Preached on 30th April 2000. By The Son of Man (Apostle Peter Odoemena) At THE HOUSEHOLD OF GOD ONITSHA
I am the Alfa and Omega, the beginning and the end. Nobody comes to me and remains in sin. Believe it if you can…
-Son of Man
There is the Supreme God; and He is a Being that took His origin from Black Africa. Believe it if you can, God is not found outside Africa. The influence of God is felt everywhere, but God is living in Africa.
-Son of Man
CHAPTER ONE
NOT SIGNS AND WONDERS, BUT THE WORD
It is my desire to handle our Sunday-school class this day. How many will appreciate it? Do you really want Me to declare even it means putting you in remembrance? Nothing strengthens the Faith more than “teaching.”
2. You know, we are standing on “revelation” and this “revelation” is individual. Are you getting what I am saying? If you are standing on collective revelation, you have no revelation with you.
2. William Branham said something—being a prophet—he said, “When God comes into a place, God can meet somebody sitting by your side, reveal Himself to that person without you knowing what happened.” He also said, “God can also talk to the person and you sitting nearby cannot hear.” But if that man actually is God’s seed, there is no amount of contradiction that will make him to deny the “revelation” that came to him.
3. You know, St. Paul said, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision.” He was not alone on the way to Damascus. SOMETHING HAPPENED ALONG THE WAY: A FLASH RED LIGHT, AND THEN A VOICE FOLLOWED. Because, behind every sign; there must be a Voice. That is why in this Faith, we are not following signs and wonders, for we know that in the last days, Satan will perform signs and wonders in so much that if it is possible, he can deceive the very Elect.
4. If you are an Elect of God, just relax your mind. If you have proved through “personal revelation,” through the revelation of the Word of God in the Holy Scriptures, you are sure and certain that you are numbered among the Elect; I say, relax.
5. In order words, even if the whole world will leave God, you will abide. You are not following majority because you are following the conviction of your heart, which is by “personal revelation,” and that is a child of God. Anybody that is just following because people say it is truth, people say, “na Him,” and for that reason, you are following, you are a “make-believer.” People have made you a believer. Somebody made you a believer. But a “real believer” was a believer when the world was without form—before Creation.
6. In the beginning was the Word, and God has no beginning. Before the beginning of anything, before the genesis of anything, He was there. For without Him there is no beginning. He has no beginning; He has no ending of days.
7. Hence, I am saying that I want to see whether somebody can be encouraged by the word of the Holy Scriptures. I have always tried my best to espouse everybody to the Word of God. That is where I have left you.
8. We are not following this Faith to this extent because of miracles, signs and wonders, no. If you get to Pentecostals, you will see a lot of them—miracles, signs and wonders. We know only but one “unfailing sign” by which we will know that He is with us, and that is His Word.
9. If a prophet prophesies in the Name of the Lord and it comes to pass, that is one thing. The Bible says, “Watch him from the Word.” If he performs signs and wonders, they are all fine; he does healing, fine. But where do you wait for him? You wait for him in the Word. Why? Because it is from the Word that we will know those that worship Him and those that worship Him not.
10. If we go by signs and wonders, we will end it calling Him Devil instead of God. Satan can prophesy and it will come to pass. Satan can discern the heart of a man. Are you getting what I am saying? Satan “specializes” in making predictions and they will come to pass. But there is one thing he cannot do: there is no way he can place the Word of God right. Moreover, as long as the Word of God is not placed right, his life can never be the life of God, because your life portrays your doctrines. I am saying that a man can never live a life higher than his doctrines.
11. Thus, the life I now live is not My life, but His life. Because the doctrine I am having now which is My faith, is not mine but His. Did you get what I am saying? I am saying that I am living My life in line with “My doctrine,” or in line with “His doctrine”—the doctrine is life. Are you getting what I am saying?
12. If you get to the Northern States, all our Churches there, I mean Brethren, are established firmly in the Word of God where there are really Pastors and tested Elders, who mount the pulpit and get the Church “rooted, grounded and settled in the Word of Truth.” The Pastor doesn’t fear any “grievous wolf” because we are all called for the defence of this Gospel Truth.
I AM THE TRUE VINE
Some people, you know, due to “lack of revelation,” think they are in “Peter Odoemena’s Church.” Some even think that if they leave the Church, I am losing something. But let Me tell you: If you leave Bridal Faith today, I am losing nothing. If you come into this Church—Bridal Faith—I am gaining nothing. You are a burden to Me; because I know that I can do without you, but you cannot do without Me. I don’t need you, but you need Me. As far as I live, I am the True Vine and you are My branches. You can only bear fruit and your fruit will remain if you abide in Me.
14. When you come to the point where you think you have gotten some revelations, detach yourself from Me, two weeks, you will exhaust yourself, everything will finish, you become dried up. Are you getting what I am saying?
15. As long as the tap is running and you place your bucket of water under the tap, keep on drawing water from the tap into the bucket, don’t ever close the tap, and the bucket will remain full. Because the Fountain is ever supplying, keep on drawing water from the bucket, and keep the tap running. That is all.
16. But if for one reason or the other you carried your bucket away, thinking because you have got a full bucket of water, and it will not finish again; I give you three weeks and your bucket will be empty. I say, your bucket will be empty. And if you come back, you will see “another bucket” under the tap.
17. You see, some people even think I am I soliciting for their follower-ship. I don’t need your discipleship. Your discipleship is “headache” to Me; people don’t know that. Let Me put it this way: It will take a foolish person to think that Bro Odoemena is gaining anything from the Church— the Faith—but it will take the Elect to know that I am laying down My life everyday for the sake of My friends.
18. You didn’t know the way, but you were sincerely looking for the Truth. You didn’t have the life; you didn’t have the Faith; it will take Somebody that has loved you to bring you back.
WE ARE CO-LABOURERS IN THE SAME VINEYARD (FAITH)
Bro Abel, you are welcome from the Church at Zonkwa. He is here this morning to Fellowship with us, and as God would have it, he is with his own side of the “story.” He is confirming what we are hearing: that Andrew Sariki—the Pastor of the Church at Dadinkowa—is now moving with Ben Adiukwu. We have not heard from Andrew, neither have we heard from the Church at Dadinkowa. But for the fact that he was following somebody that is excommunicated, it is a sure sign that he is an enemy of the Faith.
20. Now, to you Ministers, take note: A righteous man falleth many times and riseth again. But when a wicked man falls, he doesn’t get up.
21. Please take note. I am sounding a warning because I know the “genesis” of the whole problem.
22. Number one: If you are a minister, see yourselves as co-labourer in the same Vineyard. Don’t ever come to a point where you think the Son of Man “favours” a particular minister more than another minister. Also, do not “belittle” any minister because of his age or stature, or what you call “newness” in the Faith.
23. That you baptized somebody or brought him into the Faith doesn’t make you “superior” to him. You can even baptize your saviour. Are you getting what I am saying? Because, the report I got from Jos is frightening Me that even our friend Ben; first of all found fault with our Apostle at Lokoja.; he said, “How can a small boy ‘lord’ himself over us?” That he baptized him and his senior brother.
24. You see, our Brother even foresaw the thing ahead of time in all his meetings with them there. I have photographs that our Brother Joseph gave me even to support the thing. All that came out supported that the report I got was true; that each time the Brother comes, I gave him instructions, and I know that there are too many Apostles over there, but there must be “one” that will receive “direct instructions” to carry out.
25. There, they were “scrambling” with our Brother Joseph. People came out and he went to lay hands on them. Anybody he places his hands on, Ben will rush and place his hands there also—that will be two hands, all of them! At a point, another person rushed out and then three of them laid hands on one person, and our Brother got offended.
26. He showed Me the photographs, I said, “Okay, God will vindicate all things.” So, hearing what I heard, I am not surprised. And he died at last.
27. When our Brother was praying and there was a vision so to say; some said they used their eyes to see it: “A flashing light” that confirmed their meetings and then the entire Church carried the Brother up in praises. It is in the photograph.
28. You know what happened between King David and King Saul: Immediately King David was raised up, women started singing praises—everybody; Saul got offended.
29. I learnt he is calling that “light” false light simply because it didn’t come from his hand. So, Ministers take note! See yourselves as co-labourers in the Vineyard—the Faith.
30. I have always told you in this Faith, as many as were around the day I ordained Bishops; about two or three weeks ago, I told you that I can plant, Brother Abel can water it, another Brother can do the weeding. Somebody can even be keeping watch over the farm; in the end we will receive the same “reward.” Get all of us together; we are co-labourers in one Vineyard. So don’t belittle anybody, don’t belittle any office, don’t belittle any gift.
31. I wonder if he was there when Sylvanus or Hopheny,Titus, Timothy—when they were ministering despite being too tender. That you baptized him and his brother Isaac, is it a condition that God cannot use him even to bless you? I am saying that God can use My Brothers, use My Sisters to bless Me.
32. Let Me tell you something: If this Ministry is not of God, by now, I would have become a General Superintendent.
33. Hear Me very well; if this Ministry is not from God, there is no way I will live to see any Apostle rise up. Even if the Lord will come to Me and reveal it, I will fight it. Even if somebody will come and tell Me that the Lord revealed it to him, I will refuse it because I will try to build an “empire” for Myself. I wouldn’t like somebody who will come and become a rival.
34. If this Ministry is not of God, how can you come in one Local Assembly and you see many Apostles? You cannot even hear the word “Bishop.” Are you getting what I am saying? You cannot hear it. It will not even be mentioned. If there will be Bishops, I will be the Archbishop. If there will be Archbishops, I will be Pope. After all, this Faith came to you through Me, why should you come and be in the same office with Me?
35. Let Me tell you what I mean: When Christ was facing barrages of accusations and blackmails and so on; what caused it was His “simplicity and humility,” because He was always approachable, He was always with them and they could share things in common; so people could talk. If He had built an “empire” for Himself like the Pope or General Superintendent, even if you are a Pastor from another Local Church, before you can see Him, you will cross so many hurdles.
36. Even Pastors that are standing with Him in the same Church can hardly see Him, with His fleets of security men, anybody He wishes to help, He will confer (bestow) with Doctor, Doctor Reverend, and then build them around that His office, and stop there.
37. So, I thank God for this Faith. Every Local Assembly is “independent and autonomous,” and in the hands of Elders.
38. Therefore, Brother Abel, if your people at Zonkwa where God has made you “overseer,” if you ignore them and they perish, you will not blame Me. They are your people; they are also My people because they have believed the Faith of Christ. So, it is in your hands to “oversee” the souls of your people. If they perish, I loose nothing. If they go to hell, I loose nothing. How I wish we would see it from this angle: That the Church at Dadinkowa belongs to you one hundred percent.
39. Am I “taxable” to you? Are you “taxable” to Me? Have I been taxing you? Are you paying Me? Have I collected even a kobo? We can talk of sponsorship; can you rise up and say you have sponsored Me even for one day? So, it is with every other Local Assembly.
40. But some don’t even have the revelation that God has appointed them “saviours” to their own people. The essence of emptying everything into you, making you one of the “earthen vessels” is to enable you be a “saviour” to your own people. You can’t be a saviour to Igbo land; you are a saviour there—Hausa land.
41. I thank God for Weston Fihala, who after making right with the Church, resigned, got back to Kano and they rejected him and he started wandering so that the Word of God might be fulfilled. For the Voice told us here that he would remain a wanderer all his life. Even till today, we heard that he is still wandering about. That he goes even to Koki and Pentecostals—everywhere. And that is exactly what Ben will end at, because once you leave Christ, you have no keeper again; another spirit comes in. You keep on wandering from pillar to post, saying things that are not convenient.
42. I have always told you in this Faith: if you want to leave, leave!! But if you trouble us, we will put you out. Whatever you want to call us, call us, but you must go out first! I say, you must go out first. And as long as you are not with us, we do not expect anything good to come out of you. We know you are in enmity with the Faith and there is no way you can see us as friends again. So, whatever you want to talk, talk. It is your right, but you must leave us. I say, you must leave us first.
43. When you are out of the Body of Christ, then you can join the world and fight us. Amen.
God has given us the greatChrist, who has given us the earnest of the Spirit, whereby we can boldly say, “We now have the mind of Christ.” And if we have the mind of Christ, which is the essence of the preaching of the Gospel, we would not find it difficult at all in understanding the Will of God for us. With the mind of God in us, it will be very easy for us to identify God wherever we meet Him.
-Son of Man
CHAPTER TWO
NOBODY IS INDISPENSABLE IN THE FAITH
Now, take another warning from Me: Elders, Ministers, there is no Scripture that says that a man of God—no matter the calling in the Body— should not be punished or rebuked if he does wrong in the Church. For the Bible says, “Whomever that sins, rebuke openly so that the rest may fear”—Iron sharpeneth Iron.
2. If you are an Elder, maybe an Apostle or a Bishop or a Pastor or a Deacon, there is no Scripture or Message that says that you cannot be excommunicated by the Elders of the Church if your offence is grievous. For that is where we measure “maturity” as a child of God. For if you are a child of God and you are excommunicated, you will fight your way back into the Body by repenting and making things right.
3. But if while you are excommunicated, maybe you have been a Pastor; you have been a “big man” in the Faith, a big Brother, a Deacon, a Bishop; you just go out and say, “It is an insult, can you imagine, a whole me is being disgraced out!!” Then you start recounting how you had helped the Church, how you were “number one” that brought the Faith; you see, the person is not a child of God to begin with, because he cannot endure “correction.” Are you getting what I am saying?
4. The problem of Andrew Sariki, I have not known, but I believe very strongly that it was his excommunication. Because since he came into this Faith, he came in as a pastor, and remained a Pastor. He has never been excommunicated, although he has committed so many evils against the Body; he received warnings upon warnings, until recently—you know the case—he dragged his wife and the heathens to court because he divorced his wife. So, it was a humiliating sight, I couldn’t bear it. So, I put him out of the Church before Elders.
5. Moreover, I thank God, the day it happened; our Pastor Elijah was there, our Pastor David was there also. Two of them pushed him out and locked up the door. He went and made it right and wrote us a letter. But still, to him, he saw it as a “big insult.” That somebody that has been a Pastor all these years will be put out of the Church in the face of “his converts.” From that day, his “flesh” came back; the “spirit” didn’t come back.
6. In case of Ben, he has been receiving warnings upon warnings; but he has never been excommunicated until this time. So, this is his first excommunication. Even the time they rebelled against their Pastor who is now a Bishop, we were there, we didn’t put him out of the Church, we warned him and excommunicated Bro Martins and the wife: “This is the first time,” the Church said.
7. From the report I got, they said that for many years now, they have been treating him with respect of person, and that they have taken their stand now, and they put him out of the Church, instead of making things right, he went about blaspheming: From one problem to another problem, so he is running about. He came before Me and I became dumb. He went to Zonkwa, brought out the “old report” they used in excommunicating him, as if he is protesting. When they resisted him there, he opened up again to talk blah, blah, blah. Whatever he wants to talk, he is free, it is his right. But if he is a man enough, he should have opened up here, for we gave him “fair hearing.”
8. Nevertheless, I thank God, a lot of Elders from the North were around, and he stood there. Brother Yusuf from their Church was there; Apostle Joseph was there. Bro Igwe was there; Bishop Okey Paul was there. If he wanted Me to empty the whole Church, I would have done that.
14. Sometimes, I keep on wondering: Why is it that when they leave the Faith, they will not find it convenient to drive down here to come and preach their “revelation” first. If I were in their shoes, before ever I would leave, I will take excuse and come down to Onitsha, obtain permission, go to the pulpit and preach my “revelation;” or I will resign and quietly go home and rest.
THE FRUITS OF GRACE
Good news to the Church. I was rejoicing exceedingly last night. Our Sister Eunice, the wife of Brother John the Teacher at Eha-Amufu Church has delivered a baby boy.
16. Another good news, which you know already here is that Brother Onyema is now “papa junior.” Our Sister delivered on Thursday after Fellowship here. She was prayed for.
17. Moreover, that of Sister Eunice, she went to Enugu to purchase certain things in preparatory for delivery, about 14th May. And as God could have it, immediately she came down to Enugu, labour started and she delivered at Park Lane Hospital safely.
18. As I was rejoicing with all the Brethren in My house in the night exceedingly; I said something. I said, “Brethren, is this not one of the ‘fruits of the Grace’ which God has given to us?” Without God giving us this Grace, many of you couldn’t have been married by now. Many that were married today and are rejoicing; they are rejoicing because of the Ministry of Grace.
19. And when you were wandering from pillar post, I warned you seriously and said, “The only thing you will gain is your own child.” And now you have settled down, have you not seen what is happening? There is great joy now. You can look round and you and can say, “This is exactly how it happened; if not God, I couldn’t have married by now.” The Law would have killed many.
20. People that were married even hated their own marriages because of the Law. Because, everybody wanted to “pray through;” and was seeing their wives as hindrance. The same way also, wives were seeing their husbands as hindrance. That is Law, for we wanted to make it. And we achieved nothing. But when God came, He off-loaded the whole thing.
21. If it was not even prophesied; you see, somebody would have been marveling. We were there, even at Amazu Oil when the thing was so harsh, we carried it down here, the Holy Ghost said, “Keep on enduring, don’t relent, you cannot carry it to the end this way. Somebody, surely, is meeting you from the opposite direction.” He said, “Continue, whether you understand it or not, keep on following; towards the end you will understand all things. Nothing shall be hidden from you.”
22. And we have understood almost all things. We have now seen why God punished us with the Law. It was real punishment. I say real punishment. I thank God for the whole thing centered on one thing: As a Church in Onitsha, I am not the mouthpiece of the Church. The Pastor of the Church is the mouthpiece. But I am one of the “image-makers” of the Church. Call Me your Public Relations Officer (PRO).
23. Hence, I can now say with every amount of authority that the Church at Onitsha has vowed a vow never to go back to the Law of Moses. If the Churches in the North will follow “Ben Adiukwu’s revelation” and go back to the old system—the Law—the impossible road; let them go. As for us here, we are very much satisfied with Christ. I say, we are very much satisfied with Christ and the new agreement. The old agreement we have discarded. If we try to rebuild that which we pulled down, we make ourselves nothing but sinners. And God will finish us. Are you getting what I am saying?
THE EFFECT OF UNSTABLE MARRIAGE
You see, from the very beginning of the Message of Justification by Faith, the man never followed. I followed his report from A to Z. I remember the time we excommunicated Brother Martin, Brother Yusuf and one other person. He was always accusing them of running around his wife. Even if your wife is the most beautiful Sister, if you want to protect her, hide her in the air. Build a cage. I say, build a cage. She has right to say yes or no. Now, build a cage.
25. Moreover, he was suspecting his Brethren each time he travels to Taraba, instead of traveling with his wife.
26. All that left this Faith; their wives forced them out. In the case of Stephen, his wife; in the case of Ben, his wife. But what will be the case of Andrew? Because, Andrew has never lived at peace with his wife, from the time they married till today. If there is peace there, it is this Faith. You know the cases he has been bringing down here.
27. Simply because I ordered him this time around that I will not hear him again, that he must come to Me with his wife, for I perceived that he is the “author of the problem” and he was always coming alone to tell us what the wife did; and the wife has never come to defend herself.
28. Instead of coming with the wife, he is now trying to see where he can hang. If he wants to put his wife away, that is his business. Which one concerns Me? My own dey now! Put away your own. Amen.
Any time God is revealed, people will always reject Him. Have they not rejected Him again? If they believe that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself, anybody rejecting the Word of God that is revealed to him, what is he rejecting? You have rejected God.
-Son of Man
CHAPTER THREE
PREACH THE TRUTH WITHOUT RESPECT OF PERSONS
You see, I at times start wondering: I have only been to Zonkwa once. So, if I have been depending on Zonkwa, I would have died long time ago. I have only been to Dadinkowa once. If I have been depending on them, I would have perished. I only met them when we had joint meetings, either at Abuja or Jos.
2. Before I left Abuja, I prophesied it. I told them clearly, I said, “If I am becoming a stumbling block to you, I will stop coming to Abuja.” And you all know what happened that time. From that day till today, My feet has not stepped at Abuja, and the Pastor is saying that I should ignore that one that time; this is now Grace, that I should come.
3. You know what happened that time when we were preaching the Law very harshly and everybody was filled with the “spirit of lust.” You know, Abuja magnified the lust more than any other Church. Their Pastor knew no other spirit but lust, lust, lust, lust; Holy Ghost, Holy Ghost, lust, lust, lust.
4. Let me tell you, the Message you gave the Church is what they will take. Any spirit you keep on mentioning in the Church, the Church can never grow above it. So, the Church didn’t grow beyond lust.
5. Now, another warning is this: No matter the punishment you receive either from Me or from any of the Elders, don’t see it as “insult.” Are you getting what I am saving? It must take your Brother or Sister to correct you. If you are a minister, it will take your co-ministers to correct you.
6. Thus, if your Minister, your Elder climbs the pulpit and even descends on you heavily, take it as a correction, for God has used him now to put you in line. But if you fall back and say, “He is insulting me openly instead of calling me secretly,” why should he? That is another spirit. I say it is another spirit. We are alive till today because we preach without respect of persons.
7. That is why we try as much as we can to labour with our hands, to earn our living so that the Message of God will not be in “bondage” because of a “big Brother” or a “big Sister.” Are you getting what I am saying?
8. Furthermore, remember I warned you of the “Danger of Building the Faith around an Individual.” If you have any problem and you go to him; every day you go to him, one day he will be puffed up with pride and he will rise over everybody. He will take it as a “ticket.”
9. It is one of the things that had put Ben out. The big contract he got has given him big money, and almost all of them there—if not for My rebuke—from time to time they rush to him for help. So, he has become king over them. He now thinks he is sponsoring the Church and for that reason, nobody has the power to punish him if he errs. Who is he?
10. I thank God for Brother Elijah and his Deacon who gave them the “pill” they could not swallow. If you want to catch a man, catch him with his words. Ben Adiukwu preached a Message, which Brother Abel reminded him of and said, “Ben Adiukwu, till today we are still playing your tapes.” He preached a Message and we were all there during the Camp Meeting. The Message he preached was titled: “Because I Am a Witness.” He preached another Message titled “God Misunderstood.” Now, there is one Message he preached here, he titled it “From That Time.” He has fulfilled his Messages. Are you getting what I am saying?
11 . Every true man of God, who holds the Word of God must surely come to a point in his ministry, even when his Elders will depart; many of his Elders will say, “No, this one na Devil,” and they will go away. If the Ministry has not come to that point, it is not from God.
12. Watch William Branham, it came to a point when Kenneth Harkin, Tony Riggs, T. S. Osborn, Billy Graham, all of them, they left. At another point, Raymond Jackson left. Before we knew it, William Branham saw a “chain of ministers” under him that were no longer believing. They started troubling him. He said that he is going to call their names: “Now Church, I warn you, keep your eyes on New York.” Watch Tony Green, watch Coleman, watch Presby, are they not all from New York? Any blessing? No blessing. Watch the big names; keep your eyes on New York as a warning. And people thought that he was saying “Follow New York.” How can you follow New York?
13. If you are in the Faith, you are in the Faith because the Word of God is strongly rooted in you by personal revelation. You must come to a point where you will sit somebody down and say, “My friend, I don’t believe in telling stories, I am not espoused to story telling.” Sit down; open your Bible; line by line, precept upon precept, a little here, a little there. That is why I do not believe in giving the Church half-baked food.
14. I will sit you down and we turn these pages of the Bible, so that when you will be leaving, you will say, “Never have I seen a man ‘teaching’ this way.” So, from the Word of God, you will be fully convinced and persuaded to anchor your faith.
15. Any man that follows he that is put away from the Church; from the very beginning, he was not a member of the Church. You know, every true Seed of God must suffer chastisement from God. It is a test of your maturity.
16. Whoever God loves, him He rebukes, He corrects, He chastises, that he might be zealous and repent. But if God chastises you because you erred and you go away to talk nonsense, from the beginning, you are ordained to go that way, because the Faith can never be wrong. The Faith can never tender apology to any member of the Faith. The Faith is God Himself. Can God be wrong? God cannot be wrong. Why? Innocent or guilty, God must destroy. Are you getting what I am saying?
17. Therefore, when you come before the Faith, you kneel down. All that is in God, He emptied into Christ. All that is in Christ, He emptied into the Faith. The Faith has the final say. If the Faith gives ruling on your matter, you go about shaking your head, who are you?
18. People behave as if when they go out, the Faith will beg them to come in. I say that it is out of sympathy, because seeing the terror of God, we persuade all men. Out of sympathy, we try to bring in excommunicated Brethren, especially when I see them hanging about the building, almost every Fellowship day. We must be sympathetic. We ignore their problems and bring them back to continue, especially when the “time is fast running out.”
GOD CAN USE A MAN AND DESTROY HIM IN THE END
Tomorrow, 1st May, 2000 will be our second month and that will be the sixth in “Roman calendar,” but second month in “Jewish calendar.” And the month of May is very much “pregnant.”
20. I was sharing My experiences with Brethren last night—with Elders—about radio reports and so on. We were all afraid, and so is everybody. The whole atmosphere is tensed now. The whole world is waiting for the worst, because they said this is something more disastrous than atomic blast. They said that it goes beyond “computer bug,” and it is beyond human remedy.
21. One scientist said, “It must be God putting all ‘natural forces’ together; maybe about to destroy the whole world.” Because the whole planets, from what they are seeing, the way they are monitoring it every day, if they really clash; well, Bridal Faith will be rejoicing everyday.
22. I HAVE MY REASONS WHY I DO NOT WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU ON THAT. ENDEAVOUR EVERYDAY TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE ALL STAYING WHERE I KEPT YOU, IN THE “SANCTIFIED ESTATE.” I SAY, IN THE “SANCTIFIED ESTATE” OF THE BRIDE.
23. I know what it takes to be in the rapture. I know what it takes to make you rapturable; place you in a “rapturable” condition and allow you to be there, and the whole Elders will be “watchmen,” walking around you to scare away “grievous wolves.”
24. If Brother Abel came here now to talk blah, blah, blah and spared the man, surely he will be outside.
25. Nobody will trouble Jerusalem. I say nobody will trouble Jerusalem, no matter who you are. If you want to talk blah, blah, blah, go to your own local Church. When you get there, talk blah, blah, blah; but for this place, NO.
26. I said it from the very beginning, every Local Assembly that has tested materials as Elders, and they know that they received a ministry—not from me but from Almighty God—and they are co-labourers with God, privileged to have souls that can hear them, entrusted into their care—your relations—and you allow somebody from somewhere, who has been rejected by God to come and trouble you, well; William Branham said that when somebody is excommunicated, that person is automatically rejected by God. He goes away from the Presence of the Almighty. He is eternally lost. For he is eternally separated from the Presence of God and the protection of Christ. These are the things we consider, and then we show some level of sympathy.
27. Look at Ben going to Zonkwa, telling them that he came to wash off his hands, that he preached to them and he brought them out!
28. The Pastor looked at him and held his shirt and said, “My friend, this shirt belongs to you, and you have the right to throw it away. Now, God used you quite alright, to help us out of the End-time message, but now God has decided to throw you away.” Is that not Scripture? God can use a man, but in the end, he will destroy him. Then they reminded him all the messages he preached, and reminded Andrew Sariki—who was on his side—and said, “My friend, here in our meetings, and even in Jerusalem, you climbed the pulpit and told everybody that even if Jerusalem Church—the Valley of Decision—will depart from the Faith and start talking blah, blah, blah, that you will come and parcel the Son of Man down to Dadinkowa.”
29. He was number one preacher I had in 1995 that proclaimed “Apostle Peter Odoemena,” the very Christ in this Faith. He was number one! That day, he nearly ran mad with Weston. He said, “Look at a glorious message Weston is trying to spoil,” and he placed a curse on Weston, Ben Okezue and the rest of them. I said I was laughing.
30. You know it is euphoria. I say it is euphoria. He was thinking that the next minute, rapture would take place.
31. Let me tell you one thing that is happening, Brother Ferdinand predicted it in his message titled: FALLING AWAY BEFORE THE END. He said that the time has come even for big men—the big names—in the Faith to fall away. And I told you that big names here can hardly make it; that rapture will be full of surprises. What killed them? Ben was numbered among the preachers that predicted and preached that rapture will take place by 31 December 1999, and he went about telling people so. When the thing failed him, he couldn’t regain his faith anymore, from that day till today. He coined another calendar. He brought a new calendar, 2001: vision 2001. Amen.
If you are despised and rejected, you are considered foolish by the people in the world; rejoice exceedingly because God is using you to fulfill Scriptures that in His infinite mind, He has decided to forgo all fanciful places and men of renown. There is no glory if a Pharisee goes to heaven. After all, he is a Pharisee, a perfect gentle man. But there is a great joy if a “renowned prostitute” will become a Saint that day without labouring to earn righteousness.
-Son of Man
CHAPTER FOUR
I AM THE GREATEST
God bless you Brethren. I am trying to help you understand where we are now. We existed before many other Local Churches—Local Assemblies, and this is the fountain. The problem they are having is because they are separated from the fountain, if they have been here feeding at the same time with us, or making efforts by way of collecting tapes even from other Local Assemblies, surely they would have been measuring up. I say surely they would have been measuring up.
2. You cannot come here—Jerusalem—and talk blah, blah, blah. We brought up a Sister, from what we heard (you know, under anointing, a Sister can say something that can kill a man); that the Bishop mounted the pulpit in Jos and called Ben and said, “Ben my friend, you better meet one of the Elders’ wives to teach you Holy Scriptures.” He (Ben) rose up and said, “Over my dead body.” And while he was talking and talking, the Bishop said, “Elders, pack him out!” And they packed him out. No respect this time.
3. You know, there is a way you are going to behave and we ask our Sisters or even our little ones to teach you Scriptures. You go to my daughter, so that she will teach you Scriptures.
4. The prophet prophesied that Christ will appear quite alright: “When He shall reveal Himself in the Bride,” he said, “The Scriptures will bear Him witness.” No man can ever know God without the help of the Holy Scriptures. Without the help of the Holy Scriptures, everybody will remain blind.
5. I can see somebody there. Is that Brother Okey from the Church at Opi? God bless you sir. How is our Brother, the young Apostle at Opi Church? Is he here? You should have come with him. I will take interest to see his face one of these days. May be I will drive down to Opi for his sake.
6. I love seeing such young men who are devoted to the cause of preaching of this Truth, who are able to go places and defend their Faith. You know, if you are not well informed of your Faith, you are a fanatic. We are not fanatics, because we are well informed, and well developed.
7. If I want to leave this Church—I have told you—if I want to abandon this Faith, nobody will hear “fim” from me. I will simply come and tell the Church: “I am sorry, I can’t continue with you again.” I will go to my house and have my rest. Nobody will see me going from house to house, disgracing myself. You won’t see me troubling those that are going there. If I trust in God that God is in me, I will be praying for them. Are you getting what I am saying?
8. If you know that Brother Odoemena is wrong, or you think He is wrong, all you have to do—since you believe you are right and you are in the right hand side of God—is to kneel down, tell God to meet Brother Odoemena and correct that error. If you pray for two weeks, three weeks, one month, and that your god fails to answer, join Brother Odoemena. For you are wrong. Are you getting what I am saying?
9. You kneel down and pray that God will kill Brother Odoemena because He is an evil spirit, a deceiver: “God, kill Him! Kill Him! Kill Him!” Everyday you mention His name, every evening, everywhere, and you keep on mentioning because you are on the right side of God—as son of God now—for one month and God is not answering, join Brother Odoemena. I say join Brother Odoemena. Because the more you pray, the more I am enriched.
10. Let me put it this way, whether you like it or not, I am a mountain no man can push. I say am a mountain no man can push. Many here tried to do it. That’s why the man Gamelial warned them and said, “Don’t ever be on their way, if it is from God, you can’t stop it, you will end it kicking against bricks. But if it is of a human origin, surely it will stop.” Then heathen will see it growing from strength to strength, in spite of “thus said the Lord o!”
11. In short, they would have gone to Aba and killed all that said “thus said the Lord” from End-time message. Even there at Jos, Onojah, somebody called Swort, who is equally with them over there, stood up even in the congregation and said, “Thus said the Lord, Odoemena is an armed robber, in one week they will kill Him at Onitsha.” This thing happened in 1995. I am still enjoying that one-week till today, and I have continued in my armed robbery.
12. We were here, Paul Ogibe, who is popularly known in all End-time worldwide, he is known in Nigeria and abroad, he came here and said, “Thus said the Lord, this move can never cross Upper Iweka.” That was in 1993. That same day be prophesied, the Message went to Port Harcourt, went to Aba, and even extended to Mbaise. That same day, not another day.
13. We were there watching, Cornelius came—the evangelist that tour round Nigeria with his coat— “We cannot close our eyes and see the elect perish, no! No! No!” We were watching; he came. I met him with others, “Thus said the Lord, this move will quench this year, 1993.” We saw another “thus saith the Lord.”
14. Well, at another time we saw their big prophet, Jeremiah, who has been going about prophesying. He came here, acknowledged the Faith and rejoiced with us. He went back there and they faced him and he denied the Faith there. He came back with his own revelation that immediately he came into Onitsha Church, he saw one black goat with long tail, two big horns, and went to the pulpit; and after, he said it is a Roman Catholic vision. It is a Roman Catholic vision—Devil, black with long tail. Two big horns and long tail! Any Scripture like that? Then we were waiting for him. He said, “Thus said the Lord, He is troubling my people and I am going to destroy Him within the next two weeks.” We said glory be to God. That was in 1993. We are still enjoying the two weeks till today.
15. While I was here, I told them it is okay, because he has prophesied falsely, after coming before me and making confessions, asking me to pray for his wife who was pregnant, I said, “Brethren, open your ears for God will put him into trouble.” Less than three months, he was in prison for pushing cocaine. He came out and shame could not allow him to go back to End-time. He joined Pentecostals. That is how he ended his own, but before then, he duped even a member of his Church, practicing “divination” in the bush. That’s the man that proclaims “thus says the Lord.”
16. I was in my house, the man who they knew everywhere—David Inyama—you know him; he is known worldwide. He said he is an apostle by “permissive will,” and pastor by “calling.” He came with one imported prophet—Prophet Israel.
17. The man came with jute bag one early morning like that. I brought them into my parlour and said, “Gentlemen, you are welcome.” They sat down and gave me a letter. I read it and I brought my tape recorder and said, “Anything for me?” They said “Yes, the Lord spoke against you.” I said, “Okay, fine, I want to hear.” So he said, “Oya,” then the man started making wuu wuu wuuu wu, and I said, “Ah, ah! What is happening?” My wife was around; I have never seen such a drama. Now, wu wuu wuuu wo wo, wo, ee eee.
18. I said, “Okay, hold it. I know you are about to prophesy; can you permit me to bring my cassette; I want to record your prophecy?” He said okay that I can do that. I went there but there was no cassette. I ran into the room, searched around and collected one tape, slotted it in, changed the batteries, came out again and told them that I am ready. The Coolly-man—one that looked like Rastafarian—said, “Oya,” another “oya,” and the man changed his position: wu wuu wuuu wo wo, wo, he he he he he; I said, “Okay, oya.” He said, “You Odoemena Peter, I have not found your works perfect, I am going to cut you down like oak tree. Change now, change now, 30th May, I will cut you down like an oak tree, thus saith the Lord;” and I said, “Amen.”
19. I have seen 99, what is 100? We continued trusting God and serving God, I wasn’t scared. The tape is still with us. Maybe one of these days, when we will be sharing testimonies, we will play the tape and you will hear what people can fabricate; all in the name of Jesus. I was not moved. I continued preaching.
20. Just about one week to their date, our Pastor at Owerri was to wed at Obosima and I was there to officiate the wedding. While we were there, Bro Okey Painter—you were there—he nearly caught one of them with his hands. They went and hired assassins for me from Aba. The Lord revealed it by prophecy. Before we knew it, they drove in with their motorcycles.
21. While we were watching, one of them came out from the bush and climbed up, and was watching me in the pulpit. Before we knew it, the man that brought them came face-to-face with me and asked me to come out. The Elders met him and said, “No, He will remain till ministration is over and then I will see him.” I said, “Well, no problem.” I continued ministering. I wasn’t moved.
22. After sometime, they left. I told Brethren that they have not left, for they are coming back. A little while, another group came back. So, we were watching the drama. Immediately they heard, “I am rounding up, I am rounding up,” I read my last Scripture and said, “Let us pray;” they left—all of them, with their machines. I laughed.
23. While I was praying, praying and praying, the Lord descended, and said, “They are waiting between Afor and Obosima, around the wilderness. Don’t go the same way by which you came, go through another way. Go through Obinze; and don’t enter your vehicle, enter another vehicle.” We came back.
24. Immediately I left the pulpit, came out, we left the food, and I said, “Brethren, I am off!” Our former Pastor, Nnamdi Ogbogu was there. He drove me round. I entered Brother Isaac Igwe’s Volvo—our Pastor at Owerri. Other Brethren entered the other one. We went through the road the Lord told us. Eventually, we saw ourselves at Owerri. While they were waiting for us on the high way, they couldn’t see us.
25. In the evening, they descended on the Pastor and said, “Where is He? We want to see Him, produce Him.” The man said, “The person has left long time ago and is now at Onitsha.” They said, “Which road did He take?” They left him and went to Ohuba, met our Brother Ben Okezue there, they nearly killed him: “You must produce ODOEMENA.” He can’t produce ODOEMENA, while ODOEMENA is sleeping at Onitsha.
26. So, when they could not succeed, they went back to Obosima and started making trouble with our Pastor and Brethren there, all the night.
58. The Lord who brought us there, took us back, and we are still here worshipping God. We saw the whole prophecies and the way they were fulfilled. We have seen it.
27. Moreover, before your very eyes here, you heard prophecies from our former Pastor Stephen at Abuja. He prophesied how we would scatter, how there will be no love, how we all will die, how there will be hardships, how disease will kill everybody. All his prophecies, we heard all. Till today, we are still existing and the Lord has been prospering us, even as never in the past. But we saw him looking terribly cheated.
28. The moment somebody leaves this Faith, he is cheated by the Devil. He becomes restless. If this is not the true Faith, nobody will feel restless if he is excommunicated. Are you getting what I am saying? If you know we are preaching heresy, we are preaching falsehood, God is no longer in our midst and eventually we put you out of the Church, you will say, “Thanks be to God,” but you see them coming back to trouble us.
29. Leave me alone! Nobody will accuse me of going to any of the so-called Churches in the end-time, or any group, to trouble them. I have never done that. We have never tried it: to go to anything called Church, to cause confusion, we have never done that. Even in End-time, we are not guilty of it. But from time to time, you see people carrying their bags, coming into the Faith to trouble us. There must be something in this Faith.
30. There is a man who believed this Faith at Aba—a Brother indeed, a very old man. He read our books, and people came around, saw the books and collected them, and with every manner of evil name they gave him, concerning the Church. The man said, “This Church that everybody is talking against, everybody has hated, surely there must be something there; and I must be there.” The day he got there, after hearing the Message, he got baptized. He is still fellowshipping.
31. You heard the testimonyof Mama Ezikwu. Emeka has been fooling the mother all these years, blackmailing us, blaspheming this Faith. But when the mother came for the very first time, she sat down, heard the Word, saw things for herself and she went home and got baptized.
32. Thus, do not stay too far and point at us. Come face-to-face. Moreover, if you can’t prove us wrong with the Bible, close your mouth. Whatever you want to say against us, come up—bring your Bible. But if you want to come into the Faith to nag and drag us into endless disputes, using vain stories, unnecessary arguments about tape and this and that, we will put you out. I say we put you out.
33. I have so believed God that even if all of you will depart, I will remain in the Faith. After all, I existed before you. I was holding this Faith before you. I have never departed from this Faith for one day.
34. When I was with my wife in Baptist, I told her clearly: “I brought you here to enable you know how to turn the pages of the Bible, but they are not holding anything truth. But the little thing they have here is that they baptize a little like the Church; they will help you to know how to turn the pages of the Bible.” That’s all. You have heard my testimony about that. At least, it is a first step.
35. Whatever she requests, I will I give her and say, “Well, when she will know the Truth, she herself will stop these things.” I don’t believe in asking anybody, stop this or stop that; I will give you the truth. When you know the truth, you yourself will know what to do. Are you getting what I am saying? It is the truth that converts. I repeat: it is the truth that converts. Don’t call me names, don’t call me whatever you want to call me, give me the truth and leave me alone, let me battle with it. Amen.
If you have kept watch over Christ’s Word, you would have discovered where He said we must wait for Him. If God is going to reveal Himself again, He will reveal Himself as a Gentile. He is going to reveal Himself as a Gentile, not as a Jew. “Behold, God cometh from Edom.” Is Edom not a Gentile nation?
-Son of Man
CHAPTER FIVE
TAKING YOU BACK TO MEMORY-LANE
Now, I want to take you back to memory-lane by way of teaching. I know you really want to praise God, seeing He has answered your prayers. Brother Arinze is here; Brother Gozie is here. And you like to hear many testimonies; surely, you will hear them But I want to give you the greatest testimony of the hour. Are you getting what I am saying?
2. I have always told you that the essence of coming to Fellowship on Sundays is to get refilled. I will make sure I fill you to the brim, give you something that will sustain you until we come again. Even if I don’t see you again, what you received will sustain you.
3. Hence, now, I am going to take you in a dangerous path. Many of you have been rejoicing over the revelation and so on, you know a time came when St. Paul said, “Let us go over to revelations.” So, I will bring you to the dangerous path today, and place you where Christ placed them in His First Advent, so that individuals now will conclude within themselves, whatever they want to believe.
4. I was talking to Bishop Okey Paul, I said, “I cannot because of what people will say shrink from declaring the Truth, at least, who I am. But there is a way I am going to do it. They have not heard it from me, but they heard it through the Messages, through Messages I have revealed. Some of them had already concluded within themselves that this man might be He. Some say, ‘Not might be,’ He is. Some say, ‘Well, will be.’”
5. But now, I want to put “a final full stop” there, because of a dangerous development somewhere. You know, I was talking to my wife on this matter, I said, “When you reveal truth before its time, it becomes sin against you and you will be punished.”
Every truth has time for its revelation. If you reveal truth when its time has not yet come, it becomes sin; you will be excommunicated for saying the truth. Actually, what you said is the truth, but it is at the wrong time—before the appointed time for its revelation.What you have declared is truth but the time for it has not yet come. So, we must punish you.
6. That’s why in so many places He warned them: “Make sure you tell nobody.” At a time, He told Nathaniel, “Follow me, you will see greater things ahead.”
7. You know, when this Faith came down far back in 1994, Brother Nath, the Deacon at Isialangwa got the revelation, went back to Isialangwa and told them that Christ is here on earth. That he has seen Christ with his eyes, because he was in End-time as an apostle. That he read all that are readable—as far as sermon books are concerned—that PETER ODOEMENA is not less than Christ. They put him out of the Church. They brought the excommunication letter to me and I confirmed it— put him out. That was in 1994. It is just like one coming in 1994 to tell me that he is a son or a daughter of God, na lie! I will doubt it. We were trying to be.
8. Nobody could be a son or a daughter of God under the Law. Check your Bible. It is a blasphemy under the Law for a man to say that he is a son of God. How can you say so? You hold your peace and keep on striving to see. We were waiting for the manifestation of sons and daughters of God. There was nothing God did without foretelling it. Are you getting what I am saying?
9. A time came when He told us clearly that this year is the year of manifestation of sons and daughters of God. In that Camp Meeting, we wrote it on the board. He said that if sons and daughters of God did not manifest this year—and that was in 1998, this happened in 1997 camp meeting against 1998, January 1—He said, “If sons and daughters of God do not manifest this year, God is going to steer trouble in the Bride, in the last minutes, and call out a little flock, perfect them and take them away.”
10. But before then, we exhausted everything under the Law. We exhausted everything, and we were weighed in a balance and we weighed nothing. We were given another one year to try again, so that nobody will say, “I would have made it.” After the one year, we weighed nothing, and then He gave us a mandate. Everybody was thinking how sons and daughters of God would manifest.
11. You know the problem with people, when a man of God makes a statement they do not understand, instead of coming to Him, they start interpreting it. Some were thinking that manifestation of sons and daughters of God means eternal life, or everlasting life, or rapture, or even new world or new heaven.
12. Sons and daughters of God must be made manifest. And then another year came, He told us, “The year of the Redeemed is come. You must be redeemed before you talk of translation.” You must be redeemed and numbered before you talk of translation. We saw everybody redeemed in 1999. We could say, “Now are we sons and daughters of God.” The whole revelation was being made manifest.
13. Even the year God said, “The Son of Man must be revealed,” we saw it—the revelation of Son of Man. We went into Prophetic Revelation. Step-by-step, we have been moving.
14. Immediately we came to this point, the Lord stepped in and said, “This year is our year; I have placed you in a sanctified condition. Believe me.” Some never believed all I have been saying to be scriptural or prophetic until I read the sermon book: “The Man That Can Turn on the Light,” for you to see that the Chief Mechanic is in the Bride, and He knows all it takes to place the Church in a rapturable condition.
TAKING GOD AT HIS WORD
I have been hearing some reports. Our Elders have tried to put those things right. I received a report last week that at Abuja, one of the Elders there—a deacon—was praying in the name of PETER ODOEMENA and one of our Apostles who came from Nsem—Brother Ayuba. I know they will equally go there. Ben Adiukwu and company will equally go there and they will meet a stumbling block. Because Brother Ayuba was not converted by anybody, unless he has lost his experience, which he had in the Police College. You all know about his conversion. God bless you, I don’t need to comment on that.
16. He was the one that saw a vision and started coming to Church at Jos. He said that he saw a Local Church and he didn’t know whether it was Jos or any other Church; but all of a sudden, he saw two Elders kneeling at the altar, and while they were kneeling, two young men came in and then laid hands on them and changed their garments. The dream left him. So, he didn’t know what to do than to start coming down to the Church at Jos. Coming down there, within ten minutes, Brother Joseph and Brother Ogbonna came in and summoned our Brother Joe Ukpong and Brother Martin. Before their eyes, he ordained them Bishop and Pastor. Changed their garments.
4. Immediately, our Brother Ayuba raised his hands and then narrated his dreams, which brought him. You see what God does. God can never do anything without a witness.
17. So, our Brother Abel, you will do well, take it upon yourself and travel to the Church at Jos and see your co-Elders there, obtain a copy of the dream they saw in 1997 concerning Ben, which they read in the Church—Ben was there—which has now fulfilled to the latter.
18. If Satan will not deceive him to say that Odoemena gave them the dream. Before Stephen, our former Pastor, left, God revealed it at Dadinkowa as one that was building a new house and who will build himself out of the Faith, and even revealed his name when there was no trouble anywhere. We see people from outside, but God sees people from inside. I repeat: we see without, God sees within.
19. Whatever that is happening in you today, God is seeing all, but I am only seeing your faces; but I trust God that I will also see within, if He will permit me now. I am not following because of discernment. I am following because the Word of God is Truth.
20. Things will be made plain in our eyes now, but before then, I want to show you few things. I want to show you few things. Bishop Okey, come forward because I want to do a lot of reading now.
21. So, because they are now trying to baptize in my NAME, and the Pastor of the Church at Abuja rose up with some other Elders to check it, but no way! Brother Ugonna the Apostle rose up to check it, no way! Yet these Elders still hold their revelations firm.
22. When they came down here—at Jerusalem, I said, “No, it is idolatry.” There is no other Name given among men whereby we can be saved, except the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and we will do all things in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must pray in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ; baptize in the Name of Lord Jesus Christ. Are you getting what I am saying? So that is the only Name that can remit sin. There is no other Name that can remove sin except the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and there is no other person that died for your sins, except the Lord Jesus Christ. So the only sacrifice that was placed as atonement for your sins is the Lord Jesus Christ.
23. When William Branham appeared on the scene, a time came when people started baptizing in his name. He ran away, and said, “No, don’t do it.” Did you get what I am saying?
24. Please, bear with me there now. I have put a final full stop in that thing they are doing at Abuja, it is unscriptural. So, nobody should ever baptize in the Name of Peter Odemena or pray in the Name of Peter Odemena. No, Peter Odeniena is your Brother. I say, Peter Odemena is your Brother. The same way Jesus Christ is your Brother, if you believe Scriptures.
25. Some of you saw us rushing out this morning. We attended to a sick call. We got to Enu Onitsha to see Mama Ikebude. She was terribly bad. So, mere looking at her rolling on the ground, I remembered my Word, and I said, “Mama, this is stomach disorder.” She said yes. “I perceived you have dishonoured my Word, you have eaten mango.” She said yes. I said, “Okay, fine. What did I tell you in my house concerning mango when you brought it?” She became dumb. I said, “Well, you wanted to try, and the thing has now showed you pepper.” It doesn’t mean that nobody should eat mango, but if I tell you not to eat mango, avoid mango.
26. You don’t know what I have seen in the mango, for which cause I am saying, “Don’t eat it this time.” Maybe tomorrow, I will ask you to eat. And Mama ate that one I commanded her not to eat. I rejected it and asked my family to reject it. I told mama not to eat it, but mama went home and ate it and that is why she is dying. But we thank God, miracle took place there and her daughter marveled.
27. She wanted to vomit, no way. To pass stool, no way. She couldn’t get up—just crying and shouting. And they have given every kind of medicament, no way. We entered there courageously in the Name of Christ our Lord, even without prayers, we were simply encouraging, and encouraging her. Before we knew it, she emptied it on the ground. Emptied the whole thing on the ground. Her daughter rushed in and then started rejoicing. You know, she did something: her faith has healed her.
28. Early hours of the morning, she sent one of her daughters to come and inform Bishop Okey that she was dyeing, and I was only alerted here in the Fellowship. She told the heathens. See faith in action, she didn’t say, “Rush me to hospital, rush me to so, so and so.” She sent heathens and said, “Tell the Bishop that I am dying. I need prayers.” And I came in here only to be told. We rushed immediately. And before Ngozi’s eyes—mama’s daughter’s eyes—mama dressed up and walked with us into the parlour, so we glorified the Name of the Lord there.
30. As many as are living around that place, see her after Fellowship and know how she is feeling. Amen.
We want to trace God and know where God said He will run to, for God is in exile. I say, God is in exile. You know if He will run to the Black nations land like we are here; surely, He must be one of us. If He will come here wearing another uniform, we will spot Him out, He will be a stranger, and His people might even trace Him down here and bring Him back. So, for Him to hide fully; He will hide inside one of us here.
-Son of Man
CHAPTER SIX
THE WORD IS IN THE BRIDE
God bless you Brethren. How many will like me to actually turn the pages of the Bible? Teaching makes us the Church. It is not a new teaching altogether. I want to rekindle something in somebody
2. So, I really want to draw your attention to things you know very well, after which I will open the Holy Bible. I may not title it; I may also title it. Whether I title it heaven and earth, or hell and heaven, you can title it in your heart—whatever the Holy Spirit ministers to you.
3. You know, there was a time we gathered here, around 1996, the Message said, the Apostle reveals Himself to His people. How many were here that time? I was here.
4. Now, I read this Message titled, THE SPOKEN WORD IS THE ORIGINAL SEED, just one paragraph here: “Those in the Bride”—the second paragraph. “Notice the harmony of the Father and the Son. Jesus Christ never did anything until it was first showed to Him by the Father.
5. John 5:19. “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.”
6. This harmony, today, exists between the Groom and the Bride. He shows her His Word of Life. She receives it. She never doubts it. Therefore, nothing can harm her. Not even death, for if the seed be planted, the water will raise it up again. Here is the secret: THE WORD IS IN THE BRIDE. This is the secret of it, THE WORD IS IN THE BRIDE.
7. In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God. So you cannot separate the Word from God, and the Word itself was God. Did you get it? The prophet said, “This is the secret of it.” In other words, it is a mystery.
24. He said, “Look at the harmony that exists between Father and Son. The Son can do nothing except it is revealed to Him by the Father”— John 5:19.
8. You see, he said, “He reveals Himself to her—the Bride —she receives it, she never doubts it, and therefore nothing can harm her, not even death. This is the secret of it: THE WORD IS IN THE BRIDE.
9. As it was in Mary, the Bride has the mind of Christ for she knows what He wants done with the Word. She performs the command of the Word in His Name, for she has THUS SAITH THE LORD. Then, the Word is quickened by the Spirit, and it comes to pass—like a seed that is planted and watered, it comes to full harvest, serving His purpose.
10. Those in the Bride do only His Will. No one can make them to do otherwise. No one can make them to do otherwise. They have THUS SAITH THE LORD or they keep still. They know that it has to be God in them doing the works, fulfilling His Ministry, fulfilling His own Works. He did not complete all His Works while in His earthly Ministry; so now, He is fulfilling His own Works through the Bride. She—the Bride—knows that, for it was not yet time for Him to do certain things that He must now do. But He will now fulfill through the Bride, that work which He left for this specific time—something He couldn’t accomplish in the First Advent, now He will accomplish through the Bride. THE WORD IS NOW IN THE BRIDE.”
11. In other words, what Christ couldn’t accomplish in His First Advent in His earthly Ministry, He will now accomplish through the Church.
12. You know, when He was here as an individual—although He had disciples—they couldn’t do anything. They were not even of any help. There was no record that the disciples were preaching. Christ alone was doing the preaching for the Church was not yet established. The Kingdom was being expected.
13. So there are many things He couldn’t accomplish that time which He can now accomplish with the help of the Bride.
NOTHING BUT FAITH—PERSONAL REVELATION
Here is a short encouragement from William Branham: Jesus said, “On that day”—that is this day. “At that day when this revelation is made known, you will know that I am in the Father and the Father in me. I in you, and you in me. When the revelation is made manifest”—note, when the revelation is made manifest. I say faith means Revelation. Catch it somewhere. I repeat: Faith is Revelation.
15. That is why, when somebody has anchored in this Faith by “personal revelation,” even death cannot remove him. You try to persecute him; you are arming him more and more. I say you are arming him, arming her, because he or she has gotten a personal revelation where he or she has anchored his or her faith.
16. The problem we are having with people is that they want us to believe their revelation and we want them to believe our revelation, for faith is revelation. They want us to come over to their Faith. We want them to come over to our Faith and that is impossible. Nobody can come over except he or she that is predestinated. So, you must belong to the Faith that was meant for you.
17. From the foundation of the world, God made a Faith for me. He made a Faith for somebody else. I cannot be in Roman Catholic Faith. Did you get what I am saying? There is nothing they will promise me that will make me be in their Faith, because I was not predestinated to be in their Faith. If I was not predestinated, I would have been a Reverend Father by now.
18. “At that day, we shall know that I and the Father are one. I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Then when the revelation comes forth, then it is I am in you and you in me.”
19. So, the Church can do the same thing today. What Christ did, so does the Church do now. In that day, you will know that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. I in you and you in me, see? There you go marching on to Zion to where the kingdom is.
NATURAL BELIEVERS
“On that day, you will know that I am in you. Just think the very Lord Jesus that was back there in the days of the Apostles is right here now and is just winding up the end of the Gentiles. A great move is going among the supernatural believers.” –Question and answer, Jan. 3 1954 (Jeffersonville)
21. A great move is going among the supernatural believers. Who do you think has supernatural faith? The Church! Who are supernatural believers? They are those that believe the impossible—something somebody will hear and close his ears and say, tufiakwa—God forbid—it will take super-naturals to believe it. It will take super-naturals to prove all things.
22. Who can believe that there was a provision for Edom? That Esau could be grafted in? Or, that even Esau was there from the very beginning? It will take a supernatural to believe that.
23. Let me tell you, it will take God to come out and say, “I belong to the tribe of Edom.” Call me son of Esau, if you wish; I am not lost. If you say it outside, they will say tufiakwa. Some will say, “No wonder you are behaving the way you are behaving. No wonder!” I am not surprised hearing it, because to them Esau has no provision. But to us who have the full Word, Esau had a provision. The fullness is in the Bride.
24. We can tell you the position of everybody in God. Somebody who doesn’t know his left from the right, coming to say blah, blah, blah; what he is saying is what he should say. After all, he was cut off. From the time he was absenting himself from Fellowship because of job; did he know what was happening? He started behaving like Thomas. When Thomas wasn’t there, he came and was told, did he believe? He didn’t believe. Maybe God decided to pack him out, pack him out because from the testimony the Church is writing, they had already forfeited his ministry before he was excommunicated, for his “too much absence from the Church” made it impossible for him to fill his gap. So, nobody was feeling for him again. They didn’t know that his ministry existed.
25. Let me tell you what I mean, it happened in this Church. Before ever this Church put away our former Evangelist Nnamdi Ogbogu, we had already forfeited his ministry. He was just sitting in the Church for sitting sake. Nobody was having any feeling. That is why when you are in the Church make your wing very hot. Are you getting what I am saying? Even if you can’t do any other thing, during praises, let us know where you normally operate, because God delights in taking praises. Let us see your wing! If we look at your wing, we will ask your whereabouts. But if you come to a point that when you come to the Church, we don’t know, if you don’t come, we don’t know, aah! No way. I say no way. I don’t have the feeling that somebody even left there. I really don’t I know why. I don’t know why.
26. “A great move is going among the supernatural believers.”
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
Brethren, please take note. Let me cut off this Message a little. Bishop Okey, you were with me last night, and we were talking; can you tell the Church what I said?
28. “Yesterday, the Son of Man told me that today, He is going to restore our Sister, the wife of our former Deacon, Mrs. Joshua Akpe back to the Fellowship. And that others have not been showing their faces around the compound. That even Bother Mike went about looking for many, but none of them has been appearing. So, I only told them that I only saw Mrs. Simeon last Sunday, so there was no other person.”—Bishop Okey Paul.
29. Bishop Okey Paul, you omitted something there. It was a lengthy discussion and something prompted it. We were talking about the month of May and worldwide reports and things that are likely to take place. And I started asking, “What will be the fate of these people that are outside, that some of them; their children are still coming.” I said, “Well, Brother Mike, I have been sending him, I sent him on Tuesday, and he went around and said he saw nobody. On Thursday, I sent him out; he said he saw nobody. I said deep in med that I felt bad. I said maybe, because I said I would be traveling, they decided not to come. Maybe because I said nobody should petition to me or intervene on their behalf.”
30. There, our Brother Bishop Moses cut in and said that they heard a Voice that said, “It is all in my hand.” That if he is in their shoe, he would have been falling prostrate on the floor everyday in the Church.
31. I said, “Well, God helping me, if I get to the Church today, surely I will restore Mrs. Joshua. I have two reasons: She helped us to know the truth and when she came, she never told lies. But I punished her because, being the wife of a Deacon—a time came when her husband was the only Deacon—she should know more than that for she was in a position to rebuke others, but because she didn’t tell lies, she helped us to know the truth, I will restore her.”
32. I said, “You went to the husband’s side. You have not been seeing him? No, he is ever coming; but stays in one room over there—that mango tree.” I said, “Already in my heart, he is still in the Church, but considering the position from where he is falling, the shame is always there. He doesn’t want to be hanging about like others, a sure sign. Besides that, I went to all of them and commanded them to go to ‘Omagba’ and be having their Fellowship there. After all they are good enough. Still, they are coming. Nevertheless, there is no way I can bring in a wife without the husband, seeing that the children are here. So, seeing that we discussed even ahead of time and they are the only people we have seen, who will say that God has not vindicated their restoration?”
33. Can anybody stand up say that God has not vindicated their restoration? So, bring the husband and the wife into the Church. Don’t allow Satan to cheat you to think that I went to them, or wrote them any note, no! I never went to any of them; I never gave them any note; I never sent anybody to them. So let our Brother Joshua and the wife come inside the Fellowship unconditionally. Today is your day. Even while I was driving into the Church today, we were sharing experiences in my car; I told my wife clearly that I am restoring Brother Joshua, as the Lord strengthens us.
34. You know, repentance is matter of the mind. I have told you that the only person that can stay away from Fellowship is one that is not a member of this Church. Even from the very beginning, there is a Message in this Faith titled: LET THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SMITE ME. It will be like ointment on my head.
35. Brethren, bring them inside unconditionally. Let them come and sit down. There is time for enjoyment and merriment for them. When the time comes, we will rejoice exceedingly with them. We can dance together with them.
36. So, they are here back in the Fellowship as Brother and Sister and must be received by all as such. So you restore your real godly love warmly to them. Amen.
For now, the Deliverer is with us. I say, for now, the Deliverer is with us. All I am trying to show you is: Did God prophesy ahead of time that a time will come when Israel will not be His people again? When He will forsake them, and do away with them? The answer is, yes. Was there also a prophecy saying that in the end time, He will graft them back? The answer is, yes. So, whatever that is happening today is all Scriptural. Prophecies are fulfilling.
-Son of Man
CHAPTER SEVEN
THE FULFILLMENT OF THE PROPHET’S PROPHECIES
We go back to the prophets prophecies: “A great move is going among the supernatural believers.” Because we believe that God is here: “Just think your glorified body is right here at the tabernacle now.” The presence of the Holy Spirit, as many as died in this age, Laodicea, and they believed William Branham’s Message, they were there with their glorified bodies. Are you getting what I am saying?
2. Now he has come and he has gone—and this is the age of the Bride. The Bridal Age is not Church Age. The Bridal Age is not Pentecostal Age.
3. You know, the Church must go away first. When I say the Church, I mean the Bride. Before the revelation of the wrath of God, the Bride is well preserved, well secured.
4. “Just think your glorified body is right here at the tabernacle now. The presence of the Holy Spirit is your glorified condition. You are glorified in Christ.”—Conduct, Order, and Doctrine, bk. 1 page 102.
5. The presence of the Holy Spirit which is your glorified condition. You are glorified in Christ right now and your own body is standing near you right now in Christ to give you strength like a charge going into a battery. The Holy Spirit is in you, is to charge your body, to give you new strength, to heal the sickness that you got, to make you well.
6. I will show few things to help somebody and then cross over.
7. (Ephesians, parallel Joshua, May 15 1960, JEFF.) 8. “Jehovah means that He gave man to be an armature god, because He is Father God. So He isn’t self-existence anymore, He exists with His Family-Ella, Ella, Elohim.”
9. Is Church not the Family of God from the Bible?
10. Now, He is Jehovah. Jehovah means the one who exists with His Family. Now, God made man to be the predominant over all the earth. He has dominion and the earth was man’s dominion, is that Scripture? Then if that is His domain, He was God over the earth. He could speak and it will be so. There He is, God, Jehovah. The one who once existed in self-existence but now exists with His Family and His little ones with him. He exists with His Family and with His little ones with Him.
11. (Signs of his coming, April 7, 1962, Cleveland). “A wicked and adulterous generation would seek the sign of resurrection. A sign to the generation just before the burning, Elohim in human flesh, Elohim back in the Bride, in human flesh again in the last days doing the same thing.”
12. Well, nobody is under condemnation in the Faith except he that leaves this Faith. For your prophet will always live to justify you, for he saw my day and rejoiced. We are fulfilling all that the prophets foretold. They are coming to pass in our day and for which cause we are greatly being envied. The whole thing we are passing through is as a result of envy, why must it be this man? Why must it be this group? Why not me?
13. (The Unveiling of God, June 14, 1964, JEFF.) “Now we find Him, now since Pentecost, God is not acting in man, now He is acting through man, using human beings as a vessel, He was acting in a man then, Jesus now, He is acting through man that He has chosen for this purpose, God in the form of men, He changed himself from the form of God to a form of man.”
14. What if these prophecies do not agree with the Bible, can we take them? But do they agree with the Bible?
15. “You become part of Christ as long as Christ is hid in you. Then He is veiled to the unbeliever”
16. He is what? Veiled to the unbeliever. You know, an unbeliever cannot see it. An unbeliever, is he one that is outside? He is one that is among us, who doesn’t believe our teachings. He can’t see Christ. He will only be seeing a bunch of flesh, holy roller, Devil, Beelzebub, madman.
17. “But you know He is in you. You are tempting Christ that is behind the veil, the skin, because of this veil. The veil again in human flesh hides God away from the unbeliever.” –Page 39.
18. See, the Shekinah Glory manifests Himself and brings forth the Word of Promise to light out to you. That’s the reason that He had to veil Moses’ face because in Him was the Word. He veiled Jesus as a humble, little man to keep them from seeing Jehovah and He veiled Himself today in earthen vessels with the Shekinah. The outside looks like a bunch of holy rollers, old badger skins, but the inside hides the Shekinah Glory and it represents the shewbread that we feast on” –Page 48.
19. (The identified Christ of all the ages, June 17, 1964, Topeka) “It may be but you see inside behind that badger skin, behind that human skin, in there is the Shekinah Glory. In there is the Power, in there is the Word, in there is the Shewbread, but you must come into behind the veil to see the unveiled God. And God is unveiled. That’s His Word made manifest.”
20. You must come into behind the veil to see the unveiled God. You can’t be outside and see the unveiled God.
21. Page 6. “When He is being revealed, made know to His Church.”
22. When He is being revealed, all that are expecting God to come down; won’t they be deceived? God has always been revealed. From the beginning of Creation, He has lived among human beings; He has always been revealed from among human beings. All that has always been fixing their eyes on the sky, like the Buddhists, they have always been disappointed.
23. That’s why William Branham said that they think that God’s meaning is of the sky. Till today, some people still fix their eyes on the sky: “When He will come down from the sky, surely I will see Him that day and I will follow Him.” Don’t worry; you will see the difference between revelation and knowledge. Are you getting what I am saying? If I should pray for anything, I will pray for revelation because without revelation, you will call God Devil. Going by human knowledge you will call God Devil because the way people know things to be is not the way God reveals things.
24. “When He is being revealed, made known to His Church—not the world—Son of Man will be revealed just before the promised Son. Jesus said, ‘Before the promised son returns again, Elohim would make Himself, His Word manifested in flesh—God. He is even in us. He will be to the consummation until He is revealed in the form coming from heaven.”
25. Page 9. “I wonder if we will make the sad mistake that they did, failing to know Him because He was the Word for that age, was identified in a human body. Jesus Christ identified the same by His Word in every generation.”
26. Are you getting exactly what the prophet is saying? He is wondering if we will make the sad mistake they made, failing to recognize Him when He appeared in human form, always fixing our eyes in the sky. Are you sure they are not making the mistake again?
GODHEAD—THE REALITY
Feast of the trumpets, July 19, 1964. Jeffersonville) “The same Gospel, the Christ that lived in the flesh back yonder, at the beginning of the Eastern people shall live again in the Western people at the end-time.” Page 35.
28. These are quotes you know very well. I am trying to put you in remembrance, using it to build a base so that when I will be revealing the Holy Scriptures, we will know whether I am revealing outside the Prophetic Message or whether I am revealing in line with Prophetic Message. I am here to tie both the prophecies and the Bible together aiming at one thing: unveiling God. That’s all.
29. Remember that God is not a name. I repeat: God is not a name. God means object of worship. You know, when we are saying God, God, God, people have been mentioning God eeeh! God eeeh! God eeeh! Mention the name of your god. God has a Name. Every god has a name. God is not a name, God means object of worship. In the beginning, He was not God. He only became God when He created man. In the beginning, He was not God for there was nothing created. So, He was Elohim, Self-existing One. There was nothing to bow down before Him. But when He made man, He became God to man, for man will always bow down to something that is superior to him. That’s all. You can’t worship something that is inferior to you. Can you? You worship something that is superior. So when He formed the man, He became God to man. He was not even God to animals for animals don’t bow down to Him.
30. You see, mentioning God, God as if God is a name; God is abstract. I say God is abstract. So, you have to know the Name of your God. When you say, I am serving God, I am serving God, a wise person should ask you: “May I know the Name of this God you are serving?” You say, “I am serving God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost.” I say thank you. I have known the god you are serving. You are serving God the Son because you are a Trinitarian. We don’t have God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost. No. THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THREE DISTINCT PERSONALITIES IN THE GODHEAD, NOTHING LIKE THAT. No Scripture like that—a man with three heads.
31. If God is a Being, how can you get a being with three heads, a miniature human being? It is a frightful look and no prophet has ever seen God with three heads. The Law never told us that God has three heads. The Law saw God as one. The Prophets saw Him as one. Jesus said He is one. The Apostles preached Him as one. The Church received Him as one.
32. (Who do you say this is, December 27, 1964, Phoenix) “He said, ‘Be one, as I and the father are one. Yeah be that kind of one.’ Then how will that be? The Word and us will be the Anointed Word. That is the oneness of God. You see. Oneness of God is the Word anointed in you; see! Then you become a son, a messiah of the age.” –Page 18.
33. Brethren you’ve seen it. You become a messiah. Messiah means saviour. Nehemiah was thanking God; he said, “We thank God Almighty who has never left us without saviours. He mentioned the names of those saviours. He even included David among the saviours. So you are a messiah there at Zonkwa together with every other Brother or Sister there. So, it is in your hands to save your people as kinsman-redeemer. You are the vessel God is using to carry Himself there.
34. “Give me a Church that is so completely anointed with God, till their every action and move is ‘thus says the Lord.’ Walk in that Shekinah Glory, I will show you a Messiah, Anointed One of God standing upon the earth.” Page 25.
35. You have heard these things before. There is a reason why I want to bring them fresh.
36. (Invisible union of the Bride, November 25, 1965, Shake Port) “Look at elected Abraham’s Church pulled out. Look what kind of signs that Jesus Himself—the incarnated God—standing there in human flesh. You say that was an angel, the Bible says it was God, one God, Elohim, standing there in human flesh. So that, He will so anoint His Church in the last days. It will be God walking in human flesh again. As it was in the days of Sodom so shall it be on the coming of the Son of Man.”
37. (Work is faith expressed, November 26, 1965, Shake Port) “The Son of Man will be revealed in the body of flesh. You people, the Church, just exactly like it was in the days of Sodom, a called-out group away from all of them, shaking out, believing the promise of God.” Page 44.
38. You see, the Son of Man will be revealed in the body of flesh to a group of people that are called out, away from all of them, the people who believe the promise. Because if you believe, there is going to be a performance of that which is promised. But as many as do not believe, can God perform His Word? Never, never! There is no way He can perform.
39. For whosoever that believeth, all things are possible. We have believed. And we will continue to believe. As long as it agrees with the Prophets, Apostles, and it agrees with the Holy Scriptures, we will keep on believing. There are too many things we have believed in this Faith, which people think they are not in the Bible, but we know they are in the Bible, for they are written “in between the lines.” Some of them are even understood by “divine inspiration. Because when a revelation strikes a man, his vision widens.
40. You know, when you are in Fellowship constantly, oh! No wonder the Bible says, forsake not the gathering of the Saints, as is the manner of some. There is something in Fellowship. If you are a true child of God and you stay away from Fellowship for one day, you will be loosing weight. Imagine when you stay away for one week, surely you loose a lot of weight. You feel like dying inside. Because the Church has been on the move, that’s why I am sympathizing with all that withdrew away from the Church and refuse to be hanging about. And the Church went into new revelation. When they will be coming back, will they know where we are standing? They will be hearing things that are strange, and when we are talking, they will think we are playing, they will be walking up and down. Because what will rapture you is already what you have believed: because it is going to be to you according to your faith.
41. “The other night as I was preaching on the subject of the news flash, greatest in history, oh! John, his eyes got, Prophet John, was kindly filled over. He was like he had the spirit of Elijah.”
42. Brethren, please try and see if you can get this magazine titled: “New World Magazine,” of September-December 1991. “New World Magazine” is a quarterly magazine, I don’t know whether it is still coming out or not; September—December edition. I tried to see whether I could photocopy it, no way. I wanted to collect it from the man I saw it with, no way. Though he promised he will send a photocopy but I know he is failing. I spoke to him plainly; I didn’t mince words because he said he is disagreeing with the things there. There was a write-up there. In short, in the front of that magazine, they wrote exclusively inside, saying that Christ is back on earth and is revealed in Nigeria, in Africa as a black man. It says, “This is one of the wonders of the age. Christ back on earth, revealed in Nigeria, in Africa as a black man.” So please, take note of that magazine. “New World Magazine,” December edition, 1991.
43. You know, this Faith started in 1992, but that one was written in 1991, September edition, 1991, and the other case is as clear as the day. I was not privileged to read the exclusive write-up inside.
44. “The other night as I was preaching on the subject of the news flash, greatest in history, oh! John, his eyes got, Prophet John was kindly filled over. He was like he had the spirit of Elijah, and Elijah had a breakdown when he was under the juniper tree. John had a breakdown in the prison and he was a high-pitched prophet, then nerves or age and then his eagle eyes filled over, he said, ‘Those things might be wrong. Ask Him if He is the one or do we look for another.’ Jesus said…is how to have patience while you are in jail or so forth. ‘What did he say? What did he tell you? He said, just stay and watch this afternoon’s meeting, go show John, the lame walk, the blind see. John had preached the Gospel that a Messiah was coming that would have fan in his hands, and will thoroughly flush the floor. Sure, burn the chaff with unquenchable fire, but when He comes He was a little meek fellow—meek and lonely. He didn’t reach up to what John thought Him to be, but he said, ‘Yeah, go and tell John I am running right on schedule. It is all right, everything is all right.’”
45. Please follow these things strictly. The moment I finished showing you the quotes, I will open the Bible. Remember where I started, where your prophet and my own prophet who forerun this Faith, told us what we would expect in the last days. Elohim in human form: back in the Bride, doing the same works. That which He couldn’t accomplish that time, because His time was short, He will now accomplish through the Church—the Bride. Son of Man to be revealed in the last days, in the body of flesh. Christ standing here on earth in form of man in the Church. Everything in the Church, not in the world.
46. If William Branham predicted all these things, and we are coming to the end of this generation, and nothing has happened, and you are expecting rapture, are you not deceived? If you are expecting the catching away of the Church, when these things have not come to pass, you are deceived. Because he said, “This one is coming to prepare you for rapture.” It then means you have not yet gotten anything.
47. I THANK GOD WE HAVE GOTTEN WHAT IT TAKES TO GO TO RAPTURE. WE HAVE TURNED THE BIBLE UPSIDE DOWN; WE HAVE CHECKED WITHIN AND WITHOUT. THERE IS NOTHING ANYBODY CAN SAY NOW, THAT WILL BE STRANGE TO US FROM THE BIBLE. NA LIE! UNLESS I AM THE ONE THAT WILL SAY IT. I SAY, UNLESS I AM THE ONE. THERE IS ONLY ONE UNDER THE HEAVENS THAT WILL TELL YOU SOMETHING YOU DON’T KNOW IN THE BIBLE, AND I AM THE ONE. But scoffers cannot show you anything you don’t know, End-time cannot show you. Can Roman Catholic show you? Who then will show you? There is only but “one person” who will show you a new thing in the Bible.
48. A time came when you thought you have exhausted the revelations and mysteries, before you know it, this one came up, everybody chilled. I told you that the Word of God is an inexhaustible Fountain, and today, we are going to tap again.
49. You know, the thing is making us to grow hairs on our muscles. Faith has muscles. It grows hairs. If you see muscles with hairs: revelations, mysteries plus etcetera, etcetera, etcetera; they make us what we are. So when you are going on the highway, you are not panicking. Whatever you are doing, you are relaxed. A child of God doesn’t run to and fro. A child of God relaxes. He rests. We have rested from labour. We are no longer sweating but some people are still sweating it out. There are some people that are still sweating out everyday while we are resting.
50. (Getting in the Spirit, Chicago p. 51 28 April, 1961) “And now when John heard that—he was in prison—the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said unto Him, ‘Art thou He that should come or do we look for another?’ John’s eagle eyes got filled over down there in prison; see! Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘Go show John again these things, which thou hear and see.’ John is a prophet and if he will hear this, His works going on, he will know who I am,’ He said.”
51. (True sign that is overlooked, Jeff. Page 44, 12 November 1961) “True sign that is overlooked, and it has been the guilt of man: always overlooking the true sign because of His simplicity. And said unto Him, art thou He that should come or do we look for another? See that gloominess of that prophet. He know something was going to take place, but he wasn’t sure where it was out, see! See! What was taking place, art thou He? After he announced it, announced it.”
52. (Question and answer, Jeff. 27 May, 1962) “John couldn’t understand it, so sent some of his disciples to find out from Jesus if He really was the One. What is he trying to see? After that that prophet, standing there in the water with the Word of God said, ‘I knew him because I have seen the Holy Spirit like a dove. God descending down from heaven like a dove and going into Him and I heard a Voice from heaven saying: This is my beloved son, then John said, ‘Go and ask if really He was the one or do we look for another?’”
53. Spiritual amnesia. Now, somebody saying, “I was a witness,” now he is doubting his vision. Doubting his proclamation. Spiritual amnesia.
54. “Now, Jesus never sent him a word of how to behave in prison or what Church he should have joined but stay around a little while and watch what happens, the signs which vindicated Him to be the Messiah, the Son of God.”
55. (Lean not unto thy own understanding, 1965) “God is moving with His Spirit through the earth doing signs and wonders. And listen here my friends, I don’t want to scare you, but I want to tell you the truth. You are looking for something to happen that has already happened. The next thing is the coming of the Lord, it has went right over your head. You didn’t know it. Remember the day you are living in. Take heed to what you are listening at. Wake up yourself.”
56. (Sir, we would see Jesus, 11th December 1957) “You are looking for something. I will never be in this pulpit again. You are looking for something that is passing by you and you don’t recognize it. After a while, when it is gone then they will pick it up and say, ‘why did this happen? When did this revival go on? When did this take place?’ It is too far there.”
57. Now, take note. Somebody is telling you that what William Branham was saying was not referring to himself. In his day, he was referring to himself in America, for that was the time Americans had their own Pentecost which they spurned for which cause he declared woe. In addition, every other country that had Pentecost spurned it.
58. THIS IS DAYBREAK IN AFRICA; and I have told you we have had our last Pentecost. We had our last Pentecost in 1996. And since that day till today, we have never had any Pentecost again. We are rather living in the Pentecost Day. We are back to Pentecost. It is time for Africa to produce their own saints.
59. If you hear that Christianity came to Africa, what came to Africa were Apostate Religion, C.M.S. and Roman Catholics. From them, other groups came out—fallen away Church. This is the time. Now, I want to help your faith. The person William Branham saw as a BLACK SHEEP coming from one of the jungles in Africa, was it himself? Was Branham an African? And he said he saw Him coming as a BLACK SHEEP. He said, “This is the greatest stumbling block. This is where they will miss it all.”
60. Was he referring to himself? What if the prophet never foresaw it; and prophesied it pointing everybody to Africa; is Nigeria not in Africa? Our problem and the problem of the whole world will be how to identify that “one person” in a population of over one trillion people—since it is going to be one person that will be privileged in the whole of Africa. You know how many countries that make up Africa. You know the population of the entire Africa. To identify that one person will be a great job.
61. I thank God. Who doesn’t know that this nation, Nigeria is the giant of Africa? Who doesn’t know that? If you get to Abuja, there is a symbol there where Nigeria is carrying Africa on her head. The giant of Africa is Nigeria. Nigeria spearheads everything in Africa. And we are privileged that in Africa, God found favour with Nigeria, and if we can check when the time changed, it affected everything globally. It even affected sports activities. Nigeria started defeating the whole world. In so many tournaments, Nigeria became a worldwide name. I say Nigeria became a worldwide name. Even in religion, Nigeria started producing worldwide evangelists that can be received in America, Germany, worldwide! Nigeria started drawing the attention of worldwide evangelists from other countries.
62. I was listening to the radio last night and the commentator was lamenting that Islamic religion is taking upper hand in America and so many communities want to introduce Sharia, some have introduced it already. A strong man, a well learned personality said he is a strong advocate of Sharia or Islamic Faith, because Christianity has outlived its value in America and worldwide, see, he said that they have been changing with changing times and modernized Christianity so much that it has become very superfluous and has lost its value; that Islamic religion is the only thing that has not been affected by modern events. That it will take the corporal punishment meted by Islamic Faith to restore sanity and orderliness in the world. So, for that reason, America is poised to embrace Islamic Faith to every nooks and corners in the world.
63. What I am trying to bring out. Who wouldn’t believe it that the so-called Christianity has changed? It has become superfluous really. It has become a mere social gathering. Not only in America but also worldwide. Now, when they mean Christianity, they mean the religion they know. It is only the Bride that knows that Christianity has remained the same yesterday, today, and forever.
64. (Have faith in God, 5th January 1957) “Let me say this, you are looking for something to come to pass that is already here. It’s going to pass you and you don’t know it. You are trying to place it in a future. Little did they know that Elijah was Elijah till he was dead. Little did they know Elisha was a prophet until he was gone. Little did they know that John was, even the disciples didn’t know that John was that man. They even said to Jesus, ‘Why does the Scripture say that Elias must come first?’ He said, ‘He is already come and you didn’t know him.’”
65. Please take note of these excerpts. People have never at anytime acknowledged whomever God promised in their day until he has come and gone. Every age has a promise from God. When the promise is fulfilled, people living in that age have always been found guilty of not recognizing the fulfillment of that promise until the Promise has left. That’s what the prophet is saying and he has outlined many names—people God sent here.
66. Do you know, in America, they found it difficult to believe William Branham to be a prophet till he died? It was when he died that Ewald Frank went to America and called them together. They started producing the tapes in print form. That’s how we got the sermon books. In the beginning, there was no sermon book. William Branham never printed any sermon book.
67. “You are looking for something way in the future and I am afraid you are going to pass over the top of it.”
68. You are looking for something way into the future. You are expecting something to come, he says, “I’m afraid you are going to pass and you cannot see it, just like it’s been in all ages.” Having disagreed with the vision of our Brother Paul Agubalu, who said he was telling the wife that this Jesus Christ all of you are scrambling and making a hell of noise for, when He will come, nobody among you will notice Him. You will pass and not even your General Superintendent will notice Him.
69. “Let me warn you first.”
70. The prophet said the same thing, that’s what I am trying to say. You know, when we heard from our Brother Paul, so many people were thinking that it was not prophetic but now look at it, it is word for word. It has been the guilt of every generation, how can we escape it then? This is why you must know that you are a favoured and elected Abraham’s group. We are that favoured, called out, elected and chosen Abraham’s group for one purpose—for God to reveal Himself.
71. And if somebody is in our midst because he believes that the Message is truth, or he sees it that it is new, surely he is not one of us. You know some believe because it is new, they think it is new but it is not new. Some believe because they say it is truth but the truth has no root in them. That’s why they cannot keep pace with the Message. And when a man is not keeping pace with the Message, he becomes a troublemaker in the Church. Are you getting what I am saying?
72. If you grow above some people in the Church, murmuring and whatever things you can think of, you will be hearing from beneath. You can’t hear it from the top. If we are climbing together, we are having equal revelation, murmuring will stop, envy will stop, jealousy will stop, but you grow above and some people have not, well, get ready. I say, get ready.
73. “Let me give you just a thought. Let me just give you just a thought now to go with the one that I just spoke. Do you realize that’s the way it happens in all ages?”
74. (Mary’s belief, 9th April 1959) “How true, what was He on earth, prophet? How did people know He was a prophet? He does the sign of a Messiah, which was a prophet. Oh! Blessed be the Name of the Lord. How did they miss him, because, they were looking for something else?”
75. (Revelation chapter 1, Jeff, 4th December 1960) “Now, write this on your notes that you are writing. See, that what man calls mighty and great, God calls foolish; and what man calls foolish, God calls great. Don’t forget that. See! Don’t forget it. That will help you along in the years to come, because we are looking for something greater all the time and we are receiving greater all the time, but people of the world don’t know it. Neither did they know it in the days of Noah; neither did they know it in the days of John, in the days of Jesus, in the days of the Apostles, in the days of Ireanus. Any of those days, they never knew it.”
76. (Revelation chapter 4, 24 Elders, 1 January 1961) “The Pyramid Calf is just about to be set on top. The Church is being formed down and has seen it’s last sign. Lord, let them people wake up and realize they are looking for something way up yonder in the future and it’s happening right under their nose and they don’t realize it. If the Devil can make them believed that—Lord he’s got them wrapped. (Abraham and his Seed).”
77. He has got them wrapped. If Satan causes you to overlook what God is doing in your own day, he (Satan) has flogged you. When Satan has so cheated you that you cannot recognize what God is doing in your day, and you are only expecting the thing to come in the future, Satan has whipped you well, well. Watch this, in the Name of the Lord you will never see nothing greater. I know you are looking for something great, but watch out; you got your eyes, you’re on the wrong track, right there.
78. Read the first three chapters of Revelation; there wasn’t too much promise to the Gentile Church, that’s right. Those things you’re reading that’s coming over there in Israel after the Church is gone, so be careful Brother it is passing right over you and you don’t know it.
79. (God has a provided way, 29th July 1962) “And it is so simple. That’s how the wise always overlooks it. It’s so simple. It confounds them. They looked for God way out there when He is right here. See? They are looking for something way out yonder when He is here with them now. Christ risen from the dead, the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
80. (Why it has to be shepherds, Tucson, Arizona, page 17, 21 December 1964) “As a minister of the Gospel, I can’t see one thing left but the going away of the Bride. And the Bride has to be taken away before they could recognize what’s happen. They were bound, scattered, I mean, they were scattered, blinded, and now gathered. What is left? The Bride to be taken out of the way, waiting for the going of her Bride. So, their prophets of perdition can call them to the feast of Trumpets to make them to recognize what they have done.”
81. (Recognizing your day, page 14.) “Let’s just talk to him. As just keeps burning through my heart. I’ve got to say it. You’re looking for a greater thing but this is your last one. This is the final call. Now you write that down in a book and see if you ever see things happen any greater than that you see happen now. Just remember, you are trying to place it off somewhere else. You Gentiles have a short revival at the end, it’s just about over.”
82. It’s just about over. Your prophet was saying it is just about over.
83. (Thy loving kindness, 2nd August, 1952.) “Who can believe this? That many things you are reading in the Bible do not pertain to you as Gentiles because you just module things up. Many of the things you just claim and quote like S. K. Mazi, archbishop and professor. Many of the things people just module up, do not pertain to their day. Some even go as far as even believing the message of Moses, trying to reproduce it at this age. Well, I say God help them to reproduce it.”
84. (Mary’s belief, 9th April, 1959) “Now, tonight Christ is present. You are looking for something way into the future and I am afraid you are going to pass over on top of it just like it’s been in all ages. Let me give you just a talk now to go with the one that I just spoke. Do you realize, that’s the way it’s happen in all ages?”
85. God bless you all in the Name of Christ our Lord. Remain blessed in Him eternally.