The Lord has always sent His prophets and messengers to call the people back to the original Word, “And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, giving useful advice in advance; because he had compassion on his people, and on the flock that he had chosen” (2 Chr.36: 15).

The true Life of the Spirit exists only in the original Word –private interpretations are throwing the people into spiritual death. Jesus Christ said, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (Jn.6: 63).

God uses the ministry of a prophet to make His children recognize the promise for their “today”. Abraham, Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist and many of the prophets had such a commission for their time. God is duty-bound to His Word. He promised, “Surely, the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants, the prophets” (Amos 3:7). According to Num. 12:6, true prophets have access to and enter into a spiritual realm unknown to others. “And he said hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream”. Through all the different ages, the Word of the Lord pertaining to the plan of salvation has come to a major prophet.

God revealed His Word to His prophet before the flood: “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”, “And God said unto Noah, Make thee an ark..., And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of...” Noah’s actions seemed strange in the eyes of the people. He was misunderstood, mocked and laughed at, but he acted upon the authority of the Word made known unto him. God decided the end of all flesh, because the blessed lineage of Seth mixed with the one of Cain. He regretted the fact He had made man –the judgment fell.

The greatest commingling of all times is taking place and coming to a climax now in the World Council of Churches. But just before the door is closed forever and the judgment will strike, God has sent a mighty prophet with the final call, “Come out of her, my people that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that receive not of her plagues” (Rev.18: 4)

God had a prophet with a direct commission and message before the judgment struck the earth at that time: “Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.” Jesus Christ our Lord said, “And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man” (Lk.17: 26). Many Christians are comparing the wickedness of that generation to ours. But to obtain a complete picture, we cannot only focus our attention upon the iniquity of the unbelievers, but rather see the promise for the believers.

The people questioned Noah’s commission in being the only one to whom the Word and the will of God was revealed. Many may think the same today, but the Lord God reveals His secret unto His servants, the prophets.

Abraham was the prophet of God at the time of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Many are calling him the ‘Father of Faith’, but it should be stressed, that his faith was anchored in the promised Word of God. In the account of his life, we read, “He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God” (Rom.4: 20). Scriptural faith can only be found where the Word of promise has been received. There we find no staggering through unbelief, nor questioning of how it will happen, but rather a strong conviction that God is able to keep His Word, “And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform” (v.21).

Jesus Christ, our Lord, also made the statement, “As it was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be when the Son of Man is revealed”. Here again, we can parallel that time to ours. Many are comparing the sins of Sodom to the sins of our time, but fail to see the vital importance of the prophetic ministry. The elect of that time were not in Sodom and had no part of the wickedness therein. They were with Abraham, the true prophet of God, and received the last supernatural sign before the destruction of Sodom. According to Gen.18, the Lord visited Abraham and confirmed His promise. Such is the case with the royal seed of Abraham in this generation, as it has been with the elect at the time of the first coming of Christ. The last supernatural sign, the gift of discernment, was manifested to Abraham, to the Jews at the time of Christ and has repeated again at the close of the Gentile dispensation.

Sarah was in the tent, listening to what the Lord said to Abraham and laughed within herself. Right then, the thoughts of her heart were revealed, “Why did Sarah laugh?” (Gen.18: 13). Only if we realize that the gift of discernment was manifested at the time of Abraham and though the ministry of Christ, we can comprehend that the same Lord has done the same things in our generation.

When Andrew brought his brother to Jesus, He looked at him saying, “Thou art Simon, the son of Jonah” (Jn.1: 42). In the same chapter we read about Nathanael, who was brought to Christ by Phillip. The Lord spoke to him, saying, “Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” (v.47). Nathanael was taken by surprise and asked, “When knowest thou me?” The Master’s reply was, “Before Phillip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee” (v.48). “Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel!” The life of the Samaritan woman was revealed but Jesus at the well. She replied, “Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet ...The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, who is called Christ; when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he...” (Jn.4: 19-29). The true seed of God was not offended at the supernatural gift of discernment. They never called the Lord Beelzebub or suspected Him to be a fortune teller. They recognized their Saviour in His prophetic ministry –the impact of which forced the people to make their decision right then and there. The ones who found the connection to the work of God in that time were blest and recognized the message and ministry for their “today”. The others hardened their hearts and pronounced it to be of the devil.

Now, in this last generation, we are confronted with the same prophetic gift of discernment, which has repeated in the ministry of Bro. Branham. Countless people were saved and tens of thousands were healed from all manner of diseases. The blind received their sight, the lame were made to walk, speech and hearing was restored to deaf mutes, the dead were raised and even creative miracles took place. John 14:12 was literally fulfilled, “...the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he does...”

The audience was overwhelmed and overtaken with awe when the gift of discernment was in operation. While Bro. Branham was about to pray for someone, he saw in a vision the illness that had befallen them or their loved ones, the country, city and even the street address they came from, their domestic needs, etc. By divine revelation, he could tell them the secrets of their hearts. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two- edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the hearts” (Heb.4: 12).

Not one time did Almighty God fail to vindicate His Word and His prophet. The Lord remembered His covenant and commissioned Moses to deliver the people of Israel from their bondage. According to the promise of God to Abraham, they were to be brought out of Egypt after 400 years (Gen.15: 13). When the time of the fulfillment came, He revealed His Word unto Moses, His servant and prophet for that day. Moses had lined up with the Word of promise and God was with him every step of the way. Not only did he have the burning bush experience, but God continuously spoke to him face to face from the pillar of fire. There was no uncertainty and guessing in his ministry. His actions were based upon the solid Word, for he had the “Thus Saith the Lord” for his time. What a blessing to all who can acknowledge what God has said in 2 Chr.20: 20; “Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper”. As long as the children of Israel stayed with the Word of God, they were blest and taken care of in a special way: “Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light and the way wherein they should go. Thou gayest also thy good Spirit to instruct them and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, gayest them water for their thirst” (Neh.9: 19- 20).

Contrary to the revealed Word for that age, Balaam caused them to stumble by instructing them to “eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit one day three and twenty thousand” (1 Cor.10:8). In 2 Tim.3: 1-9, Paul was moved by the Holy Spirit to write of what was to take place in the latter days, “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds reprobate concerning the faith”. The Scripture cannot be broken. In the commission, Bro. Branham was told by the angel of the Lord, “As Moses was given two signs, you are also given two signs. If they won’t believe the first one, they will believe the second one”. In like manner, as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so did men have to rise to withstand the revealed Word of God through the prophetic ministry. These things must come to pass, “But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as their also was” (2 Tim.3: 9)

Every true servant of God will hold fast to the revealed Word of God in spite of the deception in our age. Be it a Balaam here with contrary teachings, a Jannes or Jambres there with signs and wonders, the work of God is going to be finished amongst the elect, because they cannot be deceived.

Under Joshua, the children of Israel marched on according to the Word for their day and arrived in the Promised Land. Thus, the Lord fulfilled His Word, “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses” (Josh.1: 3). Oh, that we could comprehend that all hopes and efforts are in vain if not based upon the promised Word of God! Even the running of our race is futile without the goal set before us in the Word, “And if a man also strives for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully” (2 Tim.2: 5). “Know ye not that they who run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain” (1 Cor.9: 24). The masses of Christendom are misled and kept in false hopes, which will end in utter disappointment, because they have not acknowledged the promised Word for their “today”.

We are all acquainted with the mighty ministry of the prophet Elijah, but do we realize that he stood under a direct commission of Almighty God? He took twelve stones, representing the twelve tribes of Israel, and repaired the altar of the Lord, “And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah, the prophet, came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word” (1Ki.18: 36).

Now it is evening time for the church. The promise of Zech.14: 7, “...but it shall come to pass that, at the evening time, it shall be light” had to be fulfilled before the midnight hour was to strike. “We have also a more sure word prophecy, unto which ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place...” (2 Pet.1: 19). By the revelation of the Word of prophecy, the light broke through. The children of God were brought back to the faith of the apostolic fathers –the doctrine of the twelve apostles.

The elect of all ages have been made aware of their “today”, and can wholeheartedly say with Solomon, “Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest unto his people, Israel, according to all that he promised: there has no failed one word of all his good promise...” (1Ki.8: 56). The significance of the revelation of the Word of God can never be overemphasized.

All true prophets could say “Thus Saith the Lord!” only after God had spoken to them. No person, be it king, minister or priest, nor any circumstance could influence them. This is confirmed in the reply the prophet Micaiah gave to the messenger who asked, “...let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good. And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, even what my God says, that will I speak” (2Chr.18: 12-13).

The four hundred were not prophets of God, but prophets of Israel. Because they have not taken heed to the Word of the Lord, spoken by the prophet Elijah, they fell for the misinterpretation given to them by a lying spirit, “...the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these, thy prophets...” (2Chr.18: 19-22). The true prophets of God cannot be deceived by a ‘lying spirit’ because they are completely controlled by the ‘Spirit of Truth’ –the Holy Spirit. We are reminded of the warning given in 2 Thess.2, “...because they received not the love of the truth...and for his cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” Whosoever does not believe the Truth of God’s Word, is given to strong delusions and forced to believe a lie –the misinterpretation, as it originated in the Garden of Eden. The ‘Spirit of Truth’ does not lead away from God’s Word, but guides us into all Truth and even reveals that, which is to come (Jn.16: 13). “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Rev.2-3).