In this exposition we shall deal with important information concerning Heaven and Earth. From the beginning, human beings pondered about their destiny. We trust that this booklet will not only illuminate the background of the great tragedy, which is not yet overcome, but that it will also successfully show forth the solution of this ancient problem and serve as a guidepost.
The first human beings saw the light of this world about six thousand years ago. On 12th October, 1999, according to United Nations statistics the world population reached the six billion mark. In the year 2000 the question is appropriate, whether great events, which are predicted in the Holy Scripture, will take place in the foreseeable future. The expectations are running quite high in every respect. Two cities on Earth are in the spotlight, namely Jerusalem and Rome. Jerusalem is looked upon as the birthplace of the three world religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, although Mohammed founded his religion in the year 632 in Mecca and Medina in Arabia, not in Jerusalem. Rome has been polished and prepared for the "Holy Year 2000". In view of the "Holy Year" the golden gate in the Vatican was opened by Pope John Paul II, whereas the Golden Gate in the city wall of Jerusalem remains closed for the time being. However, our concern lies not with religious activities undertaken by men, it is to know what God, the only Holy One, is doing within human history.
Over the course of the past centuries, men and women have predicted special events for certain years. Due to its "uniqueness", the year 2000 has now become the focal point of interest. But it is just like any other year, and things predicted by self-appointed prophets and prophetesses will not occur. The extraordinary only happens when God Himself does it. Indeed, we are at a historical turning point, and can expect things to happen. Now every year could be "the great year of jubilee". Of course, no one can set a date, but the signs of the time do point with increasing clarity towards it. From Adam, 2000 years passed and God made a significant covenant with Abraham, based upon the promises. Following another 2000 years, God made a new beginning by fulfilling the promises, establishing the New Testament covenant. In between were the time periods of the law and the prophets. The law with its many commandments was given to convict the fallen humanity of their transgressions. The prophets had the task to announce the events that would take place in the course of the Plan of Salvation right until the completion.
We have now reached the end of this 2000-year period of the time of grace. Most certainly we can count on great events which are shown forth in God's Plan to happen. "For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?" (Isa. 14: 27). The seventh millennium in the history of mankind not only can, but will and must be the thousand-year reign of Christ. In God's Word we have the promises for it, as we see specifically in Rev. 20: 6, " Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." If a certain prophetic time period is spoken of, the scripture applies: "one day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day" (2 Pet. 3: 8). God will complete His work of redemption with the seventh millennium, as He completed His creation work on the seventh day and rested from all His labour (Gen. 2: 1-3).
At the very end of time, the just verdict will be pronounced at the white throne (Rev. 20: 11-15) and everyone will reach his final destination. All will be in the place of their own choice. We know the saying, "The wider the choice, the greater the trouble." With a view towards eternity, we can say, Whoever makes the right choice will avoid the trouble. After the last judgement, time will run out and merge into eternity. A new beginning with unknown bliss and never-ending heavenly harmony will set in. "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind" (Isa. 65: 17). "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." (2 Pt. 3: 13). "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away …" (Rev. 21: 1).
Bible believing Christians do not wait for an apocalyptic doomsday, they expect the promised return of Jesus Christ. They do not create an attitude of panic with the "Armageddon-inferno". Since the days of the apostles, all of God's children have waited to be taken home, as promised by their Saviour Jesus Christ in John 14: 1-3. Of course, it remains as it is written, that only God knows the day and the hour. Jesus and the apostles were not mistaken when they announced the return of Christ. The Apostle Peter predicted that at the end of days the scoffers would especially ridicule this point in saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? ... all things continue as they were from the beginning ..." (2. Pet. 3: 4). Until the actual fulfilment, it remains true as it is written, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise ... but is longsuffering toward us …" (2 Pet. 3: 9). The Divine longsuffering will finally end, as it did at the time of Noah (Mt. 24: 39), and this could be the case at any moment.
The events pertaining to the Plan of Salvation always happen when the time is fulfilled, according to the counsel and time Plan of God. "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).
How did it begin?
How will it end?
Every beginning God made was very good, indeed, it was perfect. But the adversary has always tried to spoil His Plan. It all started in Heaven and continued on Earth. That is the great tragedy. God had created all things in a magnificent and perfect way. But at some point Lucifer took his stand in Heaven against Him. After that, he deceived the first couple in Paradise. The enemy left nothing the way it originally was. From the very beginning until today he lied, deceived and exercised destructive influence. There is no marriage he left in peace, no family that was not shaken. Actually he left no human being alone, no tribe, no people, no country. He was ever determined to destroy. He already tried to spoil God's original plans with Israel and then with the Church. There was not one revival he respected. Even where the Spirit of God was at work, he came in to sow discord, cause confusion and separation. Under his influence, the things in the religious realm also went wrong and now the very climax of the deception is obvious.
In God's Word we are informed about everything, including what went wrong in Heaven and on Earth. We receive insight about what happened in the past, comprehension of what is presently taking place and understanding of what the future holds. As certain as God created all things perfectly and had only intentions of love and peace with humanity, the enemy is at work causing damage. As certain as God spoke by His Word, it is sure that the enemy will twist what was said. Satan is not an atheist, he believes in God and trembles (Jas. 2: 19). Therein lies the deception. He misleads and deceives in the Name of God with the Word, for he knows Him and His Word very well! Without hesitation he could be given the title: "The chief theologian of all religions". Being in opposition, he puts a question mark behind everything that is true and substitutes it with distortion and lies. Thus he was always successful to sow doubts and pull humanity into unbelief using religious terminology.
The Holy Scriptures speak about the natural and the spiritual Creation, about the first and the second Adam (1 Cor. 15: 45-49). At the completion of the Creation we are told, " And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made." In that same way, the Son of God took His rest at the right hand of the Majesty after completing the work of redemption (Eph. 1: 20 a. o.) and filled His Church on the Day of Pentecost with the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). The Church at the beginning was the pure product of the Holy Spirit. She was the pillar and foundation of the Truth itself (1 Tim. 3: 15). After that glorious beginning, Satan started his destructive work, as he had previously done with the natural Creation.
First of all, we would like to take a look into Heaven, for the great tragedy began there with Lucifer, one of the highest angels, who was the anointed one bearing light, being called the "son of the morning". He was in a leading position with great influence. But suddenly something happened that we cannot comprehend, and it continued on Earth in Paradise. In his own way, he must have even meant well, because being created by God, no evil could be in him. The evil came into existence at the very instant he pulled himself out from that which was good. The darkness within him came by stepping out of the light. His own wilfulness pulled him out of the Will of God . Everything can only exist in Divine harmony as long as it remains in the Will of God, according to the respective order. In the partly coded report we can still have a look into what actually happened. Suddenly Lucifer no longer talked with God but rather with himself, which was recorded as follows,
"I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation ...
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the most High ..." (Isa. 14: 12-27).
All these are intentional declarations, which did not originate from God and therefore caused the separation from Him, and also Lucifer's independence. Thus he became the adversary of God. The self-proclaimed, "I will ..." was not in the will of God and therefore automatically directed against Him. Until then, neither evil nor the evil one existed.
The one who was so close to God stood up against Him and fell. Since then we can say, "Pride goes before the fall." The enemy of God pulled some of the angelic beings into this horrible fall. Since the uprising in heaven, there exists not only God Who is through and through good, but also the evil one (out of whom all that was good disappeared) and his hosts. As ruler of the darkness of this world, he influences humanity and fights against everything that is of God (Eph. 6: 11-13). It is a battle between light and darkness, between good and evil, between life and death. We are all more or less put to the test in this spiritual warfare. The next great universal showdown will take place when the Angel Michael will fight with his angels against Satan and his hosts at the going up of the redeemed. "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven." (Rev. 12: 7-8).
Before us unfolds God's mysterious Plan of Salvation. In Genesis 1: 27 God created man in His image in a spiritual body. In chapter 2: 7 the Lord God made man from the earth in the body of flesh. In verse 18 God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help fit for him." Then the Lord God made all living creatures, always a pair, out of the ground and Adam gave them all their names. After that the Lord looked around to see if He could find a suitable helpmate among all of them for Adam, but found none (v. 20). Finally, the Lord God took Eve out from Adam and presented her to him. She was flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone (vv. 21-24). Here lies a great mystery in view of Christ and the Church (Eph. 5: 30-32). As Eve was taken out from Adam and presented to him, so the Church was in Christ and came forth from Him to eventually meet Him as a chaste virgin (2 Cor. 11: 2; Eph. 5: 27). HE is the Word-Bridegroom and she is the Word-Bride, He is the head and she is the body (Col. 1: 18 a. o.).
At the beginning, Heaven and Earth existed in harmony, bliss and happiness, the extent of which we are unable to imagine. The heavenly hosts worshipped God on the throne. The Lord visited the first couple in the cool of the evening in Paradise and had fellowship with them. There was no trace of sorrow, sickness or death. Lucifer also had access, as we were mysteriously told in Ezekiel 28, "... Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God ... Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth ..." (vv. 12-15). He was the first anointed one and became the adversary of God. That is of great significance for our subject about the anointed ones in the end time.
The high ranking angel was not satisfied with becoming an adversary and bringing about the terrible catastrophic situation in heaven. He saw that God cared for His son Adam, whom He had placed over all that was created on Earth and was displeased with it. Adam and Eve were residing as the sovereigns on Earth. The opponent who had fallen from the heavenly order pulled the first couple on earth out of their divine order into his fall. As a spiritual being he took charge of the most excellent and cunning species of the animal world (Gen. 3: 1), which undoubtedly was closest to man, namely the serpent which walked upright and could speak.
The conversation the serpent had with Eve is well recorded. Only after he was cursed (v. 14) did he lose his shape and became a reptile. From then on, right until the book of Revelation, the enemy of God is addressed with titles like "devil, Satan, dragon and the old serpent".
What happened on earth was even more terrible than that in heaven. However, cherubim and seraphim, all heavenly beings, which were not influenced by Lucifer, remained in their divine order, in their designated place of responsibility. On Earth the whole human race was totally subdued under the rulership of Satan. He was successful in influencing the first couple to doubt what God had said: not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and not to transgress the holy commandment of God, which would result in the death penalty. He promised that their eyes would be opened and that they would be like God. The enemy said, "You will not surely die ..." It was the exact opposite of what God had said. At first Satan brought the whole animal world under his power, indwelling the serpent. After that he caused Eve to submit to his influence. He put a question mark behind God's Word and turned the command, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat ..." into the precise opposite, "Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden." (One has to compare chapter 2: 16 with chapter 3: 1.) The alteration of one word was enough to cause death. The enemy always speaks about Biblical subjects, but never remains in the original Truth. He does not deny the Word, he just twists it and thereby gives a different meaning to what actually was said. He entangles even believers in endless arguments and undermines the credibility of God's Word.
It was not just eating a fruit; that was only the way it started. It was the lust of the eye, which even now leads to the lust of the flesh. He did not only entangle Eve into arguments, he actually beguiled her, and that happened before the natural multiplication took place, as the Lord intended when He said, "Be fruitful, and multiply ..." It is commonly known what it means if a woman is enticed. Everyone is also aware of what the phrase implies: "He fell in sin". The Scripture says, "And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her ..." (Ex. 22: 16). After the serpent had beguiled Eve, she gave herself to Adam who had not known her before. The serpent left behind his seed - which means posterity. Cain was his natural product, as Abel was the natural product of Adam. After it actually happened in chapter 3, we read in chapter 4: 1-2, "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bore Cain ... And she again bore his brother, Abel." Two totally different sons were born. The last part of chapter 3 and the first part of chapter 4 have to be read like they belong together. The division into verses and chapters was not part of the original scrolls.
It is hard for us to comprehend that it happened on the same day, before the Lord came to visit them in the cool of the evening. Then they hid themselves and God was calling, "Adam, where art thou?" Right after they had made themselves aprons of fig leaves to cover their shame. God directly referred to what had happened by putting the punishment unto the correct place. There it still lies today. HE said to Eve, "... in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children ..." No woman has ever given birth to a child because of eating a fruit, not even the first one. It was not without reason, that God gave this strict order in His law, "Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith; neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion." (Lev. 18: 23). HE even said, "Cursed be he who lieth with any manner of beast. And all the people shall say, Amen." (Dt. 27: 21).
Because Adam had submitted to the influence of Eve, the transgression and the fall happened. Accusing him, the Lord said to Adam, "Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife ..." (Gen. 3: 17). The main guilt was with Adam, because he transgressed the commandment God had given unto him, and therefore it is written, "... as in Adam all die ..." (1 Cor. 15: 22). From that moment humanity was separated from God and lost. The first couple had to leave Paradise. Right then God predicted Salvation through the seed of the woman (Gen. 3: 15).
When God made a covenant with Abraham, He demanded the circumcision of the foreskin of every man, as a reminder how the "Word-commandment" was broken in the fall. "This is my covenant , which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; every man child among you shall be circumcised." (Gen. 17: 10). God declared the circumcision of the flesh to be the covenant sign, "He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant." (Gen. 17: 13-14). The circumcision was so important to God that He wanted to kill Moses, because he had not circumcised his son (Ex. 4: 24-26). Under Joshua God ordered the circumcision for all the sons which were born after the exodus (chapter 5). The Saviour was also circumcised on the eighth day and submitted thereby to the divine demand (Lk. 2: 21-24). In the Holy Scriptures every commandment and order has its significance and place.
Paul, who was taught by God to be an apostle and teacher, wrote in reference to Abraham and to the circumcision, "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also ..." (Rom. 4: 11).
In the New Covenant, following the restitution for the fall, we have no commandment for the bodily circumcision. Now our hearts must be circumcised. Christ died for the circumcised and the uncircumcised. And now applies what Paul writes, "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love." (Gal. 5: 6). "... in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ ; buried with him in baptism, in which also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." (Col. 2: 11-12).
The tree of life stood in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge was standing right next to it. Obedience and disobedience, life and death are very close, but they exclude one another. The absence of life is death, the absence of light is darkness, the absence of faith is unbelief and the absence of obedience is disobedience.
After cursing the serpent, the Lord said to him, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Gen. 3: 15). The serpent left seed behind, as God Himself said. Throughout the Bible, seed means "posterity". The enmity could only come about between two different seeds and traces back to the enemy. God's Word is infallible and reveals to those, who can see, what was said and what actually took place.
Cain was of the wicked one, as John, the beloved disciple of Christ, wrote, "... we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one ..." (1 Jn. 3: 12). Adam certainly was not the evil one, but rather Satan, as the rest of Scripture confirms (Mt. 6: 13; 1 Jn. 2: 13-14). Cain is not listed as son of Adam in the genealogies of the Old and New Testament. As the first born he would have had the original birth right. Adam is not once spoken of to be the father of Cain. If he had been, Enoch could not have been the seventh from Adam (Gen. 5; Lk. 3: 36-38; Jude 14). God's Word is that perfect, even though it is mysterious at times. Only Eve was the mother of all living (Gen. 3: 20).
One of the sons was pleasing to God: Abel offered a lamb and later himself became the first sacrifice who was killed by the first murderer. In Cain was jealousy, envy and the tendency to kill. These attributes certainly were not from God and not from Adam, the son of God, but rather from Satan, who was the murderer from the beginning (Jn. 8: 44).
Cain was also religious; he brought an offering, too, but only from the fruits of the field. He therefore established no connection to the actual fall and to the necessary redemption and forgiveness as Abel did.
The two natural lineages from Cain and Seth existed until the flood. Abel was killed, leaving no seed behind. Of him we therefore have no family tree. About the days of Noah we read, "... the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all whom they chose." After these two seeds mixed, God said "My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh ... The end of all flesh is come before me ..." (Gen. 6: 2-3+13). The Saviour was to come from the pure lineage through Seth. His descendants were also called sons of God, but they, too, were disobedient. They did not believe Noah, the true prophet/messenger of that time. It is now as it was then. Our Lord predicted the spiritual mixture by the sons of God in the end-time. Back then the famous physical giants were born, now we are dealing with the renowned "great men" in the religious world.
The Apostle Jude compared the time of Noah to the time of Sodom, as our Lord Jesus did in Lk. 17: 26-30 - and made mention of the strange and different flesh that the sons of God were after. A strange species came into existence through Cain, which was not in the original creation. The scientists had no explanation for the peculiar skeletons that they had found and felt compelled to assert the totally unscriptural Theory of Evolution. And they are still searching for the "missing link". The Apostle Peter also writes about the sons of God who sinned, that they are bound with chains in darkness (2 Pet. 2: 4). Jesus addressed them especially, when visiting the lower regions (1 Pet. 3: 18-20). They resisted the Spirit of God, were disobedient and mixed themselves with the strange flesh of the daughters of men from the lineage of Cain. God demands separation even now (2 Cor. 6: 14-18), Satan propagates mixture all the time. Even God's children have to suffer the consequences, if they do not heed the message of a prophet.
The angels from Heaven which were pulled into the fall by Lucifer are in high places (Eph. 6: 12) and are not bound in darkness. Up to this day surely no angel came down from Heaven and got married on Earth, as some teachers claim (Mt. 22: 30). To further explain the strange flesh, we read what Paul writes, "All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fish, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another." (1 Cor. 15: 39-40).
All of humanity was swept away in the flood. From the pure line of Adam/Seth only Noah, his wife, their three sons and daughters-in-law survived. Since then all humanity goes back to the three sons of Noah and therefore straight to Adam (Gen. 9: 18-19; Acts 17: 26). From then on, the two lines, seeds and children exist only spiritually. The Apostle John writes, "In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother." (1 Jn. 3: 10). The Lord Jesus said very clearly to the religious leaders who rejected Him: "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do ..." (Jn. 8: 44). HE also explained that the one who sows the good seed is the Son of man, and the seed that comes forth are the children of the Kingdom. The enemy is the wicked one, who also sows his seed, and they are his children. It is as it is written, "The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one ..." (Mt. 13: 36-43).
On one hand we see Cain, the natural seed of the enemy, and on the other we see Christ, the divine Seed. There is Eve, who did not believe, who was disobedient and listened to what Satan said through the serpent; here we see Mary, the one who believed, the one who was obedient, to her God spoke through the Angel Gabriel. There is Satan's influence at the beginning of the natural creation, here is God's influence at the beginning of the supernatural creation by the Spirit. Both happened through begetting and were manifested in the flesh.
It is commonly known that Christ, the Son of God, is the promised seed (Gal. 3: 16-20 a. o.), which came through the woman, through Mary (Gal. 4: 4-7 a. o.). It is also known that He took the curse upon Himself (Gal. 3: 13-14) and pulled out the sting of death (1 Cor. 15: 55-57). HE overcame death, He bruised the old serpent's head, He slayed the enmity (Eph. 2: 16) and reconciled us with God (2 Cor. 5: 19). This is the central proclamation of the Gospel. "Therefore, as by the offense of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." (Rom. 5: 18). Separated from God everything went wrong, reconciled with Him all was made well again. That is God's wonderful message of Salvation to all the world.
Satan cannot create, nor can he beget. Through deception he crept into humanity. Since he used someone from the animal family, God accepted a lamb that Abel offered in substitution and thereby pleased God. When He made the law, God required the sacrifices of pure animals. Finally, the Redeemer, being the Lamb of God, brought the all-sufficient sacrifice by His death. The enemy had separated all of humanity from God and thrown the whole creation into death. Therefore God, Who can both create and beget, and who is the only One Who can bring forth natural and spiritual life, had to come into humanity in the only begotten Son, to redeem us from the fall. As the transgression took place in a body of flesh and blood, and the life of the body is in the blood (Lev. 17: 11), the Lord of Glory had to become man, taking upon Him a body of flesh and blood to pay the ultimate price for our redemption. "Forasmuch, then, as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same, that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Heb. 2: 14-15). "... without shedding of blood is no remission." (Heb. 9: 22).
The following was fulfilled in Christ, "Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee." (Ps. 2: 7; Mt. 1: 18-25; Lk. 1: 26-38) and also Isa. 7: 14; Isa. 9: 5-6. Through Him all sons and daughters of God were taken out of the fall, out from under the power of Satan and were redeemed, having received their adoption (Gal. 4: 5-7).
Indeed there are two seeds, two lines, from the beginning, and both are religious. Both believe completely in God, both offer their sacrifices, both pray, both are similar, but again fundamentally different. The difference is that the true children of God are brought like Abel into a direct relationship with God through redemption. Abel offered a lamb, because it was revealed to him, and thereby he pleased God. True children of God experience their redemption (1 Pet. 1: 18-21) and also their justification by faith (Rom 5: 1) in the ultimate and forever sufficient sacrifice on the cross of Calvary (Heb. 10: 12-14). The children who are not genuine sacrifice throughout their lives according to religious conviction, but never experience the direct personal relationship with the only true God through the only Mediator Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2: 5). They ever try in their traditional ways, according to their teaching. They remain veiled, unable to recognise that they are lost, and therefore do not understand why they should be saved. Whoever preaches about the Plan of Salvation should also convincingly show forth why redemption and reconciliation became necessary. We must trace the trail of the serpent right from the beginning and show the way of Salvation. "And, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (Jn. 3: 14-15).
The light of the revealed Word, in which the whole counsel of God is written, shines as brightly as never before. The way of Salvation is shown to us, beginning with the fall until the final victory of God, manifested through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
At this time it is especially important to understand God's Word from Genesis to Revelation - not by explaining Scripture, but by showing forth the fulfilment thereof. What our Lord said is repeated daily all over the Earth, "You search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." (Jn. 5: 39-40). First we must come to Christ and know Him through a personal experience, otherwise we are wasting our time with theological philosophies (Col. 2: 8).
We need the direct and intimate relationship with our Lord and Saviour. Only if He can walk and talk with us, as recorded in Luke 24, all will be revealed to us. The searching of the Scripture alone is not sufficient; that is being done in all Christianity. By nature, all mankind bypasses God with their own thinking. Through the Prophet Isaiah the Lord said, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." (Isa. 55: 8). HE asks us to forsake our own thoughts and ways and open up to His thoughts as expressed in His Word. HE alone can make His Word known unto us and show us His ways.
Up till now the enemy has twisted every Word of God in the minds and mouths of the people. The Apostle Peter writes that even in his time men twisted what Paul had written, as they did with the Holy Scriptures (2 Pet. 3: 16). The enemy left nothing in the Church of Jesus Christ as it was in the beginning. Every teaching and practice was changed. The result was a terrible mixture covered with the "Babylonian mantle". In the state church of the Roman Empire the first Christian organisation was established, but therein absolutely nothing remained as it was in the original Christianity. It became a totally different church, which had nothing in common with the New Testament Church founded upon Jesus Christ. At the beginning of the natural Creation the enemy started with his influence. At the beginning of the New Testament Church he did the same. He began to deceive and to change the meaning and to pull Christianity into his fall. We were all born into the greatest religious falsification. The deception did not take place in the oriental religions, as they did not accept the personal manifestation of God in Christ and had no Bible anyhow. The deception came about in the occidental Christian religion.
Whenever God does something according to His Word even now, it is looked upon by established religion as a direct disturbance. The ministry of our Lord was the greatest disturbance for the spiritual leaders of the established faith of that time. It was the same with the ministry of the apostles in the first century. Even all the reformers and every revival preacher throughout the centuries were looked upon as causing great trouble in their time and were classified by the established churches as heretics; they were rejected and persecuted.
In reference to the Old Testament prophets we are told that God had spoken through them to the fathers and then through Jesus Christ, Who brought us the answer (Heb. 1: 1-3). "The law and the prophets were until John; since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it." (Lk. 16: 16).
Our Lord made the promise , "Behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise
men, and scribes ..." (Mt. 23: 34). The Apostle Paul verified that it
actually happened, "God hath set some in the church apostles, prophets,
teachers ..." etc. (1 Cor. 12: 28; Eph. 4: 11). The Book of Acts and the
Epistles confirm the apostolic and prophetic ministry as being part of the New
Testament Church. It is also certain that God intended to send a prophet
like Elijah with a special challenging commission (Mal. 4:
5-6). We must accept this in our minds and believe it with all our soul. For
this is one of the main promises for the Church of Christ in our time. There is
no sense in bypassing God with our thinking, preaching and singing, as the
established Jewish church did, when God made history and John the Baptist
introduced the Messiah. We must believe what the Scripture says and respect
every promise, for only then can we participate in the blessed fulfilment
thereof. True believers are children of promise (Gal. 4: 28), receive the Word
of promise (Rom. 9: 8-9) and are filled with the Spirit of promise (Acts 2:
33). Only after one believes the Word of Truth and accepts it, will the sealing
by the promised Holy Spirit take place (Eph. 1: 13; 2 Cor. 1: 20-22).
Throughout time God has used someone in His Kingdom to preach the Truth. It is generally that in the course of church history certain men of God appeared on the scene. The different revivals since the time of Reformation, too, are well documented, even the Pentecostal revival which began around the turn of the last century and still continues. In the first part of the 20th century this movement was of no significance, it was rejected, since it was outside the established churches, and not even recognised. Through the mighty revival, which began after World War II, the Pentecostal movement had become the fastest growing religious denomination. Since the II Vatican Council (1962-1965), when its world representative David DuPlessis, called "Mr. Pentecost", participated as observer, the Pentecostal movement gained the approval of the Roman Church and all the other Christian churches. The writer of this booklet accompanied Mr. DuPlessis personally one day to the Vatican session in July 1964 in Rome.
Now the question arises: Whom did God use as a special vessel to start
the mightiest salvation and healing revival that ever happened on earth?
Many only heard about those who became known years later or in the »second« and
»third revival wave« that included all churches. But how did it begin back
in 1946? And what was the original goal? As always, things went wrong after
a glorious beginning, but the Truth remained, in spite of all the deception.
Whatever God declared from the very beginning He will accomplish. In the four
Gospels the writers and the apostles always specifically pointed back to the
beginning. They referred to what they had seen and heard from the Word of Life
(Acts 1:
1-3; 2 Pet. 1: 16-21; 1 Jn. 1: 1-4 a. o.). Who was the eyewitness in our
time? Who was present and saw what God had done at the very beginning of this
last revival? Into whose mouth did God put His Word? Whom did He Himself
send? The others who started their own ministries later could already have
deviated from the original message or even continued with their own inherited
teachings.
The main question is the following, " What does the Scripture say and what is promised therein?" The realisation in the New Testament era began with a ministry of a promised prophet to prepare the way (Mal. 3: 1; Isa. 40: 3). These two scriptures were referred to in the Gospels, especially in the first three verses in Mark. The men of God in the New Testament always went back to what the prophets had said and placed everything according to the Scripture. Altogether, the New Testament refers to the Old Testament 845 times. It is very important that we place everything that is happening in the Kingdom of God now upon the scriptural foundation, because God does all things according to His Word. True faith can only be anchored in the promises, which will come to fulfilment.
In Amos 3: 7 it is written, "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." Whenever something significant was to take place with God's people, He sent a true prophet with a special message. HE commissioned Noah, Abraham, Moses, Elijah and others. At the beginning of the New Testament, John the Baptist prepared the way for the promised Messiah. The Lord commissioned Peter, the man of the first hour, to whom He gave the keys to the Kingdom of God, and thereby provided him with Divine authority. HE also ordained Paul with a special assignment in the teaching ministry for the New Testament Church. On the isle of Patmos the Apostle John was allowed to see the entire revelation right to the end-time in visions, which he recorded in the 22 chapters. God has ever done things in perfect order, and the enemy has always tried to disrupt and destroy the divine order.
Whatever God wanted the Church to experience was recorded in His Word as promises. When the Scriptures speak about events, which would come to pass, like wars, earthquakes and natural catastrophes, we are dealing with predictions. We were promised a true prophet of the likes of Elijah. The many false prophets and Christs were also predicted. We are now living at the end of the time of grace and have the right, even the obligation, to know what God has promised and does.
Let us look at the two promises given in connection with the first and also the second coming of Christ. Mal. 3: 1 was fulfilled with the ministry of John the Baptist. The Lord Jesus Himself said it so very clearly, "But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee." (Mt. 11: 9-10). Secondly, we have the promise, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord ..." (Mal. 4: 5). The prophecy of Mal. 4: 5-6 the Lord Jesus placed into the future, after John had finished his ministry, as seen in Mk. 9: 12 and Mt. 17: 11, "Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things."
John came onto the scene at the beginning of the Day of Salvation. The last
prophet has to appear at the end of the Day of Salvation, before the judgements
strike the earth, before the sun turns into darkness and the moon into blood
(Isa. 13: 6-16; Joel 2: 31; Zeph. 1: 14-18; Acts 2:
19-21; 1 Th. 5: 2; 2 Pt. 3: 10; Rev. 6: 12-17). That is the plain truth
according to the Thus saith the Lord in His Word.
Whoever has the slightest insight into God's Plan would know that the time of grace is the Day of Salvation, as announced in the Old Testament (Isa. 42: 6; Isa. 49: 6-8). It is the day the Lord has made (Ps. 118: 24), the day that Abraham saw and rejoiced over (Jn. 8: 56). "At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you." (Jn. 14: 20).
Of John the Baptist it is written, "There was a man sent from God ... The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe." (Jn. 1: 6-7). Not through a multitude of evangelists should all truly believe, as they have their different opinions, but through the ministry and message of the man sent from God according to the promise . That is how it was in all ages and also how it happened this time. God does not change His Word or His ways.
In John 1: 19 is recorded, that a delegation was sent to John the Baptist to ask him personally who he was: "And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet, Isajah. And they who were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptisest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elijah, neither that prophet ?" (vv. 20-25). He was not Elijah, not Christ and not the prophet of Dt. 18: 15-19. The Elijah-question was just as clearly answered as the one whether he was Christ or the prophet. His ministry was part of the Plan of Salvation and he knew what applied to him.
Now we shall move on to the question why Jesus also called him Elijah, although he had answered this question with a clear "No!" and his answer was biblical. Here we are dealing with a typical characteristic of the Old Testament prophecies. Many times things are found in the same verse, but can be two thousand years apart in their fulfilment. In almost every promise, events pertaining to the first and to the second coming of Christ are mentioned in the same context.
When the Angel Gabriel spoke to Zacharias about the birth of John the Baptist, he also referred to the first part of the Elijah-promise in Mal. 4: 5-6, "And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children ..." (Lk. 1: 17). In view of this statement, our Lord said in Mt. 11: 14, "... this is Elijah, who was to come." The second part of Mal. 4: 6, "... and the heart of the children to their fathers ..." the Angel Gabriel did not mention, because only now does it come to fulfilment. God had spoken in various ways to the fathers through the prophets (Heb. 1: 1). Then came the time to turn the hearts of the Old Testament fathers to the New Testament children . The Apostle Paul taught, "And we declare unto you glad tidings, how the promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children ..." (Acts 13: 32-33). Whoever claims that the promise given in Mal. 4: 5-6 has to be taken literally, as it is now done in some charismatic circles, and engages in family politics in order to reconcile sons with fathers and fathers with sons, has not even recognised the importance of this prophecy, which is connected directly to the last ministry before the return of Christ.
The following examples are provided to explain why biblical prophecies should not be interpreted arbitrarily, but have to be recognised by their placement in the Plan of Salvation and arranged in proper order, according to their fulfilment.
In Isaiah 35: 1-7, details are mentioned that pertain to the first and to the second coming of the Lord. In verse 4 we read, "Say to those who are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not; behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God, with a recompense; he will come and save you." Surely, the Lord God Himself came and brought our Salvation. In verses 5 and 6 it was announced that the blind would see, the deaf would hear, the lame would walk and the dumb would talk. That has been fulfilled, but the part about vengeance and recompense remains in the future.
In Isa. 61 we are told in one and the same verse about the Messiah who would proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of the vengeance of our God . In Lk. 4 the Lord Jesus read this scripture in the synagogue, but stopped after the first part, "... to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." (Lk. 4: 19). HE then closed the scroll and gave it back. The second part about the day of vengeance He did not mention. It is still in the future, otherwise He could not have said, "This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears." (v. 21).
In Joel 2 we find the promise about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit during the time of grace, and in the same verse we are told about the terrible day of the Lord. "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said ..." (v. 32). The Apostle Peter referred to this text in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost, "And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Acts 2: 21). He also stopped in the middle of the verse, because the second part about the deliverance in Jerusalem and on Mount Zion did not apply to the time of grace including the gentile nations, but rather to the time allotted for Israel (Acts 15: 13-15; Rom. 11: 25-29 a. o.).
The prophets of the Old Testament declared under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit what should take place according to God's Plan of Salvation. The accurate placing is given to the servants in the New Covenant, who have the privilege of knowing how to correctly divide the Scriptures. Bible prophecy must never be interpreted, but must be seen in its fulfilment and placed accordingly.
It was the task of the forerunner to bridge the Old to the New Testament and to fulfil the first part of the Elijah-promise. When the Lord Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration with three of His disciples, Moses and Elijah appeared (Mt. 17: 1-12; Mk. 9: 2-13; Lk. 9: 28-36). Although both of those great prophets were present, the disciples subsequently only inquired about Elijah (Mt. 17: 10). We should ask why? Of course, that we might receive the answer from the lips of the Lord personally, " And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things." (v. 11). This statement most certainly referred to the future. In regards to John the Baptist, the Lord said, "... that Elijah is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they desired." (v. 12).
The hearts of God's children must now be returned to the "Faith of the Fathers", back to the beginning, - not to some church fathers, not in private homes to natural fathers, but to our apostolic fathers of the faith that was once delivered to the saints (Jude 3) - right back to Christ, in teaching and in practice. Our Lord gave the answer then and He gives us the same answer now. Arguments are not valid, as they come from reasoning of the mind. We need to accept what our Lord says and believe as it is written. According to the Plan of Salvation, all things must now be restored to the original condition. That is the promise for the Church before the return of Christ; it is the command of the hour . Thus it is written, and that is how it comes to pass.
Now, before the second coming of Christ, the restoration has to take place through a prophetic ministry. God is making history again and His promise to send Elijah is "yea" and "Amen" and has been fulfilled. But as they did with John the Baptist, they did with today's messenger as it pleased them. Blessed are those who can really believe as the Scripture says, because only to them can it be revealed. God cannot communicate with a person who does not believe what He said and promised. Whosoever bypasses God in his thinking, also bypasses Him in talking and in preaching and altogether. As our Lord said in Mk. 12: 29-30 we are to love God completely, even with our mind. Whoever truly believes what He said also thinks accordingly.
Before the return of Christ, God purposed a total restoration and the
return of His Church into the original state. It is Thus saith the Lord.
For it is written about our Saviour, "... whom the heaven must receive
until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath
spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began ."
(Acts 3: 21). In verse 19 we are told, "... when the times of
refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus
Christ, who before was preached unto you." Now it is absolutely
clear: the restoration and the refreshing come first, then Jesus will return.
Amen! That is the proclamation of the whole counsel of God in our time (Acts
20: 27)! This solves the great mystery of Christ and the Church (Eph. 3)! Many
speak about the end-time and about the second coming, but without believing the
promise of restoration and therefore not expecting its fulfilment, they will
miss it and be terribly disappointed. It is truly one of the most important
promises and is now being fulfilled in the Church of Jesus Christ. In
Isaiah 28: 11 it says, "For with stammering lips and another tongue
will he speak to this people." In verse 12 we read, "... this is the
rest by which ye may cause the weary to rest, and this is the
refreshing; yet they would not hear." The Apostle Paul refers to this
verse, but only mentions the speaking in other tongues (1 Cor. 14: 21). This
has been taking place since the Day of Pentecost. The second part, the
spiritual quickening, the Apostle Peter presented in connection with the
promised restitution, directly before the coming of Christ (Acts 3:
20-21). This is now taking place. Blessed are all who have part in it! The
last spiritual awakening and quickening must go hand in hand with the total
restoration of all things. God's Word is perfect, it just has to be placed
correctly.
At the first coming of Christ, the teachers had their own explanations, interpretations and expectations. At that time 109 prophecies and predictions from the Old Testament were fulfilled without the religious leaders even noticing it. They were fully occupied with their own programs and services, which appeared to be very biblical. Will history repeat itself in our time?
On the Day of Pentecost the promise of the Father (Acts 1: 4) was fulfilled by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Since then all the promises given to the New Testament Church are being realised. For two thousand years, the great hope and expectation of the believers has been the promised return of Jesus Christ (Jn. 14: 1-3), as the great event expected by all true believers. Every time when God is about to fulfil His promises, the supernatural happens on Earth.
In connection with the Kingdom of God, Abraham stands out. God spoke to him in various ways and revealed Himself to him. We can find this recorded in a number of chapters, beginning with Gen. 12. The Lord gave him the promise that his descendants, who were oppressed in a strange land, would be delivered after four hundred years. When the time was fulfilled, God appeared to Moses in a supernatural fire, which was in a natural bush (Ex. 3: 2), and commissioned him with the deliverance of His people. The supernatural always takes place where God makes history, which means here, with us in the natural realm.
"And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee." (Ex. 4: 1). As a confirmation, he was given two signs: The Lord commanded him to throw his staff on the ground, and it became a serpent. When he took the serpent by its tail, it became a staff again in his hand. Then the Lord told him to put his hand into his bosom and pull it back out: It became white with leprosy. After he put his hand back into his bosom, it came out clear, as the Lord had said. For the critics this was a suspicious matter, in the direction of sorcery. God tries the thoughts and the attitudes of the people. Blessed are they, who are not offended by what God commands and does. The Lord said to Moses, "... if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign." (Ex. 4: 8).
All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God to teach us, so the man of God would be perfect (2 Tim. 3: 14-17). God is not the "I was", but for ever the "I AM". HE makes history even in our time. Therefore we can testify of what actually happened. When I mention William Branham, then I only do it in the same way in which I would refer to Peter and Paul, whose ministry was also connected to God's Plan of Salvation. I do not belong to those who reject him, nor to the ones who glorify him. I compare what God did with the Scripture and in doing so cannot be contradicted by anyone. God is always right, and whosoever believes Him does not listen to arguments, as they only have one objective: to discredit what God has done and to justify one's own views. True children of God are only interested in what God does according to His Word, because they partake in it.
During the ministry of our Lord, the religious leaders said that He was of the devil and possessed by an evil spirit. At the same time they were singing their psalms with complete devotion, worshipping God. This seems to be repeated in our time. I can testify as someone who has personal knowledge and experience of what God has done in this age, as Peter, John and the other apostles did in their time.
It is commonly known that heavenly messengers came down to Earth right at the beginning of the New Testament Covenant. An Angel came to Zacharias (Lk. 1: 8-20), an Angel came to Mary (Lk. 1: 26-38). When the birth of the Son of God happened, the heavenly choir descended, light illuminated the whole area and an Angel made the announcement (Lk. 2: 8-15). Angels were serving Jesus (Mt. 4: 11), Angels testified of His resurrection (Mt. 28: 1-10, Mk. 16: 1-8; Lk. 24: 1-12; Jn. 20: 1-18). Angels appeared after the Lord ascended to heaven, announcing His return (Acts 1: 10-11). The Old and the New Testament are packed with reports of Angels, who are ministering spirits , but they were only sent for the benefit of those who would inherit Salvation (Heb. 1: 14). All the others do not believe it anyhow, and God has no need to be mocked because of that. All who are ordained to eternal life in our time will believe the following report.
Late in the evening on 7th May, 1946, a heavenly messenger came to a small place called Greens Mill, USA, to visit the preacher William Branham, bringing him a Divine commission. William Branham was sitting in a room with just enough light to read his Bible, when suddenly a supernatural light filled the room, as the heavenly messenger was coming towards him. Extremely frightened, he rose from his seat. The heavenly messenger said, "Fear not. I am sent from the Presence of Almighty God to tell you that your misunderstood ways have been to indicate that God has sent you to take a gift of Divine healing to the peoples of the world. If you will be sincere and can get the people to believe you, nothing shall stand before your prayer, not even cancer …" The angel further said, "As Moses was given two signs you are given two signs …":
The first sign was, that he should take the right hand of the person wanting to be prayed for into his left hand. The illness, for instance a tumour, cancer etc., would appear on the backside of his hand, visible for the patient. The moment the person was healed, the illness would suddenly disappear from his hand. The Angel emphasised, "Not even cancer can stand before your prayer." And it was so. Most of the healings which took place were cancer cases. The heavenly messenger further explained, "If they cannot believe the first sign, they will believe the second …" The second one was the gift of discernment and revelation, by which the details in the life of the person he was to pray for would be revealed and shown to him in a vision. Through this the sick received a strong faith at that very moment and the assurance that the Lord Himself was present and experienced their healing. Among them were many cancer cases which the doctors had given up.
This mighty revival began in the same way as the ministry of our Lord: The blind could see, the lame could walk, the deaf could hear and the dumb could speak. The Angel explained to him what happened in Jn. 1 and 4, stating that the prophetic gift was the "sign of the Messiah ", as it had been in the days of the Son of man. He spoke about Philip and Nathanael, about Andrew and Peter, about the woman of Samaria at Jacob's well. When first meeting them, the Lord Jesus told each one of them something of their lives that He couldn't have known: names, circumstances and relations. Several million people witnessed this infallible ministry in the second part of this past century, through which God made a new beginning in our time. Hundreds of original taped messages from the meetings with healing services are still bearing witness, so that all can convince themselves of the truthfulness of this report and also of the extraordinary ministry which took place. Thus God Himself brought us the last revival in a supernatural way, and we were returned to biblical times.
Everything happened as it did in the ministry of Jesus. Not the healing of the body was the main concern, the emphasis was on the Salvation of the soul. Healing of the body is good, being raised from the dead is even better, but the ones who were healed and resurrected at some time or another became sick again and eventually died anyway. But what God does on the inside of man will last throughout eternity. The external confirmation leads the hearts to open up to the moving of the Spirit of God and to receive the Word.
Jesus began His sermon with the words, " The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mk. 1: 15). HE ministered and taught (Acts. 1: 1). That is how it was in the Salvation and healing revival, which God began after World War II, as it was a ministry directly connected to the Plan of Salvation. The time had now been fulfilled again and the supernatural took place in such abundance as never before on earth, but of course after the scriptural pattern. The main purpose is a complete correction of all the errors, a change of direction, the exodus from all unscriptural teachings as well as practices and a final restoration to the Divine original. The Church was visited by God Himself, as He commissioned a humble man to bring us the message of the hour. The revealed and living Word once again became the original seed. The supernatural confirmation was God's doing, as it had been in the ministry of the Son of man. Whoever disregards this and does not believe now, would not have believed then.
As the writer of this booklet I know many time witnesses who have experienced this unique ministry since its early phase right from its beginning. Not only once, but through the years they were witnesses of what God did in our generation. Among these are Rev. Gordon Lindsay, Demas Shakarian, David DuPlessis and many others of the North-American evangelists. To a number of them I served as an interpreter. Most certainly many who are still alive could be called upon. I decided to choose the world-renowned evangelist Rev. T. L. Osborn to give witness. What he said on January 26th, 1966, at the memorial service held after the going home of William Branham, follows.
"This was the closing generation. Something had to happen. It couldn't go as past generations had gone. This one is IT! Therefore, in God's divine mercy, somehow stepping beyond the bounds of ordinary measure, He had foreordained at this hour to send again this prophet.
Some are going to think I am sacrilegious or off doctrinally (and it doesn't really matter), but God came again in human flesh and said, "Apparently I must show them again. I must remind them again. They must see one more time. Once again they must know what God is like." And He stepped down and sent a little man, a prophet, but more than a prophet this time, A Jesus-man this time!
Elijah was not that. This is more than that which we have beheld! Moses was not that, for because of the different dispensation in which he lived, it couldn't be what we have seen. More than that! A Jesus-man, a man full of God, but sent as a special sign to a generation - this generation. A supernatural sign, an extra-ordinary measure.
Why? It was done before, why do it again? To arouse this last generation! Once more to be the forerunner; once more, to be sure the record is clear , to be sure there is no excuse, and to be sure that God has demonstrated afresh; to be sure there can be no mistake, and to be sure that we are reminded afresh of what God is like, how Jesus was, and of what God does in the flesh. To be sure that this generation, charged with bringing back the King, would know without question what it must be like, what the work must be to do, and what the minister must be. So we would know what our mission is to perform, what our witness is, how we are to perform and execute it, what we are to do, and how we are to act. Once more to be without excuse, beyond measure. To be the forerunner of His second coming.
The first night I ever heard and saw Brother Branham minister, I didn't hear a voice, I didn't know that it had been said of him, and I didn't know that the voice from heaven had spoken these words. I knew nothing of that. I had not been with any of the ministers that believed in him, for most of those that I was with did not believe in him. But like a voice, and yet not like a voice, I heard it. I knew it. It came to me! "As John the Baptist was sent as a forerunner of His first coming, William Branham is sent as a forerunner of His second coming." I knew that.
I was an inexperienced young preacher. I was not a theologian. I did not know the Scripture. Why I knew this, I do not know; but I knew it. I said, "Thank God, he crossed my path. Thank God, I learned. Thank God, I caught on." It did not take ten nights, only one night.
This generation seeks a sign, another sign, another one, and still another one! One is enough! One is ample!
God willing, to be sure, that we don't fail in the knowledge of the immutability of His covenant, did it again in the twentieth century, the generation destined to bring Him back. This generation must know. This generation must be without excuse, for unto this generation is committed the task to do this. So, He sent forth a particular human vessel, surrounded by supernatural signs to attract attention and to make this wayward generation look up, ponder, search, and think.
Thus, the halo of light that appeared at his birth, the star, the angel, the discernment, the gifts - all of these were given for that purpose. For what? TO SHOW US GOD AGAIN! To repeat what He showed us in Jesus Christ, when He came in the form of flesh; and to remind us one final time. Like Jesus, Brother Branham redemonstrated the very thing which made men believe that the true Messiah had come.
He was a seer; he saw. He lived in both worlds, the seen and the unseen at the same time, and transcended both of them practically all the time. Jesus said, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. The Son can do nothing of Himself but what He seeth the Father do."
Here comes Brother Branham along in the twentieth century and does exactly the same way. GOD IN THE FLESH, again crossing our paths; and many did not know. THEY WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN HIM IF THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN HERE WHEN GOD CROSSED THEIR PATH IN THE BODY THEY CALLED JESUS CHRIST! People have not changed. Those who questioned then, would question now. Those who didn't believe then, would not believe now. "The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father doing. For what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son and showeth Him all things."
He saw the miracles before they happened. Jesus saw the crippled man who 38 times had been to the pool but never could get into the water. Jesus saw all this before He went in, stood there, and told him to stand up.
He saw Lazarus raised before it came to pass. He had already settled it with the Father. It had already been rehearsed.
He saw Nathanael before Philip ever called him, when he was over under the fig tree, before they were even converted.
He foretold exactly how the disciples would go down the streets and meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. He said that they should follow him and would find an ass tied there, and He also told them to bring him. He saw all this before it happened.
This was William Branham's life. Precisely as we read it in the Scriptures . Then men hear Brother Branham say this, and they say, "It is wrong today;" but it isn't. They don't believe today; they would not have believed then. But God has come again, crossed our paths again, and showed us again what the God-man is like, what God is like, what He is like in the flesh, and what the new creation is like.
See what this is? This is the new creation at work. He was a discerner, as Jesus discerned the woman at the well and her life. And how many times have you sat and marveled? If we believe when we read the Scriptures of the few things that we heard that Jesus did, how can we be without excuse when we sat night after night and saw these things repeated, not once, but dozens of times in the same perfect manner in which Jesus did them? Exactly! How it has been that one could see this and not believe, is beyond me.
Brother Branham knew diseases. He knew them everywhere before anyone told him. The same God knows all things. It is God in man, demonstrating His knowledge - what He is, how that He transcends all natural barriers, and nothing is impossible with Him.
He knew when virtue had gone out of him. How many have sat and watched when Brother Branham whirled around and said, "There she is", "There he is"? Only once in the Scriptures did the little woman see this. Of course we do have the fact that later everybody heard about it, and they all got it; but only one case is set forth in detail. But my eyes have beheld dozens of cases, and some of you have seen hundreds of cases! How can I not believe?
This does not bring doctrinal barriers to me. This simply tells me that what happened then is the same today. My God is unchanged.
By these signs it is witnessed in the Scriptures that the Gentiles were made obedient by word and deed through mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God. Have we not looked on and seen the multitudes come to Christ as they beheld the wonders and repented of their sins, cried out for Salvation, and received eternal life, not only here, but abroad to the count of as many as 30,000 in a single day, standing to receive the life of Jesus Christ, because God crossed their path in human flesh and unveiled Himself?
Is this a mystery? This is not a mystery, this is the wonder of God! Is this a matter to dicker over doctrinally? This is a matter to give glory to our God, Who has come in the flesh again in our generation. He has come in the flesh in all of us, but in a particular way in this man who was His prophet for this generation, for He surrounded him with these supernatural signs which were to attract the attention of the world once again by a sign." Here we end with the testimony of Rev. T. L. Osborn, who is respected world-wide as the most influential evangelist of the "first revival wave".
We are certainly grateful for the excellent testimony of Rev. Osborn who was one of the first to directly experience the impact of God's supernatural working. The same opportunity was given to me, as I also became an eye-witness of this extraordinary ministry. Since 1955, when Brother Branham came to Europe and preached in Karlsruhe, Germany, and Zurich, Switzerland, right until 1965, when he was taken to be with the Lord, I partook in a number of his national and international meetings. After the sermon, Brother Branham first prayed for those who accepted Christ as their personal Saviour, then he prayed for the sick. It was as Rev. T. L. Osborn testified. The man of God did not ask those who were sick what illness they had or what he should pray for. The supernatural light came down over the person he was praying for and it was shown to him in visions, as it was the case in the prophetic ministry of the Son of man (Jn. 5: 19-20). He told those in the prayer line what they suffered from and details from their lives. Many times he saw in a vision the name of the person, the city they came from, the street and even house number where they lived. Therefore he could truthfully say "Thus saith the Lord". God is the only One Who knows every person. William Branham was a seer, as described in the Bible.
This ministry did not happen somewhere in a remote corner of the Earth, it took place in large meetings in various countries around the world. Even where Brother Branham did not speak the language, but used an interpreter, everything that was revealed about each person was correct and proved to be true. Millions became eye- and ear-witnesses throughout the world. Truly, it was Jesus Christ Who in our time manifested Himself as the Same through a man with the same sign of the Messiah. As it was with John the Baptist, we are once again not dealing with a man, but with a promised ministry ordained by God . The question therefore is not, "Which stand do we take towards Branham?" but rather, "How do we stand before God?", Who used a natural vessel to perform the supernatural. The New Testament started with a promised ministry to prepare the way for the Lord, and the New Testament ends with a promised ministry to restore all things to the Bride.
If it applies and is true that William Branham was ordained from his birth to be a prophet and messenger of God in this last church age, then it was the sovereign decision of the Almighty, as it had been with all His servants in the past (Jer. 1: 5)
If it is true - and it is true - that the supernatural light came through the open window about two hours after his birth at 5.00 AM on 6th April, 1909, just hovering over the child, visible for the parents and the grandmother, who also acted as the midwife, can we just bypass it?
If it is true, that the young Billy at the age of 7 was told by the mighty voice, coming from the direction of the high poplar tree, saying, " Don't ever drink or smoke or defile your body in any way, for when you will get older, there is a work for you to do.", can we just bypass it?
If it is true, that God showed him visions since his childhood, which proved to be 100 % correct, then it is certainly not the man, but God within the man, as Rev. T. L. Osborn said.
If he was truly sent with the message of the revealed Word, as promised to precede the second coming of Christ, then all who have an ear should hear and receive what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
It is also true, what Rev. Gordon Lindsay has recorded in his book. On 24th
January, 1950, the supernatural light came down in a meeting in the Houston
Coliseum, Texas, attended by approximately 8,000 people. Some of those present
reported to him of having seen the light hanging over the head of William
Branham. It was God Who testified on behalf of His servant and prophet. This
was preceded by a public debate on the platform between the Rev. W. E. Best,
who openly denied divine healing in our time, and the Rev. F. F. Bosworth, a
co-worker of William Branham, who insisted that both, Salvation and healing,
were part of the same redemption. Also present were two critical photographers,
Mr. James Ayers and Mr. Ted Kippermann, who were supposed to take pictures by
order of Rev. Best. After developing the films, not a single picture showed up,
only the one Mr. J. Ayers took when William Branham came to the pulpit. The man
of God said, "I am not here to defend myself, the Lord Jesus Who
commissioned and send me will defend me ." That was the moment when the
picture was taken. The negatives were developed by J. Ayers personally in the
Douglas Studio in Houston, and their authenticity was confirmed by George J.
Lacy, Examiner of Questioned Documents. Are we not ultimately dealing with what
God has done? I, the writer of this brochure, saw the picture with the pillar
of light in the Hall of Art in Washington D.C. in December 1969. Therefore I
know that it was made accessible to the public. The employee who pointed it out
to me was unaware of its meaning, because there was no description provided. I
felt sadness and thought to myself, "Who takes note of the supernatural acts of
God and their purpose?" Did the Lord Himself not confirm that He is the Same
today, Who led the children of Israel 40 years by the pillar of fire and light
(Ex. 13: 21-22; Neh. 9:
12-20)? Is He not the same Who met Paul on the way to Damascus in the
supernatural light brighter than the midday sun and gave him the well-known
commission (Acts 9)?
If it is true, and it is true, that on 28th February, 1963, a supernatural cloud descended on Sunset Mountain in Arizona wherein seven angels - cherubim - were veiled, as it was shown to William Branham in a vision on 22nd December, 1962, then it happened in order to draw the attention of the whole world to what God was doing. The cloud, which coloured in the blue sky, was so unusual in size, altitude, shape and colour, that many spectators took a picture thereof. The meteorologist, Dr. James E. McDonald from the "Institute of Atmospheric Physics" in Tucson, examined the photos of the phenomena and found no scientifically logical explanation. According to the report, the mysterious cloud still remained illuminated 28 minutes after the local sunset, exactly above the place where William Branham was.
The well known Science magazine, issue of 19th April, 1963 and the Life magazine issue on the 17th May, 1963, which I have both in my office, covered the article. One title reads, "... And a High Cloud Ring of Mystery". For the unbelievers it was a mysterious ring in the sky, for the true believers it was a scriptural sign, comparable with the supernatural light which illuminated the whole area of Bethlehem (Lk. 2). Jesus was taken up to Heaven in a supernatural cloud (Acts 1: 9). And when He comes back to reign, it will again be on that supernatural cloud (Mt. 24: 30; Lk. 21: 27; Rev. 1: 7-8), then every eye shall see Him. God certainly is not playing games. We are still living in biblical days! Therefore it should not appear strange unto us that God works in supernatural ways. What purpose does it serve, to preach about the things God did in past times, when we bypass what He has done in our time and still does today? Is He the God of yesterday, the "I was", or is He the same "I AM" today and for ever?
If it is true - and it is true - that Brother Branham was there on the mountain when this cloud came down, wherein seven angels appeared in the form of a pyramid, and was told by the seventh angel, "Return to Jeffersonville where you came from, for the time to open the seven seals has come.", then it had to be of great significance for us. From 17th to 24th March, 1963, William Branham spoke on the seven seals in the Book of Revelation. Of these things the North American evangelists had knowledge, Oral Roberts and T. L. Osborn and the others of the "first wave", but they kept it from the public and never mentioned it. What God has to say and is doing obviously does not fit into their programs, although they recognise the extraordinary commission and ministry. Did the supernatural light blind them, because they were going against it? We must walk in the light, for only then will His Word become a light unto our path.
We now live in the time when things, which are written in the Bible, especially in the book of Revelation, come to their fulfilment. The Lion of the tribe of Judah has overcome, the Lamb has taken the book and opened the seals. The book was not supposed to be sealed for ever, only until the endtime (Dan. 12: 4+9). We are living in that age now. When the time was fulfilled, God revealed all that was hidden in His Word. This is a living reality for the Bride Church. God has done the supernatural and His people should be told about it.
In the year 1946 the world had not yet heard about all the other evangelists. During the following years, hundreds of preachers were inspired in a Branham-meeting, when they saw the supernatural work of God with their own eyes. Men like Oral Roberts, T. L. Osborn, Tommy Hicks, Morris Cerullo and many others were among them. In 1950, Rev. Gordon Lindsay published the book "William Branham - a man sent from God". He writes about the extraordinary meetings, which were held in various countries during the years 1946 until early 1950. For several years, the same author informed the readers in his publication "The Voice of Healing", and later "Christ for the Nations", of the things, which were happening through this extraordinary ministry; other publishers did the same. But up to this day, it seems that no one inquires about the real purpose connected to this ministry. But that should be our concern. That is what it was all about. Regrettably, all the evangelists prefer to remain in their classic Christianity and only concentrate on the Divine healing, but not upon the preaching of the true Word of God. In spite of the mighty things they have seen with their own eyes, they do not recognise the Divine purpose of what God is presently doing among His people according to His Word.
The evangelists, especially those of the "first wave" (1946-1965), who received their inspiration when they saw the supernatural work of God, took a great responsibility upon themselves, because they withheld from the people what God actually did in our time. We have to realise that the concern is not a man, but God Himself, Who in His sovereignty gave the commission and sent His prophet-messenger. The supernatural is God's work - not something a man can do - to draw the attention of the people to what He has to say. What our Lord said in Jn. 14: 12 came to pass, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also, and greater works than these shall he do ..."
Now the emphasis is on the pure message of God, the everlasting Gospel. Moses did not only have signs as a confirmation, he had God's message for God's people Israel, "Let My people go, that they may serve Me!" , and the exodus took place. John the Baptist had a message to call the Bride, as the friend of the Bridegroom (Jn. 3: 28-36). The Apostle Peter had the true message, as did the Apostle Paul. Paul called himself a messenger in behalf of Christ. He stated, "We are ambassadors for Christ." William Branham was that kind of a direct ambassador - a man sent from God. In his testimony, Rev. T. L. Osborn esteemed his ministry greater than the one of Moses or Elijah. Initially, all the other world-renowned evangelists did the same. Was it because they stuck to their teachings, that they could not agree with the scripturally founded proclamation and then withdrew themselves more and more? They scorned him in the eyes of the people and rather began to spread various things about him, especially after he was taken to be with the Lord. And that in spite of the unique supernatural confirmation, of which they are still convinced today! They know that it could only have been done by God, but they remain in the falsified traditional Christendom with their teachings.
So what is the actual original message, the one that is supposed to show us the way at the end of time? Should we be waiting for another man to come in our generation? Is there another, who could give testimony of the day, place, and time when he was divinely called and sent by a direct commission of God, to speak in Christ's behalf? No, there is none, otherwise we would have heard about it. Only out of the mouth of the one sent directly by God was the true, unadulterated Word of God in its fullness.
In December, 1965, when William Branham was taken to Glory, he left behind God's message for us, the unveiled mysteries of the Word, from Genesis to Revelation. All of the Word's hidden secrets were revealed. The world-renowned evangelists were enthused about the healing ministry, but did not comprehend that the message of the Word was sent to return all things into their rightful place and to bring about a total restoration. Now we are told about the "third revival wave", but nowhere has the Divine objective become obvious. Does not every evangelist and charismatic speaker present his own teachings, according to the denomination he belongs to? Do not some take advantage of the hour and build their own million and billion Dollar kingdoms within the Kingdom of God? But where and how does Christ build His Church? Are they not successful with their Bible schools, preacher seminaries and even a university? Do they not all build their own network world-wide, introducing their programs? Are not all those depending on them trapped in such associations? It always seems possible to present something increasingly spectacular to create enthusiasm. Of course, special emphasis is put on healings and signs. That way it is easy for them to draw suffering people to their meetings. All are convinced that they are doing God a great service, even though they are not in His will. But it is possible to render God a "self"-service, without it being His will.
Generally, people still believe in miracles, especially in Catholic countries. The statistics prove it, as millions visit places of pilgrimage each year. Even Pope John Paul II regularly makes his pilgrimage to Fatima, to thank Mary "who miraculously guided the bullet" during the attempted assassination. But we must ask, "Who preaches the true Word, the whole counsel of God?" Who in the large crusades proclaims the same Gospel as Peter and Paul did? Who teaches what they taught? Who baptises as they baptised?
The first steps of faith were shown to those seeking Salvation right in the first sermon on the Day of Pentecost. The multitude was touched by God's Spirit under the impact of the sermon preached by the Apostle. Only one question was asked by the listeners and they received a very clear answer. "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit ..." (Acts 2: 37-40). They did not hear stories, but a moving sermon, based on God's Word, and were shown the way of Salvation very clearly. They followed it immediately, by taking the first steps of faith. "Then they that gladly received his word were baptised; and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." (v. 41).
The sermon pierced the hearts of the listeners and the Spirit of God graciously worked repentance. That is the way a true conversion takes place even today. Those who truly believe and are saved, get baptised in water, according to the Bible, and receive the Holy Ghost. That is the pattern found in the Bible and it is valid even today. All others are substituted experiences introduced by men, whereby people have an emotional experience, but their soul is not saved. They are anointed, but not born again. Many things are meant well, but if they are not compared with the Scripture, they prove to be misleading. Once again we are shown the narrow gate and the straight way, as in the beginning. Everything that is uneven has to be levelled and all that is wrong must be made right. The time is fulfilled, the last call goes forth through the true proclamation of the everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord (Mt. 24: 14; Rev. 14: 6).
The Scripture must be fulfilled in all things, even with those who perform signs and wonders as Jannes and Jambres did, but take their stand against the Word of Truth preached by the man of God sent in our time. Paul, who saw the end-time in the Spirit, predicted that it would happen. The true teachings about Godhead, Water Baptism, Lord's Supper, the fall and other subjects, as found in the Scripture, are generally declared to be wrong and the traditional church teachings are considered to be correct. One can find their statement of faith about the Godhead etc. right at the beginning of the "Nicene Creed", but the contents thereof were decided in councils, and are not according to what the apostles said in the Bible. What does a true man of God have in common with that sort of creed? The apostolic Bible doctrine is the only true confession. We all were born into religious falsifications, but why remain therein, only to prolong the old tragedy?
What God has to say to the New Testament Church has already been written and it is complete, nothing can be added or changed (Gal. 3: 15; Rev. 22). The hour of truth has come and we pose the question, just as the prophet Isaiah in chapter 21, "Watchman, what of the night?" The answer is, "The morning cometh, and also the night." We are no longer in the evening time in the Day of Salvation, but have reached the midnight hour. The midnight cry sounds ever louder, "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." (Mt. 25). We now need the direct connection to God and the supply of the Holy Spirit to keep our lamps burning. The real Church must now be called out from all man-made, unscriptural systems and be separated from the falsifications to become a Word Bride, just like the Word became flesh in the Bridegroom.
The faith of God's children is now being restored to the faith of our apostolic fathers. This is the only way we can be considered as being in the will of God and partake in what God is doing according to His Plan of Salvation, right until the completion at the return of Jesus Christ. God has - whether it is believed or not, whether it is accepted or rejected - moved in a supernatural way in our time. The attention of God's true children is now being drawn to what He does according to His Word. There was a humble man with little education, but as the likes of Elijah. Over and again he referred to Jn 5: 19+20, as he was depending on God. This man's example was the Son of man in His prophetic ministry Who said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for whatever things He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." (Jn. 5: 19).
That is true dependence on God! That is a true, prophetic ministry! Much could be said and volumes could be filled. May all who have a willing heart give ear and listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. What William Branham was told in the presence of about 4,000 witnesses at his first baptismal service will prove true at the Judgement Seat of Christ. After preaching the Gospel, he baptised several hundred converts in the Ohio river in Jeffersonville, Indiana, USA, on Sunday, 11th June, 1933. As he was about to baptise the 17th person, he looked up towards heaven and prayed. That was when the supernatural cloud descended like a mighty star at about 2.00 PM, visible for all, and the voice spoke to him, "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." Rev. T. L. Osborn has knowledge of this, as we can tell by his testimony; and so did many others.
In view of the many false prophets and false christs, who have also stepped onto the scene, as predicted by Jesus Christ, it is important to emphasise the marks of a true prophet according to the Scriptures. A few of them are listed below:
They were called directly by God.
They were commissioned directly by Him.
They were also sent directly.
They received the Word directly.
They only appeared on the scene by God's command.
They were seers, beholding visions.
They only said what God had said.
They only did what He commissioned them to do.
They were always rejected and persecuted.
They only knew the one God, Whom they served.
All these marks are missing with the false prophets. They do not have a direct calling or a Divine commission. They are not sent by God, do not proclaim the original Word, but rather their own interpretations and pursue their own programs, without submitting to God's Plan of Salvation. Signs and wonders by themselves constitute no Divine legitimation. The following scriptures cast light upon this important matter and clarify it.
"If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spoke unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God testeth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the Lord your God ... to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee." (Dt. 13: 1-5).
In the days of the prophet Micah, the "prophet" Zedekiah made himself iron horns and shouted, "Thus saith the Lord, With these thou shalt push Syria until they be consumed. And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king." (2 Chr. 18: 10b-11). But that was "Thus saith Zedekiah!" and not "Thus saith the Lord". Zedekiah and the four hundred prophets were deceived by a lying spirit. In the entire Old Testament there was always one true prophet and many false prophets, who were under the wrong inspiration. It would be especially helpful to read Jeremiah 23 and Ezekiel 13.
Through the true prophet Jeremiah the Lord was addressing the false prophets, reprimanding them, "... they prophesied in Baal, and caused my people Israel to err. ...
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you. They make you vain; they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord ... I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran; I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied . But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings. ...
... How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? Yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, who think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. ..." (Jer. 23: 13-32).
Thus saith the Lord, "Son of man, prophesy against ... them that prophesy out of their own hearts, Hear ye the word of the Lord, Thus saith the Lord God: Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit , and have seen nothing! ...
They have seen vanity and lying divination, saying, The Lord saith. And the Lord hath not sent them: and they have made others to hope that they would confirm the word. Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The Lord saith it; albeit I have not spoken?
Therefore, Thus saith the Lord God; Because ye have spoken vanity, and seen lies, therefore, behold, I am against you, saith the Lord God. And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people ... Because, even because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace; and there is no peace ..." (Ezek. 13: 2-10).
Whoever takes the real "Thus saith the Lord" to heart, as presented by the true prophets, will very quickly come to realise, that the same enticing spirits are still at work today and the same deceptions are now taking place. Well-meant lies are being prophesied, mixed with well-meant fortune-telling, even imagined visions are seen. They speak of salvation in front of the people, but in reality God's Salvation in Christ is not present. Many give in to their own spirit. They want to help God, but they are prophesying the thoughts of their hearts. The people are so glad when they hear "Thus saith the Lord", but at the same time they are misled and remain in the false Christendom, which they call "the full gospel".
Then the Lord turns against the prophetesses in the church, who also prophesy according to their imagination. Many times they say, "The Lord has given me a word for you! He has shown me something." It is indisputably well-meant, but self-made. To them He spoke with a "Woe!", because of their "cut to fit" prophecies in order to hunt souls. Then the Lord takes the prophetesses into special focus, whom He calls "women" - like the woman Jezebel who acted as a prophetess - and pronounces His judgement. "Therefore, ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divinations; for I will deliver my people out of your hand; and ye shall know that I am the Lord." (v. 23).
There is no other spiritual gift by which preachers and churches have been controlled - lifted up, abased and manipulated - as with the pretended gift of prophecy. The true ministries and gifts always serve for the uplifting of the Church; never for misleading or for destroying it. Not everybody will take this correction, but the Lord knows His Own. He calls them out, separates and purifies them, and false prophets and prophetesses will no longer reign over them. Whoever listens to false prophecies cannot heed to the true Word of prophecy. Only those who remain in the Word and Scripture prophecy will escape the sanctimonious deception of the false prophecies.
Once again we would like to point out the marks of a true prophet: Every true prophet and servant of God audibly heard the voice of God, which commissioned him directly. Every prophet of God received the Word directly from the Lord and so became the voice of God to the people. The true prophets and apostles of the Lord are addressed by Him as servants, because they are in His direct service, sent by Him, and they know the Lord personally.
Micah, the true prophet, said, "As the Lord liveth, even what my God saith, that will I speak ... Again he said, Therefore hear the word of the Lord; I saw the Lord sitting upon His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. ... Now, therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these, thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil against thee." (2 Chr. 18: 12-13; 18; 22; 27). Micah was the prophet of God, the four hundred as listed in the Bible were self-appointed prophets, deceived by a lying spirit. Notice the difference!
Jehoshaphat said, "Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem. Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper." (2 Chr. 20: 20). "... Believe his prophets ..." - for His prophets have His revealed Word and His revealed Will.
The apostles had the privilege to be taught by the Lord and Master for years, even for forty days after His resurrection. Paul saw Him after His ascension in the supernatural light and heard His voice in his native tongue, Hebrew, "... for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God ..." (Acts 26: 12-23). A Divine calling and commission connected to the Plan of Salvation is that precise! Paul did not only address the church, but also the prophets and those who had spiritual gifts. The emphasis had been that he did not spread his own views, but rather what the Lord had commanded him. "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant." (1 Cor. 14: 37-38).
The entire Bible, the Old and the New Testament, is God's inspired Word. Through His prophets and apostles the Lord spoke Himself. They acted according to His direct orders. Paul could write, "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord ..." (1 Th. 4: 15). Only if we say exactly what God's men said because of His direct bidding, we express what God really said. Only then can the listeners confirm it, "Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth." (1 Ki. 17: 24). Of whom, in all the many denominations, can it be said today, that God's Word is still the original Truth in the mouth of those who proclaim it? Only he, who teaches and baptises as the apostles did, teaches and baptises correctly. The order for the New Testament Church was established right at the beginning. The true Word of God went forth from Jerusalem to all the world. Now the teachings and practices in the true, restored Church must be as they were in the beginning.
The Apostle Paul made his first trip to Jerusalem three years after his conversion, to speak with Peter. During his fifteen-day stay, Paul heard from Peter all about the spiritual beginnings. He also met James, the brother of our Lord. Fourteen years later, the same Paul, together with Barnabas and Titus, made another journey to Jerusalem, due to a Divine order. This time his objective was not to gather information, but to determine whether his teaching and preaching was correct, or if all his work would be done in vain (Gal. 1: 18 - 2: 2).
Hereby all preachers, evangelists, teachers, prophets, all ministers are challenged, to make a trip to Jerusalem in the spirit and to truly and honestly compare, if what they teach and practise indeed agrees with the written Word . The comparison must always be made with the original. Whatever and however things were in the beginning, so they must now be at the end - a total conformity of the Bride Church with God and His Word before Jesus Christ comes back. A complete return to scriptural doctrines and apostolic practices is the command and the message of the hour.
The falsifications and misinterpretations started early and resulted in the great falling away from the true doctrine by the man of sin. They found their initial climax in the first organised church, which began in the year 325 with the Council of Nicea. Other church councils followed in 381 and 441, and then came the Middle Ages, also known as the Dark Ages, wherein the light of the Word was almost suffocated. Finally, after one thousand years, a new breakthrough came about through the Reformation, followed by various revivals in the past centuries, wherein the scriptural truths were more and more restored. Sadly, old traditions continued, even during the revivals which began by a mighty moving of the Holy Spirit at the turn of the 20th century. The enemy even continued to deceive where the Spirit of God was at work and was successful with his plan to declare the right to be wrong and the wrong to be right. Until today, old leaven has always spoiled the new dough. Organised churches came into existence and continued the old tragedy.
What our Lord said to the religious Jews also applies to the unfaithful Christendom: "This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. However in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men ... And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." (Mk. 7: 6-9).
As the Lord said, all worship, even the praise in charismatic meetings, is in vain, when men's teachings and commandments are believed instead of God's Word. Jesus, our Lord, set forth this condition, "Whoever believes in Me as the scripture says ..." (Jn. 7: 38). The Lord demands the worship of God in Spirit and in Truth (Jn. 4: 24). The Word of God is the Truth into which the Holy Ghost leads the true believers and sanctifies them therein.
Now, being close to the coming of Jesus Christ, we also need the prophetic part, as Peter emphasised in his epistle in the most wonderful way: " For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty." (2 Pt. 1: 16). The apostle had been an eyewitness of the glorious experience on the Mount of Transfiguration. With final assurance he could write, "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; unto which ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place , until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts" (v. 19).
Nowadays, who can truthfully say to be in the actual possession of the prophetic word, not the interpretation, but the realisation of it? For only then does it shine as a bright light. Today so many are busy with their own prophecies and they always have something new to offer, so they do not even feel drawn to the written prophetic word. No prophecy of the Scriptures permits any private interpretation and it will never lose its validity due to any of the self-made prophecies. On the contrary, the prophecies produced by men are made null and void by the authority of God's Word . The prophecies of the Scriptures are always connected to the promises, which receive their legitimation in their fulfilment.
If we would not follow up with Divine jurisdiction at this point, the exposition would defeat its purpose. "Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." (Isa. 2: 3b). The true Word went forth from Jerusalem. There the prophets ministered, and also our Lord and the apostles. There the foundation of the New Testament Church had been laid. That is where she was brought into existence; there she must return to in teaching and practice.
We are now experiencing the greatest deception in the religious realm that has ever been. In Mt. 24 Jesus predicted, "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many." (v 11). Representatives of all religions and denominations, churches and fellowships naturally present themselves as being correct. On the outside we can see a lot of decoration with scriptures, but the Lord sees the inside and says, "BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS ..." (Mt. 7: 15). We must take this warning to heart, because all suspect them to be elsewhere, but here we are dealing with the Kingdom of God, with believers, with the church. Satan himself believes, but in his own way, not as the Scripture says. In the religions of this world and also within Christianity, many believe as they please. The entire earth is filled with that type of believers. At the time of the Reformation the question arose, who the false prophet and the antichrist was. In the conclusion thereof all the reformers were united, in spite of other differences. Our concern in this exposition chapter is about the many false prophets and false christs.
Who are the false prophets? How can they be recognised for what they really are? We shall let the Holy Scripture speak for Itself. For there is no theological faculty, no preacher seminar on earth, where God's mysterious counsel is being taught or could be learned. It takes a Divine commission, which gives Divine authority after the pattern of the prophets and apostles, to have access to the revealed Word and Will of God. They left unto us, what was said by the all-knowing God, Who foresaw the tragic developments, Who already knew the end since the beginning.
First we have to come to the logical conclusion that every falsification has to be as close to the original as possible. A counterfeit dollar note must look so much like the original, that the layman will not recognise the difference. This reminds me of a personal experience. Many years ago, I deposited some money into the account at the "Bank of Commerce". Suddenly, the clerk held up a 100 DM note and said, "This is a forged bill, I am required to call the criminal unit of the police." For a layman not at all visible, not suspicious, but in the hand and in the eye of the expert it was recognised on the spot. To me this was a very important lesson. I was not the forger and neither were many of the people who passed the same note to others. There are many, who pass along forged, so-called "Christian" teachings, without realising that they are passing on falsifications. They do not know the original and therefore cannot detect the imitations.
The false prophets and false christs of today are not the falsifiers, but they unknowingly pass the falsifications on to others. What they all have in common, is that they are in a recognised, leading position, but they lead others astray, they mislead, they deceive, as they have also been deceived (2 Tim. 3: 13). In Mt. 24: 4 our Lord said with emphasis, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ ..." (Mt. 24: 4-5) - "I have a special anointing!" After predicting wars and all the natural catastrophes, He once again emphasised that many would be deceived by false prophets (Mt. 24: 11).
False prophets and false christs do not compare their doctrine with the Word of God. But they appear to be genuine, so that only a Divine expert of the Word can recognise the counterfeits. The Greek word "Christos", and the equivalent Hebrew word "Mashiach", are known to us as "Christ" or "the Anointed". In the Old Testament kings and priests were anointed. King Saul was anointed, King David was anointed, Aaron and his sons were also anointed. The true prophets were called the "anointed of God". The Lord Himself says, "Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm." (Ps. 105: 15). Jesus was THE ANOINTED ONE, THE CHRIST. According to Lk. 4: 17-19, He read from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 61, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me ..." (Lk. 4: 18).
The Apostle Peter confirmed it, " But those things, which God before had shown by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled." (Acts 3: 18).
"... how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit, and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." (Acts 10: 38).
Our Lord warns us about the false anointed ones. They may be anointed, but are false. One mark applies to all who are wrong: They always stand together against the one who is correct, and therefore consequently against the Lord and His Anointed (Acts 4: 24-31). Not only the Egyptians, Jannes and Jambres, stood up against Moses, but from their own midst, leading brothers rose against him, namely Dathan, Korah and others (Num. 16). They united and organised themselves and made a plot, a direct opposition against God, and Moses, His true prophet.
Once again, in Mt. 24, our Lord refers to the false prophets and false christs and gives this warning, "For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders , insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." (v. 24). Even that: false and great signs and wonders! Who can comprehend this? It does not belong together at all and should not be in the Kingdom of God. But as Dathan and Korah, they belong to the church, but are under false inspiration and in false doctrines. In His Church only the Lord has the right to appoint the different ministries. Everybody cannot do as he pleases, because that will lead to the fall, as it did with Lucifer, the anointed angel. The Apostle Paul warned us about false brethren. They are indeed brethren, but they are false. Today we have, as our Lord predicted, many such false prophets and false anointed ones.
They can offer signs and wonders as their legitimation. Thereby they mislead believers who are true at heart, but who are not founded in the Scriptures. They are not godless men, they are not the actual falsifiers, in their own way they believe. They are amicable and insist to be preachers of the full gospel and have a convincing appearance. They even have the marks, which were promised in connection with the Lord's great commission. The whole picture looks genuine and good. Their meetings draw people from all denominations, and all are impressed and astonished. The Lord Himself said, that if it were possible, even the elect would be deceived . Thanks be to God, that is not possible. But the copy is so close to the real thing, that only those, who know the original and truly believe as the Scripture says, will notice the difference and see through the outer shell. The elect do not follow signs and wonders, they follow their Lord and Saviour. They verify all teachings, prophecies and the whole proclamation with the Word of God and will not permit to be carried away, but rather stay with the teachings of the apostles (Acts 2: 42; Eph. 2: 20; 2 Pet. 3: 2 a. o.).
There were always those, who were sent by the Lord, and the kind, who stepped onto the scene by their own accord. The false prophets and false christs also step forward independent from God, but within His Kingdom. They do not deceive intentionally, they are not even aware of it. They are not the falsifiers, but do pass on that, which was falsified. They are honest, but wrong, were themselves born into the religious deception. This development was also predicted by the apostles. All the falsifications have a long tradition. Whatever is not correct, meaning it does not coincide with the Bible, is automatically wrong. We have to take this warning very seriously and must ask:
Who today are the false prophets and false teachers who bring in damnable heresies, of whom the Apostle Peter warned that they would speak evil of the way of Truth (2 Pet. 2: 1-3)?
Who today are the ones who have forsaken the right way and gone astray in the way of Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness (2 Pet. 2: 12-19)?
Who today are the many antichrists of whom the Apostle John writes (1 Jn. 2: 18-20)?
Who today are the many false prophets, which have gone out into the world (1 Jn. 4: 1)?
Who today are the men of whom Paul spoke, that they would come forth from within the Church itself, teaching false doctrine, enticing disciples to follow them (Acts 20: 26-32)?
Who today are those, who preach another Jesus, who proclaim another gospel and are under the influence of another spirit (2 Cor. 11: 4)?
Who today are they, who present themselves as apostles of Christ, having the appearance of angels of light, but are deceitful workers (2 Cor. 11: 10-15)?
Who today are they, of whom the Spirit of God said, that they would appear in latter times, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Tim 4: 1-3)?
Whatever does not originate from God comes from Satan. No forgery, no lie can originate from the Truth (1 Jn. 2: 21). Indeed, it is a tragedy, what happened in traditional Christianity and people do not see it, as the right was and is being substituted with the wrong. The subjects remain, but the content has been changed.
In the first church age, the men who deviated from the doctrines of the apostles were exposed as liars (Rev. 2: 2). But soon the wrong, working by false influence, was overpowering that, which was right. God's Word was substituted with man's word, until finally it became true, what our Lord said, "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Lk. 12: 32). That is how it was throughout all the church ages with the elected remnant (Rom. 11: 5). Therefore, the promises in the seven church age messages were only addressed to the overcomers (Rev. 2 + 3). Quite early on, there were those among the believers, who followed the teachings of Balaam, who led the children of Israel into a trap, and those following the teachings of the Nicolaitanes, who exalted themselves over the laity (Rev. 2: 14-16). Even a woman called "Jezebel" had her way, claiming to be a prophetess and teacher and even seducing some of God's servants (Rev. 2: 20-21). Right from the beginning we can trace the tragic developments and the falling away from God, His Word and the true faith, and we can find many deviations and falsifications. Very early on, people were misled by wrong interpretations of the Scriptures. Later, in the various councils, some of those teachings were declared as statements of faith and dogmas.
The distinguishing difference between the true and false anointed is the following: The true men sent by God preach His Word and the Lord confirms it with accompanying signs and miracles. Those men who step on the scene by their own accord relate stories, preach about signs and wonders and lead the people astray, bypassing the Word. Only if someone remains in the Word will he remain in God. But first we must accept the Word, in order to remain in it.
The command of the hour is to detect who is a false christ, a false prophet or both, using solely the testimony in the Holy Scripture Itself. The Word always came to the true prophets. The false prophets always had their own interpretations of the Word, but never the original Word. The same applies to the false anointed ones. They do not have the true teachings of Christ and the apostles, they have their own doctrinal views, which were introduced in the course of church history. Through the true prophets God spoke Himself, the false prophets speak about Him according to their own views.
The confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and appeared in the flesh is made by all Christianity, even by the false prophets and the false christs. But it is not a true confession, if the meaning is altered, compared to what the Bible teaches. One thesis of the Christian theology is, for instance, that the Son was created as the "First One" of God's creative work in heaven, before the world was made. Another one is, that He was begotten and born by God in eternity, also before the world was made. In the Nicene Creed it states, "God from God, light from light, true God from true God ..." If it were so, we would have two who are God, two who are light and so forth. The third thesis is, that the Son in the Old Testament was the archangel, Michael. And still all of them confess Jesus Christ to be the Son of God. There are also other versions, which do not coincide with the testimony of Scripture, but are the reflection of the human mind and a fantasy creation.
In the Old Testament He is the Lord, YAHWEH, the I AM - the Logos, the Word, the visible, acting, walking appearance of the invisible God, Who Himself is Spirit (Jn. 4: 24), Whom no man has ever seen (1 Tim. 6: 16; 1 Jn. 4: 12). The same Lord, Who walked in the Garden of Eden, spoke to Abraham, commissioned Moses and spoke through the prophets, we know as the One Who came into humanity as the Son of God, born here on earth in the stable of Bethlehem. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord." (Lk. 2: 11). Not a heavenly Son became a Son on earth, but the Word was made flesh, the Lord became a servant. What Paul stated still remains valid: No one can truthfully give the biblically founded testimony that Jesus Christ is the Lord, except by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12: 3). Everybody can recite a formal confession. Even the demons cried "... what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?" and confessed "Thou art Christ the Son of God." (Lk. 4: 34 + 41). The confession of the demons certainly did not justify them and in spite of it they still remained what they had always been. They certainly did not become Christians or true believers because of their confession.
Like Peter, everyone needs a personal revelation (Mt. 16). Everything else is a reflection of the mind, which is being repeated and has no value before God. Thus saith the Lord, "... and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal Him." (Lk. 10: 22). As certain as the Father was manifested in the Son, it must be revealed to each one personally. Every Christian, even the antichrist can confess with his lips that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but still mean something completely different than what the Holy Scripture actually says. Without the revelation by the Holy Spirit, it simply remains an intellectual reasoning of the mind. The testimony of the apostles can be found many times in the Scriptures. Paul summarises it in 1 Tim. 3: 16. In reality, there is only one God, one Creator, one Father Who manifested Himself in the Son, only one Lord, one faith, one true baptism (Eph. 4: 4-6).
Every teaching, every confession, everything that does not coincide with the apostles at the very beginning of the original Christianity is false. The original Church is the example, valid until the very end. Now everyone and everything must stand the Word test. The measuring rod can only be the infallible, everlasting Word of God.
In Mt 7: 15 our Lord said, "Beware of false prophets , who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." Yes, "Be aware!" is easily said, but the sheepskin covers the wolf's ravenous nature. The key word here is "ravening". They will not feed the flock on the green pastures of the Word, but rather sheer the sheep, by preaching a "prosperity gospel", and thereby making themselves rich. In verses 21 to 22 we learn a little more about them, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father, who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works?" To which revival movement does this description actually apply? Should we need to ask, if this concerns those who perform wonders in our time? Are they to be found among the great evangelists and charismatic people? At first those "giants of faith" tell the Lord what they have done in His name. "Have we not prophesied, not cast out devils etc. in your name?" Is that not a convincing report? But the Lord is not impressed with it at all and says, "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (v. 23).
The assertion, "Have we not done all this?" is very notable.
They did not pay tribute to the Lord, but to themselves and were proud of it,
as their own name came to honour. True servants of God know that Salvation,
healing and all blessings come from God and follow the Scripture, "He that
glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." (1 Cor. 1: 31; 2 Cor. 10:
17-18). Humbly the Son of God Himself said, "The words that I speak unto
you, I speak not of myself; but the father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the
works." (Jn. 14: 10b). Peter and John did not take the credit for the
healing of the lame man, but rather ascribed it to the Lord, Whose power was
revealed in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. As God did His works in
Christ, so Christ does His works through the ministries in the Church. The
Church is a living organism, not a dead religious organisation.
True sons and daughters of God have the mind of the Son of God and confess with all their hearts, "... nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done." (Lk. 22: 42). Our Lord said, "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will but the will of him that sent me." (Jn. 6: 38; 4: 34). "... to do thy will, O God." (Heb. 10: 7). "For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother." (Mk. 3: 35). By this will all true children of God are sanctified once and for all times (Heb. 10: 10).
The will of God was done by the Son of God with complete obedience, right until the crucifixion. In opposition to that stands the self-will of Lucifer. The wilfulness of the one who was initially anointed in Heaven continues in the self-will of all the false anointed ones on earth, and it is still disobedience and rebellion towards God. The Holy Scripture emphasises, "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." (1 Sam. 15: 23). All, who now put emphasis on signs and wonders and continue to preach their own version of the Gospel, will then be surprised. They stand on the same level as all the Christians, who repeat the Lord's prayer, wherein it says, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven! ...", but then go about their business as usual, remaining in the will of a denomination, a church or fellowship, even in their own will.
Those who are reprimanded by our Lord according to Mt. 7 are fully occupied with their own work, not taking their places within God's Plan, they are classified as workers of iniquity. Many times people sing with enthusiasm in meetings, "He is Lord, He is Lord ...", but in actuality the relationship Lord/servant does not exist. People bypass God in their talking, singing, prophesying and altogether. The false anointed ones and the false prophets are not concerned about the main promise for this time; they do not care, nor do they want to hear about it, that God sent a prophet before the great day of the Lord comes (Mal. 4: 5-6).
The spirit of deception is about to fill the measure of iniquity to the point of overflowing. Things are reported, which never happened in the ministry of our Lord or the apostles. Meetings are altogether taking on a very strange character. The atmosphere is being created artificially by modern music. It is apparently not an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, not a direct work of God, but rather a meeting which is deliberately focused on a specific "charismatic person" or "miracle worker" and his special features. Astonishing things are being reported, even that people received fillings made of 24-carat gold in their teeth in a supernatural way. In recent times, the claim is being made that the dust from the golden streets in heaven fell upon the black shirt of the preacher, stirred up by the white horse galloping through heaven. The rider was reportedly holding the sceptre in his left and the sword in his right hand! Those kinds of unscriptural things are being preached and this is assumed to be "the third revival wave".
Among all the eccentricities appearing in charismatic meetings, the falling on one's back during prayer is the most peculiar. It is being termed as "slain in the spirit" and presented as a special spiritual experience. Let us hear what the Scripture has to say on this subject. They refer to Isaiah 28: 13, but that is actually meant as a threat, "... that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken." Since they did not want to listen and did not enter into God's rest (v. 12), the threat was given, that they would fall backward. First the Lord brings to the surface, what condition the ministers of the church are actually in and indicts them, "The priest and the prophet have erred though strong drink; they are swallowed up of wine, they are out of the way through strong drink, they err in vision, they stumble in judgement." (Isa. 28: 7).
This description applies fittingly to all who drink from the Babylonian cup and therefore have lost their spiritual orientation (Jer. 51: 7; Rev. 17: 2). Thus saith the Lord, "For all tables are full of vomit and filthiness, so that there is no place clean." (Isa. 28: 8). Not only one table, not only one church, not only one denomination, but all tables are soiled by the falsified word, being dished out through the mouths of ministers.
In view of this situation, the following question is appropriate, "Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? ..." (v. 9). Where the tables are soiled, it is impossible to convey true knowledge or the correct doctrines, much less to receive a true revelation. They continue to say, "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little" (v. 10). The same people say, "... when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: ..." All are very sure of themselves, "... for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves." (v. 15). They do not recognise that they walk in their own ways and pass on their own explanations of Scripture. They are not aware, that they make their own imagined building, which is decorated with religious lies, their refuge. But hear the Thus saith the Lord, "Justice also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place." (v. 17).
If the refuge of lies is hit by the hammer of the Word of Truth, people should take heed and return to God. There is only one valid guiding principle given unto us by God for our journey. Paul writes to his co-worker Timothy, "But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, patience ..." (2 Tim. 3: 10). Who is prepared today, to take the doctrine and life of the apostles as an example? No one should be mistaken: God will not allow to be mocked for ever. In His Kingdom and in His Church only His Word is valid. Man's word belongs into man's institutions, but not as a substitute for God's Word. That is the twofold sin: to forsake the Word and to calm one's own conscious by replacing it with man's word (Jer. 2: 13). This is the case in the denominations world-wide, without anyone noticing it.
Those who proclaim deliverance and freedom catch the people in their net and their new organisation resembles the old prison houses. In actuality, things remain as they were, for Thus saith the Lord, "But this is a people robbed and spoiled; they are all of them snared in holes, and they are hidden in prison houses; they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a spoil, and none saith, Restore. Who among you will give ear to this? Who will hearken and hear for the time to come?" (Isa 42: 22-23). But there are chosen ones everywhere, that take this to heart and are called out of all the spiritual prison camps by the Lord, according to what the Scripture says, "My people, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing ..." (2 Cor. 6: 16-18; Rev. 18: 4 a. o.).
In the presence of God no one ever fell on his back during prayer, but rather on his knees and face: Abraham (Gen. 17: 17), Elieser (Gen. 24: 48), Moses (Ex. 34: 8), Joshua (chapter 5: 14), Daniel (chapter 8: 17) and also our Lord in Gethsemane (Mt. 26: 39). The prophets and all of God's people fell on their face, "And when all the children of Israel saw how the fire came down, and the glory of the Lord upon the house, they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised the Lord ..." (2 Chr. 7: 3). Even Nebuchadnezzar, the heathen king, did so after he saw what God had done (Dan. 2: 46). Whenever the Holy Spirit is moving through the gift of prophecy, people fall on their faces, too (1 Cor. 14: 25), and not, as it is being practised in the arranged "fire conferences", on their backs. Also in the New Testament, all in reverence before the Lord fell on their face. It started with the three wise men, who came to worship the new-born Christ (Mt. 2: 11-12), right to the Apostle John on the isle of Patmos.
In all revival meetings and evangelistic crusades people stream together to hear the sermon, because they have a longing for God. But what our Lord said in Mt. 22: 14 also applies, "For many are called, but few are chosen." Only the elect will hear His voice, come out and get prepared and walk without compromise in the ways of the Lord. The others point to their experiences and continue on in their own ways.
The time has come for all these things, which are now happening, to be pointed out and clearly examined in the light of God's Word. As the Lord particularly addresses the miracle workers with the statement "Depart from Me!", this subject has to be seriously dealt with. Many misuse His Name, they prophesy, cast out devils and perform miracles. They are celebrated before the multitudes of thousands upon thousands. What is wrong with them and with what they do? It all looks so biblical! They themselves are wrong in their prophesying and their doctrines, because they disregard the true apostolic doctrines and the true Word of prophecy.
The power of God is efficiently working through the name of Jesus Christ, whether the preacher is right or wrong, for it is connected only to the faith of those who believe, not to the life or the teachings of a preacher. Our Lord said, "And these signs shall follow those who believe ..." (Mk. 16: 17-18). It is also written, "... for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." (Mt. 5: 45).
The Truth does also still exist and we have the promise of our Lord, "Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles ..." (Lk. 11: 49). To those who the Lord Himself sends forth he says, "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves ..." (Mt. 10: 16). But, "He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward ..." (Mt. 10: 40-41).
That is a mighty promise God gave, to reward those who accept the ones He directly sends as His messengers! The Lord emphasises once more, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me." (Jn. 13: 20). "Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you; as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you." (Jn. 20: 21). Every man God sends knows the day, place and the exact words of the Divine commission he received when he was called.
Wherein lies the difference between the correct and the wrong teaching? How do we recognise what is being done correctly and what is not? What do the Holy Scriptures say on this matter ? We may as well keep our own opinions to ourselves, as they have no value in the Kingdom of God.
The statements of faith of the church fathers deviate from the fundamental scriptural doctrines. Their religious teachings about Godhead, Baptism etc. do not agree with the apostles. Unaware of that fact, the majority remains in the traditional falsified Christendom, in spite of the many blessings. That is the tragic account at the end of the time of grace. God-sent prophets, apostles and teachers, for instance, only knew one true God , not a tri-une one. They also did not know a "Jesus Only"-doctrine. They knew God in the manifold ways in which He manifested Himself. The Trinity doctrine about the three equal persons of God, who are supposed to exist from eternity, is unscriptural and a very old heathen concept, that still exists in Buddhism today.
The development of the New Testament Church has a great similarity with Israel. "And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us ..." (Ex. 32: 1). He consented and made a golden calf, because in Egypt they were worshipping the bull. And then it is also written, "... and they said, These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." (v. 4). One must picture the scene: The God of Israel descended on the mountain, speaking to Moses, "And God spoke all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, who have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image ..." (Ex. 20: 1-4) - at the same time Aaron, together with the people, practised well-meant idolatry and called a calf "god".
Since our Lord lingered with His promised return, the church fathers did the same: They formed and formulated a three-headed, three-shaped God, according to the heathen pattern and said, "That is your God, Christianity." Whoever touches this image is being treated as having insulted their Holiest of Holy. Which is the right belief then? The Apostle Paul greatly emphasises the correct doctrine, urging, "... seeing it is one God ..." (Rom. 3: 30) and also stating, "Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one." (Gal. 3: 20). In the Holy Scriptures, not one single time can we find the term "triune God" or "trinity", and never "heavenly" or "eternal Son". The God that was "formed" this way is not known in the Old or the New Testament. He is completely foreign to the prophets and apostles. Someone with a clear mind can never face God's Word with the belief, that there are three who reign in heaven and that these three persons are in agreement and form a trinity. If there truly was a Trinity in Heaven, it would be clearly documented in the Bible. Since it is nowhere to be found in the Bible, it subsequently cannot exist in Heaven.
Some even exaggerate the whole matter, shouting, "Now we invite the Holy Trinity!" The announcer then invites the Father, and all clap their hands in excitement. Then he invites the Son, and all are taken up with enthusiasm. Finally, the Holy Spirit is also invited into their midst: The whole congregation gives applause. Does someone sincerely believe, that there are three eternal, three who are omnipotent and three who are omnipresent? Then it is obviously no longer the one and only God the Bible testifies about. Three individual persons are three gods, not one God, for words to make any sense. Therein we see the great falling away, that was predicted by the Apostle Paul. It happened when Christianity left the Jewish ground of revelation.
In the Old Testament the falling away always signifies the turning away from the ONE TRUE GOD to other gods. In the New Testament Church, the turning away from the ONE TRUE GOD to a Trinity-Godhead was the beginning of the "great falling away". Paul writes to the Galatians, "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel ..." (Gal. 1: 6). In the same chapter he speaks a curse over those, who preach another Gospel. Later on he asks the question, "... who hath bewitched you ..." (3: 1).
All who use the triune formula for baptism have to submit to the same accusation. Since the New Testament Church was founded, all believers were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, as Peter declared in his first sermon, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2: 38). Many agree with church tradition, but not with the Word of God.
The same people, who use the name of Jesus so mightily, categorically reject to be baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the way Peter, Paul and the other apostles, who heard the commission from the Lord Himself, commanded and did. But that alone does not satisfy them: They even declare the true baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, as documented in the Bible, to be heresy. And they do so in speeches and publications. It would be worthwhile to ponder on about these things. Those who preach heresy today, insinuate therewith that Peter, who had the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven, and Paul, who had Divine authority because of the direct commission, were teaching and baptising incorrectly and therefore had deceived the first believers in the original Christianity. They themselves do not act according to the commission our Lord gave, as the apostles did, they simply repeat Mt. 28: 19 as if it was a magic formula. Is it not commonly known, what is being done by the use of these "three high titles" on the entire old "Christian" continent? Magic spells, sorcery, spiritism, table turning, palm reading, fortune telling, every kind of hocus pocus and occultism are practised with that formula.
The critical research of the Bible contends, that the text in Mt. 28: 19 in the earliest, hand-written manuscripts was as follows, "en to onomati mou" - "in-to My name ", as also the church father Eusebius confirms. According to the writings of church historians, the Baptism in the first centuries was administered in the name of Jesus Christ. The change came about only after men brought in their own tri-une ideas. In some of the translations, like the King James Bible, which is being read on every continent, the unbelievable supplement verse is still found in 1 Jn. 5: 7: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit ..." Every Bible student of the first semester knows, that this verse does not at all exist in the original manuscripts. It is also not found in the Hebrew text, not in the Greek interlinear nor in the German Luther translation or any other German Bible edition, not in the Zurich edition, which dates back to Zwingli, not in the French one of J. N. Darby, not in the Lamsa, neither in the many others. It is not found in the German Scofield Bible, and the English Scofield carries the footnote, "It is generally agreed that this verse has no ms. authority and has been inserted." But because of inherited tradition, it is left there, against better knowledge, and pastors even preach about it. The apocryphs also don't belong into the Bible. As already previously stated, not only the Saviour, but also God's Word fell into men's hands - what a tragedy! For some time now, the doxology has been added to the Lord's Prayer, and recently even the formula, "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost" is being recited after it. The differences in the Bible translations in the various languages are also grave in some parts, for instance with the Lord's prayer. The original Arameic version states, "… and lead us that we do not fall into temptation …" God does not lead us into temptation (Jas. 1: 13) like we usually pray.
These things have to be said for once, so that the original Truth will prevail. All brutal crusades, all witch trials, stakes, the whole inquisition, all the persecutions, the murdering of the Jews and other believers were done with the blessing of the clergy: "In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost." Also for the slaughtering of the thirty thousand Hugenottes in France, the Trinitarian "blessing" was given to the culprits from the pulpits. Up till today, all who enter a certain order must recite their vow in the Name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - even Jews who join as members in a free-mason's lodge. All who belonged to the inner circle of Hitler's Waffen-SS (wearing a black uniform and a tattoo on their right arm, showing on the buckle of their belts the inscription "Blut und Ehre" = "Blood and Honour" and on their caps a scull) had to swear an oath upon "Reich und Fuehrer" in the Name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. In the course of church history, millions upon millions were slaughtered, sometimes tortured in the cruellest way, under this formula. Jews who survived Auschwitz told me personally, as I was visiting the former death camp, and also testified publicly in TV-interviews on the "Holocaust Memorial Day", that those slaughterers wearing the black uniform were regularly attending the catholic mass in the camp chapel. While the smoke of those put to death in the gas chambers was ascending to the sky, the incense in the chapel also rose towards the ceiling and the prayers were recited in the Name of the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost.
Whoever is familiar with the international church history, has knowledge of the fact that the Trinity idea and the triune formula was first introduced in the third century A.D. Polycarp and Ireneus did not know of any debate concerning Christ. They knew Christ as the apostles had preached Him. These doctrinal debates became an issue only in the Nicene Council (325) and then continued and were formulated in the Council of Chalcedon in the year 381. Their general validity as church doctrine was first proclaimed in the year 441 by Pope Leo I!
Whether there were 50 or even 60 millions, who died the martyr's death by the Trinity mother church, the writers of history cannot agree on. But it is well known, that the ultimatum given to those, who believed differently and especially to the Jews, who were denounced as "murderers of Christ and rejected by God", was that they had to accept the faith in the triune God and be baptised in the triune baptism. Especially for any orthodox Jew this was not an option, for it meant the price of his soul, because thereby he would have overstepped the first and most holy commandment God Himself had given, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord!" (Dt. 6: 4). The souls of these martyrs call for revenge, according to Rev. 6: 9-10. "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" Now we need to ask who this institution is, that shall be called upon by God to give account. Who could be meant with the following Scripture references,
"For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets ..." (Rev. 16: 6).
"And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus ..." (Rev. 17: 6).
"And the woman whom thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth." (Rev. 17: 18).
"And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth." (Rev. 18: 24).
The hour of truth has come. Everything - all teachings, all practices, the entire belief, all must be examined in the light of the Word. From now on, you have knowledge about this complex theme. Can anybody escape the final judgement without being held accountable? Must we not ask ourselves, whether we belong spiritually and doctrinally to the blood-bought Church of Christ, the Church of the first-born (Heb. 12: 22-23), or to the blood-stained church, which is referred to as mother in reference to daughter churches and is called "Mystery Babylon, the Great" (Rev. 17: 1-6)? Everyone can now recognise, where he or she stands.
Since the spiritual breakthrough of the Reformation, the Lord calls His people step by step back out of all that is unscriptural, until His Church is completely restored to the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief corner stone (Eph. 2: 20).
Preachers, brethren, do you not realise where the journey of mainstream Christianity is leading to? Some of you have established Bible seminars, you are teaching others, but do you accept God's teachings yourself? Do you not recognise, that the one true God has revealed Himself for our Salvation in the New Testament, as our Father in Heaven, in the Son on Earth and in His Church by the Holy Spirit? This has happened in the one, unique New Testament covenant name of the Lord Jesus Christ, in Whom alone is all Divine Salvation, into which believers are baptised.
In the Old Testament, nobody prayed to a "Father in Heaven", but to the Lord GOD. This terminology is found therein 6,700 times. No prophet has ever known anything about or has called unto an "eternal Son in Heaven". That is the new incomprehensible, unexplainable mystery, which was predicted and promised in the Old Testament: it is the revelation of God in Christ (2 Cor. 4: 6; Col. 2: 2-3; 1 Tim. 3: 16 a. o.). Whoever does not have this revelation, will misunderstand, misinterpret and misplace the Word. The Name (singular) of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, into which we were commissioned to baptise, is indeed the Lord Jesus Christ. The Hebrew word Yashua means "Yahweh-Saviour", as Immanuel means "God with us". The Lord/Yahweh of the Old Testament is the Lord Jesus in the New Testament. That is the Divine Truth. The name of the Father is also the name of the Son (Ps. 22: 23), in Whom He has manifested Himself. All preachers, evangelists, charismatic personalities and all believers are herewith challenged to admit that in the apostolic days and in the following 200 years no scriptural act or prayer was ever done in a triune formula.
Peter, the man of the first hour, obeyed precisely what the risen Lord had commissioned His disciples to do, "... teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you ..." (Mt. 28: 20). For forty days after the resurrection, our Lord spoke to His disciples about the Kingdom of God, He taught them personally (Acts 1: 1-3). It was then, that He gave the great commission, which was carried out precisely. The teaching of Christ was and still is God's teaching. "Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." (Jn. 7: 16-17). And the teaching of the apostles was the teaching of Christ. "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him Godspeed; for he that biddeth him Godspeed is partaker of his evil deeds." (2 Jn. 9-11).
"See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spoke on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven ..." (Heb. 12: 25). Now the question arises: Do the spiritual leaders today continue in their traditional way, as it happened at the first coming of Christ, as though God had done nothing? Oh you evangelists of the first revival wave, you had first-hand knowledge of all the supernatural things God did in our time. Without the God-ordained prophetic and teaching ministry you would have never had your evangelistic ministry. On one hand you say, "William Branham was a mighty prophet! God revealed everything to him!", as it was testified by Rev. T. L. Osborn, on the other hand you say, "He was wrong in his teachings!" How does that fit together? You say, "God has given him an incomparable, unsurpassed ministry with divine confirmation, as no one else ever had." At the same time you bypass the message he brought in the name of the Lord, which must forerun the second coming of Christ to show us the right way. Thereby you are loading great guilt upon yourselves, which can never be made up. You present yourselves as men of the hour. But at the same time, are you not guilty of character assassination of God's servant and prophet, as you have done everything to kill the God-given influence of the unique and extraordinary ministry in our time? You will not succeed in keeping the elect unto the end, for they - the true sheep - will heed the call of the good shepherd. God's Word will accomplish what It was sent for in our time in all those who are ordained to eternal life!
Are you not doing what the scribes did then, rejecting God's Plan of Salvation for yourselves (Lk. 7: 29-30), not agreeing to be baptised biblically, even though Paul himself attested to having been baptised that way (Rom. 6: 3)? Have you not taken away the key of knowledge and did you not hinder others from entering (Lk. 11: 52)? The Divine Church Order, taught by Paul and presented anew by Branham, you disregard with a superior smile and continue in your own ways.
You assert, "Those are Branham's teachings: the Godhead, the fall, the Baptism, the biblical place of the woman and so on." Really? Are they not the teachings of the Holy Scripture? Whom do you think the Lord Himself indicts today with the sevenfold "Woe!", as He did with the spiritual leaders then (Mt. 23: 13-33)? God claims His people from all shepherds who feed themselves; and He demands faith and obedience from everybody.
In Mt. 24 our Lord does not only speak about the circumstances, which would be before the return of Christ, He also mentions the part which is connected to the total restoration and now finds its fulfilment, "Who, then, is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you that he shall make him ruler over all his goods." (vv. 45-47). Now the entire proclamation, the full Word, all the spiritual goods must be presented. Due to the direct commission, which I received by the mighty, commanding, all-penetrating voice of the Lord on 2nd April, 1962, to preach the Word, I do carry, as Paul did, a great responsibility toward God. I have to proclaim the last message before the return of Christ with truthfulness in all the world. God has taken His servant and prophet to be with Him, but the Word revealed to him remains with us as the spiritual food, as the fresh manna for His people in the great famine that God would send (Amos 8: 11). The Word remains for ever, and whoever is born of God will hear God's Word. It also applies now, what the prophet Haggai wrote, "... the remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord, their God, and the words of Haggai, the prophet, as the Lord, their God, had sent him, and the people did fear before the Lord." (Hag. 1: 12).
We are still living in the time of grace and everyone has the opportunity to change his ways and take his stand with God. Now, for the last time, God's Word is addressed unto us for our Salvation and teaching and to be brought back unto the way the Scripture shows. The same Word will be judgement to all who do not obey (Jn. 12: 48). To each and everyone applies the admonition, "Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." (Heb. 4: 7). He addresses each individual, "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!" (Lk. 19: 42).
The enemy, the adversary of God has caused great damage in Heaven and on Earth. He has spread his lies everywhere, has twisted God's truths and made people believe them. But as the Word was in the beginning, the same Word remains the Truth until the end. Now at the end of the time of grace, all of God's true children are being sanctified in the Truth (Jn. 17: 17). World-wide they recognise that God sent His Word to heal us, to take us out from all that is wrong and out of all confusion. In this final revival, all true believers who are part of the Bride Church will come out from all errors and confusion. The Bride of Jesus Christ by grace will soon experience the final and mighty victory over all artful practices of the enemy. To them the following scriptures applies, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Rev. 12: 11).
"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. An he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they who are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God." (Rev. 19: 7-9).
I trust that this entire exposition will be accepted as a well-meant guidance of God, speaking to everyone through His Word. May the grace of God and His peace and blessings be with you all in the precious Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
"And he saith unto me, Seal not the words of the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand ... And, behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be ... He who testifieth these things said, Surely, I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen." (Rev. 22: 10, 12; 20-21).