Friday, February 01, 2008

The Three Things

Many years ago, I was reading a question a young lady had written to a certain publication which fielded questions from young people. Her question was, as best I can remember:

I was raised in the Message and taught all my life that it was the truth. But how can I be sure?

Several brothers from various locales were given the opportunity to weigh in, and as I read, their replies all seemed to echo a common theme: they all spoke about having a personal revelation. Which is correctamundo. Howsomever, methinks she really wanted the answer to a different question...

Why do you believe the Message? How are you sure that it is the truth?

I would like, if I may, to have a go at a reply to that question. Gather 'round, and let me tell you about three very big things...


Manifested by the Works of the Spirit

As the children of Israel wandered through the wilderness, God having delivered them out of bondage in Egypt, water gushed forth from a cleft in a rock which followed them on their journey. Manna covered the ground like dew every morning, and every evening a Cloud that led the way became a burning Pillar of Fire that stood watch all night. The children of Israel at the rear of that great caravan traveling through the desert didn't need to wonder which direction they were traveling. All they needed to do was look up to see the Cloud or the Pillar of Fire, always visible among them.

The same God that was in that Pillar of Fire was manifest in the flesh, walked among men, healed the sick, raised the dead, and showed Himself to be the same, visible God as he fed 5 thousand men with five loaves of bread, and calmed a storm by His Word. Then at Pentecost, as a rushing wind swept over 120 praying disciples, God began to unfold His great plan to not only be above us, or with us, but to be visible in us. When the invalid man called out to Peter and John for alms, their reply, "Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk", showed that God was still the same yesterday, today, and forever. But now instead of in a Pillar of Fire, or a little unassuming man on the shores of Galilee, He walked in His people.

And two thousand years later one of those children stood in India before thousands of Sikhs and Janes who wanted to know if God was still the same. And the little man opened his mouth and issued a challenge:

I saw a woman, and she didn’t have no eyeballs, just slits in her face – total skin. I saw my Daddy pray for her, and I was just a little boy but I saw those eyeballs form in those sockets.
Billy Paul Branham
Gentlemen, of the religions of India, here's a man that the Holy Spirit has called his name and told him who he was, exactly what I wanted to do. Here's a man that I can't even speak his language. He...?... We was born twelve thousand apart or farther, in different nations, different nationalities, different language ... just Holy Spirit has told me who he, where he come from, and what he done. That's more than enough to convince you of it. Now, he's blind. Now, gentleman of the religions of the world, can your religion do anything for this man? ...

Now, if I've told the truth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, God raised Him up on the third day as a witness, He ascended on high, and said, 'The things that I do, shall you do also. Go into all the world, preach the Gospel; lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Behold, now the world seeth Me no more; yet ye shall see Me, for I will be with you even in you to the end of the world.' If He's raised from the dead, He's absolutely a vindicated exactly the same things He promised to do in the Bible. Come forward now. If there's a doctor here, or anyone who examine the man first.

If any of you gentlemen out there of the religions of India, if your god is a powerful and almighty god, come forth and produce such a miracle for this man.

...

If Jesus Christ will restore the sight to that man according to the Scriptures, as I said, how many here will renounce all other religions, and will accept the living God Who proves Hisself to be here? How many in here?

Yes, Bible days were here again. Here was a man who practiced what we preached.
James Gordon Lindsay
Hands went up everywhere as people screamed, raising their hands toward God. Making a vow to serve Him if He would only prove Himself to be the same God that led the children of Israel through the wilderness. The same God that sat on a hillside two thousand years ago as the multitudes strained to hear every word that echoed from his lips.

And Bro. Branham began to pray.

Dear heavenly Father, for the sake of Your Word, standing here before seventeen total different religions that oppose me... And these poor people are led blind. Let it be known today that You're still the Lord Jesus that raised from the dead. And let them know that we've told the truth, that He is the Son of God, and raised from, and is with us today, doing the same things that He did. And Lord, You promised it in Your Bible. I ask You grant it now."

And when Bro. Branham loosed His hands from the man's eyes, he let out a scream and began running around the platform blessing everyone in sight, even the mayor of the city, and then ran and hugged his children. And God proved that He was still the same God, visible among His people. In His people.
Is this a mystery? This is not a mystery, this is the wonder of God! Is this a matter to dicker over doctrinally? This is a matter to give glory to our God, Who has come in the flesh again in our generation. He has come in the flesh in all of us, but in a particular way in this man who was His prophet for this generation, for He surrounded him with these supernatural signs which were to attract the attention of the world once again by a sign.
T.L. Osborn
Around the world seven times He went with a Message to return the faith of the children back to the Pentecostal Fathers. US Congressman William Upshaw stood on the steps of the United States Capital building and proclaimed to the leaders of the world how, though a wheelchair-bound paraplegic for 59 years, God had restored the use of his legs during one of Bro. Branham's campaigns. The miraculous healing of Florence Nightingale as she lay dying of starvation from stomache cancer. How God raised Kari Holma from the dead before a gathering crowd of onlookers in Kuopio, Finland, and healed King George VI of England of multiple sclerosis.

That ought to be enough to convince anybody. But Jesus said, "These signs shall follow them that believe", and also, "greater [more] works than these shall you do, because I go to the Father."

The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Matthew 11:5
And so we are healed of AIDS, of cancer, and even raised from the dead, and many other testimonies too numerous to tell, from lost rings and keys appearing out of thin air to an humble, illiterate heart being taught to read his Bible during a moment of fervent prayer, by the Spirit of God, and on and on through an unending parade of testimonies. God is the still the same God He always was, visible among His people, leading the way.

These things ought to be able to convince anybody. But God knew some would need more proof, so in His grace and mercy He pulled out all the stops to get you and I to believe.


The Pillar of Fire

Midway through Bro. Branham's Houston campaign of 1950, Reverend W. E. Best, who vehemently opposed divine healing, published a challenge in area newspapers to debate with Bro. F. F. Bosworth on the subject of "Divine Healing Through the Atonement." Bro. Bosworth asked and received permission of Bro. Branham to accept the challenge on January 24th, 1950, at the Sam Houston Coliseum. The Houston Press announced the event with the headline, Baptist Cleric to Challenge 'Miracle Man'.

Rev. Branham, you will die like all other mortals, but as long as there is a Christian civilization, your picture will live on.
George J. Lacy
Rev. Best was prepared that the debate would be a great milestone in his career, and had hired professional photographers James Ayers and Ted Kipperman from Douglas Studios in Houston to chronicle the event. That night during the debate, Rev. Best held his fist in Bro. Bosworth's face, striking various menacing poses for his photographers as they took picture after picture.

As the debate began to close, Bro. Branham came forward to say a few words to the sick, the lame, the blind, the needy people who lay under the bright lights of the Coliseum. Hundreds rose to their feet to testify that they had been healed, many from Rev. Best's denomination. As Bro. Branham quietly spoke to the congregation, a light appeared towards the back of the auditorium and swung down over the people, causing a commotion as some (but not all) were able to see it. It came to rest just above Bro. Branham's head, just as one of Rev. Best's photographers (Mr. Ayers) snapped a picture.

Earlier that day Mr. Ayers had quipped to a newspaper reporter for The Houson Chronicle, "Branham puts on a show. Somehow he never gets around to the cripples and the persons who have arthritis. He simply hypnotizes his audience." But that night as he pulled the negatives from the developing fluid in his dark room, he noticed something strange. Every frame that had been taken of Rev. Best was completely blank.

But one picture was not.

The very last picture contained a crystal clear image of the same Pillar of Fire that led the children of Israel through the wilderness. The photograph was soon turned over to George Lacy, considered the greatest authority on questioned documents in the area, and who often did document analysis for the FBI. After a thorough examination he submitted a certified statement which contained his opinion that, "...the negative submitted for examination was not retouched, nor was it a composite or double exposed negative. Further, I am of the definite opinion that the light streak appearing above the head in a halo position was caused by light striking the negative."

Today, a copy of the photograph is permanently on record in the Library of Congress' Hall of Religious Art. It is the only certifiably authentic photograph of a supernatural being ever recorded.

And that ought to be able to convince anybody, but God knew that some would need still more to believe.

He had saved the best for last.


Proved by the Word

In the Bible's pages are written the type of man that God would send in the last day, anointed with the spirit of Elijah, and the state of the world when he would come, and what the world's reaction would be to this last Message.

I've listed some of these scriptures here:
But aside from these scriptures, I know that Bro. Branham's words are true because he preached the same Message that Paul preached. Search the writings of Paul and find anyone else who will stand by everything he put into writing. Most denominations completely ignore I Corinthians 11, in any doctrinal permutation. I Timothy 2:12 is regarded as uninspired, and Galations 1:8-9 doesn't at all fit in with today's modern religious theme of "anything goes".

But that's exactly what Bro. Branham taught.

And both men had these three testimonies that their Message was true: manifested works of the Spirit, the Pillar of Fire, and the Word. If you believe one man, you must believe the other, because they preached the same Message.

I'm resting on that.

And you can too.


Three things: proved by the Word, shown by a picture, manifested by the works of the Spirit, vindicating that It is the Word.The First Seal 63-0318

More Resources
- Voice of God Recordings

[Note to self: this post was started on 9/27/07, and completed on 2/1/08]

2 comments:

New Mommy said...

Not much to add to that, but...

AMEN!!!

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed reading this!
love, Dad