1.    THE END-TIME BRIDE MUST BE IN THE STATURE OF CHRIST.

2.    THE CREATION IS RELATED TO THE SEVEN VIRTUES.

3.    THE FALL FROM THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD.

4.    THE NEW TESTAMENT AND THE CHURCH AGES FORETOLD.

5.    THE VIRTUES IN JESU'S LIFE AND IN THE FIRST CHURCHES.

6.    THE SEVEN VIRTUES IN THE SEVEN CHURCH AGES.

7.    A TYPE SYMBOLIZING THE SQUEEZE AND THE VIRTUES.

8.    THE VIRTUES IN BOTHER BRANHAM'S MINISTRY.

THE END-TIME BRIDE MUST BE IN THE STATURE OF CHRIST

To understand the whole subject of the End-time Message and the consequent coming of the Lord, we must include the Prophet's teaching of the Stature of the perfect Man. Throughout the history of humanity, up to this point in time, there has been only one perfect Man, the Lord Jesus Christ. He did live in a world of His own, in a world of perfect faith, as the Prophet explained. But at the end of the New Testament, before the mighty Angel will swear that the time for salvation has run out, the members of the End-time Bride will have to be in the same image and likeness as the Bridegroom.

We are over here in the last age. And the first age begin with the Word, which was Christ. And the last age has to end with the Word, which is Christ. And these other things, these shucks and so forth, as I have explained, is just carriers of the Word, to serve its purpose until It comes into the full stature, see, of what the original grain was.
153 THE POWER OF TRANSFORMATION -- PRESCOTT AZ -- 65-1031m

If you are a born again Christian, that little germ that was predestinated to you, it is Word coming on Word, on Word, on Word, on Word, and come into full stature of Christ. That is right. So He can come get His Bride. Now we're just ready for one thing, that's the coming of the Lord.
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Wonder, could it be already past? Could the Bride already be called? Is that what we're going through today? She has to be molded and made into the image of Christ, and Christ is the Word. That's the only thing. See? It's in there, in the Word. It's just... See, there cannot be one thing added.
204 THE RAPTURE -- YUMA AZ -- 65-1204

Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure
of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

When the last sheep has come into the fold, after the Bride is called and we will all be in the unity of the faith, then we will be molded and made into the fulness of Christ by the outpouring of the latter rain, which is a short and powerful manifestation of the Holy Spirit during the time of the squeeze.

God represents His Church as a Bride, and the way He brings each individual to being His son to go in that Bride, He also has brought the Bride through these ages 'til He brings this one complete Church into this...

...But each age God has placed these things into His Church, and patterned it by showing that each individual has these—possesses these qualities. And this “being” when it's completed, is the Church of God that's going in the Rapture! And this “being” when completed, is a servant of God in the Church of God, that's going in the Rapture. Glory!
50-4+5 THE STATURE OF THE PERFECT MAN -- JEFF. IN -- 62-1014m

You remember the pyramid Message? It's the Capstone. What did It do? The Holy Spirit capped off the individual and seal it, when we added to our faith; righteousness, and godliness, and faith, and so forth, and kept adding to it till we got seven things. And the seventh one was love, which is God. That's how He makes the individual, and caps him and seals him with the Holy Spirit. Then, if that be so, He's got seven church ages, that He's had seven mysteries that's been sounded away, and they fought for, to bring back. And now the Headstone comes, to cap off the Church. Does the Thunders mean that, my brethren? Sirs, is that where we're at?
373 IS THIS THE SIGN OF THE END, SIR? -- JEFF. IN -- 62-1230e

Brother Branham drew a diagram to which he refers to throughout his ministry. We understand that this diagram is twofold, it pertains to the seven church ages, and also to the individual believers of the end-time Message. The Holy Spirit (between Brotherly Kindness and Love) will cap and seal the saints individually into the full stature of Christ to make us ready for the day of Redemption. But the Capstone (Love) is the coming corporal Lord Jesus to judge, claim, save, and redeem all the saints of all ages, and to cap off the Church by taking His Own Throne in the heart of each member.

The Apostle Peter tells us that exceeding great and precious promises are given unto us, and by these we might be partakers of the Divine nature of God, through the knowledge of Him.

2 Peter 1:5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue;
and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to
patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

The Apostle Peter continues to tell us that an entrance shall be ministered unto us abundantly, and that we will be established in the present truth. Brother Branham's ministry has fulfilled that in every respect, all the previously hidden mysteries have been revealed and vindicated. In Luke 12:48, the Lord Jesus said that for unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required. This is the generation which has received the greatest revelation of the Word of God since the fall of man, and the requirement is nothing less than the Word made flesh, once again, in our bodies.

As Noah, Moses, David, reflected the coming of this perfect Bridegroom; so has Luther, Wesley, and Pentecost, reflected the coming of the perfect Bride.
301 THE HARVEST TIME -- PHOENIX AZ -- 64-1212

At the finishing of the seventh Seal, the mystery of God should be finished, to know Who God is, what He is, how He lives, His nature, His Being. You're supposed to be all the way up here by that time, see, bring us into the full stature of sons and daughters of God, a Church that's washed in the Blood of Christ, that's bought without money, is paid for by the Blood of Jesus Christ.
35 A GUIDE -- JEFF. IN -- 62-1014e

There has to be coils, and plugs, and points, and valves, and everything else that makes the automobile. And when you talk about the baptism of the Holy Spirit, there's a lot goes with that. See? There's a lot goes with that. And here's what I think that God is proving the Holy Spirit is here. See?
Now, Peter said first, faith. Now watch it real close now. We're going to teach this for a few minutes. Faith, now, is your first. And add to your faith, virtue; to your virtue, knowledge; to your knowledge, temperance; to your temperance, patience...
...Now that—then from this, and then bringing this into the seven church ages, God is building in seven church ages a Bride for Christ. Through the Philadelphian, Thyatirean, and Pergamos, and Smyrnaean, Ephesus, a church age that Jesus said, “If the—if the Bridegroom come in the first watch or the seventh watch, all these virgins awakened...”
...It was the seventh age that when He came and woke up those sleeping virgins. That brings them all the way back down to here (see?), for in this, through the years, ages, He has built a Bride, borned a Bride, begotten a Bride on earth for Christ. And the same way that He begets this Bride, He has begot individuals...
...Now, these things here absolutely must be in the Christian before the Holy Ghost ever seals them, before this comes down on top and makes a complete unit.
15-3 TO 16-2 BLASPHEMOUS NAMES -- JEFF. IN -- 62-1104m

And the great Church that He established on the day of Pentecost by the sending of the Holy Ghost had to suffer martyrdom and go into the dirt, into the earth in the dark age to bring forth again in the age of Luther, and come on out to the full stature of the Bride of Jesus Christ for this last day. See?
36 THINGS THAT ARE TO BE -- RIALTO CA -- 65-1206

Each church age had a manifestation of one of the seven virtues, but at the end of the Laodicean church age, just before the end of time, every saint of the true Church of God will demonstrate all these seven virtue. Our believe in the Message of the hour, the spoken Word of God, is creating in us born again believers a Word-body which is growing into the full stature of the perfect Man.

THE CREATION IS RELATED TO THE SEVEN VIRTUES

Brother Branham said that the Scriptures have a compound meaning, and They have a compound revelation to It. The spiritual mind can see a relation between the creation and the seven virtues.

Genesis 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the
light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
And the evening and the morning were the first day.

The seven golden candlesticks represent the 7 church ages. There are many Scriptures and songs which refer to the believers as the children of Light, and to the sinners as the children of darkness.

Ephesians 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye
light in the Lord: walk as children of light.

1 Thessalonians 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children
of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Every Bible reader would find many more Scriptures which refer to the believers as the children of Light. For every church age, the Message of the hour is the Light of the world. How do we become the children of light? The Apostle Paul explains this transformation from the darkness to the Light:

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Well, if we're really grounded in Christ, see, with the Holy Ghost in us, and rooted and grounded in the faith of God, it'll certainly pack the Light of the Gospel to the world.
E-27 THE INNER MAN -- CHICAGO IL -- 53-1212

Now, it's the Holy Spirit in the last days to shine forth the Evening Light, restoring back the faith that's been trampled down through the denominations...
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The first virtue is FAITH, and by faith we have recognized the LIGHT, which is the Lord's Message for our day. God predestinated us to have that gift of faith to become His children of Light.

Genesis 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst
of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which
were under the firmament from the waters which were above the
firmament: and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and
morning were the second day.

According to Revelation 17:15, the spiritual application of these verses is that “waters” also means multitudes of people. Seeing that the firmament is called Heaven, the multitude above represent the people of God, and the multitude under the firmament types the worldly people. David said:

Psalm 18:16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me...

Psalm 144:7 Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out
of great waters, from the hand of strange children;

During the antediluvian age, the offspring of Seth were called the sons and daughters of God, and the lineage of Cain was known as the sons and daughters of man. From a spiritual viewpoint, God regarded His children as the multitude above, and the children of man as the multitude below, and His strict order was that they must not mix with each other. When the sons of God defied His order and lusted after the fair daughters of man, God opened the fountains of the deep and the windows of Heaven and mixed the natural waters again and drowned everything in the flood, except for His Prophet Noah and his family. Abraham received the promise that his seed would be a multitude like the sand on the sea shore, and above as the stars in Heaven. Brother Branham prayed like this:

...as we bow our heads towards the sand where we come from; then our hearts look towards Heaven, where we are going. From sand to stars, being Abraham's Seed! Dead in Christ, we are Abraham's Seed, and heirs with Him according to the promise.
49 THE HARVEST TIME -- PHOENIX AZ -- 64-1212

2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:
for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what
communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that
believeth with an infidel?
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the
Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty.

VIRTUE is the power of God to help us to overcome the sins of the world, and to raise above the lusts of the flesh which are against God's Spirit. The Lord gives us Virtue to clean up our lives and live a sanctified life and gladly obey His commandments to the letter to make sure to be part of His Virgin Bride. Then we will be the multitude above, like the stars of Heaven, and throughout Eternity we will live with our Lord in the New Jerusalem, way above the nations and the kings on the earth.

Genesis 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered
together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the
waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

The next virtue is KNOWLEDGE, how can we link that virtue with the dry land of sand, soil, stones and rocks? One of the links is the parable of the sower who went to sow his seed, God's Word.

Matthew 13:23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he
that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit,
and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Matthew 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art
thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto
thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I
will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Brother Branham explained that the rock is not Peter, neither Jesus, but the revelation which Peter received. The rock is the KNOWLEDGE Who Jesus is, the revelation, which he received from the Father Who is in Heaven. The “good fertile ground” of his heart made it possible for him to receive this understanding. The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:4, that the Rock which followed the children of Israel was Christ, Who is the fountain of all wisdom and KNOWLEDGE. He is our Teacher in the form of the Holy Spirit, the Rock of ages, who is leading us into all truth and shows us things to come. Daniel 2:45 explains that at the end of the ages, He will be the Stone cut out of the mountain without hands to destroy the great image. In the Millennium, according to Isaiah 11:9, the earth shall be full of the KNOWLEDGE of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

1 Peter 2:4-8 states that the Lord is the chief corner Stone, and we as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus.

Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb
yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose
seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after
his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after
his kind: and God saw that it was good.

In a certain sense, these three botanical creations can be compared to the unbeliever, the make- believer and the true believer. In Matthew 6:30, Jesus indicated that the grass of the field, which is today, is tomorrow cast into the oven. James 1:11 gives us a even better explanation:

For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth
the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion
of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

The herb, yielding seed on the outside, can be compared to those who are justified and sanctified, but the fruit tree with the seed inside the fruit can be compared to the true believer who is baptized with the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus spoke much about trees, He said that they are known by their fruit, and that the good trees bring forth good fruit, and the bad ones will be cut down and burnt.

Psalm 1:3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,
that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither;
and whatsoever he does shall prosper.

Brother Branham explains that the rivers of water are the nine spiritual gifts by the same Spirit, and the nine fruits of the Spirit coming from the same Channel. That brings us to the next virtue, one of the nine fruits of the Spirit recorded in Galatians 5:22 and 23 is TEMPERANCE. The Lord is the Tree of Life, He was that Tree in Eden, and today He is still that Tree. In St. John 15:5 He said:

I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him,
the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

We bring forth the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace... and TEMPERANCE. There are many more Scriptures to confirm that the fruit trees are a type of the believers, such as Romans 11 where Paul tells us that we being a wild olive tree, by the grace of God, are grafted into the good olive tree.

Genesis 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament
of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for
signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to
give light upon the earth: and it was so.
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day,
and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

The sun, moon, and the stars were not only made to give light, but also to be used for signs, and to divide the time into days, weeks, month and years. These different units of time is the connection to the next virtue, which is PATIENCE. That is a very important virtue, the Lord Jesus said that “In your patience possess ye your souls.” Abraham proved to be a champion of that virtue, he did not only wait for days, or weeks, or months, but he waited patiently for 25 years for God's promise to be fulfilled. Eve caused the fall of man because she did not wait patiently for the promise of God.

We also notice that the Lord refers to Himself as the morning Star, and Brother Branham said that He also represents the north star. As Abraham's seed, we are likened to the stars of Heaven, and the moon stands for the church, reflecting the SON-light to a dark world till the dawn of His coming.

Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly
the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the
earth in the open firmament of heaven.
21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth,
which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every
winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

God created fish which can swim way below the surface of the sea, some up to 4 km deep where it is pitch dark, and birds which can fly high above the surface of the earth. The fish and fowls differ a lot from the formerly created objects, because these living creations have five senses and a spirit. The Bible mentions great whales, that is the biggest living creature that exists, and among the fowls the most majestic is the eagle, it can fly higher than any other bird. The spiritual application of flying above the earth represents the manifestation of the supernatural, not to be “earthbound.”

Justification, the horse and buggy; sanctification... automobile began to move along. Then Baptism of the Holy Ghost, it took off the ground. Got her feet off, got up in the air, flying around in the Heavenlies with Heavenly gift—speaking in tongues, Divine healing.
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Remember, God is an eagle. He called Himself an eagle. And He called Jacob an eagle. And we are His eaglets. Amen. He called His prophets “eagles.”
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Prophets “fly” high up in the Spirit, till they can see way ahead and foretell what is going to be in the future. They have “Thus Saith The Lord,” they speak on behalf of God. In St. John 10:35, Jesus Himself confirmed that the Prophets are gods (see Exodus 4:16). That is the connection which links the eagles to the next virtue of GODLINESS. Brother Branham said that GODLINESS means “to be like God.” We are His eaglets, waiting at this time patiently for the latter rain outpouring, a short and powerful manifestation of the Holy Spirit, and a vindication of GODLINESS among us.

The church needs a Holy Ghost revival. It needs a house cleaning. These are eagles; don't feed them on chicken food. They're eagles. Get them out there where they have to fly or die. That's all. And God will watch over His heritage.
25-6 AS THE EAGLE STIRRETH -- TULSA OK -- 60-0402

The Lord Jesus told His disciples that He will make them fishers of men. The Prophet explains that the ministers cast out the net, and catch all sorts of creepy things which crawl back to the water, but there are also some fish in the net, and they type the true believers.

Genesis 1:24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living
creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the
earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle
after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after
his kind: and God saw that it was good.

John 10:1-5 says that we are the Lord's SHEEP because we hear and understand His Voice for our day. Brother Branham predicted that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the time of the squeeze will produce another time like Ananias and Sapphira as described in Acts 5. The Spirit will separate His very elected sheep from the make-believers and the unbelievers. The little flock will then be tied together by the virtue of BROTHERLY KINDNESS, there will be no doctrinal disputes or anything else, because then we will all be alike, we will have come into the full Stature of the perfect man, created by the Word of God into the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image
of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Psalm 102:18 This shall be written for the generation to come:
and the people which shall be created shall praise the LORD.

“All the Father has given Me will come, not one will be lost. I'll raise it up at the last day. Not one hair of the head will even perish.” That is the beginning of the creation of God. This is the continuation of the creation of God. Then the whole earth has... a baptism.
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We can see the seven virtues of faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, and brotherly kindness, in the right order, fit perfectly with the seven stages of the creation. Therefore, when we reach the full stature of the perfect Man at the end of the age, and we meet the rest of the Bride on the day of Redemption, the title deed of the earth will be given back to us and we will reign with Christ in the Millennium. We will have the dominion over the whole creation of God which was lost by Adam, because we ourselves will have passed in type through every stage of it.

THE FALL FROM THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD

When God looked upon His whole creation, He regarded it as very good. Satan, the enemy of God, noticed that there was a condition attached to it, and he knew if he could break that, then he could take the control from Adam and become the ruler on earth. God's condition for His creation to work in perfect harmony was that every creature must bring forth of it's own kind. Satan knew that Adam would reject his advances, his only hope was to get to Eve when she was on her own. Because she was not part of the original creation, but was taken out of Adam to be a partner to him, Satan saw a possibility that he could change her understanding and seduce her to be a partner to himself.

The most subtle of the beasts and the closest to man was the serpent, and Satan knew that he was the only beast who's seed would mix with mankind. To carry out his scheme of destruction, Satan incarnated himself into the serpent. The serpent did not have a soul, he could not think like a man, but Satan used the serpents tongue to proclaim his lie to Eve. The story he told her is amazing, it is connected to the seven virtues, step by step in the same sequence as it is written in 2 Peter 1:5-7. His objective was to make her and Adam fall from their image and likeness of God.

Genesis 3:1b ...And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said,
Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Satan, through the serpent, quoted God's Word to Eve in a questionable way, trying to destroy her FAITH in the Word of God. Faith in the written Word is the very foundation for every believer.

Now, the first thing, I believe, that all Doctrine must come from God's Eternal blessed Word, for faith cannot rest upon the shifting sands of theology of men. It must be based upon the unmovable Rock of God's Word.
13 THE MIGHTY CONQUEROR -- JEFF. IN -- 56-0401

All the other virtues are based on a strong FAITH in the Word of God. Eve said to the serpent that God said that they must not eat or touch that tree in the midst of the garden, or they would die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

Eve did not know what a lie was, she did not know that there was something like that, it must have been confusing to her. But Satan wanted to destroy her VIRTUE, which is a believers sanctification, to obey and strictly do what God says in His Word. The serpent continued his deception and said:

5 For God doth know...

Here comes the biggest lie, the devastating blow. He is insinuating that God says something, but in His mind He thinks different about it and knowingly misleads them and withholds the “real facts.” The serpent lectured her that God's motive and KNOWLEDGE can be in contrast to His Word.

...that in the day ye eat thereof,

Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, TEMPERANCE, these are the spiritual fruits of the Tree of Life, there is no law against such. But the serpent encouraged Eve to eat of the forbidden tree, and the “fruit” of that one is adultery, fornication, uncleanness, idolatry, lasciviousness, witchcraft, hatred... strife, seditions, heresies etc., according to Galatians 5:19+20.

... then your eyes shall be opened,

God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, but they had to wait for God to come in His Own good time, and anoint and instruct them how it will be done. But the serpent told Eve that they have been waiting for a long time, with much PATIENCE, for God to bring this secret to them. He indicated that if she does what he says, then she will see it, without any further delay.

...and ye shall be as gods,

GODLINESS means to be like God, that is what Satan desires to be. Adam had control over the earth, he possessed the title deed and he was like god by the power of the perfect spoken Word.

...knowing good and evil.

Hebrews 5:14 says that those who are of full age have their senses exercised to be able to discern both good and evil. Adam would have known that this whole story from the serpent was altogether evil and contrary to the Word of God, but Eve could not discern the good from evil and she fell for it.

Adam did know the truth, but he did partake of the wrong act to save his wife because she was part of him. That was an act of BROTHERLY KINDNESS, he knew it would bring death to them and the fall of mankind, but he knew that God would make a way of redemption some way or another.

At the end of the last age, in our time, there will be a manifestation of the re-created sons of God, in the full stature of the perfect Man with the seven virtues displayed, in His image and likeness again. At the day of Redemption, the saints of all ages, including Adam and Eve, will be fully redeemed by the Kinsman Redeemer and we will receive the title deed back again and live with Him Eternally.


 

THE NEW TESTAMENT AND THE SEVEN CHURCH AGES FORETOLD

The first part of Genesis 22 is well known among the believers, it describes how God told Abraham to go to a certain mountain and offer his son Isaac for a burnt offering. God tried Abraham, and He obeyed God and he would have killed his son, but at the last moment the Angel of the Lord stopped him, and a ram appeared nearby which Abraham offered to God instead of his son Isaac. We know that this event was a type, the real act was the sacrifice of Jesus, the Son of God at Calvary. When Abraham had sacrificed the ram, the Angel of the Lord called out of Heaven again.

Genesis 22:16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because
thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

The LORD has sworn by Himself, that means that this Angel of the Lord is God Himself. We see it confirmed in Hebrews 6:13, the Apostle Paul says that when God made this promise to Abraham, He swore by Himself because He could swear by no greater, because there is no greater One.

17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply
thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the
sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Galatians 3:16 explains that this singular seed which was promised to Abraham was Christ. And by the Holy Spirit baptism we become part of His body, a multitude of sons and daughters as the stars of Heaven, which is His Bride. This promise is the New Testament foretold, because it includes all the nations of the earth, not only Israel. This New Covenant was promised to Abraham immediately after he had gone through this trial of sacrificing his son. By this type, God was showing that after the anti-type will have taken place, which is the real sacrifice of His Son at Calvary 1900 years later, then would this promise of the New Testament come into effect.

The Lord Himself, the mighty Angel of the Covenant, swore that He will multiply this seed and bless all the nations of the earth. But this blessing cannot go on forever, we know that we live in the last church age, at the end of the New Testament. When the last saint has come into the Message and is sealed by the Holy Spirit, then, according to Revelation 10, the same Angel of the Covenant Who spoke to Abraham out of Heaven to give him this promise by an oath, that same Covenant Angel will come down from Heaven and swear that time should be no longer. In this case, time does not stand for weeks, months, or years, but it means that the time for multiplying Abraham's seed and blessings for all the nations of the earth has run out. Let us continue in Genesis 22:

19 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and
went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.
20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham,
saying, Behold, Milcah, she has also born children unto thy brother Nahor;

After Abraham had returned to Beersheba, the Bible continues to tell us about Nahor and his family in another country. This is another type, to symbolize the Gospel changing from the Old Testament to the New Testament. It reminds us of Joseph when he brought his two sons to his father Jacob to bless them. Jacob gave his right hand blessing to Ephraim, the younger, instead to the older son. When Joseph tried to correct this error, Jacob said that God crossed his hands. Brother Branham explains that it means that through the Cross, the blessing will come from the Jews to the Gentiles, from the older to the younger. Let us look at the meaning of the names of the sons of Nahor.

21 Huz his firstborn,

Young's Bible concordance says the meaning of the name Huz is “firm.” We find that these names reflect the virtues, the church ages and sometimes the messengers of the seven ages. The first virtue of FAITH is absolutely and “firmly” based on the Word of God. Paul the first messenger was so “firm” that he said he would rebuke an Angel from Heaven if He would say something else than what he had said already. He also “firmly” rebuked Peter in front of other saints. The change from the law to grace at that age was not easy, it needed faith and a “firm” revelation to understand it.

...and Buz his brother,

The name Buz means “contempt” or “despised.” At the second age the heathens persecuted the Christians, they “despised” them without any reason, just because they were Christians. They fed them to the lions and other wild beasts in the arenas for sport and chased them from one place to another. But those Christians had VIRTUE, they endured those tests of their faith without wavering. Irenaeus was the messenger for that age, he was also martyred during that time of persecution.

...and Kemuel the father of Aram,

Kemuel denotes “God stands, or rises.” In the third age, in 325 A.D., the Nicene church Council changed most of the original church doctrines to make peace with the other religions. There were some true saints at that fateful Council who rose up and took a gallant stand for the truth, they did have the KNOWLEDGE of the original doctrine, but they were in the minority and their voices were silenced. Martin, the third messenger was very bold, he is well known for his tremendous faith and the incredible miracles which took place during his ministry. He defied the king and every other adversary, and the Lord vindicated him as he took a strong “stand” for the truth on behalf or God.

22 And Chesed,

Now we come to the dark ages, and the name Chesed fits perfectly. This name has two meanings, and both are appropriate. The first meaning is “good deed,” and “merciful kindness,” and “pity,” “merciful” etc. All these words of righteousness fit the virtue of TEMPERANCE, and those millions of saints had these virtues, they rather gave up their life than to compromise on God's Word. There are many accounts where these believers prayed that God should have mercy for their torturers.

But Chesed also means “wicked thing.” In Revelation 2:20, this same “thing” is called the “woman Jezebel,” and in 17:5 she is called “mother of harlots,” the same institution which killed the saints.

...and Hazo,

The meaning of the name Hazo is “vision.” The fifth age was the time of the Reformation, when all resemblance of the original Christian doctrines had vanished. God anointed His messenger Martin Luther, a priest, to have a “vision.” This was not a vision like the Prophets have to see and foretell things, but he had a “vision” that he must protest and denounce the corrupt church system and to bring a radical change to the whole known world. This “vision” brought a liberation from the yoke of Rome, but also a rise of many fanatics who wanted to use the Reformation for political ends. Martin Luther knew that his message was not the full restoration of what had been lost, and he has been credited with staying calm among the fanaticism and calling for PATIENCE and moderation.

...and Pildash,

John Wesley was the messenger to the sixth age. Pildash means “flame of fire,” and this was the age of the open door when the Gospel torch of the saving grace of God was taken to every corner of the world. This “flame of fire” burnt in the hearts of many missionaries, and they defied hardship and unknown plagues and sicknesses to accomplish their missions to bring the Gospel light to the lost and dying. John Wesley's Message of sanctification did shine into the lives of a largely lawless and brutalized society and it brought a change towards GODLINESS and saved England.

...and Jidlaph,

The name of Nahor's seventh son is Jidlaph, it means “melting away.” That is a fitting depiction of the Pentecostal age. The mighty outpouring of the power of the Holy Spirit at the Azusa street had BROTHERLY KINDNESS, but it has just about “melted away.” In Revelation 3:16 to 19, the Bible predicted that it would be a lukewarm church which thought they had everything, but they would be wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked without realizing it. The ministry of the final messenger William Branham started in 1946, the Pentecostals loved the mighty signs and wonders wrought by the Holy Spirit through this humble servant, but they rejected his teaching and his Message of strict adherence to the Scriptures and a sanctified life. The result of this rejection was that the Lord called other believers from every denomination, and from the highways and hedges (Luke 14:23), and out of every nation, kindred and tongue into His end-time Message that His house might be filled.

...and Bethuel,
23 And Bethuel begat Rebekah: these eight Milcah did bear to Nahor,
Abraham's brother.

The meaning of Bethuel is “dweller in God.” Firstly, that phrase does fit the ministry of the Prophet very well, he spent much of his life as a “dweller in God,” in the presence of God.

My work is in the realm of Spirits. That's where I live, a big part of my life, is in another dimension, that the world knows nothing about. And I speak that in the Name of the Lord.
E-30 GOD TESTIFYING OF HIS GIFTS -- HAMMOND IN -- 52-0713e

Them revelations in the presence of that ball of Fire hanging there in the room! O brother! Although I've seen It since a child, every time It comes near me, It alarms me. He almost puts me in an unconscious condition. You never get used to it. You can't. It's too sacred.
349-2 THE FIFTH SEAL -- JEFF. IN -- 63-0322

Secondly, this Message is the full Word of God, the full revelation of Jesus Christ Who is God. We Message believers like to say: “I am in the Message.” The definition of that statement is the same as if we would say: “I'm a dweller in God.” We see that Bethuel represents the Message believers, the Bible specifically mentioned that he begat Rebekah, but his son Laban is not mentioned.

This leads us to have a closer look at the house of Bethuel. The Lord revealed to Brother Branham that his ministry was also a type (another type) of Eliezer, the faithful servant of Abraham. We know the story, Abraham sent his trusted servant to the city of Nahor to find a wife for his son Isaac. After his journey, he rested at the well outside the city and when Rebekah came to draw water, he knew by a sign that she was God's choice to be the bride for Isaac. Eliezer told Rebekah what the motive of his visit was, and he and his men were invited to lodge at her father's house. All the members of the household of Bethuel were happy to welcome this messenger, Rebekah and her father, and her mother and brother were gladly receiving the Message he delivered from his master Abraham.

Notice, Eliezer found the woman, he knowed that was her. And notice, he had to deal with two people, her mother and the brother. The father, rest of them, had nothing to say. Mother and brother! So has the Messenger, the Holy Ghost of God, in this last days, picking out the Bride. He's had to deal with the church that calls itself the “mother,” the Catholic; and the “brother,” the preacher. That's exactly. He had to deal with those two. They was the one that kicked up a fuss about it.
134 A SUPER SIGN -- GRASS VALLEY CA -- JJ -- 62-0708

This Bible story took place about 3800 years ago, but the four members of the house of Bethuel are a perfect type of the Message believers of today. The father Bethuel (“dweller in God”) represents the greater majority of the Message believers all over the world who are justified and sanctified, and go to church regularly, but don't care to understand the deeper doctrines of the Message. They are aware of this great confusion in the Message everywhere, but they don't worry about it.

The mother represents the Message churches worldwide (catholic means universal, or in general),and the brother is a type of the five fold ministry. Laban was working hard to provide all the needs for the messenger and he and his mother looked very well after Eliezer. But the two tried to change the Message and impose their own ideas to it, to change the timing like the Parousia today or some other doctrine which lead the unsuspecting believers astray.

Rebekah knew this was the time of her life, she understood that this Message was taking her to her future husband. For her this was all important, it left no room for any compromises. She was going to be ready under all circumstances and nothing could hold her back, she believed every word of the messenger's Message. At the messenger's set time, she departed from the others to meet her Bridegroom, and the rest of the family stayed behind. This type shows us clearly that to claim to be “in the Message” is not enough, we have to be firmly identified with the “Rebekah part” of It.


 

THE VIRTUES IN JESUS'S LIFE AND IN THE FIRST CHURCHES

Only one Gospel gives a description of the childhood of Jesus. In Luke 2 we read that His parents took Him to the feast of the passover at Jerusalem when He was twelve years old. After the feast, when everybody was leaving to go home again, the boy Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem and His parents were not aware of it. After looking for Him for three days, they found Him in the Temple in the midst of the learned men discussing the Word of God. Being in Jerusalem, He desired to use this opportunity to be in the Temple and increase HisFAITH. He was not interest in playing games with other children, that was foolish to Him, He always wanted to be about His Father's business and live that consecrated, sanctified life of VIRTUE. He must have thought that His parents should have realized that long ago, they should have known right away where to find Him. The Bible says that all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers, they were amazed that such a young boy could have wisdom and KNOWLEDGE like that, and where did He learn it?

Luke 2:51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was
subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

He continued to grow in the stature of the perfect Man, He was in subjection to His parents and He increased in favour with God and with all the people around Him. Everybody could see the virtue of TEMPERANCE in this humble young Man. As a twelve year old boy He knew Who He was, He did know what kind of a business His Heavenly Father had ordained for Him to be about, but He had to wait PATIENTLY for another 18 years till God's time was right for Him to be anointed. After John had baptized him in the river Jordan, all the fullness of the Godhead came upon Him to dwell in His body, and He had the virtue of GODLINESS without measure, He was God. And when His ministry on earth was finish, He did not resist to be handed over to those murderous religious leaders, and to those cruel, vile soldiers, knowing the suffering and the pain and the horrible death on the cross which was awaiting Him. That was the greatest act of BROTHERLY KINDNESS that I know off.

We can see the seven virtues in the earthly life of our Lord Jesus, from the age of accountability till His death on the cross. In the Bible, after the four Gospels and the Book of Acts, we find letters written by the Apostle Paul to seven churches. The first letter is to the Romans, he writes about the corruption in the world and declares that the Jews and the Gentiles are under sin and there is none righteous, not one. He confirms that there is only one hope to find justification, not through the law or by works, but by FAITH, by that alone. Paul explains that Abraham was justified by his faith, he believed God under all circumstances. In the chapters 9 to 11, Paul expresses his sorrow for Israel which followed the law and works and not the righteousness which is by faith. He tells the Romans:

1:8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all,
that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.

14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he
eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

The next church is the Corinthians, and they are linked to VIRTUE, or rather the lack of it. Brother Branham said that the Corinthian church needed more corrections than any of the other churches in the New Testament. They argued about who was baptized by who, they were carnal and Paul told them that they are babies who had to be fed with milk. They argued with their messenger Paul, and among themselves, and even tried to settle their disputes in the law courts. They misused the gifts of the Spirit, some were drunk at the communion table and their moral living was disputable. Paul lectured them how to live a sanctified life of Virtue, and to separate from the unbelievers.

2 Corinthians 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,
saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty.

The next epistle of Paul is to the Galatians. He tells them that they should have such a revelation and KNOWLEDGE of his Message, that if any other man or even an Angel from Heaven preached any other Gospel to them, let him be accursed. One really has to have a very good knowledge of the Message to correct an Angel from Heaven. In chapter two, Paul explains that he had a superior knowledge at this meeting in Jerusalem, later he even rebuked his fellow Apostle Peter for some error. In the third chapter Paul calls the Galatians foolish because some want to go back to the law, he tells them that they should know better than that, they can't be made perfect by the flesh.

Galatians 4:9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather
are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly
elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?

Galatians 5:23 tells us that the virtue TEMPERANCE is one of the nine fruits of the Spirit, and the Ephesian church did have that. Brother Branham said that Paul spoke to the Ephesian church in a different way than to the others, because they were a solid Gospel church. They are also known as the church of grace, and they parallel the Book of Joshua in the Old Testament. All the gifts were in that church working in perfect harmony as it was set in order by their messenger Paul. They were not like children tossed to and fro, they could eat the strong meat like those who are of full age.

Ephesians 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye
light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)

The next church is the Philippians, and the next virtue is PATIENCE. Paul tells the church that he was a righteous Hebrew, but learned to count all that as loss that he may win Christ.

Philippians 3:11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection
of the dead.
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect:
but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am
apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one
thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching
forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God
in Christ Jesus.

The Apostle Paul tells the Philippians that he has not reached that perfection of the high calling yet, he is still in this race, he is not looking back, but he is reaching forward and pressing to complete it, and reach for the prize of the resurrection. In another place in the Bible he said that we must lay aside everything else and run with PATIENCE this race that is set before us (Hebrews 12:1).

The first chapter of the following epistle to the Colossians is interesting. In verse 4, Paul applauds the church for their faith in Christ, and their love to all the saints. Virtue, expressed in this love in the Spirit, is repeated in verse 8 again. In verse 9, Paul continues to encourage the church.

9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease
to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge
of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being
fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power,
unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

We see faith, virtue, knowledge, and the fruit of the Spirit which is temperance, and patience, in the right sequence again. Then Paul continues to describe the Lord Jesus, that He is the image of the invisible God, and all things were created and consist by Him and for Him, and in Him dwelt the fulness of the Godhead bodily. We see in Him what the virtue of GODLINESS is, and one day we will be presented in His image and likeness, every man perfect, unblameable, unreproveable and holy in Christ Jesus. This is the mystery which had been hid, but is now manifest to the saints at the end of the last age, which is Christ in these seven virtues in us, and that is our hope of glory.

The seventh and last church is the Thessalonians, and BROTHERLY KINDNESS is the last virtue which brings the true saints of Christ to the full stature of the perfect Man, to be like Jesus our Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I
write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.

In these epistles to the Thessalonians we find more explanations of the coming of the Lord than in any of the other letters written by Paul. He tells the believers that they will be his glory and joy when they will be with him in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ at His coming, just as we will be the glory and joy of Brother Branham at the same event. The brotherly kindness extents further than just for the believers of the local church, it includes a longing and deep desire to meet all the saints of all ages. We will be like one with one another, the whole Body of Christ from Adam to the last one, the living and the dead behind the Curtain of time at the Judgment of the righteous saints.


 

THE SEVEN VIRTUES AND THE SEVEN CHURCH AGES

At the beginning of this chapter, we see Brother Branham's diagram of the seven church ages and the seven virtues which is well known among the Message believers. But there is another teaching and application of these virtues during the seven church ages which will lead us up to the present state of the Message, and will help us to have a better understanding of what the next step will be.

As Jesus went away He told His disciples to tarry until Pentecost at which time the very same Spirit that was upon Him would come back and fall upon them and fill them. Then that 'called out' body (the church) would be in His stead upon the earth, taking His place.
250-2 THE CHURCH AGE BOOK

I can imagine them apostles never acted like us. They went around, probably a man of few words... Just one little nod from God. That did it. This is it. Why? How could they know it was a nod from God? They had all these virtues in here, all these qualifications...
61-2 STATURE OF A PERFECT MAN -- JEFF. IN -- 62-1014m

On the day of Pentecost, the rushing mighty wind appeared and filled the 120 saints with the Holy Ghost. The very same Spirit that was in Jesus, the seven virtues, came down from the perfect Man to fill the believers of His church on earth, to take His place till His second coming.

About twenty years after Pentecost, the Apostle Paul founded the church at Ephesus which was the beginning of the first church age. The name Ephesus has some compound meanings, one of it is “relaxed.” With the passing of time, the church age did relax as we see in the following Scriptures.

Revelation 2:2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and
how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them
which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

Brother Branham preached a sermon entitled “Works is FAITH expressed.” He explains that God does not have to see our works to know if we have faith or not, He knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts. But before the fellow believers, our works express what faith we have. James tells us that faith by itself, if it hath not works, is dead. After faith comes VIRTUE, they laboured patiently to keep that church sanctified, they did not tolerate evil and unholiness among them. Paul had told them before that grievous wolves would enter among them, but they had KNOWLEDGE to know the difference between the right doctrine and false teachings. The Prophet explains:

And see what those false apostles were doing. They came with their own word. Those Ephesians knew that Word as Paul had taught it. They were full of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of Paul's hands. They looked those false apostles in the eye and said, “You are not saying what Paul said. You are, therefore, false.”
83-1 THE CHURCH AGE BOOK

Revelation 2:3 And hast born, and hast patience, and for my
name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou
hast left thy first love.

All the believers who stand up for the truth are belittled and ridiculed by the “grievous wolves,” but those Ephesians had TEMPERANCE to bear the reproach, and they had PATIENCE and fainted not in their labour for the Lord's name sake. The Lord commended the saints of the Ephesian age for their faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance and patience, but instead of going further to add the virtue of godliness, there comes a rebuke. They had left their first love.

They had forgotten something. He told them to turn back in their minds to their point of origin. The origin of the first age was Pentecost. They had fallen from it. They had forgotten the glory and wonder of it. It was time to go back in mind and then in reality. Back when they could say, “For me to live is Christ.” Back to purity when Ananias and Sapphira were dealt with. Back to the Gate Beautiful.
90-2 THE CHURCH AGE BOOK

That shows us what the “first love” is, it is the miraculous, powerful manifestations of the Holy Spirit with signs and wonders. We see another most important fact, godliness and brotherly kindness is connected with the supernatural manifestations of the Holy Ghost, which is the “first love.”

Revelation 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty,
(but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say
they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

This is the next church age, it is called Smyrna, it means “bitter” or “myrrh.” Bitter myrrh was used to embalm dead bodies. In this age the heathens persecuted the virtuous saints of the church, just because they were Christians, but they were faithful unto death. Their FAITH was expressed by their works, and because they were rich in VIRTUE, they could endure the tribulation and poverty without compromising. They also had the virtue of KNOWLEDGE to recognize and point out the satanic impersonators. The Lord Jesus urged those saints to show their TEMPERANCE and to be faithful in their suffering unto death. In this age of Smyrna, the virtues were reduced to four.

Revelation 2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even
where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not
denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful
martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth.

Pergamos is the third age, the name means “elevation,” or “joined,” or “married.” At this age Satan infiltrated the church at the Nicene church Council in the year 325 A.D. when the Roman Emperor Constantine tried to “join” the different religions together. The church was forced to accept many compromises, and the unscriptural doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, and she was “elevated” to be the sponsored State church. The enemy of the true believers was not outside the church anymore, but right in the church. The virtues displayed by the saints had come down to FAITH and VIRTUE only.

Revelation 2:19 I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith,
and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.

The name of the fourth age is Thyatira, it means “wicked thing.” This age is known as the dark age, it lasted about 900 years, it is also known as “the depth of Satan.” Verse 19 does not apply to the church itself, but to millions who protested the falsehood of the church and were tortured and killed and burned and butchered to death. History tells us that the hierarchy of the church was totally and utterly corrupt and immoral and the original doctrine was so perverted that there was no foundation for genuine faith and virtue left anywhere.

The Lord Jesus told His disciples that a corn of wheat must fall into the ground and die in order to bring forth much more fruit. At the end of the Thyatira age, the corn of wheat had died just like the Master at Calvary, but there had to be a change to bring forth much fruit. We have seen how the seven virtues were cut off step by step, but now this has to be restored again to it's former glory. There has to be a resurrection of the church just like the Master on that Easter morning.

Revelation 3:2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain,
that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.

The Reformation took place in the Sardis church age, and Sardis means “the escaped ones.” This mighty move of God was used by many for political ends and their works were not found perfect in the eyes of God. The Reformation was founded upon the Scripture which says that “the just shall live by FAITH” and not the unscriptural works and duties which the church forced upon the people. This revelation that we are justified by faith alone is the foundation to restore the church again.

Revelation 3:8 I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee
an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength,
and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.

Philadelphia means “love of the brethren,” and that love and the open door gave the saints of this age the opportunity to evangelize the world. Their works testified of their faith, and keeping the Word of God is the VIRTUE of sanctification for which the sixth age is well known. The churches of that time are generally known as the Holiness churches and God was well pleased with them.

Revelation 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither
cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

The seventh and last church age is Laodicea, it means “peoples rights.” This final age started with a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit which spread all over the world. The restoration of the baptism with the Holy Ghost was supposed to restore the virtue of KNOWLEDGE to the believers, but the newly formed “Pentecostal church” was more interested in the gifts of tongues and miracles than in the gifts of wisdom and knowledge to restore the original pentecostal doctrines to the church. The result was that they became lukewarm and, according to Revelation 3:16-18, God spued them out of His mouth and told them that they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.

After the second world war, God fulfilled His promise and sent His end-time Prophet and anointed Him with the Spirit of Elijah. Matthew 17:11, Acts 3:21, Revelation 10:7 tell us that his Message will restore all things which had been lost, all the seven virtues to bring us back to the full stature of the perfect Man. At this present time we are still in the “former” or “teaching rain,” which means that after we have been justified and sanctified, we are baptized with the Holy Spirit Who will teach us and lead us by the Message and the Bible into all truth, and show us things to come (John 16:13).

We are justified by FAITH, and VIRTUE is the result of sanctification. Those who are baptized with the Holy Spirit are endued with wisdom and KNOWLEDGE to understand the Word of God, which will produce the fruits of the Spirit such as love, joy, peace... meekness, TEMPERANCE. Some of us have reached the virtue of PATIENCE, which means that we are patiently waiting for the last one to come into the body of Christ, and for the latter Rain outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Without that we cannot go any further, all the saints will be called in the former Rain by the “shout” of the Message.

You wait till the anointing of the Church really strikes home. They got faith, the little remnant. After the doors of the Gentiles is closed, oh, God will anoint a Church then.
203 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS -- JEFF. IN -- 54-0103e

There'll be a national showdown. There'll be a power that they never seen before. Trouble of it is, this time it's going to be too late for them then. The doors will be closed.
192 TRUE SIGN THAT'S OVERLOOKED -- JEFF. IN -- 61-1112

Even down, as far as I know, to the very last one that the Church is going to receive before the fire falls from Heaven. The same Pillar of Fire that was seen back there...
195 INFLUENCE -- NEW YORK NY -- 63-1114

The squeeze and the latter Rain outpouring of the Holy Spirit can only come after the last one has come into the Church and the doors are shut. We are now at the same position than the Ephesians were, they also had the first five virtues, but had left the first love which we identified as the virtues of godliness and brotherly kindness which are connected to the manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit. We are patiently waiting for that “first love” outpouring to be manifested among us.

Jas. 1:4, “But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire lacking nothing.” God's will for us is Perfection. And that perfection is patience—waiting on God and waiting for God. This is the process of character development.
224-1 THE CHURCH AGE BOOK

...the Bride Church will mature, and her ripeness shall be an identification with her Lord by means of the Word, and her Head Who will come to her is the Mystery of GODLINESS, Which indeed is Christ. And as the false church with all cunning and diabolical power made up of political force, physical force and demons of darkness come against this true vine, the true vine with the fullness of the Spirit and the Word will do the very acts of power that Jesus did.
363-1 THE CHURCH AGE BOOK

This quote spells it out as clear as clear can be, we mature and ripen in the former Rain Message which is the interpretation of the “written Word.” This brings us as far as PATIENCE, and here we are waiting patiently for the last sheep to come into the fold, and also on God and for God to come among us in the mystery of GODLINESS. It will take place in the time of the squeeze, nobody will be able to survive that time without the full power of the Holy Spirit and the manifestation of the third pull. The voice of the Prophet on the tapes or the written Word could never bring us to the virtue of GODLINESS, but the gift of discernment and another Ananias and Sapphira display will do it.

You know, the hour will soon arise when—when right among us will be... the Holy Spirit will speak out like It did in Ananias and Sapphira. Remember, see, that hour is arriving. See?... Now, you just remember that, see, that God is going to dwell among His people.
60 COMMUNION -- TUCSON AZ -- 65-1212

If somebody had done something wrong, the Holy Spirit rise right up and reveal it. They'd have to clean up. That's gifts of the Spirit in the church, O God, send us a church like that...
240 PERSEVERANCE -- JEFF. IN -- 62-0218

Every individual saint will be personally dealt with at that time, it will separate the genuine believers from the make-believers and the unbelievers. Our churches will be closed down by the authorities, and we will have to gather secretly. That occurrence will bring us to BROTHERLY KINDNESS.

But I believe my brethren, that there is coming an hour that when a real rank persecution will run us together, then we will be one, the church will come together.
E-28 THE GREAT COMMISION -- CHATTANOOGA TN -- 58-0301b

I was just inspired to speak them words and say, that, some glorious day that all the gifts that's in the church will just be set aside, on the mantle, as it was. And the Holy Spirit, Himself, will just take the Church in such a control, of Divine love, until the sick will be healed, the blind will see, the lame will walk, without being hands laid on them. It'll just be one great unity.
13 THEN JESUS CAME -- JEFF. IN -- 57-0407e

It is a fearful thing. Not that you fear that you're lost, but you're really before angelic Being and the Holy Ghost Himself standing there. Now, that will be part of the Bride; that's what it will go to make it up—all those who sleep.
468-5 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE SEALS -- JEFF. IN -- 63-0324m

The gifts will restore the virtue of godliness to the individual saints, but when we come to brotherly kindness, the gifts will become obsolete and they will be set aside on the shelf (see 1 Corinth. 13).Only the presence of the Holy Spirit Himself can bring us to the full stature of the perfect Man, and He Himself will cap and seal each saint who has added all these virtues to their faith. There will be no more five fold ministry at that time, the Holy Spirit will minister Himself simultaneously to all the groups all over the world in every nation, kindred and tongue. Then Malachi 4:6 is fulfilled, and the Church will be restored again as it was at Pentecost, and we will be ready to be translated to meet the dead in Christ, and together we will welcome our Kinsman Redeemer on the day of the Lord.

A TYPE SIMBOLIZING THE SQUEEZE AND THE VIRTUES

In 2 Chronicles 20 we read that the children of mount Seir and of Moab and Ammon, and with them others besides the Ammonites, federated themselves together to come against tiny Judah to take away their inheritance which God gave them. When Jehoshaphat the king saw this great multitude coming against them, he proclaimed a fast throughout all of Judah, and the people came together in Jerusalem with fear and trembling and asked the Lord to help them in this hour of need.

Our spiritual mind tells us that this event in the Bible, which took place about 2900 years ago, is a type of the “squeeze” which we know is coming soon upon the whole face of the earth to eliminate the true Church of God. We want to see who the children of mount Seir, Moab and of Ammon and all the others symbolize in our time. According to Deuteronomy 2:1-8 and Joshua 24:4, God gave mount Seir to Esau as his possession. The children of mount Seir is the offspring of Esau.

Just like the Jew will try making this covenant with Rome, and their money proposition. Notice it. Then Esau didn't need his money; neither does Rome—got the wealth of the world in their hands, see?
428-5 THE SIXTH SEAL -- JEFF. IN -- 63-0323

Brother Branham provides the connection, the children of mount Seir is the offspring of Esau, and he represent the church of Rome today. And what about Moab and Ammon? In Genesis 19:31-38 we read that the two daughters of Lot made their father drunk and went in to him to conceive. The elder daughter bare a son and named him Moab, who became the father of the Moabites, and the younger daughter bare also a son and she called him Benammi, and he is the father of the children of Ammon. Lot and his two daughters survived the destruction of Sodom because they were called out and rescued by two Angels. The children of Moab and Ammon would not have existed if the two Angels would not have saved Lot and his daughters. The Prophet gives us an interesting link.

You see, there was the church natural—the church natural, which was Lot and his group. They had a modern Billy Graham go down there, and so forth, and an Oral Roberts and them, calling them out. They did a miracle, insomuch, to smite blind.
E-199 AN ABSOLUTE -- PHOENIX AZ -- 63-0127

Just like it was at Sodom. Now, look at the position of the world today: Sodomites. Look at that Billy Graham and Oral Roberts, them two witnesses, down there witnessing to the denominational churches. One to the Methodist, Baptist, and Presbyterian; the other to the Pentecostals. This one, that one, and the other one.
292 WORKS IS FAITH EXPRESSED -- SHREVEPORT LA -- 65-1126

The Moabites represent the Protesants today, and the Ammonites symbolize the Pentecostals, and almost all of these different churches are united already in the World Council of Churches (WCC). The WCC includes mainline Protestants, Anglicans, Pentecostals and different Orthodox churches representing more than 500 million followers in about 350 member churches. We know that they will make a confederation with the church of Rome and every church which refuses to conform to their doctrine will be closed down and nullified. At that time we will pray like never before.

They'll try to quit praying for the sick and put a ban on it. Just remember that when persecution rises, the church comes to it's very height then. It's always the best. Yes sir, and God's working it all together.
22-6 VISIONS AND PROPHESY -- CHICAGO IL -- 56-0408a

And you'll either have to belong to some of those denominations or be ousted. And that's the time where we have to show our colors and be sure that we know, not a guess work, but know THUS SAITH THE LORD where you're standing.
57 THE PATMOS VISION -- JEFF. IN -- 60-1204e

King Jehoshaphat and all the people cried unto God for help, mentioning the covenant which God had made with His children Israel that He will hear if they call upon him in their affliction and deliver them from their enemies. They confessed that they have no might against this great multitude that is coming against them, and that they don't know what to do, only to trust in Him. Verse 14 says:

14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the
son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came
the spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;
15 And he said, Harken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not
afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle
is not yours, but God's.

Brother Branham says that every word in the Bible has a specific meaning, and with the help of the Young's concordance, we want to look at these seven names in connection with the seven virtues.

Jahaziel = “God reveals.” God reveals Himself in His Word, and our FAITH is in that Word.

Zechariah = “Jah (God) is renowned.” Our life of VIRTUE is dedicated to our renowned God.

Benaiah = “Jah is intelligent.” Our KNOWLEDGE comes by revelation from the omniscient God.

Jeiel = “God snatches away.” With firm TEMPERANCE, millions were snatched away as martyrs.

Mattaniah = “gift of Jah.” PATIENCE is an important virtue, a gift by which we possess our souls.

Levite = “joined.” The Holy Spirit will join us at the time of the squeeze to bring us to GODLINESS.

Asaph = “gatherer.” BRO. KINDNESS will gather us together, and into the garner for the harvest.

At this time of great need, God “joined” Jehoshaphat and his people to deliver them from this great multitude. He told them that the battle will be His, and not for them to fight. We will have to confront a greater conflict one of these days, and we have seen that the Lord will “join” us also at that time. But as we can see in this type and the previous examples, the Holy Spirit will come upon those only who have added these virtues to their faith and understand and wait with patience for Him to come and will be ready for the rest of the way, to be transformed into the full stature of the perfect Man.

THE VIRTUES IN BROTHER BRANHAM'S MINISTRY

The first available tape recording of the Prophet's Message was made in April 1947. In the following years, till the beginning of 1953, Brother Branham's tapes contain mainly testimonies of the mighty supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit in his ministry, and instructions for the people how to receive their healing. That was the signs to vindicate him as God's Prophet, before the voice of the seventh angel brought the actual Message. After 1952, Brother Branham came back to his home church in Jeffersonville more often, and he started to preach doctrines. In 1956 he proclaimed:

...something's holding me to America. All the others seems to be the same way, and I believe that America is going to get her last call this year. That's right. I'd be dareson. Look here, at the tapes down here. They might be played 20 years from today. You have to watch what you're talking about; watch what you're saying, but I believe that. Now, the Lord hasn't told me that, but I believe that, that America is either going to receive Christ or is going to turn Him down flatly this year, and I predict that they will turn Him down.
22-5 VISIONS AND PROPHESY -- CHICAGO IL -- 56-0408a

1956 was the 50^th anniversary of the start of the pentecostal church, and Pentecost means 50. The Prophet said that the Pentecostals are as much backslid as all the others. In those years, and very much so in 1957 when he preached the Hebrew series, Brother Branham emphasized that we are saved by our FAITH in God's Word, and and that alone. The Pentecostals majored on tongues and feelings and sensations which Satan can impersonate, and neglected to stay with the Bible word by word. Brother Branham said many times that he can only accept what is written in the Bible, he was very passionate about that. In the Hebrews series, the first words of the Prophet was about faith.

I think there's nothing better to me than just the Word. Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing the Word of God.
1 HEBREWS, CHAPTER ONE -- JEFF. IN -- 57-0821

Now, the only way that a church can be built, the only way that a man can have faith, is not by his denomination, not by his affiliation, but his faith rests not upon the theology of some man's ideas ('cause it's more or less, altogether, man), but the only way faith can find it's solemn resting place, is upon the immovable and unchangeable Word of God. “Faith cometh by hearing, hearing the Word.” That's how it takes. And—and when Faith is heard and accepted, it's forever settled. Nothing no more can ever move it...
522 HEBREWS CHAPTER SIX... PART 3 -- JEFF. IN -- 57-0915m

It's your faith. And your faith, confessed by your lips, make manifest to the people that can hear, but you life is open before all... it's got to be IN you. That's the real “kernal” of the whole story. Your personal faith in the resurrected Christ, as your Saviour...
558 HEBREWS CHAPTER SIX... PART 3

They try to make it so complicated, these things and them things, when it boils right down to one thing: your personal faith in God. That's it. That tells it. “For by faith (not by feeling)... by faith (not by emotion)... by faith (not by sensation)... but by faith you are saved; and that by...” (because you sought the Lord, because you was a good person) “... because God (by grace) foreknew you and ordained you to Eternal Life.”
198 HEBREWS CHAPTER SEVEN... PART 1 -- 57-0915e

We know that Hebrews 11 is the great faith chapter of the Bible. Obviously, Brother Branham spoke much about faith throughout his ministry, but he underlined it strongly in the Hebrews series and all the other sermons he preached at that time. The next series of meetings in Jeffersonville was at the end of September and October 1958. The Prophet set three sermons aside to lay down the biblical way of a sanctified life of VIRTUE to be applied in the Branham Tabernacle.

We want to take tonight, and tomorrow morning, and tomorrow night, just on what we believe here at the Tabernacle, to—to rehearse it over again. We have some awful odd beliefs, very strange, but somehow or another we find them in this Bible.
So now if I just make this real rude on some of these places, and to you visitors tonight that's sitting on, I'm not—I'm not trying to throw you off, I'm just trying to drive home to this church what we believe. All understands that now real good, say “amen.” [Congregation says “Amen”—Ed.] All right, that's—that's okay. And I'll get this off my hands... They're recording it, and so forth, that later on if they wanted to find out then what we really stand for, and what the grounds that we stand on, these recordings will tell it.
4 + 6 WHY WE ARE NOT A DENOMINATION -- JEFF. IN -- 58-0927

And do you realize, my brother, every time you do that which is right, that'll be visited on your children?
And sister, brother, how can you run out here, and people live and run around with man's wives, and wives breaking up homes, and—and living the way you do, what do you expect another generation to be? Here's what it is, it's become now nothing but just a bunch of illegitimate, messed-up-born bunch of corruption. And there's one thing left for it, and that's the atomic day that we're living in. That's exactly right. We're at the end time.
79 + 83 WHY WE ARE NOT A DENOMINATION

I'll stay by His Bible, sink or drown, popular or unpopular. Whether anybody loves me, or not, I'll please Him. I want to do that which pleases Him.
159 HOLY SPIRIT EXPLAINED -- JEFF. IN -- 58-0928m

...and the seed of the righteous is about run out. Talk to people about these things; talk to people about going back to the Bible way; talk to the people about miracles; talk to the people about that; their church doesn't believe it; so they're bastard children to God. The Bible said if we cannot bear persecution, trials, and mockery, and be called “holy rollers” and so forth, if you can't stand it, you are bastard children and not the children of God.
32-5 THE SERPENT'S SEED -- JEFF. IN -- 58-0928e

Anyone who listen to those tapes will certainly know what virtue is all about. In December 1959, the Prophet preached the Holy Ghost series. We understand that the baptism of the Holy Ghost is the Holy Spirit Who comes into our heart as a Teacher to give us KNOWLEDGE by revelations.

This meeting is to be a little different meeting than what we usually have here. Mostly every time when we come together here, it's... a meeting for the healing of the sick and for the—a physical need. The emphasis is put upon that. But tonight we have started this revival for the healing of the soul, the—the spirit of the man...
You know, every church, if you don't have a doctrine, you're not a church. You've got to have something that you stand for, some principles that you're holding up...
We must come here for the sole purpose of getting our souls ready for the coming of the Lord, and for no other purpose... We're here to make ready the coming of the Lord...
Listen, brethren. Listen to this! “All tables are full of vomit; there is no clean place. Who shall He teach knowledge? Whom shall He make known—understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk and drawn from the breast.” Not little babies...
1 + 8 + 9 + 87 WHAT IS THE HOLY GHOST -- JEFF. IN -- 59-1216

And remember then, it is absolutely, now, to you people—It's absolutely essential, and necessary, and compelling, and compulsory that you receive the Holy Ghost now, for if you don't, you can't come in the resurrection.
150 WHAT WAS THE HOLY GHOST GIVEN FOR? -- JEFF. IN -- 59-1217

I wouldn't do nothing to cause controversy. But if we don't get the Truth, when we going to get started? We've got to have something to take place here to straighten us out. We got to get rapturing grace here now. Truth has to come forth.
68 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE HOLY GHOST -- JEFF.IN -- 59-1219

Truth comes by revelation, through the virtue of knowledge which we get with the baptism of the Holy Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, yeah, the deep things of God. Five month after Brother Branham had preached the Holy Ghost series, he taught the Adoption series. Adoption starts with the baptism of the Holy Ghost Who is the Teacher, or Tutor, to teach and guide the predestinated saints all the way to the Adoption ceremony which will take place on the day of Redemption.

Then did you notice Moses... He did not give them their inheritance; he led them up to the Land, but Joshua divided the land to the people. Is that right? And Christ brought the church up to the place to where their possession was made to them, was given to them, just the Jordan to cross, but the Holy Spirit is the One Who sets the church in order.
19 ADOPTION... PART 2 -- JEFF. IN -- 60-0518

You are first born into the the Kingdom by the Holy Ghost. How many know that? All right. The next, you are predestinated unto the what? Adoption. What is that? You are predestinated unto the placing.
195 ADOPTION... PART 2

Just before Brother Branham preached the church age series in December 1960, the Lord told him that there was much ill feeling among the people and he cut short his hunting trip and came back to Jeffersonville to visit the believers to reconcile them to each other again and to restore the fruits of the Spirit among them (love, joy... meekness, TEMPERANCE). The result was that the Holy Spirit blessed those meetings wonderfully, there were Messages in tongues and many spiritual blessings in those meetings, and the Prophet warned the people about the evil of the root of bitterness.

Try to do something good and just keep being good; hold no malice, no grudges, don't let any bitterness. No matter how bad the person is and how bad they talk about you, don't you never think evil in your heart against them; 'cause right there the Devil will set right in, work up something right there. Just keep it all covered up with godly love, confession...
21 THE PERGAMOS CHURCH AGE -- JEFF. IN -- 60-1207

Give us sweetness of our Spirits, and take all bitterness and indifference away from us, and may we be so melted with the Holy Spirit. Let the Angel of God rule tonight.
9 THE THYATIRA CHURCH AGE -- JEFF. IN -- 60-1208

There are lots of quotes like these two throughout the church age series, Brother Branham strongly emphasized at that time how important it is that the believers must be in harmony with each other. Later in 1961, and into the year 1962, Brother Branham expected the outpouring of the latter rain to come upon the church at any time. In 1962 he said frequently that the Message has gone forth, the seed is planted, and he urged the believers to wait with PATIENCE for the Power of God to come.

...every Word will be fulfilled. I'm under expectations just now, myself, of seeing a shaking Power come, that will shake the nations when it comes.
75 THE COMFORTER -- JEFF. IN -- 61-1001e

Just let Power from on High come, it'll take care of itself when It comes. “You wait until you're endued with Power.” O God, why can't the people see that? It's not a joining of church. It's waiting for Power! “Wait until you are endued with Power from on High, for I'll send Him. He's a promise of God, and I'll send Him. I'm going to bear record!”
161 THE TESTIMONY OF A TRUE WITNESS -- JEFF. IN -- 61-1105

Fill us with Power and energy, until our souls are aflame, that our strength will be Him. Our testimony will be God. Our words will be His. Devils will tremble. The world will shake and rock under the impact of It, Lord. If You can only find people who are willing to wait upon the Lord!
250 THE TESTIMONY OF A TRUE WITNESS

But what did He say? He didn't say, “When you get up there, you'll get It.” He didn't say, “Wait five days, or nine days.” He said, “Until!” That's it. “They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength.” See?
268 IF GOD BE WITH US... -- JEFF. IN -- 61-1231e

I'm waiting. I've been waiting for a year. I may wait for two years; I may wait for three years, I don't know. I don't know the next move. I'm waiting for it. But, I think according to the Scripture, the Word's been sowed. The next thing is the coming forth of the Spirit.
65-3 THE SPOKEN WORD ID THE ORIGINAL SEED 2 -- JEFF. IN -- 62-0318

The Prophet's ministry continued to the opening of the written Seals and till December 1965, but we are still at the virtue of Patience, waiting for the latter rain and the Power of God which will bring us to the full stature of the perfect Man. In December 1961, the Prophet had a very interesting vision, he saw himself standing on the map of Palestine, coming down to the river Jordan.

And as I drew near the river I looked back and seen which a way I had come, and I was two thirds of the way there, to the Jordan. And I looked across Jordan, and I said, “Oh, praise God, just on the other side is where all the promises lay!
57 PARADOX -- JEFF. IN -- 61-1224

The diagram of the seven virtues is our map to the promised land, we are two thirds up at the virtue of patience. A few minutes after the Prophet had seen that vision, he saw another one in which he was lifted up to a narrow highway, and he realized that everybody was scared of something. Then he saw a huge monster Mamba snake coming along and attacking a brother. The Prophet called on God to have mercy on the brother, and the snake turned and came to attack Brother Branham.

And he looked angry at me, and he licked his tongue, and here he come. But when he got right close to me... He would run up fast, and then he would get slower and slower, and just quiver and stop, and then something would hold him off. He couldn't bite me.
64 PARADOX

Then a Voice came from Heaven and told the Prophet that he can bind him. He asked, “what must I do?” He was told that he must be more sincere, then he can bind that serpent. It is not far-fetched to say that the second vision represents the squeeze which is right at the door. We will desperately need all the sincerity and the mighty Power of God at that time to bind and withstand the serpent's onslaught. The Holy Spirit will be among us at that time and bring us to the virtues of GODLINESS and BROTHERLY KINDNESS, and that will bring us to the top of the diagram, and we will cross Jordan and meet the Lord at His coming and receive all the promises on the day of Redemption.

We must realize that when the last saint has come into the fold, and the Power from on High will be among us, the virtue of patience will fall away because then that what we are now patiently waiting for will be here. That means that those who have not come up to this virtue of patience at that time will fall short and can never catch up to go on further to the full stature of the perfect Man.