Abraham had to be tested.

William Branham.

Read the full account in...
Jehovah-Jireh #3.

Now let's background Abraham. First, God met Abraham, unconditionally, covenant He made with Abraham. Not anything at all; Abraham had nothing to do but believe God. The covenant was purely by grace, and unconditional. Not “if you will”; God said, “I have!” And now every man....

Remember, all Abraham's seed that ever come to God, comes the same way. Not nothing you could do! You could not save yourself no more than you could take your boot straps and jump over the moon. You cannot save yourself. No man ever sought God; it's God seeking man. “You never chose Me,” said Jesus, “I chose you.”

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Last night we remember that when Abraham, the covenant was made with Abraham and his seed after him. Now, there was a natural seed of Abraham, by the act of faith produced that; but the real seed of Abraham was Christ, the Bible... which was the royal seed of Abraham. Now notice. Abraham, before the destruction of fire in his day, there was a sign done to Abraham, His elected group. And that was, God came down in a form of a man, turning His back to the tent from where Sarah was, and told what Sarah was saying in the tent. And Jesus come around and said the same thing would be at the end of the age. Now, that was Abraham.

Then his natural seed, when Messiah cometh. And Simon came to Jesus, and He told him his name was Simon, and he was the son of Jonas, knowing the secret of his heart. Told Philip... or Nathanael, that Philip got, “I saw you when you were under the tree.” Told the woman at the well, “You have five husbands.” And she said, “Sir, I perceive You're a prophet.” See, the end of the natural seed of Abraham got that sign. And it was predicted by the royal seed Himself, Christ, that the royal seed, at the end of their days, would get the same thing. Now I hope we get it.

Changed him. Notice, God changed Abraham's name. I better leave off of that. When I come back for a long revival, we'll go into that. He had to change the name from his earthly name, to a name given by God. You say, “What is a man's name to us, anything?” Oh, brother, if you only knew! Why, some of these modern names we got! I don't want to call them, 'cause it'll hurt your feelings. But God has names that it means things, it changes the whole course. Oh, you say, “Nonsense!”

What about Jacob? Before he become a prince before God, he had to have his name changed from Jacob to Israel. Is that right? Sure. Paul; Saul had to have his name changed to Paul. Oh, how many could we call, and saying that God changed their name! Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, changing their name. Oh, my! What a blessing, to get in some little church with an elected group, and go to teaching that, see the hallelujahs in the heart, when you see what God does.

Now, last night I was explaining on “between the line” and “confirming it.” I want to just hit it again before I go into the text. That, God changed Abraham from an old wrinkled man, him and Sarah, back to a young couple, changed their physical being before they could receive the promised son. The last sign they got was the manifestation of God in flesh, could read the heart of a woman behind Him, in the tent. And the next thing was that their bodies were changed. Now, last night I was getting late, and I could feel some wondering about that. I want to still bring it a little closer.

Now, the proof of it was that, when they both took that long journey, they were absolutely had been changed. And the Bible said, “They were both well stricken in years. And Abraham's body was as good as dead, and Sarah's womb was dead.” Was that right? We know they were dead, but God changed them. Now to prove it to you, that He did it. First, why would that Philistine (or not a...), yes, I believe it was a Philistine king, fall in love with Sarah, an old woman? And she was fair to look upon.

Another thing. When Isaac was born, and Sarah and Abraham well stricken in age, ready to die, then they lived up, and Isaac got married when he was forty years old; Sarah died. And Abraham married a woman, Keturah, and had six sons, I believe it was, besides the daughters, after that; and here, sixty years ago, he was as good as dead! K-e-t-u-r-a-h, Keturah. He married Keturah, fifty or sixty years after that, and had six sons besides his daughters; and sixty years before, he was as good as dead. Hallelujah! There you are! The promise of God is sure. Amen. Oh, I love it!

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That's it! When you've got the promise, and you know it's a promise, stay with it! Abraham had to be tested. Stay with the promise!
Now, they got their last sign. Then their body was changed. And immediately little Isaac appeared on the scene, lovely little Jewish boy. I'd imagine after his eight days he was circumcised. How that young mother, hundred years old.... How that Abraham, hundred years old; or her ninety, and him a hundred; how they must have been about, around in their twenties, rejoicing. This young little fellow, how sweet he was!

And you know, God said, “Now to make the people in days to come (the seed of Abraham) know, your seed know that I keep my promise to any man that will hold onto my Word, I'm going to give him a test.”
When the little boy got about fourteen years old. I imagine, little shaggy hair and pretty little eyes. Oh, how that happy father and mother! You know how you parents are with your child, only child. Then God said to Abraham.... Now, He wouldn't tell it to Sarah, because Sarah was the weaker vessel. And so He said, “Abraham, I want you to take this little boy that I give you, the one that I'm going to make you a father of many nations by, and I want you to take him up on the mountain that I'm going to show you tonight in a vision, and there kill him.” Destroy the only hope that there was for him to be a father of nations, for God to keep His Word; God said, “I'll make you a father of nations.” He's waited now all these years, till he's a hundred years old, hundred and fourteen years old. “And here's the little boy now, and the only evidence that you've got that I will keep My word, you go up and destroy it. I'm still going to make you a father of nations by this child.”

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Now God said, “You take the little fellow, take him up there at the top of the mountain.”
Now you want to know whether Abraham was a young man or not? He went threedays journey with the child, with the wood, with the servant, and the donkey. Now any man, ordinary man.... I used to patrol power lines, used to walk when I was game warden; and I can walk, easy, thirty miles a day. And we got gasoline feet, we call it. But them men, their only transportation was by foot, or riding a donkey. And here they was with a little slow donkey; if we can out-walk him. And here he was, three-days' journey, and then lifted up his head and saw the mountain far off, yet. He must have been around a hundred miles from civilization, way back in the desert. Now listen, and notice.

Then he took the wood and put it on Isaac's back; the cross, God's Son years later. And Isaac packed the wood up the hill, that he was going to lay on for a sacrifice. Foreshadowing!
If God foreshadowed that to a dot; Lot's wife, don't you turn around and look back towards the things of the world. All those types and shadows are perfect, see. Remember Eve. Remember Lot's wife. Remember Lot himself, you men. Remember, Adam give in to his wife; Lot, the same way. Be careful. I'm just telling you, as a brother. It's later than you think.
Notice little Isaac going up the hill. And he got suspicious. And he looked around, and he said, “My father.”
And he said, “Here am I, my son.”
He said, “Here is the wood. And here is all, everything, the fire. But where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Listen to that old daddy, without a quiver in his voice, he said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the sacrifice.” His only son going to the slaughter, but yet that faithful old heart had knowed that God can't lie.
That's the seed of Abraham today! “How can it be, Brother Branham?” God will provide for Himself! “How is He going to?” I don't know. But He's Jehovah-jireh!

Got up to the top of the hill, rolled up the rocks. Put the wood on the rocks, and lit it with the fire. Said, “Isaac, my son, turn around.” He took the string from around his waist, and bound his hands and his feet. Isaac, obedient, as Christ was, to death. Laid him up on the block. Reached down in his sheath and pulled out the big knife; honed it a few times, looking up towards the sky.

“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong, knowing that he had received him as one from the dead; fully persuaded that if God said so, for him to do it, He could raise him up from the dead.” That's Abraham, that's his seed after him. If that was the natural seed, what ought the royal seed to be? Not staggering! What God says, God will do. Knowing that, he was fully persuaded; that what God had promised, God was able to do.

Honed the knife; little Isaac's little dark eyes watching that big sharp blade as it run over the stone. Reached back; throwed back the curls off his face, pulled his little chin back. Raised up, the tears running down his face like that. Knowing, that he staggered not at the promise of God! Raised his hand to plunge the knife into his own son's throat. And when he did, the voice of God called out, and caught his hand, said, “Abraham, Abraham, stay your hand! I know now that you love me.” What was He doing? Giving a testimony to the seed of Abraham, after him. “Stay your hand, don't harm this child! I know that you love me.”

And about that time, Abraham heard something behind him. And he looked, and there was a ram (that's a male sheep) caught by his horns in the weeds and bushes. And Abraham went and got the ram and killed it, instead of his son.

Where did that ram come from? He was a hundred miles from civilization. Why, the wild beasts would have killed it if it had been back there. Sure, it's a domestic animal. Where did it come from? And, besides, it's way up on top of the mountain, where there's no grass or water. And Abraham picked up rocks all around, where it was, to make the altar. Where did it come from? It wasn't a vision; it bled. A vision don't bleed. Hallelujah! Jehovah-jireh had provided Himself a sacrifice!

When God is took at his Word, He is able to provide whatever He has need of. God, Jehovah-jireh, still is Jehovah-jireh tonight! He has a sacrifice already provided. He has a church provided. He has a messenger provided, the Holy Spirit. He's here now, Jehovah-jireh! The Lord has provided Himself a Bible, a Spirit, a church, a message, a messenger. And the hour is here now for the church to be raptured and taken home. Jehovah-jireh will provide the means to take that church out of this world, by transforming these feeble bodies of ours, and take them up into glory. Jehovah-jireh! How will it come to pass in a modern day like we're living in, that these things will be?

Read the full account in...
Jehovah-Jireh #3.

And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

Genesis 22:13-14