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THUNDERINGS
-LIGHTNINGS - VOICES
PART
1
MAY
1979
INTRODUCTION
DEAR READERS: PLEASE DO NOT MISTAKE THIS MESSAGE
AS JUST ANOTHER VERSION OF THE SEVEN THUNDERS THAT SO MANY PEOPLE
ARE FUSSING ABOUT. IT IS NOT THAT AT ALL. IF YOU WILL BEAR WITH
ME, I INTEND, BY THE HELP OF GOD, TO SHOW YOU THAT IT IS SCRIPTURALLY
IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE SEVEN THUNDERS OF REVELATION 10:3, TO HAVE UTTERED
THEIR VOICES SIXTEEN YEARS AGO, OR ANY TIME SINCE FOR THAT MATTER.
YOU READ THIS ARTICLE WITH AN OPEN MIND, AND YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO
BE TROUBLED WITH THUNDERS ANYMORE. TAKE HEED NOW AND YOU WILL BE
IN A BETTER POSITION TO HEAR THEM WHEN THEY DO SOUND T-H-E-I-R V-O-I-C-E-S.
A WORD TO THE WISE SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT.
Saints, we are going into a message that will require
us to be more than just casual (Sunday school) readers if we are
to understand what it is all about. We must have the Holy Ghost
in our lives, and a hunger in our hearts to know what this time
tested old book is talking about.
We are all just mortal creatures, standing in need
of redemption that can only be a reality through the mercy and grace
of God. I cannot save you; neither can you save me, but there is
salvation available for us. The formula for that salvation is recorded
within the pages of God’s holy, inspired Word (the Bible).
As Gentiles we never had opportunity to know Jesus Christ after
the flesh like the Jewish nation did, but we have been introduced
to Him by the Spirit, through the revelation of His precious word.
He is either alive in us, or we only know Him as some historical
person through what our mind can grasp. If you fall into the latter
category this message may not be very interesting to you, but if
you know Jesus Christ by revelation of His Spirit and He is stirring
your heart with anticipation of His soon coming, you will want to
know what to look for in the days just ahead of us. If we know Him
like that, He can talk to us out of His word and it will be just
as precious to us as His audible words were to his disciples who
walked with Him.
We are on a subject that is causing much confusion
among the ranks of those who have been awakened by the message of
Bro. William Marrion Branham, God’s messenger to this church
age. The subject I am referring to is the SEVEN THUNDERS, spoken
of in the book of Revelation, chapter 10, verses 3-4. We have men
in our day, running all over the world, preaching their version
of the SEVEN THUNDERS, and every one of them have put the cart in
front of the horse; they are saying that the thunders have sounded
already, and I am here to tell you that they absolutely have NOT
sounded yet. I realize that I stand to take a lot of criticism and
ridicule for printing this message, but I feel that I owe it to
all those who have been affected by the confusion brought about
as a result of these Thunders preachers, to print something that
can help them find the truth that lies within the scriptures they
are using, regardless of the criticism and persecution.
FULFILL
YOUR CALLING
One man asked me the question, “Bro. Jackson:
How do you take all this criticism?” He went on to say, “I
know you are talked about, a lot, in this area.” I told him
that I am kind of like a horse out in a cocklebur patch; after awhile,
he gets so many cockleburs in his tail, and he gets so used to that
thing beating against him that he just thinks of it as a part of
his everyday life. In other words, you just have to do what you
feel that God has called you to do, and then, if there be criticism,
leave that in His hands. You can take criticism a lot better if
you are fully persuaded that you are doing what God has called you
to do. That is why I pray that no one will ever follow my flesh;
if you are following me: let it be because of the truth of God’s
word that I stand for, and not just because you might like me as
a person. I enjoy good fellowship as much as anyone else, but if
that fellowship is not centered around revelated truth: it will
eventually cause a stench in the nostrils of God. Fleshly attachments
are affected by personalities and over-sensitive feelings, but that
which is drawn together by the Spirit of God will hold together
through every storm. Brothers and sisters, I hope you understand
what I am saying to you; for it is well past the time when we should
shake ourselves, lay aside our personal feelings, and seek to know
what the word of God really holds for us as this age of grace comes
to a close. If God has truly put something inside of my soul that
I am to express to you, then I pray that He will open your understanding
to receive it by revelation, for when truth is received by revelation:
it becomes a part of the one who receives it, so much so that all
the devils in hell could never shake it loose from you. The storms
may come, but, Praise God! What you have locked up inside your souls
cannot be blown away. Raymond Jackson could die tomorrow, but whatever
truth he has stood for will live on throughout the eternal ages.
Hallelujah! This Gentile church world is polluted with preachers
who will preach anything they need to, to gain a following of people
for one selfish reason or the other, but I am not here to convert
you to my ideas, trying to get you to be my disciples. If what I
teach does not make you a disciple of Jesus Christ, then forget
it, for that is the only worthwhile motive that any preacher could
have in what he is doing.
Our text for this message will be the first 6 verses
of the 10th chapter of Revelation, but we will use many
other scriptures, for we want to build the whole thing around scripture.
I am fully aware of what the prophet to this age said, on this subject,
and I am very familiar with the statements that are being used to
build certain ideas, but those who are using those statements have
nothing more, for they cannot make their revelation dovetail with
the Bible. Brothers and sisters, listen to me; if what you are hearing
will not harmonize with the scriptures on every point, it is not
a revelation from God. You will not find God going contrary to His
word just to make someone’s idea work out.
SPIRITUAL
VISION
Let us turn to Revelation 10:1, now, and begin
reading our text. May God unction every word and make this a living
reality to your hearts. We call this particular portion of the Bible,
the Book of Revelation, but in reality: it is a letter to the bride
of Christ. It was written by the apostle John, on the Isle of Patmos,
and the Lord Jesus Christ instructed him to send it to the seven
churches of Asia, or to seven churches which were in Asia. By the
time John wrote this letter and sent it to these churches, they
had all been in existence more than 40 years. In each church of
the seven, there existed a condition that typed a future condition
of a certain church age. There were seven churches, and each one
of them represented a condition that would exist in one of the seven
church ages through the grace period while God dealt with Gentiles
that would be partakers of the kingdom of God. In order for us to
understand what John wrote we have to realize that he was projected
(BY THE SPIRIT) into a future period of time when he was taken up,
in the 4th chapter. He was actually (BY A SPIRITUAL VISION)
projected into our present age of time. He saw the things he wrote
about, happening right in the time he was living in, (IN THE VISION)
but keep in mind the fact that he was looking past his present age
by more than 1900 years. To him it was as though he was living in
this Twentieth Century, seeing the things which we are seeing in
our daily news. He saw these events taking place. He wrote about
them, sent the letter to the seven churches, and the world has had
to wait more than 1900 years for the events we are going to talk
about, to take place. Now let us read our text, Rev. 10:1-6.
CLOUD
CLOTHED ANGEL
“And I saw another mighty angel come down
from heaven, clothed with a cloud: (That angel is none other than
Jesus the Christ, in angelic form. We identify Him by the sound
of His voice) and a rainbow was upon His head, (That is the same
rainbow that was round about the throne, described by John in the
4th chapter where he is telling about being caught up
in the Spirit and seeing a throne set in heaven. He saw one sitting
on the throne that was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine
stone: and he saw a rainbow round about the throne that was in sight
like unto an emerald. That was Jesus the Christ setting on that
throne, and the rainbow appearance around the throne is that crown
of glory that the great Spirit, Elohim, has crowned Him with. He
is invested with authority that has always been in Jehovah.) And
His face was as it were the sun, and His feet as pillars of fire.”
Do you remember the description given by Peter, James and John when
they were privileged to view Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration
with Moses and Elijah? What John is seeing here in the 4th
chapter in this heavenly scene is what those disciples were allowed
to have a preview of when Jesus took them with Him that day. In
Matthew 17:2, we find, “And was transfigured before them:
and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as
the light.” What I want you to see is that Matt. 17:2, Rev.
4:2-3, and Rev. 10:1, are all describing the appearance of Jesus
the Christ. Remember though, in Chapter 10:1, He is only seen in
angelic form; this is not to be looked upon as His next literal
returning to the earth. Watch verse 2 now, and we will see what
this might angel is to do. “And He had in His hand a little
book open.” This has been translated, BOOK, when in actuality
it should be SCROLL, so as we talk about it, think of it as a scroll
that has been unrolled. This scroll that is now open in His hand
is the same scroll that John saw in the hand of Him that sat on
the throne in heaven, only when he saw it then it was rolled up
and sealed with seven seals, and John was weeping because he thought
there would be no one found that would be worthy to loose the seals
and reveal the contents of what was written within. When John saw
Jesus holding that scroll the first time, (Rev. 5:1) He was sitting
on the mercy seat, still interceding for all who would be heirs
of salvation. As long as there was one seal unbroken, still keeping
the contents of that scroll from being revealed, Jesus could not
leave that mercy seat. He must remain on the mercy seat until the
last soul that will ever accept God’s grace has been interceded
for; then that last seal can be broken, and when it is broken, Jesus
can leave the mercy seat, and the picture in Rev. 10:1-6 can be
fulfilled in its completeness.
IDENTIFYING
VOICE
Alright, John sees this mighty angel with the little
scroll open in His hand, set His right foot upon the sea, and His
left foot on the earth. To me, this signifies that He is the supreme
one, He is conqueror, He is the victorious one on land as well as
on the sea. He has the authority to take possession of something.
Watch this cry now, as we read verse 3, “And He cried with
a loud voice, as when a lion roareth.” We all know that according
to the Old Testament the Messiah to the Jewish nation was to come
out of the tribe of Judah, which is the LION TRIBE; therefore the
cry of this mighty angel being like as when a lion roareth lets
us know who this mighty angel is. It can be no other than Jesus
Christ, who is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the coming King and
the prince of the world in the millennium. He cried with a loud
voice that identified Him, “And when He had cried, SEVEN THUNDERS
uttered their voices.” That is the part we want to dwell on.
AFTER He was seen with the little scroll open in His hand, and AFTER
He was off of the mercy seat, and AFTER He had cried with aloud
voice, THEN, SEVEN THUNDERS UTTERED T-H-E-I-R VOICES. John heard
voices uttering something, and he was about to write it down, also,
but he was told to seal up those things which the seven thunders
uttered and write them not. John heard voices which he described
as thunders, but those voices uttered something that John could
have written if he had been allowed to. Keep that in mind as we
proceed. We are going back into the Old Testament for the purpose
of establishing VOICES, THUNDERS, TRUMPETS and the various things
and circumstances that serve as keys to unlock the scriptures we
are considering in this message. I believe a proper understanding
of these things is vital to this end-time bride people. Brothers
and sisters, you will see what I am getting at in just a moment.
If what John heard was unimportant, God could have just wiped it
from his mind so that when he wrote his record of this event it
would have just ended with the words, “And cried with a loud
voice, as when a lion roareth,” but he did not stop there,
and there definitely was a reason why he did not stop there. Remember,
John being allowed to see the things he saw, set a type of the end-time
bride who would also see these things, only she would see them as
they actually transpire in her age. The voices spoke something that
ONLY the end-time bride of Christ is to know and understand; therefore
if God had allowed John to write those things, they would have been
part of the written record that the whole apostate church world
has had to play with for 1900 years. This is to show you why John
was allowed to say, Seven thunders uttered their voices, after the
angel which had the open scroll in His hand had cried with a loud
voice.
THEIR
VOICES
Saints: I only have an eighth grade education,
but I do know that when the word T-H-E-I-R, is used, it has significance.
It speaks of identity, of placing, personal, possessive, and so
forth. Is that not right? I am explicitly pointing out to you that
the word, THEIR, is not a figurative word. The actual key to this
whole subject lies within two words in verse 3. T-H-E-I-R, is one,
and V-O-I-C-E-S is the other. When you see, their voices, in its
proper setting, you have a formula to work from. Voice and voices
as used here are not figurative words either; they point to something
that is actually being spoken in an audible voice. As I searched
the scriptures that related to this message, I found only two places
where the word, voice, was used in a figurative way. One place is
in Hebrews 3:15, 4:7, where Paul is admonishing the people not to
harden their hearts against the voice of the Holy Spirit. You can
read the verses and you will see that the word, voice, as used there,
is figurative, pointing to the still small voice of the Holy Ghost
which is not an audible voice. Then you can turn to Revelation 3:20,
where Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock:
If any man hear my VOICE, and open the door, I will come in to him,
and will sup with him, and he with me,” and you will know
that voice, in that verse, is the voice of the Holy Ghost also.
Jesus never intended to speak to every candidate for truth, in salvation,
by an audible voice; rather, He intends to speak to them through
the office work of the Holy Ghost. He accomplishes that through
conviction, and revelation of His word. In other words, if you have
never heard the voice of the Holy Ghost, you will never be able
to understand anything about the voice, or voices that we are going
to talk about in this message. If you cannot hear His voice, you
will never be able to hear the voices of Rev. 10:3. You will understand
that statement better as we progress in the message.
BIBLE
LANGUAGE
Let us go now, to the book of Exodus, where we
will begin to establish what we are going to say about these voices.
May God help me to make this as simple, plain and truth-revealing
as is possible to do so. It is necessary for us to learn Bible language
in order to catch a revelation from scriptures that are hidden from
the eyes of the great men of the world. We know that Moses wrote
the first five books of the Bible, but when he led the children
of Israel out of Egyptian bondage, they did not have the written
word as we have today; all they had was what their forefathers had
passed on to them orally, concerning man’s origin and this
whole creation of God. It was not until God called Moses to come
up to the top of Mt. Sinai where He communed with him and gave him
the written law, that they had anything written that could be called
the word of God. Elohim (GOD) has separated this people to Himself,
to make them the carriers of a revelation of truth, and their very
existence was supposed to make them a light to the heathen (GENTILE
NATIONS) round about them. It is no wonder this Gentile world wants
to condemn Israel for her stand on the human rights controversy.
Brothers and sisters, this is an Antichrist, anti God, Satanic age
we are living in, and the world in general, is heading for destruction,
but before it is all over, God is going to show these foolish (equal
rights) Gentiles, who really has the straight line on equal rights,
civil rights, and all these other things that people are fussing
about. Israel is in the headlines most of the time now, but she
will be even more in the spotlight as this Gentile age closes out.
TRUMPET-LIKE
VOICE
Alright now, let us look at the scriptures. God
has called Moses to come up upon this mountain, and He has set a
boundary line at the foot of the mountain where the rest of the
people are not to cross over while Moses is up there communing with
God. Watch what takes place as God begins to speak. We are in Exodus
19:16, “And it came to pass on the third day in the morning,
that there were THUNDERS and LIGHTNINGS, and a thick cloud upon
the mount, and the V-O-I-C-E of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that
all the people that was in the camp trembled.” Listen, saints,
There was not one drop of rain falling on the top of Mt. Sinai that
day. That was not a rain storm the people were witnessing; it was
a manifestation of God’s presence. That thunder was not a
natural thunder; it was Jehovah expressing Himself just like in
John 12:28-29. Jesus had said, Father, glorify thy name. “Then
came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it,
and will glorify it again. 29, The people therefore, that stood
by and heard it, said that it THUNDERED: Others said, An angel spake
to Him,” but Jesus called it a voice in verse 30, and we know
it was the voice of God. Therefore, it was not necessary for Moses
to put on a rain coat; all he needed to do was listen to the voice
of God while the people down at the foot of the mountain heard the
thunder claps, saw the lightning flashing, and trembled with great
fear. Let us read on a little more. Verse 17, “And Moses brought
forth the people out of the camp to meet God; and they stood at
the nether part (meaning, at the opposite end) of the mount. 18,
And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, (meaning that it gave
the appearance of being completely engulfed by smoke from a fire)
because the Lord descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof
ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.”
Please try to catch the picture here. There was no forest fire on
Mount Sinai. There was not one scorched twig of any kind. If there
had been a literal fire of such a description; no man could have
survived. He would have been suffocated. You say, But, Bro. Jackson,
God protected the Hebrew children that was thrown into a furnace
of fire, could He not have protected Moses likewise? Yes, He could
have if He had purposed to burn up everything else on that old mountain,
but that is not the picture we have before us here, and we will
prove it by other similar scriptures. This was God’s way of
getting the attention of the people. It was a display of His power
and presence. 19, “And when the voice of the trumpet sounded
long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered
him by a VOICE.” Moses said something to God, and God answered
him back, by an audible voice. We confirm that by going over to
Numbers 12:4-8, where God has to straighten out Aaron and Miriam
for speaking against His servant, Moses. Let us read it. “And
the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam,
Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they
three came out. And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud,
and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam;
and they both came forth. And He said, Hear now my words: If there
be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him
in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses
is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak
mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the
similitude of the Lord shall he behold: Wherefore then were ye not
afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” God talked to Moses
and the others were jealous, but God dealt with them accordingly.
In this we see that God definitely did speak to Moses in an audible
voice, but to all the rest of the people it sounded like thunder.
Only Moses understood what was said. Remember this for a little
later in the message. It will help you see something.
LITERAL
OR FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Now, from here, on through the rest of the Bible
please be aware of the fact that when we read of thunders, and trumpets
in connection with voices, it can be one of three things, but never
figurative, unless it is written in a figurative setting. It will
either be the voice of God, the voice of an angel, or the voice
of a man, or men. This is what clears up that great mystery of the
seven thunders in Revelation 10:3; if we will look at it properly.
The trouble comes from all these (arm full of Spoken Word books)
preachers who run everywhere screaming that the seven thunders is
the revelation of the seven seals. Go ahead and believe that if
you want to, but if you will listen to this Bible talk to your soul,
you will find out that when God uses a word, or when the word of
the Lord is written in a singular term, VOICE, It doesn’t
matter how many times that voice has preached messages, all those
messages do not make VOICES, plural. Those message are all channeled
through the one VOICE, singular. For an example I will refer you
to Isaiah 40:3, where the prophet Isaiah is prophesying of a VOICE
that is to cry in the wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the
Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”
Naturally he was speaking of John, the Baptist, or baptizer, who
was to forerun the first advent of Jesus Christ. Pay attention to
what I am saying now; this will help you to see something. John’s
message, or ministry was for the purpose of fulfilling the first
part of Malachi 4:5-6, which has a two part fulfillment. His message
was to turn the heart of the fathers to the children, before the
coming of the GREAT day of the Lord, which was His first advent.
He was the VOICE of one crying in the wilderness; ONE VOICE. We
all know that John preached for several days down by the Jordan
river, and he had many things to say to various divisions of people,
but he was just ONE VOICE. You cannot apply VOICES in the plural
sense to the ministry of John. Can you? Of course you cannot, and
neither can you apply it to Bro. Branham like that either. He was
a VOICE, singular, and there is no way that a right thinking person
can apply VOICES, plural, to him, or to the message he delivered
to this age. To believe he taught anything that was to fulfill 10:3,
you would be forced to make him, VOICES, instead of a VOICE, for
Rev. 10:3 says that SEVEN THUNDERS uttered T-H-E-I-R V-O-I-C-E-S.
In other words, what I want you to see is that there is more than
one voice involved in the fulfilling of this verse of scripture.
JOHN
UNDERSTOOD THE THUNDERS
In the book of Revelation alone, the word, VOICE,
is found 42 times, and VOICES is found 8 times, and there is no
mystery involved in the use of those words anywhere except in verses
3 and 4 of chapter 10. There is a mystery here because John was
not allowed to write what he heard. What am I getting at? Simply
this, knowing that John had been projected into the future by means
of a spiritual vision, he was allowed to stand in the age of fulfillment
of this scripture we are considering, and actually see and hear
what was taking place. Now, he makes it very clear that the thunders
did not utter their voices until after the mighty angel had cried.
Right? When that angel cried, He had the little scroll open in His
hand, which lets us know that the seventh seal had been broken prior
to that. The angel is identified by the rainbow upon His head, and
by the cry, like a lion roaring, to be the same one that had previously
been seated upon a throne, interceding for the souls of men. Here,
John sees Him standing with one foot upon the sea, and the other
on the earth, the book of redemption open in His hand, and verses
5 and 6 have Him proclaiming that time shall be no longer. Now that
does not mean this is the end of all time; it simply means that
the grace age is completed, and it is time for the gospel to return
to the Jews. In other words, John is viewing events that are just
ahead of us. We know that Jesus did not leave the mercy seat in
1963, for we have witnessed the Holy Ghost convicting and wooing
many souls into the kingdom of God since then. Somewhere just up
ahead of us, Jesus is going to descend to earth (not in bodily form,
but in angelic form) to fulfill these scriptures in chapter 10,
and when He does, I believe there will be 7 godly men strategically
placed in this old world, who will hear the voice of the spirit
of God, and sound THEIR VOICES to be heard by the little bride of
Christ who is making her final preparations to meet the bridegroom
in the air. Those seven thunders will be the voices of 7 men; not
one man, and what they utter will be just for the living element
of the bride of Christ. That is why John was not allowed to write
it ahead of time as he did all the other things he heard and saw.
FAITH
OF THE FATHERS
Please do not think there will be seven men selected
from the seven major denominations of the world religion. No. They
will be seven men who are full of the Holy Ghost, and who hear alike,
believe alike, and speak the same thing. They may live thousands
of miles apart, but they will all hear and speak the same. To me
this is God’s way of vindicating His word in the midst of
a sick, atheistic, carnal and idolatrous generation of Gentiles,
and placing stability and confidence in the hearts of the living
element of His bride as she prepared to take her flight. God knows
we have had every kind of voice imaginable, raise up here at this
end time, but time itself has proved that most of them were self
inspired, and certainly not unctioned by the Holy Ghost. Many of
them used to ask me, What do you think about 1977? I always said,
It wouldn’t surprise me if God left every one of us here until
after 1977 has come and gone, for I do not believe God will allow
us to have that kind of a yardstick to measure time by. Many of
those men who placed so much importance upon the year of 1977, because
of something Bro. Branham said, have traveled around this world
telling how God sent a prophet to turn us back to the faith of the
fathers, and their very approach to these things prove that they,
themselves, have not been turned back to the faith of the fathers.
The faith of the fathers is recorded in the pages of this precious
old Bible. We do not have to carry around a big arm load of books
to prove what the faith of the fathers was. Yes! I have read in
many of those books what the messenger to this age had to say about
certain Biblical doctrines and ordinances, and teachings of the
New Testament which this Gentile world had departed from. God’s
purpose in it all was to get His true people back into the book
of all books (the Bible) where the faith of the fathers is clearly
taught. Some poor miserable Gentiles have said, All we need now
is a Seal Book, for it has every doctrine, and every revelation
that the bride of Christ needs. Let me say this to you, You read
that seal book one more time, and if it doesn’t point you
back to the book where all these things come from, you are worse
off than a Roman Catholic. Bro. Branham preached, condemning Catholicism
for what they did to the gospel. By the same authority, I must sound
a word of condemnation for what you are doing to that man’s
message, and for the reproach that you are bringing upon his name.
It is no wonder the denominations are looking down their noses at
anyone who is connected with the teaching of Bro. Branham; the very
way some of you speak of him automatically brands you as idolaters,
and any denominational person who is not completely blind, can see
through that. They say His teaching was of the devil, all because
a bunch of unstable, weak minded Gentiles who do not even have the
Holy Ghost, lift him up to be more than God meant for him to be.
If they had the Holy Ghost they would know better than that. Jesus
said the Holy Ghost would teach us all things, that He would take
things of His and reveal them unto us.
HOLY
GHOST AUTHORSHIP
The Holy Ghost wrote this book, and it was the
Holy Ghost that caused Bro. Branham to preach what he did, from
this book, (the Bible) and I am fully persuaded that if he were
still with us today, preaching, he would still take his text from
the Bible like he always did before. Furthermore, he would no doubt
be preaching things now that he did not even see before, and he
would be preaching against this movement, that is following him
so close in a carnal, verbal (without revelation) way. Oh! They
spend hour upon hour searching through those books and tapes, looking
for some hidden “nugget” (as they call them), that they
can build another revelation from, when they ought to be searching
the pages of this old Bible and let the Holy Ghost reveal to them
what they need for this present hour. I heard him too, and I am
thankful to God that I did, but what I am most thankful for is that
he put me back in the book where I could read about the faith of
the fathers, and allow the Holy Ghost to make it real in my own
personal life. Hallelujah! Money cannot buy that.
SPEAKING
SPECIFICALLY
Alright now, we see thunderings, lightnings and
voices throughout the Bible. Naturally these are not the things
that are preached to gain new converts to the gospel of Christ,
but we who are on our gospel journey may gain much understanding
of the plan and purpose of God by acquainting ourselves with the
usage of these terms through the scriptures. Down through time,
when Elohim (God) who is Spirit, and invisible to the human eye,
chose to speak to a prophet about some coming event, those who were
nearby heard His voice only as the sound of thunder. If you can
see from the example we are using that God is able to speak specifically
to certain ones, and have all the rest hear it only as thunder,
it will help you to understand that these seven thunders of Revelation
10:3, are seven voices speaking on behalf of God, and only those
who have spiritual ears will hear the specific instructions that
will complete their word garment. All the rest of the world will
just look upon it as they have the thunderings in the past when
God was speaking. John was the voice of God, or voice for God, that
stood between the Old, and the New Testament, between law and grace.
Jesus said, The law and the prophets were until John, since that
time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into
it. That means you must make an effort. You cannot just drift into
the kingdom of God; there is a whole mess of junk that we have to
work our way through. It is almost like squeezing through a little
hold in the wall where there is just enough room to barely get yourself
through, and no room to drag anything along with you. The road into
the kingdom of God is not a broad way; it is a straight and narrow
way of ridicule and self denial, because of truth. John began to
clear the right of way for that road of holiness as he stood there
on the banks of the Jordan preaching repentance. He was a voice;
the voice of one crying in the wilderness. When they asked him if
he was the Messiah, he said, I am the voice of one crying in the
wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.
Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
JOHN
WAS A VOICE
The people were hearing the VOICE of a man, but
it was the word of the Lord that was coming forth, so you cannot
say the word, VOICE, is used in a figurative sense; it was a literal
voice, the voice of a man who had a revelation in his soul. He was
born of woman, grew up in the wilderness, was filled with the Holy
Ghost from his mother’s womb, and by that Spirit in him, he
knew exactly what day to go down by the river and start a conversation
with someone that would launch his ministry as the forerunner of
Christ. Yes, he was a man, but the words he spoke did not originate
with him; they originated in glory, and John served as an earthly
receiver and transmitter of those words to the people. Then one
day when he was baptizing some of those who had repented, Jesus
stepped forth to be baptized. But John looked Him in the face and
said, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
Jesus spake back to him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh
us to fulfill all righteousness. At that, John baptized Him, and
when He came up out of the water, the Spirit of Elohim (God) was
seen descending like a dove and lighting upon Him: and a VOICE was
heard from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased, or whom I am pleased to dwell in.” There,
we have another voice, the voice of Jehovah Elohim (Lord God) who
is a Spirit and cannot be seen with the natural eye, but He spoke
with an audible VOICE. Certainly, we do not have any trouble recognizing
that this was not a symbolic usage of the word, VOICE, for it was
the literal voice of God expressing His approval on what has been
done. That makes the uses of the word we are considering, the VOICE
of a man, John, and the VOICE of God. We have already read in St.
John 12:28-29 where God spoke to Jesus from heaven with a literal
VOICE, and the people which stood by said that it THUNDERED. They
did not understand what was said for the words of the voice were
spoken specifically to Jesus; they were not spoken to the others
who stood by. Saints, I hope you are following my line of thought
in these examples we are using, for I believe it will help you to
understand our text scriptures in Revelation 10:1-6, if you can
catch the pattern from these. The word of God is so beautifully
layed out from the beginning to the end with keys that the Holy
Ghost uses to unlock the mystery of it from God’s true children.
SAUL
HEARD A VOICE
Let us continue now by looking at the conversion
of Saul of Tarsus, who later had his name changed to Paul. This
man was a Jew, raised up in the atheistic city of Tarsus, in south
Turkey. Prior to his conversion he was one of the leading Pharisees
on the Sanhedrin council in Jerusalem, a council that had supreme
authority over all religious, civil, and criminal affairs at that
time. He identifies himself as a Pharisee, and as being from the
tribe of Benjamin, and blameless in every matter concerning the
law of Moses. He felt that he had perfect knowledge of the written
law of God, but as touching the church, he said, I persecuted it
daily. This is why he was on the road the Damascus with letters
of authority to arrest Christians, send them to Jerusalem, put them
on trial and execute them. He was zealously doing what he considered
to be a service to God, because those Christians seemed like nothing
but a bunch of revolutionists to him, and he figured the best way
to solve the problem was to get rid of the Christians. God had other
plans though; He let old Saul get well on his way to Damascus, then
suddenly, Saul’s attention was captured by a great light from
heaven, and a VOICE, that said, “Saul, Saul, Why persecutest
thou me?” (Acts 22:6-7.) Then in the 9th verse
he says, “And they that were with me saw indeed the light,
and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of Him that spake
to me.” In another place he says they heard the voice. This
lets me know, they heard something, but they did not understand
what was said. Why? God was speaking specifically to Saul; it had
nothing to do with those who were with him. Saul was the one who
was foreordained to be a light unto the Gentiles, and it was time
for him to start his Holy Ghost schooling in preparation for that
mission. When God was finished with him, he was a changed man. He
was caught up in a spiritual vision and shown things that were not
written in the scriptures. That is how God prepared him to teach
some things about the catching away of the saints, and the resurrection
of the dead, that had not been previously taught. He was also shown
some things that he did not feel the liberty to tell about. We know
that from what he wrote to the Corinthian church in his 2nd
letter, chapter 12, verses 1-6. In verse 2, he said, “I knew
a man in Christ about 14 years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot
tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth) such
an one caught up to the third heaven.” He did not know if
he was still in his body, or whether he was lifted out of it, but
he did know that he was caught up to the third heaven and shown
some things that he could not talk about. Notice verse 4, as he
continues to relate this experience. 4, “How that he was caught
up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful
(or convenient) for a man to utter.” In other words, he heard
some things that did not pertain to the gospel message he was commissioned
to deliver to the Gentiles. I hope you catch my point. That is exactly
what happened with the apostle John in 96 A.D. when he was exiled
to the Isle of Patmos because of the word of God, and the testimony
of Jesus Christ which he stood for. The fact that God shows a man
something, and then lets that man mention that he saw, or heard
it, certainly does not mean that what he saw or heard was ever recorded
anywhere for others to find later. There are certain things that
God does just for the benefit of the individual He is dealing with.
In the case of John, he was commanded to write what he saw, in a
book, and sent it to the seven churches which were in Asia, but
he did not write everything he heard, for he heard some things that
were not to be made known in his day. You can be sure of this one
thing, when God desires to make a certain thing known, to a certain
age, He will always have a vessel prepared that He can lift up in
the Spirit and reveal it to. You say, Bro. Jackson, How do you know
that? By the scriptural examples that we are considering, and by
what God did through the messenger to this age, in our generation.
JOHN
HEARD A VOICE
Let us go back to the first chapter of Revelation
and read a few verses. We want to catch the setting here, and pay
particular attention to the word, VOICE, in verse 10. In 96 A.D.
when this was written, some 60 years have passed since the church
was born in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. By this time,
Christianity has been preached practically all over the old world.
Even Thomas, (who is called doubting Thomas) one of the twelve apostles
of Jesus, was martyred in Madras, India, in 53 A.D., so it is reasonable
to assume that by 96 A.D. the gospel had been preached in the far
regions of the old Roman Empire. At that time John was the only
one of the twelve apostles of Jesus that was still alive, and he
had been banished from society because he stood out like a sore
thumb with his revelation and testimony of the things of God. They
wanted to get him out of the way, and just let him die out there
all alone. But he wasn’t alone! Jesus was with him! Hallelujah!
He had the Holy Ghost down in his soul, and he loved Jesus with
all his heart. Let us read it, verse 9. “I John, who also
am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom
and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the Isle that is called Patmos,
for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was
in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, (Brothers and sisters, that
does not mean it was Sunday; he was projected into the future age
of the millennium, for watch what he says next.) And heard behind
me a great VOICE, (That is not a figurative word. He literally heard
a voice.) As of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first
and the last.” Where did that voice come from? That was a
manifestation of the Elohim that was on Mt. Sinai with Moses. Notice
the identity; the voice spoke like a trumpet. Only God Himself speaks
like a trumpet in the scriptures. This opens up a beautiful picture
of the oneness of the Godhead, for we know by other verses such
as verses 1, and 17-18, that it is Jesus Christ doing the talking.
(“I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive
for evermore, amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”)
Now He said, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,
the first and the last. (In the Hebrew it is not from A to Z, as
it is in our alphabet; it is from A to O, Omega.) He is speaking
as the incarnate God who was before all things, and who will always
be. Up to verse 12, John had his back toward the voice that was
speaking, but in verse 12, he says, And I turned to see the voice
that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks.
The seven golden candlesticks is figurative language, but the voice
has definitely been identified as that of Elohim (God). John was
told to write what he saw and send it to the seven churches of Asia,
and the 7 candlesticks symbolize the light of the seven churches.
Verse 13, “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one
like unto the Son of man, (this speaks of the physical side of Jesus)
clothed with a garment down to the foot, and gird about the paps
with a golden girdle.” The description of how He was dressed
lets us know this is the apparel of high priest. That is the office
work that Jesus has been functioning in for over 1900 years now,
ever since He ascended into heaven while His disciples stood watching.
Notice verse 14, “His head and His hairs were white like wool,
as white as snow.” This shows that HE has been invested with
authority, as a judge, and the white hair always speaks of ancient
origin. White or grey hair speaks of age, doesn’t it? This
lets us know that when Jesus was taken up, and seated on the right
hand of the Father, He was crowned with the authority of Elohim,
the sovereign Spirit who had no beginning and no end. He is the
ancient of ancients. If His hair had any color mixed in it, there
would be youth suggested, but the white like wool, as white as snow,
suggests age. Here John sees the Son of man with His white hair
and priestly garment, the garment of high priests, “And His
eyes were as a flame of fire.”
POSITIONS
OF AUTHORITY
Brothers and sisters, every detail of John’s
description of the one who was speaking to him is figurative, speaking
of certain positions of authority that has been invested in Him
(Jesus) by Elohim, (Jehovah God of the Old Testament). When He truly
comes back to earth to sit in the temple as the Jewish Messiah in
the millennium, you will not see Him with white hair. You will see
Him as the immortal man, perfect, in the prime of vigorous youth.
He will be our elder brother one day, but do not try to picture
Him in your mind according to John’s description here. You
must catch the significance of the symbolism used here. I realize
when you start talking like this, it leaves some people completely
out on a limb, but that just goes to show that a person must have
an ear to hear what the Holy Ghost is speaking. John was hearing
the voice behind him, the voice as of a trumpet, but the minute
he turns to see the one who is doing the talking, he starts describing
Him. In verse 15, he said, “And His feet were like unto fine
brass, as if they burned in a furnace.” Brass speaks of judgment.
He stood in judgment for us, having taken our sins upon Himself.
You will notice that His voice has changed as you read the last
part of verse 15, “And His voice as the sound of many waters.”
Even though His voice has changed its identity, there is no contradiction
for this is figurative language expressing another office work of
Jesus, the Christ. The voice as a trumpet identified the voice as
being that of the incarnate, eternal God, speaking to mankind. Then
the voice as the sound of many waters identifies Him in His mediatory
office work, speaking to God on behalf of mankind. You can verify
that by reading Rev. 17:15, where you will see that waters, speaks
of people. A true revelation of the Godhead enables us to see both
sides of the picture. In 1st Timothy 3:16, the apostle
Paul said, “And without controversy great is the mystery of
Godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit,
seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world,
received up into glory.” We see from that verse that God,
the Elohim, the Jehovah Rafi of the Old Testament was manifested
in the flesh of Jesus Christ. Then in 2nd Corinthians
5:19, we get a further explanation of why. “To wit, that God
(SPIRIT) was in Christ, (THE MAN) reconciling the world unto (WHO?)
Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.” If you
can see that, you will have no trouble understanding why He speaks
with the authority of Elohim in one place, then turns right around
and speaks, to Elohim, as a representative of mankind crying out
to God for mercy. That is what an intercessor, or lawyer does; he
speaks to the judge on behalf of those he is representing. As a
prophet, on earth, Jesus spoke to the people in the behalf of God,
but as high priest and intercessor, He speaks to God on behalf of
the people. When He speaks on behalf of the people, His voice is
as the sound of many waters.
VOICE
AS MANY WATERS
When Ezekiel saw the glory of God coming into the
millennial temple from the Mount of Olives, (Ezek. 43) he heard
a voice as the noise of many waters, and the voice said, “Son
of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my
feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel
for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile.”
Now whose voice is this that Ezekiel is hearing as the sound of
many waters? Who is it that will have a throne in the midst of the
children of Israel for ever? No one but the Lord Jesus Christ. Keep
in mind that it is the word, VOICE, that we are dealing with in
these scriptures. We have already said that Revelation 3:20, is
the only figurative use of the word in the whole book of Revelation.
It is used figuratively, there, as the voice of the Holy Ghost,
which is not an audible voice.
We will move to Revelation 4:1, where John heard
the sound of a VOICE that sounded like a trumpet talking to him
again. He has just finished hearing what he is to write, and send
to the seven churches of Asia, and at the conclusion of the Laodicean
letter he hears this trumpet-like voice say to him, “Come
up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.”
This sets a type of the rapture; just as John was taken up at the
end of the Laodicean letter writing, so also will the bride of Christ
be taken up, when God has the last one of His elect from this Laodicean
age called in. What took John up? Verse 1, “After this (after
finishing the Laodicean letter) I looked, and behold, a door was
opened in heaven;” Alright then, John saw a door open in heaven,
didn’t he? It was when he saw the door opened up, that he
heard a trumpet-like voice saying, Come up hither. Now this was
not a voice as many waters speaking here; this is the trumpet-like
voice of Elohim, that voice of supreme authority. I believe that
just as John saw a door opened up, and heard a voice speaking to
him, the true bride of Christ will have a door opened up to her
also, a door of revelation out of which God will speak to her. It
was the voice that spoke, that took John up, and I firmly believe
that we should make a spiritual application of this type that was
set here. John was faithful to do what he had been instructed to
do, and after he had finished the last letter (LAODICEAN) a door
was opened and a voice said, “Come up hither, and I will shew
thee things which must be hereafter.” The next thing John
knew, he was in the Spirit: viewing a heavenly scene, a throne set,
and one sitting on it. There is not space to mention all the things
that he saw, but did you know, what he was seeing was events and
conditions pertaining to the time of the end, the closing of this
age. He was projected into the future where he could watch the events
of this very age as they actually took place. I am persuaded that
we are on the threshold of seeing some things also. This little
Gentile bride that has been faithful to wash herself in the waters
of God’s word will soon see a door opened up also. It will
be a door of revelation, a door of enlightenment, out of which God
will be speaking to those who have ears to hear. That is when you
will hear the thunders which so many are claiming have sounded already,
and not before. Those thunders will be God’s way of speaking
to the little bride, just before He takes her up, and furthermore
let me say again, and again, Those thunders are seven voices, not
a voice (singular) with seven message. I believe those voices will
be seven Holy Ghost filled men who will speak on behalf of God,
to the bride of Christ, as this age of grace closes out, and Jesus
comes off of the mercy seat.
IS
OUR GOD IDLE?
Surely those who believe that the thunders sounded
in the year of 1963, must believe in an idle God. What has God been
doing for the past 16 years if Jesus left the mercy seat in 1963?
What about all these souls that you believe have been saved since
then, even some of them being your own family members? How do you
make that add up with your revelation? Then my next question is,
How do you make this all add up with the infallible word of God?
You say, Oh! Bro. Jackson, I did not say that Jesus left the mercy
seat in 1963. Then do not say that the thunders sounded then either,
for Rev. 10:3, makes it very clear that the thunders utter THEIR
VOICES after the mighty angel has cried with a loud voice. Then
let me remind you that verse 2, shows the angel with a little scroll
open in His hand. That is the scroll of redemption and it will not
be opened as long as Jesus is still interceding for lost Gentile
souls, on the mercy seat. The voice that cried with authority as
when a LION roareth, identifies the mighty angel as being that of
Jesus Christ, in angelic form. In verse 6, we find Him swaring that
there shall be time no longer. In other words, no more grace for
Gentiles. Why? It is time for the gospel to go back to the Jews
from where it came. We have said many times before that this book,
or letter, which we call the book of Revelation, is not written
in its order of fulfillment. We even published an article showing
the order of fulfillment, so that you might be able to better understand
some of the things, or events that seem to be so out of place when
you read straight through it. That is why I say, If you will read
it right, (according to its order of fulfillment) when you read
verse 1, of chapter 8, you see that the seventh seal is opened,
and there is about one-half hour of silence in heaven. I believe
that the silence is brought about by the change of order that is
taking place. No one but God knows when that seventh seal is to
be broken, but when it is, Jesus will not remain on the mercy seat
any longer. Therefore, just try to visualize the scene in heaven
where all the heavenly beings have been used to seeing Jesus on
the mercy seat interceding, and suddenly he opens that last seal
on the little scroll, and begins to rise from the mercy seat. Why
wouldn’t that create a hushed silence in heaven, as all those
angels view this scene? Right there is where you have to place chapter
10, verses 1-6 in fulfillment, verses 7-11 go with it in John’s
vision, but verse 7, applies to the seventh church age messenger
who sounded while Jesus was still on the mercy seat. Verses 1-6
cover the next events that take place after the seventh seal is
opened and Jesus leaves the mercy seat. Now He does not come to
earth in fleshly form; He will not come like that until He comes
at the end of the week of Daniel, to set up His earthly kingdom
for the millennium, but He does come in angelic form, with the little
scroll opened in His hand. The cloud, the rainbow, and the voice
like a lion leave no doubt that this mighty angel is Jesus. Therefore,
what the VOICES of the seven thunders utter, will be something for
the little brides’s last minute preparation, after Jesus is
off the mercy seat, and before she is taken up. When these thunders
begin to sound, grace will be over for the Gentiles, for the mighty
angel that cries with a loud voice, and swares that time shall be
no more, turns immediately to the Jews. That is where we go back
and pick up verses 2-18, of chapter 8, for those trumpet angels
that begin to sound in those verses, are the angels that accompany
the two witnesses of chapter 11:1-6. If you will study it closely
you will discover that the events of chapter 8:2-13, are the same
events as chapter 11:1-6. The angels of chapter 8, are ministering
the things that the two witnesses are calling for, as they prophesy
to Israel for three and one-half years, beginning when Jesus leaves
the mercy seat with the little scroll opened in His hand. That three
and one-half years that they prophesy in Israel will be the time
when the events of chapter 7, verses 1-8, will be fulfilled. Those
angels seen holding back the four winds of the earth, are actually
holding back the winds of world conflict that will eventually lead
to Armageddon. They are holding back the winds of the great tribulation,
which will climax with the battle of Armageddon, until after the
144,000 servants of God have been sealed with the Holy Ghost under
the ministry of those two witnesses. Then in the middle of the week
of Daniel, after the 144,000 servants of God have been sealed, and
another element of the Jews, (referred to in Rev. 12:6, as the woman)
have received the Holy Ghost, and been warned about the Antichrist,
and instructed as to how to escape his wrath, the two witnesses
will be killed and the great tribulation will begin to take its
toll on mankind. This takes you back to chapter 11, verses 7-14.
I just put this in here to help get the order of events straight
in your minds. That will help clear up our text scripture in Rev.
10:1-6.
GRACE
STILL IN EFFECT
No one can prove to me that the angel of chapter
10:1, has cried already. Therefore I say the seventh seal is yet
unbroken, and there is still grace for us Gentiles. Then (I must
keep saying this) if the seventh seal is yet unbroken, we know the
thunders have not yet sounded THEIR VOICES. Oh Christian friends,
whoever you are, and wherever you are in this old world, Do you
really think that chapter 10, is all fulfilled, and still time is
continuing on without God sending His two witnesses to the nation
of Israel? God does not allow time to stand still for 16 years,
with no Gentiles being saved, and no one revealing Christ to the
nation of Israel. It is true the application of part of chapter
10, had its beginning in 1963, when God gave Bro. Branham the revelation
of the seals, but do not forget, only 6 of those seals were revealed
completely, and even then, the 6th seal does not have
its fulfillment until after the 7th seal has already
been fulfilled, for the 6th seal pertains to the tribulation
period of time. What we see in chapter 10, is a revelation fo what
God will do for us Gentiles in these last days, and the application
of this chapter will be here until after the gospel has already
gone back to the Jews. When the Gentile bride is hearing the 7 THUNDERS
(VOICES OF 7 MEN) Israel will be hearing her two witnesses as they
move on the scene. Remember, the same angel that cries with a loud
voice in chapter 10, and swares by Him that liveth for ever and
ever that there should be time no longer, is the one you read of
in Daniel, chapter 12, which also sware by Him that liveth for ever.
Daniel had been fasting and praying and seeking God on behalf of
his people, Israel, when he began to have dreams and visions that
troubled him greatly. He saw four great beasts come up out of the
sea, and the fourth was the most terrible of all the other. God
sent an angel to explain the vision to Daniel, and he learned that
the four beasts represented four great world kingdoms that would
rule the earth. We know from history, that these kingdoms were Babylon,
Medo-Persia, Greece, and the fourth and most terrible one, Rome.
This one was exceedingly strong, with great iron teeth, and it devoured
and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with its feet. It had
ten horns, and from the midst of the ten came a little horn that
plucked up three of the ten, by the roots. This little horn had
eyes like a man, and a mouth speaking great things. Daniel watched
him through a span of time and saw him make war with the saints
and prevail against them, until the Ancient of days came, (that
is when Jesus comes back to earth to set up His millennial kingdom)
and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High: and the time
came that the saints possessed the kingdom. You can read all this
in Daniel 7:1-27. Then as you go on over to chapter 9, you will
find that the angel, Gabriel, came to Daniel, and explained to him
that there had been 70 weeks of years, determined by God, upon the
people of Daniel, (Israel) to finish their transgression, and to
make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and
to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision
and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Daniel also learns that
there is to be a time of trouble come upon his people, such as never
was since there was a nation even to that same time; and at that
time his people would be delivered, even everyone whose name was
found written in the book. 12:2, “And many of those who sleep
in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and
some to shame and everlasting contempt. Verse 4, But thou, O Daniel,
shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end;
many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased, 5,
Then I, Daniel, looked and, behold, there stood two others (angels)
the one on one side of the bank of the river, and the other on that
side of the bank of the river. 6, And one said to the man clothed
in LINEN, who was upon (or above) the waters of the river, How long
shall it be to the end of these wonders?” This is the one
of the angels standing on the bank of the river, asking of the angel
that is above the water, the angel which is clothed in linen, How
long will it be before all this is over with? This linen garment
has significance, but notice the words of this next verse. There
is only two places where you will find this angel holding up his
hands and swaring by Him that liveth for ever. Here in Daniel 12:7
is one, and the other is in Revelation 10:6. Let us read this verse
7, then I want to show you something.
ANGEL
CLOTHED IN LINEN
“And I heard the man CLOTHED IN LINEN, which
was upon the waters of the river, when he lifted up his right hand
and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by Him that liveth for
ever that it shall be for a time, (ONE YEAR) times, (TWO MORE YEARS)
and a half; (SIX MONTHS) and when he shall have accomplished to
scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be
finished,” meaning the visions of Daniel will all be fulfilled.
The Antichrist, which will be the pope of the Roman Catholic church
in the hour of time that this prophecy covers, is the little horn
that rises up to such a place of power, as Daniel saw in the vision,
but his reign will be brought to an end when the Lord Jesus Christ
comes from heaven with His mighty army, Rev. 19:11-21.
Now I want to show you something about this mighty
angel that swares by Him that liveth for ever. In Revelation 10:5-6,
He is seen standing upon the sea and upon the land, lifting up His
hand to heaven, and swaring by Him that liveth for ever and ever,
who created heaven and earth, and all things therein, that there
should be time no longer. Verse 1, shows us that He is clothed with
a cloud, and crowned with a rainbow. You will remember that when
Jesus ascended from the earth He was received by a cloud that took
Him from the sight of His disciples, then, in 1st Thessalonians
4:17, we find that He is going to meet His little bride in the clouds
when it is time for her to take her journey. In Matthew 24:30: He
is described as coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory, and in Matt. 26:64, Jesus said, (speaking of Himself) “Hereafter
shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power,
and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Daniel saw one like the
Son of man that came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the
Ancient of days. Now I call these scriptures to your attention to
point out the fact that Jesus, the Christ, has been concealed in
the clouds in this bride age, or Gentile age, and He comes, clothed
with a cloud, to announce the closing of time for Gentiles, in Revelation
10:1, 5-6, but I want you to notice that when He is seen in Daniel
12:7, announcing 3 ½ years of great tribulation on the nation
of Israel, He is not clothed with a cloud any longer. He is seen
there, in linen, the same as His wife is clothed with, in Revelation
19:8. That shows us that this same Jesus who has taken Him a bride
from among the Gentiles, and is arrayed in fine linen, is now revealed
to the Jews. How is He revealed? By the two witnesses that prophesy
to them for 3 ½ years before this great tribulation falls upon
them. No, He will not be concealed by a cloud cover when it is time
for those Jews to know who He is; that is just for this Gentile
age, where those who believe on Him must do so through the testimony
of those who have seen Him face to face. The Jews were privileged
to see Him face to face, walk and talk with Him, but Gentiles have
had to walk with Him by faith while He has been concealed in the
clouds of heaven.
HOW
MUCH LONGER?
Let us go back to Daniel 12:7 now for just a minute
and try to clear up some misunderstanding in the minds of those
who do not yet see clearly what is being set forth there. Notice
now, this angel which is above the waters of the river, (clothed
in linen) is answering a question asked by one of the other angels,
concerning the things that Daniel has seen in the visions. Daniel’s
visions covered a great span of time, and many events, but we will
concentrate for now on the things that pertain to this end time.
Verse 1, of chapter 12, speaks of a time of trouble; verse 2, speaks
of they that turn many souls to righteousness, and verse 4 speaks
of how many people will run to and fro, and how knowledge shall
increase. In that verse 4, Daniel is also instructed to shut up
these words, and seal the book for its contents are not to be understood
until the time of the end. Hearing all these things that had been
explained to Daniel concerning his visions and the fulfillment of
them, one of the other angels that stood by, asked the question,
How long will it be before all these things have come to pass? Remember
now, his question includes the time of peace when many souls are
turned to righteousness, as well as the time of trouble. (Many souls
will be turned to righteousness by the preaching and prophesying
of the two witnesses of Rev. 11.) Therefore when the answer came
(from the angel above the waters) it was to cover all the events
that had been mentioned, but notice, it did not say how long it
would be in relation to the whole scope of time, (according to the
words of Jesus, no one but God Himself knows the exact time when
this age will close out) it only told how much longer it would be
to the end, AFTER HE (THE ANTICHRIST) has accomplished the scattering
of the power of the holy people. Who is the holy people He is referring
to? Jews, of course. When will this scattering take place? In the
middle of the week of Daniel, when the Antichrist breaks his peace
covenant, causes the Jews sacrifice and evening oblation to cease,
kills the two witnesses, and sits himself up in their temple showing
himself as God, (Dan. 9:27, Rev. 11:7, 2nd Thes. 2:4).
That is when the WOMAN (the spiritual element of the Jews, apart
from the 144,000 servants) will flee into the wilderness, into the
place that God has prepared for her, a place where she will be protected
and cared for throughout the whole period of 3 ½ years of great
tribulation, (Rev. 12:6, Rev. 12:14) and that is when the 144,000
servants that have been sealed with the baptism of the Holy Ghost
(Rev. 7:3-8) will scatter and go back to the nations that they have
returned from, to preach the everlasting gospel, (Rev. 14:6) warning
their fellow brethren, (according to the flesh) and the foolish
Gentile virgins, not to worship the beast, nor have anything to
do with the image of the beast, lest they perish in the soon to
come, wrath of God that is to be poured out upon those who do so,
Rev. 14:7-11. (We do not have the space to explain fully, all that
we are mentioning here, but we do have other articles that explain
all of these things in their particular setting. You may have them
upon request if there is something mentioned here that you do not
understand.)
FROM
AROUND THE WORLD, TO ISRAEL
Alright now, in answer to the angel’s question,
How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? This chief angel
raised His hands and sware by Him that liveth for ever, (This angel
called to Abraham when he was about to sacrifice his son, Isaac,
and swore by Himself to Abraham concerning a promise to bless him,
and the apostle Paul picked it up in his letter to the Hebrews,
chapter 6, verse 1, and showed that it was actually, God, swaring
by Himself to Abraham), that there will still be, a time, times,
and a half time (3 ½ years) left, after he (the Antichrist)
has accomplished his scattering of the holy people (Jews). Daniel
had heard but did not understand the answer, so he says to the angel,
(verse 8) “O my Lord, What shall be the end of these things?”
(Just hold your place there in Daniel 12, and let me come back to
that after I show you something else, before it leaves my mind).
I will go quickly, back to Rev. 10:1-3, and then come back to Daniel
12:7, to show you something that is portrayed in these two chapters.
In Rev. 10, where the mighty angel is standing with His right foot
upon the sea, and His left foot upon the earth, it presents a universal
picture. It shows that what He is announcing there is to have a
universal application. Why? Because the Gentile bride from this
age of grace, has come in from every nation under heaven. She includes
people from all races and creeds, people who have laid their traditions
aside for a true revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and have then
followed Him in repentance, and baptism in His name. It is to the
living element of this bride people (which is still universal) that
the seven thunders will sound THEIR VOICES, and their sounding will
take place AFTER the might angel has cried with a loud voice, and
declared that time for the Gentiles has run out. Now when we come
back to Daniel 12:7, we find this same angel (identified to be the
same angel, by the fact that He swares by Him that liveth for ever)
upon the waters of THE RIVER, a certain geographical spot, not upon
the land and upon the sea, as in Rev. 10. This pinpoints the fact
of who He is turning to when He closes time for the Gentiles. He
is talking to Daniel, concerning his people, and Daniel’s
people are Jews, so we see here, that He has left His universal
position, where He was clothed with a cloud, and is now being revealed
to Daniel’s people, clothed in linen. Remember, Daniel’s
visions climaxed with the end of this age when Jesus would come
to set up His millennial reign from the throne of David, in Jerusalem.
1260
DAYS - 1290 DAYS - 1335 DAYS
Now we will come back to what the angel said to
Daniel when he asked, “What shall be the end of these things?”
This angel said, “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed
up and sealed till the time of the end. (Notice verse 10, now.)
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried: (talking about
those of Daniel’s people who will find their place in God’s
plan of redemption) but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of
the wicked shall understand; (that political minded, materialistic
element of Jews who sell out to the Antichrist, cannot possibly
understand the message of the two witnesses, for they will be speaking
spiritual things, neither will the wicked element of Gentiles understand
the message of the seven thunders, for those SEVEN MEN will be speaking
spiritual language that only the bride of Christ will understand.)
but the wise shall understand. Verse 11, And from the time that
the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that
maketh desolate set up, (that is in the middle of the Seventieth
week of Daniel’s prophetic scope) there shall be a thousand
two hundred and ninety days.” Some people read this verse
11, and think there is a contradiction in the scriptures because
it gives an extra 30 days more than the time allotted to the Antichrist.
This definitely has to be a period of time when the wrath of God
is being poured out upon wicked mankind at the conclusion of the
1260 days of great tribulation. I will back that up by taking you
to the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:29-30, and then let you turn
to Revelation 19:11-21, and read what happens when He comes back
to earth with power and great glory. We are reading in Matthew 24,
to show you when He is coming back, now notice the words of verse
29. “IMMEDIATELY A-F-T-E-R the TRIBULATION of those days (That
is the thousand two hundred and threescore days, 1260 days, 3 ½
years by the prophetic calendar, that the woman in Rev. 12:6, is
fleeing from the wrath of the beast.) shall the sun be darkened,
and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall
from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:”
Be sure you catch the wording of this verse or you will not be able
to account for the extra days that Daniel mentioned. We know from
the many other scriptures that the Antichrist has a full 1260 days
of prophetic time allotted to him from the time he breaks the covenant
with Israel in the middle of the week, until the wrath of God begins
to be poured out upon him. This is the period of time referred to
as the great tribulation, a time of trouble upon a nation of people,
according to Daniel 12:1. Now this verse here in Matt. 24:29, speaking
of the time when Jesus comes back to earth, lets us know that it
will be IMMEDIATELY AFTER
the tribulation of those days. When He comes back it will be a time
when the wrath of God will be poured out upon wicked mankind, and
naturally there will be a period of time involved. When you read
verse 12 of Daniel, chapter 12, you will discover that there is
still another 45 days added on to the 1290 days, making a total
of 1335 days altogether, from the middle of the week until those
who are left alive, find themselves over in the millennium, with
Christ on the throne of David. There is still no cause for alarm
though, because it will be necessary to cleanse and rededicate the
temple and altar and everything that has been defiled by the Antichrist
and his beast system. Daniel says, verse 12, “Blessed is he
that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five
and thirty days.” This is still the angel speaking to Daniel,
and he says, “But go thou (Daniel) thy way till the end be:
for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of these days.”
Naturally that will be in the millennium, after all that Daniel
has seen in His visions, has come to pass.
BRIDE
- YOU MUST KNOW
Brothers and sisters: Listen to me; I am not going
into all these details just to take up space in this message. No,
I believe the time has come that the true bride of Christ MUST know
what is going on, and in order for her to know, she must get these
thunders in their proper place. You just cannot have the angel of
Rev. 10, crying, time is finished for the Gentiles, 16 years before
the trumpet angels of chapter 8, start working with the two witnesses
who will mark the starting of the week of time yet left to the Jews.
I believe most of you know what I mean. When it is time for God
to start marking time for the Jews again, Jesus will open that 7th
seal, Rev. 8:1, that brings about the one half hour of silence in
heaven. The next thing to be fulfilled is chapter 10:1-6, closing
time for the Gentiles, and when that takes place: those trumpet
angels of chapter 8:2-13, are ready to start sounding, marking time
for Israel. In other words, when Rev. 10:6, is fulfilled, that same
angel who announces the closing of Gentile time, there, then turns
to the Jews to fulfill Daniel 12. He is no longer in His universal
position, with one foot on the sea, and the other on the land. He
is seen here, in one geographical spot, announcing time for Israel,
one nation. I hope this is making sense to you; it will get rid
of a lot of cobwebs if you can see it clearly. The main things as
we study these prophetic scriptures, is to watch the keys that unlock
them.
HEAVENLY
THRONE
Let us go back to Rev. Chapter 4, now, and pick
up where we left off. In verse 3, John gives a description of the
one he saw sitting upon the throne. Then in verse 4, he says, “And
round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the
seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting. You will see later that
these elders play a part in what John sees and hears. They were
clothed in white raiment; and had crowns of gold upon their heads.
What a magnificent sight for this little mortal man to be viewing.
That throne he was viewing, was not just some ordinary looking chair;
it would have been more like, we will say, a huge, square platform
with a great throne chair in the center of it. The point of it is
this though, the platform, and all this, made up the whole throne
of God, and round about this huge platform was twenty four seats,
and in each seat he saw someone sitting, clothed in white raiment,
with crowns of gold upon their heads. He saw a sea of glass before
the throne, that looked like crystal, and in the midst of the throne
and round about the throne, he saw four beasts full of eyes before
and behind. These beasts represent the embodiment of the power of
God that guards the throne and the access to what is in the midst
of that throne. Keep in mind; this is a great display of the glory
and majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ, who once lived and walked
on earth among men, but has now been taken up, and is seated in
the center of all that. He is crowned with a rainbow, sitting there
dressed as a high priest, with the authority to speak to Elohim.
This is perfectly in line with Matthew 28:18, where Jesus spake
to His disciples saying, “All power is given unto me in heaven
and in earth.” In other words, He has all the authority of
Elohim bestowed upon Him, and John is allowed to view all this in
a vision. Then while John stood looking at all this majestic splendor,
he began to be aware of certain manifestations. Rev. 4:6, “And
out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices.”
Where was this taking place? It was coming right out of the midst
of the throne. This lets us know that whatever he heard, it had
its origin within that throne. With that in mind, as we study the
rest of the book of Revelation, let us be aware that whenever, and
wherever a voice, and voices utter, the authority for it, comes
from the midst of the throne of God, which is the throne of the
Lord Jesus Christ. No man can speak a truth, unless it has its origin
from the midst of the throne of God. We are dealing with things
that you will not find written in the pages of your Bible, things
that do not come out of Bible schools and seminaries. Do not tell
me that God is confined to what is written in the pages of the Bible;
He is an ever present, living God, who is able to speak to His people
at any time. He is limited only by certain principles which He,
Himself established, as far as time factors, and means. The thunderings
and lightnings here, lets us know that God is going to speak. Whatever
is spoken will originate from the throne of God.
WHO
IS WORTHY
Now as we go to the 5th chapter we find
John viewing something that is taking place there in the heavens.
He says, “And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the
throne a book (SCROLL) written within and on the back side, sealed
with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel (watch for the word,
VOICE,) proclaiming with a loud voice.” A strong angel proclaiming
with a loud voice is heard now, and his authority comes from within
the throne which issues all the thunderings, lightnings and voices,
and everything that is going to take place. It will all have its
origin there. Now John might have heard a hundred voices right there,
but this lets us know that when the thunders sound, the message
they carry will originate right there and will be channeled to the
respective vessels that God has chosen to do His speaking. Notice
now this strong angel proclaims with a loud voice, “Who is
worthy to open the book, (or scroll) and to loose the seals thereof?”
Brothers and sisters, the scene changes here; John immediately begins
looking for someone who is worthy to loose those seals. How would
you have felt in his place? What would have been your reaction?
There he was, viewing this heavenly scene, and hearing these things,
just a little old mortal man whose body was probably left lying
down there on the rocks when he was lifted up in the spirit to see
and hear these things. Try to imagine the setting. When John hears
this strong angel proclaiming, “Who is worthy,” he looks,
and in every direction, he sees a beautiful angel that surely ought
to be worthy to open the seals, but not one of them make a move,
so John begins to weep. He says, “And I wept much, because
no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to
look therein.” Notice who does the talking next; not an angel,
but one of the elders said to John, “Weep not: behold, the
Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to
open the book, and to loose the SEVEN seals thereof.” We certainly
know who the Lion of the tribe of Judah is. It is Jesus Christ,
the Jewish Messiah. Right? The elder told John that He, (Jesus Christ)
HATH, (past tense) prevailed to open the book and to loose the seven
seals. When did he do that? He did it 2000 years ago when He, as
a sacrificial Lamb, offered His life upon the altar of God for the
sins of all lost mankind. Where is He now when He is seen in this
vision? He is seated in the midst of the great throne with the little
scroll in His hand. That has been His position for the past 2000
years as He interceded for the contents of that little scroll. In
that little scroll is all the names of those who will ever accept
God’s plan of redemption, and Jesus is interceding for them
with the scroll still sealed up. When the seventh seal is broken
His intercessory work will be over; He will leave that mercy seat,
and there will be no more grace for us Gentiles. Alright now, think
about this; the Lion of the tribe of Judah HATH prevailed, and when
He prevailed, He did not do it as a Lion, He accomplished it as
a lamb, so it is on the merits of what He did as a sacrificial Lamb
that makes Him worthy so watch verse 6. “And I beheld, and,
lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the
midst of the elder, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven
horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth
into all the earth.”
JESUS
IS THE LAMB
Saints: Listen to me! Here is where we must be
spiritual. This is symbolic language. There is no literal Lion,
and neither is there a literal Lamb, and especially not a lamb with
7 horns and 7 eyes. That would be a freak. Remember, this is pictured
like this to John to represent what Jesus was, and did in respects
to the things he is witnessing, but as we read these verses, keep
your eyes on Jesus, the one seated in the midst of the throne; He
never moved from His position one bit. But as John watched this
panoramic scene, his eyes still on Jesus, he sees this animal like
creature come and take the little scroll out of the hand of Jesus,
the one sitting on the throne. Do you see why this has to be looked
at as a symbolic picture? It was Jesus on the throne holding the
scroll, in His intercessory role and it was Jesus in His role as
a sin offering (a Lamb) that prevailed, and therefore was worthy
to open the scroll, but in actuality the scroll remained in the
hand of the one seated on the throne, and it will continue to remain
there until the end of this Gentile age. Verse 7, “And he
(the Lamb) came and took the book out of the right hand of him that
sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts
and four and twenty elders fell down before the lamb, having every
one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the
prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, “Thou
art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof? (Listen
now, this definitely identifies the one who is taking the book out
of the hand of the one who is sitting on the throne) for thou wast
slain, and has redeemed us to God by the blood out of every kindred,
and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God
kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” This
was being sung as a song to the Lamb when he came and took the little
scroll to open the seals, but Saints: We all know that Jesus did
not look like a Lamb when He was hanging there on that old cross
with His blood spilling from His pierced side. He was a man then,
and He will always be a man, but these various descriptions of Him,
call attention to the various phases of man’s redemption,
and how the very God-man Himself was, and is, everything we need.
Like I have said before: we sing that little chorus, He is all I
need, and that is the absolute truth; we do not need any other God
nor prop to lean on but Him, but I wonder if we really do have the
reality of that down in our spirit to the extent that we apply it
in every situation?
Remember now brothers and sisters, it was Jesus
that broke the seals in the year 1963, Bro. Branham was just the
earthly vessel that the revelation of these seals was transmitted
through. God never leaves Himself without a vessel to work through
in His dealings with mankind. That is why I say that there is no
doubt in my mind that there are two Jewish men somewhere right today,
that God will anoint with the spirit, or anointing of Moses and
Elijah to fulfill Rev. 11:1-8, when the hour arrives. By the same
token: I believe there are seven Holy Ghost filled men somewhere
in the world today that God is preparing to fulfill Rev. 10:3, when
it is time for the bride of Christ to hear the message of the seven
thunders. Now some may say, Bro. Jackson, I just do not believe
it like that. I say, That is your privilege, but we are furnishing
enough scriptural foundation, to build this thought on solid ground,
therefore if you are just being stubborn, or you just do not have
a proper attitude about it; it is very doubtful that you could hear
any kind of thunder from God. We are going into great detail, pointing
out the singular, and the plural uses of certain words which we
believe furnish us with keys to unlock these mysteries. We further
believe that those who have ears to hear, will hear, and be ready
when Jesus returns for His redeemed bride.
THE
LAMB IS WORTHY
Now it was the four beasts and the twenty four
elders that sang the song to the Lamb of His worthiness to open
the scroll, but I want you to notice this verse 11,here in the 5th
chapter. “And I beheld, (This is John speaking) and I heard
the VOICE (SINGULAR) of many angels round about the throne and the
beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times
ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud VOICE,
(SINGULAR) Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and
riches and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing.”
Let me test you a little right here. Did you catch from what was
said, why the word VOICE was used in the singular when it actually
applied to so many? It was because they were all saying the same
thing, in unison. It sounded like one great voice. That is enough
to make anyone tremble. Who were they giving glory to? Jesus, of
course. But they were giving glory to Him based on the merits of
what He accomplished on earth as the perfect sacrificial Lamb, without
spot or blemish. Oh, Saints! It is such a beautiful picture when
God draws back the curtain and allows us to see by revelation just
how he, the very God who created all things incarnated a human body,
and through the office work of the one Son of God (not another person,
but another office work of the one God) worked to perfection every
phase of our redemption. He took upon Himself the sins of all lost
mankind, suffered on the cross, went into the lowest parts of hell
itself to conquer death, hell, and the grave, and then ascended
back to glory to sit as the Highest of all. HALLELUJAH! What a redemption!
How can we help but praise Him? He truly is worthy of all praise.
BREAKING
OF THE SEALS
Let us drop down to chapter 6 now, and this brings
us to the time when the Lamb is going to start breaking the seals.
Now, Who is going to break the seals? Jesus Christ, while He is
still high priest. Verse 1, “And I saw when the Lamb (which
is Jesus Christ) opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were
the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see.”
The voice of this beast sounded like thunder. Now many of you here
in Faith Assembly sat right in the tabernacle and heard the messenger,
the prophet to this age, when he preached the seals. You heard him
say with your own ears, and others can read it in the sermon books,
When the first seal was opened, John, in heaven, heard it thunder,
but there was only one thunder sounded. What was the significance
of that? It signifies that God was speaking, and not at random,
but specifically. You read it, or listen to the tape and you will
see, that is exactly what the prophet messenger experienced. Now
I did not hear it thunder, and neither did any of you, but that
is how God dealt with Bro. Branham. God spoke specifically to him.
How? By revelation, revealing to him thins that were written, but
no man understood up until then. The thunder identifies it as being
God speaking, but please notice that there were no more thunders
sounded in connection with the opening of the other seals that were
revealed at that time. It wasn’t necessary; the one thunder
was enough to identify the one speaking, and He gave Bro. Branham
the revelation of the first six seals to make known to the church.
Then as he was closing that series of teaching, he said, When the
seals started to open there was one thunder but when the 7th
seal was opened and we see Him (the Lord Jesus Christ in angelic
form) standing on earth, there was 7 distinct thunders, one right
after the other. In other words, it was different than the one thunder
that was heard when the seals began to be opened. Brothers and sisters:
Regardless of what some of these preachers are saying, and teaching,
about the 7 thunders being the revelation of the seven seals; don’t
you believe that for one moment. It absolutely is not. They did
not hear it right. They did not even read their Bible right, or
they would know better. That is why I have purposed to take as much
time as is necessary to thoroughly deal with this subject, and get
the word VOICE, and also VOICES, properly identified and placed
in a scriptural setting. I am not concerned very much with what
some of these carnal minded, so called preachers, may say about
this message, for they could never interpret it anyway except carnally,
no matter what we say. This lets me know, the real revelation of
these things belongs only to the bride of Christ. Praise God! I’m
so glad Jesus talks to His people. It is these carnal teachers who
cannot hear from God themselves, that is throwing many people off
the true course. Now in verse 6, John heard A VOICE saying something.
Then in verse 7, when the fourth seal is opened the word VOICE,
occurs again. Verse 7, “And when He had opened the fourth
seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.”
You will notice this is one of the four beasts doing the talking,
but it is very clear that it is not figurative. It is a literal
voice, and it is speaking specifically to John. In the spirit John
is actually standing and seeing these things take place, and hearing
the VOICE that speaks to him. The horses are symbolic, but the VOICE
that John hears is a literal voice. As we said earlier, the word
VOICE, always points to God speaking, angels speaking, or the voice
of a man or beast. I did not mention beast the last time, but the
emphasis is on the fact that the voices are literal, and not figurative,
and the beast is symbolic. Animals do not talk.
SEAL
OF GOD
Let us go to chapter 7, now. This chapter, or I
should say, the first 8 verses of this chapter fulfill God’s
plan for the nation of Israel right at the beginning of the 70th
week of Daniel. At least that is when this angel we read of here
begins to show himself. Verse 1, “And after these things I
saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding
the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the
earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel
ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and
he cried with a loud VOICE to the four angels, to whom it was given
to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither
the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of God
in their foreheads.” Brothers and sisters, we all know that
if we were standing out in the open looking into the Eastern sky
and suddenly we would see an angel coming over the horizon of the
earth; he would definitely look like he was climbing. Would you
not say so? That is why John saw him as though he was ascending.
Actually what he is seeing is that angel of God which has watched
over the gospel of Jesus Christ from the time it left Jerusalem
there in the first century when the apostles began to go forth taking
it to the Gentiles, until this present hour. That angel has been
with the gospel as it spread all through Europe, stayed with it
right through the Dark Ages, and stayed with it right on into the
new world. The gospel came to America and Canada, and since the
reformation it has been around the world through various missionaries,
but that angel has been set to guard over the true revelation that
is contained therein, and now John sees him after the truth has
been restored back to the gospel and it is now ready to take back
to Israel. It could not go back to those Jews until it has restored
back to its original form just like it left there over 1900 years
ago. When John sees him: he is taking the gospel home through the
witness of those two prophets. He could not take it back to those
Jews until it was restored to its true apostolic form. Now John
hears him crying with a loud voice, Hurt not the earth, neither
the sea, nor the trees, till WE have sealed the servants of our
God in their foreheads. John said this angel had the seal of the
living God. What is the seal of the living God? It is none other
than the baptism of the Holy Ghost. He is going back to the Jewish
nation that they may receive the genuine baptism of the Holy Ghost,
and come to know exactly who Jesus Christ is, that He is their long
awaited Messiah. When you connect that to the 14th chapter
of Rev., you see the results, for there you find 144,000 Jews with
the Lamb’s Father’s name written in their foreheads.
We know that name is Jesus, for Jesus, the Lamb, said that He came
in His Father’s name. He manifested the Father’s name
to those whom the Father had given to Him out of the world, and
He kept them in the Father’s name.
Now we talk about the gospel being restored to
its original form and some folks still do not know what we mean.
For them I want to say this, That angel would never allow the gospel
to return to the Jews until it was completely free from every trace
of trinity teaching. It must be a one God message, and baptism in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost
recognized as the seal of God before that angel will allow it to
go home. But, when the time is right, for chapter 7 to be fulfilled
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