BelieveTheSign - User contributions [en]

Fourth Seal

2007-11-30T06:10:11Z

ABergen: /* the pale horse */

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{| style="width:800px"
|Each seal opens a new chapter in the book sealed with seven seals. The contents of the book under the second seal are revealed in symbol form in the seventh and eigth verses of Revelation Chapter 6.

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Revelation Chapter 6 Verse 7</div>

{|style="width:800px; background-color:#cedff2; border:1px #a3b0bf solid; text-align:center;"
|''And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.''
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{{7 Seals}}
====The Lamb opens the fourth Seal====
Jesus, the Lamb of God, opens the fourth seal just as he opened the first three seals.

====The fourth beast====
The last six-winged beast, which looks like an eagle, says "Come and see." Like the Gospel of John (the fourth book protecting the testimony of Jesus Christ, and giving witness to the book of Acts), the eagle declares that a prophet will arise to anounce the coming of the Lord and expose the Devil. Under the anointing of the eagle the Church is carried by the wind of the Holy Spirit above persecutions and false doctrines, and back to the faith of the Apostolic fathers.

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Revelation Chapter 6 Verse 8</div>

{|style="width:800px; background-color:#cedff2; border:1px #a3b0bf solid; text-align:center;"
|''And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.''
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====The pale horse====
A horse is a power, and pale is a mixture of the three previous colours. Pale is a mixture of religious, demonic, and political power.

:''“He had three powers or three--three jurisdictions: the earth, heaven and purgatory. He is himself a trinity. That's what he's made up of, and he rides in a trinity. His power's in a trinity. His crown's in a trinity. His horse is in a trinity.”''
(Sermon: The Fourth Seal)

====The rider named Death====
This rider is the same Antichrist spirit that rode the white horse, and the same false prophet that rode the red and black horses. This rider is the mature Nicolaritan spirit in the form of a man, but could not be identified without the vision of a prophet.

:''"First, antichrist, white; second, false prophet, red; third, vicar of heavens and earth and--and purgatory, black; fourth, the beast, pale horse, Satan being kicked out of heaven. You want to read that? Revelations 12:13, Satan being kicked out of heaven...Then in Revelations 13:1-8, he is incarnate in the person of the beast."''

:''he's Satan representative on the earth; that he now is head of the kingdoms of the world, the very same kingdoms that he offered to the Lord Jesus in Matthew 4, Satan now becomes a full king.”'' (Sermon: The Fourth Seal)

====Power over the fourth part of the earth====
Currently, 33% of the world's population claims to be Christian (http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html), while 17% of the worlds population claim to be Catholic (http://cara.georgetown.edu/bulletin/index.htm). One interpretation would be to expect this 17% to increase to 25%, or to expect an alliance between Roman Catholic and certain Protestand or Orthodox churches to increase this to 25% by association.

Just as the white horse rode conquering and to conquer, the pale horse is given conquering power over a fourth part of the earth through his doctrine.

====The sword, hunger, death, and hell====
The sword is the power of the red horse, hunger is the power of the black horse, and death is the power of the pale horse. Hell follows natural death, and reveals the end of the Antichrist's rule on the earth. Hell also signifies spiritual death.

*'''Revelation 2:22''' ''Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.''
*'''Revelation 2:23''' ''And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.''
*'''Revelation 13:10''' ''He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.''

The sword by which Satan will be killed is the Sword of the Word of God.

:''“Jezebel, the wife of the false prophet which is supposed to be the genuine prophet of God: the pope (Right.), the genuine prophet and his wife Jezebel. Now, Ahab was supposed to be a genuine Jew, but he was a rascal; you know that. Because his wife just led him anyway he wanted to. We find out Jezebel takes her money and leads these the way they want to too.”''

:''"“Before He passed judgment upon her, He gave her a place to repent. And it's in the Name of the Lord I say this: He's give the Protestant church the same thing, and she won't do it. These messages shook everywhere, and she won't do it. She's going to have her own dogmas and creeds; I don't care how much you explain it.”''

:''“Like He give Egypt, He give Egypt place to repent. What was that last plague? Was death. That's the last plague that's hit the Pentecostal church. It's spiritual death; she's dead. That's in the Name of the Lord. She's spiritually dead.”''

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">When will the Pale Horse Ride?</div>

*The white horse rider started without a crown,
*The red horse rider started without a sword,
*The black horse rider started without boundaries, and
*The pale horse started without power over a fourth part of the earth.

William Branham prophecied that the fourth horse rider is on his last ride now, but has not yet been given power over the earth, the sword, bread, or death. Some of his comments indicate exactly when he will rise with this power:

:''“Judas took the place as treasurer and fell by money. So does the church of this day...here's where he fell, and there's where the Protestants fall.”''

:''“and that's exactly the same thing that the Protestant church becomes a harlot is because she rejects the vindicated Truth of the Word of God, and that gives the devil a place to come right in and incarnate himself, and he will make an image unto the beast when they can consolidate together,”''

:''And now, seeing the holy Bride, he is against her, but he forms his own bride called antichrist by antichrist teaching, which is contrary to Christ. See how shrewd he is? And now, instead of having a unity of love controlling worship under Blood, he's got a denomination.''

:''“This pale looking, grizzled colored horse, mixed with black, red, and white, coming into the battle, gathering his subjects from every nation under heaven. Did not Daniel interpret the dream and seen that streak of iron running to every kingdom, of Rome?”''

:''“Rides a pale horse as he appears on his ride, this last ride. He's on his last now. Now, that is not in our day. That will be on down. It's the Seal foretold. 'Cause, see, the Church has done gone up when this happens.”

:''Now, the battle started in heaven. It'll be finished on earth in the form of Armageddon.''

William Branham also pointed out that when Jesus comes, he will ride a white horse, and his name will be ''"KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS"'' (Revelation 19:16) Out of his mouth will go a sharp sword, which is the Word of God, and he will call the fowls of the air to a great feast of the flesh of man (Revelation 19:15, 17). This prophecy reveals that the last Pope and the Christian denominations will be eaten by wild animals just like Ahab and Jezebel were eaten by animals as prophecied by Elijah.

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Third Seal

2007-11-30T06:08:15Z

ABergen: /* The Oil and the Wine */ add space

__NOTOC__
{| style="width:800px"
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{{7 Seals}}
Each seal opens a new chapter in the book sealed with seven seals. The contents of the book under the third seal are revealed in symbol form in the fifth and sixth verses of Revelation Chapter 6.

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Revelation Chapter 6 Verse 5</div>

{|style="background-color:#cedff2; border:1px #a3b0bf solid; text-align:center;"
|''And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.''
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====The Lamb opens the third Seal====
The Lamb of God, who is the Lord Jesus Christ, opens the third seal.

====The third beast====
The third six-winged beast, which has a face as a man, says "Come and see." Like the Gospel of Luke the physician (the third of the four gospels protecting the testimony of Jesus Christ, and giving witness to the book of Acts), the man testifies of the humanity and wisdom of Jesus Christ. Under the anointing of the man, the Medeival Christians passively resisted the spread of Catholic Orthodoxy, changed the course of history by preparing the world for the emergence of Luther, and spread the message of the Reformation.

====The Black Horse====
A horse represents power, and black represents blindness.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, much of Europe became illiterate, with only the rich and the priests having time for education. It was during these turbulent years that the fame of [[Columba]] and the Celtic Christians spread throughout Europe as they evangelized and taught the peasant people from hand-copied Bibles. By the 1200's the Cult of Columba had spread across Europe, and many independent Christian groups were reproducing scriptures of ancient Celtic origin as they found the means.

The Roman Catholic Church followed a distinctly different pattern. The First council of Nicea in 325 A.D. condemned the writings of Arius (his book "Thalia") in the Church's first official act of censorship. By the end of Medievel times, the Catholic Church had gone so far as to condemn the reading of the Bible in the vernacular - the language of the peasants - in decrees from the synod of Toulouse (1129), Tarragona (1234), and Oxford (1408) [Censorship of Books, New Catholic Encyclopedia, www.newadvent.org].

This censorship of scriptures is the darkness of the black horse, which was conquered only by the Spirit of God moving through the wisdom of man: the invention of the printing press and mass-production of the Bible.

====The Rider with balances====
The Rider on the third horse is the same rider that came on the white horse and the red horse. The Antichrist Spirit of the white horse became the false prophet of the Red and the Black Horses.

The balances in the hand of the rider represents economic control, and substitution. After the fall of the Roman Empire most economies were barter societies. It was only after 1000 A.D. that the merchant economy of the Muslims began to heavily influence trade in Europe, re-creating the monetary society of the Roman Empire. Instead of trading goods for goods, money was again substituted for everything. The Catholic Church also picked up this advancement, and began selling indulgences for money (i.e. I'll sell you my extra good works to cover your sins) until this practice caused [[Martin Luther]] to nail 95 thesis on the door of a Catholic church demanding an end of this practice.

In addition to substituting salvation for money, the Catholic Church also substituted the Holy Ghost with traditions, grace with judgement (the Inquisition), revelation for political power, and the Bible for "mystery religion". With regards to political power, the feudal system of Medieval Europe began with the rule of Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor, and gave the Catholic Church the authority over the people through the ignorance and economic chains that held the peasants. To object to this system was considered blasphemy, as the kings were ordered by God, and this sustem supported the "Millenium" of the Catholic Church.

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Revelation Chapter 6 Verse 6</div>

{|style="width:800px; background-color:#cedff2; border:1px #a3b0bf solid; text-align:center;"
|''And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.'' (Revelation 6:5-6)
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====The Voice in the midst====
The four beasts guard the throne of God. The voice in the midst of the beasts is God himself.

====The Wheat and the Barley====
Wheat and barley was the staff of life for the Children of Israel. They were harvested at different times during the year (Barley at the start of the year, and wheat at the end of summer) and required the former and latter rain to mature. For the Christians, the wheat and barley represents the staff of eternal life, which need the presence of God to mature. In order to mature properly, a Christian needs both prayer and scripture.

By controlling access to the scriptures, and access to God (saints serve as mediators instead of Jesus Christ himself, who is the only true mediator between God and man), the black horse creates a famine for the Word of God.

====A penny====
:''We can scarcely get anything from Christ's ministers but for money, at bishopping money, at marriage money, for confession money - no, not extreme unction without money! They will ring no bells without money, no burial in the church without money; so that it seemeth that Paradise is shut up without money. The rich is buried in the church, the poor in the churchyard. ...The rich man may readily get large indulgences, but the poor none, because he wanteth money to pay for them."''
:(Juan de Valdez, a Roman Catholic and brother of the secretary of the Emperor Charles V) [Professor Arthur Noble, European Institute of Protestant Studies, The Resurrection of Indulgences or Is Tetzel really dead? 1/15/1999, http://www.ianpaisley.org]

In the Old Testament, the book of Job records that God set barriers that Satan could not cross in his persecution. God's word in the third seal also set barriers for Satan to work within: he was free to rule the economy and charge for prayers and salvation.

====The Oil and the Wine====
The oil represents the Holy Spirit (Lev 8:12, Zach 4:12, Mat 25:3-4), and the wine represents stimulation by revelation (Acts 2). Touching the oil and the wine would result in pollution. God's decree for the Black horse rider not to touch the Oil and the wine has a two-fold meaning: first the rider does not have the Holy Spirit or stimulation by revelation, and secondly, he is not allowed to take the Holy Spirit or the stimulation by revelation from anyone.

'''The Catholic Church without the Holy Spirit:''' The lives of the Popes in the Dark and Medieval Ages and the Reformation age are mainly secular, and highly immoral. For example:

*Pope Benedict IX (d. 1048) was pope three times (abdicated for money twice), and was perhaps the most morally perverse of any other pope.
*Pope Nicholas V (d. 1445) Legitimized the slave trade of "unbelievers"
*Pope Boniface VIII (d. 1303) imprisoned the previous pope, who died in custody, and wrote that ''"is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman pontiff"'' and ''"The Christian religion is a human invention like the faith of the Jews and the Arabs."'' (Based on a posthumus investigation held from 1303-1311 republished by J. Coste)
*Pope Clement VII (d. 1534) (caused the English schism (and the Anglican Church) by denying the divorce of King Henry VIII - yet he was the illigitimate child of Giuliano de' Medici and was also the father of an illigitimate child whom he installed as the Duke of Florence.

'''The Catholic Church without stimulation''': While many of the Protestant and pre-protestant churches were lively, musical, and demonstrative in praise, the Catholic Church praised the glory of form, tradition, sanctity (in public), and hierarchy. As evidence of the lack of "stimulation" in the Catholic church, from 800 A.D. to 1300 the music of the Catholic Church was the plainsong and Gregorian chant. In 1364 Pope Urban officially sanctioned polyphony for use in sacred music; however, even after this time the worshiper and the musicians were separate - one part listened, and the other party played. While the Catholic Church does integrate musical worship in its congregations today, it also accepts non-Christian forms of worship. For example, Pope John Paul invited Bob Dylan to sing at the Vatican in an act of acceptance of Rock and Roll. But music only represents stimulation, it does not represent revelation.

'''The Catholic Church without revelation''': Bishops, Cardinals, theologians and all church members are censured by the Vatican as to what they can say or do, or face excommunication. This form of discipline is most commonly exercised over priests and bishops. As an example, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic Church very soon after he was given the revelation that the "Just shall live by faith."

'''The Catholic Church not able to take the Holy Spirit or Revelation from the people''': The Catholic Church did set up the Inquisition to examine and reconvert "heretics". However, this was a slow process, and the majority of the martyrs during this time were not given the option to recant prior to their execution. For example, in 1209 the crusader army attacked the Cather town of Béziers. Instead of separating the Catholic faithful from the Cathar "heretics", the papal legate Arnaud-Amaury, Abbot of Cîteaux, declared “Kill them all, the Lord will recognise His own”. Arnaud, later wrote to Pope Innocent III and declared: "Today your Holiness, twenty thousand heretics were put to the sword, regardless of rank, age, or sex". These "heretics" therefore died in the faith, and were not given space to recant as was given the early Christian Church during the reign of the pagan Roman empire.

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Third Seal

2007-11-30T06:07:09Z

ABergen: /* The Rider with balances */ spelling correction "Charlemagne"

__NOTOC__
{| style="width:800px"
|
{{7 Seals}}
Each seal opens a new chapter in the book sealed with seven seals. The contents of the book under the third seal are revealed in symbol form in the fifth and sixth verses of Revelation Chapter 6.

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Revelation Chapter 6 Verse 5</div>

{|style="background-color:#cedff2; border:1px #a3b0bf solid; text-align:center;"
|''And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.''
|-
|}

====The Lamb opens the third Seal====
The Lamb of God, who is the Lord Jesus Christ, opens the third seal.

====The third beast====
The third six-winged beast, which has a face as a man, says "Come and see." Like the Gospel of Luke the physician (the third of the four gospels protecting the testimony of Jesus Christ, and giving witness to the book of Acts), the man testifies of the humanity and wisdom of Jesus Christ. Under the anointing of the man, the Medeival Christians passively resisted the spread of Catholic Orthodoxy, changed the course of history by preparing the world for the emergence of Luther, and spread the message of the Reformation.

====The Black Horse====
A horse represents power, and black represents blindness.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, much of Europe became illiterate, with only the rich and the priests having time for education. It was during these turbulent years that the fame of [[Columba]] and the Celtic Christians spread throughout Europe as they evangelized and taught the peasant people from hand-copied Bibles. By the 1200's the Cult of Columba had spread across Europe, and many independent Christian groups were reproducing scriptures of ancient Celtic origin as they found the means.

The Roman Catholic Church followed a distinctly different pattern. The First council of Nicea in 325 A.D. condemned the writings of Arius (his book "Thalia") in the Church's first official act of censorship. By the end of Medievel times, the Catholic Church had gone so far as to condemn the reading of the Bible in the vernacular - the language of the peasants - in decrees from the synod of Toulouse (1129), Tarragona (1234), and Oxford (1408) [Censorship of Books, New Catholic Encyclopedia, www.newadvent.org].

This censorship of scriptures is the darkness of the black horse, which was conquered only by the Spirit of God moving through the wisdom of man: the invention of the printing press and mass-production of the Bible.

====The Rider with balances====
The Rider on the third horse is the same rider that came on the white horse and the red horse. The Antichrist Spirit of the white horse became the false prophet of the Red and the Black Horses.

The balances in the hand of the rider represents economic control, and substitution. After the fall of the Roman Empire most economies were barter societies. It was only after 1000 A.D. that the merchant economy of the Muslims began to heavily influence trade in Europe, re-creating the monetary society of the Roman Empire. Instead of trading goods for goods, money was again substituted for everything. The Catholic Church also picked up this advancement, and began selling indulgences for money (i.e. I'll sell you my extra good works to cover your sins) until this practice caused [[Martin Luther]] to nail 95 thesis on the door of a Catholic church demanding an end of this practice.

In addition to substituting salvation for money, the Catholic Church also substituted the Holy Ghost with traditions, grace with judgement (the Inquisition), revelation for political power, and the Bible for "mystery religion". With regards to political power, the feudal system of Medieval Europe began with the rule of Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor, and gave the Catholic Church the authority over the people through the ignorance and economic chains that held the peasants. To object to this system was considered blasphemy, as the kings were ordered by God, and this sustem supported the "Millenium" of the Catholic Church.

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Revelation Chapter 6 Verse 6</div>

{|style="width:800px; background-color:#cedff2; border:1px #a3b0bf solid; text-align:center;"
|''And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.'' (Revelation 6:5-6)
|-
|}

====The Voice in the midst====
The four beasts guard the throne of God. The voice in the midst of the beasts is God himself.

====The Wheat and the Barley====
Wheat and barley was the staff of life for the Children of Israel. They were harvested at different times during the year (Barley at the start of the year, and wheat at the end of summer) and required the former and latter rain to mature. For the Christians, the wheat and barley represents the staff of eternal life, which need the presence of God to mature. In order to mature properly, a Christian needs both prayer and scripture.

By controlling access to the scriptures, and access to God (saints serve as mediators instead of Jesus Christ himself, who is the only true mediator between God and man), the black horse creates a famine for the Word of God.

====A penny====
:''We can scarcely get anything from Christ's ministers but for money, at bishopping money, at marriage money, for confession money - no, not extreme unction without money! They will ring no bells without money, no burial in the church without money; so that it seemeth that Paradise is shut up without money. The rich is buried in the church, the poor in the churchyard. ...The rich man may readily get large indulgences, but the poor none, because he wanteth money to pay for them."''
:(Juan de Valdez, a Roman Catholic and brother of the secretary of the Emperor Charles V) [Professor Arthur Noble, European Institute of Protestant Studies, The Resurrection of Indulgences or Is Tetzel really dead? 1/15/1999, http://www.ianpaisley.org]

In the Old Testament, the book of Job records that God set barriers that Satan could not cross in his persecution. God's word in the third seal also set barriers for Satan to work within: he was free to rule the economy and charge for prayers and salvation.

====The Oil and the Wine====
The oil represents the Holy Spirit (Lev 8:12, Zach 4:12, Mat 25:3-4), and the wine represents stimulation by revelation (Acts 2). Touching the oil and the wine would result in pollution. God's decree for the Black horse rider not to touch the Oil and the wine has a two-fold meaning: first the rider does not have the Holy Spirit or stimulation by revelation, and secondly, he is not allowed to take the Holy Spirit or the stimulation by revelation from anyone.

'''The Catholic Church without the Holy Spirit:''' The lives of the Popes in the Dark and Medieval Ages and the Reformation age are mainly secular, and highly immoral. For example:

*Pope Benedict IX (d. 1048)was pope three times (abdicated for money twice), and was perhaps the most morally perverse of any other pope.
*Pope Nicholas V (d. 1445) Legitimized the slave trade of "unbelievers"
*Pope Boniface VIII (d. 1303) imprisoned the previous pope, who died in custody, and wrote that ''"is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman pontiff"'' and ''"The Christian religion is a human invention like the faith of the Jews and the Arabs."'' (Based on a posthumus investigation held from 1303-1311 republished by J. Coste)
*Pope Clement VII (d. 1534) (caused the English schism (and the Anglican Church) by denying the divorce of King Henry VIII - yet he was the illigitimate child of Giuliano de' Medici and was also the father of an illigitimate child whom he installed as the Duke of Florence.

'''The Catholic Church without stimulation''': While many of the Protestant and pre-protestant churches were lively, musical, and demonstrative in praise, the Catholic Church praised the glory of form, tradition, sanctity (in public), and hierarchy. As evidence of the lack of "stimulation" in the Catholic church, from 800 A.D. to 1300 the music of the Catholic Church was the plainsong and Gregorian chant. In 1364 Pope Urban officially sanctioned polyphony for use in sacred music; however, even after this time the worshiper and the musicians were separate - one part listened, and the other party played. While the Catholic Church does integrate musical worship in its congregations today, it also accepts non-Christian forms of worship. For example, Pope John Paul invited Bob Dylan to sing at the Vatican in an act of acceptance of Rock and Roll. But music only represents stimulation, it does not represent revelation.

'''The Catholic Church without revelation''': Bishops, Cardinals, theologians and all church members are censured by the Vatican as to what they can say or do, or face excommunication. This form of discipline is most commonly exercised over priests and bishops. As an example, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Catholic Church very soon after he was given the revelation that the "Just shall live by faith."

'''The Catholic Church not able to take the Holy Spirit or Revelation from the people''': The Catholic Church did set up the Inquisition to examine and reconvert "heretics". However, this was a slow process, and the majority of the martyrs during this time were not given the option to recant prior to their execution. For example, in 1209 the crusader army attacked the Cather town of Béziers. Instead of separating the Catholic faithful from the Cathar "heretics", the papal legate Arnaud-Amaury, Abbot of Cîteaux, declared “Kill them all, the Lord will recognise His own”. Arnaud, later wrote to Pope Innocent III and declared: "Today your Holiness, twenty thousand heretics were put to the sword, regardless of rank, age, or sex". These "heretics" therefore died in the faith, and were not given space to recant as was given the early Christian Church during the reign of the pagan Roman empire.

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Bud Southwick

2007-09-28T02:11:58Z

ABergen: spelling correction

{| style="width:800px"
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{| style="border:3px solid #cedff2; float:right; margin-left:15px; padding: 0.3em;"
|<flvplayer width="250" height="200" autoplay="false" autobuffering="false" loop="false" splashimage="Bud-Click2.jpg">Bud 3.flv</flvplayer>
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'''Bud Southwick''' was a hunting guide in Northern British Columbia who was introduced to [[William Branham]] through a mutual friend, [[Rev. Edward Byskal|Ed Byskal]]. What could have been a chance meeting ended up being predestined: Bud Southwick, his wife Lila and his son Blair, found themselves in the center of a vision, fulfilling prophecy.

The video testimonies are excerpts from "I Am a Witness". Copies of this video are available from [http://www.bibleway.org Cloverdale Bibleway].

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">The Prophecy of the Caribou</div>
Early one morning, William Branham saw a vision of him shooting a deer-like animal with 42 inch antlers, and then a silver-tip grizzly. In the vision, there was a wall of shale he had to go around, a man with a green checkered shirt, and young hands holding a tape-measure to the horns.

As it turns out, [[Rev. Edward Byskal|Ed Byskal]] had told his wife to throw out his green checkered shirt before the hunting trip (unaware of the prophecy), but she packed the shirt anyways. Blair Southwick, who was 18 at the time, ended up holding the tape measure at the bottom of the caribou horns. Bud Southwick unrolled the tape measure, and as the tape touched the end of the horn, said "its 42 inches." Within seconds, three friends fulfilled a prophecy that each of them had completely forgot about.

As part of the prophecy, William Branham also shot a silver-tip Grizzly bear. Although Bud had never seen a silver-tip grizzley in the area, he now knew better than to doubt the prophecy. They soon spotted a silver-tip two miles away, and before dark William Branham shot the bear and completed the prophecy.

{| class="wikitable"
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!Bud Southwick
!
![[Rev. Edward Byskal|Ed Byskal]]
!
![[William Branham]]
|- valign="top"
|That's when it hit me is when I measured them horns, and it was exactly what he said. So, everything seemed to come back to me then, and when I pulled the tape up there to that exact 42 inches, just like he said, well I jerked my hand out from that thing like it was hot!
|style="width:7px"|
|Well, I was quite amazed because I had never seen a hunter carry a measuring tape before. So as he was pulling the tape up, the measurement, the tape slipped out at the bottom. So he started again, and it slipped out again. ...So Bud said to Blaine, "Blaine, hold that tape in there." So Blaine, here he is 18 years old...holding the tape in place: 18 year old hands. And...Bud said "its 42 inches".
|style="width:7px"|
|And when I got down there, there stood Eddie with his green checkered shirt on. I seen that little hand go around those horns, and when [Bud] went over and got the tape measure, laid it down on here, and held, that little boy put his hands. I said, "Look, Eddie, them little hands on the horn." And when he pulled the tape measure up like this, he looked at me and turned real white in the mouth; he said, "Brother Branham, look here, just snug, forty-two inches, exactly."<ref name="Fulfill"> Sermon: "It Becometh Us To Fulfill All Righteousness" in Jeffersonville, Indiana, on October 1, 1961. </ref>
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|Bud Southwick recalls William Branham's conversation with his wife, Lila, which turned out to be an accurate prophecy of her life.
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<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">The Healing of Tud</div>
Bud Southwick had a brother named Tud. Tud was a young man with a small family, but he had frequent violent epileptic seizures. Bud mentioned this to William Branham, and said "Oh, if I could only get my brother to you."

While riding his horse through the bush, William Branham suddenly rode up to Bud and said, "Bud, will you take my word?"

Bud replied, "With anything you say."

William Branham replied, "I have a THUS SAITH THE LORD for you. Go get your brother from Fort Saint John, bring him up on the highway here. The first time he falls into an epileptic fit, jerk his shirt off of his back. I'll give you something to do. Throw it in the fire and say, 'This I do in the Name of Jesus Christ.'"

Bud went and told his sister-in-law what Brother Branham said, and the next time Tud fell into an epileptic fit, his wife jerked his shirt off, threw it into the fire, and said "This I do in the Name of Jesus Christ." Tud was instantly and completely delivered from epilepsy.

Years later, when Tud was much older, a few friends convinced him to join them for a drink. While Tud was taking his first drink of alcohol, the demon of epilepsy returned, and plagued him for the rest of his life.

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Bud Stops Smoking</div>
Bud Southwick was a relatively new Christian when he met William Branham. One evening, while they were getting into separate tents, William Branham said "Bud, did you ever smoke?

Bud replied, "Yup."

William Branham probed a little further, "When did you quit smoking, Bud?"

Bud replied, "Right now."

==Footnotes==
<references/>

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Morality

2007-09-28T01:48:07Z

ABergen: spelling correction

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{| style="width:800px"
|[[Image:Freudenberg-LouisJulius 05.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Male and female swimsuits in the United States, circa 1916.]]
In June 1933, William Branham experienced a series of 7 prophetic visions. The fifth vision dealt with the morality of America, and the World. Just as scientific advancement was represented by a car in the fourth vision, the decline of morality was represented by women in the fifth vision. William Branham saw women cutting their hair, acting and dressing like men, and finally almost completely abandoning their garments.

<span style="font-variant:small-caps">'''This vision is being fulfilled.'''</span>

The last part of this prophecy began to be fulfilled with the invention of the Bikini by fashion designer Jacques Heim in Paris in 1946. Instead of the U.S.A banning this garment, it was promoted by the film industry, and today is accepted by most Christian Americans as acceptable beachwear. The apron-only style garment at the end of the prophecy is much like the autonomous car of the fourth vision - mainstream production and acceptance of this product has not begun, yet, but it exists and can be seen in magazines and advertisements.

The U.S.A. remains one of the few "Christian" nations not to allow topless bathing (although unoffically acceptable in certain areas). In many European nations and Australia, public topless bathing is common today. William Branham's prophecy suggests that the U.S.A.'s moral laws will go the way of prohibition.

==1964 retelling of 1933 prophesy==
:''The fifth vision had to do with the moral problem of our age, centering mostly around women. God showed me that women began to be out of their place with the granting of the vote. Then they cut off their hair, which signified that they were no longer under the authority of a man but insisted on either equal rights, or in most cases, more than equal rights. She adopted men's clothing and went into a state of undress, until the last picture I saw was a woman naked except for a little fig leaf type apron. With this vision I saw the terrible perversion and moral plight of the whole world.''

Taken from "The Church Age Book", Chapter 9, William Branham

==Moral Decay of the Modern Woman==
The cigarette advertisement of the 1970's “You’ve come a long way, Baby” suggests that women have gained greater freedom and liberty than that posessed by their grandmothers. Being chaste and modest were seen as positive character traits at the start of the 20th century, while the young 21st century woman is typically independant and sexually active. Women have indeed come a long way - but not necessarily in the right direction.

==Pre-WWI America==
[[Image:Harrods 1909.jpg|right|120px|thumb|Women outside Harrods, London, 1909]]
Prior to WWI, the fashion industry was influenced by Paris designers, and the wealthy European class. For ladies, the length of her skirt often indicated her age - knee length for pre-teens, ankle length for early teenagers, and floor length for 18+ women. Innocence and virginity were protected by the community and government, and many adults felt responsible to protect young ladies from premature sexual contact and conduct. Chaperoning was a common social behavior, and the virginity of the mind was just as important as the virginity of the body.

The moral edge of pre-war fashion was the "Gibson Girl", with bare arms, a low neckline, corset-bound body, and floor length dress. Yet even the Gibson-style women did not cut or shorten their hair, but advertized long hair by gathering it in a pompadour.

On the beaches, men and women were either segregated or swam at different times. Swimwear for women included woolen bloomers and blouse, and black stockings and shoes, and U.S. laws were enforced limiting the exposure of flesh (including the legs).

==1920's: Post-war and pre-depression==
Women in the U.S.A. were granted the right to vote in federal elections in 1920. Shortly after, the bob haircut gained popularity among women (where the hair was cut short, but a weighted area was left to fall between the ear and chin), as did the 'flapper' style.

The flapper dress sat on the hips and ended near the knee, and the bust was flattened with a binding to give the woman a boyish look. Flappers also popularized the use of cigarettes, hard liquor, and the distain for "decent" behaviour among women. Movie houses gained popularity, and Hollywood stars such as Clara Bow began to influence young people with their styles, firtatious attitude, and use of make-up.

On the beaches, swimsuits now consisted of figure hugging wool knit with a sleeveless tank similar to the men’s swimwear a decade earlier.

==1930's: The great depression==
[[Image:278px-Moden1936.jpg|right|120px]]
The depression of the 1930's saw the return of some more modest fashions, and most skirts were again lengthened to the ankles. The uncensored and progressively immoral movies of the 1920's, some including nude scenes, were also curtailed by the implementation of the self-regulating Hays Office so that content-controlling federal laws would not be implemented.

Hollywood's influence expanded during this time (in 1932 Macy's in New York sold 500,000 replicas of the dress Joan Crawford wore in the movie "Letty Lynton"), and photographs of actresses Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn in trousers helped make pants acceptable for women. New fabrics were developed during this time, and women's underwear changed from corsets and bindings, to form-fitting garments. These garments and designs would become the fasionable outwear of later generations.

==World War II==
As war raged across the world, women were encouraged to help their country by working full-time in the factories. With this change of lifestyle, many children were sent to daycares, and trousers for women (promoted by Hollywood in the 1930s) were integrated into the common-woman's wardrobe.

Pin-ups became popular for the enlisted men, showing an overall acceptance by the male population of the glorification of the female body.

==1950s==
The typical 1950s American girl wore a wide mid-calf length skirt or a poodle skirt, and a modest top. In 1957, Brigitte Bardot (who attempted suicide numerous times) wore a bikini in "And God Created Woman" and created a market for the bikini's as swimwear in the United States. The popularity of wide skirts continued, while the same women now wore bikinis on the beach. Meanwhile, Hollywood introduced the miniskirt in cinemas (Anne Francis, 1956, Forbidden Planet).

==1960s & 1970s==
The 1950s had produced a comfortable living for many families, and some of children grew up to hate the materialistic ways of their parents. The popular response to the Vietnam War, with protests and draft-dodging, marked a widespread rebellion of the youth from the "call of duty" that their parents had. Music became the largest influence in the pop culture, with John Lennon saying that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus".

All taboos and restraints of the past were erased, and another sexual revolution began that stretched the moral fibers of America much further than their flapper grandmothers of the 1920s with free sex, drugs, and Rock'n'roll.

*In 1965 miniskirts became popular.
*In 1970 abortion was legalized.
*In 1972, as a result of Eisenstadt v. Baird, (Supereme Court)<ref name="Body Project"> The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls" by Joan Jacobs Brumberg, 1997 Random House Inc., New York </ref>, minor girls now had the right to seek birth control and anything else that related to their bodies without their parents' consent.

Germaine Greer, a prominent and provocative feminist, wrote in 1969 that ''The women kept on dancing while their long skirts crept up, and their girdles dissolved...and their clothes withered away to the mere wisps and ghosts of draperies to adorn and glorify...'' <ref name="Greer">Germaine Greer in Oz, February 1969</ref>

=1980s - 1990s=
Girls of the 80s and 90s tended to know more about sex than even their mothers. "At this moment in our history, young women develop physically earlier than ever before, but they do so within a society that does not protect or nurture them in ways that were once a hallmark of American life." <ref name="Body Project"> The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls" by Joan Jacobs Brumberg, 1997 Random House Inc., New York </ref>

As capitalism and the economy were doing well, many parents had little time for their families as they pursued the elusive dream of wealth and prestige; as a result, women were allowing others to raise their children in daycare centers.
*Celebrity-obsessed magazines showed society's pre-occupation with the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.
*Multiple partners were considered normal for teenage girls.
*Birth control was widely used and easily available.

In 1992 an Appeals court in the state of New York ruled that women have the same right as men to go topless.

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| style="background: #cedff2; padding: 3px 5px; text-align:center;" |'''Islamic Worldview'''
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A Muslim father comments on his daughter's tank top:

:'''Father''': ''You look like a Protestant.''
:'''Daughter''': ''Don't you mean prostitute?''
:'''Father''': ''No, I meant a Protestant,''

Scene from '''Little Mosque on the Prairie''', a 2007 Canadian sitcom by Zarqa Nawaz.
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==21st Century==
America has become desensitized to sex and exposure, and now nothing shocks them except the suggestion that their "liberty" is immoral. Hemline tattoos are popular for young women, along with low-rise jeans, vulgar slogans, body piercings and self-mutilation. Virginity is seen as a sign of weakness, and homosexuality is accepted among teenagers.

:''In the past centuries, Christian peoples were often noted for their modesty, and heathen peoples for their immodesty. Today, the line between the professing Christian and the savage tribesman has become increasingly blurred, as more and more "Christian" people resort not only to the pagan practice of scarification, tattoos and body mutilation, but have thrown off the "restraints of modest dress in favor of the trendy and the physically revealing.'' <ref name="Pollard"> "Christian Modesty and the Public Undressing of America" by Jeff Pollard, 2005, the Vision Forum, Inc., San Antonio, Texas </ref>

In 2007 a woman was awarded a $29,000 settlement from the City of New York for being arrested (and being subject to 12 hours in custody and a psychiatric evaluation) after walking topless in New York City in 2005. <ref name="Topless"> http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/06/18/topless.settlement.ap/index.html </ref>

The "inconvenient truth" of the 21st century is the fallout from the moral pollution of America.

==Footnotes==
<references/>

{{7 Visions}}

Destruction of Los Angeles

2007-09-21T05:46:26Z

ABergen: spelling correction

{| style="width:800px"
|[[Image:Biltmore.JPEG|thumb|right|350px|The Biltmore Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles, where William Branham prophecied that Los Angeles would roll into the sea.]]
'''[[William Branham]] had just finished preaching''' a series of meetings in Los Angeles in April 1965, when he was asked by the Full Gospel Business Men who organized the meetings to preach just one more service for them. So, on April 29, William Branham stood behind the podium at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, and preached a sermon called "Choosing of a Bride".

Two notable things occurred during this service:
#There was a steady stream of people leaving the building during the service who could not handle the severity of the preaching. These included the same people who had attended (and engaged in) William Branham's sermons in LA since April the 24th.
#During this sermon, William Branham prophecied that the city of Los Angeles would one day slide into the ocean, and a new coastline would form at the Salton Sea.
[[Image:Saltonseaphotomerge.jpg|thumb|780px|A Panorama of the Salton Sea]]
<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">The Prophecy</div>
:''Thou city, who claims to be the city of the Angels, who's exalted yourself into heaven and sent all the dirty filthy things of fashions and things, till even the foreign countries come here to pick up our filth and send it away, with your fine churches and steeples, and so forth the way you do; remember, one day you'll be laying in the bottom of this sea. You're great honeycomb under you right now. The wrath of God is belching right beneath you. How much longer He'll hold this sandbar hanging over that, when that ocean out yonder a mile deep will slide in there plumb back to the Salton Sea. '''It'll be worse than the last day of Pompeii. Repent, Los Angeles.''' Repent the rest of you and turn to God. The hour of His wrath is upon the earth. Flee while there's time to flee and come into Christ." '' ([http://www.thefreeword.com/books/2265-L.pdf Sermon: The Choosing of a Bride, Los Angeles, California, April 29, 1965])

:''And, of course, the Salton Sea is about two hundred feet below sea level, and if that big churning, that earth swallowing in like that, with hundreds of square miles, hundreds and hundreds of square miles sinking into the earth, that'll throw a tidal wave plumb to Arizona. '' ([http://www.thefreeword.com/books/2465-L.pdf Sermon:Ashamed of Him, Jeffersonville, Indiana, July 11, 1965])

[[Image:800px-Saltonseamap.jpg]]

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World Council of Churches

2007-09-21T05:44:08Z

ABergen: spelling corrections

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{| style="width:800px"
|[[Image:Hostia i komunikanty.jpg|right|thumb|200px|A stamp of the cross appears on the Host, the Catholic version of the passover bread. William Branham prophecied that the World Council of Churches would unite with the Catholic Church on the subject of Communion.]]
'''William Branham preached strongly against religious systems.''' The Catholic Church, as the first and strongest Christian denomination, is identified by William Branham as the Beast. The World Council of Churches, in the spirit of ecumenism (inter-denominational unity in worship), is identified as the Image to the Beast. William Branham's advice to Catholics and Protestants about their respective denominations and the worldwide ecumenical movement is '''''"Stay away from it! Get out of it!"'''''

William Branham's made the following very specific prophecies:
#The World Council of Churches will agree with the Roman Catholic Church on the topic of communion,
#Rather than having all Protestants become Catholics, the various denominations will simply unite in a Federation.
#The Federation of Churches (Catholic and Protestant) will force all independent churches to join in association, or be subject to closure.
#The Federation of Churches will produce the antichrist,
#The Federation of Churches will persecute the true Christian Church, which will not unite with their system.

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">The Prophecies</div>
====Unity in Communion====
''That's the only thing...that stops the Catholicism and Protestantism from uniting, is the order of communion. The Catholic church says, "It is the body," and the Protestant church says, "It represents the body." ...They call it a mass; we call it a communion. A mass is hoping it's so. A communion is knowing it's so and thank Him for it. See? And there's the only thing that they cannot get together on. They'll do it.
:Sermon: The Stature of a Perfect Man, Jeffersonville, IN, October 14, 1962

====Birth of the Antichrist====
''You young people, remember that you heard a minister say that. That'll finally wind up. And that is the mark of the beast, when she forms that World Council of Churches. And she'll give birth to her son, the antichrist.
:Sermon: The Choosing of a Bride, LA, California, April 29, 1965.

====Bundles to be burned====
''They're getting bundled, all these organizations. Big bundles is coming to one big bundle. That's right. What is that bundle? You know what it is. World Council of Churches, forming the image of the beast. Truly. And you people that's scared of communism, I want you to show me one place in the Bible where communism will rule the world. Well, I'll tell you the Bible says that Romanism will rule the world. Exactly right.''
:Sermon: Presuming, S. Pines, NC, June 10, 1962

====Call to leave denominations====
''I am duty bound to a Message; not to be different, but because of love. Love is corrective. Come back! Stay away from that thing! You ministering brothers, I don't care what your groups does, stay away from it! Stay out of it! It's the mark of the beast, stay away from it! See, Jesus is knocking in this Laodicea age. See where they put Him out?''
:Sermon: Doors in Door, Flagstaff, AZ, February 6, 1965

====Union without the Holy Spirit====
''We tried to make everybody become a--a Lutheran; and couldn't do it. Try to make them all become a Baptist; we couldn't do it. All become a Methodist, or all a Pentecostal; they couldn't do it. So, to order to do this, the time is so short, they have formed a council, a head, a image to the beast. That's exactly what they've done. And what is it? The crucifixion of the Word, again, is at hand. It's on trial and will soon come to the floor.''
:Sermon: What shall I do with Jesus Called Christ. Jeffersonville, IN, November 24, 1963.

''Now, let me say something, brethren. There's something fixing to happen, and all these big old ecclesiastical walls are going to collapse and go right back over yonder and agree, 'cause they are going to do it as certain as I'm standing here. There's an image to that beast just as certain as I'm standing here, and this nation took it according to the Word of the Lord.”
''Listen, when you feel that little funny feeling, you get away from them walls. Get away; you'll die in there. Don't do it. Come out of it. Get away from all this stuff. Flee to safety as quick as you can. Ask God for mercy...you flee to Jesus Christ just as quick as you can, and stay there until God fills you with His Holy Spirit, for the hour's going to come when you're going to hunt for it and it won't be there.
:Sermon: The Second Seal, Jeffersonville, IN, March 19, 1963

====Return to Persecution====
''When the little old church is still down yonder being borned again in a mess like any birth is, still paying the price, still getting down and dying out, acting the same way they did when they first got born at the day of Pentecost, same kind of a church down there... They'll be closed and shut out under the Federation of Churches. It'll be a boycott like a union or something. You'll either come in or you'll go out.''
:Sermon: Questions and Answers, June 28, 1959

''It choked the Spirit right out of them, when they began to take wisdom instead of faith in the Word...And soon they're to form up a confederation of church, which will be the image to the beast. And he will have the same power in this nation (Revelations 13:11) that they had over there, and will cause a persecution upon the saints, just like they did at the beginning of the--the Roman church.''
:Sermon: Wisdom versus Faith, Jeffersonville, IN, April 1, 1962

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Fulfillment</div>
William Branham did not state whether the Catholic and Christian denominations would reach full-communion or partial-communion. If he meant partial-communion, then regardless of official church policy this prophecy has in many ways already been fulfilled as some churches already offer interdenominational worship and communion, and many individuals no longer give any thought to crossing interdenominational barriers in worship and communion.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued the following statement on October 1, 1967:

:''As a result of our conversations on the eucharist, we Roman Catholic and Lutheran theologians wish to record, chiefly and first of all, our profound gratitude to God for the growing unity on this subject which we see in our day.''[http://www.usccb.org/seia/luthrc_eucharist_1968.shtml]

In 1999, a "Joint Declaration on the doctrine of Justification" [http://www.elca.org/ecumenical/ecumenicaldialogue/romancatholic/jddj/declaration.html] was issued between the Lutheran and the Catholic Church. Justification was one of the significant doctrinal issues that gave rise to the Protestant Reformation, so an this issue is significant, and opens the doors to further dialogue.

Time Magazine Reports:
''In an interfaith age, Protestant and Roman Catholic clergy pray together and picket together, and hardly a church exists that has not been preached to by a minister of another faith. But there is a point where ardent advocates of ecumenism draw the line: interCommunion.'' [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,835149,00.html Time, The Inter-Communion Barrier, Friday, Feb. 25, 1966]

In 2007 the Catholic "Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith" (which, incidentally, is the successor of the "Holy Office of the Inquisition") issued a statement that:

:''“Jesus established here on earth only one Church and instituted it as a visible and spiritual community that from its beginning and throughout the centuries has always existed and will always exist, and in which alone are found all the elements that Christ himself instituted. […] This Church, constituted and organised in this world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the successor of Peter and the Bishops in communion with him.”''

The World council of Churches responded to this statement with the following paragraph:

:''"Each church is the Church catholic and not simply a part of it. Each church is the Church catholic, but not the whole of it. Each church fulfils its catholicity when it is in communion with the other churches." ''

One Catholic Priest's interpretation (Jonathan Morris) of this Catholic document is that it is "an attempt to lay the foundations for eventual unity by clearly expressing the theological disagreements that currently divide Christian communities.[and]...the Pope is not saying only registered, baptized Catholics can be saved," [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,288976,00.html]

One of the goals of the World Council of churches, which represents over 550 million Christians, includes "most of the world's Orthodox churches, scores of denominations from such historic traditions of the Protestant Reformation as Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed, as well as many united and independent churches", is to achieve "the goal of visible unity in one faith and one eucharistic fellowship." [http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/who/index-e.html]

That William Branham has prophecied that the Catholic Church will achieve communion with the denominations represented by the World Council of Churches may be encouraging to both Catholics and members of the WCC. What he prophecied about the result of this union, which is a far cry from encouraging, will probably be ignored until it is fulfilled.

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">The Mark of the Beast Identified</div>
''And remember, that we found without one mistake, that the mark of the beast is a mark of apostasy, that is, church members hanging to their church instead of walking in the Light. They reject Light, and there's nothing left by darkness (That's right.), both Catholic and Protestant. There is "a beast," and a whore," and she had "harlot" daughters. And these harlot daughters, when they broke forth, they were virgins from the Light of that day, and they organized and bringing people down here, back into here, making them the same kind of a thing that Rome was in the beginning. The Bible said so: the beast, and an image to the beast, the letter of his name, and so forth.
:Sermon: The Seal of God, Jeffersonville, IN, May 14, 1954

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A Prophet Visits South Africa, by Julius Stadsklev

2007-09-21T04:29:58Z

ABergen: spelling correction

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'''The book "William Branham, A Prophet Visits South Africa"''', written by [[Julius Stadsklev]], contains many photographs, first-hand testimonies, and newspaper reports on William Branham's meetings in South Africa in 1951. This book can be found through various retail sites on the internet. A sample of first-hand testimonies found in this book are listed below.

For additional testimonies, see the video of [[Sydney Jackson]] who was in attendance at many of these meetings.

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<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Snapshot of Durban</div>
[[Image:Durban1.jpg|thumb|800px|The non-European section of the Durban congregation.]]
Church history was made on the last day of the campaign when approximately 45,000 Indians, Natives, and Europeans gathered together for the afternoon service on the Race Course. Some estimated a much higher number. Long before the meeting began the streets were closed and thousands were left outside in the streets.

...One of the astonishing features of the campaigns was the mass healings. Brother Branham often exhorted the people to lay their hands on each other in the mighty name of Jesus and claim deliverance for those who were bodily afflicted. His impassioned prayers which followed deeply moved the people to faith in God. They were instantly healed of different diseases and afflictions - the deaf heard, the lame walked and the blind saw. Amazing!

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Asthma for 24 Years</div>
[[Image:Page_182.jpg|right|130px]]
I had suffered from asthma for twenty-four years, since the age of three. But I praise and thank the Lord that he did not only heal me physically but also spiritually.

My healing took place the first night of Brother Branham's visit. My faith was so strengthened that I was healed without the Brother praying for me. The Spirit of the Lord was so mighty among us that all I had to do was to ask.

The last night of the Branham campaign I asked the Lord to have Brother Branham say something to me. He did. He said that I had suffered from asthma and that the Lord had healed me. I rejoice now in the Lord and promise to serve Him to the end.
:G.R., Page 182

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Epilepsy for 15 years</div>
[[Image:Page_181.jpg|right|130px]]
I had been suffering from epilepsy for fifteen years. I had been to specialists. Finally I was sent to Port Alfred to be at the coast and was also never without tablets which I had to take regularly. I always had the fear that I was going to collapse in the street or at work, which quite often happened, and I was afraid to be left alone.

While I was sitting among hundreds of others, Brother Branham pointed to be and I felt as if a magnet were drawing me. It was a wonderful feeling and I just wanted to jump and shout, "Praise the Lord," as I knew at once that I was healed. When Brother Branham said, "The lady with the white hat-a dark shadow comes over you; you are suffering from epilepsy." As I nodded my head and raised my hand, he said, "Praise the Lord, you are healed." Oh, what a wonderful feeling.
:T.V., Page 181

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Deaf for 13 years</div>
For thirteen years I could not hear at all but I do praise the Lord that He healed me completely. I can hear the faintest whisper now. Praise God for His wonderful touch.
:G.R., Page 178

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Healed of an injured spine</div>
[[Image:Page_157.jpg|right|130px]]
I received my healing on the 11th of October, 1951. I had been ill exactly one year...Brother Branham told me that I had gotten hurt a year ago and told me exactly how I felt. He told me he knew I had strong faith and that God would heal me. I was healed instantaneously.

One year before I received my healing I slipped on a smooth polished cement floor in our kitchen, and broke a small bone at the lower end of the spinal cord. The effects were I could only get up on my feet with great difficulty after sitting or lying down, I had much pain in my back for most of the time, and it was awkward in school for I could not sit or stand up for any length of time. ...We had prepared for a dangerous operation of the spine...I have X-ray films showing the broken bone.
:H.J.N., page 157

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Durban Natal Mercury Newspaper Report</div>
A Durban woman who had been bedridden for the past 10 months, rose up from a camp bed in the Durban City Hall last night where she had been taken to hear the American evangelist, the Rev. William Branham, and declared: "I feel as if I were two years old."

The Rev. Mr. Branham after a succession of people had come on to the stage to receive God's blessing suddenly turned to Mrs. J.A. Naude of Blythsood Road and said: "You, Madam, have been suffering from internal trouble, but you are now cured - get up off that bed."

Mrs. Naude immediately rose to her feet, swayed a little and then walked to the end of the bed where her husband and daughter looked on in amazement. Mr. Naude told a "Mercury" reporter that he had had a succession of doctors attending to his wife and they had told him that nothing could be done for her. He had spent his savings trying to make her well.

...When a "Mercury" reporter called yesterday, he found Mrs. Naude arranging flowers, while her daughter, nine-year-old Anne, watched, delighted at her mother's return to health.
:Pages 122-123

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Port Elizabeth Campaign</div>
The Port Elizabeth campaign was conducted from November 7th through the 11th. At first the meetings were held in the Feather Market Hall but were later moved to the Davis Stadium. Here again the crowds were the largest ever seen in the city of Port Elizabeth. One evening Brother Branham pointed out an elderly man who was lying on a cot. He told him, "The Lord will heal you. You can now get up, fold your blanket and your cot and walk."

The elderly man got up and started folding his blanket when several Red Cross men, who were always assisting at the meetings and ready to help the sick, came over to assist him. He spoke loudly and emphatically as he said, "Brother Branham told me to fold my blanket and my cot and that doesn't mean that you're supposed to help me. So go away and don't bother me."
:page 106
[[Image:SA1.jpg|thumb|800px|Portions of the crowds that gathered in East London, Durban City Hall, Bloemfontein, Cape Town]]
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A Prophet Visits South Africa, by Julius Stadsklev

2007-09-21T04:28:47Z

ABergen: spelling correction

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'''The book "William Branham, A Prophet Visits South Africa"''', written by [[Julius Stadsklev]], contains many photographs, first-hand testimonies, and newspaper reports on William Branham's meetings in South Africa in 1951. This book can be found through various retail sites on the internet. A sample of first-hand testimonies found in this book are listed below.

For additional testimonies, see the video of [[Sydney Jackson]] who was in attendance at many of these meetings.

{|style="background-color:#cedff2; border:1px #a3b0bf solid; text-align:center;"
|''Never before has the Union of South Africa been shaken to such an extent by religion. There is a new awakening to the reality of God's religion.'' (Pg. 194)
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<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Snapshot of Durban</div>
[[Image:Durban1.jpg|thumb|800px|The non-European section of the Durban congregation.]]
Church history was made on the last day of the campaign when approximately 45,000 Indians, Natives, and Europeans gathered together for the afternoon service on the Race Course. Some estimated a much higher number. Long before the meeting began the streets were closed and thousands were left outside in the streets.

...One of the astonishing features of the campaigns was the mass healings. Brother Branham often exhorted the people to lay their hands on each other in the mighty name of Jesus and claim deliverance for those who were bodily afflicted. His impassioned prayers which followed deeply moved the people to faith in God. They were instantly healed of different diseases and afflictions - the deaf heard, the lame walked and the blind saw. Amazing!

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Asthma for 24 Years</div>
[[Image:Page_182.jpg|right|130px]]
I had suffered from asthma for twenty-four years, since the age of three. But I praise and thank the Lord that he did not only heal me physically but also spiritually.

My healing took place the first night of Brother Branham's visit. My faith was so strengthened that I was healed without the Brother praying for me. The Spirit of the Lord was so mighty among us that all I had to do was to ask.

The last night of the Branham campaign I asked the Lord to have Brother Branham say something to me. He did. He said that I had suffered from asthma and that the Lord had healed me. I rejoice now in the Lord and promise to serve Him to the end.
:G.R., Page 182

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Epilepsy for 15 years</div>
[[Image:Page_181.jpg|right|130px]]
I had been suffering from epilepsy for fifteen years. I had been to specialists. Finally I was sent to Port Alfred to be at the coast and was also never without tablets which I had to take regularly. I always had the fear that I was going to collapse in the street or at work, which quite often happened, and I was afraid to be left alone.

While I was sitting among hundreds of others, Brother Branham pointed to be and I felt as if a magnet were drawing me. It was a wonderful feeling and I just wanted to jump and shout, "Praise the Lord," as I knew at once that I was healed. When Brother Branham said, "The lady with the white hat-a dark shadow comes over you; you are suffering from epilepsy." As I nodded my head and raised my hand, he said, "Praise the Lord, you are healed." Oh, what a wonderful feeling.
:T.V., Page 181

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Deaf for 13 years</div>
For thirteen years I could not hear at all but I do praise the Lord that He healed me completely. I can hear the faintest whisper now. Praise God for His wonderful touch.
:G.R., Page 178

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Healed of an injured spine</div>
[[Image:Page_157.jpg|right|130px]]
I received my healing on the 11th of October, 1951. I had been ill exactly one year...Brother Branham told me that I had gotten hurt a year ago and told me exactly how I felt. He told me he knew I had strong faith and that God would heal me. I was healed instantaneously.

One year before I received my healing I slipped on a smooth polished cement floor in our kitchen, and broke a small bone at the lower end of the spinal cord. The effects were I could only get up on my feet with great difficulty after sitting or lying down, I had much pain in my back for most of the time, and it was awkward in school for I could not sit or stand up for any length of time. ...We had prepared for a dangerous operation of the spine...I have X-ray films showing the broken bone.
:H.J.N., page 157

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Durban Natal Mercury Newspaper Report</div>
A Durban woman who had been bedridden for the past 10 months, rose up from a camp bed in the Durban City Hall last night where she hed been taken to hear the American evangelist, the Rev. William Branham, and declared: "I feel as if I were two years old."

The Rev. Mr. Branham after a succession of people had come on to the stage to receive God's blessing suddenly turned to Mrs. J.A. Naude of Blythsood Road and said: "You, Madam, have been suffering from internal trouble, but you are now cured - get up off that bed."

Mrs. Naude immediately rose to her feet, swayed a little and then walked to the end of the bed where her husband and daughter looked on in amazement. Mr. Naude told a "Mercury" reporter that he had had a succession of doctors attending to his wife and they had told him that nothing could be done for her. He had spent his savings trying to make her well.

...When a "Mercury" reporter called yesterday, he found Mrs. Naude arranging flowers, while her daughter, nine-year-old Anne, watched, delighted at her mother's return to health.
:Pages 122-123

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">Port Elizabeth Campaign</div>
The Port Elizabeth campaign was conducted from November 7th through the 11th. At first the meetings were held in the Feather Market Hall but were later moved to the Davis Stadium. Here again the crowds were the largest ever seen in the city of Port Elizabeth. One evening Brother Branham pointed out an elderly man who was lying on a cot. He told him, "The Lord will heal you. You can now get up, fold your blanket and your cot and walk."

The elderly man got up and started folding his blanket when several Red Cross men, who were always assisting at the meetings and ready to help the sick, came over to assist him. He spoke loudly and emphatically as he said, "Brother Branham told me to fold my blanket and my cot and that doesn't mean that you're supposed to help me. So go away and don't bother me."
:page 106
[[Image:SA1.jpg|thumb|800px|Portions of the crowds that gathered in East London, Durban City Hall, Bloemfontein, Cape Town]]
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Congressman Upshaw

2007-09-19T04:50:16Z

ABergen: changed souther to southern

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[[Image:pa92upsh.jpg|left|200px]]
'''William David Upshaw''' was born on October 15, 1866, near Atlanta, Georgia. He served in Congress during the late 1910's and throughout the 1920's, and ran for the office of the President for the Prohibition Party in 1932. At the age of 84, 66 years after becoming a paraplegic, William Branham saw a vision of Congressman Upshaw walking. He was instantly healed, and had full use of his legs for the remainder of his life.

Shortly before his death at age 86, William Upshaw published his testimony in a tract which he sent to every Senator and member of the House of Representatives, as well as President Truman, Winston Churchill, King George, and Joseph Stalin.

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|'''[[Upshaw tract|Click here to view a copy of the tract written by Congessman William D. Upshaw.]]'''
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<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px; text-align:center;">'''Congressman Upshaw relates his testimony in Los Angeles, California'''</div>
:<playmp3>Congressman Upshaw relates Testimony|Upshaw-Testimony.mp3|BelieveTheSign.org Predelay</playmp3>
''Just eighty-four. And I'm eighty-four years young, speak three and four times a day, preach the Gospel of the Christ Who saved me, stood by me on bed seven years, and made me happy, and then took me off of the crutches that I have used for fifty-nine years and now, glory to God I'm walking! [clapping]

''Remember, I'm sending this folder to every congressman, and senator, the president, and his wife, and now sending this week to the King of England for whom he prayed, and Winston Churchill. And I'm going to send one to Joseph Stalin. God have mercy on his soul!
:Sermon: Testimony: Los Angeles, California, May 9, 1951

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px; text-align:center;">'''Life Story'''</div>
At the age of 18, William Upshaw lost the use of his legs as the result of a farming accident, and spent the next seven years in bed. Shortly before his accident, he had given his heart to the Lord Jesus. From his bed, William began to write a column of poems and inspirational letters for a local newspaper called Sunny South, using the pen name `Earnest Willie.' His calm manner and gifted style of writing soon endeared him to the hearts of his readers. He was encouraged to publish his writings in a book, which he did, titling it "Earnest Willie, or, Echoes From A Recluse."

In one of his articles he wrote:
:''"I do believe in being deeply in earnest. It is the very passion of my soul. Earnestness is the secret of nearly every man's success, and it is the lever that persistently pushes to completion nearly every movement for reform, whether it be great or small. Let a minister of Christ or any other speaker convince me first - aye, all the people who hear him - that he is in earnest - that his very heart and soul are in his work, and then he may break the rules of grammar if he wants to, just so he breaks and blesses human hearts."''

Using the funds from his writing, William Upshaw entered Mercer University in 1895. In 1918, he was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives as a Democrat. He was re-elected in 1920, 1922, and 1924. William Upshaw ran for President of the United States for the Prohibition party in 1932, but returned to lecturing after his defeat.

<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px; text-align:center;">'''The Healing'''</div>
While attending a Southern Baptist Convention, which William Upshaw had been the vice-president of twice, he learning about William Branham's ministry from Rev. Roy Davis, the man who had ordained him. On February 8, 1951 at the Calvary Temple in Los Angeles, while praying for the sick, William Branham turned to the audience and said:

:''I see a young man falling from a hay stack and breaking his back. A doctor with a white mustache and glasses that sit low on his nose, working on the young man, but to no avail. The youngster grows to become a famous person who writes books. People are applauding him.''

William Upshaw told an usher he wanted to talk to William Branham, so a microphone was passed to him. He asked: ''"My son, how did you know that I fell and hurt myself when I was a boy?"''
[[Image:upshawcongregation.jpg|right|thumb|450px|Congressman Upshaw is seen on the left, sitting in the front, with his arms folded]]
''"I can't tell you, sir, I can only say what I see."'' William Branham responded.

But still William Upshaw was not healed. The prayer line continued while William Upshaw sat on the front row, finally a general prayer was called where people laid hands on each other.

Exhausted from preaching and praying for the sick, William Branham was carried from the platform. Before he could leave the building, he saw one final vision of William Upshaw walking without crutches. Upon hearing this vision, LeRoy Kopp, the Pastor at the Calvary Temple, rushed back to the pulpit and announced, "Brother Branham says, `The congressman is healed'."

Instantly, a man that had not walked for sixty-six years stood to his feet and started walking. William Upshaw retained the full use of his legs for the remainder of his life, and traveled across the country testifying of his healing. He died November 21, 1952.

In a message entitled "Who Hath Believed Our Report?", preached on July 19, 1951, William Branham referred to Congressman Upshaw's healing, and said:

:''"I feel that he was the one that the Angel of the Lord was referring to when He met me and said, `You'll pray for great men, statesmen, kings of the earth.'"''

'''Adapted and condensed from the Magazine "Only Believe", published by [http://www.onlybelieve.com Believer's International], March 1983, Vol. 6, No. 1.'''

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Elah

2007-06-07T06:14:36Z

ABergen: changed the table

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{{Elohim}}

'''Eloah''' is a singular form of [[Elohim]]. '''Elah''' is the Aramaic (rather than Hebrew) version of Eloah.

{| class="wikitable"
!Name
!Reference
!Scripture
|- valign="top"
|style="width:200px"|'''Elah'''<br>God (Aramaic)
|style="width:120px"|Daniel 2:18
|style="width:480px"|That they would desire mercies of the God of heaven concerning this secret; that Daniel and his fellows should not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
|- valign="top"
|'''Elah Avahati'''<br> God of my fathers
|Daniel 2:23
|I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.
|- valign="top"
|'''Elah Elahin'''<br>God of gods
|Daniel 2:47
|The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
|- valign="top"
|'''Elah Yerushelem'''<br>God of Jerusalem
|Ezra 7:19
|The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem.
|- valign="top"
|'''Elah Israel'''<br>God of Israel
|Ezra 5:1
|Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel, even unto them.
|- valign="top"
|'''Elah Shemaiya'''<br>God of heaven
|Ezra 7:23
|Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
|- valign="top"
|'''Eloah'''<br>God (a singular form of Elohim)
|Deuteronomy 32:15
|But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou are waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
|- valign="top"
|'''Eloah Ya’akov'''<br>The God of Jacob
|Psalms 114:7
|Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob;
|- valign="top"
|'''Eloah Selichot'''<br>The God of Forgiveness
|Nehemiah 9:17
|And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.
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El

2007-06-05T00:02:27Z

ABergen: new table

__NOTOC__
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{{Elohim}}

'''El''' (Hebrew: '''אל''') is an abbreviation of the Hebrew word Elohim (Hebrew: '''אלהים'''). "El" is often used as part of a name, such as Elijah, Joel, and Samuel. With regards to God, "El" is normally used in conjunction with other words, as in "El-Shaddai", which greatly expands the scope of God's relationship with mankind.

{| class="wikitable"
!Name
!Reference
!Scripture
|- valign="top"
|style="width:200px"|'''El'''<br>God
|style="width:120px"|Genesis 14:19
|style="width:480px"|And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
|- valign="top"
|'''El Hanne’eman'''<br> The Faithful God
|Deuteronomy 7:9
|Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
|- valign="top"
|'''El Emet''' <br> The God of Truth
|Psalms 31:5
|Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.
|- valign="top"
|'''El Tsadik'''<br> The Righteous God
|Isaiah 45:21
|Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
|- valign="top"
|'''El Shaddai'''<br>All sufficient (Almighty) God (note: Shad means breast)
|Genesis 17:1
|And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect.
|- valign="top"
|'''El Elyon'''<br> The most high God
|Genesis 14:20
|And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
|- valign="top"
|'''El Olam'''<br> The Everlasting God
|Genesis 21:33
| And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God.
|- valign="top"
|'''El Roi'''<br> The God who sees me
|Genesis 16:13
|And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
|- valign="top"
|'''El Jeshurun'''<br> The God of Jeshurun
|Deuteronomy 32:15
|But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou are waxen fat, thou are grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation.
|- valign="top"
|'''El Gibbor'''<br> The Mighty God
|Isaiah 9:6
|For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
|- valign="top"
|'''El De’ot'''<br> The God of Knowledge
|I Samuel 2:3
|Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
|- valign="top"
|'''El Haggadol'''<br> The Great God
|Deuteronomy 10:17
|For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:
|- valign="top"
|'''El Hakkavod'''<br> The God of Glory
|Psalms 29:3
| The voice of the LORD is upon many waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.
|- valign="top"
|'''El Hakkadosh'''<br>The Holy God
|Isaiah 5:16
|But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgement, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.
|- valign="top"
|'''El Hashamayim'''<br>The God of the Heavens
|Psalms 136:26
|O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.
|- valign="top"
|'''El Chaiyai'''<br>The God of my life
|Psalms 42:8
|Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.
|- valign="top"
|'''El Channun'''<br>The Gracious God
|Jonah 4:2
|And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.
|- valign="top"
|'''El Israel'''<br> The God of Israel
|Psalms 68:35
|O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.
|- valign="top"
|'''El Sali'''<br> The God of my strength
|Psalms 42:9
| I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
|- valign="top"
|'''El Rachum'''<br>The God of compassion
|Deuteronomy 4:31
|(For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.
|- valign="top"
|'''El Yeshuati'''<br>The God of my salvation
|Isaiah 12:2
|Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation
|- valign="top"
|'''El Yeshuatenu'''<br>The God of our salvation
|Psalms 68:19
|Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
|- valign="top"
|'''El Kanno'''<br>The Jealous God
|Exodus 20:5
|Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
|- valign="top"
|'''El Hannora'''<br>The Awesome God
|Nehemiah 9:32
|Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.
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=="El" in the New Testament==
MATTHEW 27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

==References==
<references/>

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Mussolini invades Ethiopia

2007-05-09T01:25:47Z

ABergen: add reference for Frumentius

{| style="width:800px"
|[[Image:Benito_Mussolini.gif|thumb|right|150px|Benito Mussolini]]
In June 1933, William Branham experienced a series of seven prophetic visions. In the first vision, William Branham witnessed Benito Mussolini brutally invading Ethiopia and then himself coming to a shameful demise.

<span style="font-variant:small-caps">'''This vision has been completely fulfilled.'''</span>

This prophecy seemed out of step with World politics in 1933, as Mussolini had ruled Italy since 1922 with little or isolated opposition, he had signed a concordant with the Catholic Church four years earlier recognizing the Italian State and an independent Vatican, and he had opposed the rise of Hitler in Germany. It was only after Mussolini's crusade in Ethiopia was opposed by the League of Nations that the Italian-German allegiance materialized. Mussolini and his mistress were finally shot by Italian Communists on April 28, 1945, and their bodies were placed on display on meat hooks in the Piazzale Loreto in Milan the next day.

==1961 Retelling of the 1933 Prophecy==
<playmp3>Seventy Weeks of Daniel, August 6, 1961|mussolini 61-0806.mp3</playmp3>
:''The dictator that's now arising in Italy (which is Mussolini), he will come into power, and he will go to Ethiopia; and Ethiopia will fall at his steps." There's people setting here now that knows that there's a group of people come and stood...was going to throw me out of the hall for saying such a thing...when I said that. But did he do it? But I said, "He'll come to a shameful end," and he did. Him and the woman he run with was turned upside down and hung on a rope in the street with their feet up, their clothes hanging down. All right, that come to pass.''

See the sermon [http://www.thefreeword.com/books/5561-L.pdf Seventy Weeks of Daniel, August 6, 1961] for the full text of this prophecy.

==Invasion of Ethiopia==
The nation of Ethiopia is mentioned a number of times in the Bible. The Queen of Sheba (Ethiopia) met with Solomon c. 950 B.C. (I Kings 10:1), and the treasurer of Ethiopia (a eunuch serving under Candace, Queen of Ethiopia) was baptized by the disciple Philip (Acts 8:27).
[[Image:Italian_empire_1940.png|thumb|Italian Empire in 1940|left|250px]]
Frumentius, once a slave in Ethiopia, returned as a missionary and baptized King Ezana, who declared Ethiopia a Christian nation in 340 A.D.<ref>Jones, Terry, "Frumentius of Ethiopia", (May 8 2007) in <cite> </cite>http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintf06.htm</ref> Ethiopia developed in relative isolation from European Christianity until 1508 A.D., when Portugal and Ethiopia established diplomatic relations. By 1624 the Portugese influence resulted in the conversion of Emperor Susenyos to Roman Catholicism. However, all Europeans, Jesuits, and Catholic converts were expelled in 1632 by Susenyos' son, Emperor Fasilides, who had read of the Jesuits' bloody inquisitions in other nations.

By the late 1880's, many European nations were scrambling to claim portions of Africa as colonies. Italy purchased Eritrea from an Afar Sultan (a vassal of the Ethiopian Empire), which led to various battles between Ethiopia and Italy. Italy also claimed part of the bordering nation of Somalia. In 1896, at the Battle of Adowa, Ethiopia shocked the world by defeating Italy, which resulted in a treaty of peace on October 26, 1896.

In September 1934, Italy affirmed its 1928 treaty of friendship with Ethiopia, although the borders between the countries were unclear. At the same time, however, Italian troops began amassing in Italian Somaliland. On October 3, 1935, 100,000 Italian soldiers and a number of Askari attacked Ethiopia from Eritrea and Italian Somaliland without a declaration of war. On October 7, the League of Nations unanimously declared Italy an aggressor but took no effective action.

Mussolini is reported as issueing the following commands to his soldiers:
*''The use of gas as an ''ultima ratio'' to overwhelm enemy resistance and in case of counterattack is authorized. Mussolini.''
*''Given the enemy system I have authorized V.E. the use even on a vast scale of any gas and flamethrowers. Mussolini.''
*''All rebels taken prisoner must be killed. Mussolini.''
*''I have authorized once again V.E. to begin and systematically conduct a politics of terror and extermination of the rebels and the complicit population. Without the ''lex talionis'' one cannot cure the infection in time. Await confirmation. Mussolini.''

Besides lacing bombs with mustard gas, the Italians instituted forced labor camps, installed public gallows, killed hostages, and mutilated the corpses of their enemies. Captured guerrillas were thrown out of airplanes in mid-flight, and Italian troops photographed themselves next to cadavers hanging from the gallows, and hanging around chests full of detached heads. The war lasted 7 months, with Ethiopia outmatched by Italy in armaments and brutality. The Italian king, Victor Emmanuel III, was proclaimed the new emperor of Italian East Africa on May 9, 1937 (which merged Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somaliland into a single state).

The Italians showed favoritism to non-Christian ethnicities (i.e. non-Ethiopian Orthodox and Protestant people) such as the Oromo, Somali, and other Muslims (some of whom had supported the Italian invasion) in an attempt to isolate the Amhara, who had supported Emperor Haile Selassie. With Pope Pius XI silent on Mussolini's unprovoked and terrible conquest of Christian Ethiopia, the bloody Inquisition feared by Emperor Fasilides in 1624 A.D. had finally materialized.

On June 30, deposed Ethiopian Haile Selassie made a moving speech before the League of Nations in Geneva in which he set forth two choices--support for collective security or international lawlessness. He warned that "It is us today. It will be you tomorrow". As a result of the League's condemnation of Italy, Mussolini declared the country's withdrawal from the organization. In June 1940 Italy entered World War II on the side of Germany. As a result, Britain sought to cooperate with Ethiopian and other forces in a attempt to dislodge the Italians from Ethiopia and from British Somaliland. Ethiopia was finally liberated from Italian control in East African Campaign in 1941.

===Mussolini's Demise===
On April 27, 1945, Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, were caught by Italian communist partisans near the village of Dongo (Lake Como) while attempting to escape into Switzerland before the Allied armies reached Milan.

On April 28, Mussolini, his mistress, and their fifteen-man train (mostly ministers and officials of the Italian Social Republic) were taken to the small village of Giulino di Mezzegra, and shot.

The next day the bodies of Mussolini and his mistress were found hanging upside down on meat hooks in Piazzale Loreto (Milan). The corpse of the former leader became subject to ridicule and abuse by many. Hence, fulfilling the prophesy of Mussolini coming to a shameful end.

=='''References'''==
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