“Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, today and for ever.“ (Heb 13:8)

Circular Letter December 1998

Special greetings to all of you world-wide in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ with John 15:18-20:

"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 

If ye were of the world, the world would love its own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 

Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also." 

The redeemed do not fit into this world, they are like a foreign object. They walk the same path and are misunderstood as the Redeemer was and as it was foretold in Psalms 69:4: "They hated me without a cause." (Jn. 15:25). We who preach salvation have the same fate as the One Who brought the salvation. There is absolute no reason to hate the believers. The only cause we read about in John 17:14: "I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." He was hated for being the Word and we are hated because we have received and preach the Word.

Only for the cause of God's Word true believers are hated by the religious world. The Word always has the same impact: it separates light from darkness. It commands the calling out and the separation from the world. Among those who believe the promised Word can be no hatred. They are chosen sons and daughters of God having the life and the nature of Christ. Whoever hates a brother manifests thereby that Satan has already crept in, giving that inspiration. The Apostle Paul speaks about two kinds of believers: "But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now." (Gal. 4:29).

The disciples were after the Spirit, believing the promised Word. The scribes believed in their own traditional way, defending their own doctrines and were full of hate and envy as Cain had been. Therefore our Lord addressed them rightfully with the fitting statement, "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the hearth the mouth speaketh." (Mt. 12:34). Everyone reveals by words whatever is in his heart. Life and deeds confirm of what kind we are.

Our Lord said, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (Jn. 13:34-35). Whose disciples are those who are full of hatred? We do not only have ten main commandments in the Old Testament, we do have more in the New Testament. Brother Branham called divine love »the eleventh commandment« in which all the other commandments are expressed and fulfilled. According to Rom. 13:8 love for each other is the fulfilment of the whole law. This eleventh commandment, of love, is twofold: firstly, that we do love the Lord God with all our heart, with our soul, with all our thinking etc., secondly, that we love our neighbour as ourselves. In this twofold commandment whatever the whole law and all the prophets required is expressed (Mt. 22:36-40).

About no other theme was so much preaching, speaking and writing done as about love. In spite of that there is nothing so much missing among believers as true love. In fact, unkindness sometimes right down to deep hatred is manifested. One has to experience it, otherwise it is hard to believe. There are even »believers« whose hatred does not stop with death, but continues thereafter. Of what kind are such people? They certainly do not have the divine nature. This they should know themselves. According to the testimony of the Scripture those who are born again have received a new heart, a new spirit, a new life. They have received God's life. Wherever Jesus Christ dwells in the heart His nature is manifested. 

In the experience Brother Branham had, when he was taken »beyond the curtain of time« into paradise, he heard the words, »only perfect love will enter here!« Love – not a doctrine, not knowledge – love is the perfect tie that binds together. It is the love of God that was manifested at the cross of Calvary. Whoever truly experienced forgiveness and reconciliation does love with this divine love which does no harm to anyone, because it is totally good " God Himself. God is love and all who are born of God do love all His children (1 Jn. 5:1).

The redeemed experience the same as the Redeemer: He was not hated by the unbelieving world, but by the religious leaders who were handling the Word of God with their lips. Never do the true children of God accuse others. They are being accused and defamed. Never does one elect persecute another elect (Gal. 4:29). Hatred, envy and jealousy were first manifested in Cain who was a mixture. It was once said, "He that has no Cain as his brother is not an Abel." I would rather say a "half-brother". Cain was a brother-murderer and so are all the false brethren as believing half-breeds. "If a man says, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also." (1 Jn. 4:20-21). Of His true brethren the Son of God said, "Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother." (Mk. 3:34-35)

All who speak about »the message« should read the following text for self-examination: "For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and killed his brother. And why killed he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous." (1 Jn. 3:11-12).

Whoever is of the seed of God cannot hate, cannot commit assassination of character – that would be totally against the divine nature. Out of one source cannot come good and evil, sweet and bitter (Jas. 3:10-12). "A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things." (Mt. 12:35). Only those who are the seed of the evil one, as is written of Cain, spread the deadly poison of a serpent. The heart of such people is full of murder. The two seeds grow on the same field, "The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom, but the tares are the children of the wicked one" (Mt. 13:38). Upon both seeds comes the same rain, and both enjoy the same sun (Mt. 5:45).

Envy, jealousy and hatred are the marks of those who are not born again. Brother Branham so suitable spoke about the three circles: soul, spirit, body. He said, someone could be baptised with the Holy Ghost in the second realm and in his soul not even be saved. We thought that those who are gifted are already half ways in heaven. True children of God are placed fully into heaven by the real baptism of the Holy Spirit and they are sealed. Their tongues are refined by the divine fire and they are anointed to proclaim the great works of God (Acts 2). First the soul must be saved. "Man became a living soul." So the soul is the actual man and must experience salvation and the renewing. The anointing alone is not sufficient. The whole religious world today is full of such as never before. 

Christ Who is the true anointed One has spoken about the many false Christs which would raise up as the anointed ones at the end-time. He also warned to be aware of false prophets who would do great signs and wonders (Mt. 24:24 a. o.). Thus saith the Lord: "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out demons? And in thy name done many wonderful works?" (Mt. 7:22). Viewing from the outside such people are blessed. They prophesy, speak of revelations, can point to signs and wonders, but are cast away and not recognised by the Lord. Here we should not only think about those in different churches, but take to heart what is written: "… but let a man examine himself …"

In his sermon about "The Lamb and the Dove" brother Branham points out the nature of the wolf. He makes very clear the difference between the two natures: a lamb does not bark and bite like a wolf. True believers have the nature of a lamb as well as the nature of the dove which has no gall, if they are truly baptised with the Holy Ghost. In their tongue cannot be deadly poison as James describes in chapter 3:8. In their heart there is also no bitterness. Many things man can hide, but that which is in the heart will be manifested through words and deeds in life. 

In John 15 our Lord also touches another aspect. He speaks of Himself as being the vine and His Own the fruit-bearing branches. The life of the vine is expressed in the branches thereof. That is the true fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Our Saviour admonishes us to remain in His love, keeping His commandments as He kept the commandments of the Father. Whoever remains in Him will bring forth plenty of fruit. "Be fruitful and multiply!" does also apply to the spiritual creation. Since the inauguration of the New Testament Church, through all the ages people were born again. The Spirit makes fruitful and actually brings forth the life of God. An assembly where no new life, no children are born is not a fruitful church. As long as the time of grace lasts the Lord will add those who are saved to His Church (Acts 2:47).

The Lord speaks about the joy that should be complete in us while keeping His commandments. Time and again He said that we should love one another as He loved us. Then He makes the very meaningful statement addressed to the obedient children of God: "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatever I command you." (Jn. 15:14).

Abraham did what the Lord commanded, and he was called "His friend" (Isa. 41:8). Only through deeds and works which the Lord commanded we prove indeed that we love and believe Him. Abraham believed God and received the promised son. That is the first part. The second was that he had to sacrifice his son whom he dearly loved (Gen. 22). All goes together: being chosen, receiving the promise, believe and be obedient. "Was not Abraham, our father, justified by works, when he had offered Isaac, his son, upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?" (Jas. 2:21-22). Whoever obeys not what the Lord commands only imagines election and faith. In such a case it is a religious theory existing in the world of fantasy. Such may even speak about the will of God, but never get to do it. 

To them whoever are truly in the election (Rom 11:7), the words of our Lord apply, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." (Jn. 15:16). 

We are ordained to bear fruit, the fruit of the Spirit, and also to multiply. The fruit we bear is the actual proof that we are in Christ and love God. The life in us is manifested in brotherly love and also in general love. Such love is not in the head and not upon lips, but comes forth in our lives by the Holy Spirit which is poured out into our hearts (Rom. 5:5). Our Lord clearly said, "Ye shall know them by their fruits " every good tree bringeth forth good fruit" (Mt. 7:16-17). Once again our Lord emphasised, "These things I command you, that ye love one another." (Jn. 15:17)