In Neh. 9 God’s way with Israel, beginning with the calling of Abraham, is shown to us: the Exodus from Egypt; the parting of the Red Sea; how the pillar of the cloud and the pillar of fire led them by day and by night; how God gave them commandments and instructions, food and drink, leading them all the way into the Promised Land. “Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them … Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.”

Indeed, God has done all this for His people. He gave the Holy Spirit; He gave the manna; He gave water; their clothes waxed not old, they remained like new during the 40 years; their feet swelled not. “Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, … Their children also multipliedst thou … so they … delighted themselves in thy great goodness.” The personal presence of God in the pillar of fire did not appear to just be admired, but it showed the way – at that time to the people of Israel and today to the true Church.

Then, however, came the “nevertheless”: “Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.” Hearing, believing, and obeying – that is what God wants from His people. “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” (Heb. 4:2).

In spite of everything good that He had done for them, God had to say, “Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways …” (Ps. 95:10).

Now comes the serious admonition: “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.” (1. Cor. 10:11). “Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice …” (Heb. 3:7).

More than forty years have passed since the mighty ministry of Brother Branham, and what is the result? The various directions and camps – and they all call themselves “message believers,” but many of them are going their own ways, thinking they are serving God, without actually being in the Will of God, and have not recognized God’s plan with the Church at all.

Be it with Israel or with the Church, true faith is connected with real obedience and the biblical blessing; unbelief is affiliated with disobedience and curse. And whoever spreads strange doctrines is under that curse because he preaches another gospel (Gal. 1; 2. Cor. 11). God is only in His Word; Satan is in every interpretation. We must go back to the beginning and walk on the illuminated way of God in faith and obedience.

The Apostle John, who already in his time had to deal with false prophets and false teachers, spoke exclusively to the children of God and, after he had exposed the antichrist spirit that was in the world even back then (v. 3), wrote the following in 1. Jn. 4:4-5: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.”

“We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” (1. Jn. 4:6). John addressed the true children of God when he said, “Ye are of God …,” and in reference to the true servants of God he stated, “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us …” With the statement “We are of God …,” he meant himself and all those whom the Lord called to the ministry. This is the apostolic authority connected to a commission: “… as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” (Jn. 20:21). These words apply to them as well: “He that heareth you heareth me.” (Lk. 10:16).

We see that from the very beginning there are two spirits, the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error, and two different groups. Each one is under a direct spiritual influence: one under the supernatural, divine influence and the other under the worldly, satanic influence. John explained, “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.” (1. Jn. 3:10). The two are as fundamentally different as Cain and Abel were, both of whom came from the bosom of their mother, Eve. Both believed in the same God; both offered sacrifices; both worshiped. Yet, they were two entirely different seeds.

Then the term message is added unto it, which is now of great importance. John continued with these words:“For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.” (vv. 11-12). As Brother Branham said, from every revival the two different seeds come forth, always as twins. Our Lord compared the proclamation of the message of the Word in Mt. 13:24-30 to the sowing of the seed and explained that “… the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one …” (v. 38). Both seeds are sown on the same field. The Son of Man sows the good seed; the enemy sows the evil seed. And the sun shines on the evil and on the good; the same rain falls on the just and on the unjust (Mt. 5:45). By their fruits you shall know them, not by their gifts!

What the Lord had to say to the unbelieving Jews back then is still valid today for all men from every nation: “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” (Jn. 8:47). Addressing his disciples, the Lord said then and even today, “But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.” (Mt. 13:16). It stays for ever true: He who is born of God hears the words of God! All Scripture is given by inspiration of God (2. Tim. 3:16), since men who have been sanctified by God proclaim, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, the things which the angels desire to look into (1. Pt. 1:12).

The fact remains: The last biblical message is reaching the ends of the earth, and all those who are truly of God will hear it.

In Neh. 9 God’s way with Israel, beginning with the calling of Abraham, is shown to us: the Exodus from Egypt; the parting of the Red Sea; how the pillar of the cloud and the pillar of fire led them by day and by night; how God gave them commandments and instructions, food and drink, leading them all the way into the Promised Land. “Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them … Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled not.”

Indeed, God has done all this for His people. He gave the Holy Spirit; He gave the manna; He gave water; their clothes waxed not old, they remained like new during the 40 years; their feet swelled not. “Moreover thou gavest them kingdoms and nations, … Their children also multipliedst thou … so they … delighted themselves in thy great goodness.” The personal presence of God in the pillar of fire did not appear to just be admired, but it showed the way – at that time to the people of Israel and today to the true Church.

Then, however, came the “nevertheless”: “Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.” Hearing, believing, and obeying – that is what God wants from His people. “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” (Heb. 4:2).

In spite of everything good that He had done for them, God had to say, “Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways …” (Ps. 95:10). 

Now comes the serious admonition: “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.” (1. Cor. 10:11). “Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice …” (Heb. 3:7).

More than forty years have passed since the mighty ministry of Brother Branham, and what is the result? The various directions and camps – and they all call themselves “message believers,” but many of them are going their own ways, thinking they are serving God, without actually being in the Will of God, and have not recognized God’s plan with the Church at all.

Be it with Israel or with the Church, true faith is connected with real obedience and the biblical blessing; unbelief is affiliated with disobedience and curse. And whoever spreads strange doctrines is under that curse because he preaches another gospel (Gal. 1; 2. Cor. 11). God is only in His Word; Satan is in every interpretation. We must go back to the beginning and walk on the illuminated way of God in faith and obedience.

The Apostle John, who already in his time had to deal with false prophets and false teachers, spoke exclusively to the children of God and, after he had exposed the antichrist spirit that was in the world even back then (v. 3), wrote the following in 1. Jn. 4:4-5: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.”

“We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.” (1. Jn. 4:6). John addressed the true children of God when he said, “Ye are of God …,” and in reference to the true servants of God he stated, “We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us …” With the statement “We are of God …,” he meant himself and all those whom the Lord called to the ministry. This is the apostolic authority connected to a commission: “… as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.” (Jn. 20:21). These words apply to them as well: “He that heareth you heareth me.” (Lk. 10:16).

We see that from the very beginning there are two spirits, the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error, and two different groups. Each one is under a direct spiritual influence: one under the supernatural, divine influence and the other under the worldly, satanic influence. John explained, “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.” (1. Jn. 3:10). The two are as fundamentally different as Cain and Abel were, both of whom came from the bosom of their mother, Eve. Both believed in the same God; both offered sacrifices; both worshiped. Yet, they were two entirely different seeds.

Then the term message is added unto it, which is now of great importance. John continued with these words:  “For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.” (vv. 11-12). As Brother Branham said, from every revival the two different seeds come forth, always as twins. Our Lord compared the proclamation of the message of the Word in Mt. 13:24-30 to the sowing of the seed and explained that “… the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one …” (v. 38). Both seeds are sown on the same field. The Son of Man sows the good seed; the enemy sows the evil seed. And the sun shines on the evil and on the good; the same rain falls on the just and on the unjust (Mt. 5:45). By their fruits you shall know them, not by their gifts!

What the Lord had to say to the unbelieving Jews back then is still valid today for all men from every nation: “He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.” (Jn. 8:47). Addressing his disciples, the Lord said then and even today, “But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.” (Mt. 13:16). It stays for ever true: He who is born of God hears the words of God! All Scripture is given by inspiration of God (2. Tim. 3:16), since men who have been sanctified by God proclaim, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, the things which the angels desire to look into (1. Pt. 1:12).

The fact remains: The last biblical message is reaching the ends of the earth, and all those who are truly of God will hear it.