Seven Thunders (An Exegesis)

Seven Thunders

(An Exegesis)

Charles G Olivier

2 Peter 1:1-8; Acts 7:44-47; Matthew 5:48;

Ephesians 4:11-15; Hebrews 11:32-40; Isaiah 6:1-8

Seven Thunders (An Exegesis)

Copyright © 2015 Charles G Olivier.

All Rights Reserved.

Published by Charles G Olivier at Smashwords

ISBN 9781311626998

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favourite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Scripture quotations are taken from The Scofield Study Bible, Authorized King James Version -1909.References are also taken from, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W.E. Vine.

Other quotations are taken from the Sermons preached by William Marrion Branham between 1947 and 1965 (Voice of God Recordings). Where quotations are not directly acknowledged in the text, they will refer to the mentioned resources.

This is the 2nd Edition of this book. A 3rd Edition will be available in the near future.

Proof reader: Elize Olivier

Cover Design: Bithiah Olivier

Address all correspondence and order inquiries to:

Web address: www.chilohbooks.co.za

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1: To the Reader

Chapter 2: Introduction

Chapter 3: Spiritual Revelation

Chapter 4: Oneness

Chapter 5: The Seven Colours of God

Chapter 6: The True Mystery of God

Chapter 7: The Stature of the Fullness of Christ

Chapter 8: Baptism of the Holy Ghost (Token)

Chapter 9: Thunders, Messengers and Virtues

Chapter 10: The Constellation of Angels

Chapter 11: The Capping of the Pyramid

Chapter 12: The Seven Seals

Chapter 13: The Book of Redemption

Chapter 14: Adam – Our Representation

Chapter 15: Conclusion

Vocabulary

Other Books by the Author

Chapter 1: To the Reader

This book is written against the background of, and acknowledging, the inspiration of messages preached by William Marrion Branham. I recognize him to be the Messenger of God to the Seventh Church Age. I realise that it is very important to speak exactly what the Messenger of the Age said.

My goal with this book, is to let the Seventh Church Age Messenger, instead of me, speak. To achieve this, I have made every effort to use as many quotations as considered essential and to group them up, into easily understood portions, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. This is where the exegesis, and not eisegesis, of the subject comes in. There is a difference between an exegesis and an eisegesis. An eisegesis is your personal interpretation of a text (especially of the Bible and, in this instance, the Spoken Word) using your own ideas. This is not using my own ideas, but what the Seventh Angel, of Revelations 10 verse 7 has already said and made clear.

According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary, the Greek word for 'angel' is 'angelos', and the equivalent in the Hebrew is 'malokh'. The word means 'a messenger’, sent whether by God or by man or by Satan. A messenger can be a spirit being or a human being. As far as my human abilities allowed me, I endeavoured to let the quotations run in harmony with what the Messenger tried to convey, keeping the line of thought and inspiration of the Angel-Messenger. I have, however, added comments on some quotations in an attempt to shed light on some issues that might have been misconstrued. This I did, as the Holy Spirit led, and I strongly suggest that you invite the Holy Spirit to lead you as you read. Remember, the Bible teaches that, "when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all Truth." (John 16:12). The Spirit of Truth is a ‘He’, and therefore a person: the manifestation as a person. I do not, in any way, claim to have the answers to every question, but I can try to say how the candle got lit in my life and how God revealed it to me.

⁷²But I haven't tried to introduce to you people A GIMMICK THAT HAS ALL THE ANSWERS. I've tried to be honest and to tell you what was Truth, and I could only tell you as He told me. And then as it come to me, then I could tell you.

⁷³And I want to warn you. In this day that we're living in, there's many... Not saying anything against people. But when you see a person that's got the answer to everything, that's contrary to the Word. (Is this the sign of the end sir? 62-1230E)

In the Sardisean Church Age message, the prophet says: Comenius wrote the "ONE THING NEEDFUL." He compares the world to the labyrinth, and shows that the way out is by leaving what is needless, and choosing the one thing needful -- Christ. The great number of teachers, he says is the reason of the multitudes of sects, for which we shall soon have no names left. Each church reckons itself as the true one, or at least as the purest, truest part of it, while among themselves they persecute each other with the bitterest hatred. No reconciliation is to be hoped for between them; they meet enmity with irreconcilable enmity.

Out of the Bible (and Spoken Word Messages) they forge their different creeds; these are their fortresses and bulwarks behind which they entrench themselves and resist all attacks. I will not say that these confessions of faith--for we can admit in most cases that they are so--are bad in themselves. They become so, however, in that they feed the fire of enmity; only by putting them away altogether would it be possible to set to work on healing the wounds of the Church. "To this labyrinth of sects and various confessions another belongs; the love of disputation...What is attained by it? Has a single learned strife ever been settled? Never. Their number has only been increased.

Satan is the greatest sophist; he has never been overcome in a strife of words... In Divine service the words of men are usually heard more than the Word of God. Each one chatters as he pleases, or kills time by learned disquisitions and disproving the views of others. Of the new birth and how a man must be changed into the likeness of Christ to become partaker of the Divine Nature (2 Peter 1:4), scarcely anything is said.

2 Peter 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Of the power of the keys, the Church has almost lost the power of binding, only the power of loosening remains... The sacraments, given as symbols of unity, of love, and of our life in Christ, have been made the occasion of bitterest conflict, a cause of mutual hatred, a centre of sectarianism...

In short, the Message has become a labyrinth. The faith has been split into a thousand little parts and you are made a heretic if there is one of them you do not accept... What can help? Only the one thing needful, return to Christ, looking to Christ as the only Leader, and walking in His footsteps, setting aside all other ways until we all reach the goal, and have come to the unity of the faith (Ephesians 4:13).

Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:

As the heavenly Master built everything on the ground of the Scriptures so should we leave all particularities of our special confessions and be satisfied with the revealed Word of God which belongs to us all. With the Bible in our hand we should cry: I believe what God has revealed in this Book; I will obediently keep His commands; I hope for that which He has promised. Christians, give ear! There is only one life, but Death comes to us in a thousand forms. There is only one Christ, but a thousand Antichrists... (Cpt 7 Sardisean Church Age – Church Age Book)

This book is written in the Spirit of the preceding quotation. It is not aimed at, or trying to refute, any doctrinal perspective held on the Seven Thunders, by any Believer or Message Church. My sincere and earnest request is that: If you don’t understand me, then, please don’t misunderstand me. I trust that the content of the book, and my approach, will not in any way be offensive, but that it will cause the reader to take into consideration what is presented in the book. Study it prayerfully, carefully, and weigh it out in the balance of God's Word, to see whether It be of God or not. The book is set out in such a way that quotations from the prophet’s messages are presented followed by a brief discussion of it or vice versa. The chapters were created and ordered, in such way, and in an effort to try and focus the reader’s attention on a specific aspect regarding the Revelation of the Seven Thunders. With all the different interpretations of what the Seven Thunders entail, there is a worried need to try and look at it from a different point of view.

This was brother Branham’s approach to differences between two Christian brothers, in the Spirit of what Comenius said:

¹⁰³ Now, I said to Brother Scism and Brother Ness, To answer your question, I said, "now, I do not take either sides with you brethren, and I know, as long as you fuss, you're both wrong, because I would rather be wrong in my doctrine and right in my heart, than to be right in my doctrine and wrong in my heart." See? I said, "After all, it's your heart's condition." (The Godhead Explained 61-0425b)

¹⁰⁴ Churches will build upon one, say, Oh, Jesus is coming on a white horse. I know, I seen Him in a vision, they'll make a church of that kind. Oh, hallelujah, He's coming on a cloud, they make it in that kind. Break them up, and separate, and call one another buzzard roost, and louse hangout, and everything like that. Why, brother, it goes to show, in the first place, your heart's not right with God when you do that. That's right. We are brothers. We must stick by one another. We need one another. (Demonology Religious Realm 53-0609A)

¹⁷³ But now wait just a minute. What have we got? Got nothing, no more than they got. That's exactly right. As long as we fuss and stew and carry on among one another, we still walk as men. Until a man can get down at the altar and get right with God, till he can overlook little things and move on like a Christian ought to... Pot can't call kettle black. Right. Don't holler at them. Let's clean our own steps first. Excuse us, strangers, I'm giving the church a little Gospel spanking now. Notice, that's right. It's exactly what you need. (The Seven Church Ages 54-0512)

E-5 And maybe by taking such a text, it might be thinking that we were trying to say something, that someone else was wrong and we were right. Now, we would pray God that no one would take that attitude.

Just today, before coming out here, I was met and greeted by a good friend of mine, who is Catholic by denomination. And he loves me, and I love him. And I have, by the grace of God, thousands of such friends across the nation, or the world, that would firmly disagree with me on Scriptural doctrines, but in fellowship...

E-6 A minister called my wife about a month ago, and he and I had been talking on some Scripture. He firmly taken his stand, that my belief in Divine healing was wrong, that the Scriptures did not support what I was teaching, that Christ was the same yesterday, today, and forever. Well, he is an American and got a right to his own beliefs. But I tried to talk to him nicely. No matter how much he tried to argue, I just talked to him like a Christian should talk, stayed on what I believe, but give him room for his belief. He called my wife, and he said, Is Brother Branham at home this afternoon? Said, No, he's on his hospital calls. Said, "Sister Branham, I want to say one thing. I have disagreed with Brother Branham upon Scriptural doctrine. But one thing I know, he's a Christian." I like that. Just so we are Christians. (It was not so from the beginning - 59-0405A)

E-27We find out that they made a fatal mistake. And they raise up a big bunch of fighters. That's what we have, a big bunch of fighters. One saying, Bless God, I'm the Assemblies. You are Oneness. Don't you have anything to do into it, you old Church of God, we got it. Church of God: Bless God, we are the ones that's got it. We got the prophesied name. The Oneness says, We got it because we baptize right. Hallelujah! You bunch of fighters. God just let you set right here till you die. That's exactly right. The Bible said they stayed there till all the old fighters died out. Amen. That's exactly right. He let them stay right there till all the old fighters died out. The Bible said so. Those fighters, fighting over their organization boundaries, and "Don't you have no fellowship with that group. That's buzzard roost, and this is so-and-so." As long as you got that in your head, you'll just set right there on the mountain and starve to death. (Turning Northward 61-0129)

Matthew 23:24Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. (A gnat is a small two-winged fly that resembles a mosquito).

He further says: ⁷⁸ I am not speaking against any brother. Cause, that's not becoming to brethren, to speak against each other. We should speak for one another, not against each other. But when I speak sometime of certain organizations, like Presbyterian, Methodist, or so forth, they say, See, he's against it. I'm not against the brother in there, or the sister in there. The system that's separating brotherhood is what I speak against. God's children are one family, and not different groups. Well, all these systems, that men have made in their achievement has got to break up. That's all. We have to come to unity, to brotherhood. That's been my purpose of life is to try to unite and not break up an organization, but let them drop their ideas, and be brothers to every born-again Christian. You see? That, that's the idea. That's where I've stood. (Blasphemous Names 62-1104m)

¹³¹ Now, for instance, if--if one of you brethren would make a mistake and do something is wrong; which, you're subject to do it; I am, too; every one of us. But, as we go along, let's remember we are brothers. We are brothers. And if we got any fighting, let's fight with one another. Bring it together. Bring it before our brethren and settle it.

¹³² Now, they used to, in the Branham family, if one of the little ones done something, they were going to tell Bill about it, 'cause I was the biggest. And I had to stand there and see which was right and wrong. Well, my decision was that, if they... which one was right and wrong. If they still didn't believe it, then they got around behind my back and fought it out. But they were still brothers, you see. They'd fight in the back yard, with one another; and fight in the front yard, for one another. So that's the way it was, see, and were still brothers. (Taking Sides with Jesus - 62-0601)

We need to establish whether we have a burden for souls and whether it is a true calling of God to be in a position where you preach the Word. It is very important to know that our calling is of God.

²⁹ Now, here's the way to do it. Find out first... Well now, this is advice; only thing I can give on this is advice. See? But make sure that your calling comes from God, and then check your motives and objectives. See? Now, you know what I mean by that. What is your motive for preaching? Was it just... You think it was an easier job than what you have? Then you'd better forget it; it wasn't a call. A call of God burns so in your heart you can't rest day and night for it. You just can't get away from it; it's just constantly grinding at you. (Questions and Answers – COD - 61-0112)

²-¹ I used to make this statement: The night never gets too dark or the rain never falls too hard, but what we would do anything that lays in our power to make life a little more comfortable and blessed to you. (As the eagle stirreth 60-0403)

E-38 I had another call said, from a group that said, If you let another group set on the platform with you, we'll have nothing to do with it. That's worse off than ever. What's the matter? Gone off without Him. The love of God in our heart constrains us to reach to every denomination in every place. When it gets to a spot that you can't have a tender love for every human being, something's happened to you. God so loved you when you was a sinner, an alien, away from God, an enemy of the commonwealth of God, He so loved you that He gave His life for you, sure. If you get a spirit in you, you're better than someone else, then you're worse than anybody else that I know of. I don't care if you're ever so correct in your theology; your motives and objectives is wrong. I'd rather be wrong in my theology, than be wrong in my heart. That's right. Spirit of God dwells in your heart. (Be not afraid it is I 61-0123)

²⁴All in love, the whole thing is bundled up now. This has been tried to be taught on many times, and no doubt what great theologians has struck it lot deeper than I could. But the thing I want to try to get to you is this: That a man that is in Christ with the Holy Ghost, can bear with a man when he's wrong, long-suffering, gentle, patient. He's sweet, humble, faithful, filled with the Spirit, never negative, always positive. He's a different person. (Adoption #2 60-0518)

³¹⁵ Somebody said, not long ago, said, "How can you believe these things the way you do, and still go to the Assemblies of God, and the Oneness, all the rest?" Then put, see, brotherly kindness. See? See? Hoping, someday, see; patient with him, see; temperant, enduring with him; knowledge, to understand what he believes, remember, it's in his heart, that's what is; virtue, in yourself, to let it go out with kindness, meekness, to him; having faith that someday God will bring him in. See? (The Stature of a Perfect Man - 62-1014M)

¹⁴¹ I went after a brother not long ago, had went astray. A young fellow said to me, said, Let that rascal go. Let him alone. I said, If I ever get to a place that my heart don't go with my brother, then it's time for me to go to the altar, because I've fallen from grace. I said, I'll go as long as he's got breath in his body, and I'll catch him somewhere along the line. Yes, sir. And I caught him (Hallelujah.), brought him back. Yes, sir. He's back in the fold safely now. Yes, sir. He'd have went astray as sure as the world. (Adoption #2 60-0518)

E-29 What did it? Because we separated our self, each little group to itself. Go on out there and telling the other one, Well that's old buzzard roost over there; this is that there. They haven't got it; we got it. And your little differences of doctrines and so forth... And God wouldn't pay that much attention to it. If we haven't got love, what good does it do anyhow? Though I know all mysteries, and understand all the mysteries of God; though I can have faith to move mountain, and give my--all my goods to the poor and have my body burned as a sacrifice, and have not love, I'm nothing, said Paul: I Corinthians 13th chapter. (The Church choosing the Law for Grace 61-0316)

Because of the substantial doctrinal nature of our subject, I would urge you to please study the book prayerfully, together with the Bible and Spoken Word, and allow the Holy Ghost to lead and guide you. It is advisable to check the quotations with the latest printed Messages of Brother Branham or the Table program, as Voice of God Recordings endeavour to constantly provide the most up to date version of all messages. The reason for this suggestion is because some content was added or corrected using modern technology to enhance the quality of the audio messages. So me quotations are used more than once, due to the relevance thereof, in the content of different chapters under discussion.

John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

⁵² Now that's what we are here for. That's my Message, has been all along, is the Word of God. We must hold to That regardless of what other things take place. Always stay with that Word. Always check out your motives and objectives, if it is according to the Word of God. If it isn't, leave it alone. See? But if it's with the Word of God, and lines up with the Word of God, then, that, you hold to that. (Power of Transformation 65-1031M)

Let us strive to keep the "unity of the Spirit" amongst us. It is all about Christ and Him alone! Deity in you. It must line up with the Word! As God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, we were given a ministry of reconciliation. The same God indwells us by the Holy Ghost.

⁸⁰ I know you think I'm crazy, but let me tell you something, brother. When you realize that Almighty God lives in you, Immortal Life. My Life, I give Zoe, the Life of God is in the human being.

⁸¹ He stood back there; He's the Creator of all things. He made life, frogs, and all these ducks, chickens, animals, created everything. And nothing was made but what was made by Him. Who? Christ, the Deity. "He brought down plagues and everything in the days of Egypt." Who? Christ. He stopped the mouths of lions. He quenched the violence of fire. They escaped the edge of the sword. They raised the dead from the grave. Who? Christ. Oh, my, what would it be? Who is it? Christ, the Deity. (The Deity of Christ 49-1225)

It is always Christ! Right through the Old and New Testaments. As Jesus Christ said: "I come, in the volume of the Book it is written of Me".

Chapter 2: Introduction

1 Corinthians 12:1-30 (Please read the entire chapter)

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.

5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.

6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

14 For the body is not one member, but many.

18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

29 Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles?

30 Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

According to verse 7 it is clear that God placed different gifts in the Body of Christ, i.e. the Believers (a many-membered body), so that each of us may profit from the diversity of gifts He placed in His Body. These gifts, according to verse 28 onward, are the five-fold ministry, miracle, gifts of healings, helps, governments and diversities of tongues, etc. Whatever gift manifests in our lives is for the benefit of the other members of the body of Christ. Eternal Life is to live for others.

The same thought can be picked up from Romans 12.

Romans 12:3-8

3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one, members one of another.

6Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

2 Corinthians 10:1-18(Please read the entire chapter)

12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

13 But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.

14 For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ:

15 Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly,

16 To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand.

17 But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

18 For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

¹⁹² People think sometimes that a gift is something that you put in your hands, and go out and cut your way through. A gift is not that, Father. May they understand that a gift is get yourself out of the way, so that the Holy Spirit can do what It wants to do. (God’s Word calls for a total separation from unbelief 64-0121)

What does the Holy Ghost do? Let us look at the next quotation:

³⁰ That's the purpose of the Holy Ghost: It's the Father again, God the Father dwelling in you, working out His plans to finish His plan of redemption, working through you, making you a co-worker with Him, giving you a place, giving you a part for your fallen lost brother and sister, giving you His Spirit and His love to go hunt the lost as He did in the garden of Eden. Adam, Adam, where art thou? That's what the Holy Spirit does to a man or a woman. When It strikes into their heart and takes Its abode, there's a thirst and a hungering for lost souls. That's what's the matter with the meetings today; there's not enough Spirit touch in it to go for the souls of the lost and the dying. It's more to make a name, or a church, or a building, or a denomination, instead of a soul winning program. How pitiful. We could stay on it much. (What was the Holy Ghost Given for? - 59-1217)

E-9 Look here. He makes big trees, little trees, thin trees. He makes white flowers, blue flowers. God's a God of variety. And He makes little people, big people, short people, thin people. That's just the way we'll be in the resurrection. And we shall know each other as we are known. Thanks be to God. (Speak to the Rock 53-0512)

E-16 And when a gift is given to the church, and the church refuses to hear that gift, then the gift becomes of none effect. But when the gift is given to the church, and the church receives it, then it's a golden age for that church. (The Queen of the South 57-0614)

⁸² He (Job) had a channel of communication to God that he'd got by inspiration. He had a way of moving himself out, and letting God move in. And he knew he was justified. It was a gift, it was a gift for the people; not for Job, but for the people. That's what all Divine gifts are, to serve God's people with. (I have heard but now I see 65-1127E)

You can only become a channel for God to communicate Himself through when you know how to get yourself out of the way, for Him to step forward and minister, by the gift He gave you, to benefit His people in the Church. As Paul says:

Hebrews 2:4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

²⁶-¹ That's why no man can ever come along and say the holy man is a pope or the holy man is a bishop or priest. The HOLY MAN is Christ, the Holy Spirit, in us. How dare the hierarchy declare the laity has no word to say? Each one has something to say. EACH HAS A WORK, EACH HAS A MINISTRY. The Holy Ghost came at Pentecost and separated Himself on each, that it might be fulfilled whereof Christ said, "At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me and I in you." John 14:20.

²⁶-² The Great I Am, the Almighty God, has come as Spirit to fill His true church. He has a right to move anywhere he wants to, and UPON ANYBODY HE WANTS TO. We don't make any holy men amongst us, but the whole true congregation of the Lord is holy, because of the presence of the Holy Spirit. It is He, the Holy Spirit, that is holy, not the congregation of itself. (The Revelation of Jesus Christ – Church Age Book Cpt 1)

It is all about the Holy Spirit using a human vessel, that He can manifest Himself through, in the Body of Believers, for a specific day and age. It is to God’s honour and glory! The Holy Ghost separating Himself at Pentecost, the Oneness of the people and God, lays at the very heart of this book! It is all about