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There was a great rancher, and he owned a mammoth big ranch, way in the northern part of Colorado near the mountain section.
And on this certain ranch, the owner, or the caretaker, what we call there "the top, the foreman," he had about five daughters. They were all beautiful women, young, single. And there was a little lady there which was a cousin to these girls, that her father and mother had both deceased. And she was brought over there to be--to live with her--her uncle.
And those girls, that they was in those fancy type of frilly frocks, you know, and--and they just took this poor little girl, and they just treated her like she was some animal, all the hard work poured right on her. She washed the dishes; she cleaned up, she fixed the bunks; she--she had to do it all.
And they just stayed around with polished fingernails and manicure, the stuff on their lips, and all fixed up, you know, just prissy. And especially did they do this when they heard that from Chicago, the big packing company who owned the outfit, his young single son was coming to visit the ranch. Oh, did they deck out in good clothes. Oh, how and did they dress and make ready for his coming.
And each night the conversation would be, they were going to vamp this young man and marry him who would... Then they would own the ranch themselves, for the son would fall heir to all. So they made themselves ready.
So you see, there is a ready to be made. You make yourself ready by joining church or something; that ain't all that's required. You've got to have Oil in your lamp. See? Just your dressing, saying, "We'll build a big church. We'll belong to a better denomination. We'll--we'll give them a pipe organ to the Lord. We'll make plush seats."
That isn't what God requires. Righteousness is what God requires, of His Son, Christ Jesus. That's the garments, for the Bible said, "The white clothes which she is adorned in is the righteousness of the saints."
So she--these girls thought they would make themselves ready for the coming of this young man. 'Course that poor little cousin...
That reminds me of an off-cast somewhere. You could appreciate her. She was a beautiful woman. But oh, my, she was a nice little girl, but she was not even considered among them, not as a relative.
Now, that's about the true picture of the real Church today before the denominations: not even considered, a bunch of interdenominationals, a bunch of outcasts.
So the poor little fellow just went ahead working. And when the young man arrived, they didn't know it... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] looking for a wife. He was sick and tired of the city girls who just stayed all dolled up, and, oh, you know, hung around the barrooms, and rode around in the Cadillacs, and the--the different things. They--they were just sick and tired of it. He thought, "I'll go out west and hunt me a--a real girl, that'll be a real mother to my babies, and something who'll not hang at all the sewing circles, and the--and the societies, and things, but will just be a real mother."
What did he find when he got there but the same thing that he had condemned in Chicago.
I wonder if the Lord Jesus will find a church just a denomination, just by name, a church, no oil in the lamps, not ready to go? Oh, they got fine frocks; they got the biggest churches, the biggest this and all these things, but God don't want that. He wants you as an individual.
They may have the best pastors, they may have the finest deacon board, but He wants you with Oil. He's coming to catch that Oily Bride away.
And as he, this boy looked upon, he was disheartened. And that night they were having something on the order of, in them days, it's been a long ago, they called the Charleston. Which is just like a rock-and-roll. And they were going to throw one of those big parties. Many of you people remember that old Charleston dance they did back when I was a kid, when I was out there.
And so they were all had their little black and white clothes on, you know, to do the... (Oh, I... it was called Charleston and Black Bottom, that's what they were calling it.) And they had them two tone clothes, and they were going to--to do these dances and...
But this boy was sick of that stuff. He was hunting for a real girl. So he slipped out of their party. He's watching them; he went in to look at them.
So is another Son that I know of. Another Son will come to your church, He will--Son of God, He will come there. He will look around; He will see your fine dress. He will--He will know that you're a good member. But He's looking for something different from just the regular trend of church.
So as he looked around, after while, he was so discouraged, he walked out the door. And going back, walking in the moonlight towards the bunkhouse, he heard somebody kind of humming. And he looked around, and here went this little girl with a great big pan of dishwater, way in the night, bare-footed, to throw the dishwater out. And as soon as he saw her, something another said, "That's her; that's the one."
So he put hisself in the way. And when she... Well, when she come back along the corral fence, why, he was standing there. And she almost fainted. He said, "How do you do?" And he said, "What's your name?"
And she told him her name. And it was the same name of the boss of the ranch.
Said, "Then I can't understand how that this... Is that your father?"
Said, "No. I'm just a cousin, you see. My father and he were brothers. I've got the same name, but I... That's--that's the boss."
You might have the name of church, might have the name of Branham Tabernacle, or Methodist, or whatever church you go. That isn't it, friends. See, it's something different; it's your character; that's what God's a looking at. You might be Methodist; you might be Baptist; you might be Presbyterian. It's not that. It's character that God looks at, not just earthly character, but Holy Spirit character. "These signs shall follow them that believe," said Jesus in the 16th chapter of Saint Mark.
She was so gotten that--that he would speak to her even, and she held her little head down and she ran into the house.
He was there for a week or two. And he looked all around everywhere. And he never said no more, but he kept watching her. And the night before he left, he was to leave the next morning; they was throwing another big party. And he watched for her. He couldn't find her. He knowed she'd had to do the dishes and so forth, so--the dirty work, and all could be throwed off.
And that's the way the real church of God has to take it sometime, the dirty work, all the scandal names, and all of the things that's mean, to be throwed at it. But she's the great speckled bird. All the other birds gather around and flock at her. That's all right. Her name's on the Lamb's Book of Life. She'll spread Her great wings someday for a flight. She's ready. Them speckles meant the Blood of Christ sprinkled on her. You've read it in your Book, the Bible.
And this boy caught the little lady that night coming out. He said, "I've watched you. No one knows it but myself." He said, "I've come out here looking for a wife. And all that I have ever seen, you meet the requirements."
How did she feel, the big man's son asking her now, if she would be his wife? Just imagine how those girls must've felt when they looked out the window and saw holding hands with that little despised cousin, the man that they tried to beg with all their big fine frocks and frills and carrying on.
And he said, "Will you marry me?"
"Oh," she said, "sir, I'm not worthy."
That's the way the real church feels about it. "I'm not worthy, I can... If I can just wash Your dishes, it'll be all right." Are you willing to take that place? Could you wash the dishes from the supper, would you be willing to be called fanatic, or would you be willing to be--take the way with the Lord's despised few? Are you willing? Are you willing at your work to be marked? "There's a man; he's a religious fanatic, because he won't drink; he won't smoke; he doesn't dance; he doesn't run with women." "There's a woman that keeps her head down, and she walks like... down through the town; she's not... She won't join our circles and..." Are you willing to take the way, make yourself ready for the coming of the Lord?
If you have... If you do, you'll be waiting for Him to come. You'll joy at His coming. It won't be a dreadful thing; it'll be the most gracious moment that you can think of, the coming of the Lord. "All those that love His appearing..."
So when he left, he told her he'd be back at a certain time. Said, "When you begin to see..." There's a winter. Said, "When you begin to see those trees begin to bud yonder, that mesquite and stuff begin to take on new life," said, "then I'll be back about springtime."
I understand; I couldn't say it was true, but the girl only got about a dollar and seventy-five cents a week for her labor. But she saved every penny of it. Why? She was getting ready for the wedding that was to be. She was saving her money for her wedding gown, for he said, "We'll be married right here at the ranch when I come again."
She saved her money all year. She was happy. She didn't mind washing the dishes. She didn't mind ironing the clothes, or sweeping out the bunkhouse, or whatmore. She was engaged to the boss of the ranch.
What do we care what the world says, a real Christian? What do we care if we have to be despised and rejected? "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." The Boss's Son's a coming one day, and we're going to a wedding supper. What difference does it make to us, if you love His appearing?
After it was all... The days passed. The little daughters, the little cousins, made fun of her, danced around her and done everything else. Why, said, "You poor silly kid. Do you not know if he... Why, he was just like all other men. He was just teasing you."
But the Son of God doesn't tease. "Except a man be borned again, he will in no wise..."E-48 Finally, when the hour come, she begin to see the--the buds begin to come on the trees. She knew he'd be there at any time.
And he said, "I'll try to make it just at sundown, so we can be married and hurry off."
And every evening at sundown when she--she'd go and get--make herself all ready, get her little wedding garment on and wait at the gate. And these little cousins come and laugh at her and make fun of her, and said, "You poor silly ignorant child, to think that the--the man who owns is the president or--or of the company, that his boy would marry a dishwasher."
He was looking for virtue, not clothes. He had enough money to buy all the clothes that's necessary.
God don't care how big your... fancy things you have, He owns everything in the world. So He wants virtue. He wants something that's real.
And so finally one evening, while she was standing there... And they were laughing and making fun of her and telling her she was silly, all at once they heard some hoofs a prancing. What happened? Across the hill come a buckboard. Now, a buckboard's a little wagon, open top, very popular in the west. And the horses all jingled and everything; coming across the hill come this carriage. And it stopped in front of the gate, and she run. She said, "I knew you would come."
That's to be the Church someday. She threw herself in his arms, and he said, "Darling, I have had a man stationed on this ranch since I left here last year that's brought me a report of everything that you've done."
God's got a Man stationed in this tabernacle this morning. He's called the Holy Spirit. He knows the secrets of your heart. He knows everything that you've done or what you think. He tells the Father everything that you do. He brings the message back and forth.
He said, "And he has told me that you've waited, and you worked, and you've labored patiently, waiting for me to come. Now, you've been a slave for a long time. But now, your slave days are over. I have brought along the minister. Right under this rose trellis you become my wife." He kissed her, put the wedding ring on her finger, and picked her up, and set her in the buckboard with his arm around her, and drove off to find his new big palace on Outer Drive in Chicago, the selected of the nation, where she could live as his bride.
Why? She was ready. She lived and been the kind of a woman that he wanted. It happened just in the spare of a moment.
And that sudden secret coming of the Lord; the world don't know it's going to happen, but we do. It's at hand... Be like the one who made herself ready, and kept her virtues, and was waiting for the coming of the Lord, 'cause it'll be secret and sudden.
While you think of those things, let's bow our heads to Him Who will come.
Would you want Him to remember you before Father this morning, that you want to be ready and--when He comes to go with Him? If you would, would you raise up your hand to Him? The Lord bless you.
Lord God, in this great moment where I look upon this little congregation and see red faces and tear-stained cheeks, we're aware that the great secret Agent is standing near, the Holy Spirit.
Now, let us take the way with the Lord's despised few. If there is little scruples in our neighborhood amongst the people, amongst the Church, or wherever it is, that has nothing to do with us. We shall not defile our garments with things of the world anymore. For You shall come someday in a moment in a twinkling of an eye, that sudden secret rapture of Your church. You'll be coming up over the hill of time, down the horizontal rainbow to take away the church. For the Scripture said, "The trump of God shall sound, and the dead in Christ shall rise, and we shall be caught up with them in the air to meet the Lord, and forever be with the Lord. Wherefore, my brethren, comfort one another with these words." Let that ring deep in the hearts of this congregation this morning. We'll praise Thee, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Copiado del Mensaje:
58-1012 (t) E 37-53 The Sudden, Secret Going Away Of The Chur ch
Predicado por el Hno.
William Marrion Branham.
