Special greetings to all of you world-wide in the precious name of our beloved Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ with the significant passage of Rev. 1:1-3:
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant, John,
Who bore witness of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is at hand.
In the prophetic scripture everything that would happen right to the end is already indicated. In reference to the counsel of God (Acts 20:27), things are not prophesied today, but have already been written in the Word of prophecy. The biblical gift of prophecy is for the upbuilding of the local church and must contain three things: edification, exhortation and comfort (1 Cor. 14:3). In verse 29 of the same chapter the Apostle further outlines the ministry of prophets, »Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the others judge.« Such prophets are part of the fivefold ministry (Eph. 4:11) and their duty is mainly to teach the prophetic part of the Scripture. The Bible says, if one who is listening receives a revelation that would really hit the target, then he should speak while the first one holds his peace (verse 30). In a direct prophecy which comes by inspiration no one can be interrupted, because if it is genuine it is a direct speaking of the Lord by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Therefore it is »thus saith the Lord«.
From our introductory text we learn that whenever things pertain to the plan of salvation, then God is using one servant who would be a prophet for the age to make known the revealed Word, so the other servants can share the same revelation. The angel was not sent to the many servants but only to one namely John. The supernatural light did not appear to all ministers but to Paul, the one with a special charge and commission (Acts 9 + 22 + 26). In our generation the same supernatural light appeared to W. M. Branham, not to one of the many other evangelists. Therefore he had the same teaching as the Apostle Paul. Only those who believed the divine experience Paul had agreed with his teachings. The same is true in our time. If you go against the light you are blinded, if you move with the light you see the way.
In Ecclesiastes the preacher says in chapter 3:14-15, »I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever; nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it; and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.« We are also told in the last chapter of the Bible that nothing can be added or taken away from the Words of the prophecy of His book. To know such serious statements and acknowledge that God does nothing unless He reveals His secret first to one of His servants, the prophets (Amos 3:7) is very essential. Such a servant is a Word-prophet ordained for the universal church, not just for a local assembly.
In Ecclesiastes 3 the preacher has shown forth the various aspects in natural life which have their time, but in view of eternity they are vanity. From birth to death certain things happen in the course of time. Also in the spiritual realm everything takes place at its set time and order. Then we read, »He hath made every thing beautiful in its time; also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.« (verse 11).
With all the research man cannot find out the works of God, as long as the natural world and thinking is in their hearts. What He does is supernatural, it is valid for ever. But it must be revealed and acknowledged individually. First God gives promises and then He accomplishes the same.
Whenever God does something He wants His people to acknowledge and to receive it. The spiritual things happen within the natural realm. When the Lord came to His Own, He was in the natural body, but they did not recognise nor receive Him. His own people rejected Him, and therefore the wrath came upon them. In Lk. 19:41-44 our Lord wept over Jerusalem, saying, »If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hidden from thine eyes.« This is our day, and we must recognise the promised Word and also accept what belongs to us. If it remains hidden from us, grace is spurned and judgement will have to come, now as it did then, »And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.« Those of God’s children who reject whatever He does now according to His Word will have to go through the judgements of the great tribulation. The eyes and ears of the ones who see and hear, the Lord pronounced to be blessed. So it is even now.
God is merciful, but does not permit His people to reject whatever He is doing by His grace. We must receive and accept it, otherwise His wrath will be upon us, as He announced. Nothing is more important for us than to be connected to whatever God does according to His promised Word and so to be found in His will.
With Israel, His natural covenant people, He had to permit judgement, because they did not recognise the gracious visitation at the first coming of Christ. Only to them who truly received Him, He gave power to become the children of God (Jn. 1:12-13). They were the ones not just born by the will of man after the desire of the flesh, but begotten of God having received eternal life. We must face the fact that the Jews through the past two thousand years of the New Testament era suffered because they did not receive Him. Pilate had declared, »I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person,« but the whole multitude of people cried, »His blood be on us, and on our children.« (Mt. 27:24-25). So it has happened.
In Jer. 31:31 and other scriptures the Lord had promised to make a new covenant. That He did. When the time had come, Scripture was fulfilled, the New Covenant established. Now the words of the covenant should not be written on tablets of stone but into the hearts of His people. At the last supper our Lord and Redeemer said to His disciples, »For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.« (Mt. 26:28). The spiritual leaders of that time did not recognise God’s ways with His people. They did not take seriously the promised ministry of John the Baptist. He was a man sent from God, but they did not comprehend that through his ministry Scripture was being fulfilled, namely Isa. 40:3 and Mal. 3:1, as overwhelmingly confirmed in the New Testament. According to their traditions they kept the services, were singing their songs, went through all the rituals, but did not recognise what God was doing.
In Jn. 13:20 our Lord spoke in the future tense, »Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.« Whatever happens in the Kingdom of God can always be traced in God’s Word. Only those who receive the ministry of the one sent by the Lord, who always will prepare His way, will recognise the coming to pass of the promises and have part in their fulfilment. So it was throughout the Old Testament, at the first coming of Christ, in all revivals throughout the time of grace, and so is it now. We are now at the end of the time of grace and again in a prophetic age. God has kept His Word and has sent a prophet, as He promised in Mal. 4 and confirmed in Mt. 17:11, before the »Great Day of the Lord« would be. A man like Elijah an John, the forerunner, who calls God’s people back to the Word and prepares the way of the Lord.
We all can sense the sadness of our Lord Who was the manifested love of God and went to the cross, when He had to pronounce judgement upon His Own people. On one hand we read, »… For God so loved the world …« and on the other hand He had to announce judgement upon those who rejected Him, »For there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.« (Lk. 21:20-24). This has actually happened ever since and right until our time through the Holocaust.
God is full of mercy. His grace is unlimited. But if somebody rejects His direct doing whereby He manifests His grace, then His wrath and judgements are actually called for. For two thousand years the Jews have been persecuted, and it is not yet finally over. After the taking into glory of the Bride-church the judgements will come upon the earth. And there will be many who call themselves believers who will have to go through the tribulation, just because they did not receive what God is presently doing according to His promised Word. Everybody can quickly say, »We have Jesus Christ, we have the Bible, we do not need a man sent from God!« But if he is promised in God’s Word, then we have to respect it as God’s people, otherwise the wrath is unavoidable. God demands His people to acknowledge His Word and work.
To explain the scriptural promises away does not benefit anyone. They have to be recognised in their fulfilment. We are now experiencing the climax in the plan of salvation. What was foretold in the Old and the New Testament for our time is now becoming a reality before our eyes. The course of mankind and the history of the church is irreversible. It cannot be stopped. Whatever God has purposed must happen, whenever the time is fulfilled. Most important to us are the predictions in the Scripture pertaining to the end of the time of grace, which we see fulfilled in every way, even in the coming forth of the old Roman empire in Central Europe and also especially concerning Israel and the surrounding nations. Just as God’s natural people Israel had to return to the promised land before they see the promise vindicated given to them, to the Bride-church needs to be in the promised Word for this age to see it vindicated right to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.