Only believe the „Thus saith the Lord“
/ Ewald Frank
4. Only believe The “THUS SAITH THE LORD” – Part 2
It is very important to know that Jesus Christ, after His resurrection, opened His disciples’ understanding to His Word. We read in Lk.24, that He walked with two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus. They were talking about all that had happened in those days, but had no understanding yet, and didn’t know what it all meant. Much had also happened in our time and people are speaking about it, but what about meeting Jesus? He can open our understanding and answer our question today. The disciples even said to Jesus, “Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?” They did not recognize Him; neither did they realize that the Scriptures had to be fulfilled. As long as the disciples spoke, their understanding could not be opened, but as the Lord Jesus began to speak, they could clearly see and understand what had taken place then. It is possible for true disciples to talk about the things of God, and yet be ignorant of the fact that scripture is being fulfilled. The key lies in the words of Jesus in Lk.24:25, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?”
We see how Jesus Christ Himself emphasized that all had to be fulfilled, as it was spoken by the prophets.
This is very important. Jesus Christ is the same today as He was then. If we are truly His disciples, He will give us the light of His Word and the understanding to see that those predictions have taken places, which were prophesied for this time.
Many prophecies are being fulfilled in the time in which we live. Those prophecies must first be called to our attention from the Scripture. We also must understand that we cannot explain the prophecies of the Scriptures as we like. It takes a God- sent prophet to speak out the mysteries of God. As Bro. Branham has said, “God is His own interpreter.” He interprets His Word by letting that which He has spoken, come to pass.
Those who would like to understand what God does before second coming of Christ must first understand God’s dealings prior to His first coming. In the Old Testament, we repeatedly read that the word came to the prophets. The prophets saw in visions and by revelation what God wanted His people to know. In Amos 3:7 we read the well known Scripture, “Surely the LORD God will do nothing, but the revealeth his secret unto his servants, the prophets.”
It does not say that the secrets of God are being revealed to an evangelist or to a preacher, but to the servants, the prophets of God. Paul emphasizes this fact in the New Testament and writes in Eph.3:5, “Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.”
We must learn to respect the divine order and ask God to help us rightly understand that which He does.
A true prophet of God does not speak his own thoughts, neither does he proclaim the views of a denomination, but rather speaks with God- given authority in the Name of the Lord. At this point we must quote a statement from the Word of God found in 2 Chr.20:20. It reads like this: “Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established, believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.”
We certainly believe that these words were spoken by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We should not pass over them lightly, but give thought to that which was said in the latter part of the verse: “Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.” In Hag.1:12-13 we read: “The high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of the LORD, their God, and the words of Haggai, the prophet, as the LORD, their God, had sent him, and the people did fear before the LORD. Then spoke Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, in the LORD’s message unto the people, saying I am with you, saith the LORD.”
This Scripture is also given by inspiration and is profitable for doctrine. Here we read about the Lord’s messenger, who gave the Lord’s message to the people of God. The most important thing in this Scripture is that the remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God, and the words of Haggai the prophet, as the Lord their God had sent him, and the people did fear the Lord.
First we must understand what God has promised and, when we realize that God has sent a prophet, we must be willing to obey the words of God. The Lord will then be with us, so that we can receive the messenger and also the message, which a true prophet of God delivers in the Name of the Lord from the Word of God. Without hesitation, it can be said that the true remnant of the people of God in this generation also obey the voice of the Lord their God, as they listen to the words of the God-sent prophet. They have received the messenger and also the message. As already mentioned, there were prophecies in the Old Testament referring to the first coming of the Lord. Before they were fulfilled, God sent a prophet, whose name was John. He prepared the way of the Lord and brought the “Spoken Word” of God to the children of God at that time, to reveal the Written Word. Through the “Spoken Word”, the Written Word has been revealed. Everyone who believed the message of John, in reality believed God. Now we are living before the second coming of Christ and again
prophecies are being fulfilled. Everybody who believes the message of this hour, delivered by the God –sent prophet, will see the fulfillment of Scripture.
We need the THUS SAITH THE LORD in this time, in order to receive absolute assurance of that which we believe and teach. Many who were preaching in the days of John did not line up and recognize that God’s Word was being fulfilled before their eyes. The same thing could happen in this time. We can even speak of the coming of the Lord and not realize that Scripture is being fulfilled. Yet in spite of all what God has done, we crucify the Son of God afresh. If we reject and ignore that which God has predicted and fulfilled in this generation.
It is impossible to bypass the work which God does. If you are a true child of God, you will recognize and accept the true messenger and the message of God. According to Acts 1:16, Peter stood up in Jerusalem among the hundred and twenty and said, “Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of David, spoke before concerning Judas, who was guide to them that took Jesus.”
By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Peter saw fulfillment of Scripture even in that which happened with Judas. We should read this chapter right to the end, because Peter continuously refers to the prophecies which had to be fulfilled. This is the characteristic of a true servant of God. He will not bring well worked-out explanation, but will take the people of God back to THUS SAITH THE LORD of the Word of God.
In Acts 2 we read of the pouring of the Holy Spirit. Again it is Peter, who in verse 14 stood up with the eleven, lifted up his voice and said, “ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words; for these are not drunk, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of day. But this that which was spoken through the prophet, Joel: And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.”
We see that Peter, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, knew exactly which prophecy was fulfilled. He didn’t give his explanation about that which happened on the day of Pentecost, bur referred to the Word of God. He could show the people that the prophet Joel had spoken of this.
In Acts 3:18 we read, “But those things, which God before had shown by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled.”
This is a wonderful statement. Referring to Christ, he says in verse 21, “Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the age began.”
With this prophetic statement, we have come to our actual theme. Christ waits in heaven until restoration of all things has taken place, and until the divine order in the church of the living God is built up again, as God has said through the mouth of His holy prophets. At the time Peter spoke this Word of God concerning the restoration of all things, John’s ministry was long finished.
This promise agrees with that which Jesus Christ said in Mt.17:11, where we read as follows: “Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things.”
This is spoken and written in future tense. That cannot be denied. The Lord Jesus Christ spoke this after the ministry of john was finished. The disciples asked their Lord the question, “Why then says the scribes that Elijah must first come?” His answer was that Elijah would come and restore all things. Then the reference of John He said, “Elijah is come already, and they knew him not.” Jesus only made this statement, because the first part of that prophecy concerning the sending of the prophet Elijah was fulfilled. “He shall…turn the hearts of the fathers to the children” (Lk.1:17). Here is a mystery like in Lk.4:19, where Jesus read about the acceptable year of the Lord, but leaves out that which is written in reference to the day of vengeance.
So we see that it was God’s promise to send a prophet before the first coming of Christ, as well as to send a prophet before the second coming of Christ. The promise to send the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord is found in Mal.4:5, “Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD!”
The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ must take place before the great and dreadful day of the Lord breaks in.
It obvious that the scribes were waiting for a man who would do great signs and wonders among the people, as Elijah did. John was a Word-prophet, yet no signs and wonders took place through his ministry. He was not that prophet Elijah, who was to come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. The day of the Lord was not at hand in John’s time; it was rather the beginning of the day of grace and salvation. He simply was the prophet who stood up in the power and spirit of Elijah. This angel told Zacharias in Lk.1:17, “And he shall go before him in the spirit of power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.”
It is absolutely necessary that we read every word precisely. It does not say, he is Elijah, but it only says that he would come in the spirit and power of Elijah. In Jn.1:19 we read, “And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, what then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, am not.”
If we don’t want to call John a liar, we have to believe what he said. In verse 23, he answered with Scripture which was prophesied of him, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet, Isaiah.”
John’s witness and that which the angel said to Zacharias agree completely with the testimony of Jesus Christ. It is written of John in Mt.11:10, “For this is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.”
That is exactly what we written in Mal.3:1. This is what Jesus Christ Himself said, and we must believe what he said. John certainly could not be a prophet who should come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. Almost two thousand years have passed and the great and dreadful day of the Lord has not yet been. According to the Word of God, as we read in the last two verses of the Old Testament, in the prophet of Malachi, Elijah must first come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the children to the fathers, lest the Lord smite the earth with a curse.
Now let us quote a few verses of Scripture, wherein the day of the Lord is described. In 2 Thess. 2:2 Paul writes, “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that day of the Lord is present.”
Certainly there must have been people who got the forerunner of the first coming mixed up with the forerunner of the second coming. It is also happening today, otherwise Paul would not have needed to write about this theme concerning the day of the Lord. Paul was an apostle and a prophet. He wrote about the falling away and described all the things which were to happen before the day of the Lord could come. Basically, Paul is saying that the day of the Lord can only come after the fulfillment of those things written in 2 Thess.2 and other places in reference to the latter days.
The day of the Lord is described in the Old as well as the New Testament. For example, Isa. 13:6+9 read like this, “Wail; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners out of it.”
In the prophet Zeph.1:14-15 we read, “The great day of the LORD is near, it is near. And hasteneth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD; the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble distress …a day of clouds and thick darkness.”
We continue to read Joel 2:31, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.”
The latter Scripture reminds us very much of the sixth seal. Everyone can read Rev.6, beginning with verse 12, to know what sixth seal contains.
The days of grace and salvation come to an end for the Gentiles as soon as the rapture takes place. Then begins then day of wrath and vengeance. Peter writes in 2 Pet.3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the right, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are in it, shall be burned up.”
Paul writes in 1 Thess.5:2, “For you know perfectly that the day of the lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” Further he writes in the fourth verse, “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”
This prediction is also fulfilled. Paul writes that we cannot be overtaken, because we do not live in darkness. The prophet Zechariah prophesied in chapter 14:7, “But it shall be one day which shall known to the LORD, not day, nor night; but it shall come to pass that, at evening time, it shall be light.”
Those who live in the light of the revealed Word of God in this time are no longer in darkness. God’s elect in this generation have realized that He has sent His servant and prophet before the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
Here are some questions to all ministers of the Gospel in our time, who have often accused those who in Bible times did not recognize the visitations of God, and did not see the fulfillment of prophecy.
Could it be possible that we find ourselves in the same situation without realizing it? Are we passing over that which God is doing in our time? Do we fail to understand what God is doing, because we see only our own programs and don’t recognize the plan of God and don’t see the fulfillment of the Words spoken by the Lord through His prophets?
It is absolutely necessary that we take the eternal and never failing Word of God to light up our way. We read the wonderful Words of our Lord in Jn.8:12, “Then spoke Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
Jesus Christ is the Word. To follow Him, you must follow the word for this hour. How many people say with their mouth, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and light unto path,” but still continue to walk in darkness. God’s Word can only become a bright shining light, if it is revealed to us in its divine significance by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Bro. Branham often said, “People thank God for what He has done and what He will do. But miss and bypass what He is doing in their time.”
We now have a choice. We can continue believing and preaching our own interpretations, or we can accept God’s Word sent through the prophetic ministry of Bro. Branham in this time. Most people are ignorant of what God has promised for this age. We must learn and accept the fact that God has, since the beginning of time, used His servants, the prophets, to reveal what was to happen. When something extraordinary was to take place on earth, God always had a prophet ready, to which He could speak. We must understand that not every preacher and evangelist has a prophetic ministry. Only a prophet can reveal the prophetic Word to the people.
As sure as God has used the prophets to foretell things, He uses prophets to proclaim it in the time of fulfillment; when it comes. Thanks are to God. He watches over His Word to perform it.
Jesus Christ prophesied in Lk.17:26-30, “And as it was in the days of Noah so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, built, but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”
It is very important that we consider those days and realize what God did then in order to know what He is doing now. The majority of the believers only speak of the things which happened in those days amongst the unbelievers. But we as the children of God, who are waiting for the return of Jesus Christ, are mainly interested to know what happened among those who were called out at that time. It is a fact that God had a prophet, before the judgement of the flood came. He revealed the mystery of His will to that prophet and all that believed him, escaped and was safe.
At that time there were the descendants of Seth, who were blest of God, and also the lineage of Cain. When these two mixed, the end of all flesh had come before God. Christ was to be born after the flesh from the descendants of Seth, whose lineage was not mixed with Cain’s. In this generation, the religious world is coming together and is being mixed in the World Council of Churches. Just at such a time, God has sent a prophet with a message to call out the children of God, that they may be separated to believe the Truth. All who do not accept and believe Satan’s lies. We can imagine how the people scoffed and shook their heads when they talked about Noah, the prophet of God, but the time came when God confirmed what was said in His Name. So will it be in this generation.
As certain as God needed a prophet in those days, He had to have a prophet now, for Jesus Christ Himself said in Lk.17:30, “Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”
The people may have thought that Noah did not have to be the only one who knew the Word of God and to whom the will of God for that time was revealed. It is an established fact, nevertheless, that Noah was vindicated as the prophet of God.
Friends, the Scripture cannot be broken. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, said in Mt.24:37-39, “But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
We can truthfully say that prophecy is fulfilled before our very eyes. Let us look at the events which took place, before the fire of God fell from heaven and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were burnt up. According to Gen.18, the Lord visited His prophet Abraham with two angels. In Gen.19:1, we read about the two angels going on to Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham and spoke to him, saying, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?” (Gen.18:17).
Abraham was the prophet of God at that time and to him the secrets of the will of God were revealed. Please carefully read Gen.18:9-15. The Lord confirmed the promise that He had given to Abraham while Sarah was in the tent listening to the conversation. She laughed within herself. Then the Lord, speaking to Abraham revealed that she had laughed. He also made known the thoughts of her heart (v.13). It is most important to understand what this event thoroughly, because it was the last thing that happened before the judgements of God fell on Sodom and Gomorrah
If we do not understand what happened in those days, surely we cannot understand what is happening now. Are we able to see the similarity of the ministry of the Lord, when He walked on this earth, to that which took place with Abraham, before Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed? The Lord had made Himself known to Abraham. He also made Himself known at His first coming to the royal seed of Abraham. Just as Abraham believed God, so did the seed of Abraham believe God, when the Lord revealed Himself as He walked on this earth.
In the Gospel of John, chapter 1:40-42, it is reported that Andrew brought his brother to Christ. The Lord looked at him saying, “Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah.” Never before did He meet him, and now He called him by name and even told his father’s name. Please don’t pass over this lightly because everything that the Lord has done surely has a great significance. In the same chapter it is reported that Philip brought Nathanael to Christ. Jesus said, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” Nathanael was so overwhelmed, that he asked with astonishment, “How knowest thou me?” (Jn.1:48)
Then came the answer of the Master, “Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.” That was enough for Nathanael, and he cried out, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.”
In the Gospel of John, chapter 4, we read the story of the woman from Samaria. The Lord Jesus revealed her life. She said unto Him, “Sir, I perceived that thou art a prophet.” Then she said, “I know that Messiah cometh, who is called Christ; when he is come, he will tell us all things” “Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.”
That was enough for the woman. She was convinced and ran into the city saying, “Come, see a man, who told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?”
If someone wants to understand the ministry of Bro. Branham correctly at this time, he must first understand the ministry of the Lord. It cannot be denied by those who were present in the meetings of Bro. Branham, that the same Lord revealed Himself in the same way through the power of the Holy Spirit. Hundreds of taped message are a living testimony to this fact. Also, in this time, the true seed of God has acknowledged and is rejoicing over what the Lord of glory has done. The seed of the serpent declared that the work of the Lord was of the devil. As it was then, so is it now. But every person, to whom the Lord revealed Himself in this supernatural way, was convinced that it was of God.
Anyone reading the four gospels will find that the Lord Jesus Christ could tell the people what they thought, and what they had done, etc. In Jn.2:24-25 we read, “But Jesus commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man; for he knew what was in man.”
According to Mt.21:1, Jesus Christ sent two disciples, saying unto them, “Go into the village opposite you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man says anything unto you, ye shall say, the Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy king cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of an ass.”
Certainly the disciples found everything just as the Lord had told them.
The Lord Jesus Christ knew what someone was thinking in his heart, and He could tell about circumstances, which would come to pass exactly as He said they would. The true seed of God was not offended because of this supernatural ministry of the Lord, but rather was convinced that it was the work of God. Therefore, they were blest. We can see the nature of the ministry of Jesus Christ, when He walked upon this earth as the Son of Man, doing the work of a prophet. It was the supernatural ministry of discernment which some people stumbled over, but it was this type of ministry through which spirits were discerned and exorcised. In the presence of such ministry it was not possible to remain neutral. The seed of God declared it to be of God, and the seed of the serpent declared it to be of the devil. We just wish that it were possible that the curtain of time could be lifted, so that we could see the final destination of the true seed of Abraham, who believed with all their heart.
Likewise, it would also be a solemn admonishment, if we also could see those who rejected the work of the Lord and sinned against Him. We must say again that the true seed of Abraham in the days of the Lord Jesus possessed the same faith that Abraham did. Likewise, the true seed of Abraham in this generation will believe God in the same way that Abraham did.
That which God has done in our time was not done in secret, but rather to the contrary: Tens of thousands were witnesses to that which God has done. The prophetic ministry of Bro. Branham with the gift of discernment was the supernatural ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has revealed Himself to this generation in the same way. Often, the secrets of the heart were revealed to those desiring counsel from the Lord, and also to those skeptical of the prophetic ministry. Whoever knows the Word of God and has understood the ministry of Jesus Christ, will not fail to recognize that a similar ministry has been manifested in this generation. All we can say is that Scripture has been fulfilled before our eyes.
Before the first coming of the Lord, people were waiting for almost four thousand years to see prophecies fulfilled, then, nearly all came to pass within one generation. We have been waiting for almost two thousand years for the return of the Lord and during this time, all the children of God have thought that Jesus Christ would return during their life-time. By the grace of God, we are living in that generation, in which all the prophecies pertaining to the second coming of Christ are being fulfilled. Jesus Christ said in Mt.24:34, in the parable of the fig tree, which is spoken in reference to the people of Israel, “Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.”
The same generation that will see Israel become a nation is the one which will witness the fulfillment of all prophecies that are connected with the second coming of the Lord.
There are some things that are peculiar in the Christian era of two thousand years ago, as well as in this present –day era. During the time of the early church, there was a decline in the grandeur of Judaism. Israel suffered under the Roman occupation, until finally in 70 AD the temple was utterly destroyed and the people of Israel were scattered all over the world. The same thing is happening in this era, but the tide is flowing in the opposite direction. Israel is being gathered from all over the world and there are even plans to rebuild the temple. The present day position of Israel tells us that a multitude of prophecies concerning Israel and the end of the Gentiles dispensation have been and are about to be fulfilled in this very generation.
Just as certain as the Jews returned from all countries to the promised land of their fathers, so are the true children of God coming out from all the denominations to stand upon the promises of Go for this hour.
In every age the Lord revealed His will through His Word, which came to His prophets. We are now living in the most tremendous time of all the history in mankind. We have almost reached the end of the Gentile dispensation and we must know what God has promised for this day. The prophet Daniel records in Dan.12:4, “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and the knowledge shall be increased.”
In the same chapter in the 9th verse we read, “And he said, go thy way, Daniel; for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.”
Many have asked in sincerity why God had not revealed His secrets in the times past. We have just read about it, that there were things to be kept until the time of the end. In Rev.10:7 we read, “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants, the prophets.”
In reading Rev.10:5 and also Dan.12:5, we see how one Word coincides with the other. It must be of great importance to know that the angel Gabriel came to the prophet Daniel, to whom it was given to write the things which would have to take place in the time of the end. In the same way the angel came to John on the Isle of Patmos. We should not be surprised to hear and that an angel also came to God’s prophet for this day. We read in Dan.8:17, “So he came near where I stood; and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face; but he said unto me, understand, o son of man; for at the time of the end shall be the vision.”
As was said before, everything that God does and all which happens in the kingdom of God is of great significance. In Dan.8:19 we read, “And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation; for at the time appointed the end shall be.”
We can see that the prophetic Word speaks about the end-time and about things which should be kept and determined for the end-time.
When John was on the Isle of Patmos, things pertaining to the end-time were shown to him. We read in Rev 1:1, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant, John.”
Almost the same words are found in Rev. 22:6. According to the testimony of Bro. Branham, an angel of the Lord also came to him on May 7th, 1946. He had been sent from the presence of God to tell him about the things which God wanted him to know.
If we can believe that an angel came to Daniel and to John, we certainly will not find it hard to believe that an angel also came to Bro. Branham. In actual, we read in the Old Testament as well as in the New, that frequently angels were sent to bring a message from God. We are convinced before God with all our hearts, that we are now living at end of the end-time, and that the return of Jesus Christ is very near. We know that the bride has to be prepared and called out before she can be raptured. That is the purpose of the coming of the prophet- messenger in this end-time. The bride of Jesus Christ has to be taken out of this religious Babylon by the true Word of God. We must be separated and sanctified and made ready to meet the Bridegroom. Just as the Bridegroom is the Word, so must be the bride be part of that Word. In Dan. 12:10 we read, “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tested, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.”
We are convinced that we now must hear that Word which God has determined for us to hear. It is high time that we proclaim not the views of organizations, but rather the revealed Word of God, which must be given out as the fresh food for this time. After we have received the THUS SAITH THE LORD, we have no more need for the man-made interpretations of the Scripture. If someone is ignorant of that which was promised, it is possible that the Scripture is being fulfilled even without that person realizing it.
When the Lord came the first time, men had the Written Word of God and they waited for the Messiah. They did not, however, have the revelation of the Holy Spirit to see the prophecies being fulfilled before their very eyes. To those outside the sphere of influence of the Holy Spirit, everything seemed to be all right. They had the temple worship, and the theme of every sermon and sacrifice typed the coming Messiah in one way or another. When He came to His own, His own received Him not. Everywhere now, the children of God are waiting for the return of Jesus Christ. Ministers preach about it, but they are a hindrance to the cause, because they do not recognize the message for this hour. Only through a God-sent prophet can we know the divine significance of the Word of God. After the Word has been revealed through the ministry of a prophet, a teacher can expound the things to the church, so that the children of God may be established on the Word of the Lord.
John was a man sent from God with a message for his time. We read in Jn. 1:7, “The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.”
It is quite a statement that all men should believe through him. It was not a group that was chosen to prepare the way of the Lord; it was this one man who was sent to prepare the way of the Lord. God did not entrust His secrets to the scribes and Pharisees, but rather to that one man, who was foreordained for that specific purpose. We can see that it was not sufficient just to have the Written Word, but a man of God had to come with the “Spoken Word” to reveal the Written Word when fulfilled. The same thing is happening in this generation. Every minister and the children of God have the Written Word. But it has a prophet, foreordained of God, to bring the “Spoken Word” and proclaim the mysteries that were appointed for us to know. Blessed are the eyes who can see this, blessed are the ears that hear this and blessed are those who can believe it. Jn. 14:12 was surely vindicated through his ministry. There is no need to exaggerate, in the contrary: one is almost afraid to relate certain things which happened in the God-given ministry of this humble man of God.
It must be said that the end-time message is one hundred percent in line with the Bible. If somebody takes that which Bro. Branham has said, and places it on a different level than the Bible, such a person will miss the mark. Everyone, who has received enough of the grace of God to take that which was taught and verify it from the Bible, will have a balance in the Scripture.
The end-time message is nothing less and nothing more than the Word of God revealed for this time. It is nothing added to the Bible, but it is the Holy Scripture revealed by the Holy Spirit. God’s people have been
brought back to the true Word and the pure teaching of the Holy Scriptures. It certainly is not enough just to acknowledge and accept all these things with our heads. We must become a living testimony of the Word of God. Whoever takes these things and believes them only with his head, may do great damage with them, if he attempts to teach others. Those who have taken the Word into their hearts may be a great blessing to others.
In Acts 20:25 Paul writes, “And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore, I testify unto you this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men; for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”
Paul was a teacher, an apostle and a prophet. He could say that he had proclaimed the whole counsel of God. The ministry of the prophet in the New Testament must parallel the ministry of the prophets in the Old Testament, because God is for ever the same.
It is true that the Bible does not only speak of that prophet, who was to come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, but it also speaks of many false prophets which would arise. If we read the Old Testament carefully, we will see that whenever a true prophet rose up with the THUS SAITH THE LORD, a large group of false prophets withstood the true prophet. It was so with Jeremiah. We can read this in Jer. 23+26. It was so with Micaiah, who was a true prophet, and four hundred false prophets withstood him. We can read this in 1 Ki. 22.
In 2 Tim. 3:1 we read how things would be in the latter days. In the 8th verse, Paul writes, “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.”
This is a prophecy which is also fulfilled in our time. Why was Paul inspired by the Holy Spirit to refer to Moses and the miracle-workers at that time in reference to the latter days? There must surely be a parallel between the time and the time which we are living. We all know that Moses was the prophet of God to whom the Lord appeared in the pillar of fire. With the absolute and final assurance before God, it must be said that the same Lord appeared to Bro. Branham in the same pillar of fire. The angel of the Lord spoke to him and said, “As Moses was given two signs, so you are given two signs.“
The Word of God is now being fulfilled by men who arose and did mighty signs and wonders, but have rejected the Truth, as Jannes and Jambres did. Also, that which Jesus Christ said in Mt. 7:21 had to be fulfilled, “Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father; who is in heaven.”
We must ask the question: Who are these men who prophesy, cast out devils, perform miracles, and yet remain in unrighteousness? Could it be that these words describe the ministries of the full-gospel ministers? No one else casts out devils, performs miracles, prophesies and claims to believe the full gospel. Jesus Christ declares, “Not all that say, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but those who do the will of my Father, who is in heaven.”
We cannot gain access to heaven through that which we have done; we must do the will of God.
In Heb. 10:35-37 we read, “Cast not away, therefore, your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and I will not tarry.”
According to Lk. 7:29-30, all who believed the message of John were baptized and thereby justified in the sight of God. We know that through the ministry of Bro. Branham, the true water baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ was preached. Here we can ask a similar question, which Jesus Christ asked the scribes in His day. In Lk. 20:4 we read, “The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?”
Therefore we ask, is the baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ of God or of men? The people knew that John was a prophet. In the same way the people knew Bro. Branham to be a prophet. Now is the time to speak up. Why be silent? Here we have to say that water baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ is according to the THUS SAITH THE LORD of the Word of God. Please do not misinterpret this vital Bible doctrine any longer with your own understanding, but rather, just say what was said under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Peter spoke to the Jews in Acts 2:38, Philip spoke to the Samaritans in Acts 8:16 and Paul to the Gentiles in Acts 19:5. Here we have three witnesses. How could we follow the traditions of men and ignore the true teaching of the Bible?
Brethren, if any doctrine is in question, we must take the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation to find our answer. If we can forsake our traditional teachings and acknowledge that a vindicated prophet spoke the Word of God by divine revelation, things will change. Can anyone challenge the teachings of a true vindicated prophet of God? How can someone think that a prophet could be wrong in his teaching and believe himself to be right?
God has not sent a prophet for us to ignore, but to cause us to give our attention to the Word of God, and take heed, and believe the THUS SAITH THE LORD. In Isa. 66:5 we read, “Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word: Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified. But he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.”
In Isa. 48:3+5-6 we read, “I have declared the former things from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I showed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass… I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I showed it to thee, lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my carved image, and my melted image, hath commanded them. Though hast heard; see all this; and will not ye declare it? I have shown thee new things from this time, even hidden things, and though didst nor know them.”
Isa. 46:9-10 declares, “Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.”
Brethren, whatever your calling may be, please be humble enough to line up with the Word of God. Everyone is challenged to read the many sermons of Bro. Branham which were published. In Rev. 1:20 we read, “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”
The seven stars in the right hand of Him who overcame death and hell are the seven messengers to the seven church ages. They are not in the hand of man or an organization, but in that mighty hand of the Lord.
Seven times it is said in the book of Revelation, chp. 2 and 3, “And unto the angel of the church… write, … these things saith…” Also seven times it is written, “He that overcometh…” and “He that hath an ear; let him hear what the Script saith unto the churches.” If we want to overcome the enemy, we must know how to accomplish this. In Rev. 12:11 we read, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto death.”
May the Word be our testimony and may we be found under the blood. Through Him that loved us, we are more than conquerors.
In conclusion, we greet everyone with the words in 2 Pet. 3:2, “That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, apostles of the Lord and Saviour”.
Also with the words of Paul from Rom. 16:24-27, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest, and by scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God, only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.”
The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is very near. Look up, for our redemption draweth nigh. Are you ready to meet the Lord? Can you pray, “Even so, come Lord Jesus Christ”?
The grace of God be with you all.