A Spiritual, Celestial Body Is Waiting For Us
Spiritual Building-Stone No. 100

St. John 1:1-5,14: "In the beginning was the Word (the Logos), and the Word was with God (Elohim), and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

Let us listen to what God's Prophet for this day said about it:

Let's close our eyes to our imaginations for a few moments and go way back before there was anything. The great fountain of all eternity was that spirit of love, joy, that spirit of honesty, that spirit of trueness in this per-fection. And then out of the existence of the Father went the Logos which was the Son, which was the theophany, which was the body of the great Jehovah God went forth in a celestial Body. That's the Logos. The Word spoke out of them great Fountains of Life and went forth. And there was the theophany, which was God made into Word.

Then that theophany was made flesh in the Person Christ Jesus (II Cor. 5:17-19). And then all the fullness of the Trinity dwelt in Him, both Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all in that (Col. 2:9-10). And that's the very way we go, plumb back to the original beginning of God. There we are borned again not of flesh, borned again not of blood, but borned again by the Spirit (I Peter 1:22-23). And in that eternal Spirit of love and honesty comes down to make Its place in us.

And then when we die from this life, we go into the body... If this earthly tabernacle is dissolved, we have a theophany to go into, a body celestial (II Cor. 5:1-9).

Then at the coming of the Lord Jesus, this body is picked from the earth again and made in a glorified state to live in His Presence forever (I Thess. 4:16-17). Then all the perversion, all the things that was in the perversion all goes out of existence. Flesh goes to its punishment. Hell opens up her mouth and swallows in all the evil and the perversion. And God and His beloved Church, His Bride, takes their stand for the eternities to roll on. That's the great hope of the Christian Church.

Then I was thinking just last night after I had went home, and laying down for a few minutes, I was thinking of when the soul has gone out of a man what is it? It's his inner being that has moved out (II Cor. 4:16). He's not dead; he's still alive. See, he lives forever. And our loved ones who have passed on be-yond this veil is in a body that we don't know what it is (St.John 14:1-3). It isn't revealed.

There's three stages of everything. There's a stage of the mortal body (I Cor. 15:53), the immortal body, and then the glorified, resurrected body. Just like, other things, like Father, Son, and Holy Spirit goes in one channel, and the three makes the one. Justification, sanctification, baptism of the Holy Ghost in a channel makes the one. And soul, body, and spirit makes the one. And it travels in three's, and three's are one.

And when the soul leaves the body, it takes its journey into a place of rest in a body that's in the form and shape of this body, but it isn't this type of a body.

But then when that body, a kind of a celestial body, when it returns back to the earth, it picks up the substance that it once lived in and then it becomes a glorified body (Matt. 27:51-53). That body is the one that we'll see the Lord Jesus in His resurrected body (I Cor. 15:42-44,48-49).
"It does not yet appear what we shall be," said John, "but we know we shall have a body like His own glorious body. For we shall see Him as He is" (I John 3:2). And all these old wrinkled hands and broken down tissues will all fade away into the splendor of youth. You old men and women, remember that's a mark of the fall, your old age (Rom. 8:19-23; II Cor. 5:2-4). But in the resurrection there'll not be one mark of anything of sin. But why did God make you like He did? He brought you to a certain age. When you was about twenty-two, twenty-three years old, you were your best. You were eating food, and getting stronger, and healthy, and what a powerful looking person you was. Then after that you become wrinkling away. See, death set in. But in the resurrection all old age will be wiped away.

When a baby is being formed (begotten) in a womb of a mother, that's got one kind of life. But first it's a spirit. As that spirit (life) begins to take on flesh, a little germ of life begins to take on flesh, and as soon as it drops from its... Now, in the womb, it's a little, quivering, jerking muscles. We know that. That's cells.

But as soon as it's borned in this world and breathes its first breath, it becomes a living soul. See? Because as soon as the earthly body is born into the world, there's a celestial body, or a spiritual body, to take ahold of it. And as soon as this natural body is dropped, there is a heavenly tabernacle waiting for it: "If this earthly tabernacle be dissolved, there is a heavenly tabernacle waiting for it" (II Cor. 5:1). Just as soon as the baby's dropped into the earth in flesh, there's a spiritual body waiting to receive it. And as soon as the natural body is dissolved, there's a spiritual body waiting yonder, a theophany we call it, a theophany.

Just as soon as we step out of this one, we step into that one: one that don't want a cold drink of water, don't have no need of a drink of water; one that don't eat, they're not of the dust of the earth. But they're just as real, and can feel, and shake hands, and justlove, and everything is perfect. And that body is waiting yonder. It's part of it. There's three of them.

You begin your Eternal Life right here at the altar. Here's where you start eternity. Oh. You start Eternal Life right here. Then you are born again, a son of God. And then when you die, you begin... When your death strikes you in this body and the heart quits beating, and the mortal wheels begin to stand still, that little shadow that was a shadow of the shadow, in one second it becomes a shadow of the shadow, then the next it becomes the shadow, then the next it becomes a little trinkle, then the next it becomes a creek, then the next it becomes a river, and the next it becomes the ocean; and after while you're standing in the presence of your loved ones standing yonder, clothed in the garments of a celestial body, that you know one another, love one another. You've turned back to a young man and young woman again. Exactly right. It waits there until the coming of the Lord Jesus.

Now, remember, that is a celestial body, not a glorified, a celestial body. And someday that celestial body will leave heaven with Jesus.

"For I say this unto you," I Thessalonians 4:13-18. These celestial bodies come down and put on earthly glorified bodies. "And we which are alive and remain shall be changed in a moment in a twinkling of an eye, and shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air."

Brother Branham told of his following experience in 1960:

Last Sunday morning I had wakened up early. That was on Saturday, this vision. I've always wearied. I've always thought of dying that me, being fifty, my time--didn't think was too long. And I wondered what I would be in this theophany, celestial body. Would it be that I'd see my precious friends and say a little white fog going by and say, "There goes Brother Neville," or he couldn't say, "Hello, Brother Branham." And when Jesus come, then I'd be man again. I often thought that.

I was dreaming. And I woke up; I thought, "I'm dreaming so much. I wonder why." And I looked down and she was laying by me. And I raised up on my pillow, as many of you people have done, put my head upon the headboard of the bed, and put my hands behind me. I was laying there like this, and I said, "Well, I just wonder what it will be the other side. I am already fifty, and I haven't done nothing yet. If I could only do something to help the Lord. For I know I won't be mortal. Half of my time is gone, at least, or more than half. If I live to be as old as my people, still half my time is gone. And I looked around and I was laying there fixing to get up. It was about seven o'clock. I said, "I believe I'll go down to church this morning if I am hoarse. I'd like to hear Brother Neville preach." So I said, "Are you awake, honey?" And she was sleeping very soundly.

And I don't want you to miss this. It has changed me. I can't be the same Brother Branham that I was.
And I looked, and I heard something kept saying, "You're just starting. Press the battle. Just keep pressing."
I shook my head a minute and then I thought, "Well, I probably just thinking like this, you know, a person can get some imaginations." and I said, "I just probably imagined that."
It said, "Press the battle. Keep going. Keep going."
And I said, "Maybe I said it."
And I put my lips within my teeth, and put my hand over my mouth, and there it come again; said, "Just keep pressing. If you only knew what was at the end of the road."
And I heard something say, "Would you like to see just beyond the curtain?"
I said, "It would help me so much." And I looked, and in just a moment, one breath, I'd come into a little place that's slanted. I looked back, and there I was laying on the bed. And I said, "This is a strange thing."
Now, I would not want you to repeat this. This is before my church, or my sheep that I am pastoring. Whether it was I was in this body or out, whether it was a translation... It wasn't like any vision I ever had. I could look there, and I could look here. And when I hit that little place, I never seen so many people come running, screaming, "Oh, our precious brother." And I looked, and young women, maybe in their early twenties (eighteen to twenty), they were throwing their arms around me and screaming, "Our precious brother."

Here come young men in the brilliance of young manhood, and their eyes glistening and looking like stars on a darkened night, their teeth as white as pearl, and they were screaming, and grabbing me, and screaming, "Oh, our precious brother." And I stopped and I looked, and I was young. I looked back at my old body laying there with my hands behind my head. I said, "I don't understand this." And these young women throwing their arms around me...

Now, I do realize this is a mixed audience, and I say this with the sweet-ness and with the mellowness of the Spirit. Men cannot put your arm around women without a human sensation. But it wasn't there. There was no yesterday nor tomorrow. They didn't get tired. I never seen such pretty women in all my life. They had hair way down to their waistline, long skirts to their feet, and they were just a hugging me. It wasn't a hug like even my own sister set-ting there would hug me. They were not kissing me, and I was not kissing them. It was something that I have not got the vocabulary; I haven't got the words to say. Perfection wouldn't touch it. Superb wouldn't even touch it nowhere. It was something that I never... You just have to be there.

And I looked this way and that way, and they were coming by the thou-sands. And I said, "Now, I don't understand this." I said, "Why, they..."
And here come Hope; that was my first wife. She run and never said, "My husband." She said, "My precious brother." And when she hugged me, there was another woman standing there that'd hugged me, and then Hope bugged this woman, and each one...

And I thought, "Oh, this has to be something different; it can't be. There's something..." I thought, "Oh, would I ever want to ever go back to that old carcass again." (II Peter 1:13). I looked around there and I thought, "What is this?" And I looked real good, and I said, "I can't understand this." But Hope seemed to be like a guest of honor. She was no different but just like a guest of honor.

And I heard a voice then that spoke to me that was in the room, said, "This is what you preached was the Holy Ghost. This is perfect love. And nothing can enter here without it." I am more determined than ever in my life that it takes perfect love to enter there. There was no jealousy. There was no tiredness. There was no death. Sickness could never in there. Mortality could never make you old, and they could not cry. It was just one joy, "Oh, my precious brother."

And they took me up and set me up on a great big high place. And I thought, "I am not dreaming. I'm looking back at my body laying down there on the bed." And they set me up there, and I said, "Oh, I shouldn't set up here."

And here come women and men from both sides just in the bloom of youth, screaming. And one woman was standing there, and she screamed, "Oh, my precious brother. Oh, we are so happy to see you here."
I said, "I don't understand this."

And then that voice that was speaking from above me, said, "You know it is written in the Bible that the prophets were gathered with their people."
And I said, "Yes, I remember that in the Scriptures."
Said, "Why, this is when you will gather with your people."
I said, "Then they'll be real, and I can feel them."
"Oh, yes."
I said, "But there's millions. There's not that many Branhams."
And that voice said, "They're not Branhams; them's your converts. That's the ones that you've led to the Lord." And said, "Some of them women there that you think are so beautiful were better than ninety years old when you led them to the Lord. No wonder they're screaming, 'Our precious brother.'"
And they screamed all at once, "If you hadn't have went, we wouldn't be here."
I looked around and I thought, "Well, I don't get it." I said, "Oh, where is Jesus? I want to see Him so bad."
They said, "Now, He's just a little higher, right up that way." Said, "Some-day He will come to you." You see? Said, "You were sent for a leader. And God will come, and when He does, He'll judge you according to what you taught them, first; whether they go in or not. We'll go in according to your teaching."
I said, "Oh, I'm so glad. Did Paul, does he have to stand like this? Does Pe-ter have to stand like this?"
"Yes."
I said, "Then I've preached every word that they preached. I never divvied from it one side to the other. Where they baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, I did too. Where they taught the baptism of the Holy Ghost, I did too. What-ever they taught, I did too."
And them people screamed and said, "We know that, and we know we're going with you someday back to earth." Said, "Jesus will come, and you'll be judged according to the Word that you preached us. And then, if you are accepted at that time, which you will be," and said, "then you will present us to Him as your trophies of your ministry." Said, "You will guide us to Him, and all together we'll go back to earth to live forever."
I said, "Do I have to return back now?"
"Yes, but keep pressing on."
I looked, and I could see the people, just as far as I could see, still coming, wanting to hug me, screaming, "Our precious brother."
Just then a voice said, "All that you ever loved, and all that ever loved you, God has given you here." And I looked and here come my old dog come walking up. Here come my horse and laid his head up over my shoulder and nickered.
Said, "All that you ever loved and all that ever loved you, God has given them into your hands through your ministry."
And I felt myself move from that beautiful place. And I looked around. I said, "Are you awake, honey?" She was still asleep and I thought, "O God, oh, help me, O God. Never let me compromise with one word. Let me stay right straight on that Word and preach It. I don't care what comes or goes, what anybody does, how many Sauls or sons of Kish rise, how many this, that, or the other, let me, Lord, press to that place.
All fear of death... I say this with my Bible before me this morning. I've got a little boy there four years old, to be raised. I've got a nine year old girl and a teen-ager that I'm thankful for, that's turned the way of the Lord. God, let me live to bring them up in the admonition of God. Above that, the whole world seems to scream to me. Ninety year old women and men and all kinds, "If you hadn't have went, we wouldn't been here." And, God, let me press the battle. But if it comes to dying, I am no more... It would be a joy; it would be a pleasure to enter from this corruption and disgrace.
If I could make up yonder, one hundred billion miles high, a square block, and that's perfect love. Each step this way, it narrows until we get down to where we are now. It would be just merely a shadow of corruption. That little something that we can sense and feel that there's something somewhere, we don't know what it is.

Oh, my precious friend, my beloved, my darlings of the Gospel, my begotten children unto God, listen to me, your pastor. I wish there was some way I could explain it to you. There's no words. I couldn't find it. It's not found anywhere. But just beyond this last breath is the most glorious thing that you ever... There is no way to explain it. There's no way; I just can't do it. But whatever you do, friends, lay aside everything else till you get perfect love. Get to a spot that you can love everybody, every enemy, everything else. That one visit there to me has made me a different man. I can never, never, never be the same Brother Branham that I was.

This mortal body puts on immortality. This terrestrial puts on celestial. See what I mean? There is a natural body that's sinful (Rom. 6:12); but in it's making just like it is another body that we go to. And I am so grateful to God that I can say as your pastor and brother, I seen those people, so help me, in that body and handled them with my hands. That's right.

Notice, watch. Look at Moses. Elijah, after Moses had died and Elijah had been taken into heaven, he stood there on Mount Transfiguration with his senses of speech, hearing, understanding and talked to Jesus before the cruci-fixion (Matt. 17:1-8). Now, what kind of a body did he have?

Look at Samuel. After being dead for about two years, was called back in the cave that night by the witch of Endor and talked to Saul with language, heared Saul, spoke back, and foreknew things that was going to happen; still his spirit hadn't changed. He was a prophet (I Sam. 28:7-19).

This is a dying spirit in a dying body; but now, you can't be in two bodies at one time, but there can be two natures in you at one time. Now, the nature of the Spirit of the Lord... When you're borned again, you're not borned of physical, like the baby was; but what's happened, the spiritual birth has come to you (St.John 3:1-8; I Pet. 1:22-23). And while this spiritual birth is growing into your heart, of God, there is a physical or a celestial body growing to receive that spirit (II Peter 3:18). And when the life leaves this body, it goes to that body. Just as when the body is presented to the earth, the spirit comes in, and when the spirit goes out of the body, there is a body waiting. "For we know that after this earthly tabernacle be dissolved, we have one already waiting." See? That's it, the spiritual body of the people.

Now, that is a celestial body, that when we die we don't become a myth; we become a body. If we'd every one die, if the atomic bomb would blow us up at this minute, in five minutes from now we'd be shaking one another's hands and hugging their neck, and screaming, and carrying on, and glorifying God. Yes, sir.

And it helped me, because I used to have an idea when a person died, just their soul went off. But then when He quoted that to me, that "If this earthly tabernacle of our habitation be dissolved, we already have one" (II Cor. 5:1). See? And we've got to have everything in three's to make a perfection. See? And there's one body here, then that body there which is the celestial body, and then the glorified body in the resurrection. See, that makes it complete. See? So it's not a myth; it's not an idea; it's not a spirit. It is a man and a woman like you are, just exactly.

And then years ago I seen the regions of the lost and was there. I tell you, friend, as an old man, let me persuade you this, across the nation this morning, don't never want to view that place. There's no way at all that I could... If I was an artist with a brush I couldn't paint the picture. As a minister, I couldn't describe to you. Talk about hell being a burning place, it's a million times worse than that, the horrors that goes with it.

And heaven... or this place, wherever it was, I don't know what to call it. He referred to it there as "souls that are under the altar." But when it was, I have never; there's no way to explain how great that is. Now, you just have to take my word; I'm just a man. See? But these visions that's always come to pass just as I've told you, and you know they every one has been true; that is true also. Whatever you do, if you miss everything else (health, strength, your eyesight, whatever it is), don't miss That. There's nothing can compare with it. There's no word in the English language that I know that could express it. If you'd say "perfect," it's beyond that; "superb," it's beyond that; "sublime,"... There's no words that I know that could express it, because it was so... And then, to think, that isn't the end of it yet.

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him" (I Corinthians 2:9).

Reference:
"Life" (57-0602), par. 22-24
"Hear His Voice" (58-1005M), par. 11-14
"Questions And Answers" (61-0112), Q-No. 117, pg. 561, par. 122
"Hearing, Recognizing, Acting On The Word" (Vol.13 No.7), par. 135-139
"Manifested Sons Of God", Adoption Part II, par. 65-71
"The Rejected King" (Vol.2 No.23), pg. 19-23, par. 54-63
"The Fifth Seal", Seals-Book pg. 387, par. 161-162
"Questions And Answers" (64-0830E), Q-No. 381, pg. 1156, par. 35
"God's Only Provided Place Of Worship" (Vol.7 No.4), par. 22-24

Spiritual Building-Stone No. 100 from the Revealed Word of this hour, compiled by: Gerd Rodewald, Friedenstr. 69, D-75328 Schömberg, Germany
Phone: (+49) 72 35 76 13, Fax: (+49) 72 35 33 06

There's coming one with a Message that's straight on the Bible, and quick work will circle the earth. The seeds will go in newspapers, reading material, until every predestinated Seed of God has heard It.
[Bro. Branham in "Conduct-Order-Doctrine", pg. 724]