and 16th verse here now: I know thy works,…thou art neither cold nor hot: I would that thou were cold or hot. (In other words, “Don’t—don’t just be lukewarm.”) So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. (Hmm!) Is that a commend? That’s a rebuke to this ungodly Laodicean age, the worst of the whole bunch. All the rest of them under torments and everything they had; they had nothing, they was poverty-stricken, wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, and destituted, and sawed and burned to death, and fed to lions, and everything else, and still held the Faith. And this bunch is “rich and have need of nothing,” and everything else, and a prostitute! That’s right. Now, we got a great big lesson, I hope the Lord helps us in. He— He said, “Because you are neither hot or cold, lukewarm.”

• ¶261–¶264 What does the messenger to the church…message to the church teach us then, teach—teach us? Not the growth in the Spirit. No, sir. Decline of the Spirit, we have a decline all the time. The method… The—the messengers to the church and the message to every church age condemned denominationism. Every message to the church, the church was constantly on the decline and wouldn’t listen to It. The—the message to the church was disregarding denominations. And it made hybrid Christians, so-called, that’s right, who know nothing about God or the Holy Ghost. That’s as true as I stand in this platform tonight. The fine lukewarm members, only to be spued out of His mouth. Paul warned, the Gentiles was a branch. Now, I want some of you, if you will, to turn to Romans, 11th chapter, the 15th to the 27th verse, just so you can mark it down, you all. And then, being it’s late, I will quote this to you now just before leaving, because it’s a…Now, Romans, if you want to put it down, 11:15 to twenty-…to 27. Paul told them, told, talking to the Gentiles there, the Romans, he said, “If God…” Now, listen as we’re closing on the church ages! Paul said, “If…God did not spare the original olive tree, but cut it off because of unbelief.” Is that right? What caused them to be cut off? Because they rejected Pentecost. Is that right? On the Day of Pentecost they made fun and blasphemed the Holy Ghost. When Jesus was here on earth, He said…They call—called Him, “Beelzebub,” said “He was a devil,” and “He’s a fortuneteller,” whatever more.

2. WHY I’M AGAINST ORGANIZED RELIGION — 1962-11-11

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• ¶216–¶218a What did this angel say? “Come out of her!” Yes, sir. This angel came to the earth, and he come to bring the Light, and he shined the Light around the world. He was a mighty angel. And he come to proclaim the Message of “Come out of Babylon! Touch not her unclean things!” Got a whole cage full of them. Said, “She’s the cage of every hateful bird.” Yeah, she got a cage full of them now, the World Council of Churches, or lodges. She’s got the whole bunch caged up now, they’re all coming together. She become a cage, all right, full of hateful birds. That’s right. Try to talk to one of them one time, just try it, boy, smart in the world’s wisdom, but know no more about God than a rabbit does about snowshoes. That’s right. Just, that’s just it, see, just all they know is some wisdom they can put this and do that in there. But when it comes to knowing Him? Huh! Yeah, got caught in her cage with her dogmas. The protestant churches begin the same, become her daughters, caused this by denying the Word of God. That she does. She denies the Word. And when you accept something else instead of the Word, you deny It yourself. And when you join up in one of them, you’ve also denied the Word. God don’t want you that way, no place of it for the Scripture. Notice, this is the angel of Light, remember, the last angel, it’s the angel in the church age to the Laodicea. It’s the Laodicea messenger, that, it’s the last, because the very next chapter is the 19th chapter, which is the coming Bride. And this is, in the Scripture, the last angel that came to bring Light before the coming of the Bride to go meet Christ. It was the Laodicean Church Age, then. What was the Laodicean Church Age messenger? Calling them out of Babylon! Look! Churches caught in her cage with her, with her dogmas, denying the Word and accepting dogmas. This is the angel of Light to the Laodicean church that had rejected Christ and His Word, for dogma, and had put Him outside.

• ¶218b–¶219 And He stood at the door, knocking, trying to get in. [Brother Branham knocks on the pulpit—Ed.] See? The church age had rejected the Christ, and Christ is the Word, and had rejected It, and He was on the outside. The only church age that we have of Christ on the outside, knocking, trying to get in. [Brother Branham knocks on the pulpit.] And this angel’s Message, messenger come from God, was echoing his Message on the earth, to “Come out of Babylon! Come out of the organizations!” The Holy Spirit today, the manifestation of the Holy Spirit is that angel trying to get the people back to the Word, ’cause the Holy Spirit will only vindicate the Word. It can’t vindicate dogmas, there’s no life in them. He’s Life. Notice, the Laodicean Church Age had denied Him, rejected Him, and they put Him on the outside. Notice, this angel is the last messenger before the coming of Christ in the 19th chapter of Revelation. The messenger’s Voice! If we notice, when he gave his Voice on the earth, there was a Voice echoed again in Heaven, 4th verse, if you want to read it, all right, 4th verse, the 19th chapter. This messenger on the earth was so inclined with God until, when he spoke it on the earth, God echoed the same thing out of Heaven. What is that 4th-verse translation? What does it mean? God’s Voice speaking to His predestinated people, saying, “Come out of her!” Just exactly what the Voice was! He’s got people all out in there, all out through Babylon. “Come out of her, that you be not partakers of her sins,” yes, sir, out of that dogma and creeds, to the Word made Spirit and Life. Amen.

3. IS THIS THE SIGN OF THE END, SIR? — 1962-12-30

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• ¶277–¶284 Now we’re in the Laodicean age, when they’ve again denominated; Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Pentecostals. And we’re looking for a prophet to come, to blast this age, and turn them back from their iniquity. Now, if that’s been the trend, all the way down through the age, will God change His trend in this day? [Congregation says, “No.”—Ed.] He can’t change it. He has to keep the regular stride. And remember, this messenger was the seventh angel, and he was to take all the mysteries and gather them up. Notice, the seventh angel was to blast the Laodicean, rich church. “‘I’m rich, increased in goods, and have need of nothing.’” He said, “You’re a miserable wretch, poor, blind, naked, and don’t know it.” That was his Message. O God, send us a fearless prophet with THUS SAITH THE LORD, that the vindicated Word of God will move through it and prove that he’s sent from God. And when he comes, he’ll blast them ages. Sure will. He’ll set that Laodicean church against him. Certainly, he will. They did in every other age. It won’t change in this age. It’s got to be the same. Notice, now, the Laodicean church. The messenger (will finish) of the Laodicean, the seventh angel, will finish all of the mysteries that’s been lost in the battles, before, for the Truth. Luther raised up, but he didn’t have all the Truth. He only had justification. Right. Along come another messenger, named John Wesley, with sanctification. He didn’t have It. The Bible said. The Philadelphian church! Then comes the Laodicean church age, with the baptism of the Spirit. But they messed It all up, and went right back into formalism like they did the first place.

4. INVESTMENTS — 1963-08-03

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• ¶104–¶106 Now we find out, it puts a man right back in the place where the— the—the people are today. The—the Bible said over here…I have a Scripture written down here, I’d like to refer to. Jesus said, in the 3rd chapter of Revelation, that the—the Laodicea church, the Laodicea church, is the last church age. And we are all believing that we’re living in the end time, and this is the last church age. Now compare this church age with that rich young ruler. Compare them. Now, didn’t Jesus say, “The Laodicea church was rich, increased in goods, had need for nothing”? Isn’t that the condition of the church today? And yet Christ has unfolded Himself through three church ages, through Luther, through Wesley, and through the Pentecostal age; has unfolded Himself in the…in His Word, of justification, sanctification, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit (the restoration to the gifts), and now His Own personal identity among them. See, trying… And you rich young ruler, businessmen of Chicago, this morning, see? Laodicea! We find, all the other church ages, Jesus was still in the church. But on the Laodicea Age, He was on the outside, knocking, trying to get in. And this is the age that when the manifestation of Christ come so perfect in the image of Christ, in His Church, until the churches (as the brother said a while ago) is closing the door. And yet He stands with love, knocking, “If any man hunger or thirst.” [Brother Branham knocked on the pulpit—Ed.] Do you understand? We, you expect a closed door, it’s the Laodicea Age. The Bible said it would be that way.

5. THE SEVENTIETH WEEK OF DANIEL — 1961-08-06

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• ¶108–¶110 And we watch and bring it, then, when we see God’s nature and what He…and then bring His Scripture out. And then take the—the history that shows it just exactly hit on the dot; exactly to the date, to the time, to everything that God said through John, would come to pass, it happened to that Gentile age. Now, we find ourself, beyond any shadow of a doubt, in the Laodicean Age. We know we are. We come through the Lutheran Age; we come through the Wesley age; now we’re in the Laodicean Age, the last age. And we realize that each one of those churches had a messenger. We find out that. The seven stars in His hand, which was Seven Spirits that went forth before God. Each one had a messenger. And we come down and we find out, by the Bible, what the nature of that messenger would be, what was the nature that messenger would be. And we pick up the man in history that had that nature. And then when we find that man in history, that had that nature, we come to find I don’t know, brother. That does more to me than anything I know of, see, because it’s God’s Word speaking Itself. When I hear God say something, I say, “Amen! That’s true. That’s right.” See? That settles it. It’s all over. “God said so.” That, that does it. Well, God said that would happen that way, and we found it in history and by the Scripture. We’d read of this church age, what it would do, what would take place, what kind of a messenger it was to that church age. “To—to the angel of the church of Laodicea. To the angel of the church of Sardis, Thyatira,” all these different ones. And we go back in history and find out the—the messenger of that church, and we found out who it was. So then we drawed it out, put their names under it, and there they are. See, we know that hit exactly.

6. BIRTH PAINS — 1965-01-24

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• ¶165–¶168 Each of them messengers of their age, rocked the…back to the Word, the Message of their age, the Message of according to the Bible. I’ve got coming, a book, out on that, the commentary of the first four chapters of Revelation. Read it, soon as we get it on press. And it proves, beyond a shadow of doubt, what Luther’s message was, justification; what sanctification is, the next process in the natural birth. And then come the pentecostals, exactly. Now, notice, each age rocked the church and give it birth pains. But what did they do? After the birth pains come, instead of going on with the Word, they got a bunch of men together just like the first one did. It’s exactly. Right after the rocking of the apostles, then we find her going off again. Then we find out, along come many of the others, Agabus and many of the great reformers back in the beginning. Each age had done, as you study the Pre-Nicaea Council, the Nicaea Fathers, and all back. You find it all in there. Each age was rocked, every time a messenger come forth with THUS SAITH THE LORD. Now she is in the worst stage, that, according to the Scripture, that she’s ever been. We are in the Laodicean church age, “A rich, but blinded church age, that don’t know it.” There wasn’t nowhere in the Bible that Christ was ever put out of the church, but the Laodicea age. She’s in the worst age. She’s the rottenest she ever was. Said, “I set as a queen, have need of nothing.”

7. THE MESSAGE TO THE LAODICEAN CHURCH — 1958-06-09

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• ¶17–¶21 Tonight, to begin my part of this convention of the speaking, I have chosen a little text found over in the Book of Revelation, you who mark it, in Revelation the 3rd chapter and the 20th verse, I wish to read this portion of the Word: Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and will open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. This text of Revelation here is: The Message To The Laodicean Church. Which I truly believe that, not being a dispensationalist, exactly, but yet I believe that we’re at the end of the Gentile dispensation that was spoke of. And I believe that the Laodicean Church Age was the last church age, and I think that’s where we are tonight. And that’s why I’ve taken this for a text. And some might say, “Why, Brother Branham, isn’t this rather a small text for a—a group of people this size, and for a convention of this caliber, if you just read just a few words in one little verse of Scripture?” But you see, it isn’t the size of the Scripture, it isn’t the size of the reading, it’s what it is that counts. Some time ago in Louisville, Kentucky, a little friend of mine was up in the attic, in an old garret, in the house, and he was fumbling around, the little lad, and he stumbled into an old trunk. And in this trunk he found an old postage stamp, just about one half inch square. And he thought, maybe, with this on his mind that ice cream might come from this stamp, so he hurried down the street to his friend that collected old stamps, and said to this friend, “I found a little, old, yellow stamp, it’s quite old, but I—I just wonder if this stamp is worth anything.”

• ¶131–¶133 He wants that, that’s God’s desire tonight above everything, is to have His Church one. Knocking at your door, fine ministers, fine clothes, fine cars, fine jobs, and, oh, wonderful Christ standing at the door. Why don’t you let Him in? Let Him come in. Let us bow our heads, just a moment. Let every eye be closed if you will. I just wonder, just before we have prayer, is there some in here would raise your hand, and say, “Brother Branham, I ain’t raising my hand to you, I’m raising it to God, because I—I felt that somewhere along, the last few days, I’ve heard a little knocking on my door. I haven’t lived the life that I should, Brother Branham, I’ve been prejudice, I’m a church member. I—I should have done better, I know I should. I’ve fussed at my neighbors, I’ve argued with different churches about their doctrines, I’ve—I’ve scolded, I’ve— I’ve not lived the way I should. I—I know I shouldn’t have done the things that I’ve done, but by God’s grace I’m going to let the doors open tonight, I’m going to let Him be my Lord from this hour on, and I’m going to mean this, Brother Branham. I’m not raising my hand to you, I’m raising my hand to Christ. I will come, Lord,” and let me remember you in prayer? Quietly now, while everybody is in prayer. Would you just raise your hands all over the building? Oh, that’s it. Set quiet.

8. DOORS IN DOOR — 1965-02-06

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• ¶78–¶78 On Revelation now, we wish to turn to the 3rd chapter of Revelation, begin with the 14th verse. And we want to read just the portion, it’s a Message to the Laodicea Church Age. And I believe, and I—I suppose most all Spirit-filled people and Bible readers believe, could say amen to that, that we are in the Laodicea Church Age, ’cause that’s the last age. Listen to the Message of the condition of the church at this time. And to the angel of the church of…Laodicea write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works,…thou art neither cold nor hot: I would that thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest thou not that thou art wretched,…miserable,…poor,…blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in…fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that thy shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcome, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

• ¶243–¶246 And now notice, and you say, “Oh, I…Brother Branham, the Lord…” Well, that’s all right, there was many uncircumcised Philistines went one time, too. And a bunch of Egyptians tried to follow Moses across the—the Red Sea, but it finally…“As Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, well, we find the same thing in the last day,” the Bible said. Now just a little further. Jesus said here, in this—this age, “Because thou sayest that, ‘I am rich, and increased in goods.’” Just look how we are today, richest the church ever was! And, well, you know, you Pentecostals be a lot better off if you was out there with a tambourine, on the corner, like your fathers and mothers was? But you’ve got better churches than the rest of them now, fastest growing in the world; but where is that Spirit of God that used to be among us? You left out the real thing. “Because you say, ‘I am rich.’” Remember, this is Pentecostal it’s speaking to, ’cause the Pentecostal age is the last age. See, all this revival we’ve had, there is no other organization starting up. There won’t be. This is the end. The wheat’s matured now. It’s come up through the leaves, and stalk, and husk, and it’s out to the wheat now. See, won’t be no more. They started a little Latter Rain, but it just fell right in; anything else will. They’ll…This is the wheat is coming forth. Notice. “And because you say, ‘I am rich, and increased in goods, have need of nothing,’ and knowest not that thou art miserable, wretched, blind, naked, and don’t know it; I counsel of thee…” Oh, my! “I knock at your door.” [Brother Branham knocks on something—Ed.] “Laodicea, I knock at your door, and counsel to come to Me, and—and buy gold tried in the fire; white raiment, that your nakedness not be shown.”

9. THE PHILADELPHIAN CHURCH AGE — 1960-12-10

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• ¶14–¶16 So we approach in His Name tonight, asking that You’ll bless us as we congregate ourselves together to study Thy Word and to know what You have for us in store, for tonight. That we might build up our—our spiritual bodies to a lively Church. A Church where You could live, and walk in, and feel comfortable, walking among Your people, telling us what to do, and know that we’d do it right away. And we love You, Father, but we know we’re not quite in condition yet that You could speak through us just like You wish to. So we pray that You’ll circumcise, that is, cut off all this foolishness, all the surplus flesh away from us tonight, that we might be wholly dedicated to Thee, that Thou could use us at any time. And we pray that that time will be tonight, Father, that You’ll use us to bring forth these nuggets out of the Bible and polish them off and let the people see the reflection of Christ in this great church age. We ask it in Jesus’ Name. Amen. Now, we’ve had the church ages now, on down until tonight’s church age, is the sixth church age. Tomorrow night finishing up the church ages; taken one each night, Monday through Sunday. And tonight, the church age is called the Philadelphian Church Age. And the star or the—the messenger, angel-messenger to that church age, we believe, solemnly, with all of our heart, to be John Wesley. The church age began at 1750 when the Lutheran church age went out, and lasted up to somewhere in 1900, around 1906 A.D., the Wesleyan Church Age. And then, issued in from that, the Laodicea.

• ¶31–¶35 Now—now if you notice it married here, and then lapped over into that age there. And you notice Luther, last night, come out with a “dead” name, a name of dead, and then “escaped one.” See, it had the dead church from back here, and the escaping of the little remnant that was brought out in this age here. And tonight as we’re ending up the Philadelphian age, it’s bringing in the beginning of the Laodicean age. Then tomorrow night when it goes out of the…just at the end, you notice, the angel appears right at the end time (and just at the end time) to rebuke the church for it losing its first love and how it’s got away from God like they did down through there, the ages. And, at that time, the Rapture comes to take the Church Home, the Church goes up just at the time of the Message. And so we are—we are nearing that age now. Did you get that? All right. See? All right. See, just at the time the—the angel of the church (the messenger of the age) comes in to rebuke them for losing their first love, bring…trying to bring them back. Same thing the messenger does tonight, the angel-messenger comes back to rebuke them (each age like that) for what they had done. So that makes a lapover in each one of the church ages, just lap right over one another like that. Like climbing up a step, it’s laying in laps like that, going up. Now I got just a short piece of history here on the messenger for tonight, of the John Wesley. John Wesley was the star of the age. And he was born on June the 17th, 1703, in Epworth Rectory, England. He was the fifteenth child of nineteen children. John and Susanna Wesley, father and mother. Father, a preacher; mother, a consecrated saint; although with nineteen children to take care of, she found much time through her busy day to teach her children Bible lessons and Bible stories and pray for them. That’s what made the boys what they were. The great song writer, Charles, his brother, who gave the world some of the most inspiring songs we’ve ever had.

10. THE THYATIREAN CHURCH AGE — 1960-12-08

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• ¶48–¶51 Any king, when he’s addressed, he—he—he tells who he is; anybody. “I am So-and-so when I speak to you, you don’t know me. I am William Branham, I’m John Doe,” whoever it is. He said, “I am the first and the last; He that was alive and is dead; and alive for evermore.” Oh, my! The Deity. Here we see Him in His sevenfold personage of His glorified state. In each church age He—He approaches them in a different one of those deities, a different one’s of those glorified states. Now, tonight, He comes with a flaming fire. He’s looking down into Laodicea…or down into Thyatira. This is the age that the church is married into Catholicism and paganism, or Nicolaitanism and paganism wedded together and formed and gave birth to the first church, organized church. And God said that the deeds of the Nicolaitanes (which was in the Ephesians), over in the—the little church of Pergamos became a “doctrine,” and said it was “a doctrine of Balaam.” And Balaam was the one who taught Israel to go over there and commit fornications, or they committed fornications with Moab (which was a lukewarm church member), or the common church, the great organization. And we find out that God said, that Nicolaitane doctrine which was the… take the…put all the power up in a church and set it aside and make it an organization, He said, “You hate it, and I hate it too.” He just keeps saying, “Hate it! Hate it! Hate it!” And it’s come into full swing here. See how the church squeezed out, right up here till just a little bitty thing, and that’s the church we’re on now.

• ¶224–¶225 Oh, I’m so glad to be living under that branch, aren’t you? Yes, sir. Oh, it’s wonderful. All right, remember tomorrow night now on the age of Phila-…of Sardis. The…?…coming forth of the Lutheran organization, Martin Luther…?…

11. AND KNOWETH IT NOT — 1965-08-15

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• ¶35–¶37 And now let us read from Revelation the 3rd chapter, just a portion, to say that we read the Bible. Because, what I would say might fail, but what He says won’t fail. And I don’t know where to start from, what to do, where to go, but I’m just reading the Laodicea Church Age. …unto the angel of the church of…Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, and the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works,…thou art neither cold nor hot: I would… wert that cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased in goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou are wretched,… miserable,…poor,…blind,…naked: I counsel of thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich;…white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that thy shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. You know, somewhere in there, as I was reading, I…If you’ll excuse me a minute, I—I found some place that sounded good to me, and I don’t know just where it was at now. Here it is. …and knowest thou not…wretched,…miserable,… poor,…blind,…naked: Oh, my, that’s kind of the picture here of the church of today! Now, it’s, I—I think that that church age here, that we’re speaking of… Course, I’ve got the church age coming forth now in the books. But being that is the Laodicean Church Age that we’re in, let’s just look at the conditions.

12. THE QUEEN OF THE SOUTH — 1960-11-27

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• ¶54–¶57 Monday night will be on the Ephesus church, and then Smyrna, and Sardis, and on down, Thyatira, on down to the Sunday morning, a week, I’ll be speaking on the Laodicean church. And in between there, how that there’s an open door set between the Philadelphian and the Laodicean Church Age, and that’s the door we want to speak of, at, on that service. Now the Lord bless, and you be praying for me. Now before we approach the great Word, the Word of God, the infallible Word…My faith is built solemnly upon this Word. When this Word says it, then I—I just believe it, I—I don’t try to add anything to it, or take anything away from it. And this morning I—I might have to apologize to these, some of these fine people here about some of those rude remarks about mules being illegitimate. But I didn’t mean to be rude or sacrilegious, but I was just trying to make a point. You understand, don’t you? Anything, a mule, oh, my, that’s what man did. See? He can’t—he can’t come back, he—he—he can’t go no farther. He—he—he don’t know who his papa, mama, he’s just—he’s just—he’s just without hope, that’s all, that’s all. He—he can never reproduce himself again, so he just… But you know, if anything, he doesn’t have no…He’ll wait all of his lifetime to get to kick you just before he dies, and kill you, if he can, he sure will do it. He—he’ll just wait all of his lifetime, laying back, just waiting, “I’ll get you around behind me, someday.”

13. THE WORLD IS AGAIN FALLING APART — 1963-11-27

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• ¶98–¶99 But the church sits spiritually dead, gone, the hour has passed them. They’re in a slump, and hardly know what to do, one running this way and one that way. And here every promise that God made in the Bible, every one of them, is laying there just as good as they ever was. It’s the hour! What makes the church like this? We’re in the age of the Laodicea, when she has to come this way. This is the hour for it. But remember, in there is the hour that the sleeping virgin come to buy Oil, and that was the same hour that the Bridegroom come. We find today, Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and different denominations, that, a few years ago, you couldn’t have hired to got around a bunch of Pentecostal believers. Certainly not. But there they are, today, coming in. Don’t you know what Jesus said? They come in to buy Oil, and said, “Give us some of your Oil.” The ones that had Oil, said, “Not so. Go buy It, lest…from them that sell It.” And while they were trying to buy It, while they were trying to get It! Do you know what hour we’re living in, Pentecostal people? When they come, they might have got a confusion, they might have done this, that, or the other; but, according to the Scriptures, they did not get It. While they were trying to do it, they might have went through all the emotions, and then in all the isms and the sensations, but the devil can impersonate all those things. While they were buying It, or trying to get It, the Bridegroom came, and the ones that had Oil went in.

14. AN UNCERTAIN SOUND — 1961-03-15

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• ¶204–¶207 No, no. Here’s certain sound: “All the world, and every creature.” That’s certain. When the Gospel is preached, “These signs shall!” Not, “Maybe they will. They ought to.” “They will!” That’s certain. Oh! Oh, brother, I’m glad to be Pentecostal in heart. Yes, sir. “Oh, these signs shall!” It’s certain. “These signs certainly will follow those that believe, in My Name they shall cast out devils, speak with new tongues, if they should take up serpent or drink deadly thing it wouldn’t harm them, they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover.” Certain signs. “As it was in the days of Noah…” “How do you know we’re at the end time? What will it be at the end time, Lord? Well, how we know we are at the end time?” “As it was in the days of Lot, so shall it be.” “So shall!” Not, “Maybe it will.” Or, “Ought to be at that time.” No, “It will be,” the same Spirit, dwelling in human flesh, discerning the thoughts of the heart, told who was behind Him, you know what I mean. We are at the end time. “It shall be as it was in the days of Lot.” Somebody has got to rise up, something has got to do it. But it also said at the end time what, how the church is going to be lukewarm, fall away. It will be, no need of trying to stop it, it will be. But there’s some in there, He stood, the only church age of the seven church ages, the Laodicean is where Jesus was found outside His Church, knocking on the door, trying to get back in. That’s right, the only church age. Yes, sir. In the Laodicean, Pentecostal church age, so-called, they had made so many creeds and denominations till you set Jesus on the outside, and He was standing at the door knocking. [Brother Branham knocks repeatedly—Ed.]

15. BE NOT AFRAID — 1961-02-24

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• ¶160–¶164 And watch the Laodicean Church Age, of all the church ages, seven last church ages, the Laodicean, Jesus was on the outside of His Own church, knocking, trying to get back in. [Brother Branham knocked on the pulpit—Ed.] Now, there’s where we’ve come to. And so Satan has been blowing his poison breath around, you know, saying, “Whew! Whew! Days of miracles is past, there’s no such a thing as that. Don’t you believe that kind of stuff, it’s mental telepathy. That’s right.” They are leaving the Word. I—I…You just examine the Word and see if it isn’t right, then see if God does give him that Word and confirm It, then it makes it right; when God says so, that settles it. Now, “Days of miracles is past,” got formal, just talk about our churches, and our, what we’re going to do, and our great programs we got. See, he seen without, and the little ship begin to blow and toss, and we find out all hopes was gone for a revival. Just about like that today, God sent a Oral Roberts across the country, He sent a Tommy Osborn across the country, He—He sent one after the other, wave after wave, after wave, after wave, and here we still set without revival. What’s the matter? But remember, He hadn’t gotten too far, when He seen them go off, He knowed what was going to happen; and that’s the reason He knowed over here, could predict the end at the beginning. He knowed the Laodicean Church Age was going to push Him out, so He made preparation to meet it, “Those who I love, I chasten and rebuke. I stand at the door and knock, if any man will open, and let Me in, I’ll come in and sup with him,” if you’ll just open up, let Him in.

16. BLASPHEMOUS NAMES — 1962-11-04

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• ¶40–¶42 And we hope to get the church up, so I can get these Church Ages in, before—before the winter sets in, if possible. If I don’t, or when I have to come back from over there, if the Lord Jesus tarries. I was listening yesterday when I was taking, believe it was day before yesterday, of a tape. I thought I heard it playing out here this morning. Some little Southern brother had…His mother had come into the meeting. She had a malignancy on her breast, and she was shadowed to death. And the Holy Spirit, in one of the recent meetings, at the Southern Pines, I believe it was, or somewhere, told her, said about her malignancy, and who she was, and where she come from. And said she had a boy that was a backslider, and he was going to have an accident, and be for manslaughter. And a whole lot of things like that. And this fellow… It all happened just the way. And her malignant cancer, or malignant growth, rather, left her. Which is, malignant growth is a cancer, you know. So then it—it left her. And the boy was up for manslaughter, and everything just the way the Holy Spirit said it. And he was led to Christ, back again. And he made a tape of it, and I—I heard it playing. Did you enjoy that little, old Southern talk? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] Said, “Down here in North Carolin’er,” he said. Oh, I just love that, them old Southern people. And he had…The Lord just blessed him on. He said, “I know you say you don’t preach doctrine, Brother Branham; only to your congregation.” Said, “We’re part of your congregation.” So that was right cute in him, to say that.

17. THE SEAL OF GOD — 1954-05-14

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• ¶48–¶50 Then, seeing how it began with the church of Ephesus; then the second church age; the third church age; the fourth church age, the fifteen hundred years of dark ages; out through the Lutheran Age; and Philadelphian Age; and down into the Laodicean Age, the last age. Seeing in the Old Testament, how they were perfectly typed at the beginning, in Solomon, on down through in the time of Ahab, the dark age. And found out, as Jezebel, Ahab, a border-line preacher, or a man who was on and off. Just like a lot of lukewarm church members today, people, on and off; in the church today, tomorrow you can expect them anywhere; compromising, letting down, going with the world, yet calling themselves Christians. And Ahab, in that condition, fell for a beautiful little woman, though wicked as all get out. And wedded her, and brought idolatry into Israel, right in the darkest time of Israel, dark age. Now, we find out that they come out of there with a brass stand, and on out, and finally lukewarm, down till God spued them from His mouth and accepted the Gentiles. And now we find out that they started off from the first, the—the Ephesian Church, in the beginning, in the church age; the next church age begin to cool off and get lukewarm; went on in, and, the dark age. And just as—as that day, Ahab marrying an idolator, Jezebel, and brought idolatry into Israel; then Protestantism married Romanism, Catholicism, and brought idolatry into the church. Come out through Martin Luther; down through John Wesley; over into Pentecost; and out in, spued from God’s mouth; and God turns back to the Jew again, just as perfect.

18. THE MESSAGE OF GRACE — 1961-08-27

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• ¶43–¶45 It was my desire to tell you these things. Many times things happen that I don’t—don’t speak it, don’t say it. But this was too outstanding for me to keep it from the church. It must be told! And, before God Who I stand, it’s the truth. I know that there is a God, and I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, Emmanuel, dwelling amongst His people today in the form of the Holy Spirit. And I know that the Coming of the Lord is drawing nigh, when signs and wonders are appearing. We just got through the Seven Church Ages, and learning that we’re in the last and Laodicean Church Age, when the church would be indifferent, get cold, denominate, and be organized; organizations would take it over, eat it up. But a promise that there would be a little remnant left. There would be a Church that would be scattered abroad everywhere, but God would gather It together and rapture It into Glory; a little sanctified group somewhere, waiting on the Lord. Then the other day when I got Daniel’s Seventy Weeks, standing right here in the pulpit, Something struck me, I’ve never been able to get away from it. To see the hour that we’re living in! I want to go somewhere and do something else, keep it off my mind. I got too many loved ones that’s unsaved. Knowing, what can I do to get them saved? What is there I can do? I have preached the Gospel. God has done great signs and wonders like He’s never done since the world, since the days of the Lord Jesus, has He never did it in all the history of time. And around the world it’s went. And still the world continually gets worse. But then I have to remember that we’re living in the Laodicean Church Age, where they will get worse, and It said they would.

19. SHALOM — 1964-01-19

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• ¶45–¶48 And the world has come into the church, in the—in the name of denomination, the name of some creed, and “we’re religious and all this and all this,” but yet it denies the resurrecting power of Christ to vindicate His Word that’s prophesied for this day. There can only be Light through the Word of God. We know that. God, in the beginning, said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, vindication of His Word that He had spoken. Blackness, blacked out! The world got in line with the reflection of the sun to the moon, and blacked it out. That’s exactly what’s happened in the natural, or in the spiritual. As it happened in the natural, foreshadowed and told us, that’s exactly what’s taken place. Now, you see how that comes out at the end. Many of you young people, you won’t have to get too old until you will see it, anyhow, if you live three or four more years. The moon now, we are in the Laodicea Church Age. In the Laodicea Church Age, of all of the other churches, the Laodicea, last, lukewarm church age, Christ was on the outside of the church. Any Bible reader knows that. Revelation 3, He was on the outside of the church, trying to get His way back in again, and never did say He got in. “But as many as He loved, He rebuked and chastened.” The Message would rebuke and chasten those who He loved. Now, was knocking, trying to get in; darkness shut It off, exactly what’s come to pass. The Light that has been shining, soon will absolutely be shut completely out. It’ll all go in to form an image unto the beast. And we know what that means, that’s the end time.

20. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS — 1964-08-30

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• ¶72–¶74 You’ve…My old, southern mother used to say, “Hair off the dog back is good for the bite.” And that applies this way too. 390. Brother Branham, what achievement should we let our pre-teenage children participate in? (I beg your pardon, it’s…) What activities should our preteen children anticipate, participate in. Also, how should we go about helping them select their associates? Keep them in Christian company as long as you possibly can. Keep them with…If it’s a girl, keep her with Christian girls; Christian boys, vice versa. If she’s old enough to go with a boy, see that she keeps with the right kind of a boy. Discourage her to any boy otherwise, or boy to a girl. If she’s going with an unbeliever, try to encourage her to go with a believer, and vice versa. Make your home nice. Make your home a place where your daughter or son will not be ashamed to bring their company before their father and mother, and into their house; and make home so happy that they’ll be pleased in their home to stay there. Oooo, my, here’s seven in a row. I won’t go but just a few minutes longer. 391. Brother Branham, have you made statements recently concerning that church age has ended, Laodicea? No, I never said it’s ended. If I did, you misunderstood, or I said it wrong. It is…This is the last church age; it’s the end of church ages, the Laodicea. It hasn’t ended; when it ends, the Church is gone. So as long as the Church is here, it hasn’t ended. See? 392. The church age ending and has blacked out, the Bride is called, we have already entered into the tribulation period?

21. SATAN’S EDEN — 1965-08-29

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• ¶19–¶22 Now we read, also, in Revelation…14, Revelation 3:14, rather, the Laodicean Church Age, that how the church would be in this last day. And it would be, It says, “It would sit as a widow and have need of nothing. It—it was rich, and increased in goods, and know it not that they were poor, miserable, wretched, blind, and naked, and didn’t know it.” The…Now, remember, He is speaking to the church of this age, “wretched, blind, naked, and don’t know it.” That last phrase, that last Word, is what makes it so striking. They think that they are well filled with the Spirit, they’re all ready. The Laodicean Church Age is the Pentecostal Church Age, ’cause it’s the last church age. Luther had his message; Wesley had his message; and Pentecost had their message. Also, It said, that, “Because you are lukewarm, neither hot or cold,” the emotions of the outside, the mental conception of the Gospel; “because,” He said, “you’re that way, I’ll spue you out of My mouth.” In other words, it made Him sick to see the church in that condition. And, remember, they spued Him out; and He was on the outside of the church, trying to get back on the inside, in that awful Laodicean Church Age. The god of this world today, the worshipped person of this world today, is Satan. And the people are ignorant of worshipping Satan, but it’s Satan impersonating himself as the church, see, as the church. They worship Satan, thinking that they are worshipping God through the church, but it’s the way Satan has done it. “Oh,” you say, “but wait a minute; we preach the Word.”

22. GOD’S ONLY PROVIDED PLACE OF WORSHIP — 1965-11-28

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• ¶154–¶157 Now, seven days there shall be no leaven mixed in the Bride, the Church, seven days. Now notice. Now as no… And there shall be no leavened bread seen in thee in all thy coast seven days;…(The sacrifice here is a type: the Bride coming forth from the Sacrifice which is Christ.)…neither shall there be any thing of the flesh, which thou sacrificed the first day at evening,… And remember—remember how we just went through the Church Ages? The messenger to the church always comes just at the dying of the other church age, always. The dying of the Pentecost brings forth the rapturing of the Bride. See? The dying of Luther brought forth Wesley. See? The dying of Wesley brought forth Pentecost. The dying of Pentecost brings forth the Message now. Here, it’s right here, patterned all through the Scripture. There’s not a Scripture in the Bible but what hooks right one with the other. See? All these types. I have no education, but I have the Holy Spirit that shows me through another channel to teach it from, from nature; and that’s by the Word. Has to be the Word, things is promised. …flesh,…the sacrifice the first day…even, remain all night until the morning. Now, even Luther, who had the Truth and taught the church “the just shall live by faith.” You don’t want to hang on to that being the full doctrine, in the Methodist age. What shall you do? Burn it with fire. What was the type of? The denomination that comes out of that Word is a shuck, the stalk, the husks, must be burnt with fire. That denominational part that it come through must not remain, got to die. Don’t leave it till the breaking of another—another age, burn it up! He’s talking now to the Bride here, just the Bride, coming up through every age.

23. LETTING OFF THE PRESSURE — 1962-05-18

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• ¶235–¶238 And look where it’s setting today, since our president, Mr. Kennedy, got elected, in the last six months, since he’s been elected, in the state of Kentucky about three hundred and ten thousand people has turned from Protestant to Catholic, in the state of Kentucky alone. It was in the paper the other day. See? Look what’s happened now. What is it? The World Council Of Churches. They talk about that, and they say all these…Like our brother, Presbyterian, and so forth, coming in. That’s wonderful, I believe in that, too, but did you ever wake up to think that Jesus said that that foolish virgin, when she begin to call for Oil, it was right then the Bridegroom come? When they woke up and begin to realize that they had had no Oil, they went to buy Oil, and it’s at that minute, when they went to buy Oil, that the Bridegroom come, and the Bride went in. Can’t you see that? And we think about all these Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and Lutherans, we appreciate that, we see them coming in, but it’s a sign to us. This is the time when they’re coming to buy that Oil, the sleeping virgin has been sleeping all along. What’s the matter with these pastors today? Don’t know the hour you’re living? Jesus said, “If you’d have knowed Me, you’d have knowed My day.” Said, “You can discern the face of the skies, but the signs of the times you don’t discern.” Wake up, people, don’t you know that the Bible said that, to this Pentecostal church the way that it’s going now, “In the time that you think not”? Do you know the Pentecostal church is the Laodicea Church Age, the last one of them? it would be lukewarm, God would spue it from His mouth? every church age, and every star, every minister through the church age, every Angel to the Church has done made its manifestation? Did you know that this church age was the only church age that Jesus was put out of His church and found knocking at the door trying to get back in, the Laodicean Church Age? Don’t you see the hour we’re living?

24. ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH 1 — 1953-03-25

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• ¶156–¶159 Well, if you didn’t, you didn’t receive It. You have to be hated of the world. Jesus said, “They call the Master of the house ‘Beelzebub,’ how much more will they call His disciples, see, they of the household.” Now, He was. And watch. Then he was loved. And his father…Which, we can’t move, leave from this. His father give him a coat of many colors. Is that right? Now, if you’ll watch that robe without seam, which represented the Holy Spirit that covered his being. And today it’s the Holy Spirit that covers the church, the Robe of many colors. And there’s seven colors in the rainbow. See? And its seven perfect colors is all the colors we have. And they blend together making the rainbow. And a rainbow, in the Bible, means a covenant. And God made His covenant with Noah, for no more water, but by fire next time, He give him the rainbow sign, and we still have it. Is that right? Now if you’ll turn (if I had time to get these other Scriptures) to Revelation, the 1st chapter. And when John saw Him standing, “One like unto the Son of man, standing in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks,” which was the Seven Church Ages. And we started off with Ephesus, and ending up in Laodicea, the lukewarm church age where we are now, “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” Going to church, and having people come in and saying “accept Christ” and putting their name on the book; but denying the baptism of the Holy Ghost and power, and miracles, and signs, and wonders, making fun of It, in Laodicean Church Age, which is spued from God’s mouth; and the Elect taken up. Oh, hallelujah! Oh, something gets into my soul when I think of it, friends. Oh, the world in its condition today!

25. THE INVASION OF THE UNITED STATES — 1954-05-09

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• ¶56–¶60 I believe, church, without a shadow of doubt, this is burned on my heart. That’s the reason I’m looking for these five nights, soon; to once more, before it happens, give this church a thorough combing, through the Bible. We’re living in the shadows of the time. It could happen any time. When we see the times come for things to take place; the very wickedness of the enemy, the very powers. We look at these snowstorms and everything happening, all these pestilences, all different things. That’s all caused by these interruptions, of firing these bombs and things. They’re getting things all mixed up here. And they’re messing around in God’s big laboratory, to fulfill His Word. It’s going to happen. So, “the man of sin” rising up, power, so deceitful. My. I heard a minister this morning, a Spirit-filled man, taking the mark of the beast and saying that the antichrist was Russia. What an error. Uh-huh. Russia has nothing to do with it. No, sir. That’s Scripturally. Now, but notice in this great time that we’re living, a warning. Now, this Jehoshaphat, feeling kind of good because the great king of Israel said, “Come, visit me.” And he went down there. And they took ox and sheep, and so forth, done sacrifice. All the time, in Ahab’s heart down there, he was a deceiver, ’cause he was not worshipping that…or offering those sheep and things with a true heart, because, after all, he leaned more to his wife’s religion. And notice, just as Ahab married Jezebel during the time of that great dark age of Israel, he brought idolatry into Israel, a very type of today. Just in the dark age; when we come out through the early apostles, second round, third round, over into the dark age, the fifteen hundred years. Just as Ahab married Jezebel and brought idolatry into Israel, so did the Holy Ghost church marry into isms, and brought idolatry back, and today it’s a form of Christianity. See? See, just very dark. And now it’s moved on down, each day; each church age moves down to that same thing, to the great climax, to the lukewarm condition comes, lukewarm Laodicean Church Age. Oh, what a horrible hour that we’re living in.

26. SHALOM — 1964-01-12

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• ¶86–¶92 Darkness, this Laodicea Church Age. Now when Jesus, which is the Word, in the Laodicea Church Age was on the outside of the church, knocking at the door, trying to get in. Darkness, gross darkness upon this people. Was the Bible right? The perfection of the Scripture, glory of His great Name. The pope’s visit was a sign of the churches blackening out His The hour is upon us, darkness, gross darkness. Gross darkness on the people now, that’s what it is. What does it all mean? Where we standing? What hour are we in? How close are we to the Coming? Well, you say, “When all they have a revival.” “Fear not, little flock, it’s your Father’s good will to give you the Kingdom.” All right. What does it mean? God has begin to separate the Light from the darkness, see, pressing it behind, like He did in the beginning, to show the dawn of a new day. The Church Ages are fading out. [Brother Branham clears his throat—Ed.] (Pardon me.) The Church Ages are fading out. God is pressing the darkness into a place, it has to do it, to fade out the church organizations, fade out the world. The world is covering the thing over, and worldlyism has took the whole thing. Then isn’t God right? By worldly things, and worldly dressing, and worldly acting, and worldly living, it’s the world! Ye are not of the world, little children. You are of Heaven. This is not your Home. Why should I look, to us older people, try to look back and get young again? We can’t do that. But we’re looking forward, not looking back. Looking here, what has been, and we want to know what’s going to be. And we’re looking for that hour, pressing for it.

27. JEHOVAH-JIREH — 1961-02-09

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• ¶23–¶27 And He predicted that Laodicean, lukewarm enough to spue out of the mouth, and that’s just exactly the age we’re living in, everything hanging just right for the end time, and everything. We see the church in that condition, slumpy, lukewarm, enough to, “Well, it looks very nice, pretty good. Maybe I’ll come back at the end of the week, again.” See, there it is, that’s the attitude of the church. It’s at that time that God picks one here, and there, and one in the field, and one, so forth, to take. So as we see we’re approaching that age, let’s settle ourself on God’s Word. Get on God’s Word, God’s Spirit in the Word, and let’s become lively stones, built up in the house of the living God. Now, tonight, I want to read a portion of Scripture found in Genesis the 22nd chapter and the 14th verse: And Abraham called the name of the place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said…In the mount of the LORD…shall be…and to this day. Now, Jehovah-jireh means, “the Lord will provide for Himself a sacrifice.” Now notice, we’re going back into Genesis for a little study for about thirty minutes, or forty, then tomorrow night we’ll pick it up again, then Saturday night, build it up. And I want you to mark the Scriptures, if you wish to, and I have a few of them marked down here on a little page, on my paper, and, if I get to use them, where they’re at. And we want to study, and just take a—a Bible study-like in the Word.

28. THIS DAY THIS SCRIPTURE IS FULFILLED — 1965-02-19

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• ¶136–¶142 Now where we at? Our whole system has rottened out from under us. I seen the increase in homosexual across the United States has increased twenty or thirty percent over last year. Think of that, man living with man, just exactly like they did in Sodom. Increase in crime, juvenile delinquency! What hour are we living? This day this Word of prophecy is fulfilled. The religious world, the church itself, the church, the called-out church, that we call the called-out church, the last church age, the Pentecostal church age, where is it? It’s in Laodicea, as the Scripture said. Today they’ve let down the bars. Their women are half dressed. Their man are…It’s a horrible thing. Some of them married three or four times, on deacon boards, and everything else. They’ve let down, and brought in corruption, because they’ve set in councils and took the place with the world. And, today, they got better buildings, they ever had. Some place, one of them is building a fifty-million-dollar auditorium, fifty million dollar. Pentecostals! It used to be down on the corner, twenty-five years ago, beating a tambourine. Said, “We…” Because, the Scripture said, in Revelation 3, that you are “‘Rich,’ said, ‘I’m rich. I sit as a queen. I have need of nothing.’ And knowest thou not that thou are wretched, miserable, poor, naked, blind, and don’t know it!” This day this Scripture is fulfilled in your eyes. Amen! Amen means “so be it.” I’m not amening myself, but I mean I believe It’s the Truth. This day this Scripture is fulfilled.

29. PRESENT STAGE OF MY MINISTRY — 1962-09-08

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• ¶130–¶133a I thank You for the little church still standing today. When I took that stand for the Word, the prophets prophesied and said, “In six months it’ll be turned into a garage.” Thirty years has passed, she’s more on fire today than it’s been in years. “Upon this rock I’ll build My Church.” We thank You for our pastor. We thank You for the deacons, the trustees. We all got a little part to play, Lord, and we want to play it loyal, we want to play it right. There may be some in here like to join up with us tonight, Lord. And the way they join it, is just to take a hold of this little Lifeline and go to pulling, wrap It around their wrist, tie It around their heart, and say, “Now, Lord, pull, lift me up,” and they’ll come forth and shine as gold. Grant it, Lord. We’re looking for that time. We believe that it’s near the end. We see that as we have been teaching here, the Laodicean Church Age is now on, we see there can’t be nothing else happen but the Coming of the Lord. And, Lord, wouldn’t that be a great crown for the Word, to see the Crown Himself come? I’d like to be standing here and say, “There He is, that’s the Lamb.” Like John did. “Behold the Lamb that we have waited on, this is He.” The Lord will quickly come to His temple, take away His people in a Rapture. Make us ready, Father. Wash our hearts in Your Blood. Make us pure and clean, that Your Word might abide in us. And may we remember that we must act upon the Word, in order for It to take a hold and be effective. Grant every sinner repentance. Bless everyone that’s in here. The saints, those, some of these old precious warriors, Lord, has been battling along the line for years, made fun of, talked about and ridiculed. They’re still going on because they got Life. They know Who they’ve believed, and persuaded He’s able to keep that which they’ve committed to Him. We thank You for that. Pray that You’ll heal the sick that’s in our midst. Take all of our sins and sicknesses away.

30. GABRIEL’S INSTRUCTIONS TO DANIEL — 1961-07-30

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• ¶41–¶44 Now, in the 4th chapter, John was caught up immediately, after the Church. John, going up, he saw the complete Church age. There is where I’d like to stop, just a second, to say, that: many peoples who are expecting some great, tremendous, powerful something to happen, in the Gentile age, are certainly wrong. The Church age, and all that will happen during the Gentile reign, is recorded from Revelations 1 to Revelations 3, inclusive. Then the Church was raptured and taken up, and the rest of this, unto the 19th chapter, is what happens to the Jewish race, after the Church is gone up. And it is the time of the great Tribulation, nothing to happen amongst the Gentiles; only the slaughtering, and so forth, as we’ll get to that and see. But the Church, Itself, has gone on the 13th…On the last verse of the 3rd chapter of Revelations, when the Laodicean Church Age end, which was the last. And we took each church age, each time, each thing that happened, each star, each messenger, their nature, what they done, and brought it right down through history until the very last one, drawed right there on the picture, on the side of the wall. And when we got finished, the Holy Spirit come in and made a circle of the same thing on the wall, and revealed it by Himself right here to all of us. Now, in doing this, I trust, at the end of this He will come with a tremendous something and show us again that we are at the end time.

31. THE TEN VIRGINS, AND THE HUNDRED AND FORTY-FOUR THOUSAND JEWS — 1960-12-11

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• ¶345–¶350 How many knows what the lesson tonight is? Laodicean, the last, and the climax of the Church Ages. All right, we’ll have the baptismal service. Teddy, if you will… You want to be bap-…? [Blank spot on tape—Ed.]…already been baptized. There’s some of them got to leave for Chicago right now, see. Let’s pray: Lord Jesus, they have set and listened the services through. We commit them to You now, Lord, as they go to Chicago. Go with them, Lord, and may each one take this wonderful Light and scatter It, Lord, across the city of Chicago, everywhere that they go. Be with them. Until we meet, may their spirits be anchored in You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen. [Brother Neville prophesies: “Yea, unto thee, my people, this morning again, yea I say unto thee My servant: I have accepted thee in the giving forth of My Word. I will follow thee and will speak to thee in private, yea, I will show thee thy itinerary. Yea, I will be with thee and will bless thee.] [“Yea, my people, I say unto thee this morning: I am Almighty God. I am using this vessel, this morning, to come to thee through. I say unto thee turn not aside from My Spirit, forsake not the Voice that speaks to thee. I am with thee as thou wilt be with me. Turn from thy ways and turn from thy thinking and believe Me for I am with thee. If thou will come to Me and follow Me in baptism, I will bless thee and preserve thee, I will bring thee in the fulness of the consummation. Yea, I have spoken, will I not fulfill It? Yea, SAITH THE LORD.”—Ed.] 59 Let’s just raise up our hands and say, “Thank You, Lord Jesus, praise Your Name.” Thank You, Lord.

32. IT BECOMETH US TO FULFIL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS — 1961-10-01

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• ¶184–¶191 The prophet said, “It will be Light in the evening time, these Gospel Lights would turn back again.” Like the same sun rises in the East and sets in the West, It shall return again in the last days. Here we are in the last days! We have received the Holy Ghost. We know that. We spoke in tongues like they did at Pentecost. And we know you can receive It. We know that the seventh angel has given the Message. We see It vindicated, the sign. We know we’re at the end of the Laodicean Age. We know that national strife, signs and wonders, are appearing everywhere. We know that we’re at the end time. God bearing witness! And it behooveth us, it’s becoming to us that we fulfil all righteousness. “Nations against nations, perplexed at time, distressed,” all these things that we have heard. If you can receive It! Now we’re at the last hour. We’re in the Laodicean Church Age. Every messenger has give his age, give his Message in his age. And we’re here at the end of the age, and we see that God has vindicated it with signs and wonders. And nobody can say it isn’t so. He’s here now! He’s in the Church! He’s in the people. Nobody can say it isn’t so. We know that He’s here. And it behooveth us to take His Word. We, it behooveth us to believe all righteousness. It’s behooving to us. It’s becoming to us that we fulfil everything that He has spoke of.

33. ESCAPE HITHER, COME QUICKLY — 1958-02-02

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• ¶8–¶10a And that was the first time that I ever heard that come. And then the other night, standing right on this platform, when I heard it, when I was praying. And now, I got one more Message, that’s tonight, before I leave the city. And I want to say this—this. I do believe that shortly, that next step in my ministry is coming up right now, which will be far beyond this now. How…Is there anybody here that remembers the first beginning of my ministry when I put my hand on somebody? You remember that? All right. How many remembers that the Lord promised right then if I’d be sincere I would know the secrets of their heart? How many knows it was said back there? See it happen? Now, there’s something else coming right now. It’s coming right away now. And it’s going to be still greater, and I think will be the last. It may not this…All of it works together just the same. But now, this afternoon I would like to call your attention to some Scripture, just for a few moments that we would speak, God willing, upon a—a subject here that we hope that the Lord will bless. And that will be found in Saint Luke, for a Scripture reading, Saint Luke and the 17th chapter and the 20th verse. I wish to read this as to get a context. [Brother Branham reads St. Luke 17:26-29—Ed.] And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat,…drink, and married wives, and they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the floods came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot, they did…(Now, watch what they did.) …they did eat,…drink, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built, And the…day—the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone—fire and brimstone…, and destroyed them all. Now, over in Genesis, the—in the Book of Genesis and in the, I believe it’s the 19th chapter and the 22nd verse, I wish to get a text.

34. THE DOOR OF THE DOOR — 1957-12-12

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• ¶5–¶7a And how today, you notice in there, the condition of the church, that they were in this condition, and didn’t know it. Could you imagine a man on the street that’s naked, miserable, blind, wretched, and don’t know it. That’s the sad part. If he knew it, he would better himself. But if he doesn’t know it, how can the poor fellow better hisself (See?), because he doesn’t know it? And Jesus likened the Pentecostal church in these last days, just like that. Thou art naked, miserable, blind, wretched, and don’t know it. Now, when He was speaking directly to the remnant of each of those— those—those churches…And the Laodicean church age, is the last church age, we know that, and we’re in it now, the Laodicean church age. And it’s in the Laodicean condition. Now, you notice, that He also give a invitation and said, “Be zealous, for those I love I chasten.” And that is a little scourge, and correct, and—and whip, and He said, “Be zealous, and repent.” Now, He’s not speaking to sinners, He’s speaking to the church. Be zealous of Him, and repent from our lukewarm condition that we’re in today. Now, we notice, He said, “I stand at the door and knock.” What is a person knocking at the door for? He’s trying to gain the entrance. He has something that He wants to speak to you about. Down through the age many men has knocked at the door; great man has knocked at the doors of people. For instance, in the days of the great Caesar, what a—a privilege it would’ve been to one of his subjects, a poor peasant, for the great Caesar Augustus to come down and knock at his door. Think of what an honor that would be to a—to a peasant. When the Caesar, the great emperor of Rome, came to his door and knocked, trying to gain entrance to his home to speak with him for some reason. How would it been a few years ago in Germany, when the great führer of Germany, Adolf Hitler. What if he were to come to the door of one of his soldiers and would’ve knocked at the door?

35. IS YOUR LIFE WORTHY OF THE GOSPEL? — 1963-06-30

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• ¶230–¶232 Look at their congregation of bobbed-haired women, and they know the Bible condemns it. Look going down the street, at their own church members going down the street, with shorts on, and they know the Word is against it. But they haven’t got the nerve to call out against it. But, yet, the man professing to be a Christian, his soul within him cries out against it, but he hasn’t got the nerve. If that ain’t modern Sodom, where is it at? God, give us somebody that’ll cry out against it. That’s right. Like John the Baptist said, “The ax is laid to the root of the tree.” That’s what we need today. Watch. They’re a modern Sodom. Remember. See? The whole land has become a modern Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot again living on over. No…Living it all over, for his honest convictions tells him by the Word that he’s wrong. Look in Chicago, greater Chicago, when them three hundred preachers setting there. And the Lord told me that night what they was going to do. They had a trap set for me. Me, go on over there. I went and told Brother Carlson. I said, “You’ll not have it in that hotel. You’ll have to take it to another place, and it’ll be a green room. And they got a trap set for me, haven’t they, Brother Carlson?” He dropped his head. He set there in my office, few days ago, for me come, Chicago meeting. Said, “I’ll never forget that, Brother Branham.” And I said, “They got a trap set for me. Why, Brother Carlson? Are you afraid to tell me why, you and Tommy Hicks?” They dropped their head. I said, “Tommy, why don’t you go speak?” Said, “I couldn’t do it.” I said, “I thought you said you’d do me a favor.”