Question 14 (ABM) - What if a person rejects the message?

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    Question 1 - The Municipal Bridge vision

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    Question 6 - Revelation 10:7

    Question 7 - William Branham's visit to Rome

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    Question 12 - A Biblical Perspective on William Branham's Lies

    Question 13 - What is the Message?

    Question 14 - What if a person rejects the message?

    Question 15 - What doctrines comprise the message?

    Question 16 - The Vision of the Plum and Apple Trees

    Question 17 - The Mystery of the Empty Cornerstone

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    Question 21 - How many people were actually healed in Branham's ministry?

    Question 22 - Are there any true prophecies that were clearly fulfilled?

    Question 23 - Can we ignore the plain reading of Deuteronomy 18:20-22?

    Question 24 - Grounds for Divorce according to William Branham

    Question 25 - Is it OK for a woman to cut her hair?

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    Question 32 - Is the message a cult?

    Question 33 - The Prophecy of the Seven Angels

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    Question 35 - The Prophet and the Eagle

    Question 36 - Did King Saul Commit Suicide?


    Question 14 (ABM) - What if a person rejects the message?

    Dear ABM,

    This further question is a natural progression from Question 13 - What is the message?.

    From your perspective, what are the consequences of a person rejecting William Branham as a prophet and rejecting his message?

    From my understanding of the message, William Branham appears to say that if you reject his message, you are lost.

    Here are a few quotes of William Branham to provide context for the question:

    See, each had their own interpretation of the Word. That’s what…the reason Israel didn’t recognize Moses. That’s the reason the world didn’t recognize Noah. That’s the reason all the prophets wasn’t recognized. They have their own interpretation of the Word. But God, in every age, has had His Messiah. See? To reject Noah’s Message, was to rejecting God. To reject Noah, was to perish. To reject Moses, was to perish. It was…They were the Anointed Messiah’s for that age, the Word that was promised for that age. And when Jesus came, He was the fullness of the Word. (64-1227 - Who Do You Say This Is?, para. 71)
    Now if you are a thinking people tonight, here and out in the land where the Message is going, your desire will be a Bible taste, not a denominational taste, for you will be judged by the very Bible, the Word that I’m asking you to filter your soul through. And to reject one Word of It, and not let your soul pass through that one Word, you’ll be turned down. (65-0822E - A Thinking Man's Filter, para. 178)
    And you can’t hold to them old things that the other church before you did. You’ve got to take the Message of the hour. He said, “What was left over, don’t let it stay till morning (to come into this other age), burn it with fire; be destroyed.” That the age that you’re living in, the Message of this age, It’s got to be brought out of the Scriptures and vindicated and proved by God that it’s God doing so. Then you either receive That or reject It. That’s Eternal Life, leadership of the Holy Spirit, leading His Church. (65-1207 - Leadership, para. 159-160)

    If I reject William Branham's authority, am I still a Christian? Am I lost?

    Shalom,

    BTS

    Response

    BTS,

    This is a question which has a nuanced answer, and you have to carefully parse what Bro. Branham taught. It is easy to take one quote and magnify it over another, just the same as you could take one scripture and fail to interpret in the context of all scripture. This is also not a question that can be quickly answered, as there is much scripture to be reviewed to have a full explanation. But I will endeavor to give a basic explanation. I also question just how you define "rejecting Bro. Branham's authority." I assume by that you mean rejecting his teachings and doctrines which were divinely inspired. If you mean something besides this, let me know so I can better understand the question.

    If you "reject Bro. Branham's authority", you will quite likely not be in a state ready to take part in the pre-tribulation rapture that Bro. Branham believed in. I suspect that will be missed by one who rejects. But that does not mean you are lost to hell. That is a difference between the wise and foolish. The foolish virgins will pass through the tribulation, along with other righteous classes of people. They will be saved as well, but their path is not going to be as pleasant, in that sense.

    To add to the complexity a bit, there is a difference between rejecting the message, and never knowing it to begin with. Most lay Christians have never heard the message at all. A large portion have certainly been influenced by it, but many unknowingly. They are "foolish". There is perhaps also a distinction from rejecting the message and blaspheming. If you reject the message in such a way that constitutes blasphemy, then most certainly the person would be lost. If the rejection was in such a way as to not constitute blasphemy, then again there is still an opening to the person. However, God is the judge of these things, not man. I would not venture to speculate on any individual. I am afraid many of the idolaters have failed to fully understand Bro. Branham's teachings in this area... Ultimately Bro. Branham's teaching on this subject is entirely compatible and an extension of the doctrine of entire sanctification and christian perfection as established by John Wesley. You have to follow the underpinning scriptural logic established in those underlying doctrines to fully interpret what Bro. Branham taught on this subject.

    Bro. Branham taught this. He many times explained that you could believe different than him, or that those who did not accept his holiness teachings could still be Christians. He expressed that often and was emphatic about it. To reconcile that with the quote you give above, and other like it, you have to realize the distinction. If the righteous fail to go in the rapture, then they will die a natural death during the tribulation. In that sense they will perish. Yet their soul will be saved. (Rev 13:7-10, Rev 14:12-13) This entails many scriptures, I am just giving a couple here.

    This meets the standards of the scriptures. In Matt 5:19, Jesus expresses a similar thought. Stating that some will meet the expectations of the gospel and be great in the kingdom of heaven, whereas others will not and will then be least. They are still saved, but there is a distinction between them. Those of my "sect" prefer to use the scripture rather than quotes to establish what we believe. but just to demonstrate Bro. Branham believed the same I will point you to one quote to help with this. Because even Bro. Branham believed you could fail to accept him and his message, but still be saved.

    Now, there'll be… The first that'll take place will be the–the coming of the Bride. There will be people in the world… I… You might different a little with this, but listen close. Just because that you accepted Christ as personal Saviour, that doesn't mean that you're going in the rapture. That's for the elect, that'll go in the rapture. There'll be a remnant left here on earth that'll go through the persecution and the great tribulation. The church will be caught up in the rapture. How many women here doesn't know that when you going to cut a piece of goods you lay the goods out like this, and lay your pattern on it like this, and you cut the goods just according to the pattern. Is that right? And the rest of the goods is just the same kind of goods that's in the pattern. Is that right? But this is the kind you take. You might lay that away for farther use, but the–the goods that you cut out of… Now, who places the pattern? God by election. Amen. God by election places the pattern. He said, "Now, I have chosen before the foundation of the world… I place these…" Why, Jesus told the disciples that He was with them, and He had chose them, and knew them before the foundation of the world was ever laid. Is that right? So God places the pattern. Now, there'll be an elect that'll go in the rapture. And there'll be a group of people that's good, upright, holy living, God saved people, that will not be in the rapture; and they'll come up in the second resurrection, because… [ABM: skipping a few sentences here] There's people in the world today, good Christian people that'll believe in justification, many of them, thousands, millions that believe in justification. But they'll have nothing to do with sanctification. - Questions And Answers #2 (54-0103E)

    All this said, I think there is scriptural evidence that a large number of professed Christians fall into the category of those who will say "Lord Lord, have we not done many wonderful works in thy name? But he will say unto them, depart from me. I never knew you." But who falls into what group, this is for God to decide.

    So my ultimate answer to you would be this. If you reject the authority of William Branham in such a way that constitutes blasphemy of the holy spirit, you would be lost. Otherwise, there is still every potential for you to be saved, just not as part of the bride of Christ who will be raptured.

    Regards,

    ABM


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