Questions & Answers
Questions 123 (COD Page 571)
Brother Branham, we know that you are a messenger sent from God to this church age. The very same signs that followed Jesus we see following you, and we are...understand why some who know you best think you are Messiah. Would you explain the difference in your relationship to God and that of Christ’s?
383 Well, I know, brethren, that is true. See, but let’s wait, I got something wrote down on that here, just for a minute. See, many times it’s misunderstood. See? But, now, in the person sometime...And I want some of you to turn with me to Luke, the 3rd chapter and the 15th verse. While you’re doing that, I might be saying to you...When you get it, that it’s Luke 3, it’s...might...it’s in...Let me just...I ain’t going to shut the door, ’cause there’s nobody there. Let–let me just get this to you, brethren. You have heard it, it’s all around. But let’s let me tell you, see, it has to come that way. It’s got to come that way. If it wasn’t that way I would repent of my message.
384 Listen, brethren, I adjure you before Christ that you–you–you hold this part of your peace, but if you were spiritual you would understand. See? Don’t you know what the very first thing He said down there on the river? Don’t you remember what He said? “As John the Baptist was sent forth to forerun the first coming of Christ, your Message...” It’s the Message that will forerun the Second Coming of Christ. That’s what the Angel of the Lord said.
385 Now, now notice. Now, “As John the Baptist...” Now, all of you have heard that. You’ve read it in books, and heard people that standing there hearing It, and everything else, when that Angel Itself spoke that message, “As John the Baptist was sent forth to forerun the first coming of Christ, you are sent with this Message, will forerun the Second Coming of Christ.”
Now, “the Message.”
386 Now, if you’ll notice, and I...Little Willie out there put my name under that star out there, and that’s the reason I passed it over, you see, ’cause I–I don’t think...Now, I’m going to be honest as I can be, I don’t think I’d have anything to do with that messenger, see. That’s right. I believe that I am maybe being sent for a part in His Church, to help build that Message up to a place to where it would when this forerunner comes, that he will come.
387 But I believe, me being what I am, I am...I believe that I have the Message of the day. I believe that this is the Light of the day, and I believe it’s pointing to that time coming, you see, I believe that the Message that he said down there, “the Message that you have.” Now, if you noticed that Star that rose back there, was a...
388 Let me make it...I know I’m–I’m pinching my time here, and I got these others, such fine questions. I don’t want...It’s–it’s after ten now, so, and I know you’re wanting to go home. See? But listen here. Let me show you something. Will you give me just a–just a few moments extra? All right, all right.
389 Now look, now let me say something. Now, you brethren keep this among yourself. See? Now, keep this among yourself. I got to get you straight on this because you’re my pastor...you’re my pastors and things, you see, and I–I got to do this. And you’re brothers with me working in this Message. See?
390 Now, as far as me myself, as a man, I’m as you and worse than you. I–I–I...Many of you all come with Christian backgrounds and things. “I’m the chiefest of sinners,” as it was said one time, “among you.” The lowest of life, I guess, that could be lived, as an unbeliever and doubter, I was.
391 But since a child I’ve always knowed that there was a God, and knowed there was something happened in my life. And that’s–that’s beyond any question, my brother. See? But let me say this, that there will come–there will come a Message, and there will come a messenger. I believe that if it’s to be a man it–it’ll be somebody after me. See? It’ll be...But this Message that I’m preaching is the true Message of this day, and it’s the last Message. You see what I’m doing, brethren? I’m putting you all the same place I am, ’cause you’re just as much into it as I am. You are messengers of this same Message.
392 Look here, I got an illustration. I–I think I can make it better by an illustration. Let me just partially close this door for a moment. This is Jesus, and that is Jesus; well, I’ll put this over here, Gethsemane, and this here and there. Now, you can’t...I didn’t even say this out before the church out there. Now, remember, what kind of a light (a star) led the man who was seeking wisdom, “to guide us to Thy perfect Light”?
393 Now I’m going to break down here just a minute and tell you something. Let’s jerk that thing off of...that Willie’s done up there, and then say it’s right. Let’s just say it’s right. I can’t say that, brethren. That’s a stuffed shirt. That, I wouldn’t...Even if I believed it, I wouldn’t say it. See? Somebody else says it, that’s them.
394 But, here, just like I was just asked, some of the boys, if they would kind of testify of some of the things that’s happened. I don’t like to get in the pulpit and testify of something that’s happened in the meeting. Let the manager or somebody else do that, somebody else does it. I don’t like to do that.
395 [A brother says, “Even they came to John and said, ‘Are you the Christ?’”–Ed.] Yeah, that’s it, what I’m trying to get to. [“‘Are you that Prophet?’”] He denied it. [“Didn’t say either one, he says, ‘I’m just one crying in the wilderness.’”] “The voice of one crying in the wilderness.” He positionally placed himself.
396 [Another brother says, “They asked him if he was that Prophet, he said ‘I am not.’”–Ed.] Yeah. Now...For the Prophet was that One that Moses spoke of. See, that’s the Prophet, see. See? But he knew who he was, see. But he did tell, now, that...He did tell them, see, and he did say, “I am the voice of one...” That was him. He–he said what he was. See? But he was a...
397 Go ahead. [A brother says, “When Christ came along then, following John, they come to Him, they said, ‘We’ve been taught to believe that Elijah would come before the Messiah.’ He said, ‘If you can receive it.’”–Ed.] That was him. That’s right. That’s right. And John kept saying, “I am nothing! I am nothing! I’m not worthy to loose His shoe!”
398 But what about when Jesus said about him? He said, “Who’d you go out to see?” Yeah. Yeah. “Did you go to see a reed shaken with the wind? Or what did you go to see, some man in fine raiment and luxury and things?” Said, “They’re in king’s palace. But did you go to see a prophet? I say yes, and more than a prophet.” He was more than a prophet, he was a messenger of the covenant. That’s what he was. He was more than a prophet. He said, “There’s never been a man born of a woman as great as him to this time.” See?
399 That’s what it was, see, he was a messenger of the covenant. He was the one that introduced and said, “This is Him.” All the other prophets spoke of Him, but John said “This is Him.” See?
400 Now watch. Now notice. The wise man followed a star. I’m going to take it back more of a minor way, see. The wise man followed a star, asking, “Where is He born King of the Jews?” You’ve heard the song. “We’ve seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” You’ve heard that, read it in the Scripture. All right: Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to Thy perfect Light.
401 See, the star was guiding to the perfect Light, because the star was only reflecting the Light. That’s where we got this out here the other day. See? How many was here Sunday to see that? You see, just got through preaching about it. Shekinah Glory reflected in the star, and the star reflects It. Here was the Angel of the Lord standing here on the platform reflecting It back out there, out of the Shekinah Glory. Just exactly the same thing. There it was right exactly. Looking here at the real one, looking out there and It being reflected right on the side like that. See?
402 Now notice this, now, that star rose in the east. Is that right? It was a great star. All right. And who was the actual earthly star in the time of the coming of Jesus? Why, John. He was the one who guided them to that perfect Light. Is that right? That was in the east at the first appearing of Jesus. And, now, there’s a lot of little stars that cross over the horizontal until it comes over to the evening star.
403 And the evening star shines in the evening. The morning star shines in the morning. And they’re both the same size stars and the same kind of star. Now put two and two together and you got it, see. See, there you are. So it isn’t...The star isn’t Messiah, he’s just reflecting the Messiah.
404 Now, the star does not reflect its own light. The star reflects the light of the sun. Is that right? [A brother says, “No.”–Ed.] Huh? [“In a sense. The moon does; the stars reflect their own light.”] Yeah. Yeah, the moon, yeah, re-...I mean that the moon reflects this light. Yeah, Uh-hum. Now, if–if a star reflecting its light, then its light would have to come from the...from God, because it is a glacier of some sort. Isn’t it? [The brother says, “Sun.”–Ed.] Huh? A sun of itself, off of the sun. [“The suns farther away than our sun.”] Yeah. And they...We’re told that those suns come from the big sun. The sun throwed these missiles off and they’re little burning missiles like the sun. So they’re amateur suns to us. Is that right? Amateur lights. [“Some are...most of them are bigger than our sun.] I mean to us, to us, see. We’re talking about ourselves
here. All right.
405 Now, if they are suns to us, or light-givers, they are part of the main giver. See? The big sun gives us the big light, the perfect light. The little suns, or the little stars, which we can see in bodies, they may be far beyond the–the sun that shines, but what they reflect to us is a smaller light. But they’re only giving
witness of a light. Is that right? Then when the big sun rises, the little suns go out. Is that right? They’re not the–the sun to us, they are a reflector like the sun. See what I mean?
406 Now, the biggest among them (in the morning) that heralds the coming of the sun, the setting of the sun and the coming of the sun, is the morning star and the evening star. Is that right? Two of the biggest stars, the eastern star and the western star.
407 Now, now you see where it’s at? Elijah was the messenger to hail, herald the coming of the eastern star, and predicted to be the heralder of the–the western star, or the coming again of the new day after this day is past. Now you see what it is?
408 The east, “It shall be light in the...” See, just before the Sun was heralded to the earth, the morning star give witness that “the Sun’s coming.” Is that right? See, that brings forth the morning star. Well, then the morning star and the evening star are the same type of stars, and there’s little stars all across. Don’t you see what I mean? The messengers.
409 Well, then, He was to look upon as Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, Jasper and Sardius stone. See what I mean? Now, the coming of–of Christ drawing near at hand, then the Message that Elijah was supposed to preach in the last days, if there is a repeat of history...Just like the morning star heralds the coming there, the evening star heralds the coming of a new day, another day. This is the coming of the sun then that heralds the–the going of the–of the sun that we have had and the coming of a new sun, see, a new age, a new time to come in.
410 Now, listen at: Then, if John brought forth his message and heralded the first coming of Christ, and Elijah comes in the last day, the prophet said, “It’ll be Light in the evening time.” In other words, there would be a Light in the evening time.
411 The evening light, the biggest evening light we got is the evening star, greatest light we got. Well, then, it would have to herald the same message that it was as this other star. It’s heralding the sun, speaking of the sun.
412 Well, now we’re in the evening time, the evening Lights are here. This age is vanished away. See what I mean? This day has passed over, and there’ll be heralding another Day coming.
413 For, see, that’s actually...If somebody was in the west and looked back to that star, it would be in east. And then, you see, “we have seen His star in the east,” but they was actually...they were–they were in the east looking westward towards that star. Is that right? The wise man was over in the west...over in the east looking back towards the western star. See what I mean? But it was an eastern star to the ones that was in the west.
414 See, like we’d say...I always say, “Down is up.” How do you know but what that’s right? We’re standing in Eternity, so the South Pole may be up and the North Pole may be down. We don’t know. See, the way up is down. See? We’re...We’ll leave this; after this we go into Eternity. It’s hailing, heralding a coming of an Eternity, a different day, a different time, and altogether.
415 Now we’re in the evening time. We believe that. We believe that the coming of the Lord is at hand. All right. Now, if that be so, then there’s got to be an evening Light. And the evening Light, according to Malachi 4, was supposed to “turn the hearts of the children back to the fathers,” back to the beginning.
416 But when he come the first time, he was turning the hearts of the fathers to the children. The children was the ones that he had gathered around him. He was to bring the children...the hearts of the fathers (the old, ancient orthodox fathers) back to this light that he was heralding here.
417 But when he comes again, he’s to turn right back around (did you notice, before the world was destroyed, “the great and terrible day of the Lord”) and “turn the hearts of the children to the fathers,” the evening–the evening star which was the morning star at that time. Amen.
418 I hope–I hope I get it right, see. The evening star which was the morning star, ’cause it’s the same star. We’re in the west, looking east. They was in the east, looking west. It’s exactly the same star. See what I mean? It depends on where you’re at, see, whether it’s the eastern star or the western star. You see what I mean? All right.
419 Now, it brings...one brings the faith of the fathers to the children; in this time it’s “the faith of the children back to the fathers.” You’ve went around, and coming around again. Don’t you see what you mean? See what I mean? It’s the same star all the time. The same thing, the same Message, the same thing right back again. It’s passed over.
420 And how do you know which way you’re going? I believe the hour will come when they’ll actually find out that the world don’t even run. I believe that with all my heart. I don’t believe...how much they scientifically prove it or anything more. They done a lot of scientific proving they had to take back. God said the world stopped...the sun. I mean the sun stopped instead of the world. See, the sun. I actually don’t believe the sun...I–I–I don’t believe the sun does what they say it does. I know the moon travels, and I believe the–the sun runs also. See?
421 But some of them say, “He looked at the ignorance of Joshua, see, and” said “He stopped the...said it...” Well, he said, “He stopped the world.”
422 I said, “Then you told me, ‘If the–if the world would ever stop, it would just shoot like a comet through space.’ See?” I said, “Then, what happened then?”
423 I was talking to Mr. Thiess down here, the Bible teacher in high school; you know who it was, but he told that. I said, “I believe that what the Bible said, that the world stopped...” I said, “I mean, ‘the sun stopped.’ Joshua said to the sun, ‘Stand still!’ and she stood there.”
424 He said, “Well, He just stopped the world, He seen
Joshua’s ignorance.” I said, “You do the same by your intelligence, then.” See?
425 [A brother says, “I believe they can scientifically prove how long the–the sun did stop.”–Ed.] Yes, there they...I’ve heard that, too. Yes, they claim...I heard an astrologer here sometime ago speaking on that, that they could prove it. And at the same time that they...something took place in the atmosphere that they could see where something happened in the Heaven and it opened the Red Sea at that time and thing. They proved all that. Well, boy, I’m telling you, stars from way in yonder somewhere else that done something like that at that time. However, that’s too deep for us.
426 So, now, the reason that this Message...this Message will have to be looked on in this respects, to prove that it is. Now, we know, brethren, that man cannot be God. Man, yet he is a god, each one of you are a god. You was made to be a god, but not while you’re in this life. See? Jesus was a man just like we are, but God was in Him. The fulness of God was in Him; we have the Spirit by a measure.
427 But being that this Light has come, and if It is the true Light that’s to herald the Message that John the Baptist heralded, as He said he did on the river down yonder...And just look, how could it be–how could it be anything else? Look at me, see, not even a grammar school education. When He told me the things that would happen, not one of them has failed. Not one of them has ever failed. Look what He’s done. Look, He’s even got...
428 And I told brethren, back yonder years ago, I don’t know who would be the oldest one among us, but told them about these things, about seeing this Light and what color It was, and everything. Now the picture shows that it is true. All these different things proves to be the truth. Is that right? Well, then, if that is true...And it is the Light.
429 Now, start about four...[Blank spot on tape–Ed.]...above that 35th verse there, or I mean the...Let’s start about the 14th verse, brother. Who has it open? All right. Start about the 14th verse of the 3rd chapter of Saint Luke there. [A brother reads Luke 3:14-16:
And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;
John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, and the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire–Ed.]
430 All right. What was it? The people were under such expectations of the Messiah to appear, when they seen this great anointed ministry, of a man coming out of the wilderness and having his campaign and going back in the wilderness, many man, that was his own followers, said, “He is the Messiah.” They was expecting it, see.
431 Then if this is the true Message of God forerunning the Coming, of John the Baptist, the same...like the same thing, the Elijah Message, it’ll have to be thought of in the same manner. See? So that answers that question, I think, exactly. See? It’s got to be thought in the same manner. See?
432 [A brother asks, “Is there anything that we are responsible to do in order to try to help anybody that would–would take in a–in a conflict like that? Or what could we do?”–Ed.] There wouldn’t be nothing, there’s nothing you can do. [“A reprobate mind...Could that develop into a reprobate mind?”] Well, it would come to a reprobate mind if it come to this: if the man, that was it was spoken of, would witness that he was the Messiah, then we know he’d be a false christ. See?
433 See, as long as the man himself would hold his position, you see. Like they told John, John didn’t...It don’t say nothing there about him saying anything about them. They were–they were the–the people, the–the lovely Christians who...or the believers that was believing on John.
434 They said, “This man truly is a prophet of God, there’s no doubt.” They said, “Are–are–are–are–aren’t you that Prophet?”
He said, “No.”
435 He said, “Why, are–are–aren’t you the Messiah?” See, they–they thought he really was. See?
He said, “No.” See? “Are–are–aren’t you? Who–who are you?”
He said, “I’m the voice of one crying in the wilderness.”
436 And then the Bible said, “The people being under expectations.” Who was that? His hearers, his listeners, his followers, his brethren. See? Now, they didn’t want to hurt him, they wasn’t trying to hurt him. But, see, they–they thought actually in their hearts that he was the Messiah.
437 Well, now, history has to repeat itself on every occasion. We know that. It has to repeat itself.
438 Like you take over there in Matthew 3, it said, “That it might be fulfilled, spoken of the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’” Now, that wasn’t...It was speaking of Jesus, the Son; but run the reference; it was Jacob, the son, too. See? See? It all has a compound meaning.
439 So now if that...if–if that thing did not rise, I would still say it was in the future to rise, because I know this Message comes from God and it’s the forerunning of Christ, and it is the Spirit and the power of Elijah because it’s to restore the hearts of the children. Everything exactly vindicates it, so it’s bound to shape up to a thing to be like that under the true people, that–that’s absolutely believe and your brothers and friends.
440 Now, I’ve had...I got a doctor right here in town. I can tell you of a doctor...I ain’t going to tell you who he is, a friend of mine who put his hands around me, and said, “Billy, it would be easy for me to say to you, ‘you are God’s last day Messiah.’” See?
I said, “Doc, don’t you do that.”
441 He said, “Well, I don’t see nobody in the world that’s ever had a thing and say the things and do the things that you do, Billy.” It’s helped him a lot, see. He said, “I go to these churches and see these preachers and things,” he said, “you’re different from them and I know you ain’t got no education.” See? “And I know that you’re not a psychologist, ’cause you...psychology won’t do those things.” See? And I said, “That’s true, Doc.”
442 No need in talking to him ’cause he don’t even know, you couldn’t get to first base with him, see, ’cause he don’t know what to do. But that’s it, you see.
443 I know a colored woman that lives up the lane from me, and she works for another man that I know of, and this man’s wife called, said, “That woman would absolutely do worship to you as a god, ’cause she was dying with cancer and you laid hands on that woman and said she was...” This woman that she works for, her husband and this certain doctor (not the doctor I was speaking about, another doctor) plays golf and things together, and he had give her up. And that was his buddy’s housemaid, and had give her up to die, and she was healed absolutely. And the doctor couldn’t even find a trace of it, of the cancer. And, see, she’d say...
444 Now, they don’t mean it in the light that I think that they say it in or we take it in. See? They mean that they–they...They mean that they believe God is with us, in us, working through us; not that an individual is God, you see. Now, they knowed that John was just a man.
445 And so was Jesus just a man. Jesus was just a man, He was just born of a woman, had to die. Is that right? He was a man, had to eat and drink, and hungered, cried, and thirst, and everything, just as human as that you are, as human as I am. But the Spirit of God was in Him in the fulness, without measure. He was omnipotent in power.
446 Where, Elijah was just a portion of that Spirit; maybe anointed a little above his brethren, but he was just a portion of the Spirit. But the people was looking for the Messiah. And they seen this portion above their brethren, they said, “Oh, my, this must be Him!”
447 But when He begin to shine, John’s little light went out. See?
448 And these little lights will go out when He comes, that great anointed Christ of Heaven coming from the east to the west. And the...and...See? But He will not be on earth now, the Messiah will not be on earth until the Millennium sets in. See? See? Cause the Church, “we’re caught up together to meet the Lord in the air.” He never comes to the earth. He catches His Bride away.
449 He gets a ladder, you know, like...What was that play, Leo, where the man put the ladder up aside of the house? Romeo and Juliet. That’s right, put the ladder up and stole his bride away.
450 Now He’s just coming down Jacob’s ladder, and say, “Psst, Sweetheart, come here.” See, we’re going up to meet Him.
451 [A brother asks, “Brother Branham, would this be correct then with that? These people came to John the Baptist and they wanted to call him the Messiah. And I heard you one time say that the Jew thinks the Messiah was God.”–Ed.] What say? [“I say, these people came to John the Baptist, thinking that he was the Messiah, the Christ. I heard you say one time that the Messiah would be God, for the Jew.”] Yes, sir. That’s right, the “rabbi.”
452 [A brother says, “Well, John rebuked them, saying that he was ‘not,’ that Christ was coming.”–Ed.] That’s right. [“But isn’t it true that the disciples called Jesus ‘Lord’? And Jesus agreed to that, saying, ‘You call Me “Lord,” and so I am.’”] Yeah. [“In–in John 13, where He washed...?...”] Yeah, He would admit it. [“As being Lord, yes, He admitted it.”] He admitted it. [“He accepted it.”] Uh-huh. But, see, Jesus being Lord, when He was asked if He was, He said, “Yes, sir. I am your Lord and Master. You call Me that, and you say well, for so I am.” But...[“But there’s never been no other being that would, that...”] could say that. No.
453 Like if it...If somebody would say that I was a god, well, let me tell you in the Name of the Lord Jesus that “That’s an error!” See? I’m a sinner saved by grace, with a Message from God. See? See?