In Mt 24, in Mk 13, in Lk 17, and in Lk 21 we are told what takes place in the end-time period, when the Son of Man is revealed, and we are also precisely told what happens when He comes. In our time He revealed Himself in the same way as He did back then, during the years of His ministry, when He walked on earth. HE came down in the cloud and in the pillar of light and found a vessel through which He could reveal Himself as the same Son of Man during the years of the prophetic ministry.

On May 7, 1946, the heavenly messenger told Brother Branham exactly what would take place in his ministry. The same prophetic sign of the Messiah as the Son of Man (Jn 1; Jn 4; Jn 5:19; a. o.), the way it came to pass in front of the Jews and the Samaritans back then, has taken place in our time in the Church from the nations. Brother Branham spoke about it before every healing service. Indeed, he compared it with what happened in the time of Sodom, when the LORD visited Abraham (Gen 18). This can be verified in his sermons in detail. I experienced it personally as an eye- and ear-witness in the years 1955-1965.

The Return of Jesus Christ, however, will happen suddenly, just as His ascension. HE confirmed it Himself, namely “…as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Mt 24:27). “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1. Cor 15:52).

Part of the more than 100 prophecies in the Old Testament, which were fulfilled at the first coming of Christ, is also Ps 47:6: “God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.” As the victor, the risen LORD ascended bodily to heaven in a cloud with a shout and the sound of a trumpet, and the Word was fulfilled: “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.” (Ps 24:7-8). At that time, the LORD also took the Old-Testament saints who rose with Him (Mt 27:50-54) into glory. According to Acts 1:9-11, the same risen LORD will return in like manner as He went up into heaven (Lk 24:51).

The same Word “shout” from Ps 47:6 can again be found in 1. Ths 4:16, when the LORD Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, the shout of victory. As it was with the raising of Lazarus, where it states: “And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.” (Jn 11:43), it will at that time first be about the resurrection of the ones who are asleep. According to 1. Ths 4:13-18, He will come again bodily with a shout, the sound of the trumpet, and with the voice of the archangel. When His loud, commanding voice sounds, the ones who fell asleep in Christ will rise first, and then we who are alive and remain will be changed from mortality into immortality.

The victory of the Redeemer is also the victory of the Redeemed. HIS resurrection is the guarantee for our resurrection. HIS changing of the body from mortality into immortality and His ascension – everything happened with Him and will happen with us. The Apostle Paul wrote about it: “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1. Cor 15:53-55).

The Rapture will be the absolute, final triumph, the crowning of the completed work of redemption, wherein all who are part of the Bride of the Lamb shall participate. It will be the completed divine reality, and we will be with the LORD for ever (1. Ths 4:17). The promise from Jn 14:1-3 will then be fulfilled: “… I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” Children of promise (Gal 4:28) believe all promises of God, which are yes and Amen (2. Cor 1:20-22).Then there will be great rejoicing, as Peter wrote: “… when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” (1. Pt 4:13b).

“And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the LORD God omnipotent reigneth. 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 19:6-7).

Everything will be completed reality! Whoever is truly begotten by the Word seed and the Spirit, whoever is born of God believes everything exactly the way the Scripture says it. Thanks be unto God that we can correctly place both things, namely “when He reveals Himself” and “what takes place when He comes,” in their divine, biblical order! HE has granted us His grace for it, and we have wholeheartedly respected “… that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” (2. Pt 1:20). Every private interpretation is a lie, a blasphemy.

Whoever teaches that with the opening of the Seals the mercy seat has become the judgment seat and the LORD is in the process of descending or has already come has fallen prey to a terrible error, and so have all those who believe it. It is still the time of grace; the blood still speaks for us (Col 1:14; Heb 9:14); as the ones sent by Him, we are still crying out: “… be ye reconciled to God.” (2. Cor 5:14-20); sinners still get saved. HE is still claiming His Own, all those who are ordained to eternal life (Acts 13:48)! The message, which is still forerunning the second coming of Christ, includes the full salvation.

Everything that the messenger said must be correctly placed into its divine order within the Bible. The written Word, to which Brother Branham referred again and again as his absolute, is the only absolute we have. Whoever does not place his statements into the Bible will inevitably misinterpret his quotes and lead the people astray. This is the very reason why all the various groups within the end-time message have come into existence. But wherever there is a false teaching, God cannot possibly be, for God is the absolute truth: “… that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” (1. Jn 5:20b). A religious service and the worship are in vain when commandments of men are being taught (Mt 15:8-9; Mk 7:6-7). The true God can in this case not even listen to it. The genuine worship is a holy requisite: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (Jn 4:24).

In Mt 24, in Mk 13, in Lk 17, and in Lk 21 we are told what takes place in the end-time period, when the Son of Man is revealed, and we are also precisely told what happens when He comes. In our time He revealed Himself in the same way as He did back then, during the years of His ministry, when He walked on earth. HE came down in the cloud and in the pillar of light and found a vessel through which He could reveal Himself as the same Son of Man during the years of the prophetic ministry. 

On May 7, 1946, the heavenly messenger told Brother Branham exactly what would take place in his ministry. The same prophetic sign of the Messiah as the Son of Man (Jn 1; Jn 4; Jn 5:19; a. o.), the way it came to pass in front of the Jews and the Samaritans back then, has taken place in our time in the Church from the nations. Brother Branham spoke about it before every healing service. Indeed, he compared it with what happened in the time of Sodom, when the LORD visited Abraham (Gen 18). This can be verified in his sermons in detail. I experienced it personally as an eye- and ear-witness in the years 1955-1965. 

The Return of Jesus Christ, however, will happen suddenly, just as His ascension. HE confirmed it Himself, namely “…as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Mt 24:27). “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (1. Cor 15:52). 

Part of the more than 100 prophecies in the Old Testament, which were fulfilled at the first coming of Christ, is also Ps 47:6: “God is gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.” As the victor, the risen LORD ascended bodily to heaven in a cloud with a shout and the sound of a trumpet, and the Word was fulfilled: “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.” (Ps 24:7-8). At that time, the LORD also took the Old-Testament saints who rose with Him (Mt 27:50-54) into glory. According to Acts 1:9-11, the same risen LORD will return in like manner as He went up into heaven (Lk 24:51). 

The same Word “shout” from Ps 47:6 can again be found in 1. Ths 4:16, when the LORD Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, the shout of victory. As it was with the raising of Lazarus, where it states: “And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.” (Jn 11:43), it will at that time first be about the resurrection of the ones who are asleep. According to 1. Ths 4:13-18, He will come again bodily with a shout, the sound of the trumpet, and with the voice of the archangel. When His loud, commanding voice sounds, the ones who fell asleep in Christ will rise first, and then we who are alive and remain will be changed from mortality into immortality. 

The victory of the Redeemer is also the victory of the Redeemed. HIS resurrection is the guarantee for our resurrection. HIS changing of the body from mortality into immortality and His ascension – everything happened with Him and will happen with us. The Apostle Paul wrote about it: “For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1. Cor 15:53-55). 

The Rapture will be the absolute, final triumph, the crowning of the completed work of redemption, wherein all who are part of the Bride of the Lamb shall participate. It will be the completed divine reality, and we will be with the LORD for ever (1. Ths 4:17). The promise from Jn 14:1-3 will then be fulfilled: “… I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” Children of promise (Gal 4:28) believe all promises of God, which are yes and Amen (2. Cor 1:20-22).Then there will be great rejoicing, as Peter wrote: “… when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.” (1. Pt 4:13b). 

“And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the LORD God omnipotent reigneth. 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 19:6-7). 

Everything will be completed reality! Whoever is truly begotten by the Word seed and the Spirit, whoever is born of God believes everything exactly the way the Scripture says it. Thanks be unto God that we can correctly place both things, namely “when He reveals Himself” and “what takes place when He comes,” in their divine, biblical order! HE has granted us His grace for it, and we have wholeheartedly respected “… that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” (2. Pt 1:20). Every private interpretation is a lie, a blasphemy. 

Whoever teaches that with the opening of the Seals the mercy seat has become the judgment seat and the LORD is in the process of descending or has already come has fallen prey to a terrible error, and so have all those who believe it. It is still the time of grace; the blood still speaks for us (Col 1:14; Heb 9:14); as the ones sent by Him, we are still crying out: “… be ye reconciled to God.” (2. Cor 5:14-20); sinners still get saved. HE is still claiming His Own, all those who are ordained to eternal life (Acts 13:48)! The message, which is still forerunning the second coming of Christ, includes the full salvation. 

Everything that the messenger said must be correctly placed into its divine order within the Bible. The written Word, to which Brother Branham referred again and again as his absolute, is the only absolute we have. Whoever does not place his statements into the Bible will inevitably misinterpret his quotes and lead the people astray. This is the very reason why all the various groups within the end-time message have come into existence. But wherever there is a false teaching, God cannot possibly be, for God is the absolute truth: “… that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” (1. Jn 5:20b). A religious service and the worship are in vain when commandments of men are being taught (Mt 15:8-9; Mk 7:6-7). The true God can in this case not even listen to it. The genuine worship is a holy requisite: “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (Jn 4:24).