People ask questions, God answers by His Word by Missionary Ewald Frank
People ask questions
God Answers by His Word
Brother Ewald Frank
by Ministers from Various Countries
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be
gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness
instructing those that oppose him; if God perhaps
will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the
truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the
snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his
will. (2. Tim. 2:24-26).
In this exposition we are dealing with life and death.
In the Word is life, in the interpretation there is death.
Every interpretation is a snare that the enemy places
around the neck of the people. He does not always
tighten the noose right away, but nevertheless keeps
these people captive and enslaves them unto his will,
as the aforementioned Scripture clearly states.
Since I have been in God’s service for well over half a century, a
certain confidence has been established with many of the ministering brethren worldwide by God’s grace. They have recognised
that God has ordained me to take the everlasting Gospel to the
nations of this world. After the ministry of Brother Branham it
is now my task to share the true Word of God with God’s people,
in co-operation with all His faithful servants. As it was in the
days of our Lord and in the times of the apostles and prophets,
so it is with the message today, “… some things are hard to be
understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as
they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2.
Pet. 3:16). This has been the case throughout all the ages. The diverse interpretations have caused many divisions and a doctrinal
confusion, even within the message of the hour. Ministers who
are truly concerned about the spiritual welfare of God’s people
no longer want to accept the present situation and are asking for
clarification in regard to the various points in question. All true 6
children of God have the right and the desire to know the correct
answers that are based solely on the Holy Scriptures.
I knew Brother Branham personally and was a witness of his
extraordinary ministry. In August 1955 I attended his meetings
for an entire week. From September 1958 I started receiving the
tapes of the sermons he preached in the USA by mail and began translating them into the German language regularly. In
December 1962, during a personal conversation with Brother
Branham, I explained to him how I did that, namely by using a
headset to listen to the sermon and simultaneously translating
it into the German language for the assembled audience. In 1963
he remembered this and spoke about it,
“The tape ministry is a worldwide thing, everywhere. I think it’s one
way God has got scattering the message back into the heathen lands,
back in where that it has to be translated. In Germany they got tapes
they go to their congregations, of hundreds and hundreds of people;
and put little things in their ears, and run it on a tape. And just as I’m
speaking, the minister stands there making the same expressions, in
the other languages, and bringing it out before hundreds. And hundreds
are being saved and healed, just through the tapes going out across the
world. All in English, but being translated in many, many different
languages (Europe) in tribes (South Africa) around the world. We hear
from them, back through the mail.” (Testimony, Shreveport, LA,
V-17-N-5; Thursday, 63-11-28). It is obvious that Brother Branham was referring to Sidney Jackson in South Africa and to me,
as we were the only ones translating his sermons at that time.
Over the past forty-seven years I have read and listened to his
sermons repeatedly as well as translated them, therefore I can
say that I do know the end-time message as hardly anyone else.
I have also been very familiar with the Word of God, the Holy
Scriptures, since the early days of my youth. The fact that so
very few pastors asked, “What does the Scripture say?” when
posing these questions was very disconcerting to me, for the answers I give must be according to the written Word of God, which
remains for ever (Isa. 40:8; 1. Pet. 1:23).
Question 1: What is your position today towards Brother Branham’s ministry?
Question 2: What is the actual wording of the commission given
to William Branham?
Question 3: What is your conviction in regard to the “end-time
message”?
Question 4: Do you correct the prophet in certain points?
Question 5: What is your absolute, the Bible or the message?
Question 6: Are you teaching differently in comparison to what
Brother Branham taught?
Question 7: Do you believe in the opening of the seven seals?
Question 8: Was the seventh seal also revealed?
Question 9: Do you believe that Rev. 10:1-7 was fulfilled in
1963?
Question 10: Do you believe that Brother Branham received the
revelation of the seven thunders?
Question 11: Why did Brother Branham repeatedly speak about
“the third pull”?
Question 12: Why did Brother Branham frequently refer to Rev.
10, verse 7?
Question 13: Do you believe in the ministry of an eighth messenger?
Question 14: Do you believe in the “parousia” teaching?
Question 15: Do you believe that the Son of man has already
come according to Lk. 21:27?
Question 16: What about your ministry? Is it found in the Holy
Scriptures?
Question 17: Do you preach Brother Branham’s sermons?
Question 18: What is the spiritual food, Brother Branham’s sermons or the Bible?8
Question 19: Who will present the Church of the last days to the
Lord?
Question 20: How do you react towards those who slander your
name?
Question 21: Did Brother Branham teach “polygamy”?
Question 22: What is your teaching on marriage and divorce?
Question 23: What about the family of a servant of God?
Question 24: What about the Seven Church Age Book?
Question 25: Was the duration of each of the seven church ages
revealed to Brother Branham?
Question 26: Did Brother Branham prophesy that 1977 would be
the end?
Question 27: Did Brother Branham see a calendar that ended
with the year 1977?
Question 28: Is the baptism by the Holy Ghost the same as the
new birth?
Question 29: What about the tent vision that Brother Branham
had?
Question 30: Can something that was shown in a vision remain
unfulfilled?
Question 31: What comparison do we have between Israel and
the Church?
Question 32: In what phase are we now according to the plan of
Salvation?
Dearly beloved Brethren in the Lord,
Dear Children of God,
May I first say this: I wish to make it clear right from the start
that, as you will later see, it is absolutely not permissible to base
a teaching on one single Scripture or on one single statement
that our Lord, an apostle, or a prophet made. It is a divine must9
that all things have to be founded on two or three witnesses (Dt.
19:15), upon two, three or more Scriptures. We do not have just
one gospel, but we have four gospels, to provide the necessary
confirmation and completeness. For instance, if you do not take
the Great Commission as found in Mt. 28:16-20, Mk. 16:15-20,
Lk. 24:33-53, and Jn. 20:19-31 as a whole, you do not have it in
its entirety. And if you do not then take these four parts of the
one Great Commission to Acts 2:38 and all the other applicable
Scriptures, you still do not have a complete insight into this subject, you do not have the actual answer about the correct administration of water baptism.
Whoever really wants to know everything about the birth, the
life, the ministry, the suffering and the death, and also about
the resurrection and the ascension to heaven of our Lord and
Saviour must read all of the four gospels. And whosoever would
like to know that the Lord taught His Apostles about the Kingdom of God for a period of forty days before ascending to heaven
must even read Acts 1:1-3. Some things that are not included
in the four gospels you find further on, for example, that our
Lord was taken up to heaven on a cloud you can read in Acts 1,
verse 9. And then in verse 11 we are told that He will return bodily, in the same manner in which He was taken up to heaven (Lk.
24:50-51). In 1. Jn. 3 we read, “… when He shall appear, we shall
be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” Amen!
Whoever wants to learn about the conversion of Paul and his
commission and ministry cannot simply read Acts, chapter 9.
You must also include chapter 22 and chapter 26 to gain a comprehensive overview, and then even 1. Cor. 15:1-11, for it was the
Apostle Paul — not Peter — who reported that the Lord Jesus
appeared to more than 500 brethren at the same time after His
resurrection. From these examples we can clearly see that it is
not sufficient to take just one Scripture, but we have to include
all of the Scriptures that pertain to the same subject.
We also have to heed the warning given by the Apostle Paul in
2. Cor. 11:1-4, about how Satan, the old serpent, beguiled Eve.
When he addressed Eve, he simply added the single word “not”, 10
as found in Gen. 3:1, to what the Lord God commanded Adam
in Gen. 2:16. That is how he brought her under his direct influence and took her captive unto his will. The enemy always
continues to debate the subject the Lord spoke about, but never
keeps the exact wording — he never remains in the truth of the
original Word. The statement was very clear, “Of every tree in
the garden you mayest freely eat …” The enemy sowed doubt by
saying, “Yeah, has God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of
the garden?” That one word which was added to what God had
originally said became the poisonous bite of the serpent. Thereby
the first couple and then all of humanity were sentenced to death
and separated from God. First the Son of man sows the pure,
original seed of God’s Word and then the enemy immediately
comes to sow his own seed of discrepancy by way of the interpretations (Mt. 13). That is how he takes them captive and submits
them to his will. This is the time for God’s people to be delivered
out of all the snares of the enemy and to be brought back into the
Will of God.
Any deception is made believable to the human mind by adding
to and then misconstruing and misinterpreting a single statement. The warning to not add to or take away from the words
of prophecy of this Book must be taken very seriously (Rev.
22:18-19), because the consequences are indeed for ever irreversible. To every biblical question, to every subject there is only one
true answer, which can be found in the applicable Scriptures.
The many various interpretations are the work of the enemy —
the consequence of eating from the tree of knowledge. The same
applies to the numerous different teachings within the end-time
message. If we take all things back to the Scriptures to find the
one true answer, no misunderstanding is possible. The attention
of all the ministers and all the congregations must once again be
focused on the harmony with and the full respect towards God’s
Word, which is the only absolute in heaven and on earth. In the
longest sermon that Brother Branham preached, “The Spoken
Word is the Original Seed” (March 18th, 1962), which altogether
lasted more than six hours, we see the pre-eminence he attrib-11
uted to God’s Word. “… if they speak not according to this Word,
it is because there is no light in them.” (Isa. 8:20).
Admittedly, there are difficult statements in God’s Word and in
the message as well, statements which we must put into the correct divine order. For instance, our Lord said back then, “… Ye
shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be
come …” (Mt. 10:23). He also said, “Verily I say unto you, That
there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of
death, till they have seen the Kingdom of God come with power.”
(Mk. 9:1). We have to view such statements in the correct context according to the plan of Salvation and in their fulfilment.
The law and the prophets were until John (Lk. 16:16), from that
time on the Kingdom of God was being preached. On the Day of
Pentecost it came down with power, as it had been announced
by John the Baptist in Mt. 3:2 and by our Lord in Mt. 4:17: The
Church was born, received spiritual life, and the glorified Saviour walked in their midst. In Rev. 1 John saw the Son of man
walking in His glory in the midst of His Church, represented by
the seven golden candlesticks.
The Apostle Paul included himself when he said, “Behold, I show
you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.”
(1. Cor. 15:51). We are now expecting the fulfilment thereof. The
Apostle Peter made the declaration about the Scriptures and the
writings of the Apostle Paul, saying that some things are difficult
to comprehend (2. Pet. 3:15-16). No one should dare to explain
or make a doctrine of what Brother Branham said in the hardto-understand statements. He said, for instance, “And when the
seals are broken and the mystery is revealed, down comes the Angel,
the messenger, Christ, setting His foot upon the land and upon the sea
with the rainbow over His head. Now, remember, this seventh Angel
is on the earth at the time of this coming.” Brother Branham was
on earth when the “Angel of the Covenant” revealed Himself in
the supernatural cloud. Quote: “That great Angel of the Covenant,
that One Who was with Moses in the wilderness, that One Who come
to Paul on the road to Damascus, that same One permitted His picture
to be taken with us; the same One that was in the picture in the Life12
magazine the other day, the same Word by the same God …” (Christ is
the Mystery of God Revealed, pg. 92).
He furthermore said, “And here He returns back in the 10th
chapter after the coming time …” What does after the coming
time signify? Which coming is being referred to? And what does
returns back in the 10th chapter after the coming time mean, and
so on? Just a few minutes later Brother Branham stated, “He
has taken a gentile Bride and will take her from here to the palace, to
His Father’s house in Glory for the wedding supper and will slip back
down to make Himself known to His brethren, the 144,000.” Preachers should pay attention to the particular statements, correctly
place them with the event that they pertain to, and immediately
stop presenting their own views! For no Scripture, no statement
of the Apostle Paul or of Brother Branham allows any private
interpretation. God is His Own interpreter, He watches over His
Word to fulfil what He promised. God’s people should forthwith
cease to believe any of the interpretations that are in circulation!
The Bride Church must now be brought back into step in order
to once again walk in perfect harmony and unity with the Bridegroom, whose Return is imminent, and in agreement with every
Word of God! The hour of decision has come.
Question 1: What is your position today towards Brother Branham’s ministry?
Answer: I believe in the divine calling and commission of
William Branham, whether he refers to June 11th,
1933, or May 7th, 1946, or to other supernatural experiences. In 1933 the main issue was that the message given to him would forerun the second coming
of Christ. We see the worldwide fulfilment thereof
over the past forty years and to this day.
In the experience he had on May 7th, 1946, the main
point was that Brother Branham was given two supernatural signs, like the prophet Moses, to divinely 13
convince the congregation of his direct commission
(Ex. 4:1-9). Hundreds of thousands experienced the
first sign, which happened with his hand, in the
late 1940’s, when the patient could see his own illness — the tumour, cancer, etc. — on the back of
Brother Branham’s hand. At the moment the healing took place, it vanished from his hand. The best
witnesses that I met were Rev. Gordon Lindsay and
Sister Lindsay, who told me personally how they
repeatedly saw the manifestation of that gift during
the three years when they frequently travelled with
Brother Branham.
Millions were witnesses of the second supernatural
sign, which is known as the “Sign of the Messiah”, in
the 50’s and 60’s (see Circular Letter, Spring 2005).
I am also an eyewitness, for I attended Brother
Branham’s meetings in Europe and in the USA and
I can testify of that extraordinary ministry before
God and mankind. The infallible prophetic gift that
God granted to this man was divinely confirmed.
Brother Branham led millions of souls to Christ
and thousands were healed and delivered because
of their faith.
Question 2: What is the actual wording of the commission given to William Branham?
Answer: “As John the Baptist was sent to forerun the first
coming of Christ, the message that is given you will
be a forerunner of the second coming of Christ.”
The same statement came from the lips of Brother Branham forty more times. Why, then, was it
changed into the following statement: “As John the
Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming of the
Lord, so are you sent to forerun His second coming.”? The altered text was even carved on the in-14
side of the front door of Brother Branham’s new
home in Tucson.
Who on earth is authorised to make such a change
and thereby deny the original commission, that the
message would forerun the second coming of Christ?
Such brethren prefer to impute this untruth to
Brother Branham forty-one times, even though he
said himself that the message would be the forerunner. He even emphasised it when speaking of this
great commission, “Not that I would be the forerunner, but the message was the forerunner!” (Testimony, Puerto Rico, 2-10-1959). Now, who is telling
the truth? Those men, who knew Brother Branham
personally, or William Branham, who knew the
Lord personally? What is motivating these brethren to mislead the people and bind them spiritually
to their views? They point to the past ministry and
to the supposed future ministry of the prophet, all
the while bypassing what God is presently doing
.
Question 3: What is your conviction in regard to the “end-time message”?
Answer : I believe with all my heart and all my soul the true
Word of God as proclaimed by William Branham
under the term “end-time message”. Just as the
Apostle John in his time, I can also say, “This then
is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you …” I believe the “end-time message”
in accordance with the written Word of God a hundred percent. The message is God’s original Word
revealed, with all the promises given to the Church
of Jesus Christ. However, I do not believe a single
one of the various interpretations and versions presented by some individuals under the wrongful label “the end-time message”. Everything that comes
from God will only be within the boundaries of God’s 15
Word. It will never cause a split, on the contrary, it
will further the unity of the true believers in every
city and in every country.
Question 4: Do you correct the prophet in certain points?
Answer: How could somebody even think that I would dare
to touch the infallible prophetic ministry! However,
when it comes to the teachings and I then, for instance, have before me more than seventy different
statements about the seven thunders and the many
statements he made about various subjects in his
sermons at different times, I have no other choice
but to take each matter back to the Word. There can
be only one correct answer to a biblical question.
The varying statements indicate that the matter
had not yet been fully revealed and therefore could
not be correctly placed.
We see the perfect prophetic ministry, confirmed by
visions that Brother Branham saw, and we also see
that he continued as preacher with the evangelistic
ministry. Likewise we can see that he was expectant
of the great things that God would do. He was indeed the promised prophet of Mal. 4:5-6, confirmed
by Christ, our Lord, in Mt. 17:11 and Mk. 9:12. He
was to turn the hearts of God’s children back to the
original teachings of the apostolic fathers and to restore all things within the Church of Jesus Christ
back into the original order. The prophets had announced all things, but only the apostles and teachers could place them according to the plan of Salvation. We must respect God’s decision to ordain the
different ministries for the edifying of the Church
(Eph. 4:7-16; a. o.). Only now can all the loose ends
be properly tied up and fitted into the divine pattern.16
Question 5: What is your absolute, the Bible or the message?
Answer: What a question! My absolute is the same as that
of Brother Branham – the Word of God, which remains for ever. Brother Branham even stood before
the congregation, lifted up his Bible and said, “This
is my absolute!” Such a question really is senseless:
The true essence of the message is the revealed
Word of God, it contains the entire plan of Salvation from beginning to end, especially the promises
for our day. Therefore the message is the Word of
God and the Word of God is the message. Whosoever tries to separate them is utterly deceived and
outside of the divine order. When preachers put
words into Brother Branham’s mouth that are contrary to what Scripture teaches, they are making
him a false prophet and their disregard for the Bible becomes obvious. Their supposed “revelation” is
exposed as foolishness.
Question 6: Are you teaching differently in comparison to what Brother Branham taught?
Answer: Some people might get the impression that I teach
differently, but, as I said before, in the final analysis
the truth is that I always have to be in agreement
with all of God’s Word. I am in possession of his sermons and I have heard them, therefore I know the
varying statements that were made in reference to
the same subjects.
For instance, Brother Branham spoke about a seven-year period, especially in the three sermons on
the “Seventy Weeks of Daniel”. He had the whole
congregation repeat out loud, “One week equals
seven years.” (pg. 108), and then again he emphatically spoke about three and a half years. In a case
like that, I am forced to verify it with the Word of
God directly. When he was referring to the entire 17
time period between the rapture and the millennial
reign, then he spoke of seven years, and when referring to the ministry of the two prophets, which is
promised unto the Jews, he spoke about three and
a half years.
When we are teaching, just quoting the statements
does not suffice, we must also place them into the
correct context shown forth in the prophetic Scriptures. Please, regard this quote: “The moment He
starts that seventieth week or seven years, the Church is
gone. Can you see it, friends? Raise up your hand if you
can see it. … The moment He starts the seventieth week,
or seven years, the Church is gone. Now, listen, I’m quoting again — re-quoting, so you won’t forget. This is what
the Holy Spirit put upon my pen while I was writing …”
(pg. 140, pars. 189-192).
Now, consider question 18 in the English edition of
the Seals Book, pg. 492, “When was the covenant of
Daniel 9:27 confirmed for a week?” Answer: “One half
of it was confirmed, to covenant, when Jesus Christ was
on earth preaching to the Jews.” Here he just repeated what others had said before him. Let us take a
clarifying look into Daniel 9:24-27, where we are
actually told about the seventy weeks, which are
divided into three phases: 7 + 62 + 1. The Thus
saith the Lord in the Scriptures about Christ, the
Messiah, is as follows, “And after threescore and
two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself …” Of course, it was done for us on the cross of
Calvary. Right after this statement we read in the
second part of verse 26, “… and the people of the
prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the
sanctuary …” That refers to Titus, who came with
his Roman army and destroyed the city and the
temple in the year AD 70. In verse 27 the following is said about the antichrist, not about Christ,18
“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for
one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause
the sacrifice and the oblation to cease …”
Our Lord made an eternal covenant with us by the
blood of the covenant shed on the cross of Calvary
(Mt. 26:28; Mk. 14:24; a. o.). Anyone who, for example, reads the 431 “Questions and Answers” in
the COD Books will find that Brother Branham
made varying statements in different sermons. The
Scripture states that the Messiah would be cut off
after the 62 weeks, which were preceded by the first
7 weeks (Dan. 9:26). The first part of this verse, as
we have shown forth, applies to Jesus Christ, the
Messiah, and the second part to the Roman prince.
Daniel 9:27 refers exclusively to the antichrist, and
the seven-year covenant spoken of here will be a
“Roman treaty” over Jerusalem. In the first half
of the seventieth week, the two prophets will have
their ministry (Rev. 11), and in the second half, after the covenant is broken, the antichrist will reign
for forty-two months in all his brutality and wage
war with the saints (Rev. 13:1-10). During that
time of persecution the Jewish martyrs will have
to give their lives in fulfilment of the second part of
the fifth seal (Rev. 6:9-11). This is according to the
Thus saith the Lord in His Holy Word.
Question 7: Do you believe in the opening of the seven seals?
Answer: Yes, I believe in the supernatural opening of the
Seals. Brother Branham told me personally at
the beginning of December 1962 that he was moving to Tucson with his family in January 1963. He
was told in a vision that when the city would start
working on the road he resided on, when the garden
fence would be placed on his lawn and when the
graders and scrapers would move up and down the 19
lane, that would be the time to move to Tucson. I
saw with my own eyes the fence lying on the lawn
and the bulldozers moving up and down Ewing
Lane. On December 22nd, 1962, Brother Branham
had the vision about the appearance of the supernatural cloud, which he referred to in his sermon
on December 30th, 1962. It was then on February
28th, 1963, when he was told from the supernatural
cloud to return to Jeffersonville for the opening of
the Seals.
Question 8: Was the seventh seal also revealed?
Answer: Whoever carefully reads or listens to what Brother
Branham said will find that he always read the complete text pertaining to each of the first six seals.
The only exception is the seventh seal, where he
just read the first verse of chapter 8, about the half
an hour silence in heaven (March 24th, 1963). He
connected the seventh seal to a number of different
events. He spoke about the end of the church age,
the end of the trumpets, the end of the vials, right
to the end of all these things. Anyone who reads the
text in Rev. 8, from verse 2, will find out about the
contents of the seventh seal, especially about the
seven angels, who are getting prepared to sound the
seven trumpets.
There are seven angels for the seven churches (Rev.,
chapters 1-3).
Then there are the seven trumpet angels (Rev.,
chapters 8-11).
And there are the seven angels pouring out the vials of wrath (Rev., chapters 15-16). All of them are
placed in their divine order.
Quote: “The first three chapters of the Book of Revelation reveal all the happenings unto the Church. Then20
from the 3rd chapter unto the 19th chapter of Revelation there is no more seen of the Church. The
Church goes up at the 4th chapter of Revelations
and returns back at the 19th chapter of Revelations, the Bride and the Groom together coming to the
earth. And then, from the 19th chapter to the conclusive
of the 22nd chapter, it’s all on the Millennium and what
will be in the years that is to follow. During the 4th to the
19th, God is dealing with Israel.” (Feast of the trumpets, pgs. 6+7). Brother Branham emphasised that
repeatedly. Please, make a note of this in capital
letters, “Chapters 4 to 19 include chapters 8, 9, 10,
and 11.” There is nothing in those four chapters
that pertains to or deals with the Church, as Brother Branham said several times.
When the mercy seat changes into the judgement
seat according to the seventh seal (Rev. 8:2-5), there
is no longer a mediator, no advocate to receive the
prayers of the saints. Then the fire from the golden altar is cast upon the earth. Thereupon follow
the thunderclaps and lightning, etc. (v. 5). Brother
Branham was told that the seven trumpets do not
pertain to the time period of the church age.
Quote: “… Immediately after that the angels of the Lord
appeared and told me about the seven trumpets — or the
seven seals. … It was there that the Holy Spirit opened
up this to show me the reason it is not profitable even
for the Church at this time, because it has nothing to do
with the Church at all. … The gathering of Israel is the
trumpets. The trumpets are to Israel. … Remember, every trumpet sounded under the sixth seal. … How perfect
then the seventh trumpet and the seventh seal.” (Feast
of the trumpets, July 19th, 1964, pg. 8). 21
Question 9: Do you believe that Rev. 10:1-7 was fulfilled?
Answer: Rev. 10 is not fulfilled yet. As we have seen, it has
no connection to the Church at all. Brother Branham was the messenger for the last church age
(Rev. 3:14-22), not the seventh trumpet angel. He
referred to Rev. 10 because it is the only Scripture
that talks about seven thunders. But we recognise
the prophetic nature of the two special events,
which nevertheless remain separate from one another. For example, Matthew showed the fulfilment
of Hosea 11:1 in chapter 2, verse 15, when referring to Jesus, “Out of Egypt I called my son …”, but
that did not invalidate Ex. 4:22-23, “Israel is My
son, even My firstborn … Let My son go, that he may
serve Me …” Prophetic Scripture allows a dual application, but each time must be left in the context
where it belongs according to the plan of Salvation.
The actual fulfilment of Rev. 10 was foretold, as we
can see from the following passages that testify of
that special event. Once again we are shown the divine must that everything has to be founded upon
more than one Scripture.
The first keyword is “roar”.
“He shall roar as a lion!” (Rev. 10:3).
“… the Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his
voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily
roar …” (Jer. 25:30).
“They shall walk after the Lord; he shall roar like
a lion; when he shall roar, then the children shall
tremble from the west.” (Hos. 11:10).
“The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his
voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth
shall shake; but the Lord will be the hope of His people Israel and the strength of the children of Israel.”
(Joel 3:16). 22
“… the Lord will roar from Zion and utter his voice
from Jerusalem …” (Amos 1:2).
The next keyword is “swore”.
“And the Angel whom I saw standing upon the sea
and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
and swore by him that liveth for ever and ever, Who
created heaven and the things that are in it, and the
earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and
the things which are in it, that there should be time
no more.” (Rev. 10:6).
“… and I heard the man clothed in linen, who was
above the waters of the river, when he held up his
right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and
swore by him who liveth for ever, that it shall be for
a time, times and a half …” (Dan. 12:7). It could not
be stated more clearly that from the moment this
event takes place there are only three and a half
years left until the end of the last time period. It is
absolutely perfect timing!
When the Lord comes down as the Angel of the Covenant, He will set His right foot upon the sea and
His left foot on the earth to stake His claim as the
original owner. Only then will the seven thunders
utter their voices. We have to acknowledge that
every Scripture must be fulfilled literally, including the second part of Mal. 3:1-2, because it was not
fulfilled at the first coming of Christ and therefore
is never mentioned in the New Testament. At the
time when this great event takes place, it will be
fulfilled, “… and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the
covenant, who ye delight in; behold, he shall come,
says the Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day
of his coming? And who shall stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s 23
soap …” This coming as the Angel of the Covenant,
which is described in detail in the aforementioned
Scriptures, must be placed precisely where the Bible puts it — with Israel. For at that time the Temple will already have been rebuilt and measured according to Rev. 11:1-2, into which the Messenger of
the Covenant, Who is the Lord of hosts, shall come.
Amen.
Question 10: Do you believe that Brother Branham received the revelation of the seven thunders?
Answer: Here is what Brother Branham said about that subject in one of his last sermons on August 15th, 1965,
“… just wait till we get in to open those plagues and
seals and them seven thunders.” He spoke about
the seven thunders, especially in connection with
the extraordinary event which took place on February 28th, 1963, when he heard seven thunder-like
sounds and the supernatural cloud appeared. Dr.
James McDonald of the Tucson University evaluated the numerous photographs that were taken and
the magazines Science (April 19th, 1963) and Life
(May 17th, 1963) published his articles. With reference to this experience Brother Branham spoke
about the rapturing faith, the new name that will
be revealed, and also connected it to other important events.
The seven thunders of Rev. 10 must be left in the
context into which they have been divinely placed,
because they will utter their voices only when the
Angel of the Covenant comes down to Israel (Seven
Seals, pg. 72). The teaching that the seven thunders
are “the seven virtues” or “seven great men” or any
other interpretation must be rejected, because they
simply are certain individuals’ self-serving explanations and arguments and they do not have any
scriptural basis.
After Brother Branham had preached the seven
seals, he was told to go back to the Tabernacle and
say a few important things, among them is the following statement, “… no one would know His coming;
they also would not know about this seven thunder mystery.” (Seven Seals, pg. 576).
Preachers, take your hands off that subject and
leave the matter to God! John was forbidden to write
what the seven thunders had uttered, it did not become part of the written Word of God and therefore
cannot be preached on. That is thus saith the Lord
in His Word. We are commanded to keep only those
things which are written (Rev. 1:1-3) and are forbidden to add anything to the words of prophecy in
this book (Rev. 22:16-21). Is that not a clear enough
warning?
Question 11: Why did Brother Branham repeatedly speak about “the third pull”?
Answer: The term “third pull” denotes the third and last
phase of his ministry. Quote: “The first pull — healing, second pull – prophesying. Third pull, the opening of the word, the mysteries revealed …” (Golden Nuggets, pg. 158). On February 28th, 1963, Brother
Branham experienced seven mighty, thunder-like
sounds, which he repeatedly called seven thunders
or seven thunderclaps. In fact, he knocked on the
pulpit seven times with his fist and said, “The seven
consecutive thunders were so mighty and they were trying to spell out something.” (Seventh Seal, March 24th,
1963). Then he spoke about the mystery that Satan
does not know and also about the third pull — the
preaching to the eternally lost. He spoke about the 25
Sword of the King that was placed in his hand and
made the statement again, “This is the third pull.” He
also referred to the spoken word ministry.
Most importantly, we should differentiate between
the seven thunders which audibly occurred when
he was on Sunset Mountain before the opening of
the seven seals and the seven thunders of Rev. 10,
which can only happen when the Angel of the Covenant comes down with the open book in His hand.
The Voice of God rings out with a mighty thunderclap, “He thundereth with the voice of His excellency … God thundereth marvellously with His voice;
great things doeth He, which we cannot comprehend.” (Job 37). (See also Ex. 20:18; Jn. 12:28-29;
Heb. 12:18-19;
Question 12: Why did Brother Branham repeatedly refer to Rev. 10, verse 7?
Answer: It is quite strange that nearly half the questions are
in one way or another related to Revelation, chapter 10. We once again have to pay close attention to
what was actually said. When referring to Rev. 10:7,
he always spoke in the plural, about the “mysteries”, not about the one “mystery”, which is the “mystery of God”. Brother Branham did that because he
was the messenger to the last church age, through
whom all the mysteries hidden in the Word were
revealed. In his sermon “Sirs, is this the time?” (December 30th, 1962), he specifically mentioned seventeen of the mysteries that were revealed, starting
with “the mystery of the Kingdom of heaven”, and
ending with “the mystery: The Pillar of fire returning back.” Jesus Christ is the mystery of God. This
we find confirmed in 1. Tim. 3:16, where we read
about the “mystery of God” — in the singular form.
The Jews did not accept the revelation and manifestation of the one true God in Jesus Christ and they
still do not see it until this day, whereas the New
Testament Church knew the mystery of God from
the beginning (Col. 2:2-3; a. o.).
At the moment when this great mystery of God is finished, the Jews will be included, as it was revealed
to His servants, the prophets. When the New Testament Church is being addressed, we read about
apostles and prophets (Eph. 3:5; a. o.), because the
Church of Jesus Christ is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:20). When
something is meant for the Jews, then the following
especially applies, “… as it was revealed to His servants, the prophets.”
After the announcement in Rev. 10:7, John had
to eat the open book and the command was given,
“Thou must prophesy again …” In chapter 11 the two
prophets to Israel prophesy for forty-two months in
Jerusalem, that is for three and a half years. Is that
not plain enough?
In chapters 8 and 9 the first six trumpet judgments
are described, in chapter 10 the seventh trumpet is
announced. The actual fulfilment follows in chapter
11, from verse 15, “And the seventh angel sounded;
and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The
kingdom of the world is become the Kingdom of our
Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign for ever
and ever.” We must respect the divine order shown
to us in God’s Word. Right after the seventh trumpet sounds, we read about the wrath to come and
about the time of judgement and also about the reward to be given unto, “… thy servants and prophets
and to the saints …” (chapter 11:15-19).
It is noteworthy that in connection with the seventh
seal and the seven trumpet angels the Hebrew word 27
“shofar”, translated as “trumpet”, is used eleven
times from chapter 8, verse 2, through chapter 9
and chapter 10, verse 7, to chapter 11, verse 15. The
last three trumpets are announced in Rev. 8:13 and
are called “voices”, like in Rev. 10:7, “Woe, woe, woe,
to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other
voices of the trumpet of the three angels which are
yet to sound.”
“But in the days of the voice of the seventh Angel …”
Question 13: Do you believe in the ministry of an eighth messenger?
Answer: No, I certainly do not believe any man who claims
to be the eighth messenger, nor do I believe what he
says. According to Rev. 1:20, there are only seven
stars, the seven angels to the seven churches, and
they were in the right hand of the Lord. Any eighth
messenger can therefore only be in the left hand
or left pocket of someone else, because there is no
promise for him in the Holy Scripture. There is furthermore no promise to the Church of a Joshua or
Elisha or of any other prophet. All true servants of
God at this time stand on the same foundation and
they proclaim the true Word — the message of the
hour, which foreruns the second coming of Christ.
Question 14: Do you believe in the “parousia/coming” teaching?
Answer: To this question I always give the same answer:
When the Lord comes I will ascend to Glory together with all the saints. Each coming of the Lord
is a reality, it is in person, a bodily presence. The
term “par ou sia” in itself means coming in bodily
presence. As long as the Bride Church is on earth,
the Bridegroom has not yet come. When the Lord28
comes as Bridegroom, the dead in Christ will rise
first and we, the living, shall be changed and together we shall be taken up to meet the Lord in the
air (1. Thess. 4:13-18). There is absolutely no promise in God’s Word that Christ would come and be on
earth with us for a period of time before the rapture
takes place. In fact, we are warned, “… then if any
man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there;
believe it not!” (Mt. 24:23). For it is written, “… as
the lightning cometh out of the East, and shineth
even unto the West, so shall also the coming of the
Son of man be.” (Mt. 24:27). There is also no promise that His descent would start at the time of the
opening of the Seals or that the mercy seat would
change into the judgment seat at that time.
The unscriptural teachings are based on misunderstandings and misinterpretations. Brother Branham said, “It’s the message going forth first, the living
bread of life, bringing forth the Bride … It’s a message
to get the people together. A message comes forth first.
Now is lamp-trimming time. Rise and trim your lamps.
What watch was that? The seventh, not the sixth, the
seventh. Behold the Bridegroom cometh. Raise and trim
your lamps!” Notice, how the Holy Spirit led from
1. Thess. 4 to Mt. 25, where we read about a cry at
midnight. It is a wake-up call, for all ten virgins
fell asleep. And according to verse 10, those who
are ready when the Bridegroom comes will go with
Him to the marriage supper. We can read about the
marriage supper in Rev. 19:1-10. Anyone who is
separating wedding from marriage should first read
Mt. 22, where the words wedding and marriage are
alternately used seven times for the same event.
The marriage and the wedding supper take place
in heaven (Rev. 19:1-10), not on earth. The Bride
Church from all the ages will be present at the wed-29
ding supper, along with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and
all the redeemed.
Question 15: Do you believe that the Son of man has already come according to Lk. 21:27?
Answer: No, I certainly do not believe that the Son of man
has already come. I do believe that the Son of man
has revealed Himself in the same way and with the
same sign of the Messiah through the prophetic
ministry, as He did when He walked on this earth
(Lk. 17:30). In Jn. chapter 1 it happened with Nathanael and Simon Peter; in Jn. 4 with the woman at
the well; in Mt. 21 with the disciples, who brought
the foal and the ass to Him, so that Zech. 9:9 would
be fulfilled. The coming that is spoken of in Lk.
21:27 is not at all in connection with the coming of
the Bridegroom to take the Bride home before the
great tribulation. That coming of the Son of man
will take place after the tribulation, “Immediately
after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be
darkened, and the moon shall not give its light …
and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in
heaven (not on earth) and then shall all the tribes of
the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven with great power
and great glory.” (Mt. 24:29-30; Mk. 13:24-32; Luk.
21:25-33). This certainly has not yet happened. This
coming must also be compared with Dan. 7:13 and
Rev. 1:7, “Behold, He cometh with the clouds and
every eye shall see Him, and they also who pierced
him; and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” This great event will
include all the nations and especially the Jews, as
they are the ones who will look upon Him Whom
they have pierced (Zech. 12:10).30
Question 16: What about your ministry? Is it found in the Holy Scripture?
Answer: If the ministry the Lord has ordained for me could
not be found in the Scriptures, I would not have
the divine right to be in His service. “And God hath
set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily
prophets, thirdly teachers …” (1. Cor. 12:28). Brother Branham said, “No man has a right to preach unless
you’re like Moses, meets Him out there on that sacred
ground …” (Future Home, pg. 37). Every man called
by God knows the day and the hour and the place of
his calling and the precise wording of his commission. My testimony is known all over the world. It
was published in the German edition of the “Voice
of Healing” in March 1963. Two witnesses, Fred
Sothman and Banks Woods, were present on December 3rd, 1962, when Brother Branham by divine
revelation repeated word for word what the Lord
had spoken to me on April 2nd, 1962. I shall for ever
remember that moment, when the prophet said,
“Brother Frank, you misunderstood what the Lord
said. You thought there would be a natural famine
and you stored in natural food.” Then he continued,
“The Lord will send a famine to hear His Words.
The food you are to store in is the promised Word
for this day … it is in the messages that are being
taped … but wait with the giving-out until you get
the rest of it …” The commission I received is of a
two-fold nature: First, to go from city to city and
preach the Word and second, to give out the spiritual food.
By God’s providence it came to pass that Bro. Don
Bablitz came to see me during my stay in Edmonton at the Wittmeier’s home on the 137th Avenue in
August 1976. He was the one who, together with
a team, for years had been sending out Brother 31
Branham’s printed sermons to all the addresses I
was receiving during my visits to numerous countries. On that Saturday morning he suddenly said,
“Brother Frank, we see Brother Branham’s ministry in the Bible. What about yours? Is it also found
in the Scriptures?” I interrupted him and said,
“Please, stop. Do not say that. How can my ministry
be in the Bible? …”
You may believe it or not, but the next morning I
woke up early, got dressed, sat down on the edge of
the bed and reached over to get my Bible, when to
my right side – as it always happened – the Lord
spoke these words to me with great authority,
“My servant, I ordained you to give out the food
according to Matthew 24:45-47.” Until then I had
not been aware of that Scripture, let alone placed
it in connection with the giving-out of the spiritual
food for this time. God said He would send a famine to hear the Words of the Lord (Am. 8:11). That
is why Brother Branham was told to store in the
spiritual food, which is now being distributed. Thus
the God-ordained ministry given to me is directly
connected to Brother Branham’s ministry. It is one
thing to store the plentiful food in baskets, as it was
shown to Brother Branham, and a different matter to share the prepared meal with the people at
the Lord’s Table. All brethren who actually have
received a divine call to serve in the household of
God stay with the Word and have a part in the giving-out of the spiritual food worldwide.
Question 17: Do you preach Brother Branham’s sermons?
Answer: No, I do not preach Brother Branham’s sermons,
they have already been preached. I translate and
publish them. They can be read or listened to by all
those who desire to feed their soul. I preach from
the Bible, but I also refer to statements that Brother Branham made in his sermons, according to the
guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Question 18: What is the spiritual food, Brother Branham’s sermons or the Bible?
Answer: Who would ask such a question? It remains for ever
true that the spiritual man cannot live by the natural bread, but by the bread that came down from
heaven (Jn. 6:32-59). The spiritual food is the Word
of God, it strengthens us to do the Will of God (Jn.
4:34). Whether we read the Bible or preach from
it, the Word will always accomplish in the faithful
elect what it was sent for. In Brother Branham’s
sermons we find the revealed Word, which is the
fresh and hidden manna for the elect. Thereby the
divine purpose connected to this ministry is accomplished, namely to include the prophetic as well as
the teaching part.
Question 19: Who will present the Church of the last days to the Lord?
Answer: It was the desire of the Apostle Paul to present
to Christ a victorious Church already in his time
(2. Cor. 11:2-4). However, he feared that just as
the serpent beguiled Eve, likewise the minds of the
believers would also be corrupted in regard to the
simplicity that is in Christ. Then he shows how the
deception is being introduced by those who preach
another Jesus, who have received another spirit,
and who proclaim another gospel. According to
Eph. 5:26-27 Jesus Christ Himself will be the One,
“… that He might present it to Himself a glorious
Church not having spot or wrinkle.” The greatest
man of God can only preach the Word, but the Lord
Himself is the Word. He has purchased His Church,
He calls out the elect, and He is the One Who will
complete the work of Redemption. Those who preach
will be judged in the presence of the ones they have
preached to, according to what Brother Branham
experienced when he was taken beyond the curtain
of time. That is in agreement with Rom. 14:7-12 and
2. Cor. 5:9-10. The Apostle Paul said, “For we shall
all stand before the Judgement Seat of Christ.”
Question 20: How do you react towards those who slander your your name?
Answer: Not at all. That gives me the chance to bless those
who cannot control their jealousy. My fate is no
different than that of all the servants of God who
preached the Word. As the Apostle Paul writes, “…
by honour and dishonour, by evil report and good
report; as deceivers, and yet true …” (2. Cor. 6:8).
When, for instance, untruths and slander are being
circulated in the publication “Contender”, or in a
book about the seven thunders, or in open letters, or
even from the pulpits and in the internet, with the
sole purpose of undermining the divine influence of
the God-ordained ministry, then I know that Satan
is using those people. He did that with all of God’s
servants.
The Lord Jesus Who called me gives me the strength
every day to share the true Word of God with all the
true believers. In spite of all the reproach I must
bear, I can only wish well to the old and the new
enemies of the truth. Those who in their day persecuted the prophets, the Lord, and the apostles,
were the religious leaders, but in reality they were
spiritually blind and tried leading the blind.
The actual nature of the seed will manifest itself.
You can never pick figs from a thorn bush, nor can
you draw sweet and bitter water from the same well. 34
Some love in the way of Cain (1. Jn. 3:11-12), which
manifested itself in murder back then, and today
it appears in the form of character assassination.
Cain, with his jealousy, and Abel, who was pleasing
to the Lord, are very exemplary placed before us.
Envy and jealousy produce hatred and hatred leads
to fratricide.
Quote: “You don’t have to stick a knife in a man’s back
to kill him; you can break his character and kill him, kill
his influence. Speak against your pastor here, say something bad about him, you just might as well as shot him;
told something that wasn’t right about him, will, it’ll kill
his influence with the people and things like that, and
you’re guilty of it.” (Golden Nuggets, pg. 167).
Isaac and Ishmael were born of the same father,
but he that was born after the flesh hated the one
that was born according to the promise, “Now we,
brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.
But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so it is
now.” (Gal. 4:23-30). It can never be the other way
around. There is no cover-up possible. “Whosoever
hateth his brother is a murderer; and ye know that
no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.” (1. Jn.
3:15). That is the plain truth. Whoever hates and
thereby kills his brother actually commits spiritual
suicide, for that person loses the eternal life.
Question 21: Did Brother Branham preach “polygamy”?
Answer: What a question to ask in a civilised world! No, certainly not. Some brethren in the African countries,
where polygamy is still being practised, emphasise
the statements the prophet made in this regard, in
order to accommodate their own lustful ways. They
refer to Abraham, Jacob, Elkanah, Gideon, David, 35
and Solomon, etc., emphasising that David committed adultery only when he took Uriah’s wife. This
subject is most delicate and easily misunderstood.
Brother Branham said, “But now, that the Seals are
opened, the Spirit of truth directs us to the Word. That
explains why all the mistakes have been down through
the ages because the Seals were not opened. This was not
revealed. It’s true.” (Vol. 3B, pg. 92).
Brother Branham used the term “polygamy” a
number of times, especially in his sermon “Marriage
and divorce” (February 21st, 1965), pointing to the
Old Testament. He most certainly did not intend to
establish a harem for the brethren. Without giving
a reason, God said in the law, “If he take him an
other wife …” — not many wives (Ex. 21:10). In that
case the man had to take full responsibility for both
of them. God even gave advice about the birthright
of the firstborn in such a case (Dt. 21:15-17).
The Apostle Paul clearly writes that every man
should have his wife and every wife her husband
(1. Cor. 7). Brother Branham, in essence, only
meant to point out that the woman was created
for the man and not the other way around (1. Cor.
11:9). That is the reason why the man is allowed
to remarry after a divorce without becoming guilty
towards his ex-wife. However, if the wife remarries she is then living in adultery, because she is
bound by God’s law to her vow for as long as he lives
(Rom. 7:2; 1. Cor. 7:39). That is what was revealed
to Brother Branham from the same supernatural,
amber-coloured cloud which was also present at the
opening of the Seals. These words came from his
lips, “Notice, it’s stated that he cannot remarry, only a
virgin. He can remarry, he can marry — he can marry
again if it is a virgin; but he cannot marry somebody
else’s wife. No indeed, and if he does marry a divorced 36
woman he is living in adultery … Notice, he can, but she
can‘t. Like David, like Solomon, like the continuity of the
whole Bible …” The difference becomes evident! “…
she must remain single or be reconciled back to her husband (1. Cor. 7). She cannot remarry. She must remain
single. But notice, he never said about the man. See, you
can’t make the Word lie.” (Vol. 3B, pg. 91).
Everybody should understand it perfectly on account of the clarification Brother Branham gave
after receiving the direct answer to the problem of
marriage and divorce. This scriptural revelation is
completely different from the inherited traditional
thinking and what is being taught in the denominations. All those who claim that they already knew
everything about this important subject must be
told that God cannot even speak to such a person.
This matter was so important to God that He appeared personally in the supernatural cloud to give
the final revelation to His servant and prophet. All
who rightfully claim to believe the message of the
hour will respect that.
Question 22: What is your teaching on marriage and divorce?
Answer: I have no teaching of my own on any subject. Moses,
our Lord, the Apostle Paul, and Brother Branham
taught about this subject in detail. There is actually
no need for anyone to write about it, except to properly place the things which have already been written. It is indeed, as Brother Branham said, the ancient problem and so complex that, “You don’t know
it until it is revealed to you.” When the Lord God gave
the commandments He certainly did not forget this
topic, for He spoke about adultery, “Thou shalt not
commit adultery … Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife …” (Ex. 20).37
In the sermon on the mountain (Mt. 5:27-32) our
Lord also spoke about adultery and divorce, “Thou
shalt not commit adultery … even not to lust after
another man’s wife …” Thereupon He says, “If thy
right eye offend thee pluck it out and cast it from
thee … And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off,
and cast it from thee …” Then He addresses the
man who could — not should — divorce his wife
only if she commits fornication (v. 32). Otherwise
he causes her to commit adultery, if she remarries,
and most certainly will be held responsible for it.
In any culture on earth, even with atheists, marriage is generally respected as part of the natural
family life and order. The burning question is this:
What is adultery, whereupon both had to die according to God’s law? What does the Scripture say?
Adultery is when a man has a sexual relationship
with a married woman, the wife of another man. “If
a man be found laying with a woman married to an
husband then they shall both of them die …” (Dt.
22:22).
In Mal. 2 the Lord first admonishes the priests and
the tribe of Levi because of their false teachings.
Then He speaks of the covenant of our fathers,
which Judah desecrated by marrying the daughters of a foreign god. This prophetic chapter is
very deep and leads to the main point, “… that He
might seek a godly seed …” That seed is the promised seed from the Garden of Eden, which is Christ
(Gal. 3:16). Then we read about divorce being an
act of violence. When a man divorces the wife of his
youth he breaks the covenant with her (v. 14). It
was never in God’s thinking that a wife would divorce her husband, just as Israel could not divorce
God. Therefore it only states that in certain cases
the husband could give his wife a writ of divorce-
ment, but a wife could never present her husband
with divorce papers. Quote: “Brother, look, let me tell
you, she’s going to sue you for a divorce; that’s Satan.”
(COD, Vol. 2, pg. 981).
Before any man or woman even thinks about divorce,
this will for ever be my conviction, he or she should
first consider cutting off a hand or a foot before going to the solicitor to begin divorce proceedings. Divorce is murder in disguise, when all satanic forces
of hatred are manifested. It really destroys not only
the marriage, but also the family, the church, and
society. There is no other act of violence as satanic
as a divorce. It is murder for life. To then cover it
with a fig-leaf garment of self-righteousness is a
mockery.
Satan, the deceiver, hides behind every plausible
argument that is presented. A wife beheads herself by rejecting and leaving her husband. At that
moment she loses all spiritual and natural orientation and becomes vicious with a poisonous tongue,
as she moves out of the divine order of marriage,
family and church life. In that case she sins wilfully, crucifies the Son of God anew and brings public shame upon Him, all the while thinking she is
getting revenge and destroying her husband. The
characteristics of the actual guilty party are these:
No grace, no forgiveness, no reconciliation — only
accusations, enmity, and uncontrollable hatred,
which even goes beyond death. At the same time
that person presents convincing arguments to calm
a guilty conscience and to justify the wrongful actions before the family, the believers, and the public
in general. 39
Question 23: What about the family of a servant of God?
Answer: Once more we need to ask what the Scripture says
about this. In Matthew, chapters 5, 6 and 7, the
Lord preaches the all-encompassing sermon on the
mount to the multitudes. At the conclusion of that
long sermon we read, “And it came to pass, when
Jesus had ended these sayings the people were astonished at His doctrine.” (7:28).
In Mt. 10 the Lord addresses the twelve disciples
whom He calls apostles, not the multitudes. When
addressing them He said, “… whosoever shall not
receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out
of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.”
(Mt. 10:14).
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of
wolves …” (v. 16).
“… But when they persecute you in this city, flee
into another …” (v. 23). The Lord also made this
important statement, which might very well decide
someone’s eternal destiny, “He that receiveth you receiveth Me, and he that receiveth Me receiveth Him
that sent Me.” (v. 40). Everyone should read with
great care what our Lord said about those He had
commissioned. They were to go from city to city,
whether they were married or single. The calling is
the command.
Jesus Christ, our Lord, addressed the following
Scripture to the ones He had called to proclaim
peace, “Think not that I come to send peace on earth;
I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I am
come to set a man at variance against his father,
and the daughter against her mother … and a man’s
foes shall be they of his own household … “ (Mt.
10:34-36). That is the foretold family turmoil, which
can also happen in the house of a preacher. Never-40
theless, a servant of God must continue to preach.
The servants that He sent were not promised a harmonious family life or a pleasant ministry. Never
did God say that an apostle, a prophet, or a teacher
had to be married. Whatever the marital status of a
servant of God might be, he must be obedient to the
divine commission.
Watch, how totally different the words addressed
to the elders in a local church are. According to
1. Tim. 3 and Tit. 1, the elders and deacons had to
be married. The statement, “They must be the husband of one wife.” does not imply that all the others
could have as many wives as they wished. It simply
means that a man who has certain responsibilities
in the local church has to be married, because he
must deal with the problems which arise in that local assembly. Quote: “The Bible requires a deacon to
be a married man. He must be the husband of one wife.”
(COD, Vol. 1, pg. 354).
What about the Son of God? In spite of His supernatural ministry, the multiplying of the bread, the
healing of the sick, the raising of the dead, the calming of the storm, etc., we read, “… neither did His
brethren believe in Him.” (Jn. 7:5). They knew Him
after the flesh, not after the Spirit. According to
Mt. 13:53-58, the Son of man could not accomplish
anything in His own city because of their unbelief.
They said, “We know Him, He is the carpenter’s son,
we know His mother Mary, we know His brothers,
we know His sisters.” And they were offended, because they judged according to what their eyes beheld and what people were saying. Then follows the
statement in Mt. 13:57b, “A prophet is not without
honour, save in his own country, and in his own
house.”41
It hurts us to read what the religious leaders of that
time were saying about our Saviour. The Pharisees
and Scribes told Him to His face, “We are not born
in fornication … Say we not well that Thou art a
Samaritan, and hast a demon?” Just imagine for
one instant, our Lord, the only begotten Son of
God, was labelled a Samaritan, accused of being
born in fornication. That was the moment when He
made the statement, “… I proceeded forth and came
from God … ye are of your father, the devil.” (Jn.
8:41-48).
Can a servant expect to be treated differently than
his Lord? It shows that the Saviour did neither
come to establish a natural family, nor to turn His
ministry into a profitable business. The same applies to His servants. They do indeed have a higher
calling to serve the Body of Christ, a calling which
goes beyond the natural family ties.
There is also no promise in God’s Word for the sons
of a prophet, or of an apostle or teacher, to be the
heirs of a commission or calling. The prophet Samuel meant well when he appointed his two sons as
judges, but, “… they turned aside after money and
perverted justice.” (1. Sam. 8:1-5). Even a wellmeant decision of a prophet can fail, but what God
ordains can never fail. It can also happen that a son
of a prophet, of a king, or of a man of God can assume a position and exalt himself, drawing the people in to follow him. One such example is recorded
in 1. Kings, chapter 1, when Adonijah, the son of
David by Haggith, was, “… exalting himself, saying, I will be king … and he prepared chariots and
horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.” God’s
decision had already been made: Solomon was to be
the successor on the throne of David. His brothers, 42
however, did not think that he should assume the
throne.
It is furthermore possible that sons will say to
themselves and to others, “I will be the president!”
“I will be the leader!” “I will take charge!” “I will arrange meetings!” “I will have a church …” “I will …”
“I will …” Regardless of their personal circumstances, from the beginning of time all true servants of
God have obeyed their commission, which God can
never take back. No servant of God ever said, “I will
… I would like to be … I want to do this or that!”
Many of them were not willing to go at first, but
they had to, because God’s callings are without repentance. So, family or no family, married or single,
a divine commission is part of the plan of Salvation
and must be carried out under any and all circumstances.
Question 24: What about the Seven Church Age Book?
Answer: I brought the two brochures “Twentieth Century
Prophet” and “ The Laodicean Church Age” and also
the book “An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages”
back from the USA in April 1966. Being under the
impression that Brother Branham was the author
of that book, I translated it and published 10,000
copies in the German language. Then I found out
that the small, 48-page booklet “Laodicean Church
Age” is in its entirety, from the first to the last word,
found in the Church Age Book, pgs. 319-365. Later I
noticed that there were many discrepancies between
the original sermons preached by Brother Branham
and the contents of the Church Age Book. There are
even a number of unscriptural teachings in that
book which Brother Branham never preached. It
states, for instance, that people who were not born
again would receive eternal life because they had 43
extended some kindness to the brethren. This is absolutely contrary to 1. Jn. 5:11-12, “And this is the
record, that God hath given to us eternal life and
this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life;
and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”
Another example is the inconceivable statement
about the tree of life and the tree of knowledge,
“… thus the righteous one and the wicked one stood
side by side there in the midst of the garden … and
no doubt their very branches intertwined each other.”
(pgs. 92-98)! The book does not even differentiate
between Mt. 25, from verse 31, when the nations
will be gathered and judged, which takes place before the millennial reign, and then the white throne
judgement of Rev. 20, from verse 11, when the
last judgement takes place after the Millennium. I
refuse to deal with the various points that are not
rightly presented in the said book. I beseech everyone to use the original messages.
When inquiring about it, I was informed that Bro.
Lee Vayle was actually the author of the Church
Age Book. Brother Branham specifically said that
he personally had never read it. On February 17th,
1965, in his message “Running from the presence
of the Lord”, pg. 6, he stated, “And then the seven
Church Ages … I think, our precious Brother must have
picked up a little extra inspiration somehow, and he
said, he was going to write a couple of books of his own
off of them like. And so he wrote one called, I believe,
“The twentieth century prophet” and another “Laodicean
Church”, I believe, or something like that … I have never
read it myself. If I’d read them I might change my mind
about that.”
Since some of the teachings therein cannot be reconciled with the Holy Scriptures, I must suggest that 44
it should only be used for the historical background,
but not as an authority for teaching purposes.
Question 25: Was the duration of each of the seven church ages revealed to Brother Branham?
Answer: There was no revelation necessary to determine the
church age periods. Brother Branham mentioned
the historian Dr. Clarence Larkin a number of
times. In his book “Dispensational Truth” you can
find the precise itemisation on pages 130 and 131,
which Brother Branham copied. The names of the
messengers were chosen by Brother Branham, of
course. The chart that Brother Branham used, with
the church ages and the seventy weeks of Daniel, I
brought with me from Jeffersonville. It shows exactly what his teaching was on this subject. We find
this confirmed by his statements.
Question 26: Did Brother Branham prophesy that 1977 would be the end?
Answer: Brother Branham never made such a prophecy.
He did, however, mention the year 1977 in several
sermons. The statement found in the Church Age
Book, pg. 322, did not come from the lips of Brother Branham, namely that 1977 ought to terminate
all worldly systems and usher in the Millennium.
Therefore that statement is not found a single time
in any of the recorded sermons. It actually originated word for word from the pen of Bro. Lee Vayle, the
author of that book. The same statement can also
be found on page 7 of his brochure “The Laodicean
Church Age”. On January 17th, 1972, Bro. Vayle answered my question about 1977 as follows, “I believe
with the prophet that 1977 ought to wind it all up and
put us in the Millennium …” This was obviously the
personal opinion of the author, not of the prophet.
Question 27: Did Brother Branham see a calendar that ended with the year 1977?
Answer: No. To my knowledge, as of yet no one has found
a corresponding statement from Brother Branham
about having such a vision. It can no longer be determined who originally came up with this story.
We first came to know about the supposed “calendar
vision” in 1966. Later on, the calendar vision was
published and I mentioned it in my Circular Letter of February 1967. Then I began having certain
doubts in regard to the year 1977, so, as I previously
mentioned, I asked Bro. Lee Vayle for clarification.
In the same letter, dated January 17th, 1972, he
wrote the following about the calendar vision, “Now,
Brother Frank, due to people publishing that Brother
Branham saw a calendar flipping over by hand until the
date 1977 came into view, and finding that was not his
vision at all, but merely something someone made up,
we discussed this very thing …” The tragic part is that
no correction was ever made by the responsible parties in the USA, and to this day we are left with
the lie that Brother Branham made that prediction.
Therefore his enemies use it to their advantage and
declare that he was a “false prophet”, because the
prediction was not fulfilled.
Question 28: Is the baptism by the Holy Ghost the same as the new birth?
Answer: No. That statement in the Church Age Book did not
come from the lips of Brother Branham, but from
the author of that book. Therefore it is not found
on any taped message, and furthermore, it is not
scriptural.
One is the new birth by the Spirit and the other is
the infilling with the Holy Spirit. In Acts 8 the people believed the sermon of the evangelist Philip and 46
were baptised. Then the apostles came from Jerusalem to pray for them, so they would receive the Holy
Spirit. In Acts 10 full salvation was experienced in
one and the same service: repentance, forgiveness,
justification, new birth, and the baptism of the Holy
Spirit. Through the new birth we become sons and
daughters of God. By the baptism with the Holy
Spirit we are placed as members into the Body of
Christ, and we receive power for the service (Lk.
24:47; Acts 1:8; Acts 2; 1. Cor. 12; 1. Cor. 14; a. o.).
The main thing is that both experiences, whether
they happen separately or all at once, do not simply remain points of discussion, but that they become our true, personal experiences by the grace
of God. Brother Branham said, “When you believe on
the Lord, you receive a new thought, a new life, but it
isn’t the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. See? You have got
the new birth when you believe, you have got eternal life
… But the Baptism of the Holy Spirit puts you into the
Body of Christ, subject to the gifts for service.” (COD
Vol. 1, pg. 269, pars. 363 + 364).
Question 29: What about the tent vision that Brother Branham had?
Answer: In 1958 I first found out about the tent vision that
Brother Branham saw in 1955. My written inquiry
was answered by Roy Borders, Brother Branham’s
manager, on May 18th, 1965, and therein, among
other things, he stated the following, “… I will endeavor to, in few words, answer as I have been instructed
by Brother Branham … Regarding the tent, it is quite
possible that the tent will be used in Europe and other
countries outside the Unites States …” Brother Branham was expectant of the fulfilment of the tent vision right to the end. But since he was taken home
to glory, the matter has settled itself.47
In the course of time, a number of things have been
pushed into the limelight, maybe not intentionally,
but certainly to support the respective teachings.
In regard to the tent vision some people teach and
believe that Brother Branham will rise and have a
tent ministry for a short period of time. The dangerous part lies in the fact that those brethren hide
themselves and their teachings behind William
Branham under wrongful pretences. Otherwise
they could not convince anyone and would not have
a following.
This I say as a Word of the Lord in the name of Jesus Christ: When there is no promise for something
in God’s Word, then subsequently there can be no
fulfilment. That is the plain truth.
Question 30: Can something that was shown in a vision remain unfulfilled?
Answer: It is understandable that the people, especially
those he personally spoke to, expected to see the
fulfilment of Brother Branham’s visions while he
was still alive. However, a vision can be or maybe
already has been fulfilled in an entirely different
manner than expected. Brother Branham mentioned “the tent” in connection with Abraham and
Sarah a hundred times up until the opening of the
Seals in March 1963. He usually did that when starting the prayer line, emphasising that the same sign
was being repeated in our time. In Gen. 18 the tent
is mentioned five times. Sarah was in the tent when
the Lord God gave the promise about the birth of
Isaac. At times Brother Branham turned his back
to the audience during a prayer line to prove that
the same God was present Who knows and reveals
the secrets of the heart, as it happened back then
with Abraham. However, I have to warn everyone
to not make a doctrine out of it. We have to leave
the entire matter to God.
Spiritual things can be shown in a natural symbol,
like when Brother Branham saw himself in a vision
carrying all kinds of vegetables into the Tabernacle,
for instance. The actual meaning was to put in store
the spiritual food, the revealed Word of God for our
time. The Apostle Peter also saw a very natural
picture of a great sheet with all kinds of creeping
things, etc., in it. The spiritual significance of it was
that the gentiles have also been given salvation
(Acts 10:9-22). Our Lord used only natural symbols
and parables when speaking about the Kingdom
of God, and thereby He proclaimed the “… things
which have been kept secret from the foundation of
the world.” (Mt. 13:35).
Those brethren who still hold on to an actual fulfilment of the tent vision with Brother Branham have
absolutely no promise for it in the Bible. There is
furthermore not a single example in the Holy Scriptures where a prophet returned to continue his
ministry. No wonder that such brethren do not wish
to have any fellowship with us, because we must
truthfully declare that Brother Branham’s ministry
ended with the moment he was taken from earth to
glory. Since they do not accept that fact, they have
to reject the one who claims to be called by God to
take the message to the nations. They even go so far
as to brand him the Bride’s deceiver and the antichrist, who must be rejected, since he is against all
the thunder doctrines and supposedly “against the
prophet”. In fact, the statements go to the extent of
saying, “No one has the right to claim a commission
to share God’s revealed Word with God’s people.”
For, as their teaching goes, everything ended with
the ministry of Brother Branham and will start 49
again with him. The “meantime” is being used for
fruitless discussions about the prophet and what he
said and for spreading destructive teachings. What
tragic developments within the message!
In fact, all these expectations have nothing to do
with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus is
not mentioned even a single time in all of the things
that they proclaim and await to be fulfilled. False
hopes are being nurtured which will inevitably lead
into utter despair. Please, acknowledge the fact,
dear Brethren, that things pertaining to the Kingdom of God are not connected to any private interpretation.
Now we are going to take a look at Moses and the
commission given to him to lead the people into the
Promised Land. He was not allowed to enter therein
along with the church of Israel. According to Deuteronomy, chapter 34, he was only permitted to take
a good look into the Promised Land from Mount
Nebo, but could not enter in. Together with Brother
Mehnert I took a taxi from Amman to Mount Nebo.
We had a wonderful view, overlooking Jericho to
our right, En Gedi and the Dead Sea to our left, and
right before us was Jerusalem. How well I could
understand how Moses must have felt! God’s ways
are beyond our understanding. To the natural eye
it seemed as though Moses had not completed his
commission. We need spiritual understanding to respect the ways of God and His decisions.
We do believe that God Himself will finish the work
of Redemption, the way He planned it before the
foundation of the world. The main thing is that we
are ready to partake in the Word promised for this
day, for true faith is anchored only in the promises
of God.50
In reference to God’s promises we read, “Blessed be
the Lord who has given rest unto His people, Israel, according to all that He promised; there has not
failed one word of all His good promise, which He
promised by the hand of Moses, His servant.” (1. Ki.
8:56).
“For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and
in Him Amen unto the glory of God by us.” (2. Cor.
1:20).
At the first coming of Christ, the promised prophet
was the forerunner, but the Lord Himself accomplished the work of Redemption on the cross of Calvary. That is also how it is now: Brother Branham
was the promised prophet sent to restore all things
back to the original state and the message is the
forerunner, but the Lord Himself will be the One to
finish the work of Redemption.
“For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness; because a short work will the Lord make
upon the earth.” (Rom. 9:28).
Question 31: What comparison do we have between Israel and the Church?
Answer: The answer to this question is especially found in
Acts 15:13-18. First God, by His grace, visits the
nations to call out a people for His name. After this
He will turn to Israel and rebuild the tabernacle
of David. The apostle also devoted the entire chapter of Rom. 11 to this subject. We do indeed have
a complete overview of the plan of Redemption in
regard to the Jews and the gentiles, in view of Israel and the Church. The main point is this: The
twelve tribes have returned to the Promised Land
from 143 countries. Why? Because they must be in 51
Jerusalem, in Israel in order to be sealed during the
ministry of the two prophets.
In like manner all true believers scattered throughout the Christian denominations must now be gathered and come into the promised Word for this day
and be sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13). Otherwise they cannot partake in the rapture. Faith
without a promise of God is religious illusion. True
faith is therefore anchored in the promises of God.
Abraham believed what God promised unto him and
saw it fulfilled. Now the true seed of Abraham believes the promises for this day and shall see them
fulfilled.
Question 32: In what phase are we now according to the plan of Salvation?
Answer: We certainly have entered into the very last phase
of the church age — into the Bride age. The Return
of Christ is indeed imminent. We can see that by
the signs of the time and by the prophecies of the
Scriptures predicted for our time, which are now
coming to pass, especially with Israel. The end-time
message is the important cry at midnight, it is the
calling-out for all who are part of the Bride Church.
What the Apostle Paul stated in his day also applies today. Only those elected by grace will obtain
it and inherit all things, as they are the only ones
who hear and obey what the Spirit says unto the
churches. Of course, the greatest work God has ever
done on earth will also be His final one, namely the
complete restoration of all things. Part of that are
the spoken word ministry and the mighty working
of the Spirit, which will lead to the manifestation of
the sons of God, the resurrection of the dead, and
culminate in the Return of Christ. 52
Summary
With gratitude I look back at 54 years of preaching the Gospel
and 42 years of being in the international ministry, during which
I had the privilege to share the true Word through meetings and
via radio and TV broadcasts with millions of people in over 130
countries. Perhaps it helped especially the brothers on the African continent that Brother Branham saw the German eagle
flying through Africa. In every country, in every city I introduced
the prophet, but I always preached Jesus Christ as Saviour, Who
is the same yesterday, today, and for ever, and, of course, I faithfully only taught from the Word of God. I have never dealt with
the controversial subjects in public, never mentioned a brother
by name who propagates false teachings. However, since the glorification of a man has reached a magnitude that idolatry is being practised with the person of the prophet, with relics like pictures, crucifixes, pieces of fabric, and special sites like the grave,
etc., that are being turned into places of pilgrimage, I have no
choice but to speak up, whether my voice is going to be heard or
not. The final push to deal with these much-debated issues was
given to me by a parcel with four CDs and DVDs sent to me by a
brother from the USA. It arrived just as I had finished answering
these questions, a task I had actually hoped to avoid. The DVDs
turned out to be yet further confirmation of the importance and
urgency to show some of the controversial things in the light of
the everlasting Word of God.
All that it seems to have come to is a Branham-centred message which is no longer in agreement with the everlasting Gospel
of Jesus Christ. It is being heard over and over, “The Prophet
said …”, “The Prophet told me …”, etc., etc. Jesus Christ is not
mentioned by these people any more. He no longer has a part in
what these brothers are sharing in their testimonies. The concern is the prophet and what he said, but what Jesus Christ said
is not taken into consideration. Life stories, hunting stories, tent
stories, airplane stories, and so on, are the contents of their testimonies and what Brother Branham said as a man is declared
to be Thus saith the Lord. Is this not a complete deviation from 53
the real Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, as it was preached by
Paul (Gal. 1), a tragic apostasy that is leading to all kinds of
idolatries?
Now, after more than forty years, his life story is being propagated and new versions are emerging. Do we have a life story about
John the Baptist, about Peter or Paul? Or do we have the words
of life that God spoke through them? William Branham left unto
us a crystal-clear proclamation that has brought us back to God.
Did not Brother Branham himself say in regard to the human aspects in his sermons, “If eating a cherry pie we just put the seed aside
and keep on eating the pie.”? Did he not say, “Eating a chicken you
just put the bones aside.”? Precisely those minor things, which are
beside the point, are being made the main issues — the “bones” of
contention are fiercely being fought over. Today we have to ask,
“Which message do you believe? What gospel do you preach?”
In the beginning was the Word, not the interpretation! In the beginning was the unity, not the divisions! A compromise or a commingling is not possible. In the very beginning God separated
light from darkness. Thus it remains for ever. Whoever does not
unconditionally accept the truth of God’s Word as the only absolute is betraying the truth and thereby condemned to believe the
lie and will be judged (2. Thess. 2:10-12). All the difficult general
statements Brother Branham made and also the ones in reference to his ministry must be left to God. “The secret things belong
unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever …” (Deut. 29:29).
Brothers worldwide have expressed their concern about what is
going on in the USA. I am not a judge, but by virtue of the divine
commission I would like to clearly state my position: My “headquarters” is not on this earth, it is in heaven. And the “Voice of
God” is heard through God’s holy Word, which is being proclaimed
worldwide. The following admonition is still valid, “Today, when
you hear His Voice harden not your hearts!” (Heb. 3). Just as all
the prophets, the Lord, and the apostles in their times had their
ministries in different places, so also did our beloved Brother
William Branham have his ministry mainly in the Jeffersonville 54
Tabernacle. But no one has to travel to Jerusalem, even though
the Word came forth from there (Isa. 2; Acts 2).
I already had all the sermons before Brother Branham was laid
to rest and thereby was in possession of the precious spiritual
food many years prior to the opening of “Voice of God Recordings” in Jeffersonville. The revealed Word is not placed under
any human‘s supervision, instead it is readily available for everybody. As far as I am concerned, the entire Holy Scripture remains valid for ever, which includes the warning, “Seek ye Me,
and ye shall live. But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and
pass not to Bersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and
Bethel shall come to nothing. Seek the Lord and ye shall live …”
(Amos 5). All of these were special places where God revealed
Himself in an extraordinary way, but later they led to the fateful
undoing of God’s people. Jerusalem, the city chosen by God Himself, was therefore destroyed several times. On Mount Moriah,
which later became the Temple Mountain, the Muslims have
built the Al Aksa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. As long as
God is present in a certain place through a ministry, that place
serves a divine purpose. As soon as the ministry ended, those
areas inevitably became pilgrimage destinations for superstition
and idolatry. Right to the time of Hezekiah the Israelites worshipped and brought sacrifices to the brasen serpent that Moses
put up. Hezekiah had no choice but to beak it to pieces (2. Ki. 18:1-8).
Today the Lord would say unto us, “Seek Me and ye shall live.”
He cannot say, “Go to Jerusalem or to Jeffersonville.” He cannot
say, “Make a pilgrimage to the grave of the prophet, or to Sunset
Mountain.”, for He has said unto all of us, “… believe Me, the
hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at
Jerusalem, worship the Father … the hour cometh, and now is,
when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and
in truth … God is Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth!” (Jn. 4:19-24). All that our Lord
said is still valid today and will be for ever. Amen! Amen!55
I, too, knew Brother Branham as a human being, I ate with
him at the same table, drove with him in his car. He told me
things that only very few people know. I have kept his 21 letters
from our correspondence during the years 1958 to 1965. Twice I
preached in the Jeffersonville Tabernacle at his direct request.
He was the one who asked me to speak in his place to the Full
Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship at Clifton’s Cafeteria in Los
Angeles. There are many things which I remember with gratitude. He even told me about the brother who paid off the remaining revenue tax debt of 40,000 dollars, so that his passport would
be returned to him. I had tea in his home. After he went home
to glory, I was allowed to stay in his apartment several times
during my visits to Tucson. But what do all these private things
have to do with the divine counsel of God?
Even Brother Branham was only human. When he said 700 instead of 7,000, or when he made the statement that Enoch walked
with God for 500 years, even though he was only on earth for 365
years, it simply shows how human a slip of the tongue is. And
when he said, for example, “The wheat will be burned.”, then he
immediately corrected himself, “… the stalks will be burned, but
the grain will be gathered into the heavenly garner.” When he stated
that Noah preached for 120 years, then he only repeated what
other preachers had said. That was the period of a lifetime set
forth by God (Gen. 6:3). Noah was 500 years old when his three
sons were born (Gen. 5:32) and he was 600 years old when the
flood came upon the earth (Gen. 7:6).
There actually are quite a few statements which show that, in
spite of his infallible ministry as a prophet, he still remained a
normal human being. For instance, as a man he said the following in his sermon “The Rapture”, referring to 1. Thess. 4, which
speaks about the Return of Christ, our Lord, “… Three things that
has to happen before the Lord Himself appears … a shout, a voice, a
trumpet … Jesus does all three of them when He is descending …”
Brother Branham obviously meant to say: These three things
will happen when Jesus returns. “For this we say unto you by
the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the 56
coming of the Lord shall not precede them who are asleep. For the
Lord Himself (not a message) shall descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of
God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we who are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we for ever be with the
Lord.” (1. Thess. 4:15-17). This will happen on the same day,
in the same hour, at the same moment. “Behold, I show you a
mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,
and we shall be changed.” (1. Cor. 15:51-52). Brother Branham
very clearly stated, “A message comes forth first. Now is lamp-trimming time. Rise and trim your lamps …” That is not 1. Thess 4, that
is Matthew 25, “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet
him.” Unintentional and incomplete statements are misused for
the teaching that since the opening of the Seals Jesus has left the
mercy seat, which has already changed into the judgement seat,
and is in the process of descending. What a tragic reasoning and
heresy!
Many more things should actually be dealt with, but I must stop
here for now with the following declaration: During the first 14
years since 1966 there was a wonderful harmony within the fellowships of the message. In 1979 Satan tried to destroy the work
of God and kill the influence of this ministry. From that time on,
all the wrong teachings and all the various movements took their
course. Most of the brethren today do not even know how the new
beginning was 40 years ago and the continuation after the passing of Brother Branham. Brother Branham saw that the Bride
fell out of step, but he also saw that the Bride was brought back
into step with the Word once again.
As long as the sermons were left the way they are, there were
no divisions. The splits only happened in the 1980’s, after the
brothers gathered the quotes, taking them out of context, and
introduced special doctrines with expectations that do not coincide with the Holy Scriptures. The Word takes us into the Prom-57
ised Land, the interpretation into no man’s land. Looking at the
situation now, we must admit that no human being, but only
God can resolve the problems within the end-time message. They
all say, “The elect cannot be deceived.” — even though they are
deceived themselves and are deceiving others. Deception never
comes from the outside, but rather from the inside (Acts 20:30)
and it is amazingly close to the original. Special doctrines are
being called revelations, but they are not confirmed by the written Word. We tragically find repeated in our midst what has already happened with all the denominations, which point to their
“prophet” or “prophetess” or their founder. Their confession is,
“We believe the Bible and our prophet!”
I say this again in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ: The correct
standpoint is to respect God’s Word and to acknowledge Its sole
validity. Just like every denomination misunderstood and misinterpreted one single Scripture that was especially important
to them and whereupon they built their church and denomination, the same also happened within the message with Revelation, chapter 10. Every wrong teaching within the message of
the hour came forth in one way or another because Revelation 10
was misunderstood, misinterpreted, taken out of context and incorrectly placed.
Brother Branham has reintroduced us to the basic and fundamental teachings of the Scriptures. They are in complete harmony with the entire Word of God. We do not believe blindly, but
we search the Scriptures to verify whether things are so (Acts
17:11). We have to correctly place Brother Branham according
to Malachi 4 as the promised prophet. He was the messenger for
the last church age. Amen.
It is my desire to serve the Lord in such a way that all who are
part of the Bride Church of Jesus Christ are brought into the
unity of the faith. Forty years have passed since Brother Branham was taken to glory and we are now expecting a turnabout
— along with the mightiest work of God that ever happened on
earth.58
Job is an example for us in the Bible — he endured all things until he received a double portion of all that he once had. Satan had
destroyed everything around him. Even his wife turned against
him and said, “Dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God,
and die.” (2:9). His closest friends rebuked him and did not believe him. But then came the moment when God Himself spoke
to Job and that changed the entire situation. Job prayed for
his friends and received twice as much as he had before (Job
42:10-17). This experience is left unto us as a promise in connection with the early and the latter rain and also the final work of
God before the Return of Christ. At the moment Job received the
answer, everything that Mrs. Job and his friends had said was
forgotten. That is how it will be in our case as well. “Be patient
therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord … Ye have heard
of the patience of Job …” (Jas. 5:7-11).
The second example is Joseph, who was thrown into the pit by
his own brothers and who was unjustly imprisoned because of a
woman — those were the valleys he had to go through before he
could give out the food to his brothers during the time of the famine. He never made an allegation towards them, on the contrary,
he said, “Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And
he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now
therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold
me hither: For God did send me before you to preserve life … So
now it was not you that sent me hither, but God …” (Gen. 45).
If it had not been for Job, we would never have known about
the twofold restoration. If there would not have been a Joseph,
we would not have an example for the giving-out of the food in
the time of famine. If the ministry of John the Baptist would
not have happened, the way of the Lord could not have been
prepared. If there would have been no Apostle Paul, the gentile
nations would have never heard the Gospel. If the ministry of
William Branham would not have been, we would have no endtime message. And some say, if Brother Frank would not have
received a direct commission, the world would have never come 59
to know about the message. In all these cases we are not dealing with ministries in a local church, but rather with ministries
that are directly connected to the realisation of the divine plan
of Salvation.
In accordance with the Scripture quoted at the very beginning
of this brochure, I have written this exposition with a good conscience. I sincerely wish that all would free themselves from any
snare of the devil and no longer remain captive in the interpretations to do his will. As certain as the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of
truth and guides us into all truth (Jn. 16:13), there most certainly
are seducing spirits in all the heretical doctrines which originate
with devils (1. Tim. 4:1). The jubilee has come and divine liberty
is being proclaimed for all (Lk. 4:17-21). Everyone can return to
the Lord and to His Word and receive the promise according to
the Will of God (Heb. 10:35-38).
By God’s grace I shall bear my cross — but no longer the weight
of the misunderstandings and misinterpretations — until I receive the crown of life. I have to bear the reproach of Christ, the
reproach of Brother Branham, and especially my own reproach
until I shall reach Glory. It was not given to me to live above reproach, as was the case with most of God’s servants. That even
increases my desire to serve God’s people with a faultless proclamation of God’s whole counsel. May God grant it until my last
breath. Just as my Lord and Saviour said of Himself, “… for this
cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the
truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice.” (Jn. 18:37),
I, like every true servant of God, can say this, “I am born again
by the same Word and the same Holy Spirit unto a living hope
to testify about the truth.” I can say before God, as the Apostle
John did, that no lie is of the truth (1. Jn. 2:21) and that, “… he
that knoweth God heareth us … “ (1. Jn. 4:6). “… he that is of
God heareth God’s words …” (Jn. 8:47). In the beginning was the
Word — the same Word is now, at the end. Every interpretation
is a poisoned illusion of the devil, who always presents himself
as the angel of light.60
What God has set out to do will come to pass with the Bride
Church worldwide: She will come forth prepared to meet the
Bridegroom when He comes. I claim before God every soul that
was foreordained to be part of the Bride Church, and call the
elect to come out of all confusion, to line up with the Word of God
and to come into the unity of the faith. I declare that no man
has the right to keep them captive in all the different camps any
longer and therein enslave them to believe various interpretations, so that they forthwith may be free to believe only what the
Scriptures say. Amen!
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth
say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will,
let him take the water of life freely …
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Rev. 22:17-21)
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