CONCLUSION OF THE DISCUSSION ON THE OFFICE OF THE PROPHET
Shalom dear brothers and sisters. I trust that we are all happy as we journey along on this pilgrim way. We want to appreciate you all for your participation on our blog for it brings life to the platform and helps us to grow spiritually.
We have been discussing questions in our Sunday school and, in the last couple of weeks, on this blog on the five-fold ministry. We started with the office of the Pastor and then came to the Prophet and the gift of prophecy. For those who have been taking part, your participation has been quite good and you have been quoting Brother Branham pretty well in your submissions.
Now, the objective of these discussions, friends, is for us to clearly understand the five-fold ministry and the offices thereof as it is these officers or ministers whom God has entrusted with the work of perfecting us for the Rapture. As the Pastor always emphasizes, the purpose of our gathering is for the Rapture, and the Rapture alone.
We must understand, Saints, that the five-ministry is God’s dress ware. In other words, God uses these men to bring His Word to us His bride. As we learnt in our initial Sunday school discussion, the Pastor is the head of the local assembly as the elder, no other man is above him and he reports to no man but directly to God. After the Pastor is the office of the deacon. The deacons are the policemen of the church and the assistants to the Pastor in all spiritual matters. That is the order of our local assembly as given by Brother Branham.
76 Now, God fortified His army. What with? Himself, in the form of prophets, apostles, teachers, pastors. What did He do? What was God doing? Listen, did you ever think what that offices of the church is? It’s God’s dress, inside dress, an apostle, a prophet, a seer. Foresee, before Satan ever gets to it, done told it. What is it? God dressed up in His church. These offices is God’s dress-wear. When you see those offices, pastors, teachers, evangelists, what is that? That’s God’s dress-wear, God’s Presence, God’s Spirit (And if…) working through man. And if that office denies any of this Word, then it’s not God-dressing…?… No, not that. That’s that wolf in sheep’s clothing. Watch that fellow. Beware of him. But when he just takes what the Word says, remember, that’s God, ’cause He’s speaking His Word. See? But if he says, “Well, it isn’t…” Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, my. Get going, sheep; get going!
[62-0607 – Putting On The Whole Armour Of God_Rev. William Marrion Branham.]
And now the Church of God is the house of judgment, and the pastor is the highest order in the Church. The elder is the highest thing in the apostolic Church, outside of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings His Message straight to the elder, and the elder gives It to the people. [58-1007 – Church Order_Rev. William Marrion Branham]
The deacons are the policemen of the church, and the assistants to the pastor. [59-0712 – A Total Deliverance_Rev. William Marrion Branham.]
I am sure we all know that the office of major prophet, or prophet of the Age, in this generation has already been fulfilled by William Marrion Branham. He is the final voice to this final age and after him, there cannot be another major prophet. What we are having now while Brother Branham is resting are only minor prophets and people with the gift of prophecy. This brings to mind Brother Branham’s definition of a New Testament prophet whom he says is a preacher.
18 A New Testament prophet is a preacher. We all know that. Just any minister that’s a preacher is a prophet, a New Testament prophet, if he’s prophesying, preaching, not to try to edify himself to make a big name, or to edify his organization. Which, he should be in an organization. Here I am without one, but yet preaching you should be. That’s right. Every man ought to have a church home. You ought to have a place, not just to float about from pillar to post, but have somewhere that you go to church and you call it your church, somewhere you pay your tithes, and somewhere that you help support the Cause. Take your choice, but then don’t never disfellowship the other man because he don’t belong with your group. See? Discern his spirit and see if he’s got the same purpose in heart, then you got fellowship one with another. You’re working for one great Cause. That’s the cause of Christ. I think that that is absolutely true. [60-0308 – Discernment Of Spirit_Rev. William Marrion Branham.]
I believe the following quote best concludes this discussion: “Before we close this section on the messenger of the Laodicean Age, we must seriously consider these two thoughts. First, this age will have ONE Prophet-Messenger. Revelation 10:7 says, “When he (singular) shall begin to sound.” There has never been an age where God gave His people two major prophets at one time. He gave Enoch (alone); He gave Noah (alone); He gave Moses (he alone had the Word though others prophesied); John the Baptist came ALONE.” [An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages (9 – The Laodicean Church Age)_Rev. William Marrion Branham.]
Therefore, though we may have prophets, there will not be another major prophet after the Elijah of Malachi 4:5, Brother Branham, through whom God repeated the Son of Man ministry which is a one man ministry. We are now in a many-membered ministry wherein the five-fold ministry takes centre stage as God’s dress-wear.
God Richly Bless You All, as we move on to the next topic.
