<TITLE>15. Par 51-55</TITLE>L-51 And they had a great warrior with them called Joshua. And the word "Joshua" means "Jehovah-Saviour." He went out of the camp, crossed over the Jordan. Nobody never been over there now. They didn't know the land was there, only by the promise of God. And he crossed over the Jordan, went over into the promised land, and brought back the evidence that the land was just exactly what God said it was. See? It was there.
And it was then that the people, ninety percent of them disbelieved Joshua. They had to wander awhile. But God making the promise, He took them over. How lovely. They didn't have to work under Pharaoh. They could marry their wives, build them a little house on the place, raise their own fa--gru--grub and stuff, and eat it, and raise their children in peace. The nations feared them and so forth. And after while the hillsides of that lovely land become spotted with graves.

L-52 Then along came the greatest Warrior of them all, Jesus. And He said that God has prepared a place where there's no death (Amen.), where we can live forever, build houses and inhabit them, plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them, and we'll not leave them for somebody else. Amen. "In My Father's house are many mansions. If it wasn't so I would've told you. And I'm going to prepare a place for you, and return again to receive you unto Myself, that where I am there ye may be also." He promised it, that there's life after death. Another great Joshua... Nobody's ever been over, and come back. Just another great Joshua...

L-53 Notice. Then when He got to that place, He met His Kadesh-barnea, the judgment seat for all of us: Calvary. There's where He was judged for the sins of the world. He crossed over the Jordan of death, that we know it, over into the other land, died. He died so until the sun quit shining, the moon wouldn't shine, and why, the earth had a nervous chill when the rocks shook out of it, when He died. And He died, but on the third day He come back from across Jordan, bringing back the evidence that a man lives after he dies here. What a great Warrior.

L-54 Now, He said, "I'm going to give you the earnest of your salvation." You know what the earnest is? Is the down payment. Like if I wanted to buy a boat from one of you Indian brethren, and I went out and said, "How much you want for the boat?"
You say, "Two thousand dollars."
I'd say, "Well, I'll tell you what I'll do. I'm going to give you fifty dollars to hold it for me until next week. Will you do it? Hold me... Will you hold it for me?"
"I'll do it, Brother Branham." Then you give me a receipt, and I'll give you fifty dollars. Now, you can't sell that boat, because I got first bid on it. That's the earnest that I'm going to get the boat. It belongs to me.
Well now, God came back, and said, "Go up there to Jerusalem, and wait. I'm going to send you the Earnest of your salvation. And they were up there all in one accord in one place, and suddenly there came the Earnest, come down from heaven like a rushing mighty wind. It filled all the house where they were setting.

L-55 Now, looky here. We can look back and see where we were once unbelievers. We seen once where we'd have walked around a meeting like this and laughed at it. We seen once back in our lives where we would've criticized Divine healing. We... One time we didn't believe in God. One time we didn't believe in His Word. But now we have been raised up from that, lifted up, died in Christ, buried with Him, raised with Him in His resurrection, and now setting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Once...
See, the Earnest... Here we are today in the Earnest of our salvation. We stand here tonight already dead, buried in Christ, and raised with Him, and setting in heavenly places, enjoying spiritual things coming back from across the way. See, heavenly places... Oh, my. It makes us shout, think about it.


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