The Compendium
Antichrist
51-0728
THREE WITNESSES
Here’s what it is, the antichrist spirit is not the communistic spirit. The antichrist spirit is a religious spirit. I have delivered my soul; that’s what God was wanting me to, right there. Amen.
Father, we thank Thee. Now, I am Your servant, and I believe with all of my heart as sure as I believe I’m standing here with my hand on Your Word, that that’s what You wanted me to say. And I waited, stumbling around, until You spoke the Word. Now, we thank You, Lord. And we pray that You’ll let men and women here tonight, be careful, walk careful. For we know it’s written, in these days of what would come to pass. And true to my mind now, it comes afresh that over in the book of Matthew, Jesus said, “The two spirits would be so close together it would deceive the very Elect, if possible.”
53-0325
ISRAEL IN EGYPT
And Judas was with them. Is that right? Judas was just as big a duck as was in the puddle. He was shouting and rejoicing, too. And he followed the church right on down until it came to Pentecost. But when it came to Pentecost, to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, he refused it, and betrayed Jesus. And that was the antichrist. And that spirit today will come right down and teach justification by faith, and everything, and move right on down to the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and then show its colors. That’s exactly.
53-0609
DEMONOLOGY #2
Now some of them said, “Oh, Russia’s the antichrist.” Never! Russia’s not the antichrist. The antichrist’s going to be so religious that it’ll fool the very Elect if possible. Remember, God takes His man, but never His Spirit; the Devil takes his man, but never his spirit. Now, there they are, suit yourself, I’m only responsible for Truth.
53-0614a
EARNESTLY CONTENDING FOR THE FAITH
Now, Cain and Abel was both very religious men, and one of them was the type of Christ, and the other was the antichrist. Cain was just as religious as Abel was. Amen. Notice him.
Then many times, you notice, look here, as Cain killed Abel at the altar, so did Judas kill Jesus at the altar, which Cain and Abel were a type of Judas and Jesus. All down through there is a pro and con.
53-0729
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (GENESIS)
Judas Iscariot, his spirit is the antichrist today. You know that? Jesus was the Son of God, came from God and returned to God; Judas was the son of perdition, came from hell and returned to hell. Jesus taken the repentant sinner with Him; Judas taken the unrepentant with him.
54-0509
THE INVASION OF THE UNITED STATES
Don’t you see how religious the Devil is? The Devil is not no ‘anti’, great big thing like communism, all against Christianity. That’s not, that’s just all of the Devil, sure, but it’s not the antichrist. The antichrist is very religious, very religious. It was a religious spirit that crucified Jesus. It’s always been a religious world, a religious people, that crucifies. It’s the religious people that was against the true Christ. It was the religious prophets that was against Micaiah. It’s the religious people of the day that’s against the Message of God.
54-0513
THE MARK OF THE BEAST
There is that red dragon, the Devil. Where is his seat at? Not in Russia, in Rome! The Devil gave him his seat and his authority. Red dragon, not Russia.
I hear great ministers saying, “The Russian is the antichrist.”
Why, the Russian has nothing to do with the antichrist. That’s communism. The falsity of Protestantism and Catholicism has produced communism. The reason Russia has drove them out of there, because they had all the money; and had all the prayers said to them saints, so they built the biggest buildings, and had all the wealth of the people, and bundled it up like that. And they seen they lived no different, and was no different from any of the rest of the world, and they spewed it out and formed communism.
Now, if you’ll give me one more night, if God does, I will prove to you that communism is working straight in the hands of Almighty God, to destroy the Roman church. And remember, I say this as God’s prophet, the Russian empire will drop an atomic bomb of some sort on the Vatican City and destroy it in one hour, THUS SAITH THE LORD. And the Bible said that God took them cruel-hearted men and put them in His hands, and they were instruments in His hands, “to fulfill His will,” and to bring back to her exactly what she had coming to her. That’s exactly. That’s the Word.
54-0514
THE SEAL OF GOD
When Jesus Christ seen that Protestant church fall from that Catholic church yonder, and come out and go right straight back, and turning back again just the way it did, He said, “The spirit will be so close, until it’d deceive the very Elect...”
Did you realize, Christian friends, that the antichrist, which is the mark of the beast... The antichrist, anyone knows that. The antichrist there, that’s his mark of his power. And, see, a beast is a power. There’s a power of the Catholic church. There is a power of the Methodist church.
I went, here not long ago, to a very fine gentleman. If I’m not mistaken, he is sitting right here in the church tonight. And little Edith Wright and them came to the meeting right up here, not twenty miles from this place. And, I was just preaching the Gospel of salvation. He had to climb over cars to get to the place. And that night, the pastor called me out to the rectory, said, “I’m sorry to tell you, Rev. Branham, but they told me they had some sick people come in there, and our district man came in and said, ‘No Divine healing in the Methodist church.’ So you’ll have to go to the platform, dismiss yourself, and leave the congregation.” That’s right.
Why? The power of the Methodist church. That’s the beast’s power. The Baptist church the same; Campbellite, and Lutheran, and all the rest of them, and the Pentecostal, as bad. That’s right.
Do you realize that Judas Iscariot, the real antichrist, was a very religious man? Did you realize that? They had so much confidence in him, the brethren, until he was the treasurer of the church. And Judas Iscariot was justified by faith, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. He was sanctified through the Word: Saint John 17:17, “Sanctify them, Father, through the Truth; Thy Word is the Truth.” And He was the Word.
54-0515
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Now, I got The Facts Of Our Faith, it’s called, the Catholic church, because my people were Irish Catholic. So I know what I’m speaking of. See?
And it absolutely is the truth, that’s right. And the Bible said that He will be sitting in a church, or a place, or a church that sets on seven hills in Rome, and his power will go to all the world. And he’s called the antichrist.
55-0311
THE SEAL OF ANTICHRIST
Now, look at the age that we’re living. Now, to my opinion, this is the age of the turning time. It’s a time when men are either... will come into the Kingdom of God, or be sealed out of the Kingdom of God. And I believe that the antichrist seals a person. We’re taught in the Scriptures, in the Book of Revelations, If any man receives his seal or his mark, or the letter of his name (and so forth) is doomed.” [Revelation 14:9-11] He’s sealed out the Kingdom of God. And the Spirit of Christ, when once sealed with That, is sealed in the Kingdom of God. And just as sure as you can be sealed out with one, you can be sealed in with the other.
* * *
If you’ll notice, just about the time that Jesus came on the scene, Judas came on the scene, the antichrist, the one was against Christ. I want you to notice the natures of these spirits now. Judas, was a religious man. He was not an infidel. And all of us know that he was the antichrist. He worked the very closest hand to Christ, His right-hand man. Did you know that in Heaven, that the Devil was God’s right-hand man in the beginning; that Lucifer, the son of the morning, was given power?
* * *
Just as Cain killed Abel at the altar, Judas killed Jesus at the altar. And about the time that Cain came on, Abel came on. About the time Jesus came on, Judas came on. The time that Jesus died, Judas died. And about the time that the Spirit of Christ... get it now! About the time the Spirit of Christ returned, the spirit of antichrist returned, the spirit of Judas returned. Judas was Satan’s man; Christ was God’s Man. Christ was the incarnated God; Judas was the incarnated Devil.
* * *
Now, about the time that the Holy Spirit came back upon the church to pull out a people for the Bride, the antichrist came back also. Now, read in I John 4:3, and He said, “Little children, every spirit that confesses that Jesus has not come in the flesh, is not the Spirit of God: and this is the spirit of antichrist that should come into the world, and already in the world, working in the children of disobedience.”
* * *
Oh, brother, sister, if I’ve hurt you or offended you, I want you to forgive me. But don’t you never go back and think that I haven’t told you the truth, because it came from the Word of God. And you can finally fix your ear in such a fix, until you will be sealed by the antichrist. Antichrist is against the real Christ, the real moving of the Spirit. And the thing’s so close, it’s deceiving the very Elect, under emotions, and worked up, and things.
55-0607
THE TRUE VINE AND THE FALSE VINE
Notice, here comes them vines up; let’s just follow them two spirits now. The first thing you know, we will see them... The first in the ark: there was a dove, and there was a crow. Both of them was birds. One could fly just same place the other one was, and both set on the same roost, perhaps on the same floor, the second floor of the ark. Both of them birds; one could fly where the other one was. One of them the Spirit of Christ, and the other one antichrist. The only way you could tell them, was test their diet.
They turned the crow out, and that crow was satisfied with eating old dead bodies, flying from one to one, and clawing around. He was satisfied to be out there in the things of the world.
But when the dove flew out, she couldn’t find no rest for the soles of her feet, and she came back again. Brother, I’m telling you, if you’re ever once born of the Spirit of God, the world stinks to you, and the things of the world are gone. That’s right. You can’t stomach any more. Why couldn’t the dove eat it? Because the dove is one bird that don’t have a gall; it couldn’t digest it.
And any man that’s born of the Spirit of God, or any woman, doesn’t do the things of the world. They’ve come out from the world, and they are separated in a different life. Because they can’t digest it. Their digesting orders has been changed, been converted; their appetites are for the things of God, looking above, prayer meetings and so forth. They ain’t got no time for skating rinks, dances, and ballrooms, and so forth. They’ve passed from death unto Life, become new creatures. They don’t desire those things no more.
55-1113
JESUS CHRIST THE SAME YESTERDAY, AND TODAY, AND FOREVER
I don’t believe that any oil out of my hands would heal anybody. I don’t believe it’d have anything to do with it. And I believe if I’d claim so, it would be absolutely antichrist, taking away from Christ. If there’s any virtue in that oil, from my hands or anybody else’s hands, or from anything else that come from me, it’s taking away from Calvary, and it’d be ‘anti,’ against Christ.
56-0122
FIVE JUNCTIONS OF TIME
And the mark of the antichrist is to reject that Holy Ghost, which you’re sealed outside of the Kingdom forever, with no, no way they’ll ever be forgiven. He that speaks against the Holy Ghost will never be forgiven in this world or the world to come. There’s your mark of the beast and the Seal of God in one little handful.
The Seal of God is the baptism of the Holy Ghost. And the mark of the antichrist is to deny it. Now, you’re marked one way or the other. Don’t you want to have the Holy Ghost today?
56-0715
THE MARK OF THE BEAST
Why do you want to wear clothes like that? Now I’m talking to you women, because I see you letting your kids on the street act like that. And you yourself are. What in the world do you want to wear clothes like that for? I don’t care how much religion you’re supposed to have. That shows in your heart what’s coming out. That shows exactly what you’re made out of. Why? You’ve deafened your ear to the real Gospel of liberation. That’s right. You are marked by the antichrist, acting like him. The fruits of your life prove what you are. And you men, because you let her do it, it shows who your god is and shows what you’ve done. That’s Gospel. That’s the Word.
57-0305
DIVINE LOVE
The antichrist can produce any sign that’s in the Bible, but he cannot love. There’s nothing about him to love.
57-0306
GOD KEEPS HIS WORD
And now my brethren, this place where I went... and giving these fellows the six weeks’ diploma, and sending preachers out that didn’t know no more about the Message than nothing in the world. They know they can work themselves up in some anxiety, and bring out some sweat in the middle of their hands, and go wipe it off on somebody and call it healing. Brother, that’s antichrist if I ever seen it, or heard it in the Bible! There is no thing can come out of you that can help anyone, unless it’s the Gospel, the Word of God coming through a true preacher’s lips. That’s right. Calvary, and healing, and salvation, is a finished product of Calvary. That’s the Gospel, and nothing else will take its place.
58-0927
WHY ARE WE NOT A DENOMINATION?
God took the man; the Devil took the woman. Look at it right straight in the face. What’s doing it today? Look at the real Church of God, will say, “Jesus!” The antichrist will say, “Mary!” Watch that spirit, see, there they are. “Hail, Mary, mother of God, blessed art thou among women, and pray for us sinners, now in the day of our death. Amen.” Mary prays for? Oh, my, goodness! See, there you go. “Women,” the Devil’s subject. Christ, the object of worship, and the only One! There you are, there you are.
59-1227m
A SUPER SIGN
I’m thankful for a Church universal, triumphant, already predestinated and called, and sealed, and ordained to that Body. I find them in Asia, Africa, Rome, everywhere, Indiana, through the states, Africa. Everywhere around the world, I find that Church triumphant, who knows that You have come in the flesh. And You said that every spirit... In Your Bible, You said, “Every spirit that does not confess this, is the wrong spirit, the antichrist. Every spirit that doesn’t witness this same thing, that Christ has come in our flesh, is the antichrist spirit.” [I John 4:3]
60-0221
HEARING, RECOGNIZING, ACTING ON THE WORD OF GOD
Morris Cerullo said to me the other night, said, “Where is the antichrist, Brother Branham? The Jews is the antichrist.”
I said, “Morris, don’t! Tell me in the Scripture where the antichrist comes out of Jerusalem. The antichrist comes out of Rome, not out of Palestine.”
60-0331
FROM THAT TIME
Now, if Jesus was here, tonight, in a visible form, then it would be wrong. If Jesus Christ stood on this pulpit tonight, the Jesus Christ of Heaven, stood on this pulpit tonight and claimed to be Jesus Christ, he’d be an antichrist. It’s exactly, He’d be. For when Jesus comes, the Rapture takes place. “As the light cometh from the east even to the west, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of Man.” [Matt. 24:27] Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess. [Romans 14:11] But the Holy Spirit that was in Him, is here tonight. He’s here tonight, in His Church. “Wherever two or three are gathered, I will be in their midst. [Matt. 18:20] The works that I do, shall you do also. More than this shall you do, for I go unto My Father.” [John 14:12] We’ve been over it and over it again. And His Presence is here.
60-0609
BE NOT AFRAID
I was at the Notre Dame in Paris. And there was a woman, some woman died there, and they’d had a place there where they were taking, rubbing their hands up and down over top of her head. She’s in a coffin, and they... Some kind of embalmed, the lady had been, and they was rubbing across there, said it kept plagues off the city. When the blood of a woman, oil from a man’s hand, or anything else takes the place of the Blood of Jesus Christ, it is a antichrist. And you just remember that; it’s antichrist. Jesus Christ is the only Mediator between God and man. His Blood was shed once, for all.
60-0804
AS THE EAGLE STIRRETH UP HER NEST
What a joy it is, and a privilege to serve God. Give it to these young people, Lord. They’ve got an awful battle. Look at them. Look at what they got. Look at their television: rotten and polluted. Look at the nation they’re coming up in here: politics rotten to the core, the antichrist arising in the seat and power. The world, American people, don’t know what a struggle is. They don’t know how to do without. They never had to miss a meal. Oh God, just look. Glamour and Hollywood, and it’s even got into assembly-line religion in the churches, and streamlined Hollywood. No more old-fashioned, all-night prayer meetings, and agonizing, and praying, and having fellowship around the things of God. No more praying through.
60-1204e
THE PATMOS VISION
Someday those brass feet of justice (Glory!), when He comes as Judge, He will tread the antichrist, and all of His enemies. Hallelujah! He will walk through the earth with a rod of iron in His hand. Amen! Oh, repent, sinner friend, while you got a chance to repent. You’re trying to put it off and think it’s just a little story that won’t happen. It will happen! “It just couldn’t happen to me.” It will happen to you!
He will take those brass feet and crush out His enemy. He will wade over the antichrist. He will take those apostate churches and sling them into the Eternity yonder, somewhere into a consuming fire where she will be consumed and done away with. And He will reign on earth, Him and His Church forever. Glory!
61-0207
EXPECTATION
But when you’ll come together... Oh my, that’s it, when you’ll fully obey God: “By this will all men know you’re my disciples, when you have love one for the other.” [John 13:35] When you get part of the theology out and get a little love in there, it’ll do works and wonders and miracles. But we got to have that. For who? For everybody. “Oh, for that old bunch of Assemblies of God, or that old bunch of Church of God, or old Oneness, or Threeness, or Fiveness, or whatever they are? Me love them? I couldn’t love them, they’re antichrist.” You’re lost yourself, brother, when you think that. That’s right. You’re not right with God. If you can’t raise out a hand to the bitterest enemy you got and try to win him to Christ, then the Spirit of Christ isn’t in you. “For he came to his own, and his own received him not.” [John 1:11] Yet, He gave His life for His enemy. He did. How true it is.
61-0216
THE SEAL OF GOD
And now you watch, just about the time the antichrist is holding itself up now and taking all the churches, even our Pentecostal, into the big morgue up here, you know, the union of churches... You understand where I mean. I understand some of our Pentecostal organizations is getting into that. How far away from the Spirit of God can you get when you start wandering? Just slip off that narrow road and you’ll just keep sliding. That’s right. You got to come back to where you left off. That’s right. Confederation of Churches, which will form the image of the beast.
Oh my, how we see now the antichrist beginning to unfold itself, taking a hold in the nation. It even elected their own man. The other churches forming in with it, making one great big ecclesiastical head. All the Anglican bishops going over now into Rome to consult with the pope, the first time for hundreds of years. Oh, it’s all taking head. And we Protestants sit back.
61-0423
ABRAHAM AND HIS SEED AFTER HIM
Now Adam was not deceived. He knew exactly what he was doing. But Eve was deceived. She thought she was doing what was right. Satan gave her about ninety-five percent pure Gospel. And the other five percent was enough to throw that off. So we’ve got to be not just part Gospel, we’ve got to be Full Gospel. We got to have the entire Word. For the antichrist is a part-Gospel preacher. We know that. And his works are part-Gospel.
61-0611
REVELATION CHAPTER FIVE
And, because of that, it forces me to say I am leaving the ministry; is because that there is something arose up amongst the people that caused me to do it. That is, that I have been taken from my bracket of “a minister” or “a brother” and being called Jesus Christ, and that would brand me as an antichrist. And I will meet God as a quitter before I would meet Him as an antichrist, to take away from Him.
* * *
And so, it just tore me all up. And the hunting trip that I had planned so long, I could not take it. I was afraid of a hunting accident, if you understand what I mean. I got so shaky, worse than I am standing here now. And I just couldn’t stand it any longer, to think that thirty-one years of ministry went down the Devil’s gutter pipe, into the... When I’m gone, what will they say? “There he is, that’s exactly what it was.” And all the influence that I had upon the people, then you see where it’d be? I’d be an antichrist, and I just couldn’t stand it!
61-0730m
GABRIEL’S INSTRUCTIONS TO DANIEL
And God never did deal with Israel until she came to her homeland. Hear me! THUS SAITH THE LORD, God will not deal with His Church until she comes back to the Homeland, the Message of the hour! Come back to the original! Get away from your Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian ideas, your Pentecostal, Assemblies, Oneness, Threeness, and Fiveness, whatever it is, Church of God, Nazarene, Pilgrim Holiness, Church of Christ – all antichrist movements! And I realize this strikes the world. All wrong, all of the Devil. There’s godly men in every one of them, godly people in every one of them movements, but the organization in itself is not of God, and God will never bless it. He never has done it.
There’s Ishmael and Isaac standing there fussing about the land yet, but she belongs to Israel. If you happen to go over in the new Jerusalem, they won’t let you come to the old Jerusalem. You have to go there first and let them explain it all to you, the Arabs, then take you over to the other side. That’s Ishmael’s children. But wait, there’s coming a time when God’s children’s going to take her over. That’s right! Jerusalem will be rebuilt again. The daily sacrifice will be set up. And the antichrist will make a covenant for them last seven weeks, and in the midst of it he will break that covenant, turn them all into Catholicism. The abomination will spread over the whole thing like that, and then the end shall be. Watch!
62-0211
ONENESS
This thing of this Council of Churches is nothing else in the world but a stir of the foolish virgin, to be left here on the earth for a picking for the antichrist. But the real Church of God will float like old Noah did, and go on into Glory, just as sure as I’m standing here.
62-0401
WISDOM VERSUS FAITH
The Bible said that this antichrist that was coming upon the earth would deceive all, a-l-l, all that was upon the face of the earth with these denominations and creeds. He would deceive all upon the face of the earth, every one of them, except those who were predestinated before the foundation of the world.
62-0422
RESTORATION OF THE BRIDE TREE
The Roman caterpillar started eating on that Tree in the days of Paul. He said, “I am persuaded (Scripture here) that after my departing, men will raise up among you, brethren, like sheep skins over them, wolf inside, and will draw away many after them. [Acts 20:29,30] For the spirit of antichrist that you heard that was to come into the world, is already in the world now, working in the children of (what?) disobedience.” [IJohn 4:3; Ephesians 2:2] Disobedient to what? The Word.
62-0622e
WHY?
Now, I believe that the Church’s name was put on the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation of the world, before the Lamb was slain; because the Bible said the antichrist would deceive all upon the earth whose names were not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, slain before the foundation of the world. [Revelations 13:18] I believe the infinite God, by His foreknowledge, saw the Church.
62-0715
BEHOLD, A GREATER THAN ALL OF THEM IS HERE
And everybody’s scared about communism. There’s not a Scripture in the Bible says anything about communism, only that it’ll bum the whore with fire. It’s playing right in God’s hands. But you watch Romanism. That’s the thing that’s going to do it. You just watch. It isn’t that... antichrist isn’t that kind that flatly denies everything. It’s so close like it until it’ll deceive the very Elected if possible, Jesus said. You watch that. That’s the thing you keep your mind on.
62-0721
BEHOLD, A GREATER THAN SOLOMON IS HERE
As I made a remark last night, I felt it sweep over the audience, it kind of had a funny feeling when it returned. But when I said, “Education has been the mark of antichrist all through the ages.” Education is the worst enemy the Gospel ever had.
62-111e
WHY I’M AGAINST ORGANIZED RELIGION
This man said, “Mine, almost the same thing,” (in some language). He spelled it out. Said, “See, I’m almost six hundred and sixty-six, too.” Said, “There’s been hundreds of them.” Said, “Every time anything raises up, somebody’s got a six hundred and sixty-six.” And said, “Reverend, did you know in one language your own name might spell out antichrist?” Said, “Why do you look at such things?” Look at the wisdom.
But the Holy Spirit knows better. Watch. That might be, my name might spell out six hundred and sixty-six. But, I don’t meet the rest of the qualifications. I don’t sit upon a hill. I don’t say these things. I’m not a governor, you see. That’s right. That’s the one He’s talking about. So your worldly wisdom comes to nothing, sir, that’s right, in the Presence of the Holy Spirit.
62-1216
THE FALLING APART OF THE WORLD
We are told that the new system of this denomination, of bringing this here World Council of Churches, will bring peace to the earth. What a disregard, what a nasty slam in the face of Christ. What a irreverent, sacrilegious thing that is. It’s of the Devil. A man can organize something better than God can send them? The tower of Babel! It’s another Babylon that must fall. Peace on earth, a false messiah, an antichrist in its teaching. How are you going to throw these denominations together when they won’t even... they can’t even agree with one another now, when they’re broke up in little systems like that. How about all joining together and getting over there? Yes. See, it’s a false setup. It’s all done to throw Protestantism into Romanism, a false, antichrist teaching. God’s Kingdom is not of this world, Jesus said so.
63-0318
THE FIRST SEAL
When Martin Luther made the proclamation that all Jews ought to be run off, and their buildings burned down because they were antichrist. See? Martin Luther made that statement himself in his writing. Now, Hitler just fulfilled what Martin Luther said. Why did Martin Luther say that? Because he was a reformer, not a prophet.
* * *
A white-horse rider went out. See? Who is he? He is mighty in his conquering power. He is a great fellow in his conquering power. Do you want me to tell you who he is? He is the antichrist. That is exactly what he is!
Now, because, you see, if an antichrist... Jesus said that the two would be so close together until it would deceive the very Elected, the Bride, if it was possible. Antichrist! It’s the antichrist spirit.
* * *
Now, remember, the antichrist and the beast is the same-self spirit. There is the trinity. Yes, sir. It is three stages of the same devil power. Remember, nicolaitane, see, it had to be incarnate before it could be crowned. See? Now, watch this! Three stages: First stage, he’s called antichrist; second stage, he is called the false prophet; third stage, he is called the beast
* * *
We was over to hear a man teach on the antichrist. A well known man, one of the best the Assemblies of God have got. And his interpretation of antichrist was that they are going to take a vitamin of some sort out of a man and transfer this life out of a man into a great image that is going to step a city block at a time. Could you imagine a man filled with the Holy Ghost, under such illusion as that, (or claimed to be)? When here is the Bible that says who the antichrist is. It’s a man!
63-0319
THE SECOND SEAL
These people who think that the Jews are the antichrist, they are certainly a million miles off the line. Don’t you never think the Jews are an antichrist. Their eyes were blinded, purposely, that we might have a way to get in, giving us a time of repentance. But the antichrist is a Gentile. Certainly. It is an impersonator of the Truth. Anti, “against.”
* * *
Now antichrist comes into light gradually. I want you to notice. Now, when you hear... Now, to my Catholic friends, just sit still just a minute. And then, we’re going to see where the Protestants, where we all are, see.
Notice, the first church... When the Catholic church said that they were the first, original church, they’re exactly right. They were. They began at Pentecost. That is where the Catholic church began. Now, I once didn’t hardly believe that, until I read history, and I found out it is right. They began at Pentecost, but they began to drift, and do you see where they are at?
And if Pentecost drifts with the speed it’s drifting now, they won’t have to go two thousand years. In a hundred years from now, they’ll be farther away than the Catholic Church is. That is right.
* * *
Now, he was first called antichrist. The second stage, he was called the false prophet, because that spirit among the people became incarnate. You remember, the white-horse rider now had no crown when he started, but then he was given a crown. Why? He was the Nicolaitane spirit to begin with. And then he became incarnate in a man, and then he was crowned, and received a throne, and was crowned. And then he served that for a long time, as we will see as the Seals break.
And then we find out, after that long time, Satan was kicked out of Heaven. And he came down, according to the Scriptures, and enthroned himself. Just think, enthroned himself in that man and became a beast. And he had power, supreme power, like that. He done all the miracles and everything, or the killings and bloody fights and everything that Rome could produce.
* * *
All right. This rider and all his kingdom subjects that are slaying down through the age, that’s drawn all this blood of the martyrs of the saints, will be slain by the Sword of Jesus Christ when He comes. “They that take the sword will be slain by the sword.” They took the sword of dogma and antichrist, and cut down the real, true worshipers, all down through the ages, by the millions. And when Christ comes with the Sword (for it is His Word that proceeds out of His mouth), He will slay every enemy there is before Him! Do you believe it?
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THE THIRD SEAL
This rider is the same one, but another stage of his ministry. The first stage, a white horse (see?), he was just a teacher, just an antichrist teacher. He was against the Word of God. And now, how can you be an antichrist? Anybody that denies that every Word of this isn’t true, and to be taught just the same, is an antichrist, because they deny the Word. And He is the Word.
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THE FOURTH SEAL
That little woman at the well! When those scholared priests had said, “Well, that’s the Devil. He’s a fortuneteller. He’s just telling those people their fortune, and He’s a devil.” But when that little woman with that predestinated seed..!
Now, you think that’s not right but Jesus said, “No man can come, except My Father draws him; and all the Father has given Me, will come.” And the antichrist in the last days is going to be able... That antichrist spirit that we’re studying is denominationalism, and proven that denominationalism is antichrist.
* * *
Notice, the antichrist is on a pale horse, mixed colors. A horse is a beast that represents a power. His power is all mixed up. Why? It’s politics, it’s national powers, it’s religious powers, it’s demon powers, it’s all kinds of powers mixed together. A mixed pale horse, he’s got all kinds of powers.
* * *
We had to go to different places of the Scripture, to Revelation 19, to show the Coming of Christ will slay the antichrist. That’s the reason I had to leave these, just take them two verses. I had to go to different parts of the Scriptures to prove these things; so that’s the reason I went to Revelation 19, to show the end of antichrist will be the slaying. Christ, when He comes, He will slay the antichrist.
* * *
Now, remember, there’s people out there just like you. But it’s the system that kills, see. It’s the antichrist spirit that finally gets them to a place till they won’t hear no Truth.
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THE FIFTH SEAL
That’s the reason the early church had healings, and miracles, and visions, and power, is because it was the Living Word, in the form of the Lion of the tribe of Judah, riding out to combat that. Amen! Now, you got it? He sends his power, antichrist; God sends His, the Word. Antichrist, false teaching; the true Teaching went with it to combat it. Now, that was the first one. Now, this was the first Church, apostolic, that went to meet him.
* * *
See, the antichrist has still got something that symbolizes Christianity; he’s got to, because he’s “against,” you see. And then if he’s got to be against something... Now, if he came along and said, “Oh, I’m a Buddha.” Well, that has got nothing at all. They all do. That’s just a heathen to begin with. But the antichrist is cunning. He’s got all kinds of things that represents Christianity there, only got it off on the other side, something against the original Doctrine of it. See, that’s what makes him antichrist. See?
* * *
Can you reject such matchless love? And you see that now, by the opening of these Seals, that what you have did, and what God has did for you. And you’re ready to surrender your life to God, and if He will snatch you out of the hands of the antichrist that you’re now in, would you accept His offer by just raising your hand to Him, saying, “God, by this, I signify, I accept that offer of grace. And, Brother Branham, I desire your prayers that I will ever remain faithful.”
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE SEALS
So, as far as the trinitarian theory of being three different Gods, that’s heathenism! That never was taught in the Bible. It never was taught in the lion Message, but it was adopted in the next, which was antichrist. Ask anybody you want to, any theologian! That never did come, only through the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes.
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HE THAT IS IN YOU
Now, I would like to read I John 4:4:
Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: (talking
of the antichrist)... because greater is he that’s in you,
than he that is in the world
Two pronouns, see: he, personal pronoun; he that is in the world, and He that’s in you. He that’s in you is greater than he that’s in the world.
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THE WORLD IS FALLING APART
God’s Word still ever remains the same, yesterday, today, and forever. They can never be able to disprove it. That’s the thing that will hold the world together; not an educational system. Anything that you adopt instead of that, is an antichrist move; that’s exactly right, it’s against the principles of Christ. Back to the Word, and Christ is the Word! Yes, sir. He’s the Word made flesh and dwelt among us.
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WHAT SHALL I DO WITH JESUS CALLED CHRIST?
And what have the churches desired? A murderer of the Word, one who takes a system. If the system is contrary to the Word, then it’s a murderer to the Word. And they desired a denominational tradition, in the stead of the True Word being manifested and proved that it’s God amongst the people, by science, through pictures, Light. The same Angel of the Lord, the Pillar of Fire, the same One that lived on earth in the body of Jesus Christ is come upon His people in the last day, where science has took the picture of it. The church has seen His works. It’s thoroughly identified by tapes and everything, around and around the world, and personally ministered. And still in all of that their systems are desiring a council of churches, to condemn the Truth, desiring a murderer that would shut off, or stop, or sell out. And it’ll do it. They’ll stop such a thing, and the Council of Churches will have to do it. There’s the mark of the beast. Antichrist, against the Word, which is Christ.
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THREE KINDS OF BELIEVERS
Now, the Word of God or the church dogmas is before you. Can you take and accept the dogmas of the church, or do you take what the Word says? Remember, in all ages it has been as it is right now. There’s always a popular belief among the people, and it’s always been just a little bit contrary to the real Word. Remember, it’s never been just a right out denial of it. Oh no. The antichrist don’t deny the Word. Certainly not. He says he believes it, but just not all of it, the way it is wrote here.
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THE VOICE OF THE SIGN
When they think we got to build a bigger organization, we got to go into the ecumenical council, that’s a sign of unity? To me, it’s a sign of the antichrist. That’s exactly what the Bible spoke of. Sure. It’s not a Scriptural sign, only on the other side. It lets the believer know which way it’s headed. The Urim Thummim is God’s Word. And what He said would take place in the last days, that’s exactly what’s got to flash.
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THE FEAST OF THE TRUMPETS
In the cunningness, as He said, he’d come in like flatteries. And what has he done? He’s bringing the Protestant ecumenical council of the world churches, the spirit of antichrist, upon both of them, bringing them to the slaughter (just like they did the other), in an hour to call the Bride. How? Loosed in the ecclesiastical church spirit. Loosed upon what? Not upon the denominations, upon the Bride! But here you would get it; the Bride will not go through that time. The Bible says not. The church will, but not the Bride! Can’t you see it? Ministers, can’t you see that, brethren?
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
The beast has been all the time. The beast was the one that fed them, back there in them lions’ dens, fed them back there in that arena there in Rome. That was the antichrist; that was the beast right there, set up a form of religion. Just exactly like... almost a pattern. The Roman church was taken right out of the Bible, and then... What they did, they organized the thing, and made an institution, and made a universal church out of it. And all that wouldn’t bow down to it had to be destroyed.
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
A healing campaign now! Sinful men [the Beatles] that even shocked their own managers with their vulgar, and dirt, and filth. And people throw away their crutches, and get healed by looking at these boys. It’s so filthy, and dirty, and antichrist! You see, it’s Satan on a mock campaign. See? He does anything that the Christ can do, but he can’t confirm the Word. See? He will take part of it here and part of it here, but he can’t take it altogether. See? He can’t get it together. So, you see, no wonder the Bible said that would almost fool the very Elected if it was possible. The antichrist spirit.
Question: Brother Branham, could Jesus look like
you, or you be Jesus, or something like that?
One sense of the word, that’s exactly the Truth; another sense of the word, it’s an antichrist. That’s the difference between right and wrong. To make me the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, would be an antichrist, see? For that Person of the Lord Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Majesty on high, and will come again in great Power and Glory. But for His Life that was in Him, being upon me, and upon you who have Him, it’s exactly the Truth. And you become Christ.
Now, if you notice, it’s always been twins all along. Cain and Abel were twins, and Esau and Jacob were twins. Jesus and Judas came out of the same tribe and in the same church. And even the Holy Spirit and the antichrist is to be twins. “So close that would deceive the very Elected if possible.”
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LEAN NOT UNTO THINE OWN UNDERSTANDING
Now what will happen? And when this church, World Council of Churches, goes together, can’t you see who is going to do the leading? Can’t you Methodists and Presbyterians understand that, the rest of you, even to Pentecostals? You say you’re not going in. You’ll either go in, or you’ll bust up the denomination. You’ll do one or the other. It’s right before you; you’ve got to do it. It’s a forcing, the mark of the beast. And that’s what it is, exactly. Denominationalism absolutely (I can prove it by the Bible) is the mark of the beast. She was a whore; she had prostitute daughters. And we know that that is the Truth. Organized religion, it’s contrary to the Word, and it’s antichrist in its principles. Not everything in there is antichrist, but in its principles, its system, is antichrist, because it’s against the Word of God. Every organized system is that way.
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GOD’S CHOSEN PLACE OF WORSHIP
A man called me not long ago in Beaumont, Texas. He said, “Mr. Branham, if your name is not on our church book, you cannot go to Heaven.” Would you ever think of that? Don’t you believe such a thing as that! They think you have to belong to that certain church or you cannot go to Heaven. That’s wrong! To believe that is antichrist. I will say this: If you believe such a spirit, you’re lost. That’s a good sign you are lost, because it’s taking away from what God did. God never put His Name in any church. He put it in His Son, Christ Jesus, when He and His Son became One. That’s the genuine place of worship.
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THE CHOOSING OF A BRIDE
The modern world church and also the spiritual Church, are both pregnated to give birth to sons. One of them, a denominational birth, is going to be given one of these days at the World Council of Churches, which will produce to the world the antichrist through a denomination. That is exactly the Truth. I may not live to see it. I believe I will. But you young people remember that you heard a minister say that it will finally wind up, that that is the mark of the beast. When she forms that World Council of Churches and she will give birth to her son, the antichrist.
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THE ANOINTED ONES AT THE END TIME
You think them denominations will ever break up their denomination and come back to the Word? It’s THUS SAITH THE LORD, they won’t. Will they go into the antichrist? Exactly. It’s THUS SAITH THE LORD, they will. So what are you saying about? I have to be a witness, and so do you! All believers!
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THE GOD OF THIS EVIL AGE
It was Satan’s ambition to be worshipped like God. He took two-thirds of the stars of Heaven, ascended himself above those stars, and preached to them, and deceived two-thirds of them. You see it? All right. Notice, that’s his ambition. And now he is ready with his carefully selected, educated bride by his own knowledge see? All painted up in his deceit, of big buildings, and big denominations, and paints of knowledge, and theology, and smart, and intellectual, and educated, to deceive the whole world and become a god (that’s what he’s done!). All heading up into the person of the antichrist, which is already crowned the vicar of God by his worldly-loving, scientific bride; all dressed up in pomp of intellectual, religious education. She is made religious like him, and by his own interpretation of the Word of God (as he did Eve, and as his son Cain did).
And Satan will soon take his intellectual bride and exalt this great one which is the antichrist, the hierarchy, and set him upon a throne, and the whole world will wonder after him. And then, Christ will come (and two cannot exist in the same time), and his kingdom will be taken. He will be destroyed, and Christ, the Word of God...
Which, the woman is a part of the man’s body. They’re not two. They’re one. And the Bride, Church (Word), of people called out from here and there for His Name’s sake, will unite in the Body of Jesus Christ. And the kingdom of the antichrist will be taken and destroyed, and Christ shall take the Throne and set upon the Throne of His father David and reign upon the earth for a thousand years, and then present the Church to God without spot or blemish. Yes!
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INVISIBLE UNION OF THE BRIDE OF CHRIST
The whole system of civilization that we have now is absolutely antichrist. Educational system is antichrist. Civilization is antichrist. It is against God. You say against civilization? God will have a civilization, one of these days, that won’t have any death associated into it.
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TRYING TO DO GOD A SERVICE
Like on my Message of the antichrist [The Anointed Ones At The End Time 65-0725]. “There shall rise false christs.” Now, He didn’t say false Jesuses. See, nobody would stand still to be called “Jesus,” in the term of the Lord. But false christs means “the anointed.”
AN EXPOSITION OF THE SEVEN CHURCH AGES
Chapter 1, The Revelation of Jesus Christ
Now remember this. Christ in the True Church is a continuation of the Book of Acts. But the Book of Revelation shows how that the antichrist spirit would come into the church and defile it, making it lukewarm, formal and powerless. It exposes Satan, revealing his works (attempted destruction of God’s people and the discrediting of God’s word) right down to the time he is cast into the lake of fire. He fights that. He cannot stand it. He knows that if the people get the true revelation of the true Church and what she is, what she stands for and that she can do the greater works, she will be an invincible army. If they get a true revelation of the two spirits within the framework of the Christian church, and by God’s Spirit discern and withstand the antichrist spirit, Satan will be powerless before her.
Where will the Gentile Church go in the rapture? Into the palace. The Bride will be taken off the earth. She will be caught up before the great tribulation to meet her Lord in the air. For three and one-half years while the retributive wrath of God is poured out, she will be in the great Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Then will He return, leaving His bride in “His Father’s house,” while he makes Himself known to His brethren. At this very time, the antichrist covenant that the Jews have made with Rome will be broken. Rome and her allies then send their troops to destroy all the God-fearing, Word-abiding Jews. But as they come against the city to destroy it, there will appear in the heavens the sign of the coming of the Son of Man with His mighty armies to destroy them who have been destroying the earth. With the enemy repulsed, Jesus then comes and presents Himself to the 144,000.
AN EXPOSITION OF THE SEVEN CHURCH AGES
Chapter 3, The Ephesian Church Age
Now it is easy to get a wrong impression of what we are talking about because I am making this so strong. It could sound to you as though this anti-Word, antichrist spirit, is a complete repudiation of the Word, a denial of the Bible, culminating in its rejection. No sir. It is not that. What it is, is Revelation 22:18,19. It is the changing of even just ONE word by taking away or adding to it. It is the original trick of Satan in the Garden of Eden. He just added one little word to what God had said. That did it. It brought death and destruction. And in Ephesus, it was just the same. Just a word added, just a word taken away, and the anti-Word, antichrist spirit began to flourish.
But as usual people don’t heed God’s warning. That revival fire built upon the sacred Word is so wonderful, and the manifestation of the Spirit so blessed, that a little fear creeps in and a whisper in the heart says, “How can we protect this truth we have? What can we do to see this revival goes on?” That is when the antichrist spirit comes in and whispers, “Look, you have the truth now, see that it doesn’t get lost. Organize and set up your creed of what you believe. Put it all in a church manual.” And they do it. They organize. They add to the Word. And they die just like Eve did for taking one wrong word. It’s God’s Word that brings life. And it’s not what we say about the Word that counts, but it’s what God said.
* * *
Incredible? That is exactly what Nicolaitanism has come to. They say, “Never mind what God’s Word says. You can’t understand it. We have to interpret it for you. Furthermore the Bible is not finished. It has to change with the times and we will tell you what the changes are.” How contrary that is to the Word of God that emphatically states, “Let God be true, but every man a liar,” whenever there is a conflict with the truth. Heaven and earth will pass away, but not one word of God will fail. So the people are led by people who presume to be what they are not. They say they are vicars of Christ, but what they are is antichrist.
AN EXPOSITION OF THE SEVEN CHURCH AGES
Chapter 4, The Smyrnaean
Church Age
Now when I say this was an organized antichrist church I am giving you the truth from authenticated history. The first church founded in Rome (we will trace its history in the Pergamean Age) had already turned the truth of God into a lie by introducing a pagan religion with Christian names and meaning.
AN EXPOSITION OF THE SEVEN CHURCH AGES
Chapter 5, The Pergamean
Church Age
Julius Caesar then took both the kingdom physical and spiritual for he became Pontiff Maximus of the Babylonish religion and was therefore priest-king. This title passed on to the following emperors until the time of Maximus III who refused it. According to Stevens’ History it was then that the pope took the headship the emperor rejected and today there is still a pontiff in the world, and he is truly Pontiff Maximus. He wears a triple crown and resides in Rome. And in Revelation 17 God does not any longer refer to Pergamos as Satan’s seat nor does he say that is where Satan dwells. No, the throne room is no longer in Pergamos, but it is MYSTERY Babylon. It is not in Babylon but in MYSTERY Babylon. It is in a city on seven hills. Its head is antichrist for he has usurped the position of Christ Who alone is mediator and Who alone can forgive sins. Yes, Pontiff Maximus is with us today.
A woman robed in scarlet is sitting on the seven hills of Rome. She is a harlot and has borne daughters. Those daughters are the Protestant churches that came out of her and then went right back into organization and Nicolaitanism. This Mother of the daughter-churches is called a whore. That is a woman who was untrue to her marriage vows. She was married to God and then went off fornicating with the Devil, and in her fornications she has brought forth daughters that are just like her. This mother and daughter combination is anti-Word, anti-Spirit and consequently anti-Christ. Yes, antichrist.
AN EXPOSITION OF THE SEVEN CHURCH AGES
Chapter 6, The Thyatirean
Church Age
Now a woman is not meant to have an iron disposition. She is, according to the Holy Scripture, to be submissive to the male. That is commanded of her. Woman who is truly female, all female, will be of that disposition. Not a door mat. No real male makes a female a door mat. But she will want to be under authority and not rule over the male, for he is the head of the house. If she breaks that image that God made for her, she is perverted. Any male that lets the woman take authority has also broken that image and he is perverted. That is why a woman cannot wear that which pertaineth to a man or cut her hair. She is never to wear garments that pertain to a male or cut her hair. When she does she is intruding into the male domain taking authority and perverting herself. And when a woman invades the pulpit, which it is commanded she must not do, she shows what spirit she is of. Being a dominating female is antichrist and the seeds of the Roman Catholic Church are in her though she may deny this ever so vehemently. But when it comes to the Word, let God be true and every man’s word a lie. Amen.
AN EXPOSITION OF THE SEVEN CHURCH AGES
Chapter 7, The Sardisean
Church Age
You know we are living in the end time. It is in this age that the churches are going to come together. And as they are even now controlling world politics, they will soon control the finances of the world. Then, if you don’t belong to the world organization of churches, you won’t be able to buy or to sell. You will lose all. Those who stay true to God and keep their garments clean from the defilement of this ‘world-system’ of church orders will be physically bereft. There will be presented to them a great temptation to give in. Preachers will give in with the excuse that they will serve God within the framework of the antichrist beast-system. They will give in to the flatteries and blandishments of the hierarchy. And the people will follow these false shepherds right into the slaughter. But in the judgment they will all be found naked. They will not be given those white robes; neither will they walk with Him. You can’t walk in the spotted garments of the world, holding hands with the Devil here, and then expect to be with God.
AN EXPOSITION OF THE SEVEN CHURCH AGES
Chapter 10, A Résumé of the Ages
For the clergy to organize themselves with one rank over another until they are finally headed up by a president is a manifestation of the antichrist spirit, regardless of how wonderful and necessary it may seem. It is nothing but human reasoning taking the place of the Word. And any person who is in the organized denominations is right in the midst of an antichrist system. Now let me say this and make it very plain. I am not against the people. I am against the system.
* * *
See how that Judas spirit came back as a rider on a white horse? It was white. So close to the real, just as Judas was so close to Jesus. A crown was given to him (white horse rider). How? That spirit was now in the leader of the Nicolaitane system and he was a triple-crowned pope who sat as God in his temple, calling himself the vicar of Christ. If vicar of Christ means ‘instead of God’ or ‘in place of’ or ‘on behalf of God’ then the pope was calling himself the Holy Ghost, or deposing the Holy Ghost, acting for him. That was the Judas spirit in him doing that. See how he conquered, going forth conquering and to conquer. Christ did not do that. The only ones that came to Him were already predestinated by the Father. And so on and on went that spirit and one day it will become truly incarnate in a man who will head up the World Council of Churches, just as we have been saying. And by his gold (remember Judas held the bag) he will control the whole world, and that antichrist system will own everything and try to control everybody. But Jesus will come back and destroy them all with the brightness of His coming. And their end will be the lake of fire.