The End-Time Prophet (Commission)
In the time of John the Baptist, the entire denominational world did not know the time they were living in. Neither did they recognize the fulfillment of prophecies concerning their day. The Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Zealots and all the other denominations at the time of John the Baptist failed to recognize their day and its message.
There had been a prophecy in Malachi 3:1 and its fulfillment in Matthew 17:12,13; Luke 1:17; Mark 1:2,3 and John 1:23 of a forerunner before the first coming of the Lord, and quite strangely not one denominational church received John as a forerunner nor his message though John fitted perfectly into the scriptures. Man always believes in the past and claims to believe in what is to come but always fails to recognize his day.
It is strange that Bible scholars and the religious groups of that day refused the messenger but desired to wait for the Messiah Himself. No wonder why when the Messiah came, they did not receive Him also. If you reject the messenger and his ministry, which is the appearing of the Lord, you will surely reject the coming of the Lord too because you will not be able to recognize His coming.
It is a pity that history has repeated itself and again the religious denominations of today have failed to recognize the day and its message. Once again they look at the scriptures through their denominational lenses and fail to receive the simple Word of God devoid of denominational interpretation.
The same prophet, Malachi, who prophesied about the ministry of Elijah to forerun the first coming of the Lord also prophesied in Malachi 4:5,6 of the ministry of Elijah that will forerun the second coming of the Lord. It is quite strange that the denominational churches today attribute that ministry to John the Baptist. Like the Pharisees and Sadducees, the nominal churches are expecting a coming Messiah without expecting His forerunner with a message to prepare His coming.
Malachi 4:1 points out clearly the end of the world and how it will burn. 2nd Peter 3:10-12 confirms that. This event is not identified with the first coming of the Lord. After the first coming of the Lord, the world did not burn. Clearly, this speaks of the second coming of the Lord which is preceded by Elijah’s ministry as described in the 6th verse of Malachi chapter 4. Verse 5 of the same chapter reads, “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord”. The dreadful day is what is described in verse 1. Before this dreadful day, comes Elijah the prophet in verse 5, whose ministry takes place in verse 6 of Malachi chapter 4; Revelation 10:7; Zachariah 14:7 and many other scriptures in the Bible.
It was in June 1933, in this Ohio River that the Pillar Of Fire appeared over William Branham while he was baptizing 500 people as thousands witnessed. On the 17th person, an audible Voice spoke, “As John the Baptist forerun the first coming of Christ, you will forerun His second coming.”
The first coming of the Lord, though was great, was not dreadful. He came as a peaceful Lamb to take away the sins of the world. The second coming of the Lord is great and dreadful. It is however amazing how even Bible scholars in the footnote to Malachi 4:5,6 attributed that scripture to John the Baptist. This is a confirmation that God’s Word does not come to the academic world but to His prophets (Amos 3:7). That is God’s unbroken pattern.
Because this end-time prophet comes in the spirit of Elijah as did John the Baptist, he will not conform to the religious order of his day as did John the Baptist. He will give the Word as has been given to him by God and his sermons, as an axe, will be laid to the roots of the trees, uprooting denominational doctrines that do not conform to the Word. Denominations will hate him for that but the elect will love him. Because of this, many will accuse him of wrong doctrine as they accused our Lord Jesus of wrong doctrine. They will say some of his doctrines are strange and radical because they will look through their denominational lenses to judge his word instead of looking at the Word to judge his word. His critics have proven to be half- baked students of the Bible, or stack ignorant about the things of God.
At the time when the Lord Jesus Christ was in flesh, His accusers were the religious priests of His day. It took the demon-possessed rather to identify His ministry. History once again has repeated itself.
It must be noted that the ministry of Elijah comes 5 times before Israel is saved. Elijah appeared first in 1Kings 17:1.
When he was raptured, his ministry did not end. It continued in another prophet, Elisha, for Elisha had a double portion of Elijah’s anointing (2 Kings 2:11-15). That was Elijah’s second ministry.
The third coming of Elijah’s ministry was in another prophet, John the Baptist, (Matthew 17:12,13, Luke 1:17, Malachi 3:1).
The forth coming of Elijah’s ministry was again in another prophet identified in the following scriptures Malachi 4:5,6; Matthew 17:11; Revelation 10:7; Luke 17:30; Acts 3:21, etc).
At his fifth ministry, Elijah comes with Moses as the two olive trees to preach Jesus Christ to the Jews, after our rapture, to open the understanding of the 144,000 Jews during the 3 ½ years of the great tribulation (Revelation 11). The Jews are blinded during the Gentile dispensation for God to have a Gentile Bride (Romans 11:25).
At the fullness of the Gentile dispensation, the Gospel will return to the Jews for the salvation of the 144,000 Jews who will be servants to the Gentile Bride and her Groom, Christ Jesus.
Without a shadow of doubt, the forth coming of Elijah’s ministry which is also the ministry of the seventh church age messenger (Revelation 10:7) was fulfilled in the humble ministry of Prophet William Marrion Branham, whose sermons have been captured on this website under the topic AUDIO SERMONS.
From the beginning of creation, there hasn’t been a ministry as Word-vindicated as that of William M. Branham’s. His ministry was to restore the Word as we had it in the time of Apostle Paul and even go beyond to reveal things Paul could not reveal for Paul saw through glass darkly (1 Corinthians 13:12). The Lord Jesus Christ so powerfully manifested Himself in the ministry of William Branham than any other ministry known to man. This was to attract the world to the message he was sent with.
As history will like to repeat itself, it was when he began to preach the mysteries of God, he lost many friends and gained many critics. However, those that have been ordained to eternal life believed his message (Act:13:48). Like the believers in the household of Noah, they disregarded the churches’ popular opinions and stuck to ‘Thus Saith The Lord’ and God’s provided way which never fail. God has once again, according to His Word, made a provided way by way of a prophet with an end-time infallible message as a way of escape from the on-coming judgment.
You are either on God’s side or you are against Him. You are either married to the Word or you are married to the church system which is the image unto the beast. Popular public opinion has never been God’s majority. God’s majority has always been His Word and that is what carries the vote. Let every man’s word be a lie and let God’s Word be true every time.
The reason why I have spent time on this end-time ministry is to attract genuine and honest believers of the Bible to the message William Branham brought. A message that prepares a Word-borne Bride for her Lord. There is no man in the world that has lifted the name of Jesus Christ so high and manifested the Lord Jesus as the same yesterday, today and forever than William Branham has.