The brochure “People ask, God answers by His Word” has been a blessing to many people all over the world. Yet especially ministering brethren are still approaching me with new questions and are requesting a public, clarifying answer. This mainly comes from those who present strange teachings and revelations. Up to this day, I have never mentioned a brother by name, whether it was during a meeting or in a brochure, and it shall remain like this in the future, unless God should directly command it.

The prophets that God commissioned and sent could not stop all the false prophets who inevitably rose up. The apostles could not prevent even in their time that false teachers and false apostles also came on the scene. Jesus Christ does not keep the false christs and false prophets from appearing. Nonetheless, at all times there was only one original calling, one direct commission connected to the plan of Salvation, and there were the various ministries placed into the Church (1. Cor. 12 + 14; Eph. 4; a. o.).

There was only one Noah, one Abraham, one Moses, one Joshua, etc. There was only one John the Baptist, one Apostle Peter, only one Apostle Paul. In the course of the entire church history, there was originally only one man who came on the scene with a special ministry and a divine mandate. In each message to the seven churches (Rev. 2 + 3) only one angel is addressed and spoken to, but is given the direct command to share the divine message with all the servants of God (Rev. 1:1-3).

In our time, as confirmed by God Himself, William Branham was the man sent from God with a message of restoration to the people of God before the second coming of Christ. In the time since Brother Branham was taken to glory, we can look back on many years in which the message has been carried into all the world, according to the Lord’s command, “… I will send you to other cities to preach My Word …” If the heavenly Bridegroom tarries for a little while longer, then the only reason is that the last ones can be called out and prepared for His coming. The message of the hour includes the whole counsel of God. Every biblical teaching, every biblical practice, the entire biblical order must be restored in the Church of Jesus Christ.

In recent times unbelievable teachings were spread about Matthew 25, just as previously the “seven-thunder revelations” circulated the earth and the speculations about the “mystery of the seventh seal” as well as about 1. Thess. 4 in reference to the coming of Christ and also about Rev. 10 were publicised. Nobody needs to present his philosophies about any of these subjects. Every event will take place the way it is written. That equally applies to Matt. 25. It shall happen precisely as the Lord said. Every interpretation is the work of the enemy. God does all things according to His Word and we must respect that.

We are awaiting the great things God has in store for us and have a deep longing to see them come to pass. Then by what authority do some brethren allow the enemy to repeatedly misuse them by having them present their interpretations in an attempt to appease the true desire burning within the believers to see the Word fulfilled?

The commission Brother Branham received was as follows, “As John the Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming of Christ, so the message given to you will forerun the second coming of Christ.” As a man sent from God, Brother Branham preached the full Gospel, just as the Apostle Paul did. He preached the complete message of God. Addressing especially the ministering brethren, he said, “You must not misinterpret, not misplace, not dislocate the Word.”

In the parable in Matt. 25 about the ten virgins who went out to meet the Bridegroom, the main concern is the oil in the lamps and the trimming of the lamps. Brother Branham said the following about this, “It’s true that we need to keep our lamps filled … You know, when they—as you burn … You can’t go on what you have done (See?), because fire burning out of oil makes a carbon; so that’s the reason the trimming of the … Have your lamps trimmed, because the carbon on top of the wick … So you must keep all the carbon trimmed off and that we might press on forward towards the mark of the high calling in Christ.” (1963-3-24)

“Notice, this is lamp trimming time, coming out and going in.” (1965-11-27)

“A Message comes forth first. Now, ‘Lamp trimming time. Rise and trim your lamps. … Behold the Bridegroom cometh. Rise and trim your lamps.’ And they did. Some of them found they didn’t even have any oil in their lamp. See? But it’s lamp trimming time.” (1965-4-12) Even during Brother Branham’s time was Matt. 25 the actual concern, just as it is today.

Since the message came forth, the calling-out from all things which are not in agreement with the Word of God is taking place and also the entering into the complete revelation of God’s Word. Seventy-five times Brother Branham referred to Zech. 14:7, emphasising and proclaiming, “It shall be light at the evening time.” He said this in reference to the message entrusted unto him. Oftentimes he sang the chorus, “It shall be light at the evening time, the path to glory you will surely find …” We have to leave it to God how long the time between evening and midnight will last.

In Matt. 24 we are told about the servant who shares the food with the entire household of God. In Matt. 25 we read about the virgins going out to meet the bridegroom. Half of them are wise and the other half are foolish. Both groups believe in the Return of Christ, both go out to meet the Bridegroom, both have lamps, namely spiritual enlightenment. Both groups fall asleep, as they think the Bridegroom tarries with His coming (2. Peter 3:9). Then there is a cry made at midnight, “Behold, the Bridegroom comes.” Therefore all virgins wake up and trim their lamps.

To the wise applies the following Scripture, “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. (2. Cor. 1:21-22). And then, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Eph. 1:13-14). A charismatic anointing is not enough. Those who truly believe have to receive the Word of truth as the divine seed into their hearts and then be sealed by the Holy Spirit. The Word of truth and the Spirit of truth belong together.

The last direct work of the Holy Spirit will be among the wise virgins. Only at that moment the foolish will realise that they do not have the fullness of the Spirit. Then they will approach the wise and ask them for oil. But can someone who is truly baptised with the Holy Spirit give the oil of the Spirit to another believer? Certainly not! This is the great lesson: Only Jesus Christ baptises with the Holy Ghost and fire. Only He fulfils the promise of the Father and endues with power from on high (Matt. 3:11-12; Lk. 24:49; Acts 1:1-9). In his first sermon on the day of Pentecost the Apostle Peter commanded the believers to be baptised in water and also preached about the baptism by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39). The wise believe as the Scripture says. They are baptised by immersion in water in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a confirmation. In Matt. 25 the whole truth comes to light. The wise do not send the foolish to Jesus Christ, who baptises with the Holy Ghost, but to them that sell, to those who give the impression that they can pass “on” the power of the Holy Spirit to others.

All around the earth two things are happening in this regard: There are those who remain under the influence of false teachings, as is the case in all charismatic meetings, when people are called to the front to receive the Holy Spirit without prior instruction about the scriptural baptism of the believers in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. According to their program people fall backwards, are nicely caught by those who stand behind them, and the “anointed ones of the end time” shout out loud, “You are slain under the power of the Holy Spirit!” The false anointed ones and the false prophets remain in their false traditional teachings and never even consider to accept correction for themselves and adjust to the biblical teachings. They do not place the emphasis on the Word which remains eternally, but rather on signs and wonders. Then there are the ones who separate themselves and line up with the revealed Word of God. They eat from the hidden manna and are sanctified by the Spirit of truth in the Word of truth.

During the last move of the Holy Spirit, when the power of God will be revealed as never before, then the foolish will realise that they have not received the true fullness of the Holy Spirit. They will be sent to those who sell in order to buy oil. Why “buy”? The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a gift of God. In the charismatic meetings the so-called “moving of the Holy Spirit” is connected to big business. Not only in his sermon “The Anointed Ones of the End Time”, but repeatedly did Brother Branham speak about those who would perform great signs and wonders and that, if it were possible, as our Lord said, they would deceive the very elect (Matt. 24:24). The foolish obviously have not reached this personal relationship with the Lord. They have not found their way back to the true teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ. They did not fully come out from all traditional teachings and therefore will go to those who sell instead of coming to Jesus Christ to get the oil of the Holy Spirit. “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.”

The foolish virgins who knock at the closed door say, “Lord, Lord, open to us.” The answer they will receive is very similar to the one that was given to those who performed all the great signs and wonders according to Matt. 7:21-25. They also say, “Lord, Lord, have we not done all these things in your Name?” His answer will be, “I never knew you.”

The wise virgins are prepared and ready to go to the marriage supper (v. 10). They are not impressed by charismatic meetings, they believe the revealed Word of God and are led by the Holy Spirit into all the Truth. They recognise that God does all things according to His promised Word, they acknowledge that God has sent His prophet through whose ministry all things were restored and brought back into the scriptural church order. They come back to the first love, because only perfect love will enter there. That is how it was revealed to Brother Branham. The Apostle Paul also taught, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity …” (1. Cor. 13).

Each one of us must ask himself or herself, “Am I ready? Is my lamp trimmed? Do I have the oil of the Spirit in me and with me? Do I have oil in my lamp? Do I have oil in my vessel to refill? Do I walk with God as Enoch did?” Only then can we be ready for the moment of the Return of Jesus Christ and partake in the rapture.

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”(1. Th. 4:15-18).

The brochure “People ask, God answers by His Word” has been a blessing to many people all over the world. Yet especially ministering brethren are still approaching me with new questions and are requesting a public, clarifying answer. This mainly comes from those who present strange teachings and revelations. Up to this day, I have never mentioned a brother by name, whether it was during a meeting or in a brochure, and it shall remain like this in the future, unless God should directly command it.

The prophets that God commissioned and sent could not stop all the false prophets who inevitably rose up. The apostles could not prevent even in their time that false teachers and false apostles also came on the scene. Jesus Christ does not keep the false christs and false prophets from appearing. Nonetheless, at all times there was only one original calling, one direct commission connected to the plan of Salvation, and there were the various ministries placed into the Church (1. Cor. 12 + 14; Eph. 4; a. o.).

There was only one Noah, one Abraham, one Moses, one Joshua, etc. There was only one John the Baptist, one Apostle Peter, only one Apostle Paul. In the course of the entire church history, there was originally only one man who came on the scene with a special ministry and a divine mandate. In each message to the seven churches (Rev. 2 + 3) only one angel is addressed and spoken to, but is given the direct command to share the divine message with all the servants of God (Rev. 1:1-3).

In our time, as confirmed by God Himself, William Branham was the man sent from God with a message of restoration to the people of God before the second coming of Christ. In the time since Brother Branham was taken to glory, we can look back on many years in which the message has been carried into all the world, according to the Lord’s command, “… I will send you to other cities to preach My Word …” If the heavenly Bridegroom tarries for a little while longer, then the only reason is that the last ones can be called out and prepared for His coming. The message of the hour includes the whole counsel of God. Every biblical teaching, every biblical practice, the entire biblical order must be restored in the Church of Jesus Christ.

In recent times unbelievable teachings were spread about Matthew 25, just as previously the “seven-thunder revelations” circulated the earth and the speculations about the “mystery of the seventh seal” as well as about 1. Thess. 4 in reference to the coming of Christ and also about Rev. 10 were publicised. Nobody needs to present his philosophies about any of these subjects. Every event will take place the way it is written. That equally applies to Matt. 25. It shall happen precisely as the Lord said. Every interpretation is the work of the enemy. God does all things according to His Word and we must respect that.

We are awaiting the great things God has in store for us and have a deep longing to see them come to pass. Then by what authority do some brethren allow the enemy to repeatedly misuse them by having them present their interpretations in an attempt to appease the true desire burning within the believers to see the Word fulfilled?

The commission Brother Branham received was as follows, “As John the Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming of Christ, so the message given to you will forerun the second coming of Christ.” As a man sent from God, Brother Branham preached the full Gospel, just as the Apostle Paul did. He preached the complete message of God. Addressing especially the ministering brethren, he said, “You must not misinterpret, not misplace, not dislocate the Word.”

In the parable in Matt. 25 about the ten virgins who went out to meet the Bridegroom, the main concern is the oil in the lamps and the trimming of the lamps. Brother Branham said the following about this, “It’s true that we need to keep our lamps filled … You know, when they—as you burn … You can’t go on what you have done (See?), because fire burning out of oil makes a carbon; so that’s the reason the trimming of the … Have your lamps trimmed, because the carbon on top of the wick … So you must keep all the carbon trimmed off and that we might press on forward towards the mark of the high calling in Christ.” (1963-3-24)

“Notice, this is lamp trimming time, coming out and going in.” (1965-11-27)

“A Message comes forth first. Now, ‘Lamp trimming time. Rise and trim your lamps. … Behold the Bridegroom cometh. Rise and trim your lamps.’ And they did. Some of them found they didn’t even have any oil in their lamp. See? But it’s lamp trimming time.” (1965-4-12) Even during Brother Branham’s time was Matt. 25 the actual concern, just as it is today.

Since the message came forth, the calling-out from all things which are not in agreement with the Word of God is taking place and also the entering into the complete revelation of God’s Word. Seventy-five times Brother Branham referred to Zech. 14:7, emphasising and proclaiming, “It shall be light at the evening time.” He said this in reference to the message entrusted unto him. Oftentimes he sang the chorus, “It shall be light at the evening time, the path to glory you will surely find…” We have to leave it to God how long the time between evening and midnight will last.

In Matt. 24 we are told about the servant who shares the food with the entire household of God. In Matt. 25 we read about the virgins going out to meet the bridegroom. Half of them are wise and the other half are foolish. Both groups believe in the Return of Christ, both go out to meet the Bridegroom, both have lamps, namely spiritual enlightenment. Both groups fall asleep, as they think the Bridegroom tarries with His coming (2. Peter 3:9). Then there is a cry made at midnight, “Behold, the Bridegroom comes.” Therefore all virgins wake up and trim their lamps.

To the wise applies the following Scripture, “Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. (2. Cor. 1:21-22). And then, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” (Eph. 1:13-14). A charismatic anointing is not enough. Those who truly believe have to receive the Word of truth as the divine seed into their hearts and then be sealed by the Holy Spirit. The Word of truth and the Spirit of truth belong together.

The last direct work of the Holy Spirit will be among the wise virgins. Only at that moment the foolish will realise that they do not have the fullness of the Spirit. Then they will approach the wise and ask them for oil. But can someone who is truly baptised with the Holy Spirit give the oil of the Spirit to another believer? Certainly not! This is the great lesson: Only Jesus Christ baptises with the Holy Ghost and fire. Only He fulfils the promise of the Father and endues with power from on high (Matt. 3:11-12; Lk. 24:49; Acts 1:1-9). In his first sermon on the day of Pentecost the Apostle Peter commanded the believers to be baptised in water and also preached about the baptism by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39). The wise believe as the Scripture says. They are baptised by immersion in water in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a confirmation. In Matt. 25 the whole truth comes to light. The wise do not send the foolish to Jesus Christ, who baptises with the Holy Ghost, but to them that sell, to those who give the impression that they can pass “on” the power of the Holy Spirit to others.

All around the earth two things are happening in this regard: There are those who remain under the influence of false teachings, as is the case in all charismatic meetings, when people are called to the front to receive the Holy Spirit without prior instruction about the scriptural baptism of the believers in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. According to their program people fall backwards, are nicely caught by those who stand behind them, and the “anointed ones of the end time” shout out loud, “You are slain under the power of the Holy Spirit!” The false anointed ones and the false prophets remain in their false traditional teachings and never even consider to accept correction for themselves and adjust to the biblical teachings. They do not place the emphasis on the Word which remains eternally, but rather on signs and wonders. Then there are the ones who separate themselves and line up with the revealed Word of God. They eat from the hidden manna and are sanctified by the Spirit of truth in the Word of truth.

During the last move of the Holy Spirit, when the power of God will be revealed as never before, then the foolish will realise that they have not received the true fullness of the Holy Spirit. They will be sent to those who sell in order to buy oil. Why “buy”? The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a gift of God. In the charismatic meetings the so-called “moving of the Holy Spirit” is connected to big business. Not only in his sermon “The Anointed Ones of the End Time”, but repeatedly did Brother Branham speak about those who would perform great signs and wonders and that, if it were possible, as our Lord said, they would deceive the very elect (Matt. 24:24). The foolish obviously have not reached this personal relationship with the Lord. They have not found their way back to the true teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ. They did not fully come out from all traditional teachings and therefore will go to those who sell instead of coming to Jesus Christ to get the oil of the Holy Spirit. “And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.”

The foolish virgins who knock at the closed door say, “Lord, Lord, open to us.” The answer they will receive is very similar to the one that was given to those who performed all the great signs and wonders according to Matt. 7:21-25. They also say, “Lord, Lord, have we not done all these things in your Name?” His answer will be, “I never knew you.”

The wise virgins are prepared and ready to go to the marriage supper (v. 10). They are not impressed by charismatic meetings, they believe the revealed Word of God and are led by the Holy Spirit into all the Truth. They recognise that God does all things according to His promised Word, they acknowledge that God has sent His prophet through whose ministry all things were restored and brought back into the scriptural church order. They come back to the first love, because only perfect love will enter there. That is how it was revealed to Brother Branham. The Apostle Paul also taught, “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity …” (1. Cor. 13).

Each one of us must ask himself or herself, “Am I ready? Is my lamp trimmed? Do I have the oil of the Spirit in me and with me? Do I have oil in my lamp? Do I have oil in my vessel to refill? Do I walk with God as Enoch did?” Only then can we be ready for the moment of the Return of Jesus Christ and partake in the rapture.

“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”  (1. Th. 4:15-18).