Esther The Bride of Christ

MARRIAGE.OF.THE.LAMB_ PHOENIX.AZ SUNDAY_ 62-0121E William Branham

E-66 Now, we find out she commits spiritual fornications, going out with the world, professing something, living something different. That won't never work. What the church ought to do, is do like Esther did. Esther refused the adorning of the world.

We know that little book of Esther, how that Mordecai... His uncle had a daughter. And it was down during the times of the reigns of the Medes and Persians. It's a very beautiful type there. The king, one of the greatest kings in the world of that day, he had a great feast. And he called the queen to come set by him, but she wouldn't do it. She refused to do it. So what did he do? He was so humiliated, he didn't know what to do, that his own wife wouldn't come.

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E-67 I think that's a whole lot like Christ today. Christ has invited us to set in heavenly places with Him, and we're ashamed of it. Many people are ashamed to say that they got the baptism of the Holy Ghost: Pentecostal people. That's right. They're ashamed to say it. We're ashamed of Him.

And so, the queen wouldn't come. She refused to come. It humiliated him. His face turned red. Everybody noticed.

I wonder if Jesus' face don't turn a little red too, when He calls on us for a work, calls on the Pentecostal movement for fellowship and brotherhood. And we're so tightly organized in little groups till we won't bend for the other. We're so--getting so worldly, and things like that. We're getting ashamed of the name of Pentecost. Some people is afraid to say... Said, "Well, I belong. I'm a Christian, but..." I'm glad I got a Pentecostal experience. Amen. I'm glad to bear the Name of Jesus Christ. The greatest privilege I ever had is to say I'm part of Him.

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E-68 Now, we find out, then he got some consultants to ask what must he do. And they said, "If this goes on like this, all the rest of the women throughout the country will take the example of the first lady." Of course, that's what's happening tonight. Look at some of these women (I hope I don't hurt your feelings, and yet I hope I do. That's right.), trying to be this here first lady stuff, with these waterhead haircuts. I never seen such a thing in all my life. The other day there was a woman come up in a store where I was waiting for my wife, and that woman's head was that big, and she had green paint under her eyes. And I said, "Go back, boogerman. I'll be good." It was the awfullest sight; it would scare you. What is it? The first lady. It's the first lady. That's it. And they take an example by that.

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E-69 And let me say this now. (I didn't say it jokingly, but in a parable that you'd see.) That's exactly what you older Christians are doing for these younger. Exactly right. You're supposed to be examples. You Pentecostals that profess to have the Holy Ghost, you are to be an example for the Methodists, and Baptists, Presbyterians. Not like the first lady, but like Jesus you're supposed to be. He tells you in here what to do, how to do it. We must follow His rules and examples. But that's the way we find it.

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E-70 Esther... This queen, she wouldn't listen to it. She wouldn't come, humiliated him. Said, "If--if this first lady of the land sets an example like that, all the rest of the women will do it. So then, when a man calls for his wife, she'll say, 'Go jump in the river.'" See? Boy, he really foretold America, didn't he?

Now, we find out that in doing so... Then there was a man that had some wisdom about him, come up and counseled with the king. He said, "The thing to do is excommunicate her, and send out through the nation, and call in all the virgins that there is, young virgins, and there pick yourself a wife." It pleased the king.

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E-71 So he sent... And he sent out the chambermaids and so forth, that went out to--to pick all the young virgins, that could--the beautiful women throughout all the kingdom and the provinces that he was over, which was the greatest in the world.

And when he did, it come to this little Jewish girl. She was rather a kind of an offcast, because like the Gentiles (You see?), she was cast off to one side. And she had no father and mother. And Mordecai, her uncle, was raising her. And she had to go to qualify. And so what they did, they had to take these girls in for purification for so many months. They had to perfume them, and do all kinds of adorning, and fix them all up so they could go before the king.

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E-72 Now, that's just about the way the world wants to fix the church today: adorn it up with the world; pattern after the things of the world, trying to get more members, taking in anything in their fellowship. Oh, my. It's a pitiful thing, one organization trying to beat the other one, take anything in for a member. You might take them in this organization, but they'll never come into the fellowship of Christ until they're cleaned up and borned again of the Spirit of God. That's true. They might have their name on a book here, but not up there in the Lamb's Book of Life till it's wrote with the Blood of the Lord Jesus.

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E-73 All the women, they fixed themselves all up to look pretty. And, oh, I imagine they got really some looks on them, maybe after the first lady and so forth. They got themselves all fixed up because they was going to appear before the king.

And I think that's about the whole lot that's getting the matter with our churches today. They're trying to fix themselves all up worldly, having worldly entertainment, worldly things in it, doing things that's of the world, associating in the world, thinking they can meet the King. God don't care about that. He hates that. But we want to act like the world.

Some of our churches that I've said let down the bars, taking in deacons and so forth in the church (and sometimes pastors), that's married four or five times, and--and some of them that smoke cigarettes. Say, "They'll get over it. They'll be all right." Get a man out of a barroom one night and put him in the pulpit the next night. I don't believe in no such stuff. I believe a man's got to be proved (That's right.), proved. I tell you, a lot of times we call...

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E-74 I believe in the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I believe in speaking in tongues. But I think we lay too much emphasis on that. A man can speak with tongues, and a woman speak with tongues, and if her life, and his life doesn't compare with what tongues you're speaking in, then it's the wrong tongues, 'cause the Holy Spirit will make you act like the Bible. It'll bring you to the fullness of the statue of Christ.

You take a person that speaks with tongues, with enough temper to fight a buzz saw, and talk about the neighbors, and everything like that. Why, do you call that the Holy Ghost? It cannot be. No, sir.

The Holy Ghost is meekness, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness, gentleness, patience, faith. The Holy Ghost... That's the fruit of the Spirit, that the Holy Spirit bears in the church of the living God, sweetness, and humbleness, humility, love one for another, long-suffering.

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E-75 If a brother's gone wrong, don't just beat him or something another. Go after him and see if you can get him back. Don't wait for the preacher to do it. You do it, somebody else. The preacher can't do it all, neither can the deacons. Everybody's a member of this body of Christ should go after one another. If we got... And if we've got the Spirit of Christ in us... He taught the great parable. He left the ninety and nine and went after that one. That's what we're supposed to do.

But we say, "Oh, let them go." We never should do that. We should be gentle, forgiving, long-suffering: that's the fruit of the Spirit.

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E-76 Now, we find ourselves then, that Esther, after she... They put her in one of these places to get herself all fixed up to make their show before the king. My, she refused it. She didn't want it. She wanted to go out just like she was. Amen.

We got today that churches that wants to act like the world. Why? 'Cause we get big. God said one time when they was little, they served Him. But when they got big, then they forgot Him. That's right. When we had a tin pan down here on the alley somewhere, with a tambourine beating it on the back of our hands, and an old guitar strummed it, and having a street meeting, you were humble. But when we get to having three or four million dollar buildings, and great big things like that, then we get so arrogant we forget about that. That's right. Polish up with the world...

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E-77 I was into a place the other day where a holiness brother... There was a bunch of people working for him. And if... Every woman come out of there at coffee time to take a coffee-break. Every woman in there had short hair and wearing lipstick. Now, you say, "Brother Branham, you ain't got no business saying that." I have. The Bible says that. That's right.

A lot of the Pentecostal women wearing clothes that pertain to a man, and God said it's an abomination in His sight. Right. How do you expect to go to heaven like that? It shows that the Holy Spirit isn't in there. If the Holy Spirit was in there, It'd condemn you. Right. Oh, you might shout, speak with tongues, run up and down, dance in the spirit. I've seen Hindus do that, and Indians, and everything else. That don't mean nothing, unless there's a life to back up what you're talking about, power of the Holy Ghost makes godly living people. That's the bride of Christ.

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E-78 Esther was to become a bride, so she didn't want none of the adorning of the world. She wanted to go in to the king just like she was. She adorned herself like the Pentecostal women ought to, with a meek humble spirit. And when all these fancy first ladies come by with all their new fandangoed things, the king looked at them, and put them in the chamber with the concubines. But when this Esther come into his sight, and he got a glimpse of that sweet, humble, meek spirit, he said, "That's her. Go get the crown and put it on her head." That's it.

Let them adorn themselves with that kind of a spirit, not only the women, but the men too, adorn themselves with that kind of a spirit. Then you're becoming ready for the--the bride, sweet, reverent. Esther made her heart clean.

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E-79 There's so much... We take care of this outside. Oh, it's got to have so many wrinkle removers, and so much of this and to--to go about it.

Here some time ago, I was standing in a museum down in Tennessee. I passed by a little place, and it showed the analysis of a human body. It said a man that weighed a hundred and fifty pounds in chemicals was worth eighty-four cents. Now, you're somebody, aren't you? Eighty-four cents, and some women will, Pentecostal women, will put on a five hundred dollar mink coat, and stick their head up, if it rained, it'd drown them. And they're not even worth eighty four cents (That's right.) in chemicals. That's the truth, not a joke. That's the truth. Eighty-four cents: about enough whitewash to sprinkle a hen's nest, and a little bit of calcium, and so forth: Eighty four cents. You watch that awful close.

You go to the restaurant and find a--get a bowl of soup and there'd be a spider in it, you'd sue the restaurant. But you'll let the devil poke old dirty televisions and card things down your neck, and swallow it; make you put on old unclean clothes. And these women, these little old tight dresses like a skinned-down wiener, and walk out there on the street like that.

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E-80 And do you know, my sister... (I ain't saying that joking. Don't get me wrong.) Listen. I'm saying this: you act like that, and at the day of judgment you'll be counted as an adulterer. Right. Jesus said, "Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her in his heart." And when that sinner has to answer for committing adultery, who is it? You. Who caused it? You. That's right. If you put yourself out there to look--before men, to be like the world, and dress like the world...

I said that one time, and a woman in Louisville, Kentucky, she said, "Well, listen here, Mr. Branham. I'll give you to understand right now..."

I said, "Yes, ma'am."

She said, "That's the only kind of dresses they make."

I said, "They make sewing machines and sell goods. It's because you want to. There's something wrong in you."

That's exactly right. You do it not because it's a fashion, you do it not because you have to; you do it because you want to.

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E-81 You smoke because you want to. You don't have to. I think the silliest thing I ever seen was a woman going in the street like... You see every one in automobiles with them cigarettes up between their fingers. Why, it's a disgrace. That's the biggest fifth columnist move we got in the nation, when the doctors and medical science says it's full of cancer and everything else. And they suck right down on them all the time.

See a woman, supposed to be a Christian, stretched out there on a bank, with mixed bathing, with a bathing suit on, stretched out there. I got two girls. I don't say they wouldn't do it. They say they're getting a suntan. They'll get a son-tan if I'm living. It'll be the son of Mr... It'll be the son of Mr. Branham, with a board about that long. I believe it's wrong.

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E-82 Then we call ourself... "Oh, we're a member of the Pentecostal church." Oh, shame on you. Right. The Pentecostal church needs a cleansing all the way from the front to the back, and through the cellar, and basement, and upstairs. That's right. And yet, in all of it, it's the best we got. But it can...

Just like in the revolutionary in the time of Joan of Arc. France needed a revolutionary, then needed a counter-revolutionary to straighten up some of the things they was revolting about. And the Pentecostal church needs a revolutionary (Right. It certainly does.), a revolt against the things that's wrong, and accept the things that's right (Amen.), a fresh baptism of the Holy Ghost, a church to make herself ready.

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E-83 Remember, it will never be... You can't say, "Well, now, I belong to this... the Assemblies, I belong to the Foursquare, or the Church of God, or the Jesus' Name," or--or any of the rest of them. No you can't get in on any of them. God calls you as an individual. And it's you that's got to clean up, because He's taking a people from the Gentiles for His Name's sake, His bride, the Gentiles.

Esther cleaned herself. She cleaned her heart. That's what she cleaned. That's what the church needs: a heart cleaning." How do you clean your heart, Brother Branham?" Washed by the water of the Word, through the Blood of Jesus Christ.

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E-84 The Bible said it's wrong for women to act that way, and for men to let them do it. That's both of you. A man that'll let his woman get out in the street with naked--with clothes on like that, I've got little respects for him being even a man. He's a puppet. That's right. She uses him as a dishrag. Shame on you. You ought to be men.

And a pastor will let his church get by with such things as that without blasting the tar out of it from the pulpit, he's a sissy. What we need is men. The Gospel--not with rubber gloves, but with the power and demonstration of the Holy Ghost with the Word... The Bible says these things are wrong. It's wrong for people to do that way, to act that way. It ought to be preached, and lived, and everywhere. Ought to... The church needs a purging, a cleaning out.

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E-85 Esther purged her heart before God, walked up with a meek and humble spirit; the church that's going to be the bride of Christ... Now, remember, Esther refused the worldly adornment. She took the Spirit in her heart to go before the king.

And the woman today, the church that thinks she's going to get in because she's got more numbers, she's the best dressed crowd, she's got the biggest organization, the biggest church in the city, and things like that... You'll miss it a million miles if you're depending on that.

It's a sweet, kind, reverent spirit to the Word of God, washed by the water of the Word. And the Word in you, it's a washing. Amen. The church needs a washing, a full Gospel washing (That's right.), not just a part washing, but a full Gospel washing, cleaned up, made new creatures in Christ Jesus.

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E-86 Jesus' bride is not a dirty bride. He wouldn't have His dirty bride. A woman come up to get married, and she looked like she come out of the pig pen out there, a man that's got any dignity about him wouldn't marry her. He'd make her clean herself up. And when the church of Christ comes up to get married, thinks she's going in the bride with all the world tagging onto her... Christ's bride won't be like that. No, sir. (I must hurry.)

Neither is the church of Christ, of the Lord Jesus Christ, that church is not a ragged church either, with worn out rags of denominations. She don't have to be a--a member of some great denomination. She has to be Blood-washed, Blood-bought. Not saying we belong to the biggest church, the biggest organization, or this, that, or the other; she's got to be pure, sanctified, holy, without spot or wrinkle, by the Blood of her--her Saviour, Jesus Christ.

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E-87 Like Esther, the hidden man in the heart, the hidden man, the meekness and gentleness of the Spirit of God in the human heart, not the glory and class of the world...

I've always said the world shines; the Gospel glows. Oh, it's a million miles apart. Hollywood shines; the church of Christ glows with loveliness, and soft, and sweet, kind. That's right.

Esther didn't want to adorn herself with all the modern apparel of the world. That wouldn't look like a king's wife. And do we wanting to be like the world, and the... Would that look like a holy man's wife? We, as the church of the living God adorn ourselves with the things of the world, and then look like a holy man's wife? Would that look natural?

If you seen a man today, that's supposed to be a holy man, and here comes his wife down like the first lady: one of those great big hairdo's out like this, and red stuff on one side, and green stuff on the other side; and--and look like she's been hit in the mouth with a paint brush, and all these kind of things like that; walking down the street, in little wiener-tight clothes like that, and heels about so high, twisting along, mincing down the street... Say, "That's a holy man's wife?" (I'm not telling jokes. I'm only making statements.)

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E-88 I've come to one of our great Pentecostal moves, here not long ago. I had a tent set up.

And the pastor said to me, he said, "My wife is the organist. "

I said, "That's good, brother."

"Do you mind her playing?"

I said, "No. No, sir. I sure don't."

And he went to the manager, and the manager, said... Brother Baxter said, "That's all right."

He said, "Brother Branham, come over here. I want you to meet my wife."

And I went over there. (Now, now, please forgive me. See, I'm not trying to make a remark; I'm trying to make a statement. See?) And the woman had one of these here manicure, or, I don't know, that stuff, you know, all fixed up, and I never seen such in my life, and a dress that was so way down in here, no back in it, and hardly any bottom in it. And I--I never seen such a look in my life. And she had great big earrings hanging down like this, and a whole lot of stuff on.

And I looked around. I thought, "Oh, me. I'm a Baptist and I know better than that." I looked again. I said... Now, please, this is not a joke. But I had to say it to the brother, and I hope it helped him, not saying it to be different; if I did, I was a hypocrite (See?), needed to be cleaned up myself.

I said, "Mister, did you say your wife was a saint?"

Said, "Oh, yes."

I said, "She looks like a hain't to me." I said, "I--I never seen such a sight in my life as a minister's wife. That don't look like the wife of a holy man."

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E-89 And neither does the church of the living God, depending on her fashions, her tea parties, and bunco parties, and card games, and dances, and socials, adorning herselves like that with the world, look like a holy God's bride. When she smokes cigarettes, and dances, and parties, and soup suppers, and cocktail drinking, and all like that, and say they're the bride of Christ?

That don't look like a holy man's wife to me. No, sir. He wouldn't choose such a thing. He'd get a woman that was right, look like what He was trying to represent. I believe that's true. That might hurt a little bit.

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E-90 My old southern mother's gone. When I was a little boy, we used to have--didn't have nothing to eat hardly. And we had black-eyed peas and corn bread. I don't know whether you know what they are or not. So we hadn't... She didn't have any grease through the year. And we'd... almost have to take an old... big old pan like that, and put meat skins in it. We'd get where they'd cut--the butchers would cut the meat off and give us the skin. And we'd render it out to get the grease and pour it on there.

Every Saturday night mama said we needed a dose of castor oil. And I--I just can't stand the stuff even yet. And I'd have to take it. I'd come to her holding my nose like this. I'd say, "Mama, I--I just can't take it." I said, "It makes me so sick."

She said, "If it don't make you sick, it don't do you any good."

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E-91 So I think that's the way with preaching the Gospel. If it don't stir you up a little bit, get your--feel your spiritual gastronomics started right, make you a little sick to examine yourself with the Bible; see if that old temper, and selfishness, ungodliness, love of the world, television, and things at night. And leaving the church set empty, and the pews set empty, when you ought to be out there like Jesus (you got His Spirit in you), trying to get everybody in the country to come to your church to receive Christ. And we call ourselves then the bride of Christ.

Oh, what a pity, friends. The hour has come. His bride has made herself ready, oh, made herself ready. She laid aside all of these things.

Remember, Esther was chosen and the others was rejected. And only those that's borned again, that's got the Spirit of God, will be the chosen that day that the crown of glory will be set upon her head. And the others will be rejected. [William Branham]