The
birds of the air that come and lodge in the branches are
the same birds that we have been dealing with. They have
never changed. Some one said, Ah, Bro. Wilson, I thought
that was the blessings of the Kingdom, how they shaded the
birds," and I have heard such beautiful things, but
you leave it in the light of truth where it belongs. Who
are the birds of the air? It is still the same fowls that
picked up the seed 'back there.' Now, what is he talking
about, the birds of the air come and lodge in the
branches?
Here the Kingdom was in the herb stage,
but Jesus said it was going to become a tree. On down
here, towards the evening time of light, and he said when
it became a tree, the birds of the air, or the fowls would
come and lodge in the branches. Who are the birds? They
are still the false preachers. He was giving us a prophecy
here of Protestantism, which was to follow. When the seed
began to be planted here by Luther, we will see in a
greater way, the Kingdom began to come out, breaking out
above the earth, if you please, and came out little by
little and the birds of the air, which lodge in the
branches were nothing more than the false ministry,
Someone said, "How do you know? It is one thing, to
be a part of the tree and another to be lodging in the
branches.
Jesus said, "I am the vine, ye are
the branches." Those who are in the Kingdom, are
actually part of the tree. These 'old fellows' do not
believe in a born again experience -- they are lodging
around in the branches of it. Come on,=) we have got too
many birds on the branch. God wants you to be a branch.
They come and lodge in the branches of it and you hear
them talk, "we are a branch off of the Church."
Well, if they are a branch off of the church, they are a
'withered branch.' God bless your heart, they sit around
in the branches of the thing. What am I talking about?
Clear up through Protestantism, we will find out that they
never did get to the root of the Gospel...the Bible
foundations of the Church. They just played around in the
branches of it up here. Somebody said, well, how can you
tell who is a part of the kingdom and not? Shake the tree,
the birds will get scared and fly, You are not going to
shake any branches off. Shaking the tree, all you do is
scare the birds out. That is why I like to shake the thing
every once in a while.
We are in the 'last shaking time,' when
God is shaking the tree and the birds are fluttering. I
have seen them come in here and sit on a branch for two or
three services. There was a shaking time went on -- and
that was the last time I saw them. They never said,
good-by Bro. Wilson, or nothing. You go back to the 8th
chapter of Matthew. Take this for what it is worth and
think it over and roll it around for a while, in the light
of other scriptures. Matthew 8:19: The scribe said to
Jesus, "I'll follow thee withersoever thou goest."
They wanted to be disciples, but Christ, my friend, using
symbolic language all through His expression said,
"the birds of the air have nests, the foxes have
dens." Someone said, "The Son of Man had no
where to lay His head. A lot of people were thinking Jesus
was wanting to go to bed and He had no place to lay His
head. He was teaching a lesson. Here was a scribe that
said he would give up all to follow Him, but Jesus knew he
wasn't going to give up all. Who are the foxes that have
dens? Revelation tells you who they are, the 6th chapter,
when the sixth seal breaks over here those old fellows run
for dens. Foxes stay in dens. Who are they? They are foxy
fellows. Jesus called Herod a fox. Why? He said one thing
and did something else. He said he wanted to come and
worship the child, when be really wanted to kill it. Amen.
Jesus said, you go and tell that old fox
I'll be here and doing cures until day after tomorrow and
I am going to be perfected and I will be doing cures all
over the country. The birds have nests. Who was He talking
about? The scribes and the pharisees and the false sects
of that day, that came up just like that scribe did and
said, I will give up all. I will follow you whithersoever
you go. He said, "the birds have nests." Who are
they -- those old birds that have got their nests -- they
have feathered them. It is just the same today; and the
foxy fellows have got their dens that they go and hide
in,but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. What Is
He talking about? Christ, the head of the Church -- He
cannot live on sadduceeism and phariseeism. He had to wait
until He had a body to put His head on. Now you may not
agree with 'that,' but Christ, just will not put His Head
on any body. These scribes and pharisees were coming short
of the requirements of discipleship. Someone says,
"How do you know?"
Well, one said I'll follow you
whithersoever you go. Jesus knew he wouldn't. Another
spoke up and said, "I'll follow you, but let me go
bury my father first." A dozen more said, "I'll
follow you, just as soon as I…" The other poor
fellow, he did not say, "Please excuse me," he
said, "I cannot come, I have married a wife." So
it is today, my friend, people all over the country are
going to follow Jesus just as soon as "I." Well,
there is the fellow that is giving you the trouble. You
are going to have to deny this fellow if you are going to
follow Christ. No, He will not put His Head on that kind
of body. The body of Christ is made up of men and women,
who have denied themselves, taken up their cross and are
following Christ and truth where ever He leads.
The Son of Man hath no where to lay His
head. Oh, God, help us to see that He could not lay His
head on this business. The tree, the visible form of the
kingdom, began to come out and many lodged In the
branches, many false prophets lodged in the branches, but
Christ never laid His head on this business. Why? If He
did, He would have to have many heads because there are
many bodies in 'that.' All right, may we go to the
'letter.' There is more to be said there, but I think that
is plain.
The second chapter of Revelation, verses
12 to 17, "To the angel of the church of Pergamos
write (Pergamos was the compromising church, Smyrna was
the suffering church or the church in the suffering time)
these things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two
edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even
where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and
hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein
Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you,
where Satan dwelleth." Let's stop here.
Christ, writing to the church in this
very dark age over here, just coming up to the place of
Protestantism. What does He say to her? These things saith
he that hath the sword, nothing more than the Word of God.
Much could be said about its two edges. It has been
preached to you many times--both offensive and defensive.
There is an edge for the law and an edge for the Gospel.
The same sword will save you or kill you. Paul said when
he preached the gospel he was a saviour unto life to some
and a saviour unto death to others, same message. Now, it
is sharp. No heart is so hard, but what it is able to
wound it. No knot is so closely tied that it is not able
to cut it. Someone said, "Well, I'm pretty well tied
up down in Babylon. Well, there is a sharp sword that will
cut you loose. It is so sharp, the Word of God said it
gets down between the marrow and the bone. It will come
between the soul and the spirit; that shows me they are
two different things. I hear quite a 'rumble' right around
us that the soul and the spirit are the same thing. Well,
I've got a Word of God that says there is a difference. It
will come right down between the soul and the spirit.
Amen. It is sharp.
We don't know how sharp this thing is.
It is a sharp instrument. Listen to Him. I know thy works,
and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is. Now,
my friend, we want to see if this is the same period of
prophecy. If this parable covers the same thing -- Turn to
the 13th chapter of Revelation where it talks about the
first beast. He said the dragon gave him his seat and his
authority, God bless your heart, so this church, is
another definite proof that these letters cover seven ages
because Pergamos was living way over here. John wrote
those letters in AD 96(?), but over here was where the
condition was going on that John wrote to Pergamos about;
you are dwelling right where Satan's seat is. Where is
that? It is right 'down here' in papalism, where the
dragon gave the first beast his seat and his authority.
