The third pull [ 1956 1962 ] 1956 Vision of the Third pull

10. Chicago Ministerial Fellowship set a trap for Brother Branham.

[“The Godhead Explained”, April 25, 1961 Chicago.]

REVELATION. CHAPTER 5. PART 1. BRUISED SERPENT. JEFF. IN 61-0611

81 A few days ago in Chicago, before a ministerial association of Chicago, greater Chicago... I knew... The Holy Spirit got me up in the night and told me, "Stand by the window." Said, "There is a group of ministers, and they're fixing a breakfast for you." Said, "Be careful, they're going to attack you upon this."

I said, "Thank You, Lord." He showed me where it would be set.

And I went and told some ministers, Brother Carlson and Brother Tommy Hicks, how it would be. I said, "The place that you've ordered, it won't be like that. We're going to be in another place." Told how Doctor Meade would be setting; how a colored man would come in, set this way, and all about it.

Then that morning they said... My son said to me; he said, "Daddy, you going over there in that fuss?"

I said, "I ain't going over to fuss. I'm going over, anointed with the Holy Spirit, with a Word of God that'll guard that mercy seat as long as He's there."

So when we got down there, before they even had a chance to ask one thing, the Holy Spirit spoke to me, said, "Now, is the time to say it."

I said, "I know why you're here." And I said, "Now, Brother Hicks, and you and Brother Carlson, the head of the Christian Business Men," I said, "isn't everything just exactly the way the Holy Spirit told me day before yesterday, that you did not get that room, we'd be over here?" And they just got it that morning. And I said, "Now, look, everybody is placed just the way It said it would be." I said, "The thing you want to approach me on is on the Name of Jesus Christ for baptism."

88 And when we... The Holy Spirit begin to take the Word of God and reveal It and interpret It down like that, when all those bunch of trinitarian ministers setting there, reaching under the table and shaking hands with one another and tears running down their cheeks. And I understand that seventy-two of them is coming down here to this Tabernacle for me to baptize them in the Name of Jesus Christ.

The mercy seat is guarded (See?), the Holy Spirit guarding the mercy seat. We must keep it just exactly... Let that Word of God... Them great messengers setting there, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, that backs up every act of that New Testament...

And now, now, that's exactly what I said in the first part of this morning's message, let's keep it right there guarded by the Gospel, these things. See? Keep it right there where the Gospels will guard It.
11. Prophet leaving the ministry because he’s being called Jesus Christ. [Vision of the bruised serpent.]
REVELATION. CHAPTER 5. PART 1. BRUISED SERPENT. JEFF.IN 61-0611

21 And that brings me or leads me to say something that I would rather run than say. It leads me to say something that I... It grinds my heart to the bottom to say it, but what I say I am forced to say, realizing that this is being taped and the world will hear it, but I have left the ministry for a--a cause that I am sorry that I have to leave for. And perhaps many of you have heard it; I'm closing my office, and so forth, and leaving the field.

I don't know where our Lord will lead me to, and that I have no control of, or whatever He will have for me to do. But I'm thinking at the end of the road where I must come. And down along life's journeys I have made so many mistakes that I am very sorry from my heart of, because of, I guess, being human and in weakness and so forth, causes a person to do things or say things that, and even act that they would not want to act otherwise. But being the weakness of a human being, why, we--we have those times. But there...

If there's anything that has been in my heart to do, was to hear those Words of our Lord Jesus at the end of this journey, to say, "It was well done, My good and faithful servant." And many times I have said I'd like to have been standing there when He said, "Come unto Me"; but I did desire to hear it say, "Well done." That I did not hear the voice in the original say, "Come unto Me," back in the times of the writing of the Bible; but I do desire to hear it say, "Well done."

And if anything I always wanted to be, and desires of my heart to be, was a true servant to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour. I want my testimony to be clean, clear cut, that I stood, in all my mistakes I yet loved Him with all my heart. And I do that this morning with all my heart.

And because of that, it forces me to say I am leaving the ministry, is because that there's something arose up amongst the people that's caused me to do it; that is, that I have been taken from my bracket of a minister or a brother and being called Jesus Christ, and so call... And that would brand me as an antichrist. And I'll meet God as a quitter before I would meet Him as an antichrist to take away from Him.

I--I heard of it a--a few years ago and I thought it was a joke. And I met a couple brethren (which I don't see neither one of them in the meeting this morning), two or three of them one time in a fishing trip, and they approached me by the subject of saying, "Brother Branham, aren't you the anointed Messiah, the Christ?"

And I put my arms around the neck of both brethren, or all of them, and I said, "Brethren, as much as I have tried to be a true servant of Christ, I would not that you would say such a thing as that. And if it would ever be said of me, then I will leave the field with a clear conscience, and you who do that will be responsible for every soul that I would've saved during that time (See?), for taking me from the field." And I thought that ended it.

And I heard it a few more times. But it wasn't so. And the other day in Canada a brother showed me a little ticket of a thing he packed in his pocket, said, "William Branham is our Lord," baptizing in the name of William Branham. And a little... a precious... If it'd been an enemy, if it'd been my enemy I would've knowed it was a joke. But a precious, darling brother come up to confess his sins and his wrongs and say his faith in me as being Jesus Christ.

And I have got letters at home, and calls from Chicago and different places, asking me if I believe that dogma.

And I got all kinds of letters that's come in the last few days, and calls from different places, and so--or--or saying that I was Christ. Brethren, that is a horrible, disgraceful, ungodly lie of the devil. See, see? I am your brother. Now, that would run any person from the field. That would make anyone that loves Christ run from the very thing.

I went to the Lord here not long ago, when I first heard it, about a year ago, and then I went to the Lord and He referred to me to the Scripture that when John came forth a-preaching, that they hadn't had a prophet on the earth for so many years, until it would... They was all amazed in their heart, thinking maybe John was the Messiah. So then I... John, they went and asked him, and he said that he was not. You read that in Luke the 3rd chapter, 15th verse. And so then... But that kind of quietened down, so I let it go like that.

But then when it come to this, then I knowed that something must be done. And I say this, that the visions and the Angel of the Lord that appeared at the river, if this is to be my last message or last thing to the church, to the world, "Those things are truth, as far as the Angel of the Lord."

And I stood still if people called me a prophet many times, 'cause a prophet in the English testament is just "a preacher, a prophesier, a foreteller of the Word," and so forth. I'd stand for that, 'cause you could just kind of push that down; but when it comes to be calling anointed Christ, or something, that was too much for me. So I just couldn't stand that.

34 And so then about... I come... After leaving the meeting at Canada, I found out that way up in the Eskimos or the Indians up there, it had got among them.

And so it just tore me all up. And the hunting trip that I had planned so long, I could not take it. I was afraid of a hunting accident, if you understand what I mean. I got so shaky, worse than I am standing here now. And I just couldn't stand it any longer, to think that thirty-one years of ministry went down the devil's gutter pipe, into the... When I'm gone, what will they say? "There he is; that's exactly what it was." And all the influence that I had upon the people, then you see where it'd be, I'd be an antichrist. And I just couldn't stand it.

I thought, "I'd rather die here in the woods, like I fell on my gun or something, than..." And I seen I was... Then I thought about my little Joseph, and so forth, that had to be raised. And I was no condition to hunt, so I just left the woods and come home.

And I've been tore up about eight or ten days, in such a fix I just... I thought I was losing my mind. And I just asked everybody to stay away from me and let me alone, 'cause I'm in such a fix and nervous and upset and all tore to pieces.

And I wondered; if it would've been some enemy of mine, it would been all right, but I would just have laughed at it and went on; but when it come to being precious brothers, precious sisters, then that's what hurt me. And I said, "Lord, the great--thing's too great for me; I'll just have to walk out and leave it in Your hands. I--I don't know nothing else to do."

A few nights ago, to make it sure, I had a--a visitation from the Lord. And I seen a precious ones, a babying a--a serpent which was yellow and black, and telling me right along, and--and the thing struck me on the leg. But the blood was so rich it didn't take effect on me. And I looked down, and there's where I had been bit before. And I turned quickly with a gun and shot the--the thing, and it hit it right in the middle of the thing.

And a brother said... I turned with my gun to shoot its head off, and he said, "Don't do that; just pick up the stick laying there by you." And when I turned my back to pick up the stick, it wiggled into some water, just a small puddle of water.

I said, "Well, it can't hurt very much longer now because I believe the brother realizes (the brethren) that what would happen." I said, "It'll... It's mortally wounded, so it'll die."

And I asked many of my members of my church here, in this Tabernacle with Brother Neville and I, that's come approaching me with that same question. Brothers, sisters, haven't I tried to be a true servant of Christ before you? Have not I tried to be your brother?

Now, wherever it is; it's a spirit on precious people. Many people has asked me that. But it's--it's a spirit, but I hope that today that it receives a deadly wound and will die out quickly so I can return back to the ministry. Until then, I'll ask you each one: pray for me. I don't know what I'll do. My place up for sale. And I just can't stand it; I--I--I stay around, I'll go completely stark mad. And I'm... I ask you to pray for me.

And, remember, if you've ever believed me, if you've ever believed me to be a servant of Christ, remember, "That is an error. It's falsely. THUS SAITH THE LORD. It is wrong. Have nothing to do with it. I am your brother. Let us bow our heads:

45 Heavenly Father, my flesh is trembling; my hands are squeezing together; my toes are drawed up in my shoes. O God, be merciful. What have I ever done, Lord, to deserve this? I pray that You'll be so merciful to me, Lord, and to all. And up there in them precious darling people, may they see their error and what they have did, Lord, to break the heart of their brother and to--not only their brother, but our Saviour; our heavenly Father. I pray that You'll forgive us of our errors, Lord. Let the holy Blood of Christ now draw our beings together, Lord, and blessed be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love and fellowship.

God, may the enemy that's approached our brothers and our sisters with--may it receive a deadly wound that cannot exist any longer; may it just die away, Lord. When You do that, Father, I'll return back to the field again. But until then, Lord, I am Your heartbroken servant, waiting, waiting. It's beyond anything I could do. With tears and with crying and with persuading I tried, Lord, hard (You know my heart.), to stop it before it got that far; but it went beyond anything I could do. So, Father, I commit it into Your Hand from this pulpit to where I've preached for all these years. I commit it into Your Hand.

Now, You see to it, Father, in Your own Divine way. And when it's all finished and everything is over, then Thy servant shall return. Until then I'll be waiting to hear from You, Lord.

Bless us now and give us a great service today; as we're here not altogether for this, but just to make it clear, publicly, before the world. That they might know, Father, that I love You and believe You, and have stood for You, and--and want to... If I have to go, let me go, Lord, with a clean heart and a real record that I have believed You and trusted You. Grant it. And I'll praise Thee and we'll give Thee glory through all ages that is to come through Jesus Christ. Amen.
12. Jesus had four titles. [Property]
GABRIEL'S INSTRUCT TO DANIEL. JEFF. IN 61-0730M

58 Jesus in the Gospel had four titles; we brought that: Son of David, heir to the throne; Son of Abraham, the royal grant; Son of man, heir of the earth; Son of God, heir to all things, the royal grant.

In the Old Testament, property could not be--could not be held any longer than fifty years. It could not be annihilated from its original owner but fifty years. And on the fortieth day He paid the price. On the fiftieth day, the redemption and the power that belonged to the Church that was lost in the garden of Eden was redeemed back and sent to us by the baptism of the Holy Ghost on the fiftieth day.
13. The 9^th Mystery of iniquity. [2 Thessalonians 2: 3-12.]

2 THESSALONIANS 2:7

For the mystery of iniquity doth already work only he now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
SIXFOLD PURPOSE GABRIEL VISIT DAN. JEFF. IN 61-0730E

109 Sister Simpson told me this afternoon, she said, "Brother Branham, I've read the entire Book of Daniel. I just--I just didn't know no more when I got through than I did when I started." Here it is, Sister Simpson, if you're here tonight. I believe I see her setting over there. I never said nothing in the trailer. I held my peace, 'cause I thought maybe I'd get to it. But the vision that Daniel had saw down there by the river was sealed up until the end time. It's... Let me just go ahead and read it here. See?

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the end time: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall... increase.

And I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood... two,... one on one side... of the river, and one on the other... side of the bank of the river.

And one said to the man clothed in--in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? (Now, listen.)

And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and sware by him that lived for ever and ever that it shall be for a time, time, and a half time;... (Now, we're getting right--right exactly.)... time, time, and a half time;... (Now, you watch when we get in Daniel's Seventy Weeks, how that comes out. That's when the mystery's going to be revealed. All right.)... time, time, and a half time; and when he shall... ("he," personal pronoun now, the antichrist,)... shall... accomplish--accomplish to scatter the power of the holy people,... (That's when he breaks his covenant in the middle of the week.)... all these things shall be fulfilled. (Amen.)

And I heard but I understood not: then said I, O... Lord, what shall be the end of these things?

And he said, Go your way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the... [Congregation says, "End."--Ed.] (Oh, don't you forget that.)... until the time of the end.

Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

The end time Message shall reveal it, the last church age. Glory. Whew. There you are. Oh, my. It shakes me to think of it. The mystery, the things that the church world bats their eyes and says, "It's nonsense," the mystery of Who Jesus Christ was--not a third person, not the second person, not the third person, but "the" Person of God, all these other mysteries of God will be revealed, because it's wrote here in this Book, and be revealed to the end time generation. They can no more see it in seminaries, and schools, and denominations than the Jews could see Jesus being the Messiah. No wonder they try to think you're crazy. No wonder they think you're foolish. No wonder they can't understand why you don't cluck up with them. Because there's a power and a vision behind it, a Word of God that's been revealed to get the Church in order for the rapture and the going home. Yes, many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase. Certainly.

111 Now, what is another thing that would be known? Look at today at the churches. Here it is. I hope it don't hurt, but I got to tell it. Making...

In that day there will be an antichrist rise. Now, remember, when we get in the Seals, that antichrist rides right out over in those Seals. Daniel spoke of it here, the Prince that would come. He would be cut off, Jesus would, to make reconciliations for the people. But that prince that would stand up, that would cause the abomination to make desolation, that was Rome through Titus; and this time it's a prince coming out of Rome that'll do it. And he will be revealed in the last days (Now, listen.), making himself God, as the Holy Ghost warns us in II Thessalonians the 2nd... Let's just go to it--II Thessalonians, and then you'll have not my word, but God's Word: II Thessalonians the 2nd chapter and the 12th verse. Let's see: II Thessalonians the 2nd chapter and the 12th verse. Let's see. Let's begin above that, the 7th verse.

For the mystery of iniquity does already work:... (This is Paul speaking by the Holy Ghost.)... only--only he whom now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. (Who's "he" here, does anybody know? The Holy Ghost, He that letteth.)

And when--then when--shall that Wicked one be revealed,... (When? Just at the time the Holy Ghost is being taken out, which is fixing to leave right now. What's He leaving for? Taking the Church with Him.)... revealed... (Paul speaking under the inspiration.)... whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: (The wicked one, of course.)

Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,... ("We are the greatest church." "We have this; we have this. All of you consolidate together." See? "We are the greatest.")... lying wonders,

And with all... of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they receive not of the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

And for this cause God has sent them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie--should believe a lie:

And that they... might be damned who believe not the truth, but has pleasure in unrighteousness.

Do you get it? Oh, my. Now, Paul speaking... The time when the Seal of God is being made known, His Spirit, His Name, His grace, all these other great mysteries that's going forth now, plans for His Church to go in the rapture, the outpouring of the Holy Ghost has done this. That's what He done in the last days.

LAODICEAN CHURCH AGE. CHURCH AGE BOOK. CHAPTER 9.

362-2 The mystery of the tares and wheat of Matthew 13:24-30, is now also fulfilled. "Another parable put He forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? From whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into My barn."

The wheat and the tares, which from the first age until now have grown side by side, are harvested. What Nicaea set out to accomplish has finally come to pass. With all the might of organization the false church turns from any vestige of truth and with political might reinforces herself with state backing and sets out to eradicate forever the true believer. But just when she is about to accomplish her cowardly plot the wheat is gathered into the garner. No longer will the wheat and tares grow side by side. No longer will the tares receive of the blessing of God because of the presence of the wheat, for the wheat will be gone and the wrath of God will be poured out in the sixth seal which will end in the utter destruction of the wicked.

363-1 Now I said a moment ago that the false vine came into full fruition in this age. Her fruit would mature and ripen. That is correct. This evil-spirited church, full of iniquity, will be revealed as the mustard seed that grew into a tree wherein lodged the fouls of the air. At her head will be the antichrist, the mystery of iniquity. All this is true. And if this is true, then it must also be true that the Bride Church will mature, and her ripeness shall be an identification with her Lord by means of the Word, and her Head Who will come to her is the Mystery of Godliness, Which indeed is Christ. And as the false church with all cunning and diabolical power made up of political force, physical force and demons of darkness come against this true vine, the true vine with the fullness of the Spirit and the Word will do the very acts of power that Jesus did. Then as she nears her Headstone, becoming like Him through the Word, Jesus will come that the bride and Groom may be forever united as one.

Already the visible manifestations of what I have been telling you are seen all around us. The ecumenical move of the tares is factual. But also it is a fact that the prophet for the last age must be bringing forth a message from God that will forerun the second coming of the Lord, for by his message will the hearts of the children be turned back to the Pentecostal fathers, and with the restoration of the Word will come the restoration of the power.

363-3 What crucial times are these in which we live. How careful we must be that we remain true to this Word and not take from it or add to it, for he who would speak where God has not spoken makes Him a liar. What I have particularly in mind is this: About the turn of the century the hunger for God that was generated in the Philadelphian Age brought a cry for the Spirit of God. And when the cry was answered by God sending forth manifestation in tongues, interpretation and prophecy, a group immediately, and most contrary to the Word, drew up a doctrine that tongues was the evidence of being baptized with the Holy Ghost. Tongues were far from evidence. They were manifestation, but not evidence. The falsity of the doctrine can not only be seen by a lack of Scripture to substantiate it, but those who subscribed to the doctrine immediately organized on the basis of the doctrine, proving that they were not in the truth as they would have people believe. Oh, it looked good. It looked like the return of Pentecost. But it proved it wasn't. It could not be, for it organized. That is death, not life. It looked so close to the real that multitudes were deceived. Now if it wasn't the genuine, what was it? It was the husk, the chaff. In the green, soft sheath-form it looked like it was the real thing. But as one can go into the field and see what looks exactly like wheat and yet is only the husk, (for the wheat seed has not yet formed) so this was but the soft shell that looked like the real grain yet to come. The original wheat seed of Pentecost was to come back in the last age. It had been buried at Nicaea. It sent up a shoot at Sardis. It grew a tassel at Philadelphia, and it was to mature at Laodicea. But it could not be back to the original until the Word was restored. The prophet had not yet come upon the scene. But now according to the time wherein we stand in the Laodicean Age, the 'Prophet-messenger' of Revelation 10:7 must already be in the land. Once more "Thus saith the Lord" must be here, ready to be manifested with infallible vindication. Thus is the True Seed already maturing, and then the harvest. Harvest time. Yes, harvest time. The two vines that grew together and intertwined their branches are now to be separated. The fruits of those vines which were at such variance will be gathered into separate garners. The two spirits will go to their separate destinations. Now it is time to heed the final call that comes only to the Wheat Bride, 'Come out of her My people that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye (wheat) receive not her (tares) plagues (the great tribulation of the sixth seal and Matthew 24).