Text of Joseph Branham's talk in Russia

Joseph Branham speaking at a ministers meeting in in St. Petersburg, Russia on or about September 22, 2006. (This was transcribed from a video posted on YouTube.com.)

Minister's Breakfast

We greet you this morning in the lovely name of the Lord Jesus. We indeed count it a great honor and a great privilege to be here with you. We appreciate the great sacrifice that each of you have made to be here today. We have very much been looking forward this opportunity to be able to greet you and to shake your hand, and tell you that we love you, and we all thank the Lord Jesus for sending us a Prophet and the end time Message. It's one thing we all have in common, that God sent a Messenger to call out the Bride of Jesus Christ. And by His mercy and grace, today I can tell you, that I am a Son of God. Are you happy today to be a royal seed of Abraham? Amen. Amen.

We are going to have a little blessing and then we'll have our breakfast and then we'll take a little time of fellowship with one another. Let us bow our heads.

Father how we love you this morning. Father for an opportunity to come together under you Name, these precious Brothers Lord who have come so many miles, to come and to fellowship and to speak about your Word. Lord today we invite you into our midst. May you have preeminence over the service Lord. Bless and be with us Father as we commit ourselves into your hands. For your honor and for your glory Lord. And Father may you take this food that's been prepared, Father may you bless it and sanctify it Lord toward our bodies. We ask it Father in thy precious and lovely name, The name of our Lord Jesus. Amen. Amen.

Minister's Meeting

Greet you again in the lovely name of the Lord Jesus. As I said, we count it a privilege to be here. The Lord to allow me this honor to stand for you. And I'm thankful to the Lord for His mercy and grace to me.

I'm just your Brother and that the Lord blessed me to be the son of a Prophet. But I had to come the same way you did through Calvary. One day God gave me a revelation of this Message. And I thank the Lord for His grace and mercy to me. We want to thank each and everyone of you for making such a sacrifice to be here. We know many of you have come from a great distance to be here.

So its a privilege to be here with you. We're certainly privileged and honored to have many of our Brothers here from United States and Canada. It is a special honor and privilege for me to have my brother with me, Brother Billy Paul.

Truly he was a witness, traveling and to be with Brother Branham and to see the miracles that you heard about on tape. To be able to witness some with his own eyes. And if the Lord willing, you'll be able to hear some of those testimonies. So I know it will be a blessing to you. I never get tired of hearing what the Lord did in our time. It thrill by heart.

The purpose of the Catch The Vision Tour is to show unity and to fellowship. We might disagree with one another but I believe we all agree that God sent a Prophet with Thus Saith The Lord. Brother Branham said if somebody draws a circle, draws you out, you a bigger circle and you draw them in. It's satan that tries to come in and push a wedge between Brothers. In this end time the Prophet of God in this Message exposes satan. That's why his goal is to separate Brothers. So we want to bring the Brothers together in fellowship and in love.

I have but one motive and one objective and that's to promote Brother Branham and this Message. I know that you Brothers have many questions upon your heart and since I was growing up as a young man I've been called everything from God to the devil. But I'm just your Brother. And I here to tell you that I love and believe this Message with all my heart.

I felt a calling upon my life to get this Message to the Bride around the world. And that's what I want to do here today is try to express to you some of the many things that maybe you've heard and try to speak to you from my heart.

You know I believe translator can speak for me and he can tell you words that I'm saying but the feeling comes from me. When I look in your eyes and tell you that I love you, you can understand the words from the translator, but the feeling comes from me.

So I pray that the Lord will allow you to discern that all that's in my heart today to try answering questions that you have upon your heart.

First thing that I felt upon my heart to speak about is something we must establish. Is what is our absolute?

Brother Branham says we must have an absolute. I've heard that its been said in your country that a Brother, a minister Brother has spoke to you about speaking about myself. He said "That you have to realize that Bro, every, that Brother Joseph believes everything Brother Branham says is Thus Saith The Lord." Amen. I believe that everything Brother Branham says is Thus Saith The Lord.

This Message has to be my absolute. Brother Branham said you have to have an absolute.

On the Message 'My Commission', Brother Branham says "Now I'm your Brother by the grace of God. But when the Angel of the Lord moves down, he becomes the Voice of God to you. " He said "I am the Voice of God to you."

So I believe everything that the Prophet said. And it is the Voice of God to me and you. Whether we want to accept it or not. It's like Brother Branham said, Jezebel, we know who her pastor was, Elijah. Whether she wanted him or not, that was her pastor. And that's what this Message is to me.

You know, Brother Branham said, he said that in the Bible we know the story of Jonah and the whale. And the scientists say that it's impossible for a fish to swallow a man. But the Prophet of God told us that that was a special fish. The Word says it I believe it. If we try to put our own reasoning to it, our own thought to it, seems like its impossible. But God said it, and we believe it.

A Brother said we can't believe all that Brother Branham said. We know that Brother Branham exaggerated on things. When Brother Branham says he shot the bullet and it went to the speed of sound, he says, we, we know that a bullet can't go the speed of sound. I said "My Brother that was a special bullet like the whale was a special fish." If the Prophet said it, it's Thus Saith The Lord. We can't put our reasoning behind it. We are guilty to just believe what he said. We are, we are obligated. On the Message ? Trying To Do God A Service Without It Being His Will, he said now this is Moses speaking, you know the scripture, the words that I have spoken to you, I call heavens and earth to witness against you, if you add one thing to it, if you take one word from it, you'll not stay in the land that the Lord God gives you. Then the Prophet said, so say I, in the name of the Lord Jesus, don't you add one thing, don't you take your own idea of it, you just say what is on those tapes. Amen?

You believe that. Is this Message you absolute? If this Message is your absolute then we can fellowship with one another. If you have another absolute, if you take another man's idea, another man's thought, his interpretation, then we can't fellowship. Brother Branham says that we have to have an absolute to come back to. And that's what will judge the Bride of Jesus Christ. So I think it's important first that we establish our absolute. Then we can have fellowship. Cause I can be wrong but the Word can't be wrong. It is become God's Voice to us. So if Brother Branham said it, I have to believe it.

You know the scripture tells us, It said Moses, you be God to the people. He said let Aaron be your mouthpiece. He says to Moses, He says I speak from lip to ear. That so blesses my heart.

You know when you hear somebody say 'Brother Branham said Thus Saith The Lord, that was the Angel of the Lord speaking through him. But when he talked of other things that's not Thus Saith The Lord. He was just a man. He had feelings just like every other man.'

That's true, he was a man, and he did have feelings. He had a family that he loved. He sacrificed that to bring this Message to you. But he also was God's Prophet. What he said we must believe.

I was reading in the Scripture the other day, in Corinthians the 7th chapter, the 12th verse, and it's Paul speaking "But to the rest speak I, not the Lord," It was Paul. He said it not the Lord its Paul speaking, but its the infallible word of God. Everything is Thus Saith The Lord. You can't take away one jot or one tittle. We have to say exactly what he said.

Satan in the garden of Eden, he just misinterpreted one little word, and he planted that seed of doubt. And because some believed it, that's why we're here today. But God sent a Prophet to restore it all again. Everything that Adam sacrificed restored to you. Amen? Amen.

Voice of God is committed to give you exactly what the Prophet of God said. We don't want to take out one jot or one tittle. We've been told that our translations are very, are choppy, hard to understand. If you lived in the days of Jesus, would you want to hear exactly what Jesus said or would you want someone to take some words out. Or someone to tell you, well these words are not important. You would want to hear every word.

What does the Scripture tell us? In the days of the Voice. It's important that you hear the Voice. Amen? Amen.

I want to hear everything he had to say.

When you heard Brother Branham for the first time, when he would maybe stumble upon words, or he would say stories, did it stumble you, did it cause you not to believe? They were the words of Eternal Life. Amen? He said it was a deep calling unto the deep. You are a predestinated Son of God born before the foundation of the world. And when that sun hit that seed it came to life. Amen? Amen.

In the Message, Events Made Clear By Prophecy, I love to read Brother Branham quotes, because I know if I stand here I could say something that would fail, but I know this can't fail. And as we established, this is my absolute. Whatever Brother Branham said, that's what I have to go by. I can't go by his interpretation, or by if he tells me, Brother Branham really didn't mean to say that. My eternal salvation rests upon what he said.

I love my brother, Brother Billy, I don't believe he would ever tell me a lie. But he's not my absolute. He might tell me 'Well, you know Joseph, Daddy said this this this.' He ... bless my heart. And I believe he would tell me the truth. But if it's not on tape, I, I, I can't rest upon it.

He said "Say what's on the tapes." Not what Brother Joseph said. Not what Brother Billy Paul says. But what I said. Amen? Amen.

So that's what we believe. Events Made Clear By Prophecy. He says "God does His own choosing by predestination. God chooses the Prophet for every age. He fixes the nature of that Prophet to fit that age. He fits his style, whatever he does, he fits him whether he is educated or not educated. He fits the gift, the manner that he'll preach" He said "All the message for that age." He said "He gives him his class. His nature. His style and whatever he is, he expresses himself in whatever he does." Listen. "He makes the man of the hour to catch the people of the hour." So if God chose a man, and his nature, and his style, why would anybody want to change it? Why would anybody correct it. Somebody wants to do something better than our Lord Jesus give to us? We can't change what God gives us, perfect. He spoke every word to reveal to our hearts. And a believer will not stumble.

I believe when Brother Branham says "I, I, I", I believe it should be in the book. He spoke it, I believe it. Brother Branham said, every sound has a meaning. Every sound has a meaning. So how can I take out something the Prophet of God said, because that sound has a meaning. He said you say just what I said. And that's what I believe today. It is the infallible Word of God.

What, what a privilege people we are. That if we had lived in the days of Paul then we had to depend upon someone to come and tell us what Paul said. In the days of Paul Brother Branham said the scripture tells us they had scholars, he said that they wrote it down. And then it went from village to village to village. If I knew today, I were to tell our Brother ? something, then he would repeat it to this Brother. Then this Brother would go to this Brother and repeat it to him. And repeat it to him. And as time went all around and it came back around to ?, it might not even be close to what I said.

But the Holy Spirit knew that in this end time, that we couldn't depend upon any man's idea. So he let the tape recorder be invented so you're able to hear the Voice of God yourself. You don't have to take nobody's understanding. Nobody's interpretation. You can hear it for yourself. Brother Branham said all through the ages they come and they messed it all up. Then God sent a Prophet to straighten it out.

So if we're able to hear for our self what the Prophet of God said, we are the most privileged people that could ever lived on the face of the earth. That you can hear with your own ear the Voice of God. Amen? Amen.

You've heard that in the translations, there, there's a lot of error in the translation. There's always going to be an error in translations because we're men. We try to do the very best that we can. We take the translations and we go over them and over them. We keep proofing them. To make for sure that what we give to you, is close as possible, exactly what the Prophet of God said.

We're not interested in quantity, we want to give you quality.

We know that you rest your Eternal destination on what that Prophet said so we want to say it exactly how the Prophet of God said it. We don't want to - oh this doesn't make sense we'll take this out. It's got to be in there. Amen? And we leave it to the Holy Spirit to reveal it to you. We took our translations, some of the other translation that are throughout Russia, and we give them to an independent professional company in the United States. They said that our translations was of a superior quality.

Brothers and Sisters if there are mistakes in the books, there are human errors, but the Message has no mistakes. But we do the very best that we can to give you exactly what he said.

The Lord has blessed us that we have sent over seven million books to Russia since we started. We have just finished printing eighteen new messages and after services here we have some to give you a copy of all the new messages. We pray that they are a great blessing to you and that spiritual food in due season. Amen?

The Lord has blessed us that we have many people in the United States and Canada, especially as like our Brother Dave ? here and Brother Paul ? from Canada, that support the work of Voice of God so that we're able to give you the Message of the Hour. They have same burden ipon their heart to give you the Message.

The people say that, well it's much cheaper to print here in Russia. But it's simply not true. How much cheaper is free. You can't get too much cheaper than free.

That's what we want to give you is the Word of God. We want these ? of the United States who support this work, is to know that what Voice of God stands for, is to promote this Message. I'm not here today to promote Joseph Branham. Or Brother Billy Paul. We're here to promote Brother Branham and this Message. Amen? Amen.

I, I have nothing to say to you. God sent a Prophet to say it all. We were speaking yesterday with Brother Billy Paul, and I remember the first time that I came to Africa. And that we were with Brother ? here from Kenya, that will be speaking to you this weekend about the work going on in Africa, with all the ministers were standing in front of me, as I told them that I was here to answer all their questions. Brother Billy Paul started to squirm in his seat. He's wondering where am I going with this? Told him, I said I can answer every question that you have.

And so say I to you today, I can answer every question that you have today. It doesn't matter what question you have upon your heart, I can answer it.

Joseph Branham holds up a copy of the book, A Man Sent From God.

The Prophet of God said, if you got a question, the answer is in the tapes.

You believe that? If you believe that with all your heart, God will give you the answer.

The Brothers who are here that are with us, that their a witness, that I never come and ask the people, we're not here to ask for money.

I know that you've been told that the Voice of God tells the people they have to pay their tithes to Voice of God, their offering. That's not true my Brothers. I've never asked the people for money. God is my witness. You can, ?, find me any book, any tape, any person that I've ever said that to. Voice of God is the work of faith. It's up to God to provide the money. 'If there's a need I will provide.' Our absolute told us where to pay our tithes and offerings. And I believe the people have an obligation to pay their tithes and offerings. And I believe that they have an obligation to support the Message to get out. But it is through the tithes and offerings of many people in the United States and Canada and around the world that we're able to give you the Message free.

You've been told that Voice of God is a business. It is a business. It's God's business. If I have a business, if I have a business like out Brother Dave ? here, or if you Brothers have any kind of business, you want to watch how every penny is spent, ? home business. I even want to be even more so protective of God's business and God's money. It's not my money, it's God's money. This is not my business, this is God's business. Amen? Amen.

But in God's business, God told us the correct way to do things. Brother Branham told Brother Billy Paul once, and he said it on tape, he said, if you are going to do anything, he says, be the very best. He said, if, if you're going to, if you're going to work in the filling station, you be the very best. He says, Billy if you're going to be a bum, never work a day in your life. Just, the best you can be.

We believe that you are the Bride of Jesus Christ and we want to give you the very best. We want to provide you with the very best of everything.

But God sent a Prophet and he put a church in order. Amen?

I believe that the Prophet told us that every church is sovereign. But still the Prophet put it in order. The church is sovereign if you want to have church in Wednesday night or on Thursday night or Friday night, whatever night that you want to have church, that's up to you. But God's Prophet told us how a church should be in order. He told us about the Pastors and the Deacons and the Trustees. He,he taught us about water baptism. He taught us about the gifts in the church, and ? us how they are suppose to be in order.

But he also taught us how the business should be in order. Amen? Amen.

Which brings up the question that many of you have heard about the article, or read the article that I put out of Here I Stand. The purpose of Here I Stand was not to cause confusion.

But it was to bring attention to what God's Prophet said. Here I Stand is not my words they were the Prophet of God's words. And I stand corrected before you Brothers today that I want to only do as the Prophet of God said to do. It's not to build a monopoly, its not to be a big super power. I've been told that Joseph wants to keep the Message from the people. My whole life is to give you the Message. Why would we be giving you the books and tapes of the Message if it wasn't to give you the Word of God? We don't want to keep it from you, we want to give it to you. Because these are the words of Eternal Life. It's coming by hearing the Word. I want to run God's business how the Prophet of God said it must be run.

In the article of Hear I Stand, this is Brother Branham speaking. Brother Branham was having the service at the Branham Tabernacle and he said he was there to set the Church in order. Now we agree that this Message is our Absolute, Amen?

He says "Brother, we have called this meeting here tonight for purpose of knowing how to operate the Church of the Living God. May the congregation here understand that these men, deacons and trustees are duty bound to God as there oath in this Church to help hold these principles."

Now listen, "You may disagree with them. And if I let you run it then I'll disagree with you." He said, "We've got to have some source somewhere where there's got to be an ultimate. And the best that I know, I've giving it under the Holy Spirit, letting Him be my ultimate. And let this tape be your ultimate on these questions." Amen? That's my absolute.

What's on the tapes in my ultimate. He told me what I'm suppose to do. He told me how I'm suppose to do it. And that's the reason I wrote Here I Stand. Here's what the Prophet of God said. And when some man comes to you and says "Well, Brother Branham doesn't mean that." Watch out! Amen?

The purpose of Here I Stand is to bring to your attention what he said. He said "these tapes are absolute franchise." He says "No one can mess with them." He said "You better not. If you do you got the law on you." He said "But we wouldn't do that."

In the article Here I Stand, that we published a piece of paper where Brother Branham had wrote that the tapes were franchised and that no one could duplicate them. And I understand that a Brother has come and spoke to you. He told you that Brother Branham did not want to sign this piece of paper. That he was forced to sign this piece of paper by his board. Do you really believe that a Prophet of God could be forced to sign a piece of paper he doesn't believe in?

...Not my Prophet. My Prophet wasn't forced to do this. Then I'd have to believe that my Prophet was forced to preach Church order. Then he didn't mean what he said in there. Amen? We have to believe exactly what he said.

The object of Here I Stand, it's not about whose going to have the franchise and whose going to build power. It has a more important meaning. A much more important meaning. It's to you believing everything God's Prophet said. It doesn't matter how it sound. Or your understanding to it. It's what he said. And I just want to do it exactly how he said to do it. Amen? If we, if satan can make you disbelieve that one thing, what else can he make you disbelieve. That's what Satan did in the beginning. He made Eve disbelieve one little phrase.

We have that Brother Branham, where Brother Branham, it's been said that Brother Branham was not interested in a copyright. And he wasn't interested in royalties. Have you Brothers heard that? ... you Brothers? Heard that.

Brother Branham, I've got a document here. This is where Brother Branham 1950, that he was in Sweden, that he has a signed contract here, where he said that he copyrighted Life Story, his message. And these royalties were suppose to be paid to him. He did that in 1950.

How many knows this book? (referring to A Man Sent From God) This is one of the original copies of Brother Branham's book. Actually this book is the book that Brother Branham give to Sister Georgie Carter. And after she passed away I obtained the book. In the front of the book it reads its copyrighted in 1950 by William Branham and all rights belong to William Branham. God knew He had to protect this Message. Amen? Because this is Eternal Life.

And there's ones that want to come in and take away some. Or they want to come in and tell you this is what Brother Branham meant. Brother Branham meant what he said and he said what he meant. Amen?

It needs no interpretation. If it had to be interpreted then God didn't need to send Brother Branham.

We believe that we didn't even understand what the Word said until God sent a Prophet to reveal it to us. I truly believe in the ministry that you Brothers have. God never put a gift in the Church that He ever took out. I believe in a five fold ministry. But I believe that there is a true five fold ministry and I believe there is a false five fold ministry. Amen. That's what I believe. A true ministry will point the people to the Prophet of God. They will not add there own interpretation. Their understanding. Their not going to tell you 'Well Brother Branham didn't mean to say this'. Or that 'before 1963 it wasn't Thus Saith The Lord'. Amen?

Brother Branham says in the Ephesian Church age, he says "though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you, than that preached unto you, let him be accursed." And he says "And we see what those false apostles were doing. They came with their own word." And he said Those Ephesians knew that they weren't the words of Paul.

Those words are not the words of Paul.

And he said those Ephesians, he says that he looked those false prophets in the eye, and he says, you're false. Cause you're not saying what Paul said. He says " In that last age, when there will be many false prophets appearing, watch and see how they keep telling you that if you don't believe them and what they say, you will be lost". I've heard those very words. I've heard ministers who claim this very message say these exact words. I've heard ministers in the Message today say these exact words. "If you don't believe in what we're preaching and what we're saying then you're lost. You've got to listen to what we're telling you what the Message says or you're lost."

Let's see what the Prophet of God says they were. He says they're "the grievous wolves that Paul spoke of".

Grievous wolves, they're wolves Paul's talking about. Amen? Amen!

"Once I am gone they will try to come and claim equal revelation". Equal revelation!

Is that what you hear?

"We have a part. You've got to hear us. I've got something to say to you. We got to bring you more."

Grievous wolves!

Their purpose is not to help you. He said but to destroy you. Amen.

You must stay with the Word. Do not add to what the Prophet of God said. Don't take away. Believe exactly what he said. Don't add your reasoning to it. Don't put your idea to it. When some other man tells you, you let the Voice of God speak to you, that is Thus Saith The Lord.

And that's the purpose of Voice of God. It's to give you that Message so you can hear for yourself. We want you to hear everything he said. If you know someone who needs this Message, write to us and ask us. We're not here to ask you for money or finances, we're here to give you the Word. We're not asking you for money or finances. When you ask for books we're not asking for money, we're asking, we just want to give you the Word. So you can feed the people that you're responsible for. So you can point them to the Prophet. We want to work together with all Brothers.

I've tried to contact many of the other Brothers that don't see eye to eye with the Voice of God. We've tried to work with them. I've got the letters here to where I've wrote and told them we want to work together. We don't want to duplicate efforts. Let's do it the way Brother Branham said to do it. Not do it the way that you think it should be done. Let's do it by the guidelines the Prophet of God set forth. He told us how to do it, let's do it that way.

They don't have a desire to work with us. But we must keep pressing forward. And that's our burden today. and our purpose to speak with you to try to answer the questions of the things that you have heard about the Voice of God and myself. And to help you. We've tried to bring a glimpse of the Voice of God through this Catch the Vision tour, so you can see what God is doing in calling a bride from around the world.

We believe and know God has a Bride of Christ in Russia in Ukraine ..?.. And we want to do all that we can to be an assistance to.

Continue to pray for us And know we love you and we want to do all that we can to serve you because we do believe that you are the Bride of Jesus Christ.

I have no secrets, you know, I, as we've been on the Catch the Vision tour, You know I've told the Brothers you can ask me any question that you want. You can ask me what kind of toothpaste I use, I'll tell you. Whatever you would ask me I would tell you. You might not like my answer, we might disagree, but I have to go by my convictions, what I believe.

So I hope from this day forward that you know what my motive and my objective is.

I'm not a preacher. I'm not a good speaker. But I love the Lord Jesus with all my heart. And I make (take) my stand with this Message. And I want to stand and help you Brothers in any way that we can. You take back our love and greetings to each one of your congregations. Let them know that we love hem and appreciate them. But we might not see one another on this side, but by his mercy and grace we'll meet you over there. Amen? Amen?

We've all heard the Prophet say, he says when you get to the other side, he says you'll hear way down in the holler someone singing Amazing Grace. And he says you'll say "Oh Brother Branham made it." Well you hurry up and get down there. Because I'm going to be right there. Brother Branham says that Moses was with his people. He says, 'so will I be with you'. Amen?

Looking forward to that day. Amen.

If we could just stand.

We'll just bow our heads and have a word of prayer.

Gracious heavenly Father, Father we love you today. We're so thankful for all your goodness and your mercy. Father that we can stand here and represent you. Lord, that you've called a Bride, and because of predestination, today we can call ourselves your children. Father, that we never found you but you found us. Father, that you knew us before the foundation of the world. Lord, we have not the words to express how we feel. Father I pray, that which I've spoken today, that Father it be a blessing, and Father, that you would bless these Brothers. And Father, they've sacrificed so much to be here today. And they love your Word with all their heart. And Father you sent a Prophet with a Message, that was Thus Saith The Lord. Father we believe it with all our heart Lord. May you bless us today Lord. Be with us in the Service that's about to take place today. ? brothers ? speak Lord. Father we want to take ourselves and commit ourselves in your hands Lord. We ask it all in thy precious and lovely Name. Amen.

God bless you Brothers.