“Called Us to Glory”

Subject: Church vs. Bride

As Preached by Brother Paul Brake

I have talked with many people who are put off by religion in general. I too had
the same attitude towards churches and religion. Then I realized that there is a
difference between the church and the bride of Christ. There is a difference
between them that call themselves Christians and those who God calls
Christians. I found out that the book of Acts is being replayed in the lives of
real Christians all across the planet every day. When I met Jesus Christ for
myself, then the book of Acts started playing out in my life too.

This sermon is for you. God gave me this scripture and opened it up to me by
revelation from the Holy Spirit that I might be able to pass that same gift on to
you. But as I always caution people, do not believe me, do not take my word,
but go back to the scriptures and see if what I tell you is right. And if it lines up
with the scriptures then accept it. Take God’s word for it. Our absolute must
be the Bible.

Here I have taken my original notes that I used to preach on the subject, and
edited them to make them readable. I pray that you might find them useful. As
such I would like to take for a text John chapter 17 and verse 22. And for a
subject on that text I would like to concentrate on the theme of the Glory of
Jesus Christ and how we are called to glory. And for a subtext we will observe
how the Church and the Bride are not one and the same.

John 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they
may be one, even as we are one.

Here we see Jesus at the end of his ministry praying openly for his followers.
After reading this scripture a number of questions came to mind. I find that
learning is often better served by asking the right questions, rather than just
trying to find better answers to less perfect questions.

This is a very short scripture indeed but it carries an enormous message for us.
It says that God gave Jesus glory. And it then says that Jesus gave out that
same glory to a select group of people. Then it says he did it so that they might
become one even as Jesus and God are one. This simple scripture brought up
ten interrelated questions in my mind.

1. What is Glory? Is it tangible or figurative?

2. How did God give glory to Jesus?

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 3. When was this glory given?
4. How did He, in turn, give it away?
5. When did He give it?
6. Who, exactly, does He give it to?
7. How do we qualify to get it?
8. How do we know we have it?
9. Can we loose it once we have it?
10.How does this glory make us one with each other?

The answers to all ten questions are woven so tightly together that in order to
properly answer one we have to answer all ten. And we will know if each
answer is right because the scripture must run true; line upon line, word upon
word, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little. If our doctrine gets
to a point where we get stuck in a scripture then that is a sign our doctrine is
completely wrong. The Bible always perfectly agrees with itself!

Paul said that if we preach anything different than what is written we are
accursed, Peter said if we wrestle against any scripture we do so to our own
damnation and John said if we add or take away we are given plagues and our
names removed from the book of life. We must stay with the written word of
God. If we get to a point where we have to explain away a scripture to make
our doctrine work then that is a sign that our doctrine is wrong and we must go
back and start over.

So the answers to all ten questions must all agree with each other in the
scripture or we have to go back and start over. And each and every answer
must run with the message as well for it is the Revealed Word of God for the
Hour. The prophet told us to preach what is on the tapes. He didn’t mean to
quote him like a parrot, to preach Jesus whom Branham preaches like the
seven vagabond sons did in Paul’s day earning for themselves a good beating
and demonic possession. He meant that if our doctrine does not line up with
what is put down on the tapes and vindicated by the Holy Spirit in signs
wonders and miracles, then we had better fix our doctrine because we are
wrong.

So let’s, by the grace of God, get some Bible answers for these Bible questions.

Our scripture here says that Jesus got Glory and gives Glory. He gives his glory
to a select, special, elect group of people. And it is the same glory that God
gave to Him. So let’s start by finding out exactly what is glory?

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The original word for Glory found in the Bible is the Greek word Doxa, which
means Splendor, Brilliance, Awesome Light that radiates from God’s presence
associated with acts of power, honour and praise. That is a pretty big
definition. Today we think of glory as popularity or public notoriety but the
Bible has a very different definition. There is nothing popular about it.

So what is this Splendor, this Brilliance, this Awesome Light that radiates from
the presence of God that is associated with acts of power, honour and praise?
How and when did God give His glory to Jesus. What is the defining moment in
scripture when God gives his glory unto the Lord Jesus Christ? He said that God
gave it to him, so there must have been a time when he did not have it, a
moment at which he received it, and a time in which he carried it. At the time
of his speaking in John as we just read, Jesus notes that he has already
received it. So we must look back in time to find where and when he got it.

Look at the life of Jesus on earth. Not much is noted about him for the first 30
years of his life. Many have speculated about him in this time and the Bible
gives us just enough information to see that they are all wrong. He was not
studying with mystics out east etcetera, he was living in Nazareth as a devout
Jew working in Joseph`s business as would be the tradition of the time. He
lived a normal life.

He had no defined ministry, to the point where the people from Nazareth
didn’t think much of him. Sure he was a nice guy, and pretty smart especially
about the scripture, never got in trouble as a kid, didn`t run with the bad lot,
but he was just a carpenter, one of the boys, one of Joseph’s sons. He grew up
down the street and played games with us as kids. There was nothing too great
or spectacular about him. He was not a pretty boy either. The Bible says that
there was no beauty in Jesus that men should be attracted to him. He lived as
one of us, an ordinary average guy.

The people from Nazareth where he grew up and lived could not believe that
He was the messiah. When He came back to them they didn’t believe. He
couldn’t even work miracles there because there was no faith in the people.
They could not wrap their minds around the fact that this fellow from down the
street was a prophet, priest and king. He was the great I AM but his neighbors
could not see it. He was the saviour of the world but his friends, those who
should have known him best, were blind to it. Isaiah chapter six says that he
was “Prince of peace, the councillor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father”.
Here was God himself, the creator of all things, veiled in human flesh and the
ones who were closest to him could not see him. That should be a humbling
wake up call for us. Do we truly see Jesus Christ today? Do we see him for who
he really is? Do we have the revelation of the godhead? That is a whole
separate sermon, or series of semons.

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So when did His ministry start? When did he lay down the carpenter’s hammer
and start showing himself as the messiah?

St. John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith,
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he
of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he
was before me. 31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to
Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32 And John bare record,
saying, I saw the spirit of God descending from heaven like a dove, and it
abode upon Him.

John the Baptist was the messenger of God sent to forerun the first coming of
the messiah. According to the Old Testament prophet Malachi, John is the
third coming, or manifestation, of the spiritual ministry of Elijah. Jesus also
confirmed this in the scriptures telling his disciples such. John, God’s prophet
messenger, saw a vision of the Holy Spirit of God descending from heaven and
resting upon Jesus Christ. The spirit of God, the pillar of fire descended from
God and rested upon Jesus Christ like a dove. And it stayed there! The Bible
said it “abode” upon him. This was not a one-time transient event, God came
and God stayed.

Jesus was always the Word of God manifested in flesh. He was always the only
begotten Son of God. For thirty years he walked the earth as a man, but here
we see God putting a seal on His son. God was putting an AMEN upon Jesus
Christ for the whole world to hear. He sent his prophet ahead and prepared
him to make the announcement and then vindicated Jesus Christ as the one
anointed Messiah to all mankind. Here God officially says “I approve of you and
of your life and of everything that you are, and in thee am I pleased to dwell”
and He does it through a vindicated prophet. The glory of God, the pillar of
fire, the Holy Spirit comes down from heaven like a dove and rests upon Jesus
as a crown of glory for the eyes of the prophet to see.

And it stayed there!

And from that moment and that place in the desert we see the miraculous
ministry of Jesus on earth began. He started His ministry AFTER he received the
glory from the Father, not before. That is an important note we’ll pick up
later. He had the power, wisdom, knowledge, virtue etc. but it was not until
AFTER He received glory that he began his ministry. He was the only begotten
of the Father. He was the great I Am. He was the Messiah. He was the word of
God made flesh the whole time but he did not begin his ministry until after he
received glory from God.

So we see God giving His glory, His “Doxa”: His Splendor, His Brilliance, His
Awesome Light that radiates from God’s presence associated with acts of
power, honour and praise unto Jesus. We see it as the Holy Spirit descending

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like a dove and abiding on him. All that power, all that splendor, all that
brilliance, all that awesome light that radiates from God’s presence with acts
of power honour and praise, veiled as a dove and resting solely on Jesus Christ
glorifying Him above all that is, was or ever shall be!

The pillar of fire, the spirit of the great creator himself, the fullness of God
lightened on the man of Jesus Christ for in him dwelt the fullness of the
godhead bodily. Not some, not most, but ALL, the complete fullness of
everything that is God was in Jesus Christ. All that God is was poured into the
man Jesus. All of God’s glory is given to Jesus. All of God’s splendor is given to
Jesus. All of God’ Brilliance is given to Jesus. All of Gods awesome light that
radiates from God’s presence associated with acts of power, honour, and praise
is given to Jesus. He was all in all. He was the complete fullness of everything
that is God. He was the alpha and omega the beginning and the end, the
resurrection and the life. Jesus Christ, a man of flesh and blood like you and I,
was standing there dripping wet and soggy in the water of the Jordan River
beside that prophet with hundreds if not thousands in attendance and the Glory
of God resting on him for a testimony to all mankind. THIS IS MY SON AND IN
HIM AM I PLEASED TO DWELL!

If you feel blessed now, it is only going to get better. It is so unbelievably

wonderful I find myself reading it over and over.

Jesus said the Glory that you gave to me I am giving to them. Oh what a
wonderful glory that is. “The glory that you gave to me I give to them”. Now
we have to slow a little. Brothers and Sisters in Christ, do you realize what
Jesus Christ is saying here? Do you really understand the depths of his
statement? We have been splashing in the shallows long enough, let us go out
into the deep now.

The glory that God gave to Jesus Christ, he in turn is giving to us.
The Doxa that God gave to Jesus, he is giving to us.
The Splendor that God gave Jesus, Jesus is giving to us.
The Brilliance that God gave Jesus, he in turn is freely giving to us.
The Awesome Light that radiates from God’s presence associated with acts of
power, honour and praise that God gave Jesus is now given to us.

Did Jesus take all that Glory that we just talked about, ALL the glory of the
complete fullness of all that is God and give it to his elect? He said he did. He
did not say that he gave us a piece of it, or a copy of it, but the very self same
glory that Jesus Christ received when the Holy Spirit of God came down in
fullness and indwelt him, he in turn has given to his earthly Bride.

Jesus said that he took the glory that God gave to him and gave it to them.
Amen? Are you Bride? It is given to you!

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So then we must have his splendor. We must have his Brilliance. We must have
his awesome light that radiates from God’s presence associated with acts of
power…honour…..and praise. We must have it because Jesus Christ said that he
gave it to us.

Here is a point of contention that many have brought up through unbelief. I

have had many a “scholar” and “theologian” tell me that it was just for the
apostles, just for the first church age etcetera but with no scriptural backing.
They did not receive the glory so they then have to explain the glory away or
humbly repent and receive it. Pride will prevent them from receiving it. So let
us look at that argument a moment.

Let us now look to find out who the “them” that Jesus talks about here are? Is
he talking about the world in general? Is he referring to the Jews? Does Jesus
mean the church? Is he speaking about the apostles only? Or maybe is he talking
about the gentiles? Could it be the Catholics, or the Lutherans or the
Pentecostals? Who exactly did Jesus give this glory to?

A little confusing isn’t it? If we look to the context of the prayer he was praying
we can narrow it down a little.

John 17: 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou
hast given me for they are thine….20 neither pray I for these alone, but for
them also which shall believe on me through their words.

That helps a lot. So Jesus said he would give the glory to those which shall
believe on him, who are given to him of the father. So it is not for the Jews per
se, and not for the gentiles per se, and certainly not for the world, for Jesus
specifically said he is not praying for the world. It is for the believer. It is for
those who God has chosen out of the world and given to Jesus Christ to believe
on him. And not just for the apostle or the first church age because Jesus
specifically said it is “for them also which shall believe on me through their
words”. For the first age and for the ages to follow who believe on the words
of those in the first age. It is for every single believer down through all time.

Jesus Christ has promised his glory, the same glory which he received, will be
given to every believer, regardless of where or when they live. If we believe on
Jesus Christ through the words written in the Bible then the promise of the
glory of God is for us.

I Peter 5:10 But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory
by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect,
establish, strengthen, settle you.

So now we can also see that it is not random but that we are called to it by
God himself. He has called us unto his eternal glory. The glory is eternal. So

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the glory is not just for a time, not just until the next revival, not until next
Sunday, not until you make your next mistake, but the glory of God that Jesus
Christ gives unto those that believe on him is forever and ever, time without
end, Amen.

If the glory will never fade, will never die and will last forever does that mean
once we got it we can never loose it? We’ll see that a little later too. The Glory
is eternal. The Holy Spirit, God is the only eternal. There is no eternal life
outside of God and only God has eternal life. For us to have eternal life, God
himself must be dwelling inside us. Without that indwelling we do not have
eternal life.

This is another example of the Holy Scripture running true again. He has called
us. We are called by God. We are called but remember many are called but
few are chosen.

Now we see another topic showing up. Many are called but few are chosen. Is
that what Jesus said, many are called but few are chosen? This pattern runs all
through the Bible. There are two groups of believers. There is the Church,
called and the Bride, both called and chosen.

Romans 8: 29 For whom He did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be

conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first born among
many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called:
and who he called, them he also justified: and who he justified, them he also
glorified.

The word “predestinated” will get a lot of people’s fur up. But that is the word
that God uses. God knew before the first sub-atomic particle was created who
would and would not receive his words. He knew how many hairs I would have
and how many would be left this morning. And he wrote the names of his
children in the Lamb’s book of life before the earth ever existed. Way back
beyond eternity God had you in his mind. You are the expressed thought of
God. Think about that for a moment. You are the desire of God’s own heart
expressed for all to see. Let’s look a little closer now from a different angle.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 But we are bound to give thinks always to God for you,
brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen
you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: 14
Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our
Lord Jesus Christ.

We are both called and chosen. Is there a difference between those who are
called and those who are chosen? Are all who are called also chosen? Jesus said
no. So then there are two distinct groups here in these scriptures. Two distinct

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groups, yet somehow the same group, for the scripture does not differentiate
them here. How could that be?

II Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called
us unto glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and
precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 And besides
this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6
And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience
godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness
charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye
shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ. 9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and
hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.10 Wherefore the rather
brethren, give diligence to make you calling and election sure: for if ye do
these things, ye shall never fall.

Make your calling AND election sure. We can be both called AND chosen. Two
groups made from one! The called out church AND the called out and chosen
bride. This relates back to the parable of the ten virgins. There were ten
virgins waiting for the bridegroom. They all had their lamps lit, but the
bridegroom tarried, and when he finally came, only half of them were ready
and the rest were left behind.

Look very carefully here and note that they were all virgins. They were all
called. They were all justified. Peter says that those who don’t get chosen, the
foolish virgins, “have forgotten that they were purged from their old sins”. The
foolish virgins were purged by the blood of Jesus Christ. They repented and
were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins according to
Acts 2:38. The foolish virgins were made pure and white just like the wise
virgins. But only the wise virgins, only the bride is elected. She is the “elect
lady”. Why is this so?

What sets the bride apart from the church? Quite the mystery isn’t it? They are
both bride material as we have just seen. They are both called by God for
eternal life. They are both pure. Their sins are all washed away by the blood of
Jesus Christ, church and bride the same. Their names are ALL written in the
Lamb’s book of life from the foundation of the world. Think about it. Both had
a testimony with their lamps lit. Both believed and testified the message of the
hour. The foolish virgins are message believers.

What is the difference? What sets the Wise virgins apart from the Foolish
virgins? The answer is OIL! Amen? OIL! Oil always types the Holy Spirit in the
Bible. Things are coming together now. The wise virgins and the foolish virgins
all testified of the message and all believed the message but the wise also lived

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the message and were filled with the Holy Spirit. It is not enough just to be
justified. It is not enough even to be sanctified. We must be glorified if we are
to be the bride of Christ. Only a glorified bride will be raptured.

Paul said in Thessalonians that we are “called to the obtaining of the glory”.
The obtaining or receiving of the glory, the Bride is to be called to the
obtaining of the Holy Spirit. All Christians are called to it. That is what the
Gospel of Jesus Christ does, it calls us to the obtaining of the glory of God
through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Every Christian is called to it but not
every Christian is chosen and elected to it. The whole church is called to it but
only the bride is chosen and elect to it. And they all tried to get it. Get this
point. They ALL tried to get oil. The foolish virgins just started too late and
looked to the wrong source. Isn’t that what the Bible says? Look carefully, they
tried to get oil. Lets look at the scripture.

Matthew 25:7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the
foolish said unto the wise GIVE US OF YOUR OIL; for our lamps have gone out.
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But the wise answered saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and
you: but go ye rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves. 10 And while
they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in
with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

Do you see it? They all tried to get oil. They knew they needed it but they
realized it too late, and they went to the wrong source. They were called for
it. They were virgins like the others. But they were lazy. They were lukewarm
about it. They did not practice Christianity, they practiced churchianity. They
looked to men for salvation for once they realized they needed oil they went to
men and not to God. They look to their pastors for their absolute not to God.
They were still carnal. Paul preached about it how one said they were of
Apollos and another of Paul and another of Cephas. We have the same thing
going on today. One of this preacher, and one of that group. It is the spirit of
denominationalism. It is not of God.

They were the church. They were justified every one of them. Every one of
them was water baptized in the name of Jesus Christ in full emersion. Every
one of them believed the message of the hour. Every one of them recognized
the Elijah visitation of their day. Every one of them believed the message of
the hour. They were even sanctified most of them. But none had gone further.
They were still splashing in the shallows and never truly pushed out into the
deep. They were satisfied to be good, decent church going citizens.

Ephesians 1:4 according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of

the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. 6 to the praise of the glory
of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

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They were most certainly called and they were justified but they were not
chosen, not elect, not glorified. God through foreknowledge knew all of us. By
this foreknowledge he elected a chosen bride that he knew would keep
pushing, keep fighting, keep knocking, keep asking and seeking until the day
that he calls them home. This is the group that he elected to be his bride and
he elected them out of the called out ones, out of the church.

God called two million Israelites out of Egypt through his prophet Moses. Every
one of those people was a believing Israelite. Every one of them followed a
vindicated prophet. Every one of them saw signs, wonders and miracles in the
desert for forty years. Every one of them was baptized in the Red Sea. Every
one of them ate manna in the wilderness and drank from the Rock in the
desert. The Bible says so. And of the two million adults that God called through
his prophet Moses, he only elected two souls, Joshua and Caleb, to enter into
the Promised Land.

What a mystery this is indeed. There is a biblical mystery of glory.

Colossians 1:26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from
generations, but now is make manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would
make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the
gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

The mystery of glory is Jesus Christ IN you. Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Glory of
God, IN you. That is what happened at Pentecost. It is not just Jesus with you.
It is not just memorizing scripture. The mystery of Glory is Jesus Christ
dwelling inside you. Look what Jesus said of it in John.

St. John 17: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in
one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved
them, as thou hast loved me.

Jesus said “I in them”. The mystery of glory is Jesus Christ literally dwelling
and living inside of you. This is the mystery that was hidden for all time. It was
hidden from all ages. It was hidden from all generations. This mystery of the
baptism of the Holy Spirit was hidden from everyone, even the prophets. And
the Bible says that this ageless mystery is now finally is made manifest to his
saints. How is this mystery made manifest? It was hidden from everyone. Even
Moses didn’t know it. How does God interpret his word? God interprets his word
by making it come to pass, is that right? So then he must have interpreted this
mystery by making it come to pass too.

Acts 2:14 But Peter, standing up; with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said
unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this
known unto you, and hearken to my words: 15 For these are not drunken, as ye

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suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. 16 But this is that which was
spoken by the prophet Joel. 17 AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS in the last days,
saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, and you young men shall see visions, and your old
men shall dream dreams.

This is so beautiful. Slow down here and read carefully so you don’t miss it.
How did Jesus Christ give us His Glory, the Glory which he received of the
father? The very same way He received it. God does not change so if we got the
exact same glory that Jesus received, then we must have gotten it in the exact
same way that Jesus received it. If we were baptized by the Holy Spirit we
must have been baptized in the exact same way that Jesus was baptized by the
Holy Spirit. So where in the Bible do we see people being anointed the same
way that Jesus was anointed?

Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with
one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of
a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon
each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to
speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

It was the exact same glory and it manifested itself in the exact same way. I
hope you see it. It is undeniable in the scriptures. In order for us to receive the
Holy Spirit we must receive it in the exact same way that Jesus Christ received
it or it is not the same spirit.

The Bible says that there “appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire,
and it SAT UPON EACH OF THEM”. And we read that when Jesus received the
glory that “God’s spirit descended like a dove and it abode on Him”. Was it the
same manifestation? Was it the Same Glory? Or was it different? It had to be
the same. AMEN! EXACTLY THE SAME! JESUS CHRIST THE SAME YESTERDAY
TODAY AND FOREVER!

It has to be the same or it wasn’t God. And it has to be the same today or it
isn’t God. Jesus was baptized in water and then the Holy Spirit, the Glory came
to Him and stayed with him. We are baptized in water in His name and His
Glory will then come to us and stay with us.

Do you think you can receive the Holy Spirit by being baptized in any other way
than Acts 2:38? NO! It is not possible. God has provided a way, Jesus Christ is
that way and Jesus said no man can come but by him and all others who try to
come any other way are THIEVES AND ROBBERS. (John 10:1 look it up when you
get home). We even find that in Acts chapter 19 a group of honest believing
Christians could not receive the Holy Spirit because they were not baptized in

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Jesus name. And we then find that as soon as they were rebaptized in the
name of Jesus Christ they received the Holy Spirit.

Now we noted that Jesus didn’t begin his ministry until after he received the
glory of the Father. So too did the disciples not minister before they received
the glory of Jesus either. In fact they were forbidden from preaching until they
were glorified. Jesus said to them to go to Jerusalem and wait. What did he
tell them to wait for? Did he say to wait until you get a degree, until some
university offers you a PhD? Did he tell them to wait until they were a certain
age? Did he tell them to wait until they get voted in by an assembly?

Jesus said to go and wait until you are “endued with POWER from on high”! Go
and wait for the Glory of God! The Holy Spirit is the power of God! Not by
might, nor by strength, but by my spirit saith the Lord. The Holy Spirit is the
Splendor of God! It is the Brilliance of God! It is the awesome light that
radiates from God associated with acts of power, honour and praise! It is the
Holy Spirit that does the works, the signs wonders and miracles in our
ministries. It is the Holy Spirit that heals the sick, that raises the dead, that
saves and delivers, and prophesies. It is the Holy Spirit that speaks in unknown
tongues and interprets tongues.

II Peter 1: 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called
us to glory and virtue.

The Holy Spirit is power. It is glory. Amen! It is given to us. He gave us “ALL
THINGS”. How? Through knowledge of Him who called us to GLORY and virtue.
Virtue, that comes up a little later too.

So now we know what the glory is. We know how Jesus got it and when he got
it. We know how we are to receive it. We know how he was able to give it to
us. We still have only answered half of the questions.

When is it given to us? Good question. That is a very important question. How
do we qualify to receive it? That is probably even more important to ask.

We have touched on that a little. We said earlier that we must be both called
and chosen, but what does that mean in practical sense. Often we find
ourselves quoting a verse and not really understanding how it applies to the
here and now. Do we have choices here or is God unfair? Of course we do but
God knew what choices we would make before hand so that is how he was able
to predestinate us. And then He reveals it to us but not to others.

Mark 4:11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of
the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done
in parables: 12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they

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may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and
their sins should be forgiven them.

So God predestinates us, calls us, and reveals his word to us. He also says that
this revelation is only given to the called. If we are not called then we will not
know any of the secrets of the Kingdom of God. We might be religious, we
might attend church every Sunday, we might even be a preacher, or a bishop or
a pope even, but we will have no light to know the meaning of the scriptures.
Sure we will be smart. We will even memorize the letter of the Word, but we
will be in complete darkness. We will never understand the godhead, baptism,
the Lord’s supper, or this topic that we are discussing here.

So how do we go about becoming qualified? Peter tells us in two separate

places.

Acts 2:38 Repent every one of you and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the
promise is unto you and to your children and to all who are afar off even as
many as the Lord God shall call.

We mentioned this scripture earlier but is that it? Seems too simple doesn’t it?
All we have to do is to repent and be baptized in Jesus name and we are
qualified to receive the Holy Spirit? Is that all you have to do? YES! Baptism is
straight forward. You get someone to completely immerse you in water and
bring you back up again in the name of Jesus Christ and you are baptized
according to the Word of God. Simple yes, but who is doing that today? Today if
they even will immerse you, it is difficult to find a church that will baptize you
in the name of Jesus Christ. They all use titles today but that is not according
to the Bible and God will not accept it or count it as a baptism.

But what about repent? That is where we tend to fall down. Repent is not a one
time thing. It is ongoing. It is making right what was wrong. How do we make
right what is wrong in our lives? How do we sanctify ourselves? God cannot
dwell in an unclean vessel. So how do we get clean? We are cleaned by the
Word of God. The Bible calls it washing with the pure water of the word.
Repent, fix what you broke, get baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and then
get sanctified for your glorification. If you stole something, pay it back. If you
lied, go tell the truth.

2 Peter 1: 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and
to virtue knowledge, 6 and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance
patience; and to patience godliness; 7 and to godliness brotherly kindness; and
to brotherly kindness charity.

What is charity? It is not giving to the poor for Paul writes though I give all I
have to the poor and have not charity it profits me nothing. The original Greek

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word is Agapos which means the love of God. It is not human compassion that
the Greeks called Phileo. This love is Holy and pure, this love is God. This love
is the Holy Spirit.

It is the Glory, the Splendor, brilliance, awesome light radiating from the
presence of God associated with acts of power, honour and praise. Peter said
“IF ye do these things you will never fall and you will make your calling AND
election sure”.

There are three that bear record on earth, water, blood and spirit. Ezekiel says
I will give you a new heart, justification, and a new spirit, sanctification, and
MY Spirit, Glorification. But not for all, because some are content with
sanctification and some are happy with justification. But there are some that
feel that extra tug in their hearts, that sense of urgency, a desperate longing
to be in the presence of God. They seek out the oil now, they seek it out daily.
They aren’t happy just being church, they want, they need, long to be the
bride of Jesus Christ. They do not rest until they have been sealed with that
Spirit of promise. And once they are sealed, they still cry out for more of God.

But what of those who don’t? What happens to the church? Where are they in
and after the rapture? In the rapture, Jesus says, two will be together, one will
be left and the other taken. The rapture will come and go and they will not be
included. Then the tribulation strikes the earth. How about receiving glory
then? Is it too late for oil, to late for glory after the rapture?

1 Thessalonians 4: 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so
them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto
you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord
himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
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Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them
in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the
Lord.

There are a couple of points we should note from this scripture. Here we see
Paul telling us the series of events that make up what we collectively call the
“rapture”. First the dead in Christ are risen. Then we which are still alive are
caught up with them in the air. Then we all meet Jesus Christ in the air and
remain with him forever. The point we need to see here is that if Jesus is
meeting us in the air, he is no longer on the mercy seat making intercession for
sins. Once Christ rises off of the mercy seat to claim his bride there will be no
more mercy for any gentile anywhere on earth. If we look to Romans chapter
eleven we can see that this is confirmed. Paul writes that the eyes of Israel are
closed until the fulfillment of the gentiles. Once the rapture takes place, there
is no more mercy for any gentile, no more salvation available. God then turns

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to Israel with two prophets, Moses and Elijah who will turn the hearts of
144,000 Israelites to Christ with a message that is vindicated with signs
wonders and miracles. And in the book of Revelation we can read this:

Rev 22:10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this
book: for the time is at hand. 11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and
he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be
righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

Once Jesus gets off that mercy seat, as you are is how you stay. If you are
justified you won’t be able to move forward to sanctification, if you are
sanctified you won’t be able to move forward to glory. And if you are lost,
there is no salvation to be found at all. The church is saved but she is saved
Before the rapture. She goes through the tribulation and comes up in the white
throne judgment, but her salvation came before the rapture. Don’t take my
word for much, but you can believe me on this, “YOU DO NOT WANT TO GO
THROUGH THE TRIBULATION!”

Now we have to examine the idea of the Church versus the Bride a little
deeper. Let’s look to Abraham for an example back in the book of Genesis.
Three “men” came to Abraham one day and Abraham, speaking only to the
central character, called him Lord, and the other two went off to Sodom.
Notice that the messenger with the message of promise, the Lord, came to
Abraham but not to Lot. Lot got the message of impending judgment.

Abraham, the Bride, got a single messenger, while Lot, the church, got
multiple messengers. Enoch, the bride, got the message of promise and was
raptured, Noah, the church, got the message of judgment and went through
the tribulation.

In each age God sent a Single messenger to the bride, and multiple to the
church. One Luther and hundreds of others. One Wesley and hundreds of
others. One Branham and hundreds of others. The message of the hour is not
for the church. It is for the bride alone, for only the bride will receive it. The
church can’t take it, she has to try to change it, to water it down or inject her
own ideas into it. But the bride, she takes it as it is written, as it is spoken,
and believes it and obeys it. She is justified, sanctified and glorified.

Which brings us to the question, can we lose it? Once we are sealed, once we
are filled, once we receive the glory of Jesus Christ, can we loose it? This is an
easy one to answer.

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed
unto the day of redemption.

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Can you loose it once you got it? NEVER! If you weren’t ready for it God would
never have given it to you, and once he gives it to you He is making the
testimony, this is my beloved son/daughter in whom I am pleased to dwell.
God’s glory is eternal. God’s life is eternal. Once God puts his seal upon you,
once God fills you with the Holy Spirit, once Jesus Christ gives you his glory
which he received from the Father, you have it forever.

Here is the tough one. This one has baffled millions for years. This question
stumps all the churches; the one question that seems almost without
explanation to most people today. This is the question that is still argued about
among the “message people”.

How do we know we got it? How do we know that we have the Glory? And
taking it a step further, will we know? Will we know that we have the Glory and
what will be the sign that we have it? Jesus said we would.

John 14: 20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me,
and I in you.

So we will know. But how will we know? How do we know for sure if we got it?

Will we have some sensation? Will be speaking in unknown tongues? Will we

shout, raise our hand, pass out, scream, run around? Will we believe the
message? Maybe we will go hunting with the prophet? Some would almost say
that. Is going to church or getting voted in as a deacon or a Sunday School
teacher the sign? Is being baptized the sign or maybe taking the Lord’s supper?

What is the defining characteristic of the Holy Spirit in an individual? How did
the disciples know they had it? What sign or evidence did Jesus tell them to
look for? What were the disciples told to wait for when they were sent to
Jerusalem? What ever they were told to wait for must be the sign or else how
would they have known whether or not they had it. And since God doesn’t
change, whatever was the sign to them in that day MUST be the sign now to us
today.

Luke 24: 49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but tarry
ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

What were they told to wait for? What was the sign that Jesus said would be
the evidence of the Holy Spirit? POWER! Wait until you get power from on high.
The power was the sign, or evidence of the Holy Spirit. The power Peter spoke
of:

II Peter 1: 3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called
us to glory and virtue.

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POWER! GLORY! VIRTUE! Are you filled with the Holy Spirit? Do you have
power? Do you have Power over your flesh. Do you have Power to believe and
obey the word of God. Do you have Power to testify about the name of Jesus
Christ and all that he has done for you? Do you have power to overcome sin in
your life?

It is not the gifts, they are without repentance. Jesus never told them to go
and wait until they had spoken in tongues. He never told them to wait for
education, or a sensation, or anything else but Power and Power from on High.
The power is the Glory of Jesus Christ.

And how does it make us one? Oh my. That one is easy too. We will have One
mind. We will all have One spirit. When we are filled with the glory of God, the
Holy Spirit, then we will all have the mind and spirit of Jesus Christ. The bride
is one with the groom, life of his life, spirit of his spirit. We will be the image
of Jesus Christ, the stature of the perfect man. When we have the power we
will say AMEN to every word in the Bible. We will believe it, we will obey it.
We will think the way God thinks.

1 Corinthians 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord that he may
instruct him, but we have the mind of Christ.

If you have the mind of Christ, and I have the mind of Christ, then we both
have the same mind, the same thoughts and the same ideas. And if you have
the Spirit of God in you, and I have the Spirit of God in me, then we are the
same, filled with the same life. We will have the same spirit and the same
mind. We will be one. We will be members one of another, members of the
body of Jesus Christ. Maybe you are an eyeball and I am a little toe but we
belong to the same body. We will have different jobs, and different gifts, but
all our gifts will work together to make the body whole.

Ephesians 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the
Father. 19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow
citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20 And are built upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief
cornerstone; 21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an
holy temple in the Lord: 22 In whom ye also are builded together for an
habitation of God through the Spirit.

There it is in a nutshell. We are the habitation of God through the spirit. When
Jesus gives us the glory that God gave him, we become citizens of the Kingdom
of God, we become lively stones fitly framed together with the other saints,
and we become the habitation of God himself through the indwelling of the
Holy Spirit.

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That is what we need. It is not enough to come to church. That is a good thing
but it will never save you. It is not enough to be a member of a church. It is not
enough to be justified. It is not enough to be sanctified. We must get glorified.
We, every one of us, needs to come to the position where we receive the filling
of the Holy Spirit. The only people who will be raptured off of the earth before
the great tribulation where Peter tells us the very elements will melt with a
fervent heat, are those who have received the glory of God, the glory of Jesus
Christ, the Holy Spirit of promise.

The justified are saved, for that is what salvation is. We are saved from sin.
Justification through repentance and full emersion water baptism in the name
of Jesus Christ grants us remission, or salvation, from sin. The Sanctified are
saved, for we must become justified before we can become sanctified. But
only the glorified are the Bride of Jesus Christ. Only the Glorified are stolen
away in the twinkling of an eye. Only the Glorified dwell with Jesus one
thousand years in the new Jerusalem. Only the Glorified sit with him in
Judgment.

We are all on a journey. There are two paths, one is narrow and very few
people will choose it. That is the path to eternal life in the Kingdom of God. It
starts with accepting Jesus Christ as your saviour and getting justified. That
path requires rejecting all, rejecting the world, rejecting religion, rejecting
men’s ideas, rejecting unbiblical church dogmas, and following the Bible alone.
The Bible must be our absolute or we are not on the narrow path. And if we
leave that path, we must go back to where we left off and start over.

It is a lonely path. It is a rocky uphill constant battle. It is a call to arms, a call

to war against spirits, and powers, and principalities and powers of the air. It
requires the whole armour of God. But It is also the path to glory for it is a
path of glory. God lights the way with the brilliance of His glory that he
promised to fill you with. And he gave us a simple prescription for receiving it
which we discussed earlier. It is the only way. There is a way which seems right
unto man the end thereof is death. That way is the broad easy way.

It is a wide easygoing path. It is a path of popularity, a path of worldly

opportunity, a path of luxury. It is the path that most “Christians” will take.
Just look to Bible examples. How many did Noah have with him? Eight souls out
of the billions that were alive on earth at the time. How many got raptured
before the flood? Only one man, Enoch. How many of the Israelites believed
Moses and actually entered the Promised Land? Only two out of two million;
Joshua and Caleb. How big was Daniel’s church? He had three men Shadrah,
Meshack and Abed-nego. How many followed Jesus? In the end there were only
twelve and one of them was a devil.

They do not want the narrow way. They do not want to sacrifice. They do not
want to be laughed at and called “holy rollers” or “Jesus Freaks” or any other

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of the countless names the devil will throw at you. They do not want to crucify
the flesh daily. They are too proud to admit they are wrong. They cannot
repent, just like Cain of old. They do not want to be put out of their churches
for testifying that Jesus Christ is still the healer, or for speaking in tongues, or
for simply believing every word that is written in the Bible. They want the path
of ease. They want to be popular. They want to be respected and accepted by
the world and by organizations of men. They want to be lifted up by men. They
want the pleasures of the world but to be called holy. They have a form of
godliness but deny the power thereof. They call themselves Christians, they go
to church, they sing and worship and pray, but inside they are a gross darkness.
Cain was the same way. The end of that path is death.

But I trust that is not so of any of you who are reading this or I don’t think you
would have gotten anywhere near this far without tossing the paper in the fire.
You are called to glory! You are called to be the Bride of Jesus Christ. You are
called to be a fellow citizen in the Kingdom of God. You are called to be the
habitation of God!

Come to God’s glory today. Do not wait for tomorrow for there may not be a
tomorrow. My dear brother, my sister, I am pleading with you to listen to the
Word of God. Jesus Christ is pleading with you to receive him. Do not believe
me for I am a man such as yourself, but take every word I have written here for
you by the inspiration of the Spirit of God, and take the Word of God and
search it out and pray over it and see if it isn’t the absolute truth. Wait upon
God for revelation. Do not go to another man, do not go to a pastor or priest,
go to the high priest that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities. Go
to Jesus Christ and wait upon him to reveal to you the truth in his Word.

Follow ever after Jesus Christ. Believe and obey only the Word of God. The
Bible is the word of God in print. Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ and receive forgiveness of sins, sanctification from the filth of the flesh
and of the world, and receive the glory of God from Jesus Christ through the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit. That is the new birth. Be born again of water and
of blood and of spirit. And as Jesus said, except you be born again you shall
never see the kingdom of God. Come and see the Kingdom of God with the
fellowship of the saints. Come and walk on the streets of pure gold in the city
where the Lamb is the light.

So let’s look back over the questions one last time so we get it right. I have not
included every possible scripture here, but rather just enough to get the point
across. There are many more. I strongly urge you to study what is here and
compare it with your Bible and look for more scriptures on the topic.

I’m going to ask you for the answers now. You all know them, and I think many
readers probably knew most if not all of them before today.

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 1. What is Glory? Is it tangible or figurative?
2. How did God give glory to Jesus?
3. When was this glory given?
4. How did He, in turn, give it to us?
5. When did He give it to us?
6. Who, exactly, does He give it to?
7. How do we qualify to get it?
8. How do we know we have it?
9. Can we loose it once we have it?
10.How does this glory make us one with each other?
The glory of God is for you.
Salvation is for you.
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is for you.
Do not stop short but earnestly contend for the faith that was once delivered
unto the Saints. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. Seek, knock
and ask for Jesus promised to give unto you the Spirit. I would like to finish
with a brief excerpt from a book written by a precious brother who God
anointed with his Holy Spirit to bring a message of salvation and hope to the
Bride of Christ in these last days. His name was William Branham. I strongly
recommend that you find a copy of the book (there are many, many available
in print and online) and read the whole thing.

285-1 SARDISEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK.CPT.7

Thus the grain of wheat that became a plant for the harvest is the record of
the church. And even as not all the wheat plant is wheat seed, and as not all
the plant is used in the harvest, so with the church:--all the church is not the
bride, and neither is it all given eternal life, but a PART of it is gathered into
the garner, and a PART of it is kept that it might enter into eternal life in the
second resurrection, and PART of it which is accounted chaff is burned in the
lake of fire.

Be that part that is gathered into the garner. Get your oil, get your promised
glory today!

May God richly bless you with his spiritual revelation.

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