The title, “The Masterpiece” says it all.
During this sermon, Brother Branham makes this comment: “Now, Pentecostal brethren throughout the nations, I want you to listen, my brother. If this is the last Message I'll ever preach, This is my masterpiece.” Notice, Brother Branham is not only addressing his audience at the Tabernacle, he is addressing people throughout the nations. Millions of people have heard this message since he preached it 50 years ago, and today, there will be tens of thousands of believers in all areas of the world, listening to “The Masterpiece” together. What an opportunity!
Brother Branham uses the example of Michelangelo’s statue of Moses, and the “flaw” on the right knee. If you look closely, you can see a depression above the kneecap. This is where the sculptor struck his creation and gave it the flaw that made it a true masterpiece. The prophet compares Michelangelo with the Creator, and how He struck His Masterpiece on the cross.
Another part of this sermon that is dear to our hearts is the first time Brother Branham tells us of his vision of “The preview of the Bride.” The vision came on Friday, July 3, 1964, just two days before he preached this sermon. He saw both the church and the Bride coming before him. As we have all heard many times, the Bride was pure and holy, but the church was worldly. The Bride came into view twice, but she seemed to stumble a bit. Here is Brother Branham’s interpretation of the vision (starts on paragraph 194).
Now here is the interpretation thereof. The reason... Now, remember, I had just got through writing... I hadn't finished, I hadn't wrote these notes yet. But in preaching, this morning, I caught what it was, right in my sermon. Did you notice, the church only came in view...
Now, that's the Truth, friends. The Heavenly Father, Who writes the Word, knows that I tell the Truth. See? I know I just say the Truth.
And not knowing it till just a few minutes ago, looked like, or just recently, see. Did you notice? The Bride come in view twice; the first Seed and the second Seed, both of them exactly the same One. And the reason they were dr'iff... dressed in different parts, She'll come from all nations, it'll make up the Bride. Each one had long hair, and no makeup, and real pretty girls. And they were watching me. That represented the Bride coming out of all nations. See? She, each one represented a nation, as they marched perfectly in line with the Word. See?
And, then, I have to watch Her. She'll get out of step with that Word if I don't watch, when She is passing by, if She gets by. Maybe it'll be my time, when I'm over, see, when I'm finished, or whatever it is.
What? They was getting back. Trying their best, and was getting back, just get in line; 'cause, they--they was looking out somewhere else, watching about that church that just went out into chaos. But two... The front ones, never. The back ones, just two or three of them, was kind of stepped out a little bit to the right-hand side, and looked like was trying to get back in line as they went by. They was just past me, oh, far as here to the wall, past me. And I was standing there. And then I just seen it all move out and leave.
But, you notice, the church only came into view once, each nation, the church. But the Bride come in twice. See, see what it was? Now, not knowing it, but look at it with my Message this morning. Not knowing that. See?
The Seed fell in the ground at Nicaea. That was the original Seed. And She's come through the process of these denominations, which only comes in existence once. But the Bride returns back again in the last days. "I will restore." See, the Masterpiece is brought up. That's the reason She was in view, reviewed, the second time. She was reviewed the first time, then she was reviewed the second time. And She was perfectly, the second time, like She was the first time. O God, have mercy! Hurry, hurry, hurry, Life, get in the Grain, right quick! Uh-huh.
All others never appeared no more. They went out, never to come back again.
But the Bride came back, 'cause She was Alpha and Omega. God, the great Sculptor, has made Him a Masterpiece, for It is a piece of His first Masterpiece. Like He made in the garden of Eden, and took a piece from, and made another piece and that was marred and fell, now He's been all this time building it up again. And He brought forth this Masterpiece, and was smitten, in order... That part that was smitten, was in order to bring back again that Masterpiece, again.
So, the Masterpiece and the Son of God, the Masterpiece and the Bride, and It's a piece of Him, which must be the fulfilling of the Word. The Word has been fulfilled, and we're ready for the Coming of the Lord.
Here are a few more highlights from this masterpiece, titled “The Masterpiece.”
1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Sometimes we can't understand that, gets very complicated at times, but yet we know that it's the Truth, 'cause the Bible says it's the Truth. And the Bible, to us, is God in letter form.
There's only one thing I have my faith in. If you believe me, follow what I tell you. Because, I believe the Bible, that's the Word of God. Other things fail.
And it was the stroke that cut the side of His masterpiece, that brought out the bride. And now we see them as a masterpiece family in the garden of Eden. How beautiful it was! And it so pleased Him, till He--He took rest then. He said, "I, I'll rest."
But while He was resting and trusting to His masterpiece, His enemy come in and found this great masterpiece. And he, by deceit, he--he crawls under the--the garden walls, and then he--he marred this beautiful masterpiece. He--he marred it, so that it--it fell.
Now the bodywork that come on to this great masterpiece was the prophets, which was the Word. I hope you can read it. See? The prophets; not the laws! The prophets, for the prophets was the vindicated Word which makes the body; not the patriarchs. The prophets, they were the Word.
God, when He looked upon Him, He was so inspired! He was so... to see Him the way He looked, and to see the--the form of Him, He was so inspired that it would be the perfect Masterpiece of a Redeemer, Jesus the Redeemer. So, God, in order to be smitten, Himself; because, to pay His Own penalty, God and Christ became One, so God could be smote in the Image, He could be scarred. And that's why Isaiah said, "We did esteem Him smitten and afflicted of God. Yet He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquity; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we were healed."
Now, the smiting of Christ was for a cause, that He might take from Him, one, to be a family, the Bride; He might take Him a Bride. So when His Masterpiece was perfected, then He had to smite It, to take from Him; not another piece, not another creation, but of the same creation.
If He took from Him, the original creation, to make the Bride for Him, He never made another creation. He took a part of the original creation. Then, if He was the Word, what must the Bride be? It's got to be the original Word, living God in the Word.
So, the Masterpiece and the Son of God, the Masterpiece and the Bride, and It's a piece of Him, which must be the fulfilling of the Word. The Word has been fulfilled, and we're ready for the Coming of the Lord.
Then what is it in the Millennium? Christ and His Bride, back in the garden of the Millennium. Amen!
Now Jesus said, "This will all man know that you're My disciples, when you have love one for the other." We should be so in love with one another!