Bible Believers' Newsletter #073
"We focus on the PRESENT Truth -- what Jesus is doing NOW . . ."
We greet you in the wonderful Name of our Lord Jesus Christ and appreciate your fellowship. This newsletter serves those of like precious faith and whosoever will receive the truth is welcome to feed their soul from the waters of the River of Life.
This week we review some of the basics of the PRESENT Truth as we reflect upon what Jesus is doing NOW. Everything presented should be confirmed personally in your own Bible.
God richly bless you . . .
Brother Anthony
One Thing Needful
Comenius wrote the "One Thing Needful" wherein he compared the world to the labyrinth, and showed that the way out is by leaving what is needless, and choosing the one thing needful -- Christ.
It's so easy to become preoccupied with the world and the works of Satan, transparently unfolding through the secret associations of this world's business and political leaders, as to be distracted from the one thing needful -- Christ, the anointed Word for THIS hour.
God hides Himself in humility and reveals Himself in simplicity to the most illiterate and uneducated individual. When asked, "Would the Bride of Christ have a ministry before the rapture?" Brother Branham replied, "Sure. That's what's going on right now ... She consists of apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists, and pastors ... She's got a ministry, great ministry; it's the ministry of the hour; it'll be so humble" (Seven Seals, 494:Q22).
While Satan is making a lot of noise about his business, Jesus is no a showman. He's the Word, and the Word means precisely what It says. But Satan controls show business which is how he was able to fool the unthinking world by Showa-business. Jesus said, "Satan is a liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44; Genesis 3:4). Satan has control of Hollywood, the press and television media. He can make any illusion he thinks will accomplish his purposes. Satan is all showmanship, like the stock market -- psychology and bluff.
God doesn't use props and steam, mirrors and colored lights. He just speaks the Word through His prophet. Some of that Word falls upon ground with little depth of soil and sprouts up quickly yet just as quickly dies through lack of moisture of the Holy Spirit. Some falls by the wayside where it becomes choked by weeds and the cares of this world. A portion also falls in the good ground of an understanding heart, and brings forth fruit (Matthew 13).
The Word of God is a silent weapon that minds its own business and regardless of the dark clouds of tribulation now on the horizon, holds fast to the promise of the revealed Word for THIS hour.
"Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. (Although we sometimes wonder, He DOES care for His elect and ensures that even our mistakes and tragedies work together for our benefit). Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: (Yes, but he's a bluff if you have the revelation, hold that sword of the Spirit in the hand of faith)."
"Resist Satan steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are experienced by your brethren in the world. But the God of all grace, Who has called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, makes us mature, established, strengthened and settled once we have suffered a while" and overcome (I Peter 5:7-10).
God told Paul, "My grace is sufficient for you: for My strength is made perfect in your weakness" (II Corinthians 12:9). Paul's ministry wasn't like that of a Billy Graham. Paul was despised and rejected, run out of town by the denominations, beaten and imprisoned. He had only one coat, so despite his education, he was poor and had to sew tents to finance his ministry.
Like Moses and the end-time Bride of Christ, Paul discovered that all of his learning was error. And God's shown us that all of our learning was error. That's why He's been calling both the wise and foolish virgin OUT from denominational teachings into the purity of His unchanging Word. Had they been preaching the faith they'd all be together in agreement on the Word, and Christ wouldn't have been a Mediator. Christ was a Mediator because the denominations are all off the Word.
Jesus said in Luke 18:8, "When the Son of man (NOT Son of God) returns, shall He find the faith on earth?"
In the eyes of the world, Paul's ministry was so humble, it was a failure. Paul preached "divine healing", yet he was accompanied by a private doctor. The un-believer Demas went back into the world. Alexander, the make-believer coppersmith, began teaching his own doctrine and when Paul first brought correction, everyone deserted him (II Timothy 4).
God's Word doesn't return to Him void but accomplishes what It has said will happen (Isaiah 55:11).
Christ's Bride has been called to glory by the revealed Word. The Word prophesied in the Bible for THIS hour. Not the Word for John Wesley's day, the Pentecostal, or Anglican day, which has already accomplished Its purpose. We must make ourselves ready: coming to maturity in our revelation or understanding of that Word; bringing our mortal spirit and flesh subject to our soul which is united to that Word.
If we are Christians we will recognize the works of the Devil, and being forewarned of God about the coming collapse of the world's economies and depression, are forearmed, and can make preparations accordingly.
"When God sends forth a message and tells the people, and they don't receive it, then He withdraws His servant and sends His plagues: famine, death, spiritually speaking, physically also. You watch for a depression, brother. You think you've seen something; you just wait after while. You haven't seen nothing. You think you're dying for a good spiritual revival; you wait till after a bit. You just wait, long and cry to hear the Word of God. The Bible said so. "There'll be a famine in the last days," said the prophet, "and not for bread and water alone, but for hearing the true Word of God." But that Voice will be quiet in the wilderness somewhere, hid away" (Jezebel Religion, 22:100).
Being forewarned of God about Y2K, and a complete breakdown of the division of labor resulting in chronic failure in the distribution of goods and services, the banking system, public utilities, law and order, with martial law already planned in Australia, Canada and England, Christians have taken precautions and are prepared.
The powers-that-be have planned the Millennium bug. But of course, God's planned an earthquake. Either way, you've been warned forty-years in advance like Jesus warned the Hebrew Christians forty-years in advance of Jerusalem's destruction in AD70, and we learn from the historian, Josephus, not one Christian was trapped in the city.
If you have not yet made preparations for the likely consequences of Y2K, waste no more time. Authorities lie when they say there'll only be minor inconveniences and to have three month's food in the house "just in case". If they've been unable to fix their computer systems in the past several years, and they've thrown billions of dollars at the problem, and seven months remain to the end of the year in which they acknowledge they won't have the problem licked, what makes them so confident they can fix them three months after they actually fail? Why can't they keep them from going down? And how do they propose to replace date-sensitive chips embedded in hundreds of satellites, undersea oil platforms, etc?
Several articles on Bible Believer's web site discuss Y2K and link to sites managed by the experts who advise our governments.
Satan must have a world-wide catastrophe in order to introduce his one world government because nobody in their right mind would just exchange his liberty for the totalitarian Marxist state planned by the ultra-rich. They're not planning to conquer just one country, like Russia, or China. This time it's the whole world.
The worldly people will be running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Luke 21:25-28 says as much. We discussed the chaos resulting from the earthquake, tidal waves, warfare and fear of nuclear war in a previous Newsletter. Add to that Y2K!
The Godly people will be looking upward in their hearts, not with their eyes, anticipating rejection by friends and family. They'll anticipate becoming a hunted and persecuted little group, betrayed by churches and church people who will unite in the relief effort. They'll anticipate official discrimination because their warnings against taking the mark of the beast will be a rebuke to the very organizations providing humanitarian aid in unprecedented crisis.
At that time, the Godly will know Russia must shortly attack and invade America. Yes, they will know the future, because they have been forewarned, and they will be forearmed with the Word. Jesus said this is the evidence of the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 16:13). The time will come when the saints will be Public Enemy Number One in their own community. They will have to flee for their lives, with no money, no food and nowhere to lay their head, just like their Lord Jesus. And like Him, they'll have the Word of God and be under such pre-eminence to that Word -- what they speak, God will do, in the manifestation of the Sons of God.
Where is the Word going to come from? Remember, this will be the living Word -- the Spirit, not the dead letter. The Word is going to come from the prophet Jesus promised He would send just before the church became so apostate, as we spoke last week, that it sets up an illegal "shooting gallery" where dope addicts can inject heroin. They don't have the Word of God in Spirit Form by faith so they break the law to do Satan's handiwork.
Read Amos 3:7, "Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing without FIRST revealing His secret unto His servants the prophets." Where's your prophet? Where's the angel of Revelation 1:1? The ONLY man to whom Jesus revealed the mystery of the Seven Seals! We must have It.
We can only know God as we understand His Word. And we can only receive His Word as we recognize and receive His vindicated prophets. Who is the prophet Jesus promised to send to the Seventh and last Church Age of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14; 10:7; Acts 3:19- 21)? If you don't know, you'd better find out quick smart whether he was the late William Branham, or if we should seek for another. Saint Peter said, "The soul that does not receive that prophet will be destroyed from among the people of God", or cast into the tribulation (Acts 3:23; Malachi 4:6; Revelation 22:11; 18-19).
God, hiding Himself in humility, fulfilling His Word in simplicity as He did in Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago. Denominational people have rejected Him once again because He did not change His Word to match their creeds.
Whenever God sent a messenger, there was a revival in the town or heart that received him. Where ever that messenger was rejected, God's Message was rejected. Chaos and disaster ensue (John 13:20).
Moses promised God would send Israel a prophet like himself at the end of their dispensation (Deuteronomy 18:15). This was Jesus Who never changes (Malachi 3:6). And as God is no respecter of persons Jesus said God would send a prophet like Him before the end of our dispensation (Luke 17:28-30).
This was the last Sign Jesus promised before the close of the Gentile dispensation. And we know that the Gentile dispensation is about finished because Jesus also said that the generation who see Israel restored to the Promised Land would not expire through old age before the Millennium commences (Matthew 24:32-34). Christ's Bride is translated seven years before that time so that God can send two prophets to minister to 144,000 in Israel. It's close!
Jesus said this prophet would reveal Him as He declared the Father (Luke 17:30; John 1:18). Whoever this prophet was, he veiled the FULLNESS of the Spirit behind sin-born flesh, as Jesus veiled the Fullness behind virgin-born flesh. The types must be parallel.
Jesus discerned the thoughts and intents of people's hearts, proving He was the Word (Hebrews 4:12; John 1:42, 47-50). This man also discerned the thoughts and intents of people's hearts, "as it was in the days of Lot" (Luke 17:28-30). Jesus said he would!
Paul said, "If some one among you is unlearned and one speaks in tongues, they'll think you're a bunch of crazies but if someone prophesies and tells the secrets of the heart, they'll all fall down and say, 'Truly God is with you'" (I Corinthians 14:23-25).
Why? Because that's the Messianic sign of Hebrews 4:12. "If some one reveals the secrets of the heart, the whole congregation will say, 'Truly God is with you.'"
That is how God vindicated His prophet William Branham around the world for many years. Why can't the people see it? Because God's blinded their eyes by their denominational traditions. They've done whatsoever they listed like Israel rejected John the Baptist who foreran Christ's first Coming. God concludes both Israel and the Gentiles in unbelief (Romans 11:30).
This week's Newsletter is brief and deals with one simple PRESENT truth because I expect many readers are unaware that God promised us a prophet whose ministry would RESTORE the one and only faith once delivered unto the apostolic saints (Joel 2:25; Malachi 4:5- 6; Matthew 17:11; Acts 3:19-21, etc).
The revealed Word comes only to a prophet; without a prophet there can be no restoration of the revelation or faith held by the early Church. And unless we are restored back to the original and only true understanding of the Gospel, we can not be Christians in this day. Jesus said so.
This prophet FINISHED the mystery of God (Acts 3:21; I Corinthians 13:10; Revelation 10:7). He will reveal the mysteries of the seven thunders John was forbidden to write -- the revelations contained in the Seven Seals (Revelation 10:4). It will be these Divinely revealed "mystery-truths" that literally "turn the hearts of the children to the Pentecostal fathers."
His ministry INTRODUCED the second or "parousia" Coming of Christ. The revelation of the Seven Seals brought Christ back to earth in W_O_R_D Form. As Paul foretold, "When the Perfect Word is Come, part-Word and a Mediator will be done away" (I Corinthians 13:10). The worldly church is looking for a Man to drop out of the skies whereas Jesus said, "Do NOT look for a Man" (Matthew 24:23-26).
Jesus explained how His Coming would be UNIVERSAL and NOT seen by the natural eye, for It would be a revelation of the Fullness of the Word -- the same Light or understanding that shone in Jerusalem in the morning of the Gospel would be restored in the evening time (Zechariah 14:7; Matthew 24:27-28; Malachi 4:5-6; Acts 1:9-11; Revelation 1:7).
This prophet's ministry calls both the wise and foolish virgin OUT from Roman Catholicism and her (once) Protestant daughter churches into Him, the Word (Matthew 25:1-13; Revelation 18:4). His Message is the midnight cry, It was the "Shout" of I Thessalonians 4:16.
The "Voice" is that of the chief Messenger or Archangel Who is Christ in the heart of the Bride, bringing her into maturity in the Word which is the UNITY of the faith for which Christ prayed (John 17:21; Ephesians 4:13) by placing the Message from Genesis to Revelation. The Message IS Christ, the fullness of the Word. It is the Key that unlocks the Bible, bringing us into agreement with every Word so that we need no mediator. This oneness brings Christ's end-time Bride under pre-eminence to the Word for the manifestation of the Sons of God that follows the seventh "Trump" at the close of the Gentile dispensation.
Prove these things in your own Bibles. Read and prove the teaching sermons on Bible Believers' web site. Transcripts of Brother Branham's recorded sermons are also available on-line.
Comenius wrote, "With the Bible in our hand we should cry: I believe what God has revealed in this Book; I will obediently keep His commands; I hope for that which He has promised. Christians, give ear! There is only one life, but Death comes to us in a thousand forms. There is only one Christ, but a thousand Antichrists. . . So thou knowest, O Christendom, what is the one thing needful. Either thou turnest back to Christ or thou goest to destruction like the Antichrist. If thou art wise and wilt live, follow the Leader of Life."
"But you, Christians, rejoice in your being caught up, . . . hear the words of your Heavenly Leader, `Come unto Me.' . . Answer with one voice, `Even so, we come'". nl073.htm
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Brother Anthony Grigor-Scott is a non-denominational minister. He has ministered full-time since 1981, primarily to other ministers and their congregations in various countries. He pastors Bible Believers' tiny congregation, and is available to minister in your church.
For Further Information Contact:
Bible Believers' Church
958 Victoria Road, West Ryde, NSW 2114, Australia
e-mail: [email protected]
URL: http://www.biblebelievers.org.au/