In addition, a second matter served as a painful lesson for us.

Since the experience of the baptism by the Holy Spirit in May 1949 in a church of the full Gospel in Hamburg, I experienced the blessed meetings of the independent Pentecostal churches. After a sermon, we all had great expectations that the Spirit of God would speak through the gifts of the Spirit – tongues, interpretation, and prophecies.

In the 1950s, we accepted the message and let it correct us in all doctrines as Brother Branham proclaimed them biblically – whether it was in reference to the Godhead, water baptism, Lord’s Supper, and so on. The church grew, and we continued to experience the moving of the Spirit. After the sermon, everybody was mainly waiting for prophecies to come forth. After all, it is written: “Despise not prophesyings.” But it is also written: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” When brothers and sisters were called by name as being in need of prayer, we thought that it was just like it was with Brother Branham: In his meetings there were people in the prayer line whom he did not know, and God showed him in visions their names, from where they had come, and what their affliction was. Here, however, the bearer of the gift knew the brothers and sisters whom she called, as we realized only later on. The thought never crossed anyone’s mind that something wrong, an imitation could have crept in.

In one prophecy, I was eventually called to ordain a married couple to the ministry. I did so without any hesitation. Then came Saturday, November 18, 1978. It was about 10:00 a.m. when the Lord spoke to me in a mighty, commanding voice: “My servant, search the Book of Acts whether a man together with his wife were ever ordained to the ministry.”

Immediately, I took my Bible and studied the Book of Acts as the Lord had commanded me. I had to discover that no apostle was called along with his wife and that even the seven men who looked after the poor were called without their wives. Only brothers were ordained to the fivefold ministry as apostles, prophets, teachers, shepherds, and evangelists. The moment I approached the above mentioned bearer of the gift with this, her attitude changed: Instead of submitting under the mighty hand of God and accepting the correction, the wrath of Satan broke through against me. I was threatened that I personally, my ministry, and the entire work would be destroyed. From that time on, the servant of God was called an adulterer, imposter, deceiver, even labelled as antichrist and much more. Since she was held in high esteem due to the gift of prophecy, many listened to her and believed her, including the brothers in the USA and Canada.

Many turned their backs on the Church along with her; only a few remained faithful, and the missionary work sustained serious damage worldwide. At that point in time, I had already preached the message in 85 countries. It seemed to be the end of my ministry. Hence, I wanted to put an end to my life on June 16, 1979, in the tidal waves of the North Sea. However, one question burned in my broken heart, and I prayed, “Dear Lord, I come to you now. Tell me why all this has come upon me.” In the next moment, it happened: From within a clap of thunder, which came down vertically on my right side and grew ever louder, these words were called out to me with an all-penetrating resonance: “Because you listened to the voice of your wife!” As God lives, this is the truth.

As is well-known to all who are in the message, on April 2, 1962, the Lord gave me precise instructions for my ministry with a commanding voice: Among them were the directives to go to other cities to preach His Word, not to establish local churches, not to publish a hymn book, etc. In the course of the following years, He repeatedly spoke to me with an audible voice when important decisions had to be made, as reported in previous Circular Letters. However, at this particular time, the wrath of God could be sensed in each one of the nine words that went forth with a thundering voice. As though I had been hit by lightning, I fell over to the left. When I returned to my lodging, I knelt down, opened the Bible, and my eyes fixed on the same words that God had addressed to Adam in Gen 3:17.

I understood that the correction given to me by God Himself was just as necessary as the one issued to Adam, who hearkened unto the voice of Eve after she had come under the influence of the serpent. Paul wrote about it: “For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” (1 Tim 2:11-14).

As it was back then in the natural realm, when two entirely different seeds came forth due to the beguiling of Eve, that is how it is now in the spiritual realm with the Church. For instance, some are grateful for the divine calling and the continuation of the ministry; others deny it and scoff at it. Some rejoice that the message is being carried into the entire world; others believe that everything ended with Brother Branham.

But as certain as the fall at the beginning was part of God’s Plan, so is everything in the permissive Will of God at the end of the time of grace. Without the fall by the beguiling of Eve, the Plan of Redemption purposed before the foundation of the world could not have come into force at all. Without the occurrences that took place in our time by God’s intervention, the completion of the Bride Church in absolute purity of the Word and working of the Spirit would not be possible. In the restored Church, everything must be in its rightful order, including the ministries and the gifts of the Spirit. As Brother Branham emphasized it many times in direct reference to Eve, the original sin is unbelief. Only when Eve listened to the serpent, who called into question what God had said to Adam, she could not help but believe Satan’s lie. The same is being repeated in our time. First Satan cast doubt on the calling of the servant of God and what he had been told, and then he gave his own, deceiving arguments credibility. That is how the beguiling occurred at the beginning, and it is how it takes place until the end.

If there would have been no fall in paradise, then we would not have heard anything about the Plan of Redemption. Everything was foreordained from before the foundation of the world. Likewise, our names were written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8). But since the time of the beguiling, an evil seed was sown worldwide, and an enmity arose between the two seeds (Gen 3:15), a hatred which goes beyond death. Amidst the deceived, nothing is heard or said of reconciliation. From the moment the line is crossed, there seems to be no return. The final judgment, however, we have to leave unto God. The beguiling of Eve led to the birth of the false seed, namely Cain, whom the Lord did not receive; only Abel and his sacrifice found His acceptance. God receives only His seed, His truly born-again sons and daughters. The good seed are the sons of the Kingdom – the wheat. “A seed shall serve Him …” (Ps 22:30).

The harvest is ripe, and the Lord will gather only His wheat into His garner (Mat 3:12). I am grateful to God, Who has shown me the overripe wheat field in which were no tares. After all, our Lord said in Mat 13:39-43 that the tares are gathered first. The Word-Seed was sown, has sprung up in all those who are part of the Bride Church, and comes to full maturity. Indeed, soon we may call out to one another: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” (Rev 19:7).

In addition, a second matter served as a painful lesson for us.

Since the experience of the baptism by the Holy Spirit in May 1949 in a church of the full Gospel in Hamburg, I experienced the blessed meetings of the independent Pentecostal churches. After a sermon, we all had great expectations that the Spirit of God would speak through the gifts of the Spirit – tongues, interpretation, and prophecies.

In the 1950s, we accepted the message and let it correct us in all doctrines as Brother Branham proclaimed them biblically – whether it was in reference to the Godhead, water baptism, Lord’s Supper, and so on. The church grew, and we continued to experience the moving of the Spirit. After the sermon, everybody was mainly waiting for prophecies to come forth. After all, it is written: “Despise not prophesyings.” But it is also written: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” When brothers and sisters were called by name as being in need of prayer, we thought that it was just like it was with Brother Branham: In his meetings there were people in the prayer line whom he did not know, and God showed him in visions their names, from where they had come, and what their affliction was. Here, however, the bearer of the gift knew the brothers and sisters whom she called, as we realized only later on. The thought never crossed anyone’s mind that something wrong, an imitation could have crept in.

In one prophecy, I was eventually called to ordain a married couple to the ministry. I did so without any hesitation. Then came Saturday, November 18, 1978. It was about 10:00 a.m. when the Lord spoke to me in a mighty, commanding voice: “My servant, search the Book of Acts whether a man together with his wife were ever ordained to the ministry.”

Immediately, I took my Bible and studied the Book of Acts as the Lord had commanded me. I had to discover that no apostle was called along with his wife and that even the seven men who looked after the poor were called without their wives. Only brothers were ordained to the fivefold ministry as apostles, prophets, teachers, shepherds, and evangelists. The moment I approached the above mentioned bearer of the gift with this, her attitude changed: Instead of submitting under the mighty hand of God and accepting the correction, the wrath of Satan broke through against me. I was threatened that I personally, my ministry, and the entire work would be destroyed. From that time on, the servant of God was called an adulterer, imposter, deceiver, even labelled as antichrist and much more. Since she was held in high esteem due to the gift of prophecy, many listened to her and believed her, including the brothers in the USA and Canada.

Many turned their backs on the Church along with her; only a few remained faithful, and the missionary work sustained serious damage worldwide. At that point in time, I had already preached the message in 85 countries. It seemed to be the end of my ministry. Hence, I wanted to put an end to my life on June 16, 1979, in the tidal waves of the North Sea. However, one question burned in my broken heart, and I prayed, “Dear Lord, I come to you now. Tell me why all this has come upon me.” In the next moment, it happened: From within a clap of thunder, which came down vertically on my right side and grew ever louder, these words were called out to me with an all-penetrating resonance: “Because you listened to the voice of your wife!” As God lives, this is the truth.

As is well-known to all who are in the message, on April 2, 1962, the Lord gave me precise instructions for my ministry with a commanding voice: Among them were the directives to go to other cities to preach His Word, not to establish local churches, not to publish a hymn book, etc. In the course of the following years, He repeatedly spoke to me with an audible voice when important decisions had to be made, as reported in previous Circular Letters. However, at this particular time, the wrath of God could be sensed in each one of the nine words that went forth with a thundering voice. As though I had been hit by lightning, I fell over to the left. When I returned to my lodging, I knelt down, opened the Bible, and my eyes fixed on the same words that God had addressed to Adam in Gen 3:17.

I understood that the correction given to me by God Himself was just as necessary as the one issued to Adam, who hearkened unto the voice of Eve after she had come under the influence of the serpent. Paul wrote about it: “For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” (1 Tim 2:11-14).

As it was back then in the natural realm, when two entirely different seeds came forth due to the beguiling of Eve, that is how it is now in the spiritual realm with the Church. For instance, some are grateful for the divine calling and the continuation of the ministry; others deny it and scoff at it. Some rejoice that the message is being carried into the entire world; others believe that everything ended with Brother Branham.

But as certain as the fall at the beginning was part of God’s Plan, so is everything in the permissive Will of God at the end of the time of grace. Without the fall by the beguiling of Eve, the Plan of Redemption purposed before the foundation of the world could not have come into force at all. Without the occurrences that took place in our time by God’s intervention, the completion of the Bride Church in absolute purity of the Word and working of the Spirit would not be possible. In the restored Church, everything must be in its rightful order, including the ministries and the gifts of the Spirit. As Brother Branham emphasized it many times in direct reference to Eve, the original sin is unbelief. Only when Eve listened to the serpent, who called into question what God had said to Adam, she could not help but believe Satan’s lie. The same is being repeated in our time. First Satan cast doubt on the calling of the servant of God and what he had been told, and then he gave his own, deceiving arguments credibility. That is how the beguiling occurred at the beginning, and it is how it takes place until the end.

If there would have been no fall in paradise, then we would not have heard anything about the Plan of Redemption. Everything was foreordained from before the foundation of the world. Likewise, our names were written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8). But since the time of the beguiling, an evil seed was sown worldwide, and an enmity arose between the two seeds (Gen 3:15), a hatred which goes beyond death. Amidst the deceived, nothing is heard or said of reconciliation. From the moment the line is crossed, there seems to be no return. The final judgment, however, we have to leave unto God. The beguiling of Eve led to the birth of the false seed, namely Cain, whom the Lord did not receive; only Abel and his sacrifice found His acceptance. God receives only His seed, His truly born-again sons and daughters. The good seed are the sons of the Kingdom – the wheat. “A seed shall serve Him …” (Ps 22:30).

The harvest is ripe, and the Lord will gather only His wheat into His garner (Mat 3:12). I am grateful to God, Who has shown me the overripe wheat field in which were no tares. After all, our Lord said in Mat 13:39-43 that the tares are gathered first. The Word-Seed was sown, has sprung up in all those who are part of the Bride Church, and comes to full maturity. Indeed, soon we may call out to one another: “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.” (Rev 19:7).