I am a witness
/ Ewald Frank
I am a witness
A Testimony of Missionary Ewald Frank
recorded in December 1997
A true Witness
I greet you all in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am brother Frank from Germany – a true witness of the things God has done in our generation. I wish to share my testimony with all of you worldwide hoping that everyone will understand the things, which are said in the right way.
I’d like to read from Luke chapter 1 from verse 1:
“Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee…”
This is a very special declaration set forth in the Gospel of Luke. He states that many have already given their report and then he being ordained of God, gives also his account of the things he saw and heard. He says: “…who were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word…” It is not enough to be an eyewitness, it is not enough to be a minister of the Word. If God fulfills prophecy, if the plan of salvation comes to fulfillment, we need men of God who are both – eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word, who can place what happened within the framework of the Holy Scriptures.
Then this man of God makes a very bold statement declaring:
“…having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first…”
Someone might think: “This is too much for a human being to say.” But if God is in it, if God chooses somebody to speak or to write, He, the perfect God, gives perfect understanding by the perfect Word of God to those He uses in His kingdom.
I also wish to read from 1st John chapter 1 verse 1:
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life…”
We are acquainted with all these Scriptures. God had witnesses in the Old and the New Testament. Whenever He does something, there is someone He can use to show forth from the Scriptures that whatever He promised has come to pass. We are dealing with the plan of salvation, which now comes to its completion.
In Acts chapter 1 our Lord said: “Ye are my witnesses.”
In Isaiah 43 the Lord said: “Ye are my witnesses.”
In 2nd Peter chapter 1, the apostle gives his testimony with the following words stating in verse 16:
“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”
Then in verse 18 the apostle states: ”And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.”
If we deal with God and fulfillment of Bible prophecy, if we deal with a ministry ordained of Almighty God, we must always go back to the Scriptures and there we find the promise and we also find the answer as God is fulfilling his promised Word.
If we look into the history of mankind into the Old Testament for a moment – whenever something special was to take place on earth, God found someone whom He could speak to, whom He could use at that time. We know about the prophets, we've heard about Enoch, about Noah, about Abraham, about Moses, about Elijah, and about all the prophets to whom the Lord God spoke, who were witnesses, who heard his voice, who were in contact, in direct fellowship with God under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Then we also realize – before God did something – as the Scripture says in Amos 3:7: “God does nothing unless he reveals his secret first to his servants the prophets.“ Abraham was a prophet of the Almighty and in Genesis 18 we find the record of the Lord and two Angels visiting this prophet and in verse 17 our Lord said: “How can I keep from you what I'm going to do…” The two angels went on to Sodom – according to Genesis chapter 19 – but the Lord remained with Abraham and confirmed His promise, which later was fulfilled in Isaac.
Beloved brothers and sisters, ladies and gentlemen, if we look into the Old Testament, then the history of the New Testament church was already fulfilled. All the things, which are taking place in the period of the New Testament, were foretold in the Old Testament. John was a promised prophet. In Isaiah chapter 40:3 and in Malachi 3:1 we do find these two main prophecies concerning the forerunner at the first coming of Jesus Christ – being “…the voice crying in the wilderness preparing the way of the Lord…” This is very important to know – God fulfills His promises. All the Old Testament prophets have spoken of the great event, have foretold the coming of the Messiah, but John bridged the Old to the New Testament and therefore he was more than those prophets were. They predicted what would take place but he could point to the Messiah and say: “This is the Lamb of God.” Now we must understand and please try to follow in prayer what is going to be shared with you. I don't believe that this is an accident (by chance), I believe God has ordained all things to happen at the right time in the right way.
I need to include myself humbly into this program of God of which I have become part of since many, many years ago. I need to say that my family tree goes back to the days of Reformation. One of those who fought for the truth right with Martin Luther and those who were used of God to give the breakthrough at that time was August Hermann Frank. Even my great great grandfather carried the same name. Within my family were God-fearing people. Even being Lutherans they believed God's Word as far as it was made known to them in their day and time.
1948 – Meeting with the Lord
Then myself, I attended the Baptist Church and there I was baptized, but my way didn't stop there. I became acquainted with the full gospel ministries in our country and already in 1949 I had my first experience of salvation. I was not only converted and born again, I was filled with the Holy Spirit and had a zeal from that very day to serve my Lord, who loved me in such a wonderful way.
There came a man from America by the name of Hall Herman who preached in Hamburg, Germany. He was a great man in Hollywood, but after the two bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki he was hired by the US government to film the outcome of the bombings over Japan. And of course after doing this he was troubled very much. His thoughts went to the book of Revelation and he thought what would take place when the apocalyptic judgments would strike the earth. He was so troubled being high up from then on not only in the US military being acquainted with Gen. McCarthy, but also knowing the president of the United States of America. But something spoke to his heart and then he attended a meeting where brother William Branham was preaching in the Los Angeles area and God touched his heart and saved his soul and he started to give his testimony of what God had done to him.
Meeting with His servant
Then I need to skip a few years – it was in 1953 – I was chosen, not yet being 20 years of age, as the youngest minister to preach in the free Pentecostal conference in Germany. 1955 was a very special year in time in my life. I had the privilege of attending Brother Branham's meetings in Germany for 10 days. And I must say – and then do it with great pleasure – as a witness I can give my testimony: What I have seen in these 10 days was at least what we found recorded in the book of Acts and in the Gospels. Nothing short of that. The blind received their sight, great signs and wonders happened and of course day after day, time after time, we wept, we shouted, we sang, we praised God… Bible days were here again. It was not only written in Hebrews chapter 13 verse 8: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and for ever” – it became a living reality. I am a witness. I heard, I saw, I was there when it happened. I was there when a girl born blind, about 11 years of age, received her sight in just a moment. I was there when people who were dying with cancer where brought in on a stretcher by the ambulance and then the man who was a professor himself, and brother Branham spoke to him and said: “Sir, the light is above you. God is healing you. I saw it in a vision.” And brother Branham with authority spoke these words: “You are healed by the power of God in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.” Before the eyes of approximately 18–20,000 people this gentleman who was just a shadow and laid on the stretcher, got up, took the stretcher above his head and walked out of the great tent meeting.
Beloved friends, I am witness and from the time of that ministry, which was so confirmed before our very eyes in an unsurpassed way, I just had the desire to know more about what God is doing. It so happened that I greeted brother Branham in the hotel lobby, where he was staying during the time of the meetings. And before reaching his hand he said – just stopping and looking at me: “You are a minister of the gospel. Your wife is standing there at the entrance.” He was a prophet. God showed the visions onto him and, friends, may I be permitted to make this remark: He was the only one I heard not only to use Hebrews 13:8, but he also used John chapter 14:12 were our Lord said:
“The works I do will you do also, greater works than these will you do.”
He also used the Scripture of John chapter 5 verse 19 and 20:
“The Son can do nothing but what He sees the father do the Son will do likewise.”
William Branham was a prophet. He was not only a prophet as a seer – he was a promised prophet, as you will understand later on as we go step-by-step through the things God has done. May I just mention it right here that I do believe in what God has done according to His Holy Word? I would not be foolish enough to bypass what God has done in my generation.
As Brother Branham used to say: “We always praise God for what he has done and we are looking forward to what He's going to do, but most of the time we are bypassing what he is presently doing.
Now we are coming to the year 1958 when I attended the “Voice of healing” convention arranged by Gordon Lindsay in Dallas, Texas, who wrote this book: “William Branham, a man sent from God”. In the German language it was also published: “William Branham – ein Mann von Gott gesandt”. There I attended the convention in 1958. I came to know about 200 of the American evangelists. In the evening services brother Branham was the main speaker. I'm not judging, I'm just sharing this with you. I had a good possibility to compare the ministries. All the others were eloquent preachers, but in the evening services, when brother Branham began to minister, it just was so different. One could sense supernatural presence of Almighty God and in each service the gift of discernment was manifested. Brother Branham saw visions as he prayed for those who came and had a need and were prayed for.
So by the grace of God it was there in Dallas, Texas, where God opened my eyes and I came to understand that this ministry is not just one of many others, but this ministry has a special connection to the plan of salvation. God is in it; it is ordained of the Almighty at this time.
It was also in the same year when I met T. L. Osborne and Oral Roberts and all the other great evangelists. It was in 1960 when T. L. Osborn came to Germany. He visited me in our small apartment, asking me to be his European manager. But then I had to tell him… And it was a wonderful offer for a German at that time – having a big car, the salary and no need to be working anymore in my secular job, which I held with the German government at that time. But I had to state, to be honest, that I had started to translate brother Branham’s sermons into the German language and that was the end of the conversation.
Beloved, at that time I knew I had to take my stand regardless of what people say. I knew: This is a God-ordained ministry. I'm responsible to share what God has done with my people and with many others.
1962 – Calling to the ministry
Then came the year 1962. It was Monday, April 2nd, just before the day broke forth, before the sun rose it happened and I'm telling you the truth. My Bibles – the German Lutheran Bible second edition, over 400 years old placed before me and the English one also – and God Almighty, who is the Judge of all, He knows it – it just happened, I had no knowledge, I didn't pray for it, but it took place in Krefeld, Luissen Street 160 on the second floor. I woke up early, went to the window, pull the curtains right and left and looked out – it was a new day breaking forth, no cloud in the sky. I just came away from the window, having a short prayer, committing the day to the Lord and after this prayer, from about two to three yards or meters I looked towards the window, and from up, from the right, came the tremendous voice of the Lord where every word was spoken with direct precision in the German language. The Lord said these words: “My servant, your time for this city will soon be over, I will send you to other cities to preach my Word.” Friends, the next moment I collapsed. I just fell to the floor landing on my left arm on the carpet, having no strength left in my body. Only after some time I regained a little strength and could start to move my left arm towards the right and finally I could stand to my feet and I was looking towards the window. My body was shaking like this and I said these words: „Lord, they will not hear me, they have got all things in plenty. They are not ready to listen.“ I had just spoken these last words and the Lord spoke the second time: “My servant, the time will come when they will hear you! Store in food, for a great famine is coming. Then thou shalt stand amidst the people to give out the food.”
Beloved, you who live in different countries and continents, might not fully understand my situation, but it was in 1961 and 1962, when the climax of the cold war was. There was the Cuba crisis, the Berlin crisis, in Berlin the tanks, the Russian tanks and American tanks were facing each other and we thought at any moment some tragedy could happen to our country. Because natural groceries were mentioned I just did to the best of my knowledge: I told the small congregation “Thus the Lord has spoken…“ And we all had put in store groceries of all kinds. But no famine came, no tragedy happened, but about me it was something different – I just said: “Lord, I cannot live on, I will not preach anymore, because you have spoken, but it did not happen.” Then the thought came to me that I should take the flight and meet Brother Branham – expecting that the Lord would use him to speak to me, to give me an answer. I did not want to face December 31st in that year 1962. So it was Monday, December 3rd, when I was together with brother Branham. Brother Banks Wood and also brother Fred Sothman were in the same car. Brother Branham sitting behind the steering wheel, I was sitting next to him on the right side – picking me up from the place I stayed. Then we had a meal together and brother Branham spoke about meetings in Germany and Switzerland, but finally the time came when we continued the conversation. I had to say: “Brother Branham I would like to ask you something.” Just then his right hand went up a little like this and he said: “Brother Frank, may I tell you what the Lord has spoken to you?” And friends, you may believe it, you may not. I had brothers from other countries, who made the trip to the United States asking Banks Wood, asking Fred Sothman whether they were there when brother Branham spoke to me and they returned to Europe, those brothers being from Germany, from France, from other countries, confirming from their lips having heard the testimony I am giving you now. Brother Branham repeated word for word, sentence for sentence, in the precise order what the Lord had spoken to me in Germany. From that moment I could not say a word. The presence of God was just so mighty and then, after having told me what the Lord had spoken, he said: “Brother Frank, you misunderstood what the Lord said. You were under the impression that there would be a natural tragedy and the natural famine and therefore you have stored in natural food…” And he continued that God would send a famine to hear His Word and the food I am to put in store is the promised Word of God for this time revealed by the Holy Spirit and kept in the sermons, which are on tapes. Brother Branham used the word “tapes” when he made this statement.
Of course, right from September 1958 I received all the sermons brother Branham preached in America – three weeks later I received them in Germany and so I actually grew under his ministry year after year. It was ordained of Almighty God in such a way. The final words he said on December 3 in that conversation: “Brother Frank, wait with the giving out of the food until you receive the rest of the food that goes with it.” This part I did not understand, but I didn't dare to ask what it meant.
So by the grace of God we have to understand that it was at that time when the Lord spoke to me that the angel of the Lord had spoken to brother Branham: “Don't make this trip to Zürich, Switzerland for that one meeting with the full Gospel businessmen, but return to Jeffersonville and store in the food!” You all, who are acquainted with the message of the hour, you know he said it at least three times. How he was spoken to and that he had to put the food in store.
By the grace of God now we are going to the year 1963 when the seven seals were opened according to the vision shown to brother Branham on December 22nd, 1962. When I was there with him he told me that in January 1963 they would move with the family to Tucson. I knew brother Branham not only from the sermons, I was in his home, and I was together with him in the same car and so forth… But my connection to him was not in the natural, it was in the spiritual.
So after having received the revelation of the seven seals he was misunderstood by the evangelists who had received their inspiration in one of his meetings. You can go back to May 7th, 1946 – there was no word, no mentioning of anyone like Billy Graham, Oral Roberts or any of the other evangelists. It was William Branham who had a visitor from heaven – an angel who came to him on May 7th, 1946. I believe that with all my heart just as I believe that an angel came to Zechariah according to Luke chapter 1, standing at the right side of the altar, giving the promise that Elizabeth will have a son who will go before the Lord and prepare His way. Just as the angel came to Marry also as recorded in Luke chapter 1, giving the promised word that the Messiah would be born. If you look into the Old and the New Testament, whenever the supernatural took place on earth, God was working in mysterious ways, His wonders and His counsel to perform. You can read in the New Testament an angel opened the prison gate, so that Peter could come out, an angel appeared to Cornelius, told him, that he should call Simon and he would tell him the ways he should move and the words he had to listen to. An angel came to Paul telling him what would take place. If you go to the last book of the Bible – an angel appeared to John on the island of Patmos showing him what all the servants of God should know, what shortly would come to pass. Then in Revelation 22:6 it is confirmed again that the Lord God had sent His angel, but He has sent angels whenever something very special took place. When our Lord was born according to Luke chapter 2, all the heavenly host came down singing, the light shown above Bethlehem and the whole region, the night was illuminated and one angel gave the announcement: “Today Christ, the Lord is born in the city of David.”
If we go to the Old Testament, especially the prophet Daniel, who was shown the things pertaining to the end-time, the angel came to him and he was told, that he should explain to the prophet the things he was shown.
Beloved, God will not ask permission of anyone. He will do whatever He purposed and blessed are those who don't object, who don't reject what God is doing. At the moment the counsel of God is coming into fulfillment and the promised Word is taking place. God is acting and especially if a promised prophet rises on the scene, it is our time to know that God is making history. It's not for you to judge, it's for you to respect God and to come to the understanding of what He's doing according to the plan of salvation.
Now we have to go a little further. We know Brother Branham was taken from us about this time in December 1965. Now we are on the same date in December 1997. All these years have passed, but God did not stop in December 1965. In reality the work has actually only begun. It was on December 24th and here are the Bibles before me… I live in Germany, I had no knowledge of what had happened to brother Branham, I could not know that he was taken from us on December 24th, which is my birthday. But I'm telling you the truth. I'm not a man with many visions or dreams or spiritual gifts, but I have seen William Branham on the cloud moving up and moving up higher and higher in that vision, not knowing that this was the moment he was taken from us. Seeing him on this cloud, just bent over a little like this, and I said: “Brother Branham, you are not the Son of Man, what are you doing on this cloud?” Not knowing it was the very moment he was taken from us to be with the Lord.
Then it was on January 5th when I was informed by brother Armbruster about the passing away of brother Branham. It was just the most terrible letter I ever received in my life. You could not imagine what that meant to me, but even worse was the day of the burial. I was there, I saw brother Branham in the coffin. He was not buried immediately, but just a little later and I was there, I saw him laying in the coffin, I saw him there and I saw when the coffin was placed into the ground.
My beloved friends, it was a terrible day. To me the whole world had collapsed. I just said: “Lord, please tell me, how can the bride of Christ be prepared for your coming without this ministry?” All the others were singing “Only believe, only believe” maybe for two hours and I was weeping all the time. I did not join in the singing at all. My heart was broken, but friends, it was on the same day in the evening – having come back to my hotel room a heavenly peace just came upon me and this time not a voice, but it spoke in my heart: “My servant, now your time has come to give out the stored-up food.” It was just like a record, I was even bending down to hear this over and over again.
Needless to say, I returned to Germany, next day I gave the notice to the German government, because for 12 years I was preaching and working at the same time, but then I had to stop my secular work and go into the full-time ministry.
Before returning I spoke to the brethren in the USA, to brother Roy Borders, to Rev. Perry Green and to others, that we need the sermons of brother Branham to be printed, so we can translate them into German and other languages. And I told them that the Lord had spoken to me and now the food, which was stored up, needs to be given out. So it wasn't my initiative, it was the arrangement of God, the providence of the Almighty, who had ahead of time already said what would take place and when the time came he just let me know.
And from that time I had the perfect understanding that the perfect Word of God, which was revealed through the prophetic ministry, had now to be shared with all the earth. It was wonderful how God started this work.
You might not believe it, but we started from nothing and I may say: We did not receive a single dollar to start this work. God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the living and only God was with us right from the very beginning. And so we started to share this Word of God with as many as possible, arranging meetings for brother Green, who came already in 1966 to Germany and other European countries to give testimony, to witness what he had seen and heard in this ministry the Lord had given. He is the one who wrote the book “The acts of the prophet” by Peary Green. God used him to witness about the things he had seen and heard everywhere – that is his ministry.
Then there is another book which I would like to show at the same time “William Branham – prophet visits South Africa”, written by Julius Statsklev. There were many men who were eyewitnesses, who heard and seen what God has done in our time.
From 1966 the ministry started not only in Germany, but all over Europe – from 1968 to 1978 I had 20-minute radio broadcasts via Radio Luxembourg, which is the most powerful station in Europe and could reach about 120 million German-speaking people all over the Europe. You might not know the geographical situation, but if we compare the languages in Europe then German is the most spoken language on this continent. We only have 57–59 million who speak Italian, who speak French, who speak English, in Europe, but we do have more than 120 million who speak German. So the Lord has blessed the ministry in the German-speaking countries and the areas and also in the neighboring countries.
What I would now like to share with you is this: You should not have the impression that we are presenting a man. I am only concerned with the plan of salvation, with the promised Word of God for this day. I'm not concerned with Moses, not with Elijah, not with Abraham, not with Paul; I am concerned with what God has done through them. This is what we have to differentiate. Paul in himself was nobody, but God chose him to make him a special tool. John the Baptist without the choice of God, without the direct commission would've not even be mentioned, so it is with all the others and also with our dearly beloved brother Branham.
It was in January 1950, when brother Branham was preaching in Houston, Texas, in the large coliseum seating about 8000 people and he was questioned about his ministry, when one reverend was claiming that the days of miracles, the days of the apostles were gone and that everything what then happened was of the enemy. When brother Branham was called upon, he came to the platform and he said: “I'm not here to speak of myself, the One who sent me will testify of me.” At that moment the press photographers were very busy taking again some pictures. Mr. Ayers, Mr. Kipperman, who were especially assigned for that and that, were there when this picture was taken with the supernatural light above the head of brother Branham.
Beloved friends, this is a divine act of God. It was Dr. John G. Lacy, who wrote on January 29th, 1950. He was assigned as a man responsible for questioned documents. He was responsible towards the American government to say the truth. And he gave his report that there was no tempering with the negative, but the light was there, when it struck the lens.
You might not and you might believe, but brother Frank, being a man who wishes to convince himself, in December 1968, when I made my trip to a convention in Tucson I stopped in Washington D.C. and searched for the place, because brother Branham mentioned several times that this picture hangs in Washington D.C. It was about a quarter past 11 in the morning on that day when I finally found the place – a large building not far away from the White House – the Hall of Art and I saw this picture with my own eyes. I am an eyewitness, this picture I saw in December 1968 in Washington D.C. in the Hall of Art with my own eyes. The gentleman who spoke to me said: “Dear sir, I realize you are coming from Germany, showing so much interest in this photo, but I must tell you, this photo is not of general interest and someday it will be in a drawer.” Before my very eyes he pulled the draw and just showed me how the picture one day will land in a drawer. I don't know where the picture is now, I just know I was there and I saw it.
1963 – Supernatural cloud
There is something else I wish to mention about the appearing of this supernatural cloud on February 28th, 1963. If you look very closely, you can see the eyes, you can see the face of the Lord. And by the way, this photo was taken from a distance of approximately 325 km. Here we do have the magazines… We have Life Magazine dated Monday the 17th, 1963, giving the same picture and stating very, very well: “And a high cloud… ring of mystery”. Here Dr. James McDonald writes that at such altitude there is no moisture to form a cloud. No explanation could be given. The same article appeared in Science Magazine on April 19th, 1963. Here it is shown how at first this supernatural cloud came and finally formed the shape as seen in this picture here. In this article it states: “Stratospheric cloud over northern Arizona – an unusual ring-shaped cloud was widely observed over Northern Arizona near sunset on 28th February, 1963.” It gives all the details about the height, the width and the distance.
Beloved, these things were not arranged by William Branham. I want you to know this! We are not fools! We do not follow cunningly devised fables when we speak about the return of Jesus Christ! We must be eyewitnesses, we must have heard, we must know something. If we only know what God did some time ago we're not informed about what God is doing now. But I am telling you today. I'm informing you today. As a true witness of what God has done in my generation, in my time.
Testimony from Ohio River
Now I should read to you what I've taken from a sermon brother Branham preached on the 2nd of September, 1959. Here, from his own lips we hear these words:
“As John the Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming of Christ, the message that is given to you will be a forerunner of the second coming of Christ.”
That has come from his own lips and he even emphasized right after this statement:
“Not that I will be the forerunner, but the message was the forerunner.”
This is something very, very important! Preached in San Juan on February 10th, 1960. Beloved, this is very important to me, because on June 11th, 1933, when Brother Branham had his first evangelistic campaign, about 300 had given their life to the Lord and were ready for baptism and the crowd of about 4000 were present when Brother Branham was standing in the Ohio River. Just as John the Baptist was standing in the River Jordan, baptizing our Lord, heaven opened and the Spirit of God came down. It was not arranged by William Branham! It was God's supernatural doing! When he was about to baptize the 17th person, something happened. Heaven broke open and the supernatural light like a great star came down just a few meters above brother Branham visible for all the over 4000 people – some fainted, some fell, some prayed, they all saw this supernatural light and from it the voice said these words, which Brother Branham repeated here. He said:
“As John the Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming of Christ, you are given a message, which will forerun the second coming of Christ.”
What is the message? The message is the promised Word of God, the revelation of all the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. The written Word became again the revealed, the living, the spoken Word. We are now experiencing the last part of the plan of salvation.
So that you might know, beloved friends, that I'm not only speaking about these things, I have a proof of what I'm talking about. I was in contact with Brother Branham for exactly 10 years from 1955 to 1965. I do have 23 letters from William Branham throughout all these years. We had correspondence and I was writing to him and he was answering right through all these years. Here's one letter, dated March 19th, 1964. The last one was from November 1965. But here he says:
“Dear brother Frank, greetings in the name of the Lord.” Why do I show you such a document? Why? Because there are people who are jealous of all the things God has done through my humble ministry, but there is not a single success that I would put onto my account. I know how carefully I need to give the glory through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Report in German Voice of Healing magazine
Just after having been with brother Branham in December 1962 I was met by the editor of the German Voice of Healing [magazine] Rev. Albert Götz in the city of Hamburg. Here you see my picture from March 1963 – on the first page appears brother Frank's picture. “A supernatural experience“, here is the visit with William Branham, the spiritual famine – everything. I didn't come with his story later! No! I can prove what I say throughout the years. It's not necessary for a true man of God to tell stories. We have enough true documents; we have enough true experiences, to which we may refer.
Beloved, the time we're living in is very, very important. And I wish to address all ministers, all evangelists, all men of God, whether they classify themselves in the Pentecostal or full Gospel or other churches or denominations, whether in the charismatic movement – I have to tell you today, so that the responsibility will be off my shoulder. God has fulfilled His promise in our day. There are two promises – one which happened at the first coming of Christ, through the ministry of John the Baptist, who was a promised prophet according to Malachi chapter 3:1 and also according to Isaiah chapter 40:3, but there's one more promise. In Malachi chapter 4, the first verse, we read, that the day will come burning like an oven. If you want to know what the day of the Lord is read Isaiah chapter 13. Read Joel chapter 2, read in Zephaniah, read in many Scriptures in the Old Testament right to Malachi chapter 4, that God would send a prophet like Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. At the time of John the Baptist the day of salvation, the time of Christ commenced. We are already past 2000 years and the day of the Lord is not yet here. Even in the New Testament in his first sermon on the day of Pentecost the apostle mentions the coming of the day of the Lord. We must know this. Acts 2, the Bible says here about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and in verse 20:
“The Sun shall be turned into darkness and the Moon into blood before the great and notable day of the Lord comes.”
You can read it throughout the New Testament, Peter and Paul have spoken about it. In 1 Thessalonians 5th chapter the apostle says:
“But of the times and seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh, as a thief in the night.”
So for the apostle the day of the Lord was in the future. You must understand this, because almost every promise in the Old Testament is connected with the first and the second coming and we must understand the twofold application of the many promises in the Old Testament to understand how the fulfillment has been in the New Testament.
Here we are told that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. In 2nd Peter 3 the apostle also refers to the coming of the Lord and the patience He has with us and saying in 2nd Peter 3:8:
„But beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as 1000 years and 1000 years as one day.“ This we must understand, we do have brochures dealing with the subject, but here in 2nd Peter 3:10 the apostle says:
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat and the earth also and the works that are in it shall be burned up.”
Friends, the Old and New Testament, prophets and apostles, always speak the same language. And therefore the prophets of the Old Testament, the apostles of the New Testament have spoken in many, many places about the day of the Lord. They spoke about the day of salvation, but also about the day of the Lord, which would come.
Now I wish to emphasize what our Lord said. It's written in Matthew 17 – very important to us – I shall only touch on it. Matthew 17 – our Lord confirmed the promise that Elijah first would come.
When Israel is concerned there are always two prophets mentioned – like in Revelation chapter 11 – two prophets will have their ministry for 3 1/2 years in Jerusalem, but when we are concerned, when the end of the Gentile age is concerned, just before the day of the Lord would break in, God said: “I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great day comes…” In Matthew 17 verse 10 and 11 we read like this: “And His disciples asked Him saying: Why then say the scribes that Elijah must first come?” Only the question about Elijah, not about two prophets – one prophet. And I love and like what is written in verse 11: “And Jesus answered and said unto them…” I don't need your answer, you don't need my answer – if the things of the kingdom of God are concerned, if we deal with the promised Word of God, we don't go to church clergy, we don't go to evangelists, we don't go to teachers, we go to the Word of God, we need the answer from the lips of Jesus Christ himself. And therefore the Bible states in a marvelous and majestic way: “And Jesus answered and said unto them: Elijah truly shall first come, and restore all things.“
Beloved brethren in the ministry worldwide, especially in the full gospel ranks, in the charismatic movements – I know you mean well, I know you're trying to do your utmost to have God, to bring about the move of the Holy Spirit, but let me tell you, our time is over! The return of Christ is imminent! This is God's time for God's people! You yourself must be acquainted with the promised Word of God for today! And, beloved, if you dare to bypass all the supernatural confirmations God has done in brother Branham's life and ministry, if you point to the things which are happening in your ministry to justify yourself, your teachings, your ways and your doings, beloved brothers, then I have to tell you, many will come to the Lord on that day and say: “Have we not…”, “Have we not…”, “Have we not prophesied…”, “Have we not cast out demons?”, “Have we not done all these great miracles…” What will the Lord say? “Depart from me, you workers of iniquity…”
Beloved, this is God's time for you! This is God's time through you for God's people! This is the time for the total restoration for the coming back to the real foundation of the apostles and prophets and William Branham, God's promised prophet for this generation, has brought us back to the apostolic foundation, whereupon the true church is built. Jesus Christ – the chief cornerstone, the first and the last, Alpha and Omega, He, who began, will also finish. This is the time; like Elijah – he took the 12 stones according to the 12 tribes and he rebuilt the altar of the Lord. So William Branham took the doctrines of the 12 apostles, he restored everything back to the church of the living God, he had a restored apostolic prophetic ministry. There are hundreds of tapes available, you can hear, you can see, you can convince yourself.
I hope you do care! Please, don’t bypass what God has done!
I must come to a close. It's a great privilege for me to give this testimony as I am a true witness, not only what God has done in the 50s and in the 60s, I am a witness of what God has done and has been doing all over the earth since that time. I don't exaggerate – millions believe the revealed Word of God, millions believe the message of the hour. I have personally preached more than 6500 sermons. I traveled over 3,000,000 miles, I visited almost 130 countries and brother Branham's sermons and literature is being translated and printed even in our mission center here in eight different languages. And God who equipped me to speak four languages has given me this special privilege to introduce Him and what He is doing on the basis of the Scriptures. It is very important to believe in all things as the Scripture says.
The Challenge
Beloved, I'm addressing again all ministering brethren all over the earth. I think about my precious friends in Berlin, about Eugene Byrd, Newman Payton, about our beloved brethren in America, about brother Franklin and about many, many other brethren.
Beloved, this is the time and we are willing to go all the way with God! We are willing to receive correction! We are willing to obey! We are willing to line up with the Scripture!
I will not love to be a preacher who is preaching to the preachers, but beloved, understand, I've become a part of God's plan for this end-time with many of our beloved brethren worldwide. It was our beloved Peary Green in Tucson, Arizona, other brothers in the United States of America and Canada, our beloved brother Suhl in New Zealand, our beloved brother Sidney Jackson in South Africa, in all the different countries, there were brethren whom God has used, whom God could show what has happened according to the promised Word.
Let me make the final statement: In comparison with you, beloved evangelists and all the rest of the preachers and with William Branham, let me humbly, but truthfully make this statement: he was a promised prophet like John the Baptist was a promised prophet. God made history. God began through William Branham in 1946 this mighty healing and restoration revival. In the first few years he was the only one, then only from 1948–49–50 the rest and many others in the 50s were inspired.
So beloved, you who are sharing in the blessings of the ministry which supernaturally started with William Branham, will you return and ask one question: what was, what is the purpose of such a ministry God has sent my way in my generation. Certainly not that we should bypass it, but we should ask ourselves: “Lord, what are you doing according to your promised Word at this time?”
Beloved, time is running out. I could tell you many things about the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. I am living on this continent, I'm in contact with Jerusalem, I'm in contact with what happens according to Bible prophecy in central Europe, but most of all, by the grace of God, I may humbly say, that I do have the contact with God by His grace through His Word and by the Holy Spirit according to the divine commission I received. I need to share with you the revealed Word of God. And just like the prophet Amos said: “There will come a day when God will send a famine to hear his Word…” – not interpretations, not explanations, but His eternal Word of God – that is what we need to hear. Also as said in Matthew 24:45–47, that we will be placed over all the things and give out the food. God always uses one person and then he uses many, many others to share in the same ministry. Just like Paul was used of God in a special way and many shared and we still share today what was given to him. In the same way God used brother Branham, I was blessed by his ministry, but I was called directly by the Lord and therefore my connection is with the Lord by His Word and by His Spirit to the message of the hour and also to the messenger. In this way by the grace of God it was possible to remain in the balance of the Scriptures and within the message of the hour, which is the promised and revealed Word of God, which is coming to fulfillment in our day.
May you avail yourself of this opportunity, which God has given to you and may all the nations all over the earth be blessed and may the Bride of Jesus Christ be called out, separated from all that is not right. May the ways of God be made straight, may the things which are crooked be made right, may every doctrine, may every practice, may everything which is not right be put away. May we line up with the Word of God in its original form, return to God and be restored.
And as we as ministers are restored, then God will use us to restore the whole bride of Christ. His return is imminent as he promised in John 14: “I go to prepare the place, than I will return…” As written in Acts 1:11: “The same Jesus will return in the same way…” In Luke 24:50 and 51 the disciples saw Him going up bodily into heaven and He will return in the same way. Blessed are you if you can recognize the time of God's visitation, if you can realize the purpose of the God ordained promised prophetic ministry in our day. May the Lord God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob be with you, bless you and use you mightily is my prayer.
I would appreciate hearing from you in Jesus holy name. Amen.