All of the faithful who believe what God promised for our time in the Old and the New Testament know that Brother Branham carried out his commission within the Plan of Salvation (Mal 4:5-6): “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet …” (Mat 17:11; Mk 9:12). He reported 18 times what he was told as it sounded forth from the direction of the supernatural cloud on June 11, 1933, during a baptismal service in the Ohio River. This is the quote of what he said on February 10, 1960: “As John, the Baptist, was sent to forerun the first coming of Christ, the message that is given you will be a forerunning of the second coming of Christ.”

Through his ministry, all mysteries which were hidden in the Word from Genesis (in particular the Fall of Man) up to the last chapter of the Bible were revealed to the Church. And, as he emphasized time and again, the message is: “Back to the Word! Back to the beginning! Back to Pentecost! Back to the doctrine of the apostles! Back to the Bible!”

What, I ask, is God’s purpose, and what is the result of the commission? “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.” (Mat 17:11). The present concern is this: that the true believers are restored to the original state of the faithful as it was at the beginning.

In Acts 13:24-25 Paul referred to John the Baptist and recalled his words at the end of his own ministry, when he said, “Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.”

At the end, the Church must experience the full restoration of all the gifts of the Spirit, of all the fruits of the Spirit, and of all the ministries through the working of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12; 1 Cor 14; Eph 4; and others), the way they were present at the beginning in the original Church. It is high time that each and every one examines himself or herself before God and looks into the mirror of the Word.

At the genuine baptism with the Holy Spirit, there are not a few foreign words spoken with the old tongue; no, at that time, the tongue is purified by the fire of the Holy Spirit: “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.” (Acts 2:3). True children of God talk to one another in love, not about each other in hatred. “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” (1 Jn 3:15).

James not only wrote of the tongue as being “full of deadly poison” (chap. 3:8), but also encouraged us to remain steadfast and patiently wait for the early and latter rain like a farmer does (chap. 5:7). In Heb 10:35-36 we are urged: “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God – this is imperative – ye might receive the promise.” And then it states: “For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”

We believe what the Holy Scripture says, namely that God Himself will complete His work of redemption, just as He completed His work of creation. John the Baptist was no longer on earth when the Redeemer completed the redemption on the cross for His Own. Brother Branham does not need to be on earth when the Lord takes the redeemed home. The divine Testament only speaks of the Return of Christ, but not that the prophet will return.

The Lord Himself will finish His Work with the redeemed with great power, according to His Word. The Church was established through the mighty working of the Holy Spirit, and that is how it shall be in the completion. “… Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Zec 4:6).

“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” (Jn 4:34).

The words of the Apostle Paul also apply to us: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ …” (Phil 1:6).

But he also gave the following warning, in the hope that the words of the prophet concerning unbelief might not apply: “Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.” (Acts 13:41).

In Heb 12:26 the apostle wrote by God’s commission: “Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.” Therewith, he referred to what is written in the Prophet Haggai: “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 …” (Hag 2:6).

The Prophet Isaiah announced already in the Old Testament that the Lord Himself would finish His Work: “For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.” (Isa 28:21).

In the New Testament, Paul likewise emphasized, as led by the Spirit of God: “For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” (Rom 9:28). That is what we are waiting for. Amen!

All of the faithful who believe what God promised for our time in the Old and the New Testament know that Brother Branham carried out his commission within the Plan of Salvation (Mal 4:5-6): “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet …” (Mat 17:11; Mk 9:12). He reported 18 times what he was told as it sounded forth from the direction of the supernatural cloud on June 11, 1933, during a baptismal service in the Ohio River. This is the quote of what he said on February 10, 1960: “As John, the Baptist, was sent to forerun the first coming of Christ, the message that is given you will be a forerunning of the second coming of Christ.”

Through his ministry, all mysteries which were hidden in the Word from Genesis (in particular the Fall of Man) up to the last chapter of the Bible were revealed to the Church. And, as he emphasized time and again, the message is: “Back to the Word! Back to the beginning! Back to Pentecost! Back to the doctrine of the apostles! Back to the Bible!”

What, I ask, is God’s purpose, and what is the result of the commission? “And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.” (Mat 17:11). The present concern is this: that the true believers are restored to the original state of the faithful as it was at the beginning.

In Acts 13:24-25 Paul referred to John the Baptist and recalled his words at the end of his own ministry, when he said, “Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.”

At the end, the Church must experience the full restoration of all the gifts of the Spirit, of all the fruits of the Spirit, and of all the ministries through the working of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12; 1 Cor 14; Eph 4; and others), the way they were present at the beginning in the original Church. It is high time that each and every one examines himself or herself before God and looks into the mirror of the Word.

At the genuine baptism with the Holy Spirit, there are not a few foreign words spoken with the old tongue; no, at that time, the tongue is purified by the fire of the Holy Spirit: “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.” (Acts 2:3). True children of God talk to one another in love, not about each other in hatred. “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” (1 Jn 3:15).

James not only wrote of the tongue as being “full of deadly poison” (chap. 3:8), but also encouraged us to remain steadfast and patiently wait for the early and latter rain like a farmer does (chap. 5:7). In Heb 10:35-36 we are urged: “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God – this is imperative – *ye might receive the promise.”* And then it states: ***“For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”*

We believe what the Holy Scripture says, namely that God Himself will complete His work of redemption, just as He completed His work of creation. John the Baptist was no longer on earth when the Redeemer completed the redemption on the cross for His Own. Brother Branham does not need to be on earth when the Lord takes the redeemed home. The divine Testament only speaks of the Return of Christ, but not that the prophet will return.

The Lord Himself will finish His Work with the redeemed with great power, according to His Word. The Church was established through the mighty working of the Holy Spirit, and that is how it shall be in the completion. “… Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Zec 4:6).

“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” (Jn 4:34).

The words of the Apostle Paul also apply to us: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ …” (Phil 1:6).

But he also gave the following warning, in the hope that the words of the prophet concerning unbelief might not apply: “Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.” (Acts 13:41).

In Heb 12:26 the apostle wrote by God’s commission: “Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.” Therewith, he referred to what is written in the Prophet Haggai: “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 …” (Hag 2:6).

The Prophet Isaiah announced already in the Old Testament that the Lord Himself would finish His Work: “For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.” (Isa 28:21).

In the New Testament, Paul likewise emphasized, as led by the Spirit of God: “For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” (Rom 9:28). That is what we are waiting for. Amen!