32. THE PROPHETIC MINISTRY OF WILLIAM BRANHAM PT3. THE PROPHETIC MINISTRY OF... · Ref. No.:...

Ref. No.: 02-08-07

August 2007

The following message was preached by Brother Amos on Thursday 2nd August, 2 0 0 7 , a t B i b l e F a i t h Tabernacle, Lagos.

There is just something about the inspiration that produced these hymns. It is j u s t s o r i c h . I t i s inspirational. It is not like these chopped-up, one l i n e d s o n g s t h e y a r e repea t ing a l l over the religious world today. I love these old hymns. There is inspiration to it. It speaks of o u r w a y. T h e r e i s a difference to the song of the bride. It speaks of our way. Because today, it is just one line songs, all to make money. They churn it out. All of them dancing like

people that are standing on soldier ants. There is no righteousness about it, no holiness about it. It is just a worldly thing, churned out to make money. That is why a lot of people are now turning to gospel songs, as a commercial venture. I b e l i e v e s o m e t h i n g : I believe in keeping spiritual things spiritual. Worship has to be spiritual. Worship does not have to be dead. It is supposed to be spiritual, soul touching. For worship to be spiritual, if it is to be spiritual, you need to keep it simple, and then you need inspirational songs. You d id no t hear me. Worship has to be spiritual, and you have to keep it spiritual. Then for you to

THE PROPHETIC MINISTRY OFWILLIAM BRANHAM - PART 3

"Every Scribe which is instructed unto the Kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder,

which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old" - Matthew 13:52

keep it spiritual, you not on l y need to keep worship simple, you also need nothing but i nsp i ra t i ona l songs ! Songs that will minister to the soul! It is more than just one l ined songs, which people jump up and down to. But our songs must have spiritual meaning, songs that speak to our soul, to inspire us in t h i s w a y. I r e a l l y appreciate the songs in the Only Believe song b o o k . I t i s s o meaningful. But I will also say this: There are a lot of people that sing The Original Life song, without a revelation of anything. It is just a song to them. It sounds g o o d . A n d i t h a s become their anthem n o w f o r e v e r y programme, whether Radio programme, or Television programme, that is their anthem. But there is an inspiration t o t h e s e s o n g s . I t ministers to the heart. It does! You can imagine, you are low or down in the spirit, and here the song leader comes, he picks a song, not these uninspiring one lined songs. But what does he pick? A chorus with no meaning sang in his

native tongue? Now, I am not saying that to fling any language, but if all you want to do is to copy all these little one-word, one little wiggy-wiggy thing they sing out there, and bring it in the church, there is no s p i r i t u a l i t y t o i t , b e c a u s e w e a r e m i n i s t e r i n g t o t h e wor ld . You are not hearing me. We are m i n i s t e r i n g t o t h e world! The dvds are going round the world! But you can imagine somebody down in the spirit, and then here the song leader comes. No, he does not lead us in a dirge. A dirge is a song for burial! No! He takes a song:

“Some through the waters, Some through the flood, Some through the fire, Bu t a l l t h r o u g h the blood; Some through great sorrow, But God gives a song, In the night season, And a l l the day long.”As that song is going on, it is ministering to somebody. God help

us. Shall we bow our h e a d s i n p r a y e r . (Brother Amos prayed).

We will turn our Bibles to the second epistle of Peter, chapter 3, to continue our message, T h e P r o p h e t i c Ministry Of William Branham. 2 Peter 3:1, “This Second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before” (That is, words spoken in old t i m e s , i n t h e O l d Testament days), “by T H E H O L Y PROPHETS, AND of the commandment of us THE APOSTLES of the Lord and Saviour: Knowing this f irst, that there shall come i n t h e l a s t d a y s s c o f f e r s , w a l k i n g after their own lust.” And scoffers we have a l l a r o u n d i n t h e movement! Nothing but scoffers! They scoff at truth. They scoff at the t rue m in i s t r y. They s c o f f a t h e a d s h i p , because not all men have faith. All men may speak about the Bible. Al l men that go to

August 2007

THE PROPHETIC MINISTRY OF WILLIAM BRANHAM - PART 3 Ref. No.: 02-08-07

c h u r c h m a y s p e a k about the Bible, but not a l l men have fa i th, because not all men bear a revelation of the truth. But look at the words of Peter. About 66 A.D., he wrote this, just about four years to the coming down of the city of Jerusalem. It was destroyed in 70 A .D . Gene ra l Ti t us came against it in 69 A.D. But look at what Peter wrote in stirring the minds of God's people, putting them in remembrance of the words spoken before in olden times, in olden days, under the Old Testament, by the holy prophets of God. Why was he putting them in remembrance of the w o r d s o f t h e s e p r o p h e t s ? B e c a u s e that was the highest order under the Old Testament to convey the revelation of truth. T h e y b o r e t h e revelation of Elohim. But under the New Testament, the highest order, and the only order to convey every revelation of truth, was N e w T e s t a m e n t apostles. But both Old Testament prophets, and New Testament a p o s t l e s , b o r e t h e

revelation of God for t h e i r d a y , b y t h e inspiration of the Spirit of the Lord. It is by the same Spirit! But look at how the Spirit of God e x p r e s s e d H i m s e l f through the prophetic office under the Old Testament, and through the aposto l ic o f f i ce u n d e r t h e N e w Testament, for it is by the same Spirit of God. I stopped my Tuesday message by say ing t h i s : Y o u c a n n o t c o m p a r e b o t h Ministries, as to lift up one above the other, because in their eras of t i m e , t h e y w e r e s tandard min is t r ies . They were the standard b e a r i n g m i n i s t r i e s , bearing the standard of the truth of the Old Testament, and of the New Testament. And s a i n t s , i n t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e d i s p e n s a t i o n , y o u cannot go higher in min is t ry, and every other fold of ministry come under them, in their respective era, and we are still in the New Testament days. That is why we know Bible days are back. If Bible days are truly back, then you cannot but see apostles on

ground. You cannot but have them! Except you are an infidel, or an u n b e l i e v e r , o r a r e p r o b a t e ! A n d a reprobate, brothers and sisters, is nothing but a dog that goes back to swallow its vomit after h a v i n g b e e n o n c e delivered, or a swine t h a t g o e s b a c k t o wallow in the mire, after having been cleansed.

Look at Peter. He was reminding the saints of t h e w o r d s s p o k e n be fore by the ho ly prophets of Old, not the N e w T e s t a m e n t prophets! He was not referring to Agabus, or to Judas, nor to Silas, who were prophets of the New Testament. He was referring strictly to the holy prophets of Old! Why did he refer to them? Because they bore a revelation of t r u t h ! T h e y w e r e forete l lers of Jesus Christ! They foretold of the coming of the Lord! They foretold of his birth! They foretold of his Covenant! Jeremiah s p o k e o f t h e N e w C o v e n a n t ! E z e k i e l spoke of that Covenant! A r e y o u w i t h m e ? M o s e s p r o p h e s i e d about Christ! Zechariah

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spoke of him! Amos spoke of him! Isaiah spoke of him! Malachi spoke of him! Jeremiah spoke of him! Hosea spoke of him! Daniel spoke of him! They all bore the revelation of J e s u s C h r i s t i n p rophet ic language, because they all spoke of him, and they bore e v e n h i s t r u t h i n prophecy, and in types and shadows under the Old Testament! That is why, when you look at the types and shadows of the Torah, it all points to Christ. But who bore all that? It was the Old Testament prophets! Moses was a prophet! Isaiah was a prophet! J e r e m i a h w a s a prophet! Saints of God, under the Old, prophets bore the truth. Every other fold of ministry c a m e u n d e r t h e m , w h e t h e r t h e y w e r e p r ies ts , Lev i tes , o r Netinims. They were all under the headship of prophets! Aaron had to l o o k t o M o s e s f o r leadership! Yes! Aaron was the high priest, but there was no truth he bore for Israel ! He did not! He received every truth from the mouth of Moses, because in his day, the highest order

was prophets! And it took Moses under God, t o s e t t h e v a r i o u s offices in place, even the office of the priests. He set the var ious ministries, and laid out the truth of how they were to be constituted, the laws concerning their affairs, and their ministry etc. Everything was set by the prophet! Church, under the Old Testament, God used these prophets to bear the mind of God to nations and kings, and that is why they spoke to nations and kings. And when I say that, I am not talking of carnal i s s u e s a n d c a r n a l needs. God used them to speak to nations! They bore the mind of God to nations and kings! That is why you w o u l d s e e I s a i a h p r o p h e s y a b o u t B a b y l o n . J e r e m i a h prophesied of Cyprus! They prophesied about kings, and spoke about nations! Why? Because they possessed the revelation of God in that era of time! But not only did they bear the mind of God, not only d i d t h e y b e a r t h e r e v e l a t i o n o f G o d concerning nations and kings, they also bore

the prophetic revelation of Jesus the Christ, and that is the key, and is t h e m a i n t h i n g , because that was the main essence of their being set in office! The m a i n e s s e n c e , t h e pr incipal reason for God setting the Old Testament prophets in place, was to project t h e c o m i n g o f t h e Messiah, because it is all pertaining to God's plan of salvation. But w h e n t h e M e s s i a h came, the Jews turned him down, inspite of all t h e c o u n t l e s s w i t n e s s e s o f t h e p rophe ts , t hey s t i l l turned him down. That is why in the parable of Jesus Christ in Matthew 22:1-10, God said He wi l l burn their c i ty! Ha l le luyah! And He turned the gospel to another people. And in 70 A.D., the city was literally burnt, and the gospel was turned to the Gentiles. And it is a Gentile bride God is getting for His Son, J e s u s t h e C h r i s t . P rophe ts bo re t ha t message to the Jews, because they foretold o f s o m e t h i n g . B u t church, let me tell you, what they spoke of, they did not have the

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w h e n t h e N e w Testament aposto l i c ministry came forth, laying the foundation of the truth of Christ, you s e e i t a l r e a d y vindicated by the law and the prophets. Yes! Remember, the law was s e t i n p l a c e b y a prophet, Moses. I said the revelation of Jesus that the New Testament apostolic ministry bore, was already vindicated by the law and the prophets, because they spoke of it! Then when you see that, you know you are on the right road, because you not only see the Spirit of God v indicat ing the apostolic revelation in th is New Testament era, you also see the O l d T e s t a m e n t p r o p h e t s , b e a r i n g witness to it, because they spoke of it, giving you the two infallible B i b l e w i t n e s s e s . Hal le luyah! Brothers and sisters, then you c a n s t a n d ! S t a n d therefore for the truth of the apostolic ministry! Stand for it! It will hold i n f a l l i b l y a n d immovable! And that is why Peter came and said, “Beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up

your pure minds by way of remembrance: t h a t y e m a y b e mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of US THE APOSTLES of the Lord and Saviour.” Why did Peter mention, “ u s t h e a p o s t l e s ” ? Because he was an apostle! And he was the principal apostle to the Jews, the man that held t h e k e y s t o t h e kingdom, both for the Jews and the Gentiles! He had to say that because to the apostles alone was committed the full revelation of J e s u s C h r i s t ! T h e truths that make up the N e w T e s t a m e n t t e a c h i n g s , t h e doct r ines o f Chr is t , were committed into their hands. And that is w h y t h e y a r e t h e founding fathers of the faith of Christ, and the custodians of the faith, and the inspired writers and teachers of the faith of Jesus Christ. T h a t i s w h y e v e r y Scripture of the New Testament, was written s t r i c t l y b y N e w Testament apost les , because that is the highest order, and the

details of, but they bore a p rophe t i c i ns igh t c o n c e r n i n g t h e p r o m i s e d M e s s i a h , i d e n t i f y i n g h i m i n various realms. Even Zechariah told us he would ride the foal of an ass into the city, which was fulfilled in 33 A.D., in his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It is a prophecy in Zechariah! Isaiah said it will be a virgin that will give birth to him! Israel however did not know it would be a v i r g i n a l r e a d y espoused, and there they stumbled. Moses said he would be a prophet . Hal le luyah! Jeremiah and Ezekiel let us realize, through him, a New Covenant would be established. So, you see, they spoke o f J e s u s C h r i s t i n prophecy. They spoke of Jesus' two comings, h i s m i n i s t r y , a n d C o v e n a n t , i n p r o p h e c i e s a n d p rophec ies , and i n types and shadows of the law. But church, the details of the revelation of Jesus Christ itself, t h e t r u t h s t h a t cons t i t u te t he New Testament faith, the faith by which the world will be saved, they did not have. But saints,

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exclusive order, God used to give it. The prophets of the New Testament come under a p o s t l e s , a n d t h e y r e c e i v e f r o m t h e apostles, the truths of the New Tes tament they use to feed the people of God, because there is a difference b e t w e e n t h e O l d Testament prophets, and the New Testament prophets. These are a necessary background f o r t h i s m e s s a g e , necessary issues of f a i t h , t o h e l p u s understand the ministry o f W i l l i a m M a r r i o n Branham, in the light of the Word of God. I say that because we cannot deal with his ministry in isolation, without laying out the reality of the prophetic ministry, in relation to the apostolic ministry, and in relation to other ministries, in order to help us to know how to look at h is ministry, in the light of t ru th . Moreover, his prophetic ministry is not w i t h i n t h e N e w Testament prophet ic ministry structure. We therefore have to take time to lay out these th ings , so you can appreciate the difference in the ministry of William

Branham. Please bear with me.

Look at 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 9. Peter said, “Receiving the end of your faith, even the s a l v a t i o n o f y o u r s o u l s . O f w h i c h s a l v a t i o n T H E PROPHETS” (Which p r o p h e t s ? T h e prophets of the Old Te s t a m e n t ! ) , “ h a v e i n q u i r e d ” ( F r o m whom? From God!), “ a n d s e a r c h e d dil igently”, as they looked to God in prayer f o r r e v e l a t i o n , f o r i n s i g h t , f o r understanding of those things they were shown. S o m e t i m e s , D a n i e l would fast for days, looking to God for an understanding of the reve la t ion tha t was given him. So they sea rched d i l i gen t l y, because they realized, “This is not a game. It is not given for nothing. It is deep and serious. What does it mean, Father?” That put them into prayers. It moved t h e m i n t o f a s t i n g , seeking to have an understanding of that w h i c h G o d w a s revealing, things which were too deep for them to understand. But what

did the Spirit of God say to them in response? What was the response of the Spirit of God? I take verse 10 again: “Of which salvation the prophets have i n q u i r e d a n d searched diligently, who prophesied of the g race tha t shou ld come unto you” (That is, unto us Gentiles, the bride of Christ of the end time. Remember, the end time started with the first church a g e ) : “ S e a r c h i n g what, or what manner of time THE SPIRIT OF CHRIST WHICH WAS IN THEM did signify, w h e n i t t e s t i f i e d b e f o r e h a n d t h e sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” Let us hold it there. The Spirit of Christ was in them. What does that tel l you? The very Spirit in the apostles, by which they bore the revelation of truth, is the same Spirit that was in the p r o p h e t s o f O l d , p r o p h e s y i n g b e f o r e h a n d o f t h e coming of the Lord! You c a n n o t m a k e a d i s t i n c t i on be tween both ministries, except i n t h e o p e r a t i o n !Church, the difference

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between prophets of Old, and the apostles of the New, is in the vessel-type, but the Spirit is one, and the inspiration is the same. T h e p r o p h e t i c utterances of the Old Testament prophets, did not contradict the inspired writings and teachings of the New Testament apost les , who bore the revelation of the truth of Jesus C h r i s t . I t a l l harmonized! That is why Peter could say, “I w i l l p u t y o u i n remembrance of the words that had been spoken before by the holy prophets, and of u s t h e a p o s t l e s . ” B e c a u s e t h e i r revelation is one! What the New Tes tament apos t l es bo re , had already been foretold by the Old Testament prophets. So they could as such challenge the saints to go into the T o r a h a n d t h e Prophets, to see that t h e i r m e s s a g e i s vindicated by the Old Tes tamen t w r i t i ngs ! Because out of the mouth of two or more witnesses, shal l the truth be established! So we know it is the Spirit of Christ that was in the

p r o p h e t s o f O l d , making i t the same Spirit in both ministry orders! Why did Peter say that? It is not that Jesus Chr i s t rea l l y existed back then, it is that the Spirit of God, which was invested in Christ Jesus, was also in the prophets of Old, speaking of Christ to come! And it is the very s a m e S p i r i t t h e apostles received! The v e r y S p i r i t t h a t e m p o w e r e d t h e prophets of Old, to bear the revelation of God for that day, is the same Spirit that empowered the apostles, to bear the revelation of God f o r t h i s o n e dispensational day of salvation. It is the same Spirit! So you cannot look at the vessel, or at the office. You have got to look at the Spirit of God! But what people are doing today, is that they are looking at the men, they are looking at the office, instead of looking at the Spirit of Christ! Because these prophets and apostles bear what they bear, and achieve what they achieve, by the Spirit of Christ! Without God, they can do nothing! Verse 12: “Unto whom

it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, w h i c h a r e n o w reported unto you by t h e m t h a t h a v e preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.” Amen.

Church, let me say this: No wonder Paul could pick his pen and write to the Ephesian saints, in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 20. He let us know the church is built upon the foundation of t h e a p o s t l e s a n d prophets. That is Old Testament prophets! Why? Because they s p o k e o f t h i s dispensat ion! I t has been foretold! We are living in the days of its reality! The prophets bore i t in prophetic language, but we are the recipients of its reality! The prophets did not live under the New Testament, but they only spoke of it as God gave them insight. But we are the ones that are receiving its real i ty. We are the r e c i p i e n t s o f i t i n reality! How blessed we

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are! But the very Spirit t h a t c a p a c i t a t e d prophets to bear the revelation they bore, is the same Spirit that capacitates apostles to bear the revelation they bear. It is not a different Spirit! It is not a lesser Spirit! It is the same Spirit, making them the bearers of the truth of C h r i s t i n t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e a g e s ! Church, that is why Paul said, The entire church is built upon the foundation of the New Testament apost les , and the Old Testament p r o p h e t s . W h y ? B e c a u s e i t i s b y m a r r y i n g t h e t w o together you have a solid infall ible base! The Old spoke of it, and the New fulfils it. That is solid! That is infallible! You cannot question it a n y m o r e , a n d y o u c a n n o t h a v e a n y n e g a t i v e t h o u g h t s a b o u t t h e N e w Covenant Ministry. You cannot! Because it is vindicated by the Old Te s t a m e n t , h a v i n g been spoken of by the O l d , f o r t h e N e w Testament was borne witness to by the Old. No man has any excuse for turning down the light of the apostles!

Church, as such, it is incontestable, that in the Old, the highest order WAS prophets, but in the New, the h i g h e s t o r d e r I S apostles. I did not say “were” apostles. I said “ i s ” , because B ib le days are back! That is what the restoration of the bride tree is about! It is to get back seed, in the exact likeness that i t w a s s o w n a t Pentecost! That is the e s s e n c e o f t h e restoration of the bride tree! It is to bring back s e e d , p u r e s e e d , original seed, with the original life, and with the original ministry, and with the original f a i t h , w h i c h w i l l produce the original super seed bride Amen!

Church, let us look at s o m e t h i n g , j u s t t o c o n c r e t i z e t h e background I have laid, before we move on. When you look at the Old Testament prophets, there are three things that stand out in their ministry manifestation, that is, in their ministry projection, being the h i g h e s t o r d e r o f ministry in that era. What made prophets different, what set them

apart, and set them above, any and every other fold of ministry, was not because they saw visions. Do not be carnal! You do not need to be a prophet to see visions! Joel chapter 2 verse 28 already tells you of the end time: “...I will pour my Spirit upon all flesh...” Are you with me? “...Your old men shall dream dreams, and young m e n s h a l l s e e visions.” So you do not need to be a prophet to see visions! You do not! But a prophet will see v i s i o n s ! B u t w h a t m a k e s a p r o p h e t different, what sets a prophet of Old apart from the priests and the Levites, and from the Netinims, and indeed, from every other fold of ministry under the Old Testament , was the revelation of God they bore, the revelation of Christ! That is the first th ing , the p r inc ipa l thing, that sets them apart from all other ministries. That is why t h e y h a d a l o n g binocular eye, a long r a n g e p r o p h e t i c utterance they bore, as C h r i s t , b y t h e i r message, was set forth in types and shadows,

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a n d i n p r o p h e t i c u t t e r a n c e s ! T h e prophetic revelation of Jesus Christ they bore, is what set them apart, because they held the counsel of the true reve la t ion o f God 's mind for the nation of I s rae l , and fo r the world! Note that! They bore the mind of God! T h e e n t i r e O l d Testament was given by them. They also p r o p h e s i e d o f t h e message, the gospel, the Covenant of Jesus Christ, as the centre thrust of their prophetic ministry and utterance! But also, God used them to minister to the carnal needs of the nation of Israel. We will see an example of that tonight. That is the second object ive of the i r min is t ry. They were used to minister to the carnal needs of the Jews, for their personal edification. So, what does that show you? They were also set in place for the edification o f t h e b o d y o f b e l i e v e r s ! B e c a u s e every Jew, by birth, was a believer, by virtue of the c i rcumcis ion. I t made every Jew that was born a believer. But church, I have said

something, and let me re-emphasize it: Not only did they bear the prophetic revelation of Jesus Christ, and even set it forth in types and shadows , second l y, they bore the mind of God concerning kings and nations. That is secondly. But thirdly, they were also used of God to minister to the personal needs of the p e o p l e , f o r t h e edification of the body of believers! Therefore, we sha l l see i n 1 Samuel chapter 9, how the prophet, by virtue of his gift, could minister to the needs of a man whose asses were lost. That brings what input? Ed i f i ca t i on ! I s t ha t right? Yes! It brings edification! But when you come to the New Testament, as we shall p r e s e n t l y s e e , t h e ministry of the prophets a r e r e d u c e d t o edif ication purposes. You are not hearing me. U n d e r t h e N e w Testament, the ministry o f t h e p r o p h e t i s reduced to edification purposes! Why do I say r e d u c e d t o t h a t ? Because that anointing that they had under the O l d Te s t a m e n t , b y which they bore the

revelation of truth, is withheld from them. They do not have it! They now have to listen to other men who are apostles, to feed them the truth, which they in turn will use to minister to the bride. But on their own, that is, aside o f t h e a p o s t o l i c revelation input they receive, they can only edify by their prophetic office. Period! That is precisely so, because their ministry under the N e w Te s t a m e n t i s d i f f e r e n t . W h y ? Because the order God will use and which God u s e s i n t h e N e w Testament, to convey the revelation of truth, are not prophets but apostles! Then, that anointing that was on the prophets under the O l d T e s t a m e n t , enabling them to bear the revelation of the W o r d o f G o d , t h e revelation of truth, is committed strictly to a p o s t l e s . T h e n , t he re fo re , wha teve r channel it pleases God, brothers and sisters, to r e v e a l a t r u t h , a s prophets could receive it, apostles could also receive it. And it did not m a k e a p o s t l e s t o become prophets, no

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more than the prophets bearing the revelation o f the i r day, cou ld become apostles. They were not! But these reve la t i on channe ls were open to bo th m in i s t r i es , because they bore it by the same Spir i t . Hence I say again: Do not look at the flesh, look at God, look at the plot of God. I h a v e t o g i v e t h i s w a r n i n g , b e c a u s e these are things people s t u m b l e o n i n t h e movement. And that is why they see prophets in the New Testament, where they should be seeing apostles, only because of what Amos 3:7 says, and because Brother Branham used to quote it a lot: “Surely the Lord God will do n o t h i n g , b u t H e revealeth His secret unto His Servants the prophets.” That is true, but that is only true u n d e r t h e O l d T e s t a m e n t ! A n d prophet Amos, who spoke it, was an Old Testament prophet! You cannot import that into the New Tes tament dispensation! That was t r u e i n t h e O l d T e s t a m e n t d a y s , because the prophets bore the mind of God;

they bore the standard of the revelation of truth for their hour! So it is true only for that day! But under the New Testament, it is not true! You cannot bring that verse into the New Te s t a m e n t ! I t h a s served its purpose, and it is done and over with! Leave it there in its Old Testament structure! Do not import it into the New! If you do, you will fail, because I will tell you now, the revelation of the mind of God, the revelation of the will of G o d , f o r t h e del iverance and the s a l v a t i o n o f G o d ' s people, is strictly in the hands of apostles! And that is why you see God use apostles, John the beloved apostle being a n e x a m p l e , i n a dimension that even m a n y o f t h e O l d Testament prophets did not touch! Why? It was to enable them bear the revelation of truth they bore, because what makes the difference is God! It is the Spirit of the Lord that makes the difference! It was the Spirit of Christ in the prophets of Old, but yet, Christ did not exist then. How much more in the New Testament,

should that revelatory anointing of Christ be stronger, when Christ is now a reality! If they could characterize that under the shadow, how m u c h m o r e s h o u l d apostles under grace, in the days of reality! That is why the anointing upon apostles was so phenomenal! And if it comes to the miraculous, the supernatural, you have not seen anything yet. Just wait!

C h u r c h , l o o k a t 1 Samuel. May God help me tonight. 1 Samuel chapter 9, from verse 1: “Now There was a m a n o f B e n j a m i n , w h o s e n a m e w a s Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the s o n o f A p h i a h , a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. And he had a son, whose name was Saul , a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than h e : f r o m h i s s h o u l d e r s a n d upward he was higher t h a n a n y o f t h e people. And the asses of Kish, Saul's father were lost. And Kish

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said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses. And he passed t h r o u g h m o u n t Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shal isha, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not. And when they were come to the land of Zuph, S a u l s a i d t o h i s servant that was with him, Come, and let us return; lest my father leave caring for the a s s e s , a n d t a k e thought for us. And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honourable man; all that he saith c o m e t h s u r e l y t o pass.” They did not say some of the things he says come to pass, but that all he saith comes to pass, because Thus saith the Lord never fails! If God prophesied a par t i cu la r church shall be a light, it has to be a light. It has got to! If it is not a light, it is not the Spirit of God that

inspired the prophecy. A n d i f a m a n ' s prophecy fails, I do not care how many other prophecies of his come to pass: “All that HE SAITH cometh surely to pass!” A l l must come to pass, because Thus saith the Lord never fails! Not one time! Samuel did not n e e d t o p a t c h h i s p r o p h e c i e s l i k e a prophet I watched on Times cable television network: “Sister, I see your husband.” The sister said, “I am not yet married” “Oh, but there is a man. Don't you have a man in your life?” I have to ask: Which grown up lady does not have a man?! They start patching it! “Brother, I see you now... Your business partner... You are going to travel.” The man replied, “I don't have a par tner. ” Lord have mercy! The so-called prophet patched it: “But you have somebody y o u t r a d e w i t h . ” Church, who does not trade with somebody?! W h o t r a d e s w i t h himself?! Who trades alone?! Surely you will buy something f rom somebody, or somebody buys something from you!

A l l t h e s e p a t c h i n g prophets! But a business p a r t n e r i s n o t somebody who comes to buy something from you! That is not your b u s i n e s s p a r t n e r ! Neither is somebody you supply goods your business partner! Your bus iness par tner is s o m e b o d y y o u a r e d o i n g b u s i n e s s together with! You rise together, and you fall together! But Samuel was not like these Jah-jaho rah two -by - fou r prophets. If he said it, it was so. Let us move on: “ . . . N o w l e t u s g o thither; peradventure” (He did not say the prophet will tell us. He s a i d p e r a d v e n t u r e , because it is all in God's hand, because prophets do not know everything!); “peradventure he can show us our way that we should go. Then s a i d S a u l t o h i s servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?” This verse 7, Pentecostals love it a lot, and I am sure they use it to preach a lot. Yes, they

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love to be called Man of God, and to get gifts. Verse 8 : “And the s e r v a n t a n s w e r e d Saul again, and said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way. (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he spake, Come, and let us go to the Seer: for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.)”. Let us hold it there. You can read the r e s t o f t h e s t o r y yourself. Church, the Bible says, “when a man went to inquire of God.” And they were a c t u a l l y g o i n g t o inquire from a man! Why? Because that man was a vessel , bearing the mind of God! Let me tell you this, you cannot do this u n d e r t h e N e w Te s t a m e n t , f i r s t l y , because under the Old Testament, they did not have the infilling of the Spirit of God, and also, because God is looking for spiritual worshippers today. It is a faith walk God requires under the N e w , b e c a u s e n o prophet wil l become

your God, until you will not know how to go on your knees and seek God's face, until you do not have a relationship with Him, to know how He talks to you, how He deals with you, how He leads you, and moves you, because you have one man who does all your praying for you, because you use him like a slot machine, “Tell me the answer right quick!” It does not make for a pat ien t Christian, does it? No! It does not teach you experience, nor does it teach you to learn to wait on God, and learn to have a personal relationship with Him. But let me tell you this, even as it is written in Romans 8:14, Only as many as are led by the Spirit of God, in their personal lives, are the c h i l d r e n o f G o d . Brothers, yes, under the Old, God led them by prophets. Let me tell you this, under the New, God is leading t h e m b y d i v i n e revelation the apostles are giving. On personal issues, you will have to wait on God, and God will speak to you only at His appointed time. But y o u w i l l l e a r n t o

cul t ivate a personal relationship with your Maker. And that is why the anointing of the p rophets under the New, is not like the Old. And that is why, when you consider the New Testament church born on Pentecost day, there is not one place where a saved child of God, sought out a prophet, to t e l l h i m s o m e t h i n g about his personal life, or of his carnal needs! T h e y p r a y e d a n d allowed God to deal sovereignly with them as God willed, and in whatever way it pleased Him! Because the just shall live by faith! It is strictly a faith walk! They did not pull the prophetic gift! They did n o t ! A n d B r o t h e r B r a n h a m s e r i o u s l y kicked against pulling gifts! He even rebuked Brother Nevi l le , h is assistant pastor, for allowing the people to pull his gift of prophecy! And it will do us well to take heed! I have a reason for laying that.

Church, when we come to the Book of Acts chapter 11, from verse 27, it is written: “And in these days came p r o p h e t s f r o m

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J e r u s a l e m u n t o Antioch.” (So these w e r e J e w s ) . “ A n d there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the S p i r i t t h a t t h e r e s h o u l d b e g r e a t dearth” (that is famine) “throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of C l a u d i u s C a e s a r . Then the disciples, every man according t o h i s a b i l i t y , determined to send r e l i e f u n t o t h e brethren which dwelt in Judaea: Which also they did, and sent it to the e lders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.” Amen. Acts chapter 21 verse 10 also reads: “And as we tarried there many days” (this is Paul), “there came down from Judaea a certain p r o p h e t , n a m e d Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul 's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.” Amen. But

what did Paul say?: “And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Je rusa lem fo r the name of the Lord J e s u s . ” B u t h e appealed to Caesar later, when he heard that people were lying in wait to k i l l h im. Church, Paul was just a man! And that lets you know, inspite of the anointing, brother, the men in the ministry are just but men. They are sinners saved by grace! So, do not think highly o f a n y m a n a b o v e measure. Brothers and sisters, look beyond the flesh; Look to Jesus! So saints of God, when you look at Agabus in the exerc ise of h is m in i s t r y, when you consider the projection of his office here, he edi f ied the body of saints, did he not? He did! He helped edify the body of saints around the world, because he saw something! He saw a famine coming, and

God used the prophetic insight to preserve His own people in time of famine, a prophet ic utterance that ministered to their physical need. But there was also a time God did not want P a u l t o g o t o Jerusalem, because in every city, they had been telling Paul by the Holy Ghost, “Don't go to Jerusa lem. Thus saith the Lord.” Well, this prophetic utterance was another confirmation of that message. Here came a prophet, Agabus. He b o u n d h i s o w n hands and feet, with the girdle that belonged to Paul, just like the Old Tes tamen t p rophe ts used to do, “He that owns this girdle, thus and thus shall be done to him.” What is God trying to tell Paul? “Don't go to Jerusalem!” What is the objective of that prophetic utterance? It is for edification! It serves as a personal warning! But church, there is no N e w T e s t a m e n t prophet, not Agabus, not Judas, not Silas, that bore any revelation of the truth, for the New Testament church, a truth the church is to stand upon, or to befounded upon. They did

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not! What does that show you? The ministry of prophets under the New Testament, has been reduced to that of the edification of the body, other than when they preach, for they are preachers also. In f a c t , i f y o u a r e a prophet, and you are not first a preacher, you are a false prophet, because you are first a preacher, or you are not a prophet under the N e w T e s t a m e n t ! Because unde r t he New, you are first a preacher of the truth! That has to be so, seeing that they occupy the second h ighes t rung (or step), in the ladder of authority in the ministry, over the bride of Christ. They are also ordained to help to build the bride into the unity of the faith, and unity in the k n o w l e d g e , f u l l knowledge of Jesus Christ. So the prophet himself must have a revelation of the truth, for them to help bring about unity, but the revelation of truth they bear, they receive it f r om the mou th o f apostles, and they run the roads with it. Theyuse the truth of the

apostles to edify the body of saints! That is an absolute fact! But apart from that purpose, they also minister for the e d i f i c a t i o n , t h e personal or collective edification of the body of saints. That is the difference between the O l d T e s t a m e n t prophets, and the New Testament prophets. But the Spirit, by which the highest ministry orders, for the Old and N e w T e s t a m e n t s ministered, is the same Spirit.But church, when you look at the passage we read in 1 Samuel chapter 9, when Saul eventual ly met wi th Samuel, Samuel told him his mind's desire, before he even opened his mouth, for God had dealt with the prophet, “This young man is c o m i n g . H e i s m y vessel as king.” Samuel said, “Let me tell you now. Have rest of mind. The asses you are looking for are already found. Your father is now looking for you. B u t m e a n w h i l e , s i t down; I have a feast to p r e p a r e f o r y o u . ” Samuel made a feast for him, and anointed him king. When Saul was going, he let him

know, it was done by the leading of God, Samuel told him, “You are going to be king, and this will be the sign.” Church, he gave him signs, and all those signs were fulfilled on the way, that very day, according to the Word of the Lord! There was none that failed! That vindicates his ministry as true, that he was a true prophet. Because not one word that he spoke in the name of the Lord, failed to come to pass! Precisely!

Saints of God, when I was talking about the f u n c t i o n s o f t h e p rophets under the Old, I gave you three inpu ts , th ree ma jor inputs. The first and the highest input: They bore the revelation of God, the revelation of Chr ist , because the Old Testament spoke of Christ, whilst the New revealed Christ. Is that right? Yes! But in addition, they bore the mind of God to nations and kings in their day, and those revelations were not n e c e s s a r i l y a b o u t Christ. Are you with me? That is why I said they bore the mind of

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God to nations, as well as to kings. But they bore the mind of God nonetheless! That is, they bore the will of God! That is different from the revelation of Christ they prophesied about, which they also b o r e i n t y p e s a n d shadows. But thirdly, t hey were used to m i n i s t e r f o r t h e p e r s o n a l a n d collective edification of the Nation of Israel, the body of believers. And I said, under the New, which is what t h a t m i n i s t r y, t h a t o f f i c e h a s b e e n reduced to in the main, when you compare t h e m w i t h O l d Testament prophets, the anointing by which t h e y b o r e t h e revelation of truth, has been removed f rom them, fo r God has divested them of that a n o i n t i n g , a n d invested it in apostles. I want to show you s o m e t h i n g t o n i g h t . G o d d i v e s t e d t h a t anoint ing f rom New Testament prophets. H e r e m o v e d t h a t a s p e c t , o r t h a t a t t r i b u t e o f t h e a n o i n t i n g , a n d invested it in apostles, s o a s t o e m p o w e r

apostles to bear the reve la t i on o f t ru th , which prophets used to bear under the Old Testament. Under the New Testament, apart f r o m u s i n g t h e i r p r o p h e t i c o f f i c e t o stand for the truths of the apostles, they are r a i s e d u p f o r t h e edification of the body of saints, in a material but personal way. That is why I first showed you how Samuel could minister to the need of a man, Saul, who was looking for asses that were lost. But do not forget, he also bore the mind of God to Saul that day, concerning an essential office that God was going to set over the Nat ion o f Israel, the office of a k ing. Th is was the beginning of the kingly office. Who set it in p l a c e ? I t w a s a p r o p h e t ! J u s t l i k e Moses also set the v a r i o u s o f f i c e s i n place! Why? Because the prophet ic off ice u n d e r t h e O l d Te s t a m e n t , i s t h e h i ghes t ! Unde r t he New Testament, it took apostles! That is why apos t l e Pau l cou ld w r i t e t o T i t u s , a n a p o s t l e , a n d t o

Timothy, who was also an apostle, and told them, “Go, and ordain elders in every city”, sett ing ministr ies in place! Think about it! But under the Old, it was the prophets that had the authority to do that! But under the New, it is apostles, by divine leadership! But it was also by divine leadership, prophets of Old set other offices in place too! It is not l e s s a d i v i n e leadership under the New, simply because it i s a p o s t l e s G o d invested that authority in. Look at something. Come with me to Isaiah 6, because we must u n d e r s t a n d t h e m i n i s t r y o f t h e prophets, if we are to really appreciate the m in i s t r y o f W i l l i am B r a n h a m . L o o k a t Isaiah chapter 6, from verse 1: “In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims” (Those are angels), “each one had six wings; with twain” (that means with two) “he covered his face,

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and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.” In other words, it is fil led with t h e g l o r y o f G o d . Church, Isaiah is a major prophet, one of the major prophets of the O ld Tes tament . The anoint ing upon Isaiah was so great. From his day, he could see plumb through to eternity, because he prophesied not only of t h e g r a c e a g e , h e p r o p h e s i e d o f t h e Millennium, and even of the Eternal Age. There are sixty s ix books in the Bible, and there a re s ix ty s ix chapters in the Book of Isaiah. He was a highly anointed, prophet, but his message was hard but deep, anointed and l o n g r a n g e d . H e m i n i s t e r e d t o t h e peop le , us ing ha rd speeches, because of the apostasy he faced. Tradition has it that

I s a i a h w a s s a w e d asunder. Look at what Isaiah saw around 758 B.C., way back then. He saw something. It w a s s o m e t h i n g i n heaven, a train of the Lord. Yet, all Isaiah saw was the beginning of a prophetic picture in the making. Yet he was a major prophet! I w a n t t o s h o w y o u something. Isaiah saw prophecy, not in its full b l o o m ; h e s a w p r o p h e c y i n i t s beginning stages. It is p r o p h e c y i n t h e making. Brothers and sisters, the insight he had, he had to cry, “Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: I have seen the Lord.” An angel came, and took a coal from the altar with a tong, and touched h i s l i ps , and sa id , “Your sin is passed away.” Then he heard a voice, “Who will go and speak for me?” In that vision, he said, “Here am I; send me.” Saints, yet what he saw was so smal l , because he only saw the beg inn ing o f a prophetic picture that

God was going to set in place. What he saw was so small, because the hour was so far ranged, so far away, b u t y e t h e s a w someth ing . Bu t the glimpse he had was only a beginning. It was very small. Let us look at another man, Ezekiel, having seen prophet Isaiah. Look at p rophet Ezek ie l . In E z e k i e l c h a p t e r 1 , almost 200 years later, about 595 B.C., from verse 1: “Now It came t o p a s s i n t h e thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the f i f t h d a y o f t h e m o n t h , a s I w a s among the captives b y t h e r i v e r o f Chebar” (Remember he was in Babylon), “ tha t the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. In the fifth day of the month, which was the f i f th year o f k ing J e h o i a c h i n ' s captivity, The word of t h e L o r d c a m e e x p r e s s l y u n t o Ezekiel THE PRIEST, the son of Buzi, in the l a n d o f t h e Chaldeans” (That is Babylon) “by the river Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was there

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upon him.” Hold i t there. Bible says he was a priest, but God ordained him to be a prophet. How was he a priest? By birth! By v i r tue o f b i r th in to Aaron's Lineage! But the calling of God upon his life was more than the order of a priest! He was to be the prophet of God, and e v e n t h o u g h i n c a p t i v i t y , h e m i n i s t e r e d t o t h e whole house of Israel, the ten Northern tribes (Israel), and the two S o u t h e r n t r i b e s (Judah). There were p r o p h e t s t h a t ministered ei ther to Judah, or to Israel. But Ezekiel, he ministered to the whole house of Israel, yet in captivity, and he had a long r a n g e p r o p h e t i c anointing upon his life. But, watch. Ezekiel, a major prophet, one of the ma jo r p rophe ts bearing the revelation of the Almighty God, for the whole nation of I s rae l , and fo r the b r i de o f Ch r i s t , i n prophecy, because his prophet ic ut terances apply, even in this day. We are living in the days of its reality. Look at what he said. Verse

3B: “...And the hand of the Lord was there u p o n h i m . A n d I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north” (that is the presence of the Lord), “a great cloud, and a fire infolding i t s e l f , a n d a brightness was about it” (That fire is like amber. Are you with me?, the presence of t h e L o r d ) , “ a n d a brightness was about it , and out of the midst thereof as the colour of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness” (Watch very closely) “of four living creatures. And t h i s w a s t h e i r appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And their feet were straight feet; and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot: and they s p a r k l e d l i k e t h e colour of burnished brass. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides; and they four had their f a c e s a n d t h e i r

wings. Their wings were joined one to another. . . ” (L i ke a scaffold. Are you with me? That makes them a s c a f f o l d ) ; “ t h e y turned not when they w e n t e v e r y o n e straight forward. As for the likeness of their faces, the four had the face of A MAN, and the face of A LION, on the right side: and they four had the face of AN OX on the left side; they four also had the face of AN EAGLE.” Are you seeing the four beasts? “Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of e v e r y o n e w e r e j o i n e d o n e t o a n o t h e r , a n d t w o covered their bodies. And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went.” You can read the rest of the chapter. But church, look at what a major prophet saw, adding more prophetic insight, m o r e p r o p h e t i c picture, to what Isaiah, a major prophet before him, earlier saw. Yet, both prophetic pictures

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combined together, is n o t h i n g , c o m p a r e d with what an apostle of the New Testament saw, in relation to the s a m e p r o p h e t i c picture. Now, come. But mind you, that s t a t e m e n t i s n o t comparative, but it is laid out to show you something. That is, I made that statement only to make a point, because you have got to see the Spirit of the Lord, and you have got t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e dispensation in which y o u l i v e , a n d t h e dealership of the Spirit of God in this day, and the ministry order God uses to deal with His people, in the light of t rue revelat ion. You have got to understand the two dispensations, t o b e a b l e t o u n d e r s t a n d t h e prophetic ministry of Brother Branham, in the light of truth. Come with me, church.

I s a i a h s a w t h e beginning of something. He looked like a man seeing something, but what he saw was so small, so minimal to really give us any clue, because it is only a b e g i n n i n g o f t h e

prophetic picture. It is like when you have a puzzle, and al l you have is one piece of it. Well, one piece is too s m a l l f o r y o u t o determine what the puzzle is going to be. He saw a g lo r i ous manifestation, but that was all. Yet, it was pointing to an era and a t ime tha t was way ahead. But here came prophet Ezekie l , he added more light, more insight to it. More of the picture was added, to w h a t I s a i a h s a w . Church of the living God, he saw these four creatures. He called them living creatures, but church, you know there is no creature like that, neither on earth, nor in heaven. That is a freaky thing! It is a freak of a creature, to have four faces and four sides. It is prophecy in the making! It is prophetic! There is no being in heaven like that in reality. So Isaiah and Ezekiel were tuning in to a prophetic picture that was still way off in the future. So they only saw it in a measure. That is why Brother Jackson sa id , what they saw, is prophecy in the making. Ezekiel saw those four beasts

all joined together by their wings. He did not place those beasts in their order, because it was not time. Neither did they understand what they saw. They did not! They did not have a clue! But they knew it was a revelation of the Almighty God. It is a glorious sight, but they did not have a clue! But they were privileged people. That is why P e t e r s a i d , T h e y searched, what and what manner of time, the glorious revelations G o d g a v e t o t h e m pointed to, and they were told, “It is not for you.” Saints of God, we are the beneficiaries of what Isaiah and Ezekiel saw that day. Because that prophetic picture is abou t coming to a c l o s e . C h u r c h , t h e prophetic picture Isaiah and Ezekiel saw, is about to be wrapped up, because I will tell y o u n o w, t h e r e i s coming a time when C h r i s t l e a v e s t h a t throne, and when he does, that picture is fulfi l led, and heaven will not look like that aga in ! Ezek ie l saw something. He even saw the four beasts. Isaiah just saw the

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S e r a p h i m s i n t h e i r p ro jec t ion , and the glory of God, and the train of the Lord. But what is that train? It is Ezekie l that saw i t deeper, and saw i t c learer, because he saw the four beasts, with the glory of God, a g rea t f i r e i n fo l d i ng i tse l f , out of which came the amber light, and the Spirit of God moved this train. What did he say? Wherever the Spirit was to go, they went! They al l w e n t ! T h e y w e r e united! They walked in perfect harmony! But what did all that mean? Ezekiel did not know. Now, we come to 96 A.D. There was a man. At this time in 96 A.D., he was now an old man. He used to be a young man in the days of our Mess iah, Jesus the Christ. He was a young man, and he would lie on the bosom of Jesus, t h e d i s c i p l e w h o m Jesus loved. Now, he w a s a n o l d m a n , banished to the Isle of Patmos. The religious opposi t ion used the political machinery of Rome to get him out of the way, and they felt, “That is okay... We got rid of that troublemaker!”

Because the ministry of John was hard. He had no time for heresy and h e r e t i c s ! Yo u r e a d church History! He was a fire-brand, who had n o t i m e f o r e r r o r , heresy, or heretics! His eyes were always a flint to everything that was anti-truth! He even told the saints, “Don't open your door to anybody who preaches anything contrary! Don't even say God bless you. Don't say it!” That is a hard liner! John the beloved was a hard liner, when it comes to truth. He could not bear pat ient ly wi th fools. That made him hated, because he spared nobody. He stood for the honour and the integrity of the Almighty God . He s tood fo r n o t h i n g b u t t r u t h . Church, and when a man has a def in i te stand, moreso when he i s a n a p o s t l e , a standard bearer, he is more than a match for the devil, by virtue of the anointing of the Spirit of Christ he is invested with. Church, here came 96 A.D. He had created a lot of enemies, not wilfully, n o t k n o w i n g l y, n o t intentionally, but by his

ha rd and f i rm and fa i th fu l , categor ica l , uncompromising stand. Remember the time he was even go ing to bathe in a public bath house, according to the Ante-Nicene Fathers, when he got there, and he saw a man in the bath house, a man pedd l i ng an t i - ch r i s t doctrines, he ran out of the place! It is in the Ante-Nicene Fathers! These are not the literal words, but this is my recollection of it. This is just what he was trying to say: “Lord, have mercy! I can't afford to b e i n t h i s p l a c e , because the son of Lucifer is in there! The place might collapse!” Those are my words! John refused to bathe i n t he same p l ace w h e r e a m i n i s t e r pedd l i ng e r ro r was bathing! Think about it! That was the kind of man John was! He did n o t h a v e t i m e f o r foolishness! He had a firm, and uncompromising, hard stand for the truth of Christ. Thank God!

Church, this is where I am going: In 96 A.D., the opposition used the political machinery of Rome, and got him out

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of the way. He was banished to the Isle of Patmos. But you cannot stop the move of God! There, on the Isle of P a t m o s , s o m e t h i n g h a p p e n e d . I s a i d something happened, because he had an experience, a divine e n c o u n t e r . T h e anointing of God came upon him, and before he knew it, he was out of his body. His carcase lay on the floor. And church, he was not a prophet! He was an apostle! But do not forget, the same Spirit of God that dealt with prophets under the Old, is the same Spirit of God that is dealing with apostles under the New, e m p o w e r i n g , a n d enabling them also to bear the revelation of G o d , f o r t h e i r dispensation, perfectly, without any limitation whatsoever. Note that. C h u r c h , h e l o o k e d behind him, and he saw Jesus unveiled in the midst of seven candlesticks, characterized by an angel of the Lord. Why do I say Christ was characterized by an angel of the Lord? Because John walked with Jesus for three and a half years! He slept with him, ate with him,

drank with him, walked up and down the whole of Israel with him, and even lay on his bosom! He knew him intimately! H e k n e w J e s u s intimately, much enough t o k n o w t h a t t h e supernatural being he was looking at, was not Jesus the Christ. He said in Revelation 1:13, “One LIKE unto the Son of man.” One like! Not that he is the Son! He said, “One like unto him”! Why? That was an angel, anointed by the S p i r i t o f G o d , t o c h a r a c t e r i z e a n d express the image of Jesus Christ, and to speak in his person. He knew the difference! But church, nevertheless, Jesus revealed himself to John on the Isle of Patmos. He was taken to see the conditions of the Seven Church Ages in prophecy, which were things that were on-goings of that day. Now we come to Revelation chapter 4. The Bible says f rom verse 1: “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet.” He was hearing voices of angels, and the voice of

God (Are you with me?), as God was dealing with h i m i n a s e r i o u s prophetic dealing! And ye t , he was no t a prophet! Who is going to tell this to the Branham movement?! Who will make them understand?! Saints of God, this man was caught up into p a r a d i s e . O h , m y ! Experiences God used to reserve for the Old Testament prophets, N e w T e s t a m e n t apostles were having the same, and on a serious level for that matter! Why? Because i t is not about the vessel! It is about the plan of God! It is not about the vessel! It is about the Sp i r i t o f Almighty God, using the vesse l He has ordained, to bear a r e v e l a t i o n t o t h e church! As such, God has to equip him with everything he needs to do the job! But the p e o p l e i n t h e movement say of John the beloved apostle, “Oh, then he cannot be an apostle... He has to be a prophet then...” Yes, sit there in your unbelief! “After This I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first

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voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me” (That is the voice of God); “which said, Come up hither, and I W I L L S H E W T H E E THINGS WHICH MUST B E H E R E A F T E R . ” H e r e a f t e r ! T h a t i s prophecy! What was he now going to see? Not p r o p h e c y i n t h e making; he was going to see prophecy made! I did not say prophecy f u l f i l l e d , I s a i d , A prophetic picture that has been fully set! Are y o u w i t h m e ? T h e prophetic picture we have today is a reality, because we are living i n t h e t i m e o f i t s application. But that prophetic picture first had to be set! And it is the Spirit of God that s e t s t h e p r o p h e t i c s t a g e i n h e a v e n ! Remember, this is not how heaven looked in 96 A.D.! This is how heaven looked beyond 96 A.D., a time John was also going to see in a preview! And John was caught up into heaven, caught up into paradise, to the third heavens , t o see a prophetic picture that did not exist in his own day, because, brothers

a n d s i s t e r s , h e i s looking way past his own day! In Isaiah's time, it was prophecy in the making. In Ezekiel's day, it was prophecy in the making. But when you come to the days of John, it is prophecy in its full prophetic bloom, a prophetic picture fully set, and we are the recipients of its reality, because we live in the days of the application o f t h a t p r o p h e t i c picture! Think of it a while! Verse 2: “And immediately I was in the spi r i t . . . . ” I t i s prophets of Old that used to have those kinds of experiences! But now you see an apost le having the very same experience, because it is all by the Spirit of God! God will invest the vessel He has ordained to bear the truth, with e v e r y g r a c e a n d sp i r i tua l exper ience that is necessary for him to carry every truth t h a t n e e d s t o b e carried, be it a prophet of Old, or an apostle of the New. It is not by themselves, for it is not by men, it is al l by the S p i r i t o f G o d ! “Immediately I was in the Spirit” (What did h e s e e ? ) “ . . . a n d ,

behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow r o u n d a b o u t t h e throne, in sight like unto an emera ld .” That is the glory of the eternal Spirit reflected around Christ. Isaiah d i d n o t s e e t h a t ! Ezekiel did not even see that, because he only saw the beginning of a prophetic picture in formation. But who saw the full bloom of it? An apostle! Verse 4: “And r o u n d a b o u t t h e throne were four and twenty sea ts : and upon the seats I saw f o u r a n d t w e n t y elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on the i r h e a d s c r o w n s o f gold.” Church, those twenty four elders are the twelve apostles, a n d t h e t w e l v e patriarchs, and John is o n e o f t h e t w e l v e apostles, and there was no vacant seat! What does that show you? What he was seeing was not his day. He was seeing past his day! God took him in a spiritual vision through

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time! That is why I said, it is prophecy in its full bloom, but, 96 A.D. was not the days of i ts reality. It is a prophetic picture still! He did not see heaven as it looked in 96 A.D., for he was way beyond that era! You have to see that! Why? Because there was not one vacant seat out of the seats for the twenty four elders! And John is one of them! Because he is o n e o f t h e t w e l v e apostles, who together w i t h t h e t w e l v e patriarchs, make up the twenty four elders! That takes you straight to Revelation chapter 21, the twelve gates of the New Jerusalem, and the twelve foundations. The twelve gates give y o u t h e t w e l v e pa t r ia rchs , and the twelve foundations give y o u t h e t w e l v e apostles, (Are you with me?), showing you that the entrance into the New Jerusalem, the church of the l iving God, was set by God, in types and shadows of the Old Testament! But the foundation layers of it will be apostles! What does that show you? The twelve gates, and the twelve foundations,

h a r m o n i z e t h e testimony of the Old Testament prophets, with the testimony of the New Tes tament apostles. That is why Peter said, “I want to remind you of the words of the holy prophets, and of the commandments of us the apostles of Jesus.” Verse 5: “And out of the t h r o n e p r o c e e d e d l i g h t n i n g s a n d t h u n d e r i n g s a n d voices...” (That is the voice of God, that is the manifestation of God's p r e s e n c e , t h e manifestation of his glory and power and voice). “ A n d t h e r e w e r e seven lamps of fire” (That is the Spirit of God. It is symbolizing the seven attributes of God) “burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God” (Sent in all these Seven Church Ages). “ A n d b e f o r e t h e throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the t h r o n e , w e r e f o u r beasts” Ezekiel saw it. But now, look at it, John saw it in detail! “...full of eyes before and behind. And the first

beast was like A LION, and the second beast like A CALF, and the third beast had a face as A MAN, and the fourth beast was like A FLYING EAGLE. And the four beasts had e a c h o f t h e m s i x wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, h o l y , L o r d G o d Almighty, which was, and is , and is to come.” Isaiah heard that too! Listen to me, church. You can go on, and look at chapters 4, 5, and 6. It is prophecy fully made! But it is still prophecy! But we are the people who are living in the days of its reality. We are living in t h e d a y s o f t h e a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e prophetic picture John saw in a spiritual vision. C h u r c h , t h a t h a r m o n i z e s t h e prophetic insight of two O l d T e s t a m e n t prophets, Isaiah and Ezekiel, with that of a N e w T e s t a m e n t apostle, John. What does that show you, c h u r c h ? Y o u a r e looking at the same Spirit of God expressing Himself revelatory in the

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two highest orders set in the two dispensations: The Old Testament era, and under the New Testament dispensation!

Saints of God, you would expect God, if He was going to show such a deep prophetic insight, if He was going to give such a fantastic experience, it should be to a prophet. But He did not! Instead, He c o n s t i t u t e d t w e l v e apostles, showing He was doing a new thing, because it is a new Covenant, based on better promises, with a new ministry , a Covenant that gives us the reality of things the p r o p h e t s o f O l d m i n i s t e r e d o n l y i n prophecy, and in types and shadows, making our own dispensation, a better dispensation. Church, God decided it was going to be strictly through the channel of a p o s t l e s , t h e r e v e l a t i o n o f t r u t h would be given. That is w h y a p o s t l e s w e r e invested wi th every grace to enable them to bear, what? The r e v e l a t i o n o f t h e A l m i g h t y G o d ! B u t church, apost les do not have the gift of a

prophet, to be able to do like Agabus. Are you with me? Because they are not prophets! You cannot as such s t a n d b e f o r e a n apost le, and expect him to see into your persona l l i fe , as a prophet would be able to do, by virtue of his prophetic office. No! Because he is not a prophet! But when it comes to God's plan of s a l v a t i o n , t h e revelation of life, the truths of God which the church is to live by, and walk by, and be f o u n d e d u p o n , t h e a p o s t l e s h a v e i t , because they bear it, because God gave it to t h e m , a n d n o t t o p r o p h e t s . H e n c e , every ministry has its place, which cannot be t a k e n a w a y . B u t apostles bear the truth of Christ, for the entire body, inc lud ing the other folds of ministry. Apostles receive God's reve la t i on o f t ru th , which revelation can come through a vision, it can come through an audible voice, it can be through a dream, or by being caught up to h e a v e n , i t c a n b e through the ministry of an angel, it does not

mat te r, bu t church , God deals with them adequately, to enable them to carry out the very essence of their ministry, which is to bear the revelation of t r u t h , a n d b e t h e custodians of the faith of Jesus Christ! That is precisely why, when we came to the New Te s t a m e n t , n o o n e prophet ever bore any revelation of truth. It was strictly apostles! A prophet in the New Testament, had to sit under an apostle, in order to get the truth, and his ministry was raised up under the office of an apostle. Eve ry p rophe t was raised up under the tutelage of apostles in the New Testament c h u r c h ! A n d I cha l l enge any man anywhere to give me one verse of Scripture to nullify that! It was in t h e a s s e m b l i e s apostles founded, and i n a s s e m b l i e s t h a t were in f luenced by a p o s t l e s , G o d eventually raised up p r o p h e t s , p a s t o r s , e v a n g e l i s t s , a n d teachers, f rom their fold. Because under their ministry, people had their candles lited,

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and they took the truth to torch other areas, and through those men, other assemblies were e s t a b l i s h e d . B u t remember, it is all under the leadership of the revelation the apostles bore. That is why you could come to the New Testament, and see an a p o s t l e r e c e i v e a n e n c o u n t e r , a n d a n e x p e r i e n c e , w h i c h n o n e o f t h e O l d Tes tamen t p rophe ts e v e n h a d . W h a t a prophecy, and what a dealing he had! There is no book like the book of Revelation in the entire Bible! That is a fact! It is strictly a b o o k o f p r o p h e c y, f i l l e d w i t h d e e p p r o p h e t i c s y m b o l s , and it did not come by a prophet . I t came strictly by an apostle! Saints, I will give you one more Scripture, and I close for tonight, for as bride saints, we m u s t h a v e a t r u e r e v e l a t i o n o f t h e ministry.

N o w o n d e r , i n Revelation chapter 19, after John had seen all these things, in verse 10, it is written: “And I fel l at his feet to worship him. And he

said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: FOR THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS IS THE S P I R I T O F PROPHECY.” What is the angel trying to tell him? “This experience shouldn't be strange to you, because the Spirit you are carrying, the Spirit by which you are bearing the message of Christ, is the same ano in t ing tha t bore prophetic projections!” And in its prophetic application at this end t i m e , t h e a n g e l i s simply saying that God wil l wrap everything up, He will wrap up this G e n t i l e p l a n o f s a l v a t i o n w i t h a prophet ic ano in t ing , because the message of Christ wi l l turn into s t r i c t l y a p rophe t i c message. And yet, that anointing will not be on prophets, it will be on apostles, because you have to look beyond the men, you have to look at the Spirit of the Lord! You have to look at God's revealed plan of salvation! Church, the testimony of Jesus is also the Spirit of

prophecy. What does that show you? The S p i r i t b y w h i c h apos t l es m in i s te red the truth of Christ, is that same Spir i t by which the prophets of Old ministered. The Spirit that was upon the prophets of Old, empowering them to bear what they bore, and to manifest what they manifested, is the very same anointing u p o n a p o s t l e s , empowering them to manifest what they are manifesting, and to bear what they bear. It is not different! Therefore, you cannot lift up one above the o the r, because they give you the two highest orders in the entire Bible! Each in its own dispensation, is the highest! Under the Old, it was prophets, but under the New, w h a t i s i t ? I t i s apostles! What is the d i f f e r e n c e ? T h e difference is that the apostles l ive in the days of the reality of things the prophets of Old spoke about only in prophecy, and in types and shadows. That is the difference! And that is why, when you compare the vision of Isaiah and that of

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Ezekiel, in relation to what John saw, brothers and sisters, what John saw outclassed all what the two prophets put together saw, in relation to the same prophetic setting. Yet, he was an apostle! He was not a prophet! But let us not also forget, Isaiah and Ezekiel , were l iv ing way off in time, and John was closer in time. And church, you have to realise that the ministry of the New Te s t a m e n t , i s t h e c r e m e - d e - l a - c r e m e , because it is a New Covenant, based on better promises, for the bride of Christ, the h ighes t ca l l i ng ! No wonder, those Old time prophets, when they saw the display, and the move, and the dealership of the Spirit of Christ, as he was characterized by the Spirit of God in them, they began to thirst for something, “Is this for us? Is this package for us?” God said, “No, it is not for you.” How t h e y l o n g e d t o b e there! How they longed t o p a r t a k e o f i t , because they saw a glory! And that is why t h e B i b l e s a y s i n 2Corinthians 3:7-11, "If

that which is done a w a y w i t h w a s glorious, how much m o r e t h a t w h i c h r e m a i n e t h s h o u l d excel in glory". There is a glory in this New Covenant! You do not see it yet! Wait for the hour when God turns the ministry loose! If you ta lk about the supernatural, you have seen nothing yet! That is why those apostles could walk, and all it t o o k w a s t h e i r shadows, to minister heal ing, under God! People would look at where the sun was positioned, where the shadows were being cast, and they placed their sick folks in line wi th thei r shadows, and the dead were coming forth! Shadows passed over people, and deliverance was happening! There is a g l o r y o f t h i s N e w Testament, but that is what the world wants, the supernatural side. They do not want to take the reve la to ry side, which is the side that gives life. But that revelatory side is what w e a s e l e c t b r i d e saints are looking for. Halleluyah! Church, I ask, Why have I gone

into that tonight? It is to show you one thing: I f Bro ther Branham was a New Testament prophet, that is, if he was a New Testament type-prophet, or a New T e s t a m e n t o r d e r prophet, he would not have been what he was! He would not! What made him what he was, i s no t because he healed the sick, and raised the dead. No! What made him what he was, is that divine revelation of truth he carried. Exactly! There is no New Testament prophet l ike Wil l iam Branham, and you will not have a second William Branham for us Gentiles. On Sunday, by God's grace, we will x-ray his ministry. Let us bow our heads in prayer.

Our heavenly Father, we want to thank you tonight for thy truth. Lord, it is a privilege that we can look back in the olden days, and see how you worked, and dealt with men, mortals whom you inspi red, anointed, led by your Spirit, men that carried the revelation of truth, to show the way for your people. And we

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can see how, Lord, in this day, you have used apostles, even in the New Testament, in that same measure, and u n d e r t h e s a m e anoint ing, Lord, the anointing that carried the prophets, for the same anointing carried the apostles, and by it, they were equipped to bear this truth. Lord, we thank you for your d e a l e r s h i p . F a t h e r, h e l p u s . G i v e understanding to your people. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

God bless you.

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William Marrion BranhamThe Prophet and Star Messenger

To this Laodicean Church Age

He Pointed To The Word

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All are welcome. If you need more information, or if you have any questions or any comments, please feel free to contact us at: [email protected] Scribe requests, please send your email to:[email protected] prayer needs, please make your request to:[email protected]

For those who prefer to write, our postal address is at the bottom of this page. We look forward to hearing from you.

AnnouncementOur Convention dates for 2008 are as follows:

May Convention: 15th - 18th May, 2008.

Nov. Convention: 20th - 23rd Nov, 2008.

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DIRECTORY OF THE SCRIBE1. The Foundation Of The Five Fold Ministry, Parts 1&2 (January 2007).2. The Foundation Of The Five Fold Ministry, Part 3: The Uniqueness Of The Ministry (January 2007).3. The Foundation Of The Five Fold Ministry, Parts 4&5: Testing For Faithfulness (January 2007).4. Locating God: The Visitation Of God, Parts 1&2 (February 2007).5. Affinity With Evil (February 2007).6. Where Are We? (February 2007).7. The Way Forward (February 2007).8. The Plot, Parts 1 - 4 (March 2007).9. The Seven Thunders In Relation To The Five Fold Ministry, Parts 1&2 (March 2007).10. The Jewish Connection, Parts 1& 2 (April 2007).11. The Third Pull (June 2007).12. The Third Pull, And The Three Steps Into The Rapture (June 2007).13. The Angel Of The Seventh Seal (June 2007).14. They Came To Present Themselves, Parts 1&2 (July 2007).15. The Invitation (July 2007).16. The Promise To The Overcomer, Parts 1-3 (July 2007).17. The Manifestation Of The Sons Of God (July 2007).18. A Woman Rises In America (July 2007).19. The Prophetic Ministry Of William Branham, Parts 1&2 (August 2007).20. The Prophetic Ministry Of William Branham, Part 3 (August 2007).

The Scribe, except in the Convention months of May and November, is a monthly publication by Bible Faith Tabernacle, 30 Bajulaye Compound, Off Bajulaye Road, P. O. Box 3463 Shomolu, Lagos, Nigeria.

It contains an edited version of a message preached by Bro. Amos Omoboriowo, and is on request.distributed free of charge Our Website: www.bf tchurch.org

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