Ewald Frank

preached on 29. 9. 1991, 14:00, Zürich,

Topic: "The major difference between Matthew 25:1–10 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17. One voice is addressed to the living on earth, and the other to those who have fallen asleep in Christ in heaven!"

broadcast on 30. 8. 2026

Thanks be to the Lord, that redemption is not something that is yet to happen, but has already taken place, and that we may come before our God as those who have been redeemed, as those who have been set free, as people who have received forgiveness. That we may call out: “Abba, Father,” in the certainty that he hears us. [Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6] Today too, let us be still, innerly still, detaching ourselves from all the worries of daily life, from all the problems that undoubtedly preoccupy us and cause us distress, and simply spend some time before the Lord in refreshment, reflection, edification, and strengthening.

Well, and in the last few days in Johannesburg, relations between white and black are a bit turbulent there; but not only that, doctrinally speaking, there is hardly any country that has failed so miserably in terms of the proclamation of the Gospel as South Africa. Even people within the message believe the most impossible things under the sun. About the Lord has come, and the wedding is taking place, and no more grace, and Branham the son of man, and this and much more besides, I have rarely had to put up with such a hard time in recent years as I did there in South Africa. You know, when it comes to defending the Word, not me, I don’t need to defend myself. But when it comes to the Word, then I believe that is my duty, that is simply my duty.

I am not going to wear a cloak over both shoulders just because it might please people, I’d rather take it off completely and throw it away. And so God gave me the courage to say what needed to be said and also to put it in its proper context.

It was mainly about Revelation 10, 1 to 6, which had already been fulfilled for these people as far back as 1963. And I called out to the congregation: “Revelation 10, 1 to 6, has not even been touched upon to this day, let alone fulfilled.” And following that I said: “Thus says the Lord in his Word.” There are things I do not just say, but which I know with absolute certainty this is how it is, and it cannot be otherwise.

The same applies to 1 Thessalonians 4. It is claimed that a certain part of this has already been fulfilled, namely that the Lord has left his mercy seat and is descending, and so on. With God’s help, I have also been able to make it very clear on the basis of the Word that 1 Thessalonians 4 has not even been touched upon yet.

Not a single point of it has been touched upon, let alone fulfilled. What is happening now is mainly Matthew 25: “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” [Mat 25:6] Now is the time for waking up, trimming the lamps and filling them with oil, so that there is no shortage when the Lord comes. [Mt 25:7] But if anyone were to say to me: “The Lord has already come,” then I would say: “If he had come, I would no longer be here, for when he comes, I go.” And that is always so beautiful, and it is also one hundred percent true. When he returns, we shall go up with him, we shall meet him in the air, and shall then be with the Lord for ever. [1The 4:17]

What really struck me for the first time when comparing Matthew 25 and 1 Thessalonians 4, let me read it out here, Matthew 25:

[1] Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

[2] And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

[3] They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them.

[4] But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

[5] While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

[6] And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

[7] Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

[8] And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

[9] But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

[10] And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

These words are actually among the clearest, and indeed the most serious, when it comes to the preparation of the Bride Church, the preparation of those who wish to share in the first resurrection, the transformation, and rapture, who truly wish to attain the highest goal that God could set for mankind. They must do their utmost to ensure that there is truly no shortage.

Here a distinction is made between lamps and the vessels [Mat 25:4] that are also necessary, vessels containing oil, so that the lamps can be refilled. All housewives, and anyone who used to live in the countryside, know full well whether they use paraffin lamps or oil lamps. The key point was always to ensure the wick had a steady supply of fuel which had to be topped up.

We are all familiar with that. We all know from our experience with lamps from that era that the glass has to be cleaned from time to time so that the light shines clearly again. And so the Lord uses examples from everyday life, examples that everyone understands.

And here then is the question. Dear brothers and sisters, dear friends, hear the question. When it comes to lamps, this can speak of enlightenment. It can be a witness that God has given us light, that we have been born again, for virgin, the word virgin in itself means pure, holy, untouched, that is, people who are born of God, consecrated to the Lord, who can say, like Mary: “I know of no man” [Luk 1:34], people who are not simply Methodists or Baptists who do not switch from church to church in search of happiness and salvation, but people who come to God and have their own personal experience of salvation with the Lord, and then they no longer need anyone to act as a mediator, for they have found the mediator and advocate, Jesus Christ.

They have penetrated and have received peace with God, as it is written: “Peace to those who are far off, and peace to those who are near.” [Isa 57:19; Eph 2:17]

Here, with this enlightenment, which God has graciously bestowed upon us, we are content, but we need the oil in the jar so that we may keep refilling the lamps. And there is a passage in Hebrews where the manna and Aaron’s rod was placed in the golden jar as a memorial that God fed his people in a supernatural way for forty years. [Exo 16:33-34; Num 17:10; Heb 9:4]

Now if the term “jug” or “vessel” appears on both sides, then it actually stands to reason. Let me read the passage from Hebrews 9, Hebrews 9, verse 4, perhaps verse 3 as well, Hebrews 9, verse 3:

[3] And after the second veil the tabernacle, which is called the Holiest of all,

[4] Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant.

We note that there were several items here. Not just one thing. Here was the divine confirmation. At that time the question among the Israelites was, they said: “Moses, are you the only one who has a say here? Are we not many? Are there not enough tribes here?” [Numo 16:3] And as you know, each of the tribes took a dry rod, and lo and behold, the rod that would bear blossoms and fruit the very next morning, that is the rod of the tribe which God has chosen to serve in his name before his face. [Num 17:1-10] You all know the story from the Old Testament. And so the priestly tribe was designated by God. And so everyone knew where they stood.

When it is written here that the tablets of the covenant and the jar of manna were also there, we must understand that in the divine order certain things belong together. We believe that God had hidden manna prepared for us. And we believe even more, we believe that by his grace he has granted us access to that which was hidden. And that is precisely the significance of the Lord sending his servant and prophet. You know, I do not mention his name often, but when I do, it is with deep inner emotion and gratitude.

I am not one of those people who so readily use the name of our beloved brother Branham for all manner of possible and impossible purposes. I associate such a man of God with a commission that God has given him, namely to restore all things.

And when brothers in South Africa told me that the Lord had indeed already come, after all photographs of him are being taken everywhere, here in color and there in black and white and so on, I simply said: “Only when the church has been raptured and the Lord has taken us as his bride to the wedding feast, and the ministry of the two prophets has then begun and been completed after three and a half years, will the 144,000 stand on Mount Zion, to whom he is to reveal himself, so that they may look upon him whom they have pierced, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn for him.” And every now and then I also ask questions about what has already been fulfilled of what is written in Revelation 10 verses 1 to 6.

And if people are honest, they have to admit: nothing.

Sometimes I am even a bit cheeky, and have asked someone: “When did you actually become a believer?” He was one of those preachers who thought very highly of himself. I asked him quite directly: “When did you become a believer?” “Well, in 1974.” I said: “Well, then it was all too late anyway.” “If you reckon the Lord left the mercy seat in 1963 and is only now descending, and you converted in 1974, then you are out of the running anyway.”

Well, what can one do? At some point it must be permissible to say something to people in order to shake them up a bit, for it is written, “In the last days people will appear with corrupt minds.” [2Tim 3:8] Someone might think here they are only to be found amongst politicians. Huh, make no mistake, it’s not the corrupt minds amongst the politicians that cause me the greatest headache. It’s the corrupt minds amongst those who pretend to believe the message and yet throw everything into disarray.

There is nothing but ruin in their ways. They leave nothing intact behind them. And why? Because they themselves are in disarray. They themselves have been unable to bring anything into order, because they have not allowed themselves to be brought into order.

There is a divine order into which we must submit ourselves. And if we do not enter into this divine order, we will not be able to understand the divine order. This divine order begins with each of us personally. And then, what happens around us can be effortlessly placed within the divine order.

But now, back to this scripture, I’d like to read it to you, so that it sinks in once and for all, I might say, especially for the sake of those who may still be bombarded here and there by the seven thunders and various teachings, so that we may truly know once and for all, that 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 has as of yet not begun in the plan of salvation, has not been touched upon, has not taken place, let alone been fulfilled.

I’ll read slowly, 1 Thessalonians 4, and I ask for your full attention:

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep…” [1Th 4:13]

I’ll stop here. And do you know why I’m stopping now? Which group of people is being referred to here? Those who have fallen asleep in Christ. Which group of people is Matthew 25 about? Pardon? Those who are alive at that time, is that correct? Matthew 25 is about the living, about the message to the living. “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” [Mat 25:6]

The cry in Matthew 25 takes place here on earth. Here it grows louder and louder. Here it will then be realized that the oil is running out.

Here the lamps are now being trimmed and the jars filled. This is after all the time of calling out and preparation in which we now find ourselves. This is precisely the great difference from Matthew 25. There the situation immediately prior to the return of Jesus Christ is described.

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.” [Mat 25:1]

Here in 1 Thessalonians 4 it is not at all about the living, and that is something one must know, and once you know that, you can send a bolt of lightning after every thunder brother with the Word of the Lord, so that everything may be gloriously illuminated. The zeal for the house of the Lord consumes me, not only because I have a divine calling and responsibility, but also because it has simply been given to me by God in this way. I cannot tolerate falsehood. And God’s Word is the truth, and must not be misrepresented nor taken out of context, but must remain where it is.

I shall read once more, from 1 Thessalonians 4, from verse 13:

[13] But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

So this is about those who have fallen asleep, and now it says what will happen next.

[14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

And I then ask very directly, when he comes, where will those who have fallen asleep in Christ be, whom he will then bring with him? Have you seen them? No, nobody has seen anything. And have you heard them? What have you heard? What have you seen?

Nothing heard and nothing seen, but certainly a lot talked about, but not with me. We are people who are not meant for deception, but people who have been begotten by the Word of truth, born again through the Spirit and the Word, to reject every lie, and to be sanctified through and through in the truth, and to agree with God in all things. For it is still written that “every man is a liar, and God alone is true” [Rom 3:4], and the best liars are in fact the preachers, let that be a matter of complaint to God, because they turn the truth into something false, they twist it to make something else out of it.

I’ll read on, let’s bear this in mind:

[14] For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

So? Very clear and very plain. When the Lord comes, those who have fallen asleep in Christ will rise first. [1The 4:16]

Who can fully grasp this now and perhaps guess what I’m trying to say? When brother Branham was still alive, he had a vision, or I believe he was taken out of his body, you all know his testimony. He saw his wife lying on the bed, was taken behind the curtain of time, saw millions dressed in white, all young and all beautiful. As an old man I’m allowed to say this too, they were all pretty, about seventeen or eighteen years old. So let’s rejoice, we who will one day be young, that we won’t have to walk with a walking stick there.

In any case, brother Branham did see this, he called it a countless multitude. Women and girls, he described them, the women had long, loose hair hanging down their backs in all sorts of colors, the brothers had gentle faces and short, cropped hair, and he said they were no older than sixteen or seventeen, eighteen at most. And they came up to him, calling out: “Our precious brother!” Girls and men, they all embraced him, and then all moved on, and then the next group came. And he asked: “Well, what on earth is this? Even sisters are embracing me, that’s never happened in my whole life!”

You know, brother Branham was a sincere man of God, who kept his distance, a very great distance, and that astonished him. But what I wanted to say is this, he was then told: “In this body they now have, they do not eat or drink, they wait until the Lord comes, and the resurrection takes place.” Only then will they receive their resurrection body, and then they will eat and drink, and take part in the marriage supper.” Sometimes it’s good to know that.

Here we have read: “Just as Christ died and so on, so God will bring those who have fallen asleep together with Christ,” [1The 4:14]

Here one might ask: “They shall rise first, and yet he’s already bringing them along.” One might ask this, right? Both are correct. At present they are in a glorified body, but at the Lord’s return they will receive the resurrection body.

As I just said, so that they may then eat and drink eternally young. Therefore, to return to this point, if anyone claims that the revelation of the seven thunders implies that the Lord has come, then we will send an eighth thunder after them and say no and no again. It will happen when the Lord comes. And you will realize that this call will indeed come from heaven.

In Matthew 25 the call is not in heaven, it is here on earth. “Go ye out to meet him, behold the bridegroom cometh” [Mt 25:6] and so on.

But here in verse 16 of 1 Thessalonians we read, 1 Thessalonians, here we read:

[15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord…

I like that, hallelujah.

[15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord…

He could have said: “What I am now setting out here is, ‘Thus saith the Lord.’”

[15] For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord…

I’ll read on:

[15] …that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep.

[16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

Do we notice the order? He himself will descend. The original text actually uses the word “with a commanding shout.” Not just a wake-up call or shout, but he will come with a commanding shout and with the voice of the archangel. I am always delighted whenever I read about the archangel Michael, for he stands very faithfully by the Lord’s side. As you know, for instance, in Revelation 12, when the man-child is caught up, it is Michael who seizes the devil and hurls him down, along with his angels and so on. In Daniel 12 it also says: “He who fights for your people.” [Dan 12:1]

Whenever I read this, I am glad that some of the Lord’s burdens are now being lifted from him. He has done his part. I have probably said this here before: Our Lord has dealt with Satan once and for all. There will be no second battle between the Lord and Satan. Michael is enough to seize him and say: “There you go, that’s it, it was once and is never to return.” Oh yes, I am glad about that.

Imagine if our Lord were to come to collect his lovely bride and take her up, and then the great drama, the great battle were to begin, and we were to be drawn into the fight. We don’t want that. We don’t need it. No, no. Michael and his angels fight the dragon, and the others are soundly defeated. And there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And so Satan, the old dragon, was cast down. [Offb 12:7-9] And then it says: “Rejoice, O ye heavens, and you who dwell in them. But woe to the earth and the sea, for the devil has now come down to you.” [Rev 12:12]

So the Lord himself will come down with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. [1The 4:16] And then we who are still alive and remain will be transformed and caught up together with them in the air to meet the Lord. And we shall be with the Lord for ever. [1The 4:17]

There is a statement, probably in the First Seal, I didn’t write it down, though I’ve read it, where Brother Branham so beautifully compares this to Joseph from the Old Testament and says: “Whilst the bridegroom is at a wedding feast with the bride, he will come down very briefly and reveal himself to his brothers, the 144,000.”

And I read that with inner joy, with inner delight, for it corresponds 100%, for that is how it was. Joseph in the Old Testament left his bride from the nations, she was after all a heathen, he left her behind in the palace. [Gen 45:1] When he revealed himself to his brothers, no one was present, he was quite alone. No wife, no children, nothing, he was all alone. And then he said: “I am Joseph, your brother.” [Gen 45:3-4] And then he no longer spoke through an interpreter, previously he had spoken through an interpreter, do you see? [Gen 42:23] Not any more. This is how it will happen.

Brother Branham uses the phrase “slip down” here, which would mean to slide down, to slip down, whilst the bride is celebrating the wedding feast. At the end of the ministry of the two prophets, when the 144,000 are gathered in full on Mount Zion according to Revelation 14, then he will reveal himself to them. And they will look upon the one whom they have pierced, and will weep bitterly, and say: “Lord, it was you whom we crucified.” [Zech 12:10] And he will say: “Take heart, all is well, it had to be this way. For now I have two things, a glorious bride from the nations, and you, my beloved Israel.” With God there is no mistake whatsoever.

At some point people might say: “You did that wrong, Pilate.” No, they did everything right. No matter how terrible it may be, it happened for our sake. They said: “Come down from the cross.” [Mat 27:40] What good would it have done if he had come down? There would have been no redemption. They said: “He helped others, but he cannot help himself.” [Mat 27:42] Beloved, everything happened for our sake. Are we grateful for that? Can you distinguish this clearly from now on?

Precisely, Matthew 25, now the calling out, the wake-up call, the trimming of the lamps, the gathering of oil, ensuring that there is no shortage, this is happening now, here on earth, amongst those who have been called by God and who are waiting for the coming of the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4, that is where it begins in heaven and not on earth, there the Lord will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God. [1The 4:16] So we see it clearly. And as for the announcement concerning the 144,000, I am also very heartily delighted by it.

In Revelation 10, it is the only passage where the coming is spoken of without any accompaniment. You can read on to Zechariah 14, “the Lord your God will come and all the saints with him”, and there will always be many coming, sometimes they are angels, sometimes the bride. [Zech 14:5] And in Revelation 19, the Lord is seen riding a white horse with the heavenly hosts following him on white horses. [Rev 19:11, 14] At one point he comes to the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses and Elijah and Peter, John and James are there too. [Mat 17:1-3] At one point he comes with angels and he comes in many different ways at various times to carry out various tasks, but in Revelation 10 he comes all by himself, namely as the angel of the covenant.

And when I then had to say this as well to all of them, and I hope that the cassette or the two cassettes from South Africa will do the rounds, for as far as I can remember, I did by virtue of divine authority make this clear and say: “Revelation 10 verses 1 to 6 has not yet been fulfilled either, thus saith the Lord in his Word.” But there was silence, there was silence. It would be better if everyone were to remain silent, just see how beautifully it is all laid out there. The Lord comes as the angel of the covenant to his people Israel, of whom it is said, “to you belong the covenant, the law, the promises”, Romans chapter 9 and many other scriptures. [Rom 9:4]

And here he comes now as the angel of the covenant to say: “The covenant I made with you has not been set aside”, for he had indeed said: “After those days I will make a new covenant with them, and I will put my words into their hearts, so that they will all know me, from the youngest to the oldest.” [Jer 31:33-34; Heb 8:10-11] And so everything will fall into place. What gives me great joy in this is also the fact that he appears there with the open book, that is, after the seals have been opened. [Rev 10:2] Actually in chapter 5 the book was closed and still sealed with seven seals on the back. Here before the 144,000 he comes with a book open.

So after the seals have been opened, after the completion of the church from the nations, when the full number from Israel is present, he reveals himself to them. And then it all comes together, the breaking of the covenant. And then comes the time of persecution, the tribulation, the time of the martyrs. That is precisely the halfway point of the final seven years. But God has arranged all this so wonderfully.

What I would like to say in conclusion is this. When the Lord then comes down as the original owner and sets one foot on the land and the other on the sea, he roars like a lion. And only then do the seven thunders utter their voices. [Rev 10:2-3] Have you all read up on this? That is the divine sequence.

I was able to speak my mind there in South Africa and said: “Listen, the seven thunders will not sound if preachers make a fuss about the seven thunders.” I said: “They will only resound when my Lord, as the angel of the covenant, as the one to whom all authority belongs in heaven and on earth, descends as the owner, sets his foot upon the land and sea, for he created them, and raises his hand and says, ‘Time shall be no more.’ [Rev 10:5-6] See, then the seven thunders will utter their voices. Not a day sooner, not a day later.” I hope that all who will ever have anything to do with such people will be able to give a clear answer.

As for Brother Branham’s ministry, let me briefly read the glorious passage from 1 Kings before I close, for it has struck me anew on this journey just how distorted the ministry has become, and what directions have been imposed upon it, and when we then see what ministry John had, the ministry of the Word, of preparing the way, simply to clear the path for the Lord, a road for our God, no extravagances, no secretive scheming, a clear proclamation of the Word of God, the message of the hour was delivered. It has been exactly the same with Elijah in our own day. He has brought us back to the original Word, to the pure Bible doctrines, so that all things may be restored before the return of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Here in 1 Kings 18, which is surely familiar to us all, from verse 30:

[30] And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.

[31] And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name.

We have already spoken about this, I merely wish to emphasize, if it was Brother Branham who was to carry out this divine commission, in accordance with Malachi 4, verse 5:

[5] Behold, I will send you the prophet Elijah, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.

And that was a divine commission, linked to the plan of salvation, to the final phase of that plan of salvation, through which we are now standing and walking in these last days, shortly before the return of Jesus Christ.

I had the opportunity today to speak with Brother Etienne. We spoke about the end times, and let’s be honest, can’t we see before our very eyes how everything is being fulfilled, how the beast, this one power, all other powers must crumble and fall apart? The great powers have after all become minor powers. What stands out, the great world empire, the Roman Empire, which was there and was no more, and so on, and will be again, namely with a head that had a deadly wound, and has been healed again, we see all this. [Rev 13:3; Rev 17:8] And when we then reflect on the fact that our beloved Brother Branham, with his seven years of schooling, forgive me for putting it this way, but for him, back in late 1932, early 1933, it was certainly not at all easy to say: “An Austrian named Adolf Hitler will become dictator in Germany, and in Italy it will be Mussolini.”

And he said: “The three isms will emerge: Fascism, National Socialism, and Communism.”

And he then said very beautifully—we knew that God had shown it to him and revealed it to him—: “The first two will fall into Communism, they will culminate in it.”

And that is what we have seen now, right? The first two are after all long gone. Do you know what has happened now? Then Brother Branham paused briefly and then he said: “In the very end, Communism will be subordinate to Rome, and everything will fall under Rome.”

What have we seen, I have said this here before, the one thing world Communism needed more than anything was those 72 hours during which Gorbachev was detained. Since then the whole world has been cured of Communism, and anyone who still thinks like that Fidel Castro over there, he’s just fiddling about a bit, but soon he will have not much left. No, as I said, those days are simply over, and what have we heard? It has been reported, the Pope has announced that Brussels is not merely regarded as the seat of Europe, the Vatican’s School of Journalism is also to be relocated there, so that the Vatican will establish its school at its headquarters in Brussels, very close to this building. This was reported quite officially in the news, and those who graduate from this Vatican School of Journalism will become genuine editors and journalists of the very finest calibre.

But it is we who see through the whole affair who will be the ones to suffer the consequences.

But here is one more question before we close. Had God not revealed these things to us, we would not know them. And had God not sent Brother Branham, I would not know all these connections. So I am truly grateful from the bottom of my heart that God sent one of His greatest prophets in our day, and I am grateful to the Lord that He has refreshed and enlightened my feeble understanding, so that I may see, understand and take in all this so clearly. And now and then I manage to pass it on in the same way, so that others too may see, hear and simply know: this is how it is now. And when Revelation 17 says that the whore is riding the beast, then that is simply how it is. [Rev 17:3]

It is not political power that mounts religious power and rides it. Quite the reverse. Religious power mounts political and economic power and holds the reins. Such images speak volumes, but they must be understood. Of course anyone looking for the Antichrist in Honolulu will never find him, but anyone who looks for him where he is will find him quickly.

Well, we are also grateful to God for this day, for the clarity of His Word. And time and again it strikes me anew that there has never been a time like today. Never. When the Holy Spirit reveals, brings together, enlightens and simply shows so directly, we may say with joy: “The Lord guides us aright for the sake of His name” and we move from clarity to clarity, from knowledge to knowledge, from revelation to revelation, praise be to the name of the Lord. That is indeed the way of God. And now, just a bit more trimming the lamps, a little oil here and a little more there, right, so that we may not be lacking when the Lord comes, but that we may have lamps burning and also vessels, vessels filled with oil, revelation of the Spirit that it simply flows to us and can continue to flow until we come from believing unto seeing.

To all of you who remembered me in your prayers during my missionary trip of just under three weeks, I offer my heartfelt thanks. May the Lord bless you and be with you. Amen.

Heavenly Father, together we thank You from the bottom of our hearts for Your presence. You are in our midst, O Lord. You have blessed us and opened our understanding for the Scriptures. You can speak to us, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, through all the Gospels and Epistles. And we understand You. Hallelujah.

Lord, my heart is moved to thank You most deeply today. We did not sit at the feet of a distinguished professor or Bible school teacher, but at Your feet, O Lord. It was You, and it is You, who speak to us. And each time our hearts burn anew, because Your Word is so glorious, and all the pieces fit together so perfectly. Beloved Lord, human beings could not have done this. You have arranged it thus, we need not interpret anything or make anything fit. It fits, it is true, it is being fulfilled before our very eyes.

Beloved Lord, do also what is necessary for the Church. Let us experience such a steering with a truly heartfelt cry: “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet him.” [Mat 25:6] Lord, may we trim our lamps and fill our jars with oil. O, we long to be filled with the Spirit. Of Your fullness we have received grace upon grace. [Joh 1:16] Through the Spirit You have given us hidden manna, living food. This very afternoon, too, You have been with us in all simplicity, and yet so mighty.

Beloved Lord, we now pray together for all those in the five African countries who have heard Your Word, perhaps some seven to eight thousand in total. Faithful God, there too Your Word will not return void, but will accomplish the purpose for which You send it. [Isa 55:11] Beloved Lord, deliver Your own from all confusion. O, ground us so firmly in Your Word. Let it be done by Your grace. To You, the Faithful Lord, we give thanks for Golgotha, for the holy blood of the Lamb of God shed there for us. Our redemption is complete. Beloved Lord, accept our thanks and worship.

Bless also all those who cannot be here today, especially the Kupfer family, O Lord. Be with them, Faithful God, and be with all the others who are on holiday. Bless also all the brothers and sisters who will be listening to these cassettes, Lord. We are, after all, most intimately united with You and with everyone. O Great God, let us return to our first love and to our first works, to the first state of the early church. May this be the result of the divine message and the ministry which You have bestowed upon us in this generation.

Beloved Lord, once again I thank You for everything, in the precious and holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.