Blessings

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This life sees much tribulation

MATTHEW 13:20   But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;

:21   Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

Tribulation quickly weeds out the shallow believer who only serves God in order to be blessed in this life.

ACTS 14:22   Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

This life sees us having to endure “much tribulation”. The path to Heaven is difficult.

The tribulations of life mould us into the persons that God wants us to be, as we learn to wait on God for his intervention.

ROMANS 5:3   And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

:4     And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

Patience is essential as it teaches us to wait on God. Not rely on our own strength.

ROMANS 8:35   Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

All the things that go wrong must not change our attitude towards Jesus. In the worst of times we must still rejoice and patiently pray as we learn to totally trust God’s timing.

ROMANS 12:12   Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

II CORINTHIANS 1:4    Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

We have to go through tribulations in order to understand others when life hits them with tribulations. If we can understand them then we are better equipped to help them.

II CORINTHIANS 7:4   I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

Despite everything going wrong, Paul could still rejoice in all his tribulation.

II CORINTHIANS 7:5   For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.

Lesson to learn: tribulations are not to be avoided at all costs. They are to be overcome.

Exercise can hurt but it makes the body grow stronger.

Pruning a plant and cutting its branches down stimulates new growth to produce beautiful flowers.

Thus, tribulations strengthen our faith in Christ.

The more we depend on the Holy Spirit, the stronger we get.

EPHESIANS 3:16   That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

“According to the riches of his glory”.

We learn a hard truth. To cope with the harsh and sinful world that we live in it is better for God to toughen us up so that we can cope with our tribulations, rather than to remove our tribulations from us.

Soft Christians will not make it to the end.

He that endureth to the end.

We must not allow difficulties to discourage us. Christians have to suffer tribulation.

I THESSALONIANS 3:3   That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto.

:4     For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and ye know.

Being able to cope with tribulations is the glory of the church as it makes Satan helpless.

If Satan hammers you and you rejoice and keep going, then Satan cannot harm you. In the same manner that strenuous exercise that hurts cannot harm you as it just makes you fitter and stronger.

II THESSALONIANS 1:4   So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure:

General Slim who commanded the British army in Burma in the Second World War said,

"Difficulty and Defeat are the Hammer and Anvil on which character is hammered out".

CCC makes a successful marriage : Commitment, Communication, Coping with Adversity.

John was the last apostle to still be alive. All the other apostles had been killed.

He was falsely accused and isolated from all his friends on the prison-island of Patmos that held the scum of the vicious and cruel Roman Empire.

REVELATION 1:9   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.

John was familiar with tribulation. Hardship and loneliness were his companions. So it seemed that he had lost out but it was there that the most amazing visions of the New Testament exploded into his consciousness.

Lesson to learn: Physical hardship and suffering does wonders to open up our spiritual insight into the mysteries of God.

The more our physical world shrinks, the more our spiritual eyes open.

When God reveals the mysteries of His Word to us, that is the greatest blessing that God can bestow upon us.

Because the wise virgins who escape great tribulation are those who understand the mysteries of Scripture.

DANIEL 12:10   ... but the wise shall understand.

Escaping great tribulation in an immortal, pain-free body is the greatest blessing that we wait for.

This life is not the reason for our existence. The next life is.

This life is just a preparation for the next life which will be based strictly on Scripture in order to be eternal.

Our most important task is thus to understand the King James Bible so that we can learn to love God’s thinking.

Our thoughts must not be contaminated by man-made ideas and doctrines.

Our biggest blessing is the Second Coming of Jesus

The real blessings of God are spiritual.

Earthly blessings are temporary. Spiritual blessings are eternal.

REVELATION 22:14   Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Nothing in this life can remotely compare with that future glorious pyramid-shaped city where Jesus sits on top as the Light. Jesus is the Tree of Life. He alone can give eternal life. All we have to do is obey His commands.

The Bible ends with a focus on the future eternal blessings which is the reward for our obedience to His unfolding Word as It is revealed.

REVELATION 22:7   Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Keep the sayings of the Bible. The New Testament fulfils the Old Testament.

We cannot keep the sayings of the Book of Revelation unless we understand what the symbols and the patterns mean.

REVELATION 20:6   Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The end-time events begin with the resurrection of the New Testament saints in their immortal bodies. We need to be holy if we are to share in that great blessing so that our bodies can also change into immortal bodies. If we sufficiently understand the mysteries of Scripture then we will be able to recognize the New Testament resurrected saints when they appear in our midst. More importantly, it is essential that we fully believe the doctrines of the first church age because that is what the resurrected saints will all be believing. Imagine the blessing when you find yourself looking eye-to-eye with a resurrected saint and fully understanding that person because you completely agree with him or her.

REVELATION 19:9   And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Once our bodies have changed, we will be summoned up to meet the Lord in the air and He will take us up to Heaven. There we will be part of the 3½ year Wedding Supper. There can be no greater blessing than that because during that time the world will be overwhelmed by the horror and suffering of great Tribulation. The final Pope will rule the world and control the world finances.

REVELATION 16:15   Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.

The Lord is about to come. We must be wide awake and watch to see that we only believe Scriptural ideas. We must also keep our physical clothes while the world flaunts their nakedness. But when the Lord comes that will be a blessing second-to-none.

REVELATION 14:13   And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Those who die serving God, even if they are killed for those labours, will be transferred to the next life where their Scriptural works will be rewarded. People regard death as the ultimate curse. But for those who are in the true Will of God, death is a blessing as it opens the door to heaven.

We labour for the Lord on this side without counting the cost, because the blessing of reward is on the other side.

REVELATION 1:3   Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

“Read” means to read with understanding. We cannot just follow some church beliefs. We must be able to understand the Bible mysteries and thus know what we must believe and what church-errors we must stay away from.

Sincerity is not enough. If we cannot understand the Book of Revelation and what it reveals about truth and error, then we will be fooled and miss the blessing. Those who read with understanding the Book of Revelation and discern the mysteries of the Book will be ready for the Lord’s Coming. That will be a huge blessing. The biggest blessing that is available to us at the end-time.

“He (singular) and they (plural) that hear”.

One man, William Branham, was commissioned with the help of seven angels in March 1963 to reveal the Seven Seals. This enabled him to open up the mysteries of the Book of Revelation. That in turn opened up the deeper mysteries of the Bible.  Then, those of us who listen to his sermons and study them, are able to understand the Scriptures.

DANIEL 12:10  … but the wise shall understand.

We cannot claim to be part of the wise virgins who meet the Bridegroom unless we can understand the mysteries of the King James Bible. Understanding the mysteries of the Book of Revelation is thus the key that unlocks the door to the ultimate blessing of our age, the Second Coming of Jesus.

Blessings are earned the hard way

I PETER 3:9   Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

When you follow the deeper Bible truth you will end up disagreeing with the churches who are becoming increasingly Bible illiterate. They in turn will “rail” (angrily protest or complain or criticize) against you and shun you by calling you evil. In these awful conditions it is a blessing to reply in a polite and kind manner that bestows a blessing on them.

JAMES 3:9   Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.

:10     Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.

We must learn to oppose doctrines, not people.

The biggest fault that church-people have is to condemn a person as a terrible person because that person disagrees with certain church doctrines.

When a saved church-goer meets a Scripture that contradicts their church-belief they shun the person who showed them the Scripture. They then have nothing good to say about that person. They prefer to cling to their church rather than to the Scripture.

But as they condemn the person as a heretic (false believer) they are also loud in their praise of God. That is unacceptable. We can condemn a doctrine, but not a person.

JAMES 1:25   But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Once God starts to open our eyes to the deeper truths of Scripture we must continue in that path. Opposition to truth will grow more intense. Searching out the truth will become harder and there will be bigger obstacles and disappointments to overcome. But when the inspiration of revelation means far more to us than the difficulties and loneliness in the path, then that hard learning experience becomes a blessing indeed.

Fanciful and mediocre interpretations of the quotes by different Message-churches, that cannot be proven from Scripture, are just a big bloated cloud of useless rhetoric floating around in the mediaspace to clutter up the internet.

JAMES 1:12   Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

Endure. It is a hard path that leads to Heaven. But the crown of life is not something that you wear on your head. If everyone wore a crown then a crown would have no special meaning. The real blessing is that our crown will be a pain-free eternal body. That will be an incredible blessing. Worth striving for.

56-0304  MAKING A WAY

When you're sick and tired of this whole life, and you love the appearing of the Lord Jesus better than you love your food at the table, or your wife, or your children, then there's a crown laid up for you,

not a crown, a gold crown they put upon your head, but a body free from pain

of... crowned in the glory of God, crowned in the immortality of Jesus Christ.

It is always tempting to want to be part of a group for the social security benefits and then just to follow the herd.

Fake news on social media is affecting the churches who now have to listen to all these conflicting voices. The growth of dictatorial rule in the church has been established by the Popes and copied by the Protestants despite their splitting into 45000 different Protestant churches and denominations.

In a church, all must agree with a collective uniformity that produces an echo chamber that reflects back each other’s assumptions. The people only hear what they want to hear. Each church is comfortable due to their friendly consensus but fixed in their ideas so that they reject outside criticism and are thus self-limiting.  Speaking to each other means that their views are affirmed but not necessarily informed. Thus they co-exist in a complacent bubble that has need of nothing, certainly not correction from outside. This becomes spiritual fast food with too many calories and not enough nutrients making us over-weight with self-importance but under-nourished with little Bible understanding.

Awkward Bible questions are simply answered with, “It is not important, it is just a detail”.

“Must we know?”

“That is a mistake in the King James Bible”.

If a man-dominated group cannot answer Bible questions, then look for answers outside the group.

That is why God created the internet.

HEBREWS 6:7   For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:

God’s rain makes the earth bring forth food which is a great blessing. If you have food to eat, God has blessed you.

The former rain is the teaching rain that God sent through his end-time prophet William Branham. He showed us how to interpret and understand the King James Bible. This rain of information is available on the internet. These Bible truths feed our souls as the Bread of heaven and clothe us in the righteous garments of God’s Word.

Food and clothing are essential blessings. Both physical and spiritual.

I TIMOTHY 6:8   And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

I TIMOTHY 6:6   But godliness with contentment is great gain.

We call it a blessing when we gain something. Then, learning to be content must be a big blessing.

God is concerned with our short-term personal needs but even more so with our eternal rewards.

TITUS 2:13   Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Our greatest hope for a blessing is when we become ready for the Second Coming.

We must seek spiritual blessings

EPHESIANS 1:3   Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

Spiritual blessings are the main blessings that we should strive for.

GALATIANS 3:14   That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The blessings that God promised Abraham was actually to come through Abraham’s spiritual Seed, Jesus Christ. And Jesus is the Word of God. God blesses us by giving us an understanding of His Word.

The Holy Spirit guides us into the truth of the Bible. Our faith is built on Scripture.

JOHN 16:13   Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:

ROMANS 10:17   So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The better we understand the Bible, the better the foundation of our faith becomes.

We cannot build up our faith on Scriptures that we do not understand. We must seek to understand the Scriptures.

It is essential that we believe that the King James Bible is the Absolute truth. Then we have a perfect foundation for our faith.

If you believe that people are allowed to change the Bible then you have no true foundation for your faith.

GALATIANS 3:8   And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

:9     So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

The Promised Land was not the real blessing of Abraham through his natural seed Isaac. Natural blessings are always temporary. The Jews lost the Promised Land for 70 years in Babylon and then were  exiled for about 1900 years by the pagan Romans.

The real blessing of Abraham was his spiritual Seed, Jesus Christ. The heathen nations who accepted Christ found eternal salvation for their souls which was a marvelous blessing indeed.

I CORINTHIANS 10:16   The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ?

The cup of wine represents the shed Blood of Jesus. His Blood alone can wash away our sins. What a blessing that we can stand sinless before God. But the Blood-shed is a reminder of the awful agony that He suffered in order to purchase the glorious blessing of our freedom from sin.

So tribulation, suffering, and blessing are entangled and intertwined.

Keep working for God

I CORINTHIANS 4:12   And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:

Paul, as an apostle, was still content to work as a tent-maker in order to support himself. This is a great  example for our modern preachers. “Full time” often means “fool time” with modern day preachers. Idle time is the Devil’s workshop.

ROMANS 15:29   And I am sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fulness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

Paul had much to teach. His spiritual nuggets of wisdom established the church on the true path which was a huge blessing to that first church age. They knew God’s truth and fervently spread it around to the Gentile world.

ROMANS 12:14   Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

As the Bible’s truth spreads, so Satan prepares a backlash. When people persecute you it is a compliment. You have upset the Devil. The persecutors are just useful puppets in the Devil’s hands. Do not retaliate with curses. Someone had to oppose the truth and just be very sorry for the poor people who are opposing the truth. If they do not pay on this side, they will pay on the other side. All we can do is ask God to bless them by opening their eyes to the truth so that they can labour for God to earn a reward instead of working against God to earn a punishment.

ROMANS 4:5   But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

:6     Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

:7     Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

:8     Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

:9     Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.

When we Gentiles believe that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, the spiritual Seed of Abraham, then our sins and iniquities are forgiven and our sins are washed away. What a blessing it is to be released from our sins. That is a far more important blessing than the blessings of health and wealth.

ACTS 20:35   I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Receiving material goods and wealth is a blessing. But it comes with a responsibility. We must be prepared to labour for what we receive and use some of that blessing to bless and support those in need and those who are struggling. When we give away money or goods then we get a bigger blessing than what we gained when we receive money or goods.

PROVERBS 19:17   He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

You lend money to God when you give it to the poor. And God always pays his debts. That blessing is sure.

A wise man once said that the only money that we can take to Heaven is the money that we give away.

ACTS 3:25   Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.

:26     Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

The blessing of Abraham is actually Emmanuel, God with us. God became a Man in order to die so that we could repent and be born again. That was the only way that God could turn us aside from our iniquities. Iniquity is doing the wrong thing when we know that it is wrong. This is a very difficult sin to be delivered from. Christ alone can solve that problem for us.

JOHN 20:29     Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

If we are able to believe the King James Bible then we are very blessed indeed. Because understanding the King James Bible prepares us for the Second Coming of Jesus. That is the greatest blessing that we can hope for.

At the end time we must be Scriptural

LUKE 12:42   And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?

:43     Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.

:44     Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath.

The greatest blessing that a servant of God can receive will be those men who can rightly divide the Word of God by telling people what they need to know at the end-time. The fact that we must return back to the beliefs of the first church age of the apostles.

The fact that a pastor was never the head of a church in the New Testament.

The fact that brother Branham’s quotes are to explain the King James Bible and must not be used to replace the Bible.

63-1110  HE  THAT   IS  IN  YOU

Believe all the Message. Believe That. If it isn't written in the Bible, then don't you believe it.

60-0804  AS  THE  EAGLE  STIRRETH  UP  HER  NEST

We know the Bible is right; that's not my voice; that's God's voice, speaking.

63-0707   THE  INDICTMENT

I don't care what you believe; it's what the Bible says.

63-0707   THE  INDICTMENT

Where is He crucified at? From the pastors. You hypocrites.

64-0830   QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.3

To make me the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, would be an antichrist

God will bless us when we look away from the people whom we can benefit from and organize a meal for the hopeless poor who could never do anything for us.

LUKE 14:12   Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

:13     But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

:14     And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

God does not necessarily promise us a material blessing when we help the poor.

But God points to an eternal recompence. When the resurrection happens, that triggers the final events where our bodies are changed and we are caught up to meet the Lord in the air. No earthly blessing can compare with that future eternal body. Let us give to the unwanted and the disadvantaged as that improves our chance of being ready when the resurrection happens.

LUKE 24:50   And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.

:51     And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.

The last thing that Jesus did when He left the Earth was to bless His disciples.

God looks after the needs of His people. But our greatest need is to understand God’s Will so that we can contribute towards His Kingdom in our actions and beliefs. In each church age God had a Plan. In our age God sent a prophet to reveal the mysteries of God. These revealed mysteries will guide us back to the beliefs of the apostles in the first church age. That is the only real concern that God has for our age. All other issues are secondary.

A woman once cried out to Jesus that His mother, Mary, was blessed. Mary was hand-picked by God to bring forth the virgin birth. Surely that must be the ultimate blessing?

LUKE 11:28   But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

No. It  is a greater blessing to be able to understand God’s Word and keep what is written in Scripture.

Not to get unbalanced and deviate into unwritten doctrines like the 7 Thunders, the new name of Jesus, and the unwritten 7^th Seal.

REVELATION 19:12   … and he had a name written, that no man knew

LUKE 10:23   And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:

:24     For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

We will never know how important the revealed mysteries are in God’s Plan.

Prophets and kings from the Old Testament would have done anything to have understood what God was hiding behind the symbols and patterns of the Old Testament.

The understanding of God’s truth at the end-time is a far greater blessing than what we realize.

LUKE 7:23   And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

But the truth will raise up bitter opposition. You will be despised and opposed and insulted. But you must prefer the truth to popularity with people. If standing up for the revealed truth makes people dislike you, then you must not get upset but rather prefer to be disliked. The truth must be far more important to you than human opposition.

LUKE 6:28   Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

We must always bless and pray for our enemies. Their doctrines and attitudes are wrong but they are just misled and misinformed by an antichrist spirit. But for God’s grace we could make the same mistakes that they have made. If we pray for them, God may deliver them from that spirit and then we may find that some of them are actually nice people.

The path to Heaven is not easy

Heaven is a fabulous destination but it is a difficult path that gets us there.

LUKE 6:20   And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

All of us believe that wealth is a blessing.

But with money we have too many options open before us. Our chances of making the right choice are not good. So, we end up following our own self-will, not God’s Will.

LUKE 6:24   But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.

The more money you have, the harder it is for you to get into Heaven.

MATTHEW 19:23   Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

:24   And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

The desire to be rich distracts us as wealth easily dominates our thinking and directs our footsteps away from understanding the mysteries of Scripture which alone can prepare us for the Coming of the Lord.

I TIMOTHY 6:9   But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

:10   For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

:11   But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

An interesting verse. Money does not help us to become righteous or godly or patient or meek. Money does not make us love more nor does it build up our faith.

But money does open up paths that easily distract us.

MATTHEW 16:26   For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

LUKE 6:21     Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.

Notice a very important point. Being hungry and sad does not seem like a blessing. But these are temporary disadvantages. The pursuit of truth is so important that we should not be concerned about suffering if that is required of us. Suffering is a distraction that will pass with time. Understanding the Bible’s truth is an eternal gain that will lead us towards an eternal, pain-free body in which we can worship and serve Jesus forever.

LUKE 6:22     Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.

When you are kicked out of churches and shunned by your friends then you must get very happy, not sad.

LUKE 6:23   Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

Rejection is actually a blessing, because the real eternal blessings are in the next world. This world only has short-term blessings that are not nearly as important.

This last verse teaches us that we can survive outside the church, but we cannot survive outside Christ.

When we are kicked out of the church then we are closer to Christ because, as the Word of God, the King James Bible, He has also been kicked out of the last church age.

REVELATION 3:14   And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write;

REVELATION 3:20   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.

Jesus is no longer looking for a church. He is looking for individuals. Anyone who wants Bible truth.

REVELATION 3:21   To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

The main issue at the end is overcoming. There is so much error that is opposing truth. The churches have been taken over by unscriptural man-made ideas. Now, individuals have to seek for Jesus, the Word, outside the churches. The church was a haven of safety. The final obstacle to overcome is that the church is now a trap of deception where Bible truth is vilified and detested.

REVELATION 3:22   He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

We have to listen to the Voice of God. The Bible.

William Branham is not the Voice of God. He is the voice of the seventh angel who came to reveal the Bible mysteries and restore us to the beliefs of the first church age.

We need a personal revelation of Who Jesus is

MATTHEW 16:17   And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

The real blessing for Peter was the fact that God had opened his eyes to the revelation of Who Jesus is. God in the flesh. The Man in whom the fulness of God dwelled.

COLOSSIANS 2:9   For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

We all need the revelation of Jesus Christ. Who He is, Almighty God. Jesus is the Word of God, the King James Bible. Where is He? Outside all the churches.

What is He trying to do? Get individuals to return back to the beliefs of the New Testament church.

The way Jesus thinks is totally different to our way of thinking.

MATTHEW 5:3   Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

When we are poor in spirit, suffering and deprived, then we are on our way to Heaven.

The Christian path is based on denial of self. We must be prepared to lose in this life.

MATTHEW 16:24   Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

If we compromise with the world or with church error in order to gain in this life and save our lives then we are destined to lose in the next life.

MATTHEW 16:25   For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

The way up is down. If we suffer here, we will win there. We need to fix our goal on our future home, not our present comfort and success.

Poverty of spirit is to know one’s emptiness. We lack in anything and everything compared to Jesus. A person who knows everything cannot receive anything. You cannot pour anything into a full cup. God cannot use us until we become empty cups. Only then can His Spirit control us. It is all about the Spirit of Christ and nothing about self.

MATTHEW 5:4   Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Life does not depend on being happy and having a good time. Life is a mixture of joy and sorrow.

We easily turn our life away from meaning and replace it with frivolity.

We are too easily content with nothingness. Modern day meaningless scrolling through social media just to fill in the empty hours of our day.

Joy tends to be fleeting. Sorrow teaches us deep lessons.

Sorrow is the knife that cuts out the cup that holds our joy.

To be incapable of sorrow is also to be incapable of joy.

This world can only offer a very thin consolation to the indescribably sharp cuts of real grief.

When we truly mourn then we are driven to find solace in Christ. Nobody else can really help.

Getting closer to Christ is the blessing, not the circumstances that drove us there.

Only when we grieve over our sins do we find true repentance and forgiveness.

MATTHEW 5:5   Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

We are blessed when we are humble and submissive to God.

What does God want from us today? He wants us to move in the opposite direction to the churches who have spilt into tens of thousands of self-satisfied man-made beliefs after they have got saved. God wants us to endure their opposition and condemnation as we return to the beliefs of the first church-age apostles. Humility is contrary to our nature. But we are blessed if we can maintain a humble and dutiful love of Scripture as we stay away from church opinions.

The meek inherit the earth. It is not to be seized.

Jesus never took up arms to fight. He never drove a hard bargain over property rights. But He won it all at Calvary. In meekness we must submit to the Word of God because Jesus is the Word of God.

MATTHEW 5:6   Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

"Hunger and thirst" is a harsh symbol to denote the intense longing and desire to understand the mysteries of God.

The foolish virgins say, "Must we know?"  They want the easy way out. Ignorance is justified.

The wise virgins say, "We must know". They will make every effort to uncover the truth of God's Word.

Hunger and thirst indicate the sacrifices that the wise virgins are willing to make in their search for truth.

Leonard Ravenhill, in his book, Revival God’s Way, notes, “The church right now has more fashion than passion, is more pathetic than prophetic, is more superficial than supernatural.” Are you hungering and thirsting for righteousness?

Hunger and thirst for righteousness refer to appetite, a desire, a craving for righteousness. Do you have an appetite for righteousness or you’re content the way you are? Content with what you know?

DANIEL 12:10   The wise shall understand.

Wise Christians keep seeking a deeper understanding of Scripture.

The desire to know more will never cease.

MATTHEW 5:7   Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Happy are they who remember that they have been undeservedly forgiven. Then they are in a position to forgive. Mercy comes from the River of Life and like river water it must flow.

Mercy flows from God to us and then it has to flow through us to others.

It is the mercy of God that makes me merciful.

If I am truly forgiven, can I refuse to forgive another? As mercy flows out from me to another then that creates a space where more mercy can flow into me from God to cover my sins.

If mercy stops with us because we refuse to grant mercy to others, then the flowing water becomes stationary water which stagnates. Bad smells and worse diseases are produced. By refusing to let mercy flow to others, we simply contaminate the mercy that we received from God.

MATTHEW 5:8   Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

A pure heart depends on cleansing grace. This blessing is an inner work not the outward gain of material things.

When we see God revealed in His Word as Jesus Christ, Who walks through the pages of the Bible, then we lose all interest in our own wants. We seek nothing more than to be of service to Him.

We want Christ alone to dwell within our hearts.

With Jesus in our hearts and controlling us, then we are blessed indeed.

But Jesus requires a pure heart to dwell in. One that is washed in His Blood.

A pure heart that Jesus can use as His throne where He is in full control.

If Jesus is not Lord of all, then He is not Lord at all.

God is peace and Satan is persecution

MATTHEW 5:9   Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Trying to make peace between people by not responding to their violence and curses with more violence and curses. Being friendly to the unfriendly.

Trying to make peace between people and Jesus by getting their sins forgiven. Then getting their unbelief forgiven by getting them to believe the revealed mysteries of the Word of God so that they can believe in the Bible that they can understand.

The moment you start to reveal the mysteries of Scripture then the Devil unleashes his hatred against you. The church people react in cruel ways as they seek to protect their unscriptural beliefs that they are addicted to.

MATTHEW 5:10   Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

:11   Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

When you really get hammered and condemned, then you are blessed. You have paid a price and God is impressed with you. The reason why the church-people attacked you is because you know the truth that is a threat to the church doctrines. After all, Jesus stands outside the church door and they do not want to be told that. Each of the different churches foolishly thinks that they are at the centre of God’s Will despite using unscriptural words and ideas. Despite not understanding the mysteries of God.

DANIEL 12:12   Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

What are these 1335 days?

When the last church age finishes, great tribulation will set in for three and a half years, 1260 days. This will be God’s judgements against sin.

The great blessing to the wise virgins who form the Bride of Christ is that they will be in Heaven during the Wedding Feast and will miss the horror of great tribulation.

Then comes the battle of Armageddon and the start of the cleanup operations that will usher in or issue in the Millennium.

1335 – 1260  =  75 days

Then the Millennium or 1000 years of peace will start and the Bride will be present in their immortal and sinless bodies to start living with Jesus for the rest of Eternity. That will be a blessing indeed as we will be outside of time so we will never grow old and never die.  Imagine that blessing!

Any suffering that we had previously endured will be counted as nothing compared to the glory of Eternity.

JEREMIAH 17:7   Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is.

At the end, we realize it had nothing to do with us. God achieves it all and grants us the blessing. Because we trust God to do all the work, we know that Eternity is in safe hands.