<TITLE>15. Par 129-136</TITLE>L-129 He not willing that any should perish. Certainly not. But if He's God, He knowed who would be saved and who wouldn't be saved, or He didn't know anything. If He didn't know... If he didn't know who would make the Rapture, before the world was ever formed, then He's not God. If He's infinite, He'd... He knowed every flea, every fly, every louse, every chigger, that would ever be on the earth, before the earth was ever formed. That's right. He knew all things. Before the foundation of the world, He knew us. The Bible said, that, "He knew us and predestinated us."

L-130   Let's settle this just once. Let's go back to Ephesians, the 1st chapter. The 5th chap-... The 1st chapter of Ephesians, just a moment. I want to read here just a minute, so that you can really understand that it's not just something that I'm trying to tell you. It's something God is trying to tell you. See? Now listen to this, real close, 1st chapter of Ephesians.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,...
The same man that's wrote the Hebrew letter, is writing this letter.
... to the saints...
This is not to the unbelievers, but to the saints, the sancti-... sainted ones.
... which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places...
"According as He..." Now, listen close now, the 4th verse.
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,...
Who is the "us" there? The Church.
... he chose us in him (Christ) before the foundation, the earth, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to his own good pleasure of his will,

L-131   Who did it? God did it. God knowed from the beginning who would be saved and who wouldn't be saved. Certainly. He was not willing for any to perish. But He didn't send Jesus here just to see if you'd--you'd act like, "Well, poor Jesus, I feel sorrow for Him. Maybe I'd better get saved and approve it." No, sir.

L-132 God knowed in the beginning who would and who would not. So, therefore, He knew that some would, so He sent Jesus to make a propitiation for those that He foreknew. "For those who He foreknew, He has called. And those who He has called, He has justified. And those who He has justified, He hath (past tense) glorified." There you are.

L-133   So it's not you that keeps yourself, it's the grace of God that keeps you. You didn't save yourself, or nothing you done to deserve being saved. It's God's grace that saved you. God's grace called you. God's foreknowledge knew you. He knew that you'd be in this church this night, before the foundation of the world was ever laid, if He's infinite. If He isn't, He isn't God. If He did know all things, He was God. If He didn't know all things, He wasn't God. If He's Almighty God, He can do all things. If He cannot do all things, He's not Almighty God. There you are.

L-134   So how can you say it's something you could do? It's nothing you can do. It's God's love and grace to you, that you're even here. Nothing you could do, God called you by His grace; you listened, heard, accepted.

L-135 "Well," you say, "Brother Branham, that makes it awful loose." Certainly does. You're free. "Well, that fellow can do anything he wants to." Absolutely. I always do what I want to do. But if you're a Christian, you don't want to do wrong.

L-136   There's a little old girl setting back there tonight, my wife. I love her with all that's in me. And if I knowed that I could run around with another woman and get by with it, and go tell her, and say, "Meda, I did wrong," do you think I'd do it? If I love her right, I won't do it. That's right.


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