What happened at the first coming of Christ, and what is taking place now, before His second coming? John came on the scene and bore witness of the light so that all people would come to the true faith (Jn 1:7). Just as Isa 40:3 and Mal 3:1 were fulfilled by the ministry of John the Baptist, namely that through his message he would reach the hearts of the fathers who were living in the beliefs of the Old Testament and prepare a people for the Lord (Lk 1:16-17), so the hearts of the children of God are now being brought back to the doctrine of the apostles, to the faith of the apostolic fathers. Through this last message a people is again prepared for the Lord.

In 1. Cor 10, Paul showed us the exodus of His chosen people Israel. They all stood under the cloud; all crossed the Red Sea; all were baptized unto Moses; all ate manna; all drank from the spiritual Rock, which was Christ (vv. 1-4).

Indeed, and then came the shattering verdict: “But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.” (v. 5). In verse 11 we are directly addressed: “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” This example was written down for us, the ones who are living at the time of end for this world, as a warning. It does not suffice to speak of the prophet, of the calling out, of the baptism, of the pillar of fire, of what God has done – we must ask ourselves what God has done in our lives and whether God is indeed well-pleased with us.

Back then God was not well-pleased with the majority of His chosen people Israel. But exactly that is the important thing, as the example of Enoch shows: Before his rapture, he received the testimony that God was pleased with him (Heb 11:5-6).

After all, that is what it is about, that we recognize the path which God is now taking with the Church, for that is the only way that God can be well-pleased with all of those who shall be raptured. In the deepest of their hearts, they are in absolute agreement with God, with His Word, and thereby also in His Will for this important phase in the completion of the Plan of Salvation.

The Lord had to say the following about His chosen people, who witnessed His great works for forty years and yet did not believe: “Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.” (Heb 3:10). Have we recognized the ways of the Lord with His Church for this time period? Or do we err in our hearts and go our own ways?

Here we must refer to 2. Cor 11:1-6. Paul, the man called by God, was filled with godly jealousy, for he had espoused the believers to one Husband, and he wanted to present a chaste virgin unto Christ. But he feared that the serpent would beguile the careless believers with malice and pull them away from Christ, unto the wicked one. Thus he drew the comparison to how it happened with Eve. After being beguiled, Eve was no longer a virgin. After being beguiled, she carried the seed of the serpent in her, gave herself to Adam, bore Cain, and right afterward bore Abel (Gen 4). There were two different seeds in Eve, two sons which were called brothers (Gen 4:8-10). Cain was a false brother; he was not the son of Adam and is not found in any genealogy register. He was the son of the wicked one (1 Jn 3:12).

Brother Branham emphasized many times with reference to Eve that it was just a single Word which the serpent added and then used to challenge everything that God had said. That is how the original sin, “the unbelief,” and finally the beguiling came about, which led to the physical and spiritual death. Therefore, Brother Branham repeatedly stressed the “original sin,” which entails all the other sins and transgressions. Every interpretation gives rise to doubts about what God has said and thus faith is undermined and substituted by unbelief.

What is the secret in regard to Christ and the Bride Church? Mary was engaged to Joseph, but she was a virgin. She believed the promise and said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” (Lk 1:38). The divine seed was placed into her womb by supernatural begetting, as it was foretold in Ps 22:9: “But thou art he that took me out of the womb …” and “Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” (Ps 2:7; 2 Sam 7:14). Thus the Word from Isa 7: 14 was fulfilled: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive …,” and the Word became flesh; the Son of God was born (Mat 1:18-25; Lk 1:26-38). Likewise, the divine Word seed, in which is the germ of life, is placed as the Word of promise into the virgin womb of the Church, from which the overcomers shall come forth and grow unto a perfect man (Eph 4:13).

It must be emphasized again and again that now, at the end of the time of grace, the true proclamation of the last divine message is more important than ever: the Word of promise over which God is keeping watch and which He Himself brings to fulfillment in the children of promise (Gal. 4:28).

What happened at the first coming of Christ, and what is taking place now, before His second coming? John came on the scene and bore witness of the light so that all people would come to the true faith (Jn 1:7). Just as Isa 40:3 and Mal 3:1 were fulfilled by the ministry of John the Baptist, namely that through his message he would reach the hearts of the fathers who were living in the beliefs of the Old Testament and prepare a people for the Lord (Lk 1:16-17), so the hearts of the children of God are now being brought back to the doctrine of the apostles, to the faith of the apostolic fathers. Through this last message a people is again prepared for the Lord.

In 1. Cor 10, Paul showed us the exodus of His chosen people Israel. They all stood under the cloud; all crossed the Red Sea; all were baptized unto Moses; all ate manna; all drank from the spiritual Rock, which was Christ (vv. 1-4).

Indeed, and then came the shattering verdict: “But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness.” (v. 5). In verse 11 we are directly addressed: “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” This example was written down for us, the ones who are living at the time of end for this world, as a warning. It does not suffice to speak of the prophet, of the calling out, of the baptism, of the pillar of fire, of what God has done – we must ask ourselves what God has done in our lives and whether God is indeed well-pleased with us.

Back then God was not well-pleased with the majority of His chosen people Israel. But exactly that is the important thing, as the example of Enoch shows: Before his rapture, he received the testimony that God was pleased with him (Heb 11:5-6).

After all, that is what it is about, that we recognize the path which God is now taking with the Church, for that is the only way that God can be well-pleased with all of those who shall be raptured. In the deepest of their hearts, they are in absolute agreement with God, with His Word, and thereby also in His Will for this important phase in the completion of the Plan of Salvation.

The Lord had to say the following about His chosen people, who witnessed His great works for forty years and yet did not believe: “Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.” (Heb 3:10). Have we recognized the ways of the Lord with His Church for this time period? Or do we err in our hearts and go our own ways?

Here we must refer to 2. Cor 11:1-6. Paul, the man called by God, was filled with godly jealousy, for he had espoused the believers to one Husband, and he wanted to present a chaste virgin unto Christ. But he feared that the serpent would beguile the careless believers with malice and pull them away from Christ, unto the wicked one. Thus he drew the comparison to how it happened with Eve. After being beguiled, Eve was no longer a virgin. After being beguiled, she carried the seed of the serpent in her, gave herself to Adam, bore Cain, and right afterward bore Abel (Gen 4). There were two different seeds in Eve, two sons which were called brothers (Gen 4:8-10). Cain was a false brother; he was not the son of Adam and is not found in any genealogy register. He was the son of the wicked one (1 Jn 3:12).

Brother Branham emphasized many times with reference to Eve that it was just a single Word which the serpent added and then used to challenge everything that God had said. That is how the original sin, “the unbelief,” and finally the beguiling came about, which led to the physical and spiritual death. Therefore, Brother Branham repeatedly stressed the “original sin,” which entails all the other sins and transgressions. Every interpretation gives rise to doubts about what God has said and thus faith is undermined and substituted by unbelief.

What is the secret in regard to Christ and the Bride Church? Mary was engaged to Joseph, but she was a virgin. She believed the promise and said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” (Lk 1:38). The divine seed was placed into her womb by supernatural begetting, as it was foretold in Ps 22:9: “But thou art he that took me out of the womb …” and “Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” (Ps 2:7; 2 Sam 7:14). Thus the Word from Isa 7: 14 was fulfilled: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive …,” and the Word became flesh; the Son of God was born (Mat 1:18-25; Lk 1:26-38). Likewise, the divine Word seed, in which is the germ of life, is placed as the Word of promise into the virgin womb of the Church, from which the overcomers shall come forth and grow unto a perfect man (Eph 4:13).

It must be emphasized again and again that now, at the end of the time of grace, the true proclamation of the last divine message is more important than ever: the Word of promise over which God is keeping watch and which He Himself brings to fulfillment in the children of promise (Gal. 4:28).