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 10^th 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 4^th 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 4^th 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 4^th 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. William 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. William 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. William 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. William 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. William 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 laid 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 9^th 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 2^nd 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 1^st 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 2^nd 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. William Branham the revelation of the seals, but do not forget, only 6 of those seals were revealed completely, and even then, the 6^th seal does not have its fulfillment until after the 7^th seal has already been fulfilled, for the 6^th 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 1^st 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, 2^nd 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 7^th 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 5^th 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. William 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 5^th 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. William 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. William 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 7^th 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 70^th 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 14^th 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 that angel will be heard calling for the other four angels to hold back the winds of world conflict until WE, (plural) have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. That angel is going to work with two prophets until they have seen 144,000 Jewish men receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. As we have said already, while those two witnesses are busy preaching and prophesying for the purpose of calling out the 144,000 there will be others who will hear, believe, and receive the Holy Ghost, but they will spend the last 3 ½ years of the 70^th week of Daniel hiding from the beast; while the 144,000 men will be going to their brethren in dispersion, preaching the everlasting gospel, Rev. 14:6. That verse says the angel had the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on earth of every kindred and tongue and people, but you know, and I know, that angels do not preach, so who will do the preaching? The 144,000.

A GREAT MULTITUDE

Now let us look at verse 9, of this chapter 7. John says, “After this (the sealing of the 144,000, and the great tribulation) 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.” What we have here is a great multitude crying out, but voice is used in the singular again, and the reason is the same; It is the voice of unity. They are all crying the same thing at the same time. All the angels, the twenty four elders, and the four beasts are standing around the throne and they fall on their faces and worship God, but notice who it is that talks to John. That is why I said, Keep your mind on those elders. Verse 13, “And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they.” The elder is asking John who these are, and where they came from, but John didn’t know, so he just turns the question right back to him by saying, “Sir, thou knowest.” That is the same as saying, I do not know but you do, so you tell me. This is the only place you will find the word Sir, but it certainly proves that the voice speaking to John is not the voice of God in this case; neither is it the voice of an angel. You will notice here that John did not fall down and try to worship this one, but rather, called him, Sir, and said, You tell me. Brothers and sisters: I have said it before; These elders definitely have to be the patriarchs and the apostles who were redeemed from among mankind. That is how God sets up His theocratic government. The word elder is used to designate someone set in a position of authority to represent others to a higher position. John spoke to him, (the elder) just like you would the President of the United States, calling him Sir, recognizing his authority. You will not find any place in the Bible where a prophet or any man ever referred to an angel, as Sir. This is a word that is related to fellow man. Saints I realize that some will say this is contradictory to say that John is seeing the twelve patriarchs and the twelve apostles, when He, Himself, is one of the twelve apostles, but do not let that cause you any problem. Remember, John is lifted up in the Spirit and carried to a future age. He also saw his name written in one of the twelve foundation stones of the new city, (Rev. 21:14) while he was looking into the future. He was looking all the way into the millennium where the 12 patriarchs are representing their tribes to the one seated on the throne, and the twelve apostles who took what God had done through those 12 tribes, and the words of Jesus, and represented it to mankind in that first age, there before the throne representing all who believed their witness. As far as John seeing himself as one of those elders: that is no strange thing. Just suppose God would see fit to let some of us look 2000 years into the future; we would see ourselves doing something. Is that right?

Saints there is a lot more I want to put in this message while we are dealing with the subject of the seven thunders, and I cannot get it in the space we have this month, so please bear with us until the July issue where we will go into chapter 8, and show you something of what those two witnesses will be doing when that 70^th week of Daniel starts for the Jews. We also want to deal with what John heard, a little more yet, for I believe there is a key to the great mass of confusion that is locked up in the midst of those who try to follow the prophet’s message. Men are struggling, trying to find the message of the seven thunders in something that Bro. William Branham preached, when they ought to be devoting their time to trying to understand what the seven thunders are. If we know what the thunders are, we will have a better chance of hearing them when they finally do sound THEIR VOICES. In the meantime: may we all keep a proper attitude and let God work His perfecting process in our lives as He sees fit to do so.