“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever”

Heb. 13:8

CIRCULAR LETTER	June 1980

I warmly greet you all in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am currently on the island of Patmos, having visited the place where John stayed when he received the Revelation of Jesus Christ. In quietness, I read the 22 chapters in the German Bible and then in the English Bible. Deep gratitude filled my heart as I thought about how everything is being fulfilled in our days. We have been privileged to partake in what God is doing now; this humbles us deeply. It is only grace.

Many come to venerate the place. I have seen how a woman kissed the walls of the cave where, according to tradition, John was. Deeply saddened in my heart, I thought of the words of Jesus from John 4: "Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father." Only those to whom the revelation of Jesus Christ has been given can worship God in spirit and in truth.

On my journey through Greece and Turkey, I also visited Ephesus, among other places. All seven locations of the churches mentioned in the Book of Revelation are located in present-day Turkey. The Christian churches have been converted into Islamic mosques. Some cathedrals are available for tourists to visit and admire. Overall, it is depressing, if you compare the area of Asia Minor, where most of the communities were in early Christianity, with the present time. In none of the cities are there Christians; all the people there are Muslims. May the faithful LORD once again establish His congregation as a living testimony. There are already enough dead monuments and religions.

This time, while reading the book of Revelation, the first and the last chapters particularly resonated with me. Firstly, the Redeemer introduces Himself to the redeemed with the words:

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending," saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

The LORD did not present Himself to His own in the Gospels in such an all-encompassing way. He referred to Himself almost exclusively as the Son of Man. In the epistles, He is predominantly described as the "Son of God." Regarding His kingship, He is the "Son of David." But here, in the closing testimony of New Testament prophecy, He reveals Himself to His own as God and LORD, as the Almighty. All the redeemed, to whom the revelation of Jesus Christ has been granted, can exclaim with John: "Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

In Chapter 22, the Millennial Reign, which was mentioned earlier, is described in more detail. Let us always remember: As long as temporal terms are used, we are not yet dealing with a description of eternal conditions. In verse 2 it says:

"In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."

This text must be compared with Ezekiel 47:12. In the Millennial Reign, a condition similar to paradise will exist. After that comes the final judgment and then the new heaven and the new earth, as announced in Chapter 21, Verse 1. Only then, when the seventh millennium has ended, does time merge into eternity.

In Chapter 21, verse 27, the bride is described in her rightful home, the new Jerusalem, during the Millennial Reign. Of this city it is said:

"And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."

Whoever reads chapter 20:15, will notice that it only speaks of the Book of Life. This pertains to those who will be accepted at the final judgment because they were justified through faith in Jesus Christ and their names are written in the Book of Life. For the bride congregation, it is referred to as the Lamb's Book of Life. It is the firstfruits that follow the Lamb and will be taken up.

After the angel had revealed everything unto John, he said:

"And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still."

There must be a short period of time right before the coming of the LORD when those purified by God through the blood of the Lamb can be cleansed even more deeply and thoroughly. Not only from sin, but from one's own nature, from one's own will, up to a complete separation from all earthly things. One who is justified by God allows himself to be justified even deeper, even more thoroughly, until he conforms to the righteousness of God and nothing condemnable can be found in him anymore. A complete submission of the bride to the will of the bridegroom. The sanctified will be sanctified even deeper and more thoroughly, until everything, spirit, soul, and body, is subjected to the absolute and perfect will of God. That will be the overcomers to whom the promise was given:

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."

[other translations read: "Blessed are those who wash their robes…"]

The bride congregation is given the opportunity to wash their robes, trim their lamps, fill their vessels with oil, and thus go out to meet the bridegroom adorned and prepared. HE will then lead us into the city He Himself has prepared for us, which is reserved solely for the bride.

We continue reading: "For without are dogs…" In any case, this refers to the Gentile nations over which we will rule in the Millennial Reign. When the Gentile woman came to Jesus and asked for healing for her daughter, He said, "But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs." (Matt. 15:26). The unconverted Gentiles are in the Millennial Reign on Earth, but they can never enter the holy city, the new Jerusalem, and will then be deceived at the end, as soon as Satan is released (Rev. 20:7-10). In Matthew 7:6, the Lord says: "Give not that which is holy unto the dogs…" That which was precious and valuable to the chosen people of Israel should not be given to the Gentiles. The apostle emphasizes another point and writes: "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers…" (Phil. 3:2). The apostle has had many disappointing experiences with workers in the Kingdom of God. Some travelled with him just to get in touch with the believers, without having been called by God to a ministry. Meek as lambs, they make contact with individuals, enter their homes, and then present their particular spiritual views. Slowly, they begin to undermine the work of God's servants. Where it fits into their concept, the end-time message is used; where it does not, even Brother Branham is portrayed in various ways as being incorrect. Among other unbiblical things, it has recently even been claimed that the biblical baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is not correct; one must baptize again only in the name of Jesus Christ. That beats everything! Whoever falls for this has heard the clear, God revealed word in vain and has not understood it at all! One must take all the passages of the New Testament to have a completely conclusive testimony. According to Matthew 28:19, three terms are given as titles that belong to the one name:

Title:	Father	Son	Holy Ghost

Name:	LORD	JESUS	CHRIST

That is the absolute truth of the everlasting Gospel. Brother Branham said that in Latin American countries there are many who are called Jesus, and that there are many false Christs – anointed ones, but only one LORD JESUS CHRIST on whom one should be baptized. Yes, Jesus is LORD!

We must approach the other terms from Chapter 22 with the utmost care. Among other things, the sorcerers will be outside. Confidently, we shake our heads at such words and think only of those who actually practice sorcery. Because this is a prophetic text, the concept of sorcery and idolatry should be examined from a prophetic perspective:

"And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…" (1. Sam. 15, 22-23)

Any one of us would consider it an insult if we were asked about the sin of witchcraft, iniquity, and the worship of idols.

Among other things, the murderers are also outside. Such statements go through our joints and marrow, and yet we do not feel addressed at all, but rather think of unbelieving murderers and killers. But what does the Scripture say:

"Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." (1Jn 3:15)

Many let their countenance fall like Cain. Oh, how all those who have received eternal life must be careful that no hatred, no envy, no jealousy remains in them and that no root of bitterness arises, which contains deadly poison. Perhaps slander alone is enough to justify this Bible verse. God help us all and grant us grace!

Now, we want to take a closer look at the term whoremongers – "For without are … whoremongers." One cannot lump everything together, but must properly understand the terms used in the Word of God. We read about David that he was guilty of adultery and murder, but not of whoremongering. At no point is he or any other man of God accused of fornication. The same God who said in Exodus 20, "Thou shalt not commit adultery.", also clarified the matter by saying, "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife,". God is and remains His own interpreter.

This circular letter is being sent out together with Brother Branham's sermon titled: The Flashing Red Light Of The Sign Of His Coming. In the sermon, Brother Branham particularly addresses the days of Noah and brings to light a biblical truth that none of us have seen with such clarity before. In the Epistle of Jude, it is clearly stated what happened at that time. There we read: "… in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh." Even in their fleshly nature, there was a difference between the lineage of Adam, which was propagated through Seth, and the lineage of the serpent, which was continued through Cain and his descendants. The angels referred to here are the sons of God from Genesis 6. Angel and messenger are the same word. The descendants of Seth were collectively the bearers of the divine message of salvation of the promised Messiah (then it was Israel, now it is the congregation). They have abandoned their special position as messengers and the dominion entrusted to them and have intermingled.

The heavenly angels who fell with Lucifer have indeed become devil spirits; they are not bound with chains, but they rule as principalities and powers from the high places (Eph. 6:12). Furthermore, heavenly angels are sexless, although they have a masculine appearance. They would in no way be considered to be associated with Genesis 6 or the New Testament Bible verses that refer to it. To dispel any remaining doubts, I ask you to note that Peter presents the matter of the angels and the time of Noah together because they are connected:

"For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly" (2Pt 2:4-5)

There are three terms: adultery, whoredom, fornication [immorality]. The first two are normal, albeit forbidden, human relationships of the married and the unmarried. The last one is an abnormal, animalistic type of physical relationship between both sexes. We live in a time when the normal is considered abnormal and the abnormal is considered normal. Let us consider that, according to the words of the LORD, the characteristics of the time of Noah and those of Sodom and Gomorrah appear together at this time:

"And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. …

Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; … Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." (Lk 17:26-30)

Who would have ever thought or considered possible that in the most Christian country in the world, the United States of America, the sin of Sodom, homosexuality, would be legalized by law? Just the thought of it makes one want to vomit. It is the spirit of the times that drags everything into ruin. Paul, the apostle with deep prophetic insight, describes the current abnormal, immoral, and perverse condition of men and women of the present time (Rom. 1:24-32):

"Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts…"

God has nothing against the human relationship and fulfillment He ordained, but He hates fornication because it is animalistic and devilish. The daughters of Cain presented themselves to the sons of God with a great offer. The apostle takes the opportunity to elaborate further on the idea of fornication by taking the serious case from 1 Corinthians 5. An immoral young man had an affair with his stepmother. According to the law, that was the sin of incest. In Leviticus 18:16-18, we find the forbidden relationships recorded that are classified as incest. This includes the matter mentioned in 1 Corinthians 5.

From Brother Branham's sermon, we gather that he received a special revelation. Neither from the seven verses in Genesis 6, nor from the other Bible passages does the fact emerge as clearly as he has presented it. We read: "They were … marrying and giving in marriage…" [Matthew 24:38] and so on. As a result we think they got married and, as was customary in the past, they were given in marriage. Exactly what is happening now happened back then. Young people today live with this one and tomorrow with that one. There are many who do not want to get married at all, but only, as they call it, be cohabiting partners. If this trend were to continue, what would the state of the family and society be in a short time? But God will soon put an end to everything. Some were the daughters of Cain, the other the sons or descendants of Seth. They were called the sons of God, the others the daughters of men.

As we all know, according to the flesh, Christ was to come forth from the pure line of Seth. When the intermingling took place, the LORD God said, "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh…" The sons of God were of flesh and blood, they had the right to marry, but they absolutely had no right to take unbelieving women from the descendants of Cain and commit fornication. According to the testimony of scripture, these men had the Spirit of God. That makes sense, for God's children have the Spirit of God. It is written: "Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." (Rom. 8:9). As Brother Branham, as a messenger of God, clearly explains, God did not generally object to eating, drinking, and marrying, for these are indeed aspects of daily life that are part of human existence; both among believers and unbelievers. The sons of God simply took the daughters of Cain and lived together with them. This is, as already noted, a super sign of our time. There are thousands and thousands who are together, without belonging together. Today, they all want to gather their experiences beforehand and do not realize that the devil is leading them to ruin.

What happened back then is repeating itself in this generation. People have abandoned the natural relationship and adopted the unnatural one. That means, if living together does not happen according to the way God intended for natural needs, the Bible calls it fornication. What does not conform to the natural way is animalistic and devilish. It was the animalistic needs in the daughters of Cain that managed to entangle the sons of God in these immoral practices. Today, one would call the whole thing pornography and sodomy. Years ago, when this stuff came out, I received a direct warning from God in a dream, in which the matter was mentioned by name. Never have I held a book of such nature in my hands. The LORD calls forth a little flock that escapes destruction. We can wash and cleanse ourselves through the precious blood of the Lamb. The firstborn need not resort to any means; they are redeemed, purchased, and protected by the blood of the Lamb. Thanks be to God for that.

The earnest admonition of the apostle is fully justified: "But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat." [1 Corinthians 5: 11] In Leviticus 18:19-23, among other things, additional sexually immoral sins are listed. I personally do not know anyone whom I would classify as an immoral person based on the Word of God, whom I would have to avoid. But we should also pursue the other things mentioned in the verse: "…or extortioner." With this term, we will surely also think of a major fraud that we have heard or read about. Perhaps everyone can rightly say, "I have not deceived anyone." How does the LORD see us now? From a divine perspective, everyone is a deceiver who does not give the LORD the tithe. In Mal. 3:8 we read:

"Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings."

This is also God's Word. No one should think that I am after their money. Through the Word of God, it is not I who speaks, but God Himself to us. Whoever withholds the tithe from the LORD not only sins but also brings a curse upon themselves. Let him be whoever he wants and imagine whatever he wants. Thus says the Lord:

"Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation." (Verse 9)

It can also be that hundreds defraud God claiming to be brothers, live pure and temperate lives, and use their cheap excuses just to keep God's money for themselves. Some say: "We are not a congregation," others: "We have no confidence in the matter," and still others: "We do not know what is done with the money," and so the excuses and arguments, which may seem quite reasonable, go on and on. Yet, thus saith the LORD:

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith," saith the Lord of hosts, "if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a  blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." (Verse 10)

The tithe belongs to the place where the spiritual food is distributed according to God's instructions. Whoever supports their own ventures with God's money makes themselves guilty before God. I would like to share some quotes on this topic from Brother Branham. He was asked: "Can a Christian go to heaven if he or she does not pay tithe?" Answer: "… every Christian is obligated to pay tithings because it is a commandment of the Lord…tithe-paying is essential to a Christian experience." [61-0723E, God Being Misunderstood].

Quote 2: 	"I know people take their tithes and give them to a widow woman. That's wrong.  If you've got anything to give the widow woman, give her, but don't give her God's money. That's not yours in the first place. That's God's." [61-1015M, Questions And Answers]

Quote 3: 	"But when you pay tithings… Really, where you owe tithings is where you get your food. Bring ye all your tithings into My storehouse, saith the Lord. (That right?)" [64-0823E, Questions And Answers #2]

Quote 4: 	"I challenge any man or woman that's not a tithe payer to accept that … Yes, sir. I believe in paying tithes. It's one of God's blessings that's proven to be a blessing. You say: 'That’s of the Old Testament.' It is of the New Testament too. Yes, sir." [64-0823E, Questions And Answers #2]

End of quotes.

Unintentionally, we have strayed from the subject, and yet I take it out of God's hands that this has been said at least once. I am free from responsibility, and anyone who has read it is forever without excuse.

We return to our subject: Paul has more to say. In 1 Corinthians 5:11, in the list of sins, there is still more, including the reference to slanderers. It is written: "… nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." [1 Corinthians 6:10] How often are slanders spread out of calculation and consideration, just to gain an advantage for oneself. This is one of the most despicable character traits a person can have. Whoever serves God will never carry it out by slandering others; on the contrary, by doing so, the person proves whose authority they are speaking under. In Proverbs 20:19 it says: "He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips." Even those who listen to such people who open their mouths about others are addressed; Prov. 17:4: "A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue." It is worth reflecting on such Bible verses. Either our tongue brings help, or it causes harm. We read in Proverbs 10:18: "He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool." Oh, how much truth and wisdom of life is in the Word of God. Our mouth is either used by God or by the enemy. Our tongue is either available for building up or for destruction. Solomon was indeed a man blessed by God, endowed with wisdom. He writes: "There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword…" (Prov. 12:18). "Death and life are in the power of the tongue…" (Proverbs 18:21). If Paul lists the fornicators , the extortioners, the thieves, the drunkards, and the revilers, we should take it very seriously. I am certain that God means well with us, that He does not want to condemn or judge anyone, but that He wants to show grace to all, help each one, and set everyone right. May HE grant us all the grace to recognize our shortcomings, to let ourselves be examined by Him in complete stillness. May He, through grace, bring about complete purification and sanctification in each individual, so that we may reach perfection.

The church service

In the last circular letter I pointed out that, according to the Word of God, it is important that we take care of one another, especially now before the return of Jesus Christ, not following Cain's motto: "Am I my brother's keeper?", but that we help each other. As it is written: "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is…" No believer who belongs to the congregation of God will despise it, but will integrate himself and contribute to its building up. I would like to share only 4 quotes from Brother Branham regarding attending church services:

Quote 1: 	"Every man ought to have a church home. You ought to have a place, not just to float about from pillar to post, but have somewhere that you go to church and you call it your church…" [60-0308, Discernment Of Spirit]

Quote 2: 	"A real born again man or a woman that's got discernment of the Holy Ghost will find his place in church, worshipping, and crying out and doing all that's in his life to try to bring sinners." [59-0812, Discerning The Body Of The Lord]

Quote 3: 	"And you go to church; don't set at home, go fishing, and hunting, and things like that…dishonoring the resurrection of Christ. You go to church somewhere…If you can't come here at the Tabernacle, get some church somewhere; go to it." [64-0823M, Questions And Answers #1]

Quote 4: 	"Don't stay home. If God is in your heart, you can't hardly wait for them doors to open out yonder, to get in here to fellowship with your brothers. If you don't, don't feel that way, then I tell you, it's time you got to praying." [63-0728, Christ Is The Mystery Of God Revealed]

Those are the quotes.

In the Mühlheim translation, it even says that we should not miss our rapture. Whether in a small prayer group or in a congregation: God wants us to come together. HE has given the promise to be in our midst when we are gathered in His name. The slogan: "I stay at home and occupy myself with Brother Branham's sermons!" may sound spiritual, but it is against the Spirit that speaks to us from the Bible and Brother Branham's sermons. Many confuse religious spirits, by which they are dominated, with the Holy Spirit. The congregation is a divine body, and within the congregation, God has placed the ministries and gifts for its edification.￼

This is approximately what Br. Branham and Br. Frank looked like when they met in 1955.