Isa 40:3 describes the ministry of John the Baptist: “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Initially, this was a promise. The following Word also pertains to it: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me …” (Mal 3:1a). When the time of fulfillment had come, the promise became a visible, audible, and tangible reality: “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.” (Jn 1:6-7).

At the height of his ministry, delegates came from Jerusalem with orders to ask him who he was. He said, “I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not.” – because according to the promise in Mal 4:5, Elijah will come on the scene only before the dreadful day of the Lord. The delegates further asked, “Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.” The question was not, “Are you a prophet?”, but it specifically referred to the promise in Dt 18:15-19: “Art thou that Prophet?” (Jn 1:19-27).

The promise with reference to the Messiah as a prophet was: “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” (Dt 18:18-19).

John was a prophet, but he was not the Prophet. He was more than the prophets of the Old Testament who announced the Savior, since he got to introduce Him. But he was not more than a man, and the least in the kingdom of God was greater than he (Mt 11:9-11). Through his unique ministry, the bridge from the Old to the New Testament had been built; therefore, it is written: “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.” (Lk 16:16). Through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Kingdom of God came down with great might, the founding of the New Testament Church took place, and the first ones pressed into it.

About Jesus, the Messiah, it is written: “Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ.” (Jn 7:40-41).

The Messiah as the Son of man was not only a prophet, He was “the Prophet.” He was “the Prophet,” the promised Savior – Jesus Christ, our Lord. Peter knew that the promise in the Old Testament pointed to Him, “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.” (Acts 3:22).

Stephen also made reference to it: “A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.” (Acts 7:37).

In Dt 18, in contrast to “the Prophet,” there is also mention of a prophet whom God sends (20-22). To demonstrate the difference to “the Prophet,” the fallibility of a prophet is shown in contrast to the infallibility of the God-Prophet: “But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” (Dt 18:20-22).

A true prophet remains a true prophet, even if he says something as human being for which he has not received a direct command from God. We are told very clearly when the Lord spoke through the prophet and when the prophet spoke of his own accord. “If the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken …” We have to accept the validity of this Scripture as well, and let it stand exactly as it is written.

On January 18, 1963, Brother Branham said, “I’m a mortal, subject to mistakes. He’s immortal, infallible. He has to keep His Word, but I don’t have to keep mine.” Just like John the Baptist, Brother Branham was a promised prophet, but also a man who liked to fish and who spent a lot of time hunting. Therefore, the Message that he had to bring to God’s people is not what he said as a man, but the words that God spoke through him.

Isa 40:3 describes the ministry of John the Baptist: “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Initially, this was a promise. The following Word also pertains to it: “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me …” (Mal 3:1a). When the time of fulfillment had come, the promise became a visible, audible, and tangible reality: “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.” (Jn 1:6-7).

At the height of his ministry, delegates came from Jerusalem with orders to ask him who he was. He said, “I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not.” – because according to the promise in Mal 4:5, Elijah will come on the scene only before the dreadful day of the Lord. The delegates further asked, “Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.” The question was not, “Are you a prophet?”, but it specifically referred to the promise in Dt 18:15-19: “Art thou that Prophet?” (Jn 1:19-27).

The promise with reference to the Messiah as a prophet was: “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” (Dt 18:18-19).

John was a prophet, but he was not the Prophet. He was more than the prophets of the Old Testament who announced the Savior, since he got to introduce Him. But he was not more than a man, and the least in the kingdom of God was greater than he (Mt 11:9-11). Through his unique ministry, the bridge from the Old to the New Testament had been built; therefore, it is written: “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.” (Lk 16:16). Through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Kingdom of God came down with great might, the founding of the New Testament Church took place, and the first ones pressed into it.

About Jesus, the Messiah, it is written: “Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ.” (Jn 7:40-41).

The Messiah as the Son of man was not only a prophet, He was “the Prophet.” He was “the Prophet,” the promised Savior – Jesus Christ, our Lord. Peter knew that the promise in the Old Testament pointed to Him, “For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.” (Acts 3:22).

Stephen also made reference to it: “A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.” (Acts 7:37).

In Dt 18, in contrast to “the Prophet,” there is also mention of a prophet whom God sends (20-22). To demonstrate the difference to “the Prophet,” the fallibility of a prophet is shown in contrast to the infallibility of the God-Prophet: “But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” (Dt 18:20-22).

A true prophet remains a true prophet, even if he says something as human being for which he has not received a direct command from God. We are told very clearly when the Lord spoke through the prophet and when the prophet spoke of his own accord. “If the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken …” We have to accept the validity of this Scripture as well, and let it stand exactly as it is written.

On January 18, 1963, Brother Branham said, “I’m a mortal, subject to mistakes. He’s immortal, infallible. He has to keep His Word, but I don’t have to keep mine.” Just like John the Baptist, Brother Branham was a promised prophet, but also a man who liked to fish and who spent a lot of time hunting. Therefore, the Message that he had to bring to God’s people is not what he said as a man, but the words that God spoke through him.