<TITLE>03. Par 25-25</TITLE>L-25 I think of Job, the one we were reading of a few moments ago, looked forward to this morning. When he was old, stricken in age, and his flesh was simply falling from his body from sores, his heart was broken in grief, and every mortal part of his being was withering away. And a great man like that, who made a great impression to the world of his day, and to see that, all that his--he was, and the greatness... He said he would go to the cities of the East, and the princes would bow before him on account of his wisdom.
But here he was at his wits end. Everything was gone, seemingly. His body was gone. His property was gone. His children was gone. All that he had was gone.
And then God in His mercy come down to Job, and He give him another sense, that he could open his eyes and see the day that when there would be a body he would receive. He knew that there was coming One, a just One, Who would stand in his place, Who would raise up the body of the dead, and would... He said, "I know that my Redeemer liveth."
I like those positive words that he spoke it in, not, "I hope so. I have a feeling there will be." That's about the attitude of many today, "I have a hope that someday..." But Job had more than that. He said, "I know my Redeemer liveth," the positive side of it. No more in the negative, it's all positive.
And if today, if we only have a cross on top the church to show which... That's all right, that Christ... We believe in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. If we only have a few dead bodies of dust laying under the church, that some of the saintly people were buried in, that that... We only have that as a hope, then we're among all people most miserable.
But today, how thankful we are. We don't have the dead bodies, but we have the resurrected Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, that He rose from the dead, triumph.
It's not no more, "I guess so." You could look at a cross and "guess so." You could look at a body laying in the ground, and say, "I guess so," and "I hope so."
But when the vision that struck Job has ever become a reality, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus by the Holy Spirit in the heart, then you got, "I know my Redeemer liveth." All the shadows has faded away, all the old darkness of, "hope so," and "maybe so," and "we trust it'll be that way." It's all faded away to everybody that has ever made their heart a sepulcher to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Die with Him, buried with Him, and risen with Him, raised with Christ in the resurrection. This new hope that God has placed into our hearts today, this new assurance, it's a hope to those who are looking forward to the time. But when a man or woman has ever been resurrected anew, it's a "know so" now. "I know my Redeemer liveth." Why? "He lives within my heart."
Isn't it marvelous today that all shadows has passed away? All the, "Well, I hope that I'll come in the resurrection." No more "hope." We have the assurance. That's all. We know it. No more "hope so," because something happened in our lives that took all shadows away. When Christ the resurrected One came to our sinful conditions that we were in, and the old things died out in the crucifixion with Him at the altar, and we rose anew again with Him, and live with Him and reign with Him, and seated now in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. We're already raised with Him. The resurrection's already passed as far as we are concerned, because we are now risen with Christ (Amen.), seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. No more guessing about it, it's all over. Amen. I just love that. No more "hopes," no more "wishing," no more. Oh, it's over. We are now risen with Him, setting in heavenly places.
And now, and in and above this, to the Church... You say, "Then, Brother Branham, what does it mean then that we should preach the Gospel of?" That's our next hope. That's our next thing. After we are risen with Him, we have the great commission to go into all the world and bring these tidings to the others.


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