(QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS)
ZAMBIA’S QUESTIONS
CHAPTER TEN
BETHEL (The House Of God)
Calcutta
Road # 2 P.O.
Box 238 Freeport L.P. #40 Trinidad,
W.I.
Phone:
1 (868) 679-3991 Facsimile: 1 (868) 636-0454
Our
website: http://wwwbethelthehouseofgod.net
Email
address: mountainspring_@hotmail.com
Date: 18th March 2006- 5:05 pm
To: The Ministers,
Deacons & Saints of Zambia and all Africa.
Greetings
and peace be multiplied unto you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus
Christ. Praises, honor and glory be unto God who have
called us with a heavenly calling unto the message of Malachi 4:5-6 to inherit
eternal life and save us from the wrath of God that is prophesied to destroy
all sinners from the face of the earth.
May
your endeavors on this blessed day draw you together,
as true servants of God. May the sheep of his pasture
greatly benefit from the purpose of your questions and the answers that will be
given by his grace through his Word and the message of Malachi 4:5-6. Your
questions which were directed to me and E.O.D.H. were safely received.
I take this liberty to express my
gratitude and thanks to each of you ministers, for the trust and confidence
that you have invested in us to correctly answer your question from the Word of
God and message of the hour. By God’s grace we trust never to betray your
confidence in us, as servants of God, able ministers of the gospel and who
rightly divide the Word of God.
II Timothy 2:15 <Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth.>
MINUTES OF MINISTERS MEETING HELD ON 18TH OF
MARCH 2006 AT BETHEL {THE HOUSE OF GOD} FREEPORT, TRINIDAD W.I.
PRESENT:
Local Ministers of Bethel: Pastor Dalton Bruce, Assistant Pastor Sookdeo Ramnarine.
Senior
Ministers: Roy Barrow, Daniel Seebrat, Aldwyn Chandler, and many other junior ministers, deacons,
trustees etc.
Foreign ministers: A. Muzambalika,
A. Powanga - Zambia Africa, P. Duncan - St. Vincent,
Ken Mcgahee Jr., Greg Heath - USA, Ronald Watson, Daniel Asserwathan - {Karnataka and Chennai India}.
Pastor Dalton Bruce
opened the meeting by welcoming all ministers present, locally and from abroad.
He announced that two ministers from India have now arrived at the airport and
will join the ministers meeting a little later. He gave special welcome to A. Muzambalika, and A. Powanga and
asked Brother Kenneth Bynoe to pray. He called the
meeting to order at 5:05 pm T&T-W.I. time.
ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA:
Pastor Bruce
announced the adoption of the agenda, which was based upon questions requested
from Zambia ministers and sent to him earlier. Included were other questions
from Africa and from other sources. He further exhorted the ministers upon the
subject of how ministers meetings were conducted in the scriptures and the
early apostolic church by quoting from E.O.D.H Book 13.
Pastor Bruce further
established rules that
governed Bethel ministers meetings for decades, which were to be employed at
the present meeting.
· Our meetings are a little strange from
others.
· Meeting with chairman etc. is not
forbidden. It keeps good order, but it is more of a denominational and
political system.
· In Bible ministers meeting, we read nothing
about a chairman etc.
· They were in harmony and gave their
judgment {Acts 15}.
· Our meetings are conducted in a similar
scriptural fashion.
· The basis that we set for our meetings are
that all questions must be addressed by the Word and message of Malachi
4:5&6.
· We avoid confusion amongst ministers by not
entertaining opinions on a subject which was established by the prophet in a
scriptural manner, as there is no end for such arguments. We are not interested
in opinions after Malachi 4:5 & 6 has established the matter.
Answers to
questions that cannot be found in the Word and message must be stated clearly
that it is the person’s opinion and he should not be rebuked, criticized or
condemned by other ministers for it. However, other ministers are free to give
their opinion, proving where an opinion is unscriptural.
Question # 713: “How to conduct a ministers meeting; how
do you conduct your ministers’ meetings?”
E.O.D.H. Answer: The
general order of our meeting is as follows: A date, time and a venue is set.
Most times the purpose
of our meeting is established. Meeting starts promptly, at the appointed time,
like all other services. A circular goes out to those who are invited amongst
the ministers, elders etc. Lay-members are sometimes permitted, who are
spiritual and may be used of the Lord in the future. The meeting is opened with
prayer. We all sit together; if the audience is too large, a microphone is
used. The purpose of the meeting is expressed in the opening remarks. Those who
will be engaged
in the meeting to give their opinion, answer a question or relate a matter of
discipline, take the microphone, address the audience, and return to their
seats. The one in authority, usually the pastor or another that is appointed by him,
summons the next party to speak. In so doing, the meeting always ends without
confusion and hard feelings. Meetings are sometimes conducted for three to five
hours. Our points are established before the end of each meeting and a
dismissal prayer is made before we depart.
We
conduct our ministers meetings, taking the pattern from the New Testament
Church, from the way that Brother Branham conducted his ministers’ meetings,
and partly from the way that the Lord Jesus met with his ministers. They had no specific
time of the year to meet, but met as it was necessary, and as the needs arose.
Conduct of their meetings varied in different ways.
In
Acts 20, Brother Paul had a meeting with the elders, deacons and ministers. He
presided in that meeting and gave a special message to all. It was not a
meeting of questions and answers or debates in any form. He was the chief
spokesman. Jesus called ministers together-Matthew 10th chap. and
Luke 10th chapter. He instructed, anointed and commissioned them to
preach the Gospel. There are other times He met with His ministers, separately
from the multitudes, and they asked Him questions on parables, the time of His
coming and the end of the world -Matthew 24. There was a ministers’ meeting
before the crucifixion of the Lord. An important factor was highlighted and
that was the exposition
of the betrayer, Judas, and the death of the Lord. After His resurrection, He
met with the 11 Apostles and taught them the things concerning the Kingdom
(Outpouring) of God. He was the chief spokesman, delivering to the ministers a
new understanding; they had the right spirit and listened attentively.
In
Acts 15, a ministers’ meeting was held, which engaged the attention of the
Apostles by questions arising from Antioch concerning the Gentiles. Certain
apostles, who the others respected, gave their opinion, and they concluded
after one of them gave the correct answer. They all agreed. There was no debate, gainsayings, anger, abuses, variance or divisions.
On
the message, “Ministers’ Conference”, Brother Branham allowed the ministers to
ask certain questions and he gave the answers. Some of them spoke in a manner
to correct the Prophet. However, they were in harmony.
Quote W.M.B.: 762-82 If you men would, when you build this church,
make this like your headquarters and like Brother Neville here being like the senior elder
among you. See? And sometimes you get a question that you can't discuss out with your
church out there, then bring it in here to Brother Neville and you all discuss it
together. If there--you can't come to any decision, I'll be coming
by pretty soon, then we'll all come together with it.
And then in there, get training
in your own groups other ministers, men that you see that has a calling in
their life for the ministry. Train them young men; bring them in here to the
elder. All of you set together in a ministerial meeting and there teach the deeper
things of God. Don't go on the bad end. Keep someone who, can have confidence
in to be kind of like a leader for you…And training up a group of men. And if I'm in
evangelistic work somewhere, there's places I can place them worldwide.
What if I was in India, go
back to India… Maybe they'd have thousands of them… believe it's the Truth,
they'd come out of heathenism. There I've got... And maybe in two or three
weeks, when I was over there two nights, and maybe a hundred thousand converted
to Christ, nowhere to go. The next day take a plane and start back to Rome,
then to the United States, leave them just like sheep put out among wolves.
What if I had a group of men, young men trained in the Message (See?)
(Taking
Sides With Jesus C.O.D. 62-0601).
He instructed that
the ministers should choose one who is a spiritual leader, to whom they should bring the
harder questions, that the ministers be trained up in the Word of God, to be
posted in India and Africa where he makes converts. He promised to call for
them when he wins many souls, and set them over the people as pastors, so that
the people do not drift back to their old religion. He said that he did not
have a group of ministers trained up that he could call upon when he won thousands of souls.
I never heard of such meetings that he desired the ministers to have, but after
his death many try to have ministers meetings, which resulted in more divisions,
heresies, confusions, bitterness, hatred and separation. Today, ministers’
meetings, amongst the followers of the Message, have become a big mockery and
gross hypocrisy, with each minister having his own interpretation and pretending
to be in unity with the others. Such are fruits of the ‘Love Gospel.’
Bethel
ministers meetings vary in conduct and order, depending upon the purpose of our
gathering. For better than thirty years, we had no specific time set aside to
meet, but we do meet whenever the need arises. The general body of ministers
may meet, or few ministers may meet to discuss a matter. The decision is
presented to their pastor, for his approval or disapproval, based on the Word
or the Message. Senior ministers, junior ministers, exhorters, elders, deacons
etc., are invited to a ministers meeting when it is convenient. If the meeting
is of great importance, especially on doctrinal matters, only senior ministers
meet with the pastor. The opinions of the ministers are expressed on a certain
subject, doctrinal conduct or order, and the pastor gives his decision, which
is always final. By God’s grace, within such time, we have never had any disagreement
on doctrinal teachings. We never separated with bitter feelings or
disagreements on any subject.
We
sometimes have meetings for our own edification. We discuss doctrinal matters.
The pastor may take a particular subject on the ministry and speak for several
hours while the ministers listen attentively. This is evident by our tapes.
Some were sent out; others were too personal to be made public. At other times
these meetings take the form of questions and answers. Questions are written
ahead of time, on paper, and handed to the presiding minister or Pastor, so he
can furnish the right answers on the date of the meeting. If the officer needs
more information, after the pastor gives the answer, he may stand in the
meeting and identify himself and verbally ask to explain the question further.
This is done in an orderly fashion.
Occasionally, we
may entertain
ministers from the Message to express their understanding on a certain
doctrine. Many times it’s heresy, but we do so for the edification of our
ministers, that they may understand how a heretic believes and teaches his
heresy, but most important is how to defeat such a heresy. In these meetings,
junior ministers are commanded to be silent, since they are not capable enough
to defend the Word. Senior ministers pick up the cause and expose that heresy
before all the ministers, in an orderly fashion, giving the opposer
time to speak, then answering his questions, always bringing him back to the
Word and Message, and gently rebuking when he strays from the Word and begins
to voice his own opinion. An example of this kind of meeting can be found on
E.O.D.H. Book 9. Great efforts are made to turn ministers from their errors. We
were successful on a few occasions.
Pastor Sookdeo Ramnarine read to the
ministers all questions to be answered from Zambia Africa and other sources. He
further invited the ministers to indicate, by the lift of hands, who has an interest in answering the first question. None
complied and Pastor Bruce ascended the pulpit and apologized to the ministers
for not acquainting them with the questions earlier and stated that they can
answer all questions by quoting the scriptures and the message from memory,
which later will be quoted more accurately when it is documented, since the
meeting was video taped and was also recorded on magnetic tapes. To allow the
ministers more time to consider answers to the other questions he took the
liberty to answer the first one.
Question # 714: What if an unmarried minister backslides and stops
coming to church and has a child with a lady from the world and later on he
repents, can he come back to the fellowship?”
E.O.D.H. Contribution: Yes, any backslider who did wrong and
forsook the way of truth can be forgiven by the Lord. Jesus
said all manner of sins and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, except the
blasphemy of the Holy Ghost. Also Hebrews 6:4-8, Hebrews 10:26, 1 John 5. There
is a sin unto death. This is both for ministers and lay-members.
However, in this specific case, it
involves a minister who done a most horrible crime of backsliding and having pregnated a woman of the world.
Forgiveness is one
part of it. It involves another vital question. Can he come back to the
fellowship?
There are several
items which must be carefully considered by the church and the elders before
any such backslidden minister is accepted back into any fellowship. And
thirdly: can he re-enter the pulpit to preach, which is not directly the
question here? In other questions
and answers on E.O.D.H. we fully establish by the Word that such a man should
not re-enter the pulpit.
Reference: E.O.D.H.
Book 2: Heretical Article No. 19, pages 37 to 42 & E.O.D.H. Book 6:
Heretical Article No. 42, pages 32 to 39.
Proverbs 6:32
<But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth
his own soul.>
What
is the purpose of this man, returning to the fellowship? We must discern his
purpose:
Quote W.M.B.: 11 I believe that that is a very great lesson for the
church today, is to try the spirit of anything, have discernment of the spirit.
I do not think that we should ever, by any means, ever try to judge a person by
the denomination they belong to, or by the group that they are assembled with, whether
they be Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, or whatever they are…We
should always judge him by the spirit he has (See?), the spirit…We are to
discern spirits. Watch what the man has in mind, what he's trying to achieve. (Discernment Of Spirit
60-0308).
Quote: 16
But if he has a gift of God and he's trying to edify the Body of Christ, then I
don't care what he belongs to. You're not discerning the man,
you're discerning the spirit, the life that's in the man. And that's what God
told us to do. Not one time was we ever commissioned to discern the man's
group. But we was constrained and commanded by God to discern the spirit in the
man, what he's trying to do, what the spirit in his life is trying to lead him
to. (Discernment
Of Spirit 60-0308).
We are called to
discern the motives and objectives of a person. We just cannot go over and ask
this man what is his purpose of coming back as he is smart enough to say it is
for eternal life, but he must be investigated otherwise, to know if he had been
crying, weeping and repenting and showing any other expression of godly sorrow
for his wrongs, then you can have a little more confidence. You must put him on
a Word test and just not open up the doors and say “come back”.
I
will tell you this, my friends, a backslidden preacher is one of the most dangerous tools
in the hand of the enemy and I will voice my opinion on that.
This man can return
to the fellowship under certain conditions and under consideration of the ruling
elder and the church as a whole. If the majority votes for him to stay out, it
should stand that way, as it will create disharmony amongst the brethren. How
many is in agreement with that? [All the ministers say, “Amen!”]
I
will now give reasons why it should be done in that manner in our second
question.
He cannot use the
pulpit as he has proven himself not to be born again and that he does not have
the Holy Ghost.
He should not
discuss the Word with the people privately.
He must not use any
other office in the House of God until he has thoroughly proved himself.
Question # 715: “What steps should the church take?”
E.O.D.H. Contribution: Before the backslidden minister returns to
the fellowship, the elder in charge must speak to the church privately and
detail the sins of the minister and put it to a vote and see if the majority
votes to forgive this man and accept him back into the fellowship.
He must not voice his opinion in church matters. Beware of him and his
past influence upon the people, as he is capable of causing divisions. Only an
elected minister can humble himself and sit in the congregation after returning
to a fellowship. One can feel very humiliated and be lifted up by pride, be
critical of the elder in charge and overthrow the faith of many. He could be a
tool of the enemy, go from house to house privately tutoring the people after
the ruling elder gives the Word out, or establish an opinion or a policy in the
House of God. These measures that are taken are to bind that spirit and to
remind him and the people that he is nothing without revelation and not born
again.
A very important
thing is that the ruling elder, ministers and deacons should keep their eyes
and ears out to understand what that man is doing before he tears up the congregation.
Before re-admission
into the fellowship, the minister should make an open confession before the church.
There should be no cover-ups. He should be placed on a probation period for
several months, by the discretion of the elder and the expression of his
repentance. He should be forbidden from the Lord’s supper
and feet washing during that period.
We want by a raise of hands for all those
who are in agreement with the answer. [Everyone raises their hands and says, “Amen!”]
Question # 716: “Who is the great multitude of Revelation
7: 9?”
E.O.D.H. Contribution: I am Sookdeo Ramnarine.
Revelation 7: 9-17 <After
this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all
nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood
before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in
their hands;
And cried with a loud voice,
saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the
throne, and unto the Lamb.
And all the angels stood
round about the throne, and [about] the elders and the four beasts, and fell
before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
Saying, Amen: Blessing, and
glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, [be]
unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
And one of the elders
answered, saying unto me, What are these which are
arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
And I said unto him, Sir,
thou knowest. And he said to me, These
are they which came out of great tribulation…”
Not “the great tribulation”
but “great tribulation”.
“…and
have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore are they before the
throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
They shall hunger no more,
neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
For the Lamb which is in the
midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains
of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
Without a doubt,
this group of people is none other than the Bride of Jesus Christ.
Quote W.M.B.: 174-Q-32 32 Last night you spoke of the great
multitude that no man could number from every tribe, nation that are--are
mentioned in the 7th chapter of Revelations. Did I understand you correctly to
say that they are the Bride of Christ?
Yes, you understood me; they
are the Bride. Now, if you'll notice, just exactly in Revelations 7, he saw the
hundred and forty-four thousand. Now, I'm not accusing you of this, my brother,
but the hundred... Usually a Jehovah Witness is the one that believes that
hundred and forty-four thousand will be the Bride. (Qa. Image
Of The Beast 54-0515).
Quote: 221-74
And after this... and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all
nations,... kindreds,...
people, and tongue,... (There's your Gentile Bride coming up. All right)...
these stood... before the Lamb... (There's their Saviour, the Lamb: not the
law, the Lamb, grace.)... clothed with white robes,...
(Watch, in a few minutes, see if the white robes ain't the righteousness of the
saints.)... and palms in their hands; And they cried
with a loud voice,... (If this ain't a Pentecostal revival, I never heard
one.)... saying, Salvation to our God which set upon
the throne, and unto the Lamb.(Qa. Hebrews Part1 57-0925).
Quote: 316-2 God is talking about the bride here. Do you want
to see another picture of her? It is over in Revelation 7:4-17, "And I
heard the number of them which were sealed:…Of the
tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand. After this I beheld, and, lo, a
great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne,
and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; and
cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God Which sitteth
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb…And one of the elders answered, saying unto
me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and
whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest.
And he said to me, These are they which came out of
great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the
blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve Him
day and night in His temple: and He that sitteth on
the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst
any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb Which
is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living
fountains of water: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."… Who are they? These are in the bride taken from
amongst the Gentiles. They are before His throne day and night. They serve Him
in the temple. They are the special care of the Lord. They are His bride.
The bride goes wherever the
Bridegroom is. She will never be left by Him. She will never leave His side.
She will share the throne with Him. She will be crowned with His glory and honor. (Philadelphian Church Age - Church Age Book Cpt.8).
How many agree with
that answer. [Everyone
raises their hands and says, “Amen!”] We have one hundred percent
agreement.
Question # 717:
“Please explain Acts 15:28-29.”
E.O.D.H.
Contribution: I am Kenneth Bynoe. To answer this
question we have to read from verse 22. In reading you will see that there was
a spirit that was coming in amongst the believers in Antioch. This is one of
the ministers meetings that was held in scriptures.
Acts 15:22-24 <Then
pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men
of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:
And they wrote letters by
them after this manner; The apostles and elders and
brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch
and Syria and Cilicia:
Forasmuch as we have heard,
that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting
your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave
no such commandment:>
There was a heresy
coming up in which the people were going back to the Law. In Galatians we see where the
apostle Paul had to deal with another spirit just like this:
Galatians 1:6 <I marvel
that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ
unto another gospel.>
Showing that this
error was so small that you couldn’t even call it another gospel. And Paul
dealt with it and said that he marvelled that they were going back to the Law,
after the Lord Jesus Christ brought grace and Truth. The whole Book of
Galatians dealt with that spirit.
Acts 15:24-28 <Forasmuch
as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with
words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law:
to whom we gave no such commandment:
It seemed good unto us, being
assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved
Barnabas and Paul,
Men that
have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have sent therefore Judas
and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.
For it seemed good to the
Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary
things…>
So, the
Lord Jesus Christ had come and He had taken us from under the burden of the
Law. The Law was a burden. And the Lord came and brought in grace which is the
Spirit of God coming to help us do the things which we cannot do in our own
selves.
This was that white
horse rider that was coming in, in the first Church Age, and this was the
apostles’ conclusion:
Acts 15: 28-29 <For it
seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden
than these necessary things;
That ye abstain from meats
offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from
fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye
well.>
So this scripture
means that all manner of meats is allowed for us, for the scripture said,
I Timothy 4:4-5 <For every
creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with
thanksgiving:
For it is sanctified by the
word of God and prayer.>
The Lord Jesus
brought us under grace, and the only commandments that have been brought over
under this covenant of grace are these that are laid out here, even because the
Blood of Christ was shed.
Genesis 9:4 <But flesh
with the life thereof, [which is] the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.>
We can eat whatever
meats there are, once we pray over them and they are sanctified. But we should
not eat any animal that has been strangled. Whenever we are preparing an animal
for eating, we cut the neck and let the blood drain out, and then you can eat
the animal. But other than that, we are not allowed to eat any animal that has
been strangled or that has died.
We are under grace,
and all that we need to have is a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have
access into this grace through faith. We are not called upon to keep the commandments
of the Law, but we are called to come under the covenant of grace by a divine
revelation of the son of man. To receive the grace of God to come under that
covenant and to receive a divine revelation, it takes a certain condition of
the heart.
We have access into
the grace of God by a divine revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and when we
come under grace, the Spirit of God comes in our lives and gives us strength
and power to keep all the commandments of the Law that is required of us.
Brother Bruce: Let me put in a little something there in
support. The apostles in that ministers’ meeting based their thoughts upon the
Law in the scripture of the Old Testament. This is what Moses commanded:
Leviticus 17:12-13:
<Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat
blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth
among you eat blood.
And whatsoever man there be
of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or
fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it
with dust.>
That
still holds for today.
Leviticus 17:14-16 <For it
is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I
said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh:
for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth
it shall be cut off.
And every soul that eateth that which died of itself, or that which was torn
with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall
both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the
even: then shall he be clean.
But if he wash them not, nor
bathe his flesh; then he shall bear his iniquity.>
In the Old
Testament there were a bunch of Laws and regulations to live by, and when the
gospel came to the gentiles, they were not going back to the Law because they
had no Law. It was the Jews who were going back to the Law, and they wanted to influence
the gentiles and bring them under burden and tell them unless they are
circumcised they cannot be saved. Then they sent up a delegation to Jerusalem.
Do you see how the Lord has His Church set up? There must be a place to come. I
am asking all the ministers around the world: where is that place? There ought
to have been such a place in some part of Africa, some part of India. I am not
saying that Bethel is the place to come and the only place. What I am making
reference to is there must be spiritual leaders who are equipped to answer the
people’s questions, and they sent these brethren up to Jerusalem.
This was a big
question in that time, because here was the great Law setting there and the
Jews were trying to bring these people back under the Law who had believed in
Jesus Christ. So they came together to consider that, and after doing so, out
of all the Laws of ceremony, eating flesh, drinking blood and all those other
things, the apostles drew from the Old Testament and pulled out only these four
items: “abstain from meats offered to idols, blood, fornication and things
strangled”, which means that an animal died of itself. That is what the
question is asking to explain.
Strangled means
choked. For example, if you tied a cow or goat and it was choked by the rope,
you are not
supposed to eat it. Why? Because the blood was never drained out, and the commandment said
to cut the neck and let the blood go out, and after that you would be able to
eat the meat because there is a sacred thing about blood, because animals’
blood was shed in the Old Testament and the Blood of Jesus was shed in the New
Testament. That is a great mystery there: the Lord said that the life is in the
blood.
The explanation is
that any animal that dies of itself, we must not eat
it, whether it be a chicken or any other animal, because the blood was not
shed. Even though you take a big piece of wood and hit a deer, before that
blood gets clotted in that animal you have to cut the throat quickly and let
the blood drain out and cover the blood with sand. That is in respect to the
Blood of redemption. It is a sacred thing.
Beside these few
things that the apostles concluded with, there are other things that Brother
Paul, who was the apostle to the gentiles, laid down and explained later in his
epistles, which must be added to the few articles that were specified in Acts
15, and then we get the picture, otherwise we could go off on one scripture.
Question # 718: “Could he ask those selling meat if an
animal was strangled before buying, because he heard that it was not allowed to
eat strangled animals?”
E.O.D.H. Contribution: I am Brother Bruce.
I Corinthians 10:23-25
<All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things
are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
Let no man seek his own, but
every man another's wealth.
Whatsoever is sold in the
shambles, that eat, asking no question for conscience sake.>
Here
the Bible is saying, do not ask the man if it is strangled, or if it died of its own, or
whatever. Whatever is sold in the meat market, or the stables, go and buy. Do
not ask the man: “Is this a strangled animal?” Your conscience will be
bothered. Strangled or not strangled, should not be a question asked to the
man. It is meat, I want one pound of meat. As long as it is not rotten, bless
it, sanctify it and eat it.
Question # 719: A brother said that he keeps chicken and
asked what he should do if one asked for a dead chicken?
E.O.D.H. Contribution: This is related to Acts 15 and things
strangled. I am Phillip Ramkumar. As a minister, I
will tell the brother, “No”, because in doing so, the life is in the blood, and
the blood remained in the chicken. So it is wrong to give the brother the
chicken with the blood in it.
Brother Bruce: May I add one little thing. I think the air
of this question is pertaining to the unsaved public in general and not necessarily
brethren, and that is an important thing to consider here, and we have to
consider the place
in question. Here is a man who has a farm and fifty chickens died in a week, and
here is a poor man that comes by the farm and says, “Oh Christian brother,
please give me a chicken. Instead of throwing it away, I could take it home and
eat this chicken.” I think what is happening here is that he is speaking of a
bowel of mercy and compassion in relation to things strangled.
Let me add here
that you consider the country that this is happening in. They are poor people
in India, Philippines, Africa and right in Trinidad here.
Now, this man is a
Christian and he has a farm. He knows the scripture which said not to eat
things strangled, and he is wondering if to give this man this chicken to go
and eat, with the conscience and knowledge of Acts 15. I would answer this
question in this way: To be a humanitarian, I will first consider what kind of sickness
the chicken died from. I could give the man a disease such as bird flu,
which he could die from. Absolutely, under those conditions, as an old poultry
farmer myself, I would not give that chicken out if I feel it died from a
disease that could harm that man. That’s out! Another thing that must be
considered here is conscience, that if you are going to give the chicken with a
guilty
conscience, believing that you are wrong, then you should not do so.
Another thing that must be considered here is liability. You could be living in a
country where a man turns around and sues you for giving him something to eat
that is spoiled. Like in USA where they have to throw out the meats and
everything out of the supermarkets because it has passed the time for
consumption.
The answer to this
question, like the brother said, is “No”, according to the Christian conscience.
But then under humanitarian grounds, and if the person would not be troubled in
his conscience, and that person you are giving it to does not know about Acts
15, and you would not educate him about Acts 15, and the man desires to have that chicken because he is a
hungry man and he will starve, and if the chicken is free from sickness, and if
the man’s conscience is not going to be bothered after he gives the man that
chicken, then under those conditions, I will let the man have that chicken. But I conclude
that the answer is no, but under certain conditions, I will bend to suit, on
humanitarian and Christian grounds of a man that is hungry.
But if you really
want to go along with the scripture and you are going to be bothered, then the
answer is “No.” The very reason you asked this question is that your conscience
is bothered. So the answer for this brother who asked this question is “No!” And
we are not going to change it and tell you that you could give it out to
strangers to eat. We cannot change the Law. But I will do that privately
without telling anybody
Question
# 720: “Please explain
Mathew 24:45.”
E.O.D.H. Contribution: I am Philmore
Duncan from St. Vincent. Good night all my brethren.
Matthew 24:45 <Who
then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his
household, to give them meat in due season?>
I believe from what I
read that the Lord was speaking here of a ministering servant, who will be
ministering the Word to the sheep, and He trusted that servant, and looked at
him as a wise servant, who knew how to feed the sheep.
I remember the Lord
asked Brother Peter:
John 21:15-16 <Simon
Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than
these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith
unto him, Feed my lambs.
He saith
to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest
thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith
unto him, Feed my sheep.>
And there is another
scripture when Jesus spoke to the woman at the well. The disciples asked the
question:
John 4:32-34 <But he
said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
Therefore said the
disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him [ought] to eat?
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent
me, and to finish his work.>
I truly believe that this faithful servant whom the Lord had
made ruler over His house, to give them meat in due season, is a servant of the
Lord, who can preach the Word in season and out of season and knows how to feed
the lamb and the sheep that they would not be stumbled or choked.
Brother Anthony Trotman: I read from
EODH book 13, page 318.
Heretical Article No. 535: “Dr. Frank claims to be the fulfillment of Matthew 24:45-47:
God’s faithful servant with the word, distributing spiritual meat in due
season.”
Quote Dr. Frank: “He was
commissioned to store in the spiritual food. Not a single time did he say that
he would be the one to also distribute that food… God
gave me personally the commission… Brother Branham… confirmed this calling on
December 3rd, 1962.” (Circular letter December 2003, by E. Frank)
“The wise are
hungering and thirsting for God and they shall be filled. (Matth.5:6)… “Who
then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his
household, to give them meat in due season?” Matth.24:45.” (Page 39 Christ and
His church in Prophecy, By: E. Frank).
When Bro. Branham
went to be with the Lord… I knew from deep within by a God-given assurance that
the time for the giving out of the stored up food had come, as he had commissioned me
on April 2, 1962. (Page 21, 22 Christ and His church in prophecy, By: E.
Frank).
At the evening of the same
burial day… the Spirit of God spoke in my heart, “Now your time to give out the
food has come!” (Circular letter December 2003, by E. Frank)
“Bro. Branham… told me that the food… is
the revealed Word of God for this hour, which is kept on the tapes.” (Page 29
& 42 Circular Letter November/December 2004).
E.O.D.H.
Answer: Neither God nor
his prophet commissioned Dr. Frank to give out the stored food. His pride and ambition
injected that lust into the prophet’s conversation with him. The infallible
proof of my declaration is based upon the fact that Frank is not saying what
the tapes say. The food is the doctrines of the prophet. Frank does not teach and
believe many major doctrines of God, revealed to Malachi 4:5&6. Therefore
he is giving out his own food, theology and heresies. It’s death! He is not
eating the stored food; not even the a, b, c of the
message. The Stored up doctrines are the food on the tapes. They are: “The
seventh seal/seven thunders are for the bride. It produces a revival, brings
again the headstone and translates the church. Malachi 4:5&6, Rev. 10:7 is
exclusive to the prophet’s ministry. Rev. 10:1 is not exclusive to the Jews;
it’s for the bride also. The contents of the seventh seal are not the seven
trumpets and it is not for the Jews. The seventh trumpet is for the Jews and
holds the third coming of the Lord.”
Dr. Frank totally denies the above
doctrines on the prophet’s tapes. He is giving the people his own theology in
place of the stored food. This is anti-message, anti-Christ, deceptive, and
satanic. Flee for your lives faithful pilgrims.
Matthew 24:45-47 is not speaking of an
individual, but represents all of God’s servants who preach the truth in the
end time. This is not a prophecy of a ministry given to a man. It’s a parable.
This proves that Frank has no scriptural identification, thus he force fitted himself into a parable. He is not God’s faithful servant. He
is an unfaithful servant. He was unfaithful to his wife, unfaithful to Malachi 4:5&6, the written
word and the message. He has produced multiple heresies, and has deceived many
of the underprivileged people who were not exposed to the tapes and books of
Brother Branham. Shame on this doctor! He is shameless to stand behind the
pulpit after his wicked life was revealed to the whole world. “Behold your sin
shall find you out.” This is sufficient for any true believer of the message to
understand that there is nothing to Dr. Frank and his boastful claims.
Dr. Frank, consider
your tender old age. Speak the truth and let the people go! Repent! Save your soul with those of whom you
have deceived. Oh how glorious that would be if you heed this call from a
simple, lowly servant of Christ. Frank
holds the people under fear.
Question # 721:
“A brother asked if a
brother can be baptized again, who was in a wrong doctrine, such as thunders
are revealed heresy and have seen the truth?”
E.O.D.H. Contribution: I am Daniel Seebrat.
This question deals with rebaptism, and I just have one simple answer to that.
If the person’s conscience bothers him, it is better to be rebaptized
than to leave it just like that, because he was following false doctrine, or
denominational doctrine and he did not know better. When he comes to the truth,
it is better to be rebaptized, once his conscience
bothers him. Amen.
Brother Sookdeo Ramnarine:
How many agrees with that answer? [Everyone says, “Amen!”] As the servant of
God says: He is not compelled to be rebaptized;
it is a matter of his conscience, his faith, because being a follower of this
message before, no doubt, he was baptized according to the scriptures.
Question # 722: A brother asked the pastor to explain
Revelation 5:1-7. There is a lamb and one sitting on the throne. If Jesus is God, how about the one that sat on the throne?
E.O.D.H. Contribution: I am Aldwyn
Chandler.
John 17:3 <And this is life eternal, that they might know
thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.>
I John 5:20 <And we know that the Son of God is come, and
hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are
in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and
eternal life.>
And I just read
those two scriptures to support this here because, this scene here in
Revelation 5, it brings out the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent. So
right there we could see that, the person does not have an understanding or
revelation of the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent. From the message
of the prophet in the ‘Church Ages’, ‘Christ Is The Mystery Of God Revealed’,
and also ‘The Mighty God Unveiled Before Us’, things were said to bring out and
to prove that Jesus Christ was God manifested in the flesh.
John 1:1-14 <In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…>
Before He was
thought or conception and that was with Him. It was the thought before he became
the Word expressed. This is speaking of God. God had a thought, a conception of
Himself as a man, and all of this had to do with the plan of Redemption. Hence
the reason when claims were going to be made for the Redemption Book, God was
sitting here and the man that God thought himself of as being was going to come
and take the book.
Jesus
was God’s thought of himself as a Kinsman Redeemer. This was God’s conception
of Himself as a man. So He was coming now to take the book out of the hand of
Him who sat on the throne. It was not two Gods. It was the theophany,
it was the Word, it was the Father who was seated on the throne, and He, Jesus
was the visible, expressed image of the invisible God. Jesus was that, here
upon the face of the earth. He was who God thought Himself as, as a man, and He
was called the son of man. He was the only man that God ever thought Himself
of, as being the Kinsman Redeemer. Now the whole plan was God wanted to express
Himself and reveal Himself, and take away this great mystery of Himself.
When Brother
Branham preached the message called, ‘Christ is the Mystery of God revealed”, in
other words: when God is revealed you will see Christ, because Christ is the
mystery of God revealed. If God is still a mystery to you then you cannot see
Christ. And in the end time here, it was written that in the days of the voice of the seventh
angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as
he hath declared to his servants the prophets. Now notice it said,
Revelation 10:7 <…the mystery of God should be finished…>
So then, everything
that was mysterious about God was supposed to be finished in the end time here
when the seventh angel came and sounded his message, and when he preached that
message on Christ
is the Mystery of God revealed, if we have a revelation of God then we will
be able to divide how Jesus Christ could be God in the flesh, and yet still be
the Son of God. We could understand how Jesus Christ could take the Book
because this was the Lamb who was going to take the Book.
When God created
Jesus, He created Him as a man. This is the man that God had in His mind. He
thought of Himself as being this man. That is why when He came, He was called
Emmanuel which is interpreted <God with us.> (Matthew 1:23). So, Jesus Christ was actually
God’s thought of Himself expressed in the flesh. He was not playing out the
part of God. He was playing out the part of man, but it was God hidden in man,
and everybody who had eyes, God opened their eyes to see that, and they could
have said, <My
Lord and my God.>.
Jesus
was praying and He said,
John 17:3 <And this is
life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom thou hast sent.>
So, it is something
about knowing the only true God and whom He sent, which is Jesus Christ. In the
Book of Jeremiah it also speaks about, <…neither let the mighty man glory in his might,
let not the rich man glory in his riches:
But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth
and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth:
> (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
In that scripture
there is the understanding of how you could come to understand how is it Jesus
Christ could be God expressed in the flesh, and yet still He is standing here
taking the Book from Him that sat on the throne, because Jesus was God
expressed,
I Timothy 3:16 <And
without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the
flesh…>.
Jesus is the only
man that had that full expression of God. Outside of Jesus everybody else had a
certain part of the expression of God, but Jesus alone had the full expression
of God. That is why He could have said,
John 14:9 < he that hath
seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou
then, Shew us the Father?>
And John 12:45
<…he that seeth me seeth
him that sent me.>
Jesus speaking
again, also it is written in the scriptures,
Matthew 16:17 <… flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto
thee, but my Father which is in heaven.>
Matthew 11:27 <…and no man
knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son.>
So this secret
between Father and Son, Jesus knew that He alone had that secret of who the
Father was. Jesus had the revelation and knowledge that He (Jesus) was the
expression of God who is the Father. Jesus knew. It was a mystery, a secret
between Him and the Father, and if the Holy Spirit reveals that to you, you
will recognize that Jesus is God made flesh amongst us.
Jesus in His prayer
mentioned,
John 17: 3 <And this is
life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
whom thou hast sent.>
The problem in the
world today is not that people don’t know that there is one God; they know: the
Muslims, the Hindus and everybody say, “There is one God”, but the thing is to
know this one God and Jesus Christ whom He have sent. And we thank God today
that we could say that we know this one God and we also know Jesus Christ whom
He has sent, and we thank God for the Lord Jesus Christ who was able to take
the Book out of the hand of Him
that sat upon the throne.
Brother Bruce: I want to make reference to Book thirteen,
which dealt with the Godhead on chapter twenty-six, from page 277 to 284.
Included here is Revelation 5 where one person said, “I do not understand the
difference between God and the Lamb.” So if we have the question right, the
person wants us to explain Revelation 5 and speaking of the Lamb. I think the
emphasis here is on the Godhead. The person wants to find out if God is one God
and He is sitting on the throne, how is it that Jesus, who we believe is God,
could be coming to take the Book out of His hand? It looks like two. So now,
that is the little catch there.
I want to state, in
support of Brother Chandler, that although we see two in Revelation 5, we do
not believe in two
gods, neither three, four nor five gods. We
believe in one God, therefore the simple understanding is locked up in the
scripture, everywhere, from the Book of Acts to Revelation, that Jesus was a
man and that man was born right, in a way that no other human being was born on
the earth. That does not make Him the second person in the Godhead with equal
power with God. It simply means that Jesus was a man. And throughout the
scripture, starting on the day of Pentecost, Peter came out there and said,
Acts 2:22 <… a man
approved of God among you… >
But He was a
different kind of man. He was a God-man born in a different way from all other
human beings; even different than Adam. And this human being born from the
Virgin Mary, he was a man in all respect, except for the virgin birth and being
born without sin.
In the dispensation
of time, the Lord came at the banks of Jordan and entered Him by His Spirit, in
the fullness of the Spirit. The fullness of the Godhead rested bodily in Him,
Colossians 1. But He was born the Christ, and He was born the Word, which is
God.
There are heresies,
outside there, which says that Jesus was not God at His birth and He only
became God at the banks of Jordan. That is not true.
John 1:1, 14 <In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…>
So, the simplicity
of this is that Jesus was a man in all respect except for two major items: He
was born from a virgin Mary, and He was born the
sinless Son of God. And in time God indwelt Him as He indwelt no other human
being on the earth and that made Jesus, God, but the flesh was not God. Now that’s the
catch there. At no time the flesh of Jesus was God, and that’s the big tie up
right there that they cannot divide humanity from divinity. Humanity is one and
Divinity is the next. And the great mystery of the Godhead is divinity united
with humanity. And that is why in John 14 Jesus said, <When you see me you see the Father>, even
because He was speaking by revelation and not in the flesh. So, Jesus is God by
revelation.
I Corinthians 12:3 <…no man can say
that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. >, by
divine revelation.
So now, Jesus was a
man in all respect and God is God throughout eternity. And, at the Cross they
became separated because of sin, and when the man, Jesus, realized that God
went from Him, He said,
Mark 15:34 <…My God, my
God, why hast thou forsaken me?>
So, here we had a
man dying on the Cross, the supreme sacrifice, and here was God that stepped
out because God cannot be associated with sin. At the time of the resurrection
our Lord, God came back in Jesus and the resurrection took place, and the ascension
took place, and then the man went into the Holiest place as a supreme
sacrifice, and God descended on the Day of Pentecost in the fullness of the
Holy Ghost just like He was residing in Jesus and filled a hundred and twenty
people. Very simple!
It’s about time
that the Rapture takes place, so the man, Jesus, is the Lamb and He came out
and God is sitting on the throne there. That doesn’t make Them
two Gods. It makes them the lamb, which is the man, coming to take the book
from the hand of the Almighty. So, that does not contradict the scripture in
the least. Jesus is still a man, and the man came and took the Book out of the hand
of Almighty God, that is in order to claim His possession.
Question
# 723: A brother asked: If
a brother is invited by a denomination pastor, can he go and preach to his
denomination?
E.O.D.H. Contribution: My name is Samuel Jones of Bethel,
Trinidad. I believe that if a brother is being invited by a denominational
preacher he could go because we are dealing with souls. The Bible says,
Proverbs 11:30 <…he that winneth souls is wise. >
I think that he
should go and it’s an opportunity to preach the Word of God, and the Bible
says,
John 8:32 <And ye shall know the truth, and the truth
shall make you free. >
Romans 10:15< And how shall they preach, except they be sent?>
And I believe that
any sent preacher could go in any denominational church because it happened to
me. I was in denomination, and a sent preacher went to the denominational
church and he saved over seventy people. So, I’m speaking by experience.
Brother Peter went up to Cornelius’ house and Cornelius was a Gentile.
Brother Bruce: Brother Paul targeted all synagogues until
they threw him out, and Brother Branham targeted all organizations.
Brother Samuel Jones: I am saying that he should go because the world
needs Christ, and he will be preaching Christ to them. Amen.
Brother Sookdeo
Ramnarine: We are in agreement with that. Every
open door to declare this message.
Question # 724:
“What should a brother do who is burning up in the flesh, and looks for a bride
from all message believers and finds none?”
E.O.D.H.
Contribution: I am Roy Barrow.
I Corinthians 7:9 <But if
they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to
burn.>
What must that
brother do in this case? He is burning. That is the emphasis. The Bible said,
Proverbs 18:22 <Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good
thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.>
My first
recommendation to him is to continue to pray. God answers prayers. Probably it is not
yet the time for God to answer his prayer. Yet he is burning. And neither is
there any excuse for him to continue lusting. That is what burning means: to
lust. The Bible said that there is a way of escape in every temptation.
I Corinthians 10:13 <There
hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful,
who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the
temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.>
So there is a way,
and that brother ought to seek that way.
We
are men here, and the reason we all got married is because there was a burning
in our flesh. The Bible said,
I Corinthians 7:9 <But if
they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to
burn.>
So
if a young or old person is burning in the flesh, Brother Paul gave us a solution, and that is to
marry.
Hebrews 13:4 <Marriage is
honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God
will judge.>
He ought to continue in prayer and continue
to wait on the Lord, because the scripture said,
Psalms 84:11 <…no good
thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.>
Once he is walking
uprightly, God is going to come around and answer his prayer.
Proverbs 18:22 <Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good
thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.>
Matthew
6:33 <But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all
these things shall be added unto you.>
I think here is
where the answer
is: seeking first the Kingdom of God. Once you seek the Kingdom God promises
that all, not some, these things shall be added unto you. He ought to wait,
seek God for a wife, but above all things, seek the Kingdom of God first, , and
his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto him.
Brother Sookdeo Ramnarine: I just
want to say that this brother has got to have faith in God.
Brother Dalton
Bruce: Up to now he has sought his own will.
Brother Sookdeo Ramnarine: Yes. He
has got to have faith and seek God’s will.
Brother Dalton Bruce: I love these kinds of meetings, and let
this DVD go out as an example to see how peaceful a minister’s meeting is
conducted. And some of you brothers went to certain ministers’ meetings and you
talk about a carrying on, upset, tempers flying and arguments and everything
but there is such a wonderful Spirit here that although these men know the answers,
they know the Word and they know the message yet still they prefer to hold
their peace, and let another speak. And we are happy and more than grateful to
the Lord to really answer these questions. It is a blessing to my soul and what
makes it a blessing to me is that I know that it will be a blessing to others
somewhere else.
We, as a body of
ministers, locally and from foreign lands, representatives of the message of
Malachi 4: 5-6, enjoyed hearing and answering your questions. We endeavored to do our best in answering scripturally and by
the message, and do trust that it would be accepted in the same spirit. We
trust that it will be of edification to each of you precious ministers and your
congregations in Zambia, and in the time to come such blessing will be extended
to other people in Africa and the rest of the world. All the ministers salute
you by saying, “Peace be unto you.” Amen!
Continue
to Chapter Eleven >>>