An Eighth Messenger?

May 2015

Introduction

It is sad, yet predictable, to see that in this last day history has again repeated itself. Just like that after the Apostle Paul’s departing “grievous wolves” entered in, drawing followers after them, so after the last church age messenger’s (Brother Branham’s) departing “grievous wolves” have again risen up, “speaking perverse things”, and have drawn away disciples after them:

ACTS 20:29-31

29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

These “eighth messengers” may even be sincere, but they are both deceiving and being deceived:

II TIMOTHY 3:13-14

13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

14 But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned [them];

The Eighth Messenger Spirit

The “eighth messenger” spirit generally expresses itself in one of two forms:

1) A literal person rising up, claiming to be a new messenger for the current time (e.g., “a new message for a new generation”), or

2) A church, pastor, teaching, or movement in the Message rising up that either directly or subtly believes that they are the ones that God is identifying with and should be followed.

Both of these “eighth messenger” manifestations come from the same anti-Christ spirit. Even believers can be influenced by this spirit for a while, but the Lord will eventually correct them out of it if they are truly His Elect.

The Reason People Follow

The reason that people follow these “eighth messengers” is because they are not founded on a solid revelation of what God is presently doing in this age. Because they lack this foundation, following an “eighth messenger” gives them a sense of security. It is comforting to some to be able to get behind a person (or a movement) and say, “I follow that.” Some foreign nations find it tempting to find someone to follow. But the Bride will overcome even the spirit of their nation which they were raised up under:

REMEMBERING.THE.LORD_ PHOENIX.AZ TUESDAY_ 63-0122

E-21 And I find in traveling in missions, in missionary and around the world... I go into--to Germany; there is a national spirit called... It's a German spirit. It's the spirit of the nation. I go up in Switzerland; I find out... Just brothers, almost speaking the same language, but there's another spirit. See? And it's a different spirit in Switzerland. Then I come over to Finland; it's altogether a different spirit. Then I come to America. There's a spirit of America. That's right.

"Well," you say, "aren't we..."

She said, "Aren't we American citizens? Why is it that our people are so-and-so?"

And I said, "Well, you see, honey... You see, each nation lives off--on the spirit of the nations. That's the national spirit."

She said, "Well then, wouldn't we be living on the American spirit?"

I said, "Oh, no." I said, "We are borned again. We live on a heavenly Spirit, where holiness, righteousness..." And we--we're not Americans, as far as that goes, because America is just a earthly nation. But we--when a man of Germany, or Switzerland, or wherever he may be, when he becomes borned of heaven, he takes on a heavenly Spirit. And his nature and his makeup look for things above, where Christ sets at the right hand of God. Amen. Oh, how we ought to remember that, that He died that we might be able to be fortified from this thing: inoculated.

Another reason that people follow “eighth messenger” movements is because it gives them a feeling of security and importance (“we are the ones who are ‘in the know’, who see what is really going on in this day”). This is a great temptation for the shame based nature of fallen mankind. But the Elect will overcome all of these things by His grace.

The Spiritual Types

We will now review some of the spiritual types or “shadows” in the Scriptures which represent this day. We will see that in these types there is no “eighth messenger” which is to appear.

John the Baptist

As John the Baptist was the Elijah for his day, forerunning the first coming of Christ (Luke 1:17), so Brother Branham was the Elijah for this day, forerunning the second coming of Christ (Malachi 4:5). Notice that John the Baptist introduced Jesus Christ, then faded off of the scene as the ministry of Christ Himself took over. As John’s ministry was coming to a close, he said:

JOHN 3:30

30 He must increase, but I [must] decrease.

This is exactly what happened in our day. Brother Branham introduced the second coming of Christ. In 1963, the “mighty Angel [Christ] came down from heaven, clothed with a cloud” (Revelation 10:1). The opening of the Seven Seals brought back Christ Himself in Spirit form. The seventh church age messenger (Brother Branham) introduced Christ to the Bride in this day, then he also began to fade off of the scene:

QA.ON.THE.SEALS_ JEFF.IN SUNDAY_ 63-0324M

498-1 And finally one day he [John the Baptist] said, "Behold, there He is. There's the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world." Said, "My time's up now. I've introduced you to Him. I must decrease now; I must go off the scene. He will take over from here. The millennium will be on right away. (See?) The--the time is at hand."

Notice in the above quote that Brother Branham is referring to John the Baptist, but then he switches to referring to himself (because it is after the Elijah of Malachi 4 that the Millennium will come soon after). Brother Branham foreran the second coming of Christ just like John the Baptist foreran the first coming of Christ.

So where in this pattern do you see another messenger coming after John the Baptist but before Jesus Christ? It is not there. There was not another messenger.

Eliezer

We know that Brother Branham was the “Eliezer” that was to call out a Bride and present her to Isaac (Christ) in the evening time (see Genesis 24):

ASHAMED.OF.HIM_ JEFF.IN V-3 N-9 SUNDAY_ 65-0711

240 And the little experience I had with You the other morning, "Go get My Son a Bride; take It from among the people, among the churches. Pull out that Bride." Let me, in prayer now, Lord. You send the Rebekah; I'll try to be the Eliezer. Help me to be a faithful servant. And may the God of heaven send His Angel before me, before us, that we'll collect the things together and select the Bride that You have chosen. We ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Where do you see another messenger after Eliezer? It is not there.

Moses and Joshua

We know that Brother Branham was the “Moses” up here that led a Church out of a church for the Third Exodus:

LEADERSHIP_ COVINA.CA V-7 N-7 TUESDAY_ 65-1207

140 Didn't Jesus say in the last days (Matthew 24:24) the two would be so close it would deceive the very genes, predestinated, the Elected One, if it was possible? Almost like the real thing (See?), so in the last days... Now, you see, it's wheat time now. It's getting harvest time. This is not Luther's age; this is not Pentecost age; this is the Bride age.

As Moses called a nation out of a nation, Christ today is calling a church out of a church (You see?), the same thing in type, taking them to the glorious eternal promised land.

Now we know that Moses was taken from the scene so that Joshua could take them into the promised land. Joshua types out Christ. The name Joshua itself means “Jehovah Saviour”. Just as John the Baptist had to leave the scene so that Christ could take over, so Moses had to leave the scene so that Joshua could take over:

JOSHUA 1:1-2

1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,

2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, [even] to the children of Israel.

TOKEN.THE_ DALLAS.TX V-19 N-12 SUNDAY_ 64-0308

115 Joshua was a type of Jesus, because "Joshua" means "Jehovah-Saviour." He was a type of Jesus, was true to the token sign of his messenger had preached. Joshua stayed true to that token sign. All under it was saved in Egypt. All under it was saved in Jericho.

The Lamb's Blood is a type today of the Token, that the Holy Ghost is the Token of today. All under It is safe.

Where do you see another messenger coming in between the exodus messenger and Joshua? It is not there.

We could go on and on with more spiritual types showing that there is not another messenger to come after Brother Branham, but enough has been shown above to make this point clear.

Seven Church Age Messengers

Where in all of the Scriptures does one find another messenger to come after the seventh church age messenger? It is not there. But rather, a curse is pronounced upon anyone that would add to or take away from God’s Word. These “eighth messengers” have done that:

249-1 SARDISEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.7

Paul was the first messenger and he said in Galatians 1:8 that if any angel, any messenger, any vicar, no matter who he was--if he preached any other gospel than what Paul preached, let him be accursed. Paul knew that after he was gone grievous wolves would come in. He knew that Satan, himself, could appear as an angel of light so how much more his ministers. So he warns that this Gospel would always be the same. Now Paul had baptized in Jesus Name and rebaptized where people had not been so immersed. He set the church in order and taught the proper use of the gifts of the Spirit and confirmed that they were to remain in the church till Jesus came. Thus the next messengers, all the remaining six, would by the same Holy Ghost, burn with the same fire and give the same light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the signs would follow them. Did Irenaeus qualify? Yes. Did Martin? Yes. Did Columba? Yes. Did Martin Luther? Most assuredly. Did Wesley? Yes sir, he had a great ministry and even prayed for his horse to get well and it did. There you are. Seven church ages and seven messengers who were alike, and Paul pronounced a curse on anyone who said he was a messenger but had a different gospel and lived in a different light.

Brother Branham Statements

Some “eighth messengers” have used statements that Brother Branham made to justify their claim that there is another messenger to come after Brother Branham, quotes such as the following:

LOOK.AWAY.TO.JESUS_ JEFF.IN V-2 N-17 SUNDAY_ 63-1229E

40-1 And if I'm laying a foundation that another shall stand upon, grant, Lord, that soon it'll happen, that the Word might be fulfilled.

But it is obvious what he is talking about in light of his original commission:

TRIAL.A_ TUCSON.AZ MONDAY_ 64-0427

E-64 And that voice came down and said, "As John the Baptist was sent forth to forerun the first coming of Christ, so will your Message forerun the second coming of Christ."

Brother Branham certainly did lay a foundation for Another to come – the Spirit of Christ Himself. After John the Baptist faded off of the scene it was the ministry of Christ Himself. So has it been in this day:

VOICE.OF.THE.SIGN_ DENHAM.SP.LA SATURDAY_ 64-0321E

E-46 But as soon as Jesus appeared, He had a sign: a Pillar of Fire, a light above Him, like a dove come down, a voice saying, "This is My beloved Son, Whom I am well pleased." Notice. And John immediately said, "He must increase; I must decrease." He presented the church to Christ. Amen.

Supernatural Manifestations

Some of these “eighth messengers” profess to have supernatural manifestations. Whether they do or not is irrelevant. Let us look at what Bro. Branham said about going by experience instead of the Word:

147-2 SMYRNAEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.4

What is it that caused this misunderstanding? The answer is, "EXPERIENCE". We have gone by experience and not the Word. Away with experience as your measuring line. There is only one plumb line, only one rod, and that is the WORD.

339-1 LAODICEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.9

Yet they claim their doctrine is Word-based. Go right down the line and come to the Pentecostals. Do they have the Word? Give them the Word test and see. They will sell out the Word for a sensation just about every time. If you can produce a manifestation like oil and blood and tongues and other signs, whether in the Word or not, or whether properly interpreted from the Word, the majority will fall for it. But what has happened to the Word? The Word has been put aside, so God says, "I am going against you all. I will spue you out of My mouth. This is the end. For seven out of seven ages, I have seen nothing but men esteeming their own word above Mine. So at the end of this age I am spuing you out of My mouth.

ANOINTED.ONES.AT.END.TIME_ JEFF.IN V-5 N-3 SUNDAY_ 65-0725M

204 I want to show you how deceiving the devil is. One day he was setting in his study. Up come a mighty angel, crown on his head, golden shoes on, lace around his garments of gold, and said, "Martin, do you know me?" He said, "I am your Lord and saviour. I'm the one that saved you. Worship me, Martin." But that prophet, knowing there was a little something strange there, he kept looking at him. He said, "Martin, I am your saviour, Jesus Christ; worship me. Don't you know me, Martin?"

Martin kept looking at him, the Scripture running through his mind, he said, "Satan, get away from me." He said, "You got a crown on your head, and the Word of God says His saints will crown Him at the end of the age." Wouldn't that have been Pentecostal bait? Watch that Word, brother. That's where it pays.

206 One day again in the monastery, they had an old saint down there, bunch of young monks. There was one of them kinda irritable. Watch this; here's a good--a good parable today. He wanted to be something above the rest of them; he wanted to show hisself--authority, bigger something, something better, all class, you know, and great big something. He had to be classical. Always wanted the other brethren not... You know, he had to be different. See? He--no matter what it was, he was very arrogant. He was the only pebble on the beach; there was nobody could touch him. Now, watch what happened. He had to have something big; he had to compare with the--the big societies. You follow me? See? So he said--he prophesied; he said, "The Lord's made me a prophet also. I'm a prophet." Now, there was one identified prophet in the land, and that was Saint Martin. He was borned a prophet.

207 But this kid said--young fellow said--young monk about twenty-five years old--he said. "The Lord has made me a prophet, and I'm going to prove it to you." Said, "Tonight the Lord's going to give me a big, fine robe, put it upon me, a white robe, and set among you. Then all of you shall come up to me (See?), and you'll take orders from me."

Now, compare that today. See? "I'll be the head of the organization. I'll take care of you--rest of you monks." And sure enough that night the lights come on in the building, so the writing of Saint Martin says. Read it. And it's authentic; it's history. And the lights come on, and all the rest watched, and here come... He had on a white robe standing among them. He said, "See what I told you." But that's contrary to the Word.

209 And when they went and got the old dean of the college, he walked up and down a little bit, said, "Son, that don't sound right." He said, "There's only one way (Here it is.)--there's only one way for us to know. It looks supernatural." Boy, Pentecost would've grabbed that root, sinker, line, hook, and everything else. He said, "The miracle may seem all right, but it don't seem right to the Word. Now, we have such a person, an anointed prophet by the name of Martin. Come, go up before him."

The guy said, "No, no, Martin ain't got nothing to do with this."

He said, "You're going anyhow." And they grabbed him by the arm to take him before Martin, and the robe left him. See? Deceive the elected if it were possible. See? They know.

211 Jesus said, "My sheep know My Word."

"Oh," you say, "hear My Voice." That's His Word. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word." See? The predestinated knows this. A strange word or strange voice, they won't follow. That's the way with those fellows back there; they wouldn't follow. They knowed that Martin was there, a prophet of that age, identified by God through the Word, knowed the Word. And that man wouldn't stand before him.

Weeds Versus the Wheat

One of the deceptions of these “eighth messengers” is the feeling of energy and excitement that surrounds their ministries. But remember that weeds grow rapidly and flourish. They seem to have much more “life” than the wheat, especially at the harvest time.

The Bride is going through at this time a time of dryness and ripening, a time of character development. It does not look good, but that is what is going on. The Bride is ripening in the Presence of the Son:

LEADERSHIP_ COVINA.CA V-7 N-7 TUESDAY_ 65-1207

138 Now, the shuck has to pull away, give the Wheat a chance to lay before the Son to ripen on the Message, coming right back into the church again, forming the Body of Jesus Christ just like the first original One that went into the ground. Now, to see the--the Eternal Life.

What is the process of ripening? It is the drying out of the just-restored seed in order to get it to the same condition that it was in when it was originally planted. The moisture (Anointing) is becoming less and less in it in its ripening process. What remains after the moisture leaves it is simply what it is – the Seed. The ripened grain is a golden color. The gold of God is a Christ-like character:

351-1 LAODICEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.9

But, there is a gold of God. I Peter 1:7. "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth." The gold of God is a Christ-like character produced in the fiery furnace of affliction. That is the right kind of gold.

What the Bride is going through now is the ripening in the Presence of the Son. This is part of the Third Pull ministry that cannot be impersonated. It is not a public show. It is the harvest time:

375-2 RESUME.OF.THE.AGES - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.10

And so we come to the last age: the Laodicean Age. That is our age. We know it is the last age for the Jews are back in Palestine. No matter how they got there; they are there. And this is harvest time. But before there can be a harvest there has to be a ripening, a maturing of both the vines.

The Lutheran Age was the springtime. The Wesleyan Age was the summer of growth. The Laodicean Age is the harvest time of gathering the tares for binding and burning; and garnering the wheat for the Lord.

Harvest time. Have you noticed that in the harvest time, though there is a real acceleration in the ripening, there is consequently a slowing of growth until there is no growth? Is that not exactly what we are seeing now? The false vine is losing multitudes to the Communists and various other types of belief. Her numbers are not increasing as she would like us to think. Her hold on the people is not what it used to be, and in so many cases going to church is just a show. And the true vine? What about her? Is she growing? Where are those vast numbers that keep coming to revivals and answer altar calls? Are not most of them merely emotional in their approach, or desirous of something physical rather than desiring that which is truly Spiritual? Is this age not like the day in which Noah entered the ark, and the door was shut, but yet God tarried in judgment seven days? No one was literally turned to God in those silent days.

Conclusion

So we can see that history is again repeating itself. “Grievous wolves” have again entered in just like they did after the departing of the Apostle Paul. But the Elect are the overcomers – they will overcome all of these things to be taken up in the Rapture.

These “eighth messengers” are part of the fulfilling of Jesus’s Words:

MATTHEW 13:40-42

40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

These “eighth messengers” are some of the “angels” (messengers) that are helping to gather out of His Kingdom the last of the tares before they are cast into the furnace (the great tribulation). They are fulfilling their purpose.

Additional Scriptures and Quotes

Below are some additional Scriptures and quotes that tie in with this topic:

GALATIANS 1:6-9

6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any [man] preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

155-2 SMYRNAEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.4

The Seven Ages as set forth in Revelation Chapters 2 & 3 take in the whole span of the Fullness of the Gentiles, or the whole time in which God is dealing with the Gentiles unto salvation. In every single age, bar none, it says the very same thing in opening and closing the message to each age. "Unto the messenger of (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea) write; These things saith He, etc., etc. "... He that hath an ear, let him (singular) hear what the Spirit saith to the churches." Notice here that Jesus (by the Spirit) in EVERY age addresses Himself to ONLY ONE person relative to the Word for that age. Only ONE messenger for each age receives what the Spirit has to say to that age, and that ONE MESSENGER is the messenger to the true church. He speaks for God by revelation to the "churches", both true and false. The message is then broadcast to all. But though it is broadcast for all who come within range of the message, that message is received individually by only a certain qualified group in a certain way. Each individual of that group is one who has the ability to hear what the Spirit is saying by way of the messenger. Those who hear are not getting their own private revelation, nor is a group getting their collective revelation, BUT EACH PERSON IS HEARING AND RECEIVING WHAT THE MESSENGER HAS ALREADY RECEIVED FROM GOD. [Note: the capitalization is Brother Branham’s]

156-2 SMYRNAEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.4

In every age we have exactly the same pattern. That is why the light comes through some God-given messenger in a certain area, and then from that messenger there spreads the light through the ministry of others who have been faithfully taught. But of course all those who go out don't always learn how necessary it is to speak ONLY what the messenger has spoken. (Remember, Paul warned the people to say only what he said, I Corinthians 14:37, "If any man think himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD. What? came the Word of God out from you? or came it unto you only?") They add here, or take away there, and soon the message is no longer pure, and the revival dies down. How careful we must be to hear ONE voice, for the Spirit has but one voice which is the voice of God. Paul warned them to say what he said, even as Peter did likewise. He warned them that EVEN HE (PAUL) could not change one word of what he had given by revelation. Oh, how important it is to hear the voice of God by way of His messengers, and then say what has been given them to say to the churches. [Note: the capitalization is Brother Branham’s]

209-3 PERGAMEAN.CHURCH.AGE - CHURCH.AGE.BOOK CPT.5

[Brother Branham talking about his experience beyond the curtain of time]

I was so astonished I asked, "Are all these Branhams?"

He said, "No, they are your converts." He then pointed to one lady and said, "See that young lady that you were admiring a moment ago. She was 90 years old when you won her to the Lord."

I said, "Oh my, and to think this is what I was afraid of."

The man said, "We are resting here while waiting for the coming of the Lord."

I replied, "I want to see Him."

He said, "You can't see Him just yet; but He is coming soon, and when He does He will come to you first, and you will be judged according to the Gospel you have preached, and we will be your subjects."

I said, "Do you mean I am responsible for all these?"

He said, "Every one. You were born a leader."

I asked him, "Will every one be responsible? What about Saint Paul?"

He answered me, "He will be responsible for his day."

"Well," I said, "I've preached the same Gospel that Paul preached." And multitude cried, "We're resting on that."

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