In direct responsibility before God, some additional things need to be said. I just finished re-reading the two sermons “Doing God a service without it being His Will,” from July 18 and November 27, 1965, and have come to the conclusion that the matter at hand is not the examples mentioned by Brother Branham, namely not what Balaam, Korah, Jannes and Jambres, and others did, but instead it is about the profound lesson that we must learn from it. When David wanted to bring the Arc of the Covenant to Jerusalem without being commissioned to do so by the Lord, the oxen stumbled and Uzza tried to protect the Arc of the Covenant from falling down and had to die.

We probably would have thanked him for being in the right place at that critical moment, doing the right thing. God, however, did not commend him for it, but rather brought judgment by death. Why? Because He Himself had given the order that the Arc of the Covenant was to be carried only by the priests from the tribe of Levi (Dt. 10). What an important lesson!

Not a new program, not a new wagon, not a new revelation, but men of God who were called by Him to carry the words of His covenant. We see this especially with Joshua in chapter 3, as they crossed the River Jordan, and in chapter 6, when the walls of Jericho fell. Only when all things are done strictly according to the Word and commission of God can we be certain of the victory of God as we enter to take possession of the Promised Land.

What are the lessons we learn from the testimonies in the Holy Scripture and from the examples mentioned by Brother Branham? Moses and all the prophets had a direct commission. In view of the New Testament, John the Baptist had a direct commission. The Apostle Peter also had a special commission, and the Apostle Paul had an extraordinary commission that served to bring the Gospel unto the nations (2. Tim. 4:17). It was part of his commission. Let us take a look at the keyword “send,” which goes along with a true calling.

“And how shall they preach, except they be sent?” (Rom. 10:15).

“Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh …”
(Ex. 3:10).

“Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you.” (Ex. 3:14b).

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” (Isa. 6:8).

“But the Lord said unto me, Say not I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.” (Jer. 1:7).

“Behold, I will send my Messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me …” (Mal. 3:1).

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord …” (Mal. 4:5).

Brother Branham strongly emphasised this; the absolute is sensed in his words: “God never changes His mind. His first decision is perfect and right.” (Sermon from November 27, 1965).

The denial of a commission pronounced by the Almighty Himself with an audible and clear voice can be compared to spitting in His face and accusing Him of fallibility. It is possible that someone who has been called for a specific ministry has to endure trials unlike anyone else. However, the assertion that, even though the calling is genuine and true, he can no longer continue his ministry is also a blasphemous statement.

God’s original decision remains for all eternity. Not once did He change His decisions. David is the best example for that. There was his son Absalom, who had three sons and one daughter, and he was responsible for David having to leave Jerusalem. He managed to bring the most important people under his influence and had proclaimed himself to be the king. Parallel to this, David was slandered, and Shimei even cursed him und threw stones at him, but David pressed on, weeping, amidst all the disdain. The agony that his son had caused him was very severe. But then came the moment when David took his rightful place, as ordained for him by God. All the other things were merely trials. He could even say, “Let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him.” (2. Sam. 16:11). Christ, the son of David, even prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

The slander – “… don’t you know what my father did?” – no longer had any effect. Whatever God decides is perfect and remains for ever, and Christ, our Lord, is called the son of David even in the very last chapter of the Bible. The claim that God would ever take back a calling or a commission is intentional blasphemy.

If God did not have a direct plan in our day, which is the most important time in this 6,000-year period, and all people could do whatever they wanted, then it would take us back into the time of Judges, when everybody did as they pleased. That can never be.

God promised a prophet and did send him. God promised that the message given to him would forerun the second coming of Christ. God Himself saw to it that I would personally come to know that man of God from 1955 until 1965. I have kept the 21 letters from our years of correspondence. God Himself led in such a way that I was granted the privilege of being a true eyewitness of that extraordinary ministry in his meetings.

In 1958, by God’s grace, I came to recognize his calling and commission in the plan of Salvation. In 1962 he saw a vision and told me about the divine calling and that I should preach the Word and eventually give out the spiritual food. In April 1966, in the evening of the sad day of his burial, the dear Lord reminded me of the words to go from city to city: “Now the time has come to take the message to all the world.” With God’s help, I have done that ever since, with all possible effort.

He Who said, “I will send you to other cities,” knew what He was doing and millions of people have heard His Word from my lips.

Now we come to the serious question, which is repeatedly being asked: Was there another evangelist in Brother Branham’s time who had the same calling and commission? NO! There were, however, many imitators. The next question is: Is there someone else on earth today who heard the all-penetrating Voice of the Lord in his mother tongue and thus received a direct commission according to God’s plan of Salvation? That I cannot answer. It should be presented to every brother who travels to different countries and cities in order to preach. When there is no direct calling, the following question is warranted:

Who did commission these brothers? Is it enough that they have the dollars – be they Australian, New Zealand, Canadian, or US dollars? How can they be placed according to the Word and what Brother Branham said if they have not actually received a divine calling and commission? Is there someone who can name the day and place of when and where he received a direct calling? Or does what Brother Branham said apply here: Doing God a service without it being His Will?

The time has come for the scriptural end-time message to be preached in the direct Will of God so that God’s people can be led into the perfect Will of God. Everyone has to decide where he stands; we have to be on God’s side to be able to participate in what is now happening with the Bride Church. Only where God’s Word is the final authority will all the wrong teachings, misguidance, and interpretations cease for ever. The Church of Jesus Christ must now be brought back into step and that is only possible when we are in agreement with God’s Word. There is a divine commission in our time, and the Word entrusted unto us will accomplish what God has sent it for.

“For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.” (Isa. 28:21).

“For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” (Rom. 9:28).

“Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.” (Heb. 12:26).

May the Lord richly bless all of you.

By His commission

In direct responsibility before God, some additional things need to be said. I just finished re-reading the two sermons “Doing God a service without it being His Will,” from July 18 and November 27, 1965, and have come to the conclusion that the matter at hand is not the examples mentioned by Brother Branham, namely not what Balaam, Korah, Jannes and Jambres, and others did, but instead it is about the profound lesson that we must learn from it. When David wanted to bring the Arc of the Covenant to Jerusalem without being commissioned to do so by the Lord, the oxen stumbled and Uzza tried to protect the Arc of the Covenant from falling down and had to die.

We probably would have thanked him for being in the right place at that critical moment, doing the right thing. God, however, did not commend him for it, but rather brought judgment by death. Why? Because He Himself had given the order that the Arc of the Covenant was to be carried only by the priests from the tribe of Levi (Dt. 10). What an important lesson!

Not a new program, not a new wagon, not a new revelation, but men of God who were called by Him to carry the words of His covenant. We see this especially with Joshua in chapter 3, as they crossed the River Jordan, and in chapter 6, when the walls of Jericho fell. Only when all things are done strictly according to the Word and commission of God can we be certain of the victory of God as we enter to take possession of the Promised Land. 

What are the lessons we learn from the testimonies in the Holy Scripture and from the examples mentioned by Brother Branham? Moses and all the prophets had a direct commission. In view of the New Testament, John the Baptist had a direct commission. The Apostle Peter also had a special commission, and the Apostle Paul had an extraordinary commission that served to bring the Gospel unto the nations (2. Tim. 4:17). It was part of his commission. Let us take a look at the keyword “send,” which goes along with a true calling.

“And how shall they preach, except they be sent?” (Rom. 10:15).

“Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh …”
(Ex. 3:10).

“Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you.” (Ex. 3:14b).

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.” (Isa. 6:8).

“But the Lord said unto me, Say not I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.” (Jer. 1:7).

“Behold, I will send my Messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me …” (Mal. 3:1).

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord …” (Mal. 4:5).

Brother Branham strongly emphasised this; the absolute is sensed in his words: “God never changes His mind. His first decision is perfect and right.” (Sermon from November 27, 1965).

The denial of a commission pronounced by the Almighty Himself with an audible and clear voice can be compared to spitting in His face and accusing Him of fallibility. It is possible that someone who has been called for a specific ministry has to endure trials unlike anyone else. However, the assertion that, even though the calling is genuine and true, he can no longer continue his ministry is also a blasphemous statement. 

God’s original decision remains for all eternity. Not once did He change His decisions. David is the best example for that. There was his son Absalom, who had three sons and one daughter, and he was responsible for David having to leave Jerusalem. He managed to bring the most important people under his influence and had proclaimed himself to be the king. Parallel to this, David was slandered, and Shimei even cursed him und threw stones at him, but David pressed on, weeping, amidst all the disdain. The agony that his son had caused him was very severe. But then came the moment when David took his rightful place, as ordained for him by God. All the other things were merely trials. He could even say, “Let him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him.” (2. Sam. 16:11). Christ, the son of David, even prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

The slander – “… don’t you know what my father did?” – no longer had any effect. Whatever God decides is perfect and remains for ever, and Christ, our Lord, is called the son of David even in the very last chapter of the Bible. The claim that God would ever take back a calling or a commission is intentional blasphemy.

If God did not have a direct plan in our day, which is the most important time in this 6,000-year period, and all people could do whatever they wanted, then it would take us back into the time of Judges, when everybody did as they pleased. That can never be.

God promised a prophet and did send him. God promised that the message given to him would forerun the second coming of Christ. God Himself saw to it that I would personally come to know that man of God from 1955 until 1965. I have kept the 21 letters from our years of correspondence. God Himself led in such a way that I was granted the privilege of being a true eyewitness of that extraordinary ministry in his meetings. 

In 1958, by God’s grace, I came to recognize his calling and commission in the plan of Salvation. In 1962 he saw a vision and told me about the divine calling and that I should preach the Word and eventually give out the spiritual food. In April 1966, in the evening of the sad day of his burial, the dear Lord reminded me of the words to go from city to city: “Now the time has come to take the message to all the world.” With God’s help, I have done that ever since, with all possible effort.

He Who said, “I will send you to other cities,” knew what He was doing and millions of people have heard His Word from my lips.

Now we come to the serious question, which is repeatedly being asked: Was there another evangelist in Brother Branham’s time who had the same calling and commission? NO! There were, however, many imitators. The next question is: Is there someone else on earth today who heard the all-penetrating Voice of the Lord in his mother tongue and thus received a direct commission according to God’s plan of Salvation? That I cannot answer. It should be presented to every brother who travels to different countries and cities in order to preach. When there is no direct calling, the following question is warranted:

Who did commission these brothers? Is it enough that they have the dollars – be they Australian, New Zealand, Canadian, or US dollars? How can they be placed according to the Word and what Brother Branham said if they have not actually received a divine calling and commission? Is there someone who can name the day and place of when and where he received a direct calling? Or does what Brother Branham said apply here: Doing God a service without it being His Will?

The time has come for the scriptural end-time message to be preached in the direct Will of God so that God’s people can be led into the perfect Will of God. Everyone has to decide where he stands; we have to be on God’s side to be able to participate in what is now happening with the Bride Church. Only where God’s Word is the final authority will all the wrong teachings, misguidance, and interpretations cease for ever. The Church of Jesus Christ must now be brought back into step and that is only possible when we are in agreement with God’s Word. There is a divine commission in our time, and the Word entrusted unto us will accomplish what God has sent it for. 

“For the Lord shall rise up as in mount Perazim, he shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work, his strange work; and bring to pass his act, his strange act.” (Isa. 28:21).

“For he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.” (Rom. 9:28). 

“Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.” (Heb. 12:26).

May the Lord richly bless all of you.

By His commission