Circular Letter October 2019
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.” (Heb 13:8)
Circular Letter October 2019
Heartfelt greetings to all brothers and sisters in all countries in the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ with the Scripture from Rev 1:1-3:
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record 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 therein: for the time is at hand.”
In Rev 22 we read:
“And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the LORD God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.”
As we read in the first verse in the first chapter, the LORD sent His angel to John on the isle of Patmos to reveal everything to His servants. Special emphasis is placed on “the Word of God,” “the testimony of Jesus Christ,” and “the Words of Prophecy.” It is very important to pay attention to every word written in the Holy Scripture. In the last chapter, we once again find the words: “…to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.”
In chapter 22, our LORD said twice, “Behold, I come quickly…” (vv. 7+12). The second coming of Christ – that is to say, the Return of Christ – is the most important subject for us.
This Circular Letter is therefore not about the many subjects of the end-time prophecies but primarily about the imminent second coming of Christ. At His first coming, John the Baptist appeared as the voice of one crying in the wilderness (Isa 40:3), through whose message a people was prepared for the LORD. This is how the angel had predicted it to his father Zacharias:
“And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the LORD their God.And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the LORD.” (Lk 1:16-17)
The New Testament begins with the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises, and that holds true until the end of time. Paul left it unto us like this:
“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,
Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures.” (Rom 1:1-2)
Now we would like to find out what promises are being fulfilled in our time. Who had a direct calling and sending in our time? According to the unalterable Will of God and in accordance with His promise, who was supposed to proclaim the message now, before the second coming of Christ?
It has been 86 years since the faithful LORD on June 11, 1933, gave Brother Branham the special commission to bring the message that would forerun the second coming of Christ. The man of God stood in the Ohio River and had baptized as John baptized in the Jordan River. When John had baptized Jesus, a voice sounded from heaven (Mt 3:17).
Brother Branham heard the words called out from heaven: “Look up! Look up!” And behold, the supernatural cloud of light descended, visible for all of the people who were present, and he heard the words that we have quoted so many times. From the 21 quotes in which he referred to this, we want to repeat the following three to emphasize the exact wording of the divine commission:
“As I sent John the Baptist to forerun the first coming of Christ, your Message shall forerun the second coming to all the world.” (July 14, 1963).
“I may not do it, but this message will introduce Jesus Christ to the world. For as John the Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming, so is the message to forerun the second coming … I know it will. The message will go on.” (December 29, 1963).
“A Voice said, As John the Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming of Christ, your Message shall forerun His second coming into all the world.” (February 19, 1965).
Let us say it once more: When the time came for the first coming of Christ, the supernatural happened. The Angel Gabriel announced the birth of John the Baptist (Lk 1:11-20). Six months later, he came to Mary and announced the birth of the Redeemer (Lk 1:26-38).
It strengthens us in our faith to know what the faithful God has done in our time: June 11, 1933, was the day that God ordained to announce the message for the final period of time before the promised Return of Christ. There is no need to go into all the details again here; we have repeatedly done that in previous Circular Letters.
The ministry of the promised prophet from Mal 4:5, Mt 17:11, and Mk 9:12 is experienced reality. Through his proclamation, all of the mysteries, all the biblical teachings, in fact, the whole counsel of God up to and including the revelation of the seven seals have been made known.
On December 24, 1965, the faithful God called His servant and prophet unto Himself, as his ministry had undoubtedly been completed. Since then, the pure message of the Word has been carried into all the world according to the Will of God.