The First Begotten of the Dead

The Second Advent

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

…the first begotten of the dead… Yes, dear brother, you desire to know what this statement means? It is beyond language and tongue for me to make you see it. May God make it known to your heart is my prayer.

The Father loving the world so much,  He gave His only begotten Son that by him, in him and through him all may be saved; for the Father willingly made him a blameless perfect sacrifice for all; yes, it’s the Father in him that made him a perfect sacrifice, thus was he glorified not in himself nor by himself but through the Father. But of himself he says, “the son can do nothing but what he sees the Father doing”, and that “the works that I do, it is not I who does them but my Father in me.”

Therefore, it was the Father perfecting his work in the son. So, it is written: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

And again, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

And yet again, Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. [30] I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Yes, brother, as you can do nothing in yourself unless you abide in the Son of God, so the Son can do nothing in himself (totally nothing) unless he abides in the Father. “At that day ye will know that I am in the Father, and ye are in me and I in you.” So, because the Father is in him in fullness, thus the Father perfects all in him. Thus all are gathered in him so as to be perfected by the fullness of the Father.

So I say, that if at his first coming, the Father crowned him with glory and honour so as to taste death for every man, and thus was he arrayed in the name of the Father to bear His glory in the world; and yet the world knew him not, not even the woman who bear him, the virgin Mary knew him not. And if anyone could know him then the Father had to reveal him to them, or else they passed by him still seeking for another one to come and redeem them. For he says, All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

That is spoken of him at his first coming; arrayed in glory and honour, yet no man could know him unless the Father revealed him directly to him. They could know Moses, they could know Elijah very quickly; yes, if it was John the forerunner they knew him even more than what he was, for they thought he was the Messiah; yet John did no miracle or any other of the wonderful works, yet they could quickly think him in the status of the Messiah. But when one appeared among them who could cast out any devil, heal all manner of diseases; the lame also and the dumb, and raise any dead man, even one who had laid in a grave for 4 days, yet the best they could think of him is: And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

Why, none could think him to be the Messiah, until the Father directly gave the answer to Peter! Even his disciples also stood in wonder and amazement concerning his identity. They were never sure of him until he was glorified, and until the Father had sent to them His Spirit, even the unction who abode in them and revealed the son to them. For no man can know him but only by the Holy Ghost revealing him to the same.

So, Brother, if at his first coming, coming as the only begotten of the Father, arrayed in glory, full of grace and truth, yet no man knew him: why? Because he was sealed, as it’s written, Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Yes, I say, if at his first coming, coming as the only begotten of the Father, in the name of the Father, and yet they could not know him, how can they ever know him when the Father brings him again in the world as the FIRST BEGOTTEN OF THE DEAD?

Revelation 1:5 KJV

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the FIRST BEGOTTEN OF THE DEAD, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.

Remember, Jesus Christ is made all things so as to have pre-eminence and jurisdiction over all things. First, he was and is the first begotten of life, that is life eternal. So, he is called the only begotten Son of God. The rest are begotten in him and by him.

Second, he is called, the firstborn of every creature. For to make the creation, he had to be made like it, a creature, so that by him and through him God could create the rest. In other words, all creation was represented in him before God, as the first born of all of them. So, the Father saw all of it in him before any was as yet manifested.

Thirdly, he is called the firstborn from the dead, that means the first one to resurrect, for resurrection is also a birth. That is when he was raised from the dead on the third day. He was the first fruits of them that slept.

But now, according to the seventh seal, the Father brings him in the world through the Gentile church, as the FIRST BEGOTTEN OF THE DEAD. That is quite a statement!

Now, birth is by a mother, so from the womb of death at his resurrection he was born, the firstborn from the dead. And at the beginning of creation, from the womb of creation he was the firstborn of every creature. But begetting is not by a woman, neither is it from a womb, but it is a seed from a man, a male. See? So, to be the first begotten of dead he has to be dressed up and clothed up by the seed of the dead as his father. At his first coming he was made of a woman under law, the law of her husband to whom she was espoused already, but at the second coming he is made of a man, that means he comes through the seed of a man, a dead man. Yes, at his first coming he was made the seed of Abraham, a living man, but at his second coming he is made of a seed of a dead man… Man’s ordinary seed receives him into the world. See?

What a marvel of heaven this must be! The First Begotten of The Father now appear on earth as the very FIRST BEGOTTEN OF THE DEAD! How could not the angels be silent and meditate deeply in wonder and amazement! How can it be! How could the Father do to him like that?! And for what cause!

Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him. [12] And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven. [13] So they sat down with him upon the ground SEVEN DAYS AND SEVEN NIGHTS, AND NONE SPAKE A WORD UNTO HIM: for they saw that his grief was very great. Job 2:11-13 KJV

Job, who had been as the first begotten among them, now in worms clothed, a very first begotten of the dead! The three men sat in silence for seven days! Day and night none of them found a word to speak. See? Amazed beyond speech!

What then, to those angels who know his glory and honour as the first begotten of the Father, how silent and perplexed, astonied and bewildered were they when finally the veil of the seventh seal was lifted, and his whereabouts was discoverable to them clearly: no! No please brother, no more as a man on Earth, not a son of man on Earth, for the dead cannot beget a man on earth, but a worm! A worm struggling in the manure pile, wrapped in all worms. Marred beyond every man by the Gentile church, a whorish church to begin with! So was fulfilled the scripture which says, Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high. As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men: 

Then finally it was softly asked, But why? Who made him so? Then they were answered, His friends! From the house of his friends was he thus marred. Why? Which friends? Jews? No! From the Jews he was clothed in the law, that is in swaddling clothes, fairly done, but from the Gentiles, by their nicolatanism, balaamism and Roman whoredoms they more than crucified the Son of God!

Brother Branham channel life forward from the Gentile church body. He received life from that church body and forwarded it to bring him in the world. He was an Abraham, so whatever was spiritually born of him is an Isaac. That is the Son that he was forerunning. That is what he is inside.

Brother Branham was not responsible for his outward appearance. No sir! He was not responsible for the mess, but the body of dead Gentiles churches under whoredoms and nicolatanism and the horrible name of trinity bruised, wounded and marred him beyond recognition by the greatest experts that heaven can boast, leave alone earth or the sea.

How could any man know him then, dear brother? How could any angel know him then, the ones who had formerly rejoiced in his glory at his first advent, for they were aware of his birth in Bethlehem? And though born in flesh and wrapped with swaddling clothes, yet the glory of God abode on him. So, heaven was filled with acclamations and jubilation as they beheld their master and captain on earth.

But when he appeared on earth at the end time, as the first begotten of the dead, no man nor angel would know him in any way! Not by the least suspicion! No clue! No hint! No faintest ray of glory to indicate anything, to give the slightest whisper of who he is! And that is the seventh seal my brother, the first fold of the seventh seal, the thing which no one knows, no man, no angel knows, and neither could the son himself know anything about it, for he was marred beyond language.

At his first coming he knew himself, the moment he began to understand what is what, he quickly realized who his Father was. He said to Mary, “Knowest thou not that I must be about my Father’s business.” See? A small boy, yet he knew that Joseph was not his father! He knew where he was from. Angels knew all about it, men like Simeon knew him, the shepherds knew it, the wise men knew it, that a king was born in Israel. Devils also knew him, and the red dragon wanted to slay him at his birth… See?

But Brother, you were told by the forerunner that even the Son himself won’t know about it, leave alone some angel or man! Yes, leave alone some devil.

Now, come again and see this, for all who desire to know him now. The name of something is the glory of it, isn’t it? A crow, a dove … Look at the sound? A wolf, a lamb… See the difference? An eagle, a vulture… See how suiting those names are? The name of something is the summary of all the appearance and glory that it wears, you wear your name. Your works becomes your garments and that makes a name for you. If one has good works, so is he dressed and so is his name. One who steals has a name of a thief, a slayer of men is called a murderer, a kind man makes a friend… See?

As he was the first begotten of the eternal life, so was he arrayed and thus was his name, and as he was the firstborn of every creature so was he arrayed and thus was his name again; and as he was the firstborn of the law so was he arrayed, and as he was the first born from the dead so was he arrayed… That is why he told Magdalene that touch me not, for I am yet to ascend to my Father, so don’t touch this kind of garments …. Firstborn from the dead…?

But the wonder of all wonders… now when he appears out of the Gentile church, he is the first begotten of the dead, the very first that the dead can boast of, exactly like the dead. If he were beheld, then as the only begotten of the dead, full of what …? What will you say brother? The only Begotten of The Father of life, had the glory of the Father… What of the only Begotten of The Dead? Full of all the sum and appearance of the dead! As much marred and in total sum as the dead! Think about that my brother! Look at that image… The exact opposite… The prince of the kings of kings of the earth! Of course, he is the first Begotten of that kind. All the dead must submit to him as their head! The kings of the earth represent all kingdoms upon the earth… And he is their prince … See? The very first Begotten among them, numbered among transgressors, for you know how worldly kings can be great transgressors!

The dead have begotten a son! All their trinities, nicolaitanism, whoredoms upon it. What is its name but a Worm. So, the scripture said, Thou Worm Jacob, fear not.

I remember in one of my worst nervous spell that I ever passed through, just quaking every passing moment, yet I wouldn’t spell what was exactly wrong, but the terrors of death were upon me, I was in a state of running away from everybody, even from little children! I was not safe anywhere, yet no one was hunting to slay me, but I was just quaking under the fear of the terrors of death… Then it happened! I placed my finger against what was playing a-top my head, upon my hair, and I said, “Death, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!”

Oh my! What immediately followed, dear brother, I can’t put in words! A multitude of big flat-shaped worms were stirred up, a-jumping back and forth upon me. Flying off and then returning swiftly!

Oh, dear me! I wished I had never done that! Oh my! Too much for my little heart! The nervousness from becoming conscious of what I was wrapped in could tear your heart to pieces in a moment!

Dear brother, you are asking after his name, he is no man, and has no name among men, but he is a worm, a Jacob to begin with. A transgressor from his mother’s womb, with the fear of Esau wrapped all around him. So is his name. Would you want to raise your eyes upon such a one?

Why was he made thus? A disgrace before every man? The Father knows it all. To catch that Nicolaitan serpent’s head upon man and destroy it once and for all.

For to destroy the law he had to put it on as his body and die on the cross physically, for the law is of the flesh; so was he made under a woman to deliver those who were held by it, but headship is never of a woman. Eve’s eyes were never opened till she ate the same fruit with Adam. See? So, Christ couldn’t take upon himself the head of the serpent by the woman (Israel), so he must come through the seed of man (the Gentiles who are the seat and total sum of the serpent’s knowledge on earth. For the Greeks [Gentiles, sons of Jephath] seek after wisdom as men, but Jews after signs, glittering signs, like women. See?)

So, it behoved him to be made as they are, to take on himself that notorious head to destroy it, not by the death of the body, for the body is feminine, but the death of the mind in the heart which is masculine. So, he died in heart and was cast out, rejected by his brethren, the very ones to whom he was sent to. When the Father began to lift away that veil to reveal him to them, they immediately cast him out as the vilest Antichrist, and he has his abode in the bushes ever since with a handful of his disciples. All churches closed doors upon him and excommunicates any who seems even to sympathize with him. A man of sorrows aquatinted with grief is he… For in him, that is in his heart the head of the serpent was held, and by the Father’s sword it was crushed. So, as Branham’s stomach was always in bitterness of gull and wormwood, so is his heart ever since he underwent the stroke of death in the spiritual body of his mind.

But now some ask, “We would see Jesus”. The time is fulfilled, that the Son of man must be glorified. And what is it that if he is raised up that almost all men will be drawn to him. “Father, glorify thy son, that thy son may also glorify thee.”

Thus, John clearly mentions a threefold ministry that has to do with the book of Revelation. This book concerns the ministry of He who is, who was and is to come, and that is God the almighty. It also concerns the seven spirits of God that are before His throne always. Then finally it concerns Jesus Christ as the first begotten of the dead and as the prince of the kings of the earth. These are the three main characters of the book of revelation. There are sections where only the Father is involved, then other areas you find only the seven spirits are involved and other places you find only the lamb of God involved.