<TITLE>18. Par 166-174</TITLE>L-166   Oh, every one of the prophets, what if they would have leaned to their own understanding in their age? They'd have never walked up to them priests and high priests, and called them "whited walls" and everything else. They'd never prophesied contrary to them. They'd have been like some of them modern prophets, would agreed, wore fine clothes, and been in kings' palaces.

L-167 What if John would have tried to lean to his own understanding? But he walked right up.

L-168 They said, "Now, wait a minute, John, don't you preach on Marriage And Divorce."

L-169 He walked right up to Herod's...?... and he said, "It's not lawful for you to have her." Yes, sir.
Say, "Well, you know who that is? That's the proc-..."
"I don't care who it is." He didn't lean.

L-170 Said, "Now you know you haven't got much. You're down here on this wilderness. The association won't receive you, if you go to acting like that." He didn't care about any association. He didn't lean to his own understanding, but to the understanding of God. Sure.

L-171   There was one man who did lean to his own understanding, and his name was Judas Iscariot. Oh, he... I--I don't see how he could have done it. He had walked face to face with Christ, just like Eve did in the beginning. He had seen the vindication, he had looked at God in the face, like Eve did in the cool of the evening. Eve looked at Christ, in the cool of the evening, in the garden. And Judas had sat in the cool of the evening, in the garden of Gethsemane and many places, and had looked at the same Christ; had heard Him teach, prove Himself by the Word, vindicated to be the prophet that Moses had spoke of would be raised up. And told them in the Scripture Who He was, and all about it. They had seen it proved by God, that He was, and then he leaned to his own understanding.

L-172   How could he do it? It was because he never had it down here, in the first place. He wasn't a germitized seed. He was the son of perdition, born out of perdition, returned back to perdition. Now we notice. But he went out, and maybe he might have had an idea of his understanding. He might have thought that Jesus... He had so much respect for Him, "Now, you know, I might sell Him for thirty pieces of silver. And if I do, I'll have some money, and I can do something with that. And He is able to deliver Himself." See, he didn't know, in the Scripture, that he had raised up to take that same place.

L-173 And neither does the people today realize what condition that they are in. It's ordained for this Laodicea church to be in this condition, putting Christ on the outside. And Him knocking, trying to get back in, [Brother Branham knocks five times on the pulpit--Ed.], no cooperation nowhere, though. Vindicating His Word in the day now, like He did in every day, and they walk right away from it. Leaning to their own understanding, that's--that's all there is to it.

L-174   Or, maybe, let's say this that--that he thought. Maybe if he did sell Christ for thirty pieces of silver, why, that he would have a--a fellowship with some of the great denominations of that day, the Pharisees and Sadducees. He would say, "Now wait, He can take care of Hisself. I've seen Him in great battles; I--I know that--that He can take care of Himself. So I might make some money, kind of a--a little retirement, as it was. And then, again, I might have a great standing with these churches today, if I would betray Him to them." See? But he leaned to his own understanding, instead of the understanding that that was the vindicated Word of God, and he did to Jesus just what the Scriptures said he would do.


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