Ladies and gentlemen, beloved friends, brothers and sisters in Christ. This is Brother Frank speaking to you from the Mission Center in Krefeld - Germany. I’ve been in the ministry for well over 40 years having visited more than 130 countries preaching to multitudes and also in the last few years sharing God’s precious and Holy Word by TV with many stations and nations. Beloved, the Return of Christ is imminent and we have to know God’s end time plan from the Holy Scriptures. We must understand that God does all things according to His Word and that everything that happens within the course of time from the beginning to the end is already written in the Scriptures. Also about the New Testament Church as well as about Israel. It’s all written in Gods’ Holy Word. God knew the end from the beginning. Even before the foundation of the world. Therefore we always have to search Gods’ Word, Old and New Testament to find out what He promised to whom He promised. Let’s say there are promises for the Church, there are promises for Israel and there are predictions of what would take place in general. If you go to the prophet Haggai in the Old Testament in chapter 2 speaking about the end time, it says in verse 6: “For thus saith the LORD of hosts, yet once it is a little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.” If this verse would not be written in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 26, I perhaps would not even refer to it. But there is such a harmony between the Old and the New Testament when it comes to prophecy that one is astonished beyond measure. The same Holy Spirit which rested upon the prophets rested upon the apostles and upon Christ of course when things were spoken of in reference to the kingdom of God to the plan of salvation and also about the end time. Just as there were promises fulfilled at the first coming of our LORD, and actually the New Testament begun with the fulfilment of promises from the Old Testament. John the Baptist was a promised prophet. Isaiah chapter 40 verse 3, Malachi 3 verse 1. You can have it confirmed and find it in all the four gospels where the Scripture speaks about the forerunner about John the Baptist the man sent from God with the Word of God to the people of God to prepare the way of the LORD. Not to start a new religion, not to start a new denomination, not to make his own followers but to preach Christ, to point to the lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. If I would only tell you that God sent a forerunner at the first coming of Christ, I wouldn’t be honest to you and would have to be responsible before God, having kept something from you. I must tell you that William Branham was a man sent from God, a prophet of God in the 20^th century. Already in 1950 in Dallas Texas at the then “Voice of Healing” Office Gordon Lindsay published the book about “William Branham, a man sent form God”. 

Beloved, this man was humble. He was even simple. But he was a man of God. He had a true apostolic prophetic ministry. And this is what we call this ministry: “Apostolic Prophetic.” “Profound Bible Teaching Ministry”. And therefore we can not have compromises with anyone, we have to be true to God and to His Word according to the commission received. So, William Branham was told in 1933: “As John the Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming of Christ, you are sent with a message which will forerun the second coming of Christ.” Now, first question: What is the message? The message is the promised Word of God for this day revealed by the Holy Spirit. We can not live by the manna of yesterday. We can not live by the bread that we shared 2000 years ago. Like the people of Israel they received everyday new manna. And we must receive God’s fresh and promised Word for this day. So, we understand according to Acts 3 : 19 to 21 that God will send the times of refreshing again a true outpouring of the Holy Spirit, not charismatic meetings which the atmosphere is being brought up and built up by heavy music. NO! There must come a sound from heaven. There must be a true outpouring of the Holy Spirit with the same ministries as a result with the same gifts with the same fruit of the Holy Spirit with the same apostolic teachings and practice. Because the same Holy Spirit will lead us into all the truth as He did in the beginning so He does now at the end of the time of grace. I referred to Brother Branham for the purpose to let you know that God is making history in our time. It’s not enough to know what churches are doing, how they unite and how all go to Rome and all religions march and so forth. I want to know what God promised to His Church and little more even to the bride of Christ. Because the bride is being taken out of the Church. In every church age there are those who are called and those who are chosen and the chosen ones are those who hear what the Spirit says unto the churches. They take to heart what God says in His Word. You can read it seven times in Revelation chapter 2 and 3 stating: “He that has an ear let him hear what the Spirit unto the churches”. In general the message is given but only those who believe it to them it will be revealed. First we have to believe God’s promised Word for the hour and then the Holy Spirit will reveal it to us. 

Now, just for a moment looking to Israel. We all know that Israel God’s chosen people since the time of Abraham. And God chose a man for a specific purpose. He chose a people for a specific purpose and within that people He chose a tribe for a specific purpose. God knows what He is doing but already in the first statement the LORD God made to Abraham in Genesis chapter 12 He made the promise that all nations would be blessed thru Him and you take it to Galatians chapter 3 where Christ is the spiritual promised seed of Abraham and that’s why in Matthew chapter 1 verse 1 Christ is called the Son of Abraham, because He was the promised seed. 

Beloved, Jesus Christ was not a Jew. He was the LORD of glory manifested in the flesh. You know why I have to say that? Because some people think Joseph was his father and some people think differently but I believe what the Word of God says. The Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and the Scripture gives it as a testimony “that which is born of you is of the Holy Ghost and will be called the Son of God.” So, we are not to become Jews. Today we have Jewish Christians and we do have Christians of all sorts and we have Christian messages but what we need is Christ crucified, Christ resurrected, the Word of God, the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of His resurrection. But again, the people of Israel are gathered into their homeland as the Church is gathered into the promised Word. So, the Jews are gathered from 143 nations into the Promised Land. It’s the land God gave to the seed of Abraham thru Isaac and Jacob. You can read it in the Old Testament; you can read it in the New Testament. We also are told that the Jews were scattered among all the nations, not only in Deuteronomy chapter 4 from verse 27, not only in different place in the Old Testament but also the promise was given that the children of Israel would be gathered at the end of days into the Promised Land. And since 1948 we do have a country called Israel after 2000 years. And then it says in Zachariah chapter 13 in verse 3: “And in that day I will make Jerusalem a burden stone for all peoples. All that burden themselves with it shall be cut to pieces thru all the nations of the earth be gathered together against it.” So, God is the God of Israel. This is not politics! This is God’s decision. And I respect God’s decision and nobody on earth can tell me that you love God if you don’t love His people, if you don’t respect His decision which is documented in the Word of God. Then again we are told that there will be a great battle in Israel in the mountains and in the valley, we are told about it in the prophet Joel and also in the prophet Ezekiel and also here in Zachariah chapter 14 in verse 12 we are told: “And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will smite all the peoples that have fought against Jerusalem. Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet and their eyes shall consume away in their holes and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.”

So, beloved there are promises for Israel and also predictions for all the nations who will finally come together and unite against God’s people the children of Israel and of course mainly against Jerusalem. Beloved, we have to respect also this that in the Quran in all the 114 chapters their prophet Mohammed did not one time mention Jerusalem. He never visited Jerusalem. The story only goes that when he died in a night journey he took a trip with a special horse and the horse was tied in Jerusalem and he went to glory. That is the story. But not reality. But then of course we understand religions make their claims and actually three religions claim Jerusalem. The Jews, the Christians and the Moslems. But to be honest we are not told to any city because our LORD says in John chapter 4 verse 23, 24 that we should not pray on any mountain or in any city. Because our Jerusalem is a city above. So, we don’t claim Jerusalem this natural Jerusalem. We bless Israel but it’s a city, the natural city God gave to His natural people Israel. And the heavenly Jerusalem is for the bride. You can read it in Revelation chapter 19.

But now I like to say a few words again about the great commission, about being restored to apostolic. What is apostolic? If somebody goes into a church for instance he might see right at the entrance with the great letters written: “Apostolic creed” and then it would be a creed formulated in 325 or 381 or 3 so and so, may be even right up to 431. But that’s only called apostolic. That’s not apostolic! The apostolic doctrine is right here. And if you read in Acts chapter 2 verse 42 it says about the original church: “And they remained in the teachings in the doctrines of the apostles.” Not in some one calling something “apostolic creed” maybe even apostolic succession. Where do we read about apostolic succession in the Bible? Nowhere of course! We are to follow Christ. And if we are true servants of the LORD we shall preach the same Word, the same gospel and baptise as they baptised in the beginning. You might not understand the importance of the true preaching of God’s Word of the gospel of Jesus Christ but you should read the last verses of I Peter chapter 1 when he refers to Isaiah chapter 40 stating: “The Word of God remains or the Word of the LORD remains forever.” And then it says: “This is the Word that we preached unto you as the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So, beloved we have to say it and we have to say it with divine authority of God’s Holy Word. Only what the Apostles taught is true apostolic teaching. Only what the apostles practised is true Apostolic practise. When it comes to the great commission they carried it out to the letter. They understood that baptism of those who would believe and receive the forgiveness of their sins would have to be done in the one important Name above every Name given unto us, in the Name of LORD Jesus Christ. So we do have the Scripture as the authority. First the great commission in Matthew 28, in Mark 16, in Luke 24, in John chapter 20. And then we go to the book of Acts to chapter 2 and chapter 8 and chapter 10 and chapter 19 and here I like to read in chapter 19 of the book of Acts verse 5: “When they heard this they were baptised in the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ.” So we are told that those who believe in Christ, they were also baptised. And they were baptised by immersion because it should signify to be buried with Christ. And before you can be buried you must die. You must die. As the LORD said: “If the grain of wheat does not fall into the grounds and dies it remains alone.” We must understand that we actually died with Christ and when you receive Christ as you personal Saviour, you are dead. You died to yourself because you are crucified with Him. We were in Christ and in Christ God has chosen before the foundation of the world. Now if you go to Romans chapter 6 from verse 3, here we are told: “Know ye not that as many of us that were baptised into Jesus Christ were baptised into His death.” Baptised into His death, but first you must die with Him, so that you can raise with Him. Now two more verses from chapter 5. Romans chapter 5 verse 1: “Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God thru our LORD Jesus Christ.” One step further, verse 9: “Much more then being now justified by His blood we shall be save from the wrath to come.” What is it? Justified by faith in the shed blood of the lamb of God on the cross of Calvary. In Romans 6 verse 5 we read: “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.” Verse 6: “Knowing this we that our old man is crucified with Him.” Our old man! You, the great I, the great I! The Ego is crucified with Christ. And then you don’t argue, you don’t debate. A dead person is no more arguing. If you die with Christ. If you are reconciled to God thru the sacrifice of Christ when He shed His blood. 

Beloved, then you don’t argue anymore. Even in Galatians chapter 3 we are told in verse 26 and 27 that those who believed were also baptised. “For ye are all the sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus, for as many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ. Beloved, you have to go from Scripture to Scripture. Now even to Ephesus chapter 4 verse 4: “There is one body and one Spirit even as there is one calling in one hope of your calling. One LORD, one faith, one baptism.” Not many baptisms, one baptism, the baptism into the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ with whom you died, with whom you were crucified, with whom you rose from the dead. One more Scripture, Colossians chapter 2 we shall just read verse 12: “Buried with Him in baptism in which also ye are risen with Him thru the faith of the operation of God who has raised Him from the dead.”

Beloved, this is the true gospel and we must be restored to the true teaching. Forsake your own ways. Return to the LORD because this is the time of total restoration of all things. Back to God, back to His Word, back to the beginning. In the beginning was the Word. And we do have the pattern right here from apostolic days. Thanks be to God for His Holy Word. Heaven and earth shall pass away but His Word remains forever. God bless you and be with you in Jesus’ Holy Name. Amen.