One of the basic thing I teach in our church is that we must compare spiritual things with spiritual and everything, thoughts and understanding must be established by at least two if not three scriptures. Without this we will be out on a limb because God Himself said : But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.(Mat 18:16 KJV)

This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.(2Co 13:1 KJV)

In explaining the messages of Bro Branham, we have to also take the same route that no man of God, any bible teacher, scholar, minister or even prophet can contradict what is already laid down by Paul in the New Testament. Therefore as of Paul, no one after him can preach any other gospel other than what he had already delivered as he said in Galatians 1.

Our natural mind will think this is boastful on Paul's part but our spiritual mind will understand God demanded the same standard out of us who proclaimed the gospel to men less we be accursed and not worth listening to at all because we preach another gospel.

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.(Gal 1:8 KJV).

As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.(Gal 1:9 KJV)

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.(Rev 22:19 KJV)

Alright, so we may ask what about Abraham and Hagar? Jacob with Leah, Bilhah (Rachel's maid), Zilpah (Leah's maid) and Rachel herself? Why did God allowed Jacob to have four (4) wives? So had King David with 500 wives plus concubines and Solomon with his thousand?

The reality of today is that polygamy has already been set in many cultures, not only amongst the Muslims but also in some other Christian sects such as Church of the Latter Day Saints. We can see in the old testament, it was also an accepted practice and the Law as established by Moses much later, allowed for this. The Chinese culture is no different and generally a man marrying more than one wife came about because he was wealthy enough to give his many wives some of the comforts they needed because for those women who were poor, what choice would she make if it was either to serve the rich man's household as a servant/slave or at list enjoy the title of being a concubine or take position as the secondary wife? Remember, even in the days of my mother in Singapore, it was all about brute strength and bully mentality with women being the spoils of war, such as the comfort women kept by the conquering Japanese where the common Japanese soldiers lined up in robotic queues in anticipation for a single moment with the woman without any concerns whatsoever about their well being. Their superiors, the officers probably had their own individual harem?

In the book Wild Swans by Jung Chang, she noted her grandmother herself was touted as a priced item for a visiting warlord and was groomed in the arts and music to impress this feudal power and capture his imaginations to ensure a life of ease and grandness. Had her grandma made of lesser stuff and not eloped with the medicine man, the book "Wild Swans, three daughters of China" spanning three generations could not have been written and if written could be named "Tamed Swans"?

In the sermon, Marriage and Divorce, Bro Branham conveyed this very well about the change of the covenants. From the 1st Covenant, without Sex, to the 2nd of birth through Sex from the covenant of Marriage between the Man and the Woman. Some erroneoulsy believed Bro Branham said "sex covenant or covenant of sex".  These people do not understand the mind of the prophet. The first and original covenant being the Spoken Word. "Let there be"! The second covenant by sex includes polygamy starting from the animals. One bull, whole herd of cattle. One rooster, a yardfull of hens etc.....
 
MARRIAGE.AND.DIVORCE_  JEFF.IN  V-3 N-13  SUNDAY_  65-0221M
204      David, the king which represented Christ! Hold that in your mind. David represented Christ. Do you believe that? [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] Christ is setting, going to sit on his throne. And this David, a man after God's Own heart, had five hundred wives. See what I mean? David with his five hundred wives, Solomon with his thousand. And Solomon is the son of David, in the natural; which represents Jesus Christ, the Son of David, in the spiritual. But that's natural, sex life. This is going to be spiritual, created. Why? Created. See, that's the way it was at the beginning, but not now in this life we live in now.
205    Notice, don't fail this now, take it all down in your hearts. But not one of those women could even have one more husband. He is the original creation, not her. Not one of those women could have one more husband, but that one husband could have a thousand wives. That's THUS SAITH THE LORD. That's the Bible. Now I've went back, took my time and showed you back yonder where it started, what Jesus said. Now do you see it clearly? They could have as many...

I noted many would run off with such quotes and claimed they got the revelation to allow for polygamous marriage but they failed to capture the essence of what he was saying. Remember, Jesus said in the beginning it was not so. Adam and Eve did not come by SEX. They were both the creation of God, Adam a direct spoken Word of God and Eve taken out of the man without Sex.

Some of the stronger statements made by Bro Branham:-

"Now, remember, don't you say that I believe in polygamy; I don't. I...?...what God said... Moses said that... The Pharisee said to Jesus, said, "Why did Moses suffer a writing of divorcement?"
Said, "He did it because the hardness of your heart." Right. But it wasn't so from the beginning, never will be. God 

did it because of the hardness of their heart."

And in the Seventieth Week of Daniel he said:-

In the nations where they have polygamy, it's a thousand times better. And yet, polygamy's wrong; we know.

Why did the prophet not believe in Polygamy and said polygamy is wrong? These made me check with the bible and sure enough, not a single case of "GOOD" ever came out of a polygamous marriage. Not Abraham's, not Jacob's, nor David and Solomon. The last two being a type of Jesus with many members of His own body. As Kings, their marriages to many is a type of Christ and His church, made up of many members of that one body. But the priests even the high priest is only to marry a virgin.

They shall not take a wife that is a whore, or profane; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband: for he is holy unto his God. (Lev 21:7 KJV)

Neither shall they take for their wives a widow, nor her that is put away: but they shall take maidens of the seed of the house of Israel, or a widow that had a priest before. (Eze 44:22 KJV)

Jesus Christ as the High Priest has only One Bride, the body as of One but many members. That was how the sermon The Masterpiece was to be understood.

Today, the offsprings of both Sarah and Hagar are still at each other's throat and have caused countless miseries and terrorist acts. Hagar was of Eygptian descent. Ismael was a true son of Abraham from the bond woman. And Sarah, the Freewoman. The son of the bond woman cannot be joint heir to the son of the freewoman though they be many.

The moment King David transgressed in the case of Uriah, disasters and doomed entered into his kingdom with the war between his sons starting from those of his concubines. In 2 Samuel 12, the record against David was made clear by the prophet Nathan and in chapter 13, the beginning of sorrow in King David's household because of his errors in the matter of Uriah. Solomon ended up participating in the heinous practices of his strange wives with their strange gods.

And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father.(1Ki 11:6 KJV)

Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.(1Ki 11:7 KJV)

And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.(1Ki 11:8 KJV)

And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice,(1Ki 11:9 KJV)

And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.(1Ki 11:10 KJV)

Wherefore the LORD said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant.(1Ki 11:11 KJV)

Today, we try to justify that a man can have more than one wives and yet they can live happily as one happy family coexisting in a big household and enjoying their family life. Do you think the Word of God is wrong? The bible pattern showed that no good thing can come out of the non good.  I will leave this subject to the reader but it should be clear that when we are brought back to the beginning, the covenant was without Sex. This question was raised by the Sadducees when they tried to trap Jesus with the theoretical story of a wife and her seven brothers in law. The Sadducees do not believe in life after death, so they thought they got Jesus in a corner with their trick question. Watch their approach, as cunning as anyman's approach today when they want to trap you:-

Then came to him certain of the Sadducees, which deny that there is any resurrection; and they asked him,(Luk 20:27 KJV)

Saying, Master, Moses wrote unto us, If any man's brother die, having a wife, and he die without children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother.(Luk 20:28 KJV)

There were therefore seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and died without children.(Luk 20:29 KJV)

And the second took her to wife, and he died childless.(Luk 20:30 KJV)

And the third took her; and in like manner the seven also: and they left no children, and died.(Luk 20:31 KJV)

Last of all the woman died also.(Luk 20:32 KJV)

Therefore in the resurrection whose wife of them is she? for seven had her to wife.(Luk 20:33 KJV)

And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage:(Luk 20:34 KJV)

But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:(Luk 20:35 KJV)

Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.(Luk 20:36 KJV)

I will close with these two references in case our bigamist wants to continue to preach or take the office of a deacon in the church:-

1Ti 3:1-13 KJV

(1) This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

(2) A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

(3) Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous;

(4) One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

(5) (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

(6) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.

(7) Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

(8) Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;

(9) Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.

(10) And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.

(11) Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.

(12) Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.

(13) For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

In other words, if a man desire the office of a deacon or a bishop, which means pastor today, he must be the Husband of One Wife. A Living Wife. Remember our first sermon. God do not even take Divorce ligthly let alone a polygamist preacher or office bearer of a deacon.

Next we approach the subject of how to seek God's will in these matters.......My first respond will be talk to your pastor.......He is the one God chose to guide you IN THE WORD.. Do not look to anyman to help you but to God who has ordained the local elder to do that. Not internet preachers nor any visiting ministers because their roles are not for church order unless they have a hand in the original building of the local church and is the founding elder. ...........