The Indictment.

William Branham.

Read the full account in...
The Indictment.

And now, today, I want to read some Scripture, just a minute, from the holy, sacred Word of God, found in the book of St. Luke, the 23rd chapter of St. Luke to base- get a platform of what I want to say, a basic thought on the thing that I want to speak on. And you're turning now to St. Luke the 23rd chapter. And I want to read one verse; that's all I need for this basis this morning to place it upon. Now, we read the 20th- the 23rd chapter, the 33rd verse of the 23rd chapter:

And when they... came to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

Now, I want to take four words out of there, out of that reading to base what I want to say: there they crucified Him- four words. And my subject is called.... I'm bringing an indictment to the denominational churches of this day and also many of the independents for crucifying Jesus Christ afresh in this day- indicting them. This morning it's called “The Indictment”.

And I want to kind of use it more like that it was like a room, of a courtroom, where there was.... And after all, the pulpit and the church is a courtroom. The Bible said it's a judgment seat at ... that it must begin at the house of the Lord. And this is like the throne and the jury, and the witnesses, and so forth. And I have today, for my witness is God's Word, and my indictment is against the churches of today. Now I'm not bringing the sinner into this; I'm just speaking this to the church. And it's to be in the tapes now, and I'll try to get through as quick as I can.

I indict this generation for the second crucifixion of Jesus Christ!

And now, to do this in this age that we live in, I do this I must show an evidence. If I have to bring an indictment, you have to show an evidence of the criminal offense that has been done. To indict them I have to bring the evidence to prove it, that it is- that what I'm saying will stand up before the main judge, which.... And I take myself as an attorney to- on this indictment. That the Word of God being my witness, I indict this generation for the crucifixion.

I must show, and will show, that the same spirit is on the people today that brought the first crucifixion and doing the same thing. I must do that, if it's going to be a crucifixion that they've crucified. I must show to the people that the same attitude in the people today is doing the same thing, spiritually, that they did physically then: they crucified physically Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

And now, today, by the same Word, by the same Holy Spirit, and the same Word, I wish to show the churches where they stand: that they are doing the same thing today; and the Bible said they would do it; and prove that this is the day that we're living in. It could not've been done a few years ago. I say fifty years ago it could not have been done. But today this is very timely. And it could not have been done, maybe, ten years ago, but it can be done today, because the time is run out. We are at the end time. And I believe, as his servant, that we are just about to cross from this land to another.

Therefore, the time for repentance, for a nation, it's gone I believe that this nation cannot repent. I believe that it's crossed the line between mercy and judgment. I believe she's toddling in the balance.

“Brother Branham, before you start your case, how you going to prove that?” Just this: that we're guilty of the same sins that God destroyed the world by in the antediluvian world. We're guilty of the same sins that He destroyed the world in Sodom and Gomorrah. And now.... And we got all the same spiritual evidence laying here before us, all the same spiritual evidence, worldwide known, that brought down the mercies of God upon those generations, that also to reject brought judgment. So if this generation has rejected the same mercy that was spurned in them days, God would be unjust to let them get by without judgment.

Now, we know that spiritually they're doing the same thing today, for they are doing it for the same purpose and in the same way that they did in the crucifixion of the Lord, physically. They're doing it because of jealousy, because of spiritual blindness, that they don't want to see; they won't listen to it. Jesus, in his journey here on earth, He said, “Well did Isaiah speak of you; you got eyes and can't see, and ears and can't hear.”

The same reason, the same purpose, and the same reasonings, they're bringing the crucifixion of Christ anew, afresh (as we'll get to it after awhile), for the same reasons that they did then. They cannot find nothing against it; they're daresn't to try to challenge it. And they know the evidence is there; and they know the Bible says so; and the only thing they can do is blaspheme it. That's exactly. So.... And all this, the same reasons....

And now, upon this basis I challenge this generation of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, for crucifying, and guilty. With dirty, wicked, selfish, denominational hands has crucifying the Prince of life that wanted to present itself to the people. You say, “The same person?” “In the beginning was the Word ... and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh,” and manifested itself. The Word was manifested in flesh, and they condemned the flesh and put it to death; because the Word was manifested. Hebrews 13:8 said, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” It's the same Word. See? And for the same reason they are trying to crucify the Word.

Now, to my text, to break back upon the subject that I want to take: There ... the four words. Let's explain there. There, the most holy city in the world, Jerusalem; there, the most religious city in the world. There they, the most religious people in the world, at a religious feast, the feast of the Passover. There, the most religious spot, the most religious city, the greatest of all the organizations, the head of all of it, there they, the most religious people in all the world, had gathered from all over the world. They crucified, the most shameful death that could be-a person could be killed-naked, stripped the clothes from Him. He despised the reproach. The crucifix has a rag wrapped around Him, but they stripped his clothes from Him. The most shameful....

There (the greatest religious city) they (the most religious people) crucified (the most shameful death) Him (the most precious person).

If that ain't enough to condemn this generation! There, the most religious organization, the biggest of all the churches gathered together in one place; they, the most religious people of all the races, the people who was supposed to be the very worshippers of God.... They gathered at the greatest holy feast they've got, the cleansing of the Passover, when they was brought from bondage into liberty. And there in that time, they, at that time, the most religious people, in the most religious feast, at the most religious place, brought upon the Prince of life the most shameful thing that could be done: to strip a man and to hang him on a tree; because “Cursed is he...” said the law that they worshipped by, “Cursed is he that hangs upon a tree.” And He was made a curse for us. Stripping his clothes, beating Him, and mocking Him, the very God of heaven, taking his clothes from Him, and nailed Him to a cross.... Him, there they crucified Him under Roman capital punishment.

The most shameful death today would not be shot. The most shameful death today would not be- to be run over by a car and killed, drowned by water, burned by fire; but the most shameful death today is public capital punishment, where that the whole world condemns you and calls you guilty. And the whole world put their hands upon this man and called Him guilty when He was innocent. And He died under the enemy's, not his friend's, not his laws, but under the enemy's crucifixion, the Prince of life, the most precious person that there ever lived, or ever will live, Jesus Christ- Him, the most precious person. Keep that in mind now as we build that platform around today.

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Now, them four words: There they crucified Him. Now you still show the Bible. You see, it's just four words, but the Bible condenses its truths. Now me, I have to go way around and explain what I'm talking about, but the Bible don't have to explain nothing. It just is all truth. So the Bible don't have to explain anything. It doesn't have to explain it, because it is all the truth.

Here is four words of its great chain of truth. I'll try to explain it. And to try to explain it clearly would make a library. There's no way for me to explain those four words. But now, let us, by the help of Him who caused it to be written, try to explain these four words, to bring it in such a way, that people would understand it. What we got before us now? We got the first crucifixion laying before us at the most holy place, the most religious people, the most shameful death, to the most precious person. Oh, it's such a contradictory! My, oh my, it's disgraceful!

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Notice, they, the worshippers, the men who had looked for the promise, the men who had looked for it through years and ages and with nothing to do but in that constant seminary; but they had divided the Word according to the teaching of the seminary, and they had missed the very truth of it. They, the priest, the ministry of that day; there, at their headquarters, they, the ministry of that day was killing the very God, the very Lamb. The very one that they claimed they were worshipping, they were killing.

And today, I indict this bunch of ordained ministers! In their creeds and denominations they are crucifying to the people the very God that they claim that they love and serve. I indict these ministers in the name of the Lord Jesus, upon their doctrine, that claim that the days of miracles is past, and that the water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ is not sufficient and not right. Upon any of these words that they have substituted creeds for, I indict them as guilty, and the blood of Jesus Christ upon their hands, for crucifying afresh the Lord Jesus the second time! They are crucifying Christ to the public, taking from them the thing that they're supposed to be giving to them, and they substituted something else in its place, a church creed for popularity.

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And I condemn the same group today and indict them as guilty before God, by the Word of God, that they're doing the same thing. This generation is indicted. Remember Hebrews 13:8. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. How did they indict Him? Because that their creeds would not accept Him. And down in their heart they knowed different. Did not Nicodemus, in the 3rd chapter of St. John, well express it? “Rabbi, we, the Pharisees, the preachers, the teachers, we know You're a teacher sent from God, for no man could do the things that You do unless God was with him,” see. They publicly witness it by one of their renown men. And stew, because of their creeds, they crucified Christ. And today there's not a reader that cannot read Acts 2:38 the same as I can read it, and the rest of it just the same as I can read it. But because of their creeds and because of their denominational tickets that they got in their pocket. (The marks of the beast that they're packing around as fellowship cards) And taking those things, they crucify to themselves Jesus Christ afresh, and crucify Him before the public, and blaspheme the very God that promised to do this, bringing damnation upon the race.

Read the full account in...
The Indictment.

And when they came to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.

Luke 23:33