<TITLE>02. Par 5-8</TITLE>L-5 My subject tonight is, "Will The Church Go Before The--The Tribulation?" Now, it's later than you think. It's so late, until I believe it's almost too late in America. We're just at the end of the road.
And this morning, while I was preaching on Babylon and its conditions, I thought it would be very good tonight, to bring in some of the Bible to show how close we were to the coming of the Lord. And we can see we--with our natural eye, that something is fixing to take place. There is such a--a disturbance among the people; it's just hard to try to have a revival. The churches are so different and at each other's throats because of denominational barriers. And the Christians are so nervous, seems like, and upset. But you know, it's strange, but our Lord said when these things begin to take place, to look up, that our redemption was drawing nigh.
And as we see His great mercy, as it's being projected to us, seeing His hands of great signs and wonders, which our eyes will be opened in a few minutes to watch. And then it gives us this most solemn consolation to know, that the God of the Bible still lives today. And He loves His children. And He's giving them warning. And those who are spiritual minded, come out.

L-6 And we notice in the days that Jesus was speaking of, He said, "As it was in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot..." Now, at each junction of time, God has always gave a call of mercy before a call of judgment.
Now, if you're a historians... And I have been studying history this week and last two or three weeks, the Ante-Nicene Fathers of the ancient history of the church just before the Nicene Council, and them was forming the Catholic church in the fifteen hundred years of dark ages... And I see that in that Nicene writings of the Pre-Nicene Council, that they were having just the same as we are today. Oh, how it does repeat itself. And to see the condition of the church, and the condition of the people, and the signs of the times, they're wrote everywhere.

L-7 Now, before God ever does anything, at each junction of time, He always sends mercy, a angel, a prophet, a message. And as every time yet, it's all been spurned. The church don't want to receive it.
Noah... He spoke of Noah here. And he preached a hundred and twenty years. And though his message was mercy, the people failed to heed his teaching. It was something that was to save them, and yet, they would not listen. And if that isn't a very beautiful picture of the times of today.
Now, you might say to me, "Brother Branham, how can you say, 'beautiful,' and painting the picture to us that you are painting?" It's beautiful, because the Lord Jesus is coming soon for His church, and it's the most beautiful thought that any creature of God's could ever think of, to get out of this chaos and get into His blessed glory, where the old will be young and the sick will be healed forever; there'll be no more sorrows or heartaches. If that ain't the most beautiful thing I can think of... And how blessed it is for those who wait for that gathering time.

L-8 Now, we find out, as Jesus referred back in the days of Noah... Let's just go back, because He said, "Take an example of that day..."
Now, when Cain and Abel... When Cain had slew Abel, and then Seth took his place, we find that Satan was trying to destroy that Seed that should come, that God had promised "that the Seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent's seed." And Satan was trying to destroy that royal Seed. And he thought he did it when he destroyed Abel. But God raised Seth up in his place: a very beautiful picture of the death and resurrection of Christ in the royal Seed coming.


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