Look to the End of the Road
ZECHARIAH 4:6-7
6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
This headstone represents the completion of the building, while the mountain symbolizes every resisting power, many times we can make mountains in our minds that are not even real, they are actually just plains, but we form mountains because of our imagination and fear because we fail to put our trust completely in the Lord – so we make mountains out of molehills – we have all done it.
ISAIAH 40:3-5
3 ¶ The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Again he compares the power of the adversaries to a great mountain, but again he is promising that the mountains would become a plain before him.
PSALM 137:1
1 ¶ By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
Look to the End of the Road
Continue from last week – “The Two Babylons”
We know from last week that there are Two Babylons that are in existence today, one is in Rome (the Catholic Church, and along with her are her associates, the denominational protestant daughters), and the other one is Hollywood Los Angeles California.
These two identities are the modern day Sodom and Gomorrah that the bible promised in Luke 17:30 would be here at the time when the son of man is being revealed to the bride through the ministry of the seventh angel.
The word Sodom means burning and the word Gomorrah means submersion, because we know that the Vatican in Rome will be burnt by a Russian nuclear bomb while California will be submerged by sliding 40 miles into the sea by a great earthquake - Revelation 18:21-23.
REVELATION 18:21-23
21 And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon (Los Angeles) be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all. (This Babylon is not Rome but Hollywood California USA because the other Babylon (Rome) is not sunk but burnt - REVELATION 18:9 ¶ And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
10 Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come. They are standing far off because of nuclear radiation – these are your two Babylons in Revelation 18, So both the Vatican City and Los Angeles city are called Babylon by the Holy Spirit in this age.)
Cont.
REVELATION 18:22 And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee (this is the entertainment industry - the rock star, the musicians and movie stars – it’s all completely destroyed); and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft he be, shall be found any more in thee; and the sound of a millstone shall be heard no more at all in thee; (machinery factories, industry and commerce, there will be no more “sound” because it will all be laying at the bottom of the sea)
23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee (this once great city of lights and colour – not even a candle will be able to be lit in that city anymore, because you can’t light a candle in a city that is at the bottom of the ocean); and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth (the merchants in this city were the great men of the entertainment and the movie and fashion business industry); for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.
(Greek - Sorcery = magical arts, often found in connection with idolatry and fostered by it; the deceptions and seductions of idolatry – these great men had also become the idols of the people – how we can see that this is a reality today)
Opening scripture
PSALM 137:1
1 ¶ By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. This is speaking of the time in the Old Testament when Israel was taken captive by king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and taken into exile from their own homeland to Babylon just like it was when the Roman Catholic Church dominated the religious world during the dark ages and even up to this time, because we know that Pagan Rome (the nation and civilisation of Rome that once ruled the known world) was wounded unto death, but then she came back to life again not as a pagan nation but as a pagan religion, because the same spirit that was in the nation of Rome that had been passed down from Babylon has now come into the Roman Catholic Church because nations die but spirits live on.
So instead of Babylonian gods and there statues, and Greek gods and their statues and Roman gods and there statues that you pray to, you now have saints and there statues that you pray to.
So this Babylonian spirit of polytheism (the worship of many gods) is the spirit that surrounds us everywhere in this modern age, its rivers and streams flow into almost every known city in the world, there is not one modern city anywhere where the influence of Babylon in the form of either the Catholic Church or Hollywood is not seen in some form or another.
So this Babylonian spirit (the worship of many gods) is the spirit that is in the two of Babylon’s of today (the Catholic Church and Hollywood). In the Catholic Church they worship saints, in Hollywood they worship mover star gods, rock star gods, and pop star gods.
The influence of the Roman Catholic Church is deceiving the world into spiritual adultery against Christ the word, while Hollywood is deceiving the whole world into a moral deprivation and physical adultery. It is the same spirit working in these two different realms.
“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down”
**When we go to the super market, we are by the rivers of Babylon, when we walk into the shopping malls, we are by the rivers of Babylon, you see all the gods and idols displayed on the posters and in the magazine racks – all these places are strange places from where man once lived back in Eden when he had fellowship with God and when creation was under his dominion.
There were no shopping centres and cinemas in Eden because you didn’t need them, there were no red light zones in Eden, there was no alcohol in Eden because you didn’t need to drown your sorrows because you did even know what sorry was, there were no motor cars in Eden, there was no pollution in Eden, there was no rock music in Eden, you didn’t need to plug into DreamWorks and have someone else pretend to live the dream for you because you were living the dream continually.
Out of interest…
We know that we have had the spirit and power of Elias in this day that was promised to turn the hearts of the children to the Fathers – this was fulfilled in the ministry of William Marrion Branham (notice 7 letters in each of the three names), he was the Elijah spirit that God sent into the earth to do this Job, to turn the hearts of the children, but we also know that whenever God does something that Satan always tries to copy it in a perverted way to try to combat what God is about to do.
Walter Elias Disney wasthe founder of the Walt Disney Company 1923 – and notice 6 letters in his names, (Walter Elias Disney - Elias is Elijah in English) – so we can see the direct counterpart of what God was about to do by sending the spirit of Elijah to turn the hearts of the children of God back to the faith of the Pentecostal fathers, so we find that Walt Disney begins making children’s cartoons in order to turn the hearts of the children, because we know that this was at the beginning of the movie making industry with all the silent films, and it was this industry that was the preparation of what we have today, and we see that now the hearts of the children of this generation have been successfully turned away from the morals of their founding fathers, but notice how innocent it all began, it began with just little innocent cartoons of ducks and mice and bunny rabbits, but that was the white horse rider riding in that channel – and now look at what it has gone on to be today – it’s not an innocent power anymore, it has produced a global turning away of this generation from the morals of our forefathers – it’s the spirit of babel again. Look at all the confusion that the world is in today.
One of Walt Disney’s most successful and inspired films was “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” why was it so successful? - because it followed the pattern of the greatest story ever told of Christ and his bride because…
*Snow white represented the bride
*The evil queen represents the Catholic Church
*The seven dwarfs represent the seven church age messengers
*And the Prince arrives at the end of the story and wakes up the sleeping bride and marries her and takes her to the restored kingdom, and that is what Christ will also do at the end of this age.
So we see that all this parallels of the real story of Christ and his beloved bride of seven church ages – it is a copy and an impersonation of the real thing.
Pick up on our opening scripture.
ZECHARIAH 4:1-7
1 ¶ And the angel that talked with me came again, and waked me, as a man that is wakened out of his sleep,
2 And said unto me, What seest thou? And I said, I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold, with a bowl upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps, which are upon the top thereof:
3 And two olive trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof.
4 So I answered and spake to the angel that talked with me, saying, What are these, my lord?
5 Then the angel that talked with me answered and said unto me, Knowest thou not what these be? And I said, No, my lord.
6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.
7 Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
Notice – Christ is both the corner stone and the head stone (the beginning and the end), but we know that it is at the end of the seventh church age that this headstone is to appear and the pyramid is to be capped and the building completed.
And so we are now living at this time of when it is prophesied that these great mountains of opposition that would stand before Zerubbabel (who is a type of the prophet and the bride of this hour) would become a plain before him, and that this headstone (Christ) would cap off the bride of seven church ages. And this is the season for these things to come to pass.
THE.MESSAGE.OF.GRACE_ JEFF.IN V-13 N-3 SUNDAY_ 61-0827
48 We are all acquainted with this Scripture, that reads the Bible. We know that this was during the time of the preparation of the restoration of the temple. And Zerubbabel was a great prince amongst the people, who had laid the foundation of the building. Now, you, I want you to put on your spiritual thinking, anointing jacket this morning as we think. And this great prince had determined to rebuild the house of the Lord. And then, when he did, he had laid the foundation stone.
And as we read on farther, we find out that God said, "Zerubbabel has laid the foundation with his hands; he also shall bring forth the headstone." I want you to notice: He never said he shall bring forth the Cornerstone. He shall bring forth the Headstone.
50 And we know that the Scripture says that Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone, and He's also the Headstone. Now, if we will think for a few minutes, that the seventh church messenger was to restore the faith of the children back to the fathers, in other words, rebuild the church again under the power of the Spirit. "Not by power, not by might, but by My Spirit," saith the Lord. Not by organization, not by denomination, but by the Holy Spirit God will bring forth the church in the last days.
Zerubbabel = "sown in Babylon" or “born at Babylon” or “begotten in Babylon” just like we have been born into this Babylon civilisation at the end of the seven church age.
Zerubbabel was the grandson of king Jehoiachin, he was leader of the first group of returning exiles from Babylon, and we know that our leader in this hour is Christ through the ministry of his seventh angel William Branham, so we can see that this history is a prophecy of this age, history is repeating itself again in this end time age, and we know what part of this prophecy that we are to fulfil, and we can know for sure the outcome of the events of this hour because it has already been foretold of in the word. And that is what should bring us into a rest in this hour knowing that all the mountains and obstacles shall become a plain before us in this hour.
EZRA 4:1-6
1 ¶ Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel;
2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither.
3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. (In other words, they would not join up with their denominational organisation)
4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,
5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
6 ¶ And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
Look at all the opposition and the discouragement that they had to go through and put up with – this is showing us what is going on now and why sometimes you feel weak and discouraged.
EZRA 4:23-24
23 Now when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went up in haste to Jerusalem unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.
24 Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
EZRA 5:1-5
1 ¶ Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.
2 Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them.
3 ¶ At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and Shetharboznai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall?
4 Then said we unto them after this manner, What are the names of the men that make this building?
5 But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius: and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter.
**Look at all the opposition that Zerubbabel had to go through – these were the great mountains of opposition that stood in his pathway along the road. But the prophecy was that all these mountains would become a plane before him – so all he had to do was to keep looking to the end of the road because the prophecy had already gone forth. - Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it.
It is by the grace of God that we will make it, not by our own talent or good behaviour.
**So this is a prophecy for us in this hour because we are also facing opposition and oppression from this Babylonian power that we are under in this age.
So how do we deal with all the problems that we are faced with today?
The world is falling apart, where can our hope find rest and respite?
WHATEVER.HE.SAITH.UNTO.YOU.DO.IT_ CHICAGO.IL THURSDAY_ 54-0722
E-5 One of my manager's recently said, that in Canada where he was raised, our Brother Baxter, he said, "They had a little bicycle up there one time, and they was going to give every boy, or the boy that could ride a six inch plank, hundred yards, up in the air four feet, would win a new Schwinn bicycle." Said, "They had a little, sickly, type of a boy there, that they didn't think knowed very much about a bicycle. And all the other boys thought, 'Well, each one, they were special riders.' They'd go down in the city and get a basket of groceries, or a bag of groceries, never even touch their handlebars, swing around the corners, and through traffic, and come on home with it.' They said, 'My, that boy's always got his hands on the handlebars (the Old and New Testament) looking.' Said, 'Why, we can out ride that fellow.'"
They was all in the contest. He happened to be the last one. Every one of them fell off but him. He went right on to the end of the road. He won the bicycle. All the boys got around him to ask him, "Why--how did you do it?"
He said, "I tell you, fellows." Said, 'You all are much better riders than I am, but," said, "you made a mistake." Said, "You were looking down, trying to keep your bicycle on this board." Said, "I set my eyes to the end, and just kept looking at the end, and I held that steady."
E-6 If I had to look what's going on around me all the time, I might stray off the road too. But I look what's at the end, keep my eye there, I can be steady. Let friends forsake, and everything else goes wrong, and people say this, that, or the other, I'm looking to the end, down there. That's where, I got our eyes set, to this--this hour, when I meet my friend. When the battle's all over, and we're there... And just imagine when they have the table set, all the old veterans of the wars will set along this table. And I look down and see Saint Paul setting down there, and Peter, James, John, Brother Moore, and Brother Boze, and Brother Bosworth, oh, my, others of the veterans, and look along that table there, you know I--I--I just... You just reach across the table and squeeze one another's hand. That's going to be wonderful. No doubt, but a little tear will run down our cheek, once in a while for joy, then the King will come out in His beauty and His robes around Him, the One Who redeemed us, then talk about crying, talk about rejoicing. When we're setting there thinking the great battles we've been through together, and He will come down and wipe all the tears from our eyes, and say, "Don't cry no more; it's all over. We all here now; enter into the joys of the Lord."
That's going to be a wonderful time for me. I'm just--just look--looking to that all day long, and all night long. All the time, I look for that.
THE.END.TIME.EVANGELISM_ JEFF.IN V-10 N-5 SUNDAY_ 62-0603
224 …It's always in the weakest moments, when it looks like the true message is about defeated; that's when God steps in. He--He let's the message and the messenger get to the end of the road (See?), then He comes in, and He rides the high waves. That's right.
THE.SPOKEN.WORD.IS.THE.ORIGINAL.SEED_ JEFF.IN V-3 N-1 SUNDAY_ 62-0318
41-1 …Someone come the other day, said somebody had said something bad about me and--and accused me of something that was wrong. And I said, "Oh forget it."
Said, "How can you take it like that? That involves your family. That..."
I said, "Oh, my." I said, "That was predestinated before the foundation of the world to give me a trial. I said, "Why, my, my, my. Sure, so that's all right."
Said, "How do you do it?"
I said, "If I looked right down this way, I'd be falling all the time."
41-5 That's the way with the people today. "If I accept the Truth of God's Word, Brother Branham, they'd kick me out." Why, what are you looking here for? Look out here at the end of the road. See, a man who looks like this, he don't know where he's going. He's looking this way. But if you look out yonder, you don't care what's going on now; you know where you're going. See? That's it. Look where you're going. Stay lined up with the Word.
AWAKENING.JESUS_ TEMPE.AZ THURSDAY_ 63-0117
154 After the disciples found themselves at the end of their road, it must have dawned on some of them, that He was still with them. After they come to the end of the road, it must have dawned on somebody, "Well, here, after all, we was here giving this testimony. There He lays, right there. See? He's just taking a rest between the revivals. And here we are fussing and stewing, and all worried, and tore up, and doubting, and scared, everything else. And the Creator is laying right here in the boat." Oh, my!
155 O God, let it dawn on some of us again. Let it come to pass, Lord, that it can be dawn, it can dawn on us.
THE.REJECTED.KING_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-23 SUNDAY_ 60-0515M
20-2 And I looked, and I heard something kept saying, "You're just starting. Press the battle. Just keep pressing."
I shook my head a minute and then I thought, "Well, I probably just thinking like this, you know, a person can get some imaginations." and I said, "I just probably imagined that."
It said, "Press the battle. Keep going. Keep going."
And I said, "Maybe I said it."
And I put my lips within my teeth, and put my hand over my mouth, and there it come again; said, "Just keep pressing. If you only knew what was at the end of the road."
THE.WORLD.IS.FALLING.APART_ ALBQ.NM FRIDAY_ 63-0412M
14 And now we are happy to know that there is coming a time when the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, that we shall rule and reign on the earth with Him, a thousand years. We're looking forward to that time. And hearing the men speak of their temptations, and how that Satan took our Lord up to the top of the mountain, and in a moment of time showed Him all the governments and kingdoms of the world, and offered them to Him, but He flatly refused them, because He knew that someday He was falling heir to them. And we don't look at things that go on so much temporarily now, but we look to the end of the road, where the rewards are given.