Preface
Late 20th Century Revelations for Hungry Christians
"A bomb for the sleepy,
a barb for the wicked,
a balm for the righteous"
The Olive Branch (Volume I) is a collection of late twentieth century revelations, prophecies, visions and inspired apostolic counsel received from God over a ten year period (1986-96), principally through a single revelator though with contributions from others.
At a time when the increasingly vocal and influential New Age religion, with its dangerous mish-mash of occultic doctrines and practices, is trumpeting a "new age of Aquarius" in which it believes it will make a major leap forward at the end of the twentieth century, it is appropriate that the true God of Creation, Yahweh, the author of the greatest Book that has ever been, and ever will be -- the Bible -- should bring forth a new Word for the Christian community to enable it to meet the challenges of the forthcoming millennium and its mushrooming neo-paganism.
The Olive Branch and the Bible
The Olive Branch is not a new Bible, nor does it claim equality with the Bible, which is Christendom's 'Book of Books' in perpetuity. It is regarded as a secondary canon of scripture by the Christian community which espouses it. It is not, moreover, a self-contained record of the Gospel of Salvation as the Bible is. Reading the book as a self-contained manual of the faith will give a distorted view of the Gospel and must therefore be read with the Bible background in mind. We do not advise this book to be studied until the Bible has first been thoroughly digested. Certain themes predominate in this book, not because they are more important than other ones in the Bible but because the local needs of the Church and the age required that they be attended to in some detail. Each age has its own controversies and difficulties to which a revelation of God must address itself. The first Christians faced very different problems to our own. For one thing, there was only one Christian Church, not hundreds as there are today. They fought against different enemies such as the Gnostics who presented a very real challenge to the apostolic faith. Today's Christian enemies, though similar, have appeared in newer, more suble forms. It is these that the Olive Branch principally confronts.
A Book for All People
For whom has the Olive Branch been written? It is for every man and woman who desires to "keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus" (Rev.14:12, AV). It is for those who are truly searching for more light and truth, who desire to know and have communion with the Saviour of mankind, the Lord Jesus Christ (Lk.2:11; Jn.17:3), and who believe that the Bible is the Word of God.
It does, however, also contain a message for everyone of every religious or non- religious persuasion. There are keys of knowledge and understanding within its pages that will illuminate the human condition with all its perplexities and contradictions. There is help for all those who desire to understand themselves and the purpose of life.
The Modern World and its Dangers
The world of the late 1990s is bursting at the seams with ever increasing numbers of pseudo-Christian and non-Christian sects each with a message of salvation for the individual and the world. The spiritual air-waves are jammed with strange and contradictory teachings. Everywhere there are false prophets, anti-christs, gurus and self-acclaimed supermen calling for disciples. Droves of young people are streaming towards these pied-pipers of the murky deep, and marching off to the drum-beats of the occult, atheism and materialism. And a great many of these prophets of the New Age are working within the Christian community, redefining biblical terminology to facilitate the absorption of Christianity into their emerging One World Religion.
The Mission of the Olive Branch
The Olive Branch makes the double claim of being both the spearhead of an evangelical, apostolic New Testament renewal for the twenty-first century as well as the manual of the Millennial Christian theocratic society that is to come. It regards itself theologically as the final phase of the reformation initiated by Martin Luther whilst also being the door to the complete restoration of the Gospel which will characterise the thousand years culture and civilisation of which Christ will be earthly Regent.
The vision of the Olive Branch is revolutionary and challenging. It has little tolerance for watered-down versions of the Gospel. It is a no nonsense book. The truth is stated plainly and at times (from a liberal view-point) brutally. Its purpose, for those who accept the challenge to read it, is to force all those who are earnestly searching for the truth to look at themselves honestly. And it will expose the naked lie of those who are fighting against God and His righteousness whether in or outside the Christian community. It does not expect to be accepted by all those whom it views as being its natural allies any more than by those who will almost certainly makes themselves its enemy. And its greatest enemy will be the counterfeit Christianity whose purpose is to steer the churches into its neo-pagan One World Religion. Never, therefore, was there a greater need for a clear, straight-forward revelation from God to confirm the Bible message and to reach out a helping hand to a spiritually dying world.
Historical Background
Every revelation of God emerges from a cultural and religious backdrop, and the Olive Branch is no exception. Just as the Christian Church emerged from Judaism and was initially perceived as a Jewish sect, and as the Protestant Reformation emerged from the Catholicism of its chief mover, Martin Luther, so also was the Olive Branch a product of many Christian traditions in its early days.
Historically Protestantism gradually moved away from Catholic assumptions to an increasingly more New Testament paradigm as groups have tried to re-create what is sometimes called the "New Testament Church". The purpose of the Olive Leaf is to point Christians towards not so much a "post-New Testament Church" as to a "Millennial New Testament Church" whilst providing direction for Christians living in the times leading to the coming pre-Millennial terror known as the Great Tribulation.
There are many in the Christian world who are rightly seeing in the signs of the times evidence of the rapidly approaching age of barbarism that is to prelude the return of the Lord Jesus Christ (Yah'shua haMashiach). The Olive Branch confirms such a vision in no uncertain terms. And by, amongst other things, accurately predicting major political events like the reunification of Germany, the break-up of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, and the outcome of the Gulf War, the Olive Branch claims at least some right to comment in the Christian community on matters of spiritual importance too.
The People behind the Olive Branch
No work of God occurs in a vacuum. As the Protestant Reformation was a 16th century effort to reconstitute the life and teaching of Western Christendom that began in Germany and spread throughout much of northern and central Europe, to then diffuse across the whole world, so the New Covenant Reformation and Restoration is a late 20th century effort to both reconstitute the life and teaching of New Testament Christianity that began in England and was developed in Norway, and a movement to prepare a body of committed believers for the Millennial Church to come. However, the scale and modus operandi of the two is very different.
New Covenant theology and practice, far from being a popular uprising against the abuse of ecclesiastical power and the corruption of Christian doctrine by one particular Church, which was the impetus behind the Protestant Reformation, was conceived and evolved in a tiny crucible of like-minded souls called, initially, the Restoration Christian Fellowship, and which has today become known as B'rit Chadashah.
Ministries of the New Covenant
B'rit Chadashah, which in Hebrew means "New Covenant", is an organisation which has two parts: (1) The New Covenant Church of God, whose purpose is to precisely implement the revelation of the Olive Branch as a new Christian denomination, and (2) B'rit Chadashah Evangelical Association (BCEA) which is an association of evangelical churches and groups sympathetic with the Olive Branch's aims but who act independently of the New Covenant Church of God, selectively implementing those parts of the Olive Branch which they feel are appropriate to their local needs and special calling. The constituent members of BCEA co-operate together in evangelism as well as with other bodies of evangelical Christians.
B'rit Chadashah was organised in April 1996, a little under a year before the first edition of the Olive Branch was published. It has friendly relations with several evangelical churches in Europe and has supported their missionary programs as well as those of such organisations as RadMin. B'rit Chadashah has a co-operative ministry with the International Christian Schools in India, which is not itself a member of BCEA, and together they run several orphanages.
Small Beginnings for a Servant Ministry
The Olive Branch is very much the product of the relationship between the people who formed the early prototype New Covenant communities in Norway and the emerging New Covenant teachings. It is therefore a history of congregations and individuals struggling to be faithful to the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Yah'shua haMashiach), and records both their triumphs and failures. Because this activity was very largely concealed from the world, being by and large a small local Norwegian phenomenon in its early days, the work of the New Covenant was not generally known internationally before the publication of the Olive Branch.
This publication, and the events leading up to it, is very much a part of a divine timetable. Unlike the explosive origins of the Reformation, which led to bloody warfare and centuries of internecine strife, it is our hope that the New Covenant Reformation and Restoration will be perceived as a servant ministry to the wider Body of Christ and not as a competitor -- an ally of true Bible-believing Christians, no matter which denominations they may come from.
But because the content of the Olive Branch is wholly new, it will undoubtedly (though unfortunately) be perceived by many churches and denominations as a threat. The people who produced it therefore expect a mixed reception from the world.
Spiritual Warfare
We live in the last days when a spiritual war is being waged between the powers of good and evil for the possession of the souls of men and women everywhere. It is a war of life and death. The present world system, which is rapidly evolving towards a One World Dictatorship under the control of evil powers, will be short-lived, but at its apex ruin millions of lives, as the very first of the revelations of this book attests.
This contest begins in the mind of man. Our language is being subtlely changed so that evil, using the vocubulary of good, is able to masquerade as good itself. Even Christian terminology has, as we have said, been hijacked and is being used to create a false Christianity in the world. And this false Christianity is expanding rapidly, deceiving millions.
The Olive Branch, though difficult in some parts to understand, is nevertheless not a book for a spiritual élite, but for all. It contains a call for both rich man and beggar to draw near to the Kingdom of God. And though its use is principally for one denomination -- B'rit Chadashah -- it has practical application for all Christians who wish to conform themselves more faithfully to the holy practice of the Christian faith. It is, in short, a manual of discipleship for everyone claiming the name of Christ.
Opposition and Persecution to Come
Much evil will be said about this book in the future. Many will wish for it to disappear but it is destined to play an important rôle in Christendom in the future no matter what men will say about it. Critics will attempt to place it on the dissecting table and tear it apart in the same way as they have tried with the Bible. Some will say it is a fraud, an insidious cult, a work of Satan, and slander it as only such men know how. Some will be motivated by ignorance, some by fear, some by pure evil. Those who espouse it are bound to be persecuted, as the bearers of every fresh revelation of God's Word have in every age. It will, in time, be condemned, banned and burned by men, churches, governments and secular organisations alike. Like its mother, the Bible, it will be hated because it is a thorn-in-the-side of the wicked, whose sins it unashamedly and boldly exposes.
Your Choice
For you, the reader, this may well be a choosing time. For those who fear to have their lives shaken up, we recommend that you put this book aside now, because once you have been illuminated by the light of its truth, whether you accept it or not, you will become accountable before God as to how you live your life.
May the Lord God of Israel, who is the Olive Branch's inspiration and to whom it is dedicated, bless you and illuminate you, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (Yah'shua haMashiach), as you prayerfully read through its pages. Amen.
The Revelations Committee
Oslo, 7 December 1996
First Supplement to the Second Edition
The Olive Branch has now been in circulation for many years and is wisely used by a number of ministries and groups internationally. A number of new revelations have been received and these have been appended as a supplement to the main book. Some of these revelations are of major importance and will effect the layout of the second edition when it is finally printed.
The Names of Deity
When the first edition Olive Branch was published the practice of using the Anglicised Greek and other forms of Deity was used. The Second Edition will see the complete deletion of the unscriptural "Jehovah", a compound of the vowels of the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) with the vowels of Adonai, the Hebrew for "Lord". This term has been in usage for many centuries and evolved because of the Talmudic Jewish superstition that the true Name of God, Yahweh, should never be vocalised. Unfortunately, this bastard word is also blasphemous, hovah in Hebrew meaning "perverse". Accordingly the word "Jehovah" will be completely struck out of the Second Edition and be replaced by Yahweh.
The Second Edition will also be using the proper Hebrew Name of Jesus Christ throughout, namely, Yah'shua ha Mashiach (or simply Yah'shua the Messiah), which we believe to be the correct vocalisation (many others believe it should be Yeshua, Yehoshua or more simply Y'shua). The usage of the correct Name is important because of its meaning, which is literally Yah saves. The Anglo-Greek "Jesus" has no meaning whatsoever and was not a known name in New Testament times. However, we shall be retaining the use of Jesus Christ in parentheses in the Second Edition because the Name is so widespread and because it bears no negative connotations. The claims by some extremist Messianic Jews that 'Jesus' is simply a contraction of the pagan 'Ye-Zeus' and should never be used is completely rejected by us. There can be no doubt whatsoever that the Name 'Jesus' has saved millions of souls throughout the centuries and that it should be seen as simply a dialectical variation of Yah'shua. However, we shall, from now on, be stressing the true Name, Yah'shua.
Names like "Lord" and "God", which appear liberally throughout the Olive Branch, are more difficult to deal with. Our modern English Bibles use the word 'LORD' (in capitals) to render the Divine Name, Yahweh, and 'Lord' (in lower case) to render the Hebrew Adonai, which translates as 'Master'. As it would be quite impossible to know what the original 'Lord' in the Olive Branch referenced, the Revelations Committee has opted to leave the term as it stands.
Similarly, the English word 'God', which is a generic term for any kind of deity, true or false, as well as of angels and human judges, may be rendered by many different Hebrew words like El, Elohim, Elah, and Eloah, all of which have different shades of meaning. The most common, Elohim, is often found combined with Yahweh in the Old Testament as Yahweh-Elohim, our Heavenly Father. Since 'God' is a title of both the Father and the Son, it has provisionally decided to leave the term 'God' in the Olive Branch as it is and to allow the context to reveal whether it is the Father, Son or both who is/are being referenced.
The changes in Names of Deity will therefore be the single largest cosmetic change to the Second Edition of the Olive Branch and will doubtless affect its whole appearance and, we hope, the spirit. There is something special and wonderful about using the true Names of the Father and the Son. It will, we believe, both honour Yahweh as well well as give the reader a closer identity with Him.
Christian or Believer?
The origin of the term "Christian", though pagan, and though possibly a term of abuse, has nevertheless become a thoroughly established word for a person who is a Believer in Christ. There are a number of extreem Messianic Jews who insist that the term be dropped from our vocabulary, who maintain that this is a term associated with the whore church. We do not accept this contention. Scholars are not agreed on the etymology of "Christian" but most concur that it basically means "a follower of Christ". As such, therefore, we consider this to be a noble designation, inspite of its abuse by the nominal and unregenerated believers of the present and the past. New Covenant Christians are not about to conceed another word to the devil just because he abuses it.
The designation New Covenant Christian first appeared in the Olive Branch in Section 293 and was specifically chosen to distingish members of NCCG from other Christians (vv.16-17). The term was incorporated into the Church's name in 1992 as the New Covenant Christian Fellowship.
The Sabbath and Hebrew Holy Days
Although the Olive Branch references the Sabbath Day in many places it is mostly concerned with (a) it's observance and (b) its spiritual meaning. The revelations never identified which day on the week it was to be celebrated. A recent revelation, aimed principally at members of the New Covenant Church of God (since many millions of Messianic Jews already knew the truth), confirms that Christians are to observe the Biblical Sabbath - from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset (or from fixed times at extreem latitudes) - and reject the Roman Catholic day of the sun-god (Sunday). A new revelation will therefore be appearing in the Second Edition making this canon law for NCCG.
This will mean the updating of a number of footnotes which address the subject and which perpetuate the Romish error. Previous to this revelation the apostolate had left the matter of which day to observe the Sabbath a matter of geographical location and custom. The new footnotes have been rewritten and are already available as inserts for the First Edition.
Following on the heels of the Sabbath Revelation has been the observance by the Church of the Hebrew Festivals which Yahweh has commanded in perpetuity. These festivals are: (1) Pesach (Passover); (2) Chag haMatzah (Unleavened Bread); (3) Yom haBikkurim (Firstfruits), (4) Shavu'ot (Pentecost/Weeks); (5) Yom Teruah (Trumpets); (6) Yom Kippur (Atonement); and (7) Sukkot.
The celebration of these festivals in their New Covenant context requires, for ecclestastical purposes, that we return to the Hebrew Lunar Calendar and absondon the Gregoran solar one. This means that NCCG's previous observance of Holy Week (1-6 April), used to commemorate the death (1 April), Resurrection (3 April) and Birth (6 April) will be superceeded. This means that the Second Edition will see the rewriting of Section 82 to reflect the lunar cycle and the removal of Section 301 and its replacement by instructions on the Seven Annual Festivals, Rosh Chodesh, the Sabbatical Year and the Jubilee. Though both the original Holy Week and Hebrew Festivals were observed in 2000, this proved both impractical and an unnecessary duplication. The observance of the former 'Holy Week' ceased in 2001.
New Revelations
As we do not know when the Second Edition will be published (we must clear the First Edition from the New Covenant Press store room first), it is not known exactly how many new revelations will be included. At the time of writing there were about 20 new revelations, only one of which has been officially incorporated into the Olive Branch (PWNC 990201).
The final compliment of sections is not therefore known at this stage.
The Nature of the Revelations
Since the publication of the Olive Branch we have been asked to define the nature of the revelations: are they verbal-plenary or conceptual?
Almost all the Olive Branch is what is called conceptual revelation. What this means is that the content was given to the revelator conceptually and this was then translated into his own words using his mother tongue, English. This mode of revelation is to be clearly distinguished from the infallible plenary verbal revelation of the original autographs of the Bible which, in the original Hebrew, are not only word-perfect but letter-perfect also.
The Olive Branch revelations are not - cannot - be word-perfect and must not, therefore, be viewed in the same light as the Bible. This is why the Olive Branch is classified in NCCG as deutero-canonical or "secondary canon" on a lower level than the Bible, occupying a similar position, and enjoying a similar status, to other deutero-canonical writings of the Church such as the epistles of the sub-apostolic fathers (Clement, Polycarp, etc.). As primary scripture, therefore, the Bible defines the deuterocanonical scriptures and not the other way round.
Usage of the Olive Branch
The Olive Branch is principally a tool of the ministry to assist them in teaching and the administration of the Church. Acceptance of the Olive Branch, previously enjoined upon all members, is today required only by the ministry. There are many reasons for this:
(a) It is crucial that a foundation be built on the Bible, and the Bible alone. Secondary sets of scriptures can have the unfortunate effect of encouraging immature Christians to build upon them first and foremost because they are of more recent provenance. The effect of this would be to give an unbalanced picture of the Gospel, as explained in the original Preface above;
(b) The Olive Branch is a very large book and it would be unreasonable to expect new members to have a grasp of its overall content in a short time. It was for this reason that Yahweh commanded the precursor of NCCG, the New Covenant Christian Fellowship (NCCF), to devote several years to Bible study (1992-6), putting aside the revelations, until a proper foundation on the Bible had been established first. New members of NCCG are expected to devote their enegies to Bible study;
(c) Even the Deaconate is not expected to have a grasp of the whole Olive Branch and is limited to a selection of revelations that pertain to their essentially temporal ministry. They are to principally administer from the Bible;
(d) The Eldership, by contrast, is expected to have a sound grasp of the Olive Branch and whilst the primary book of instruction remains the Bible, they are to have a good grasp of Olive Branch principles.
The Olive Branch is no longer studied as a scriptural work in itself but serves as a supplement to Bible studies to illuminate areas not dealt with in any great depth in the latter. The only Olive Branch Studies per se are done by the Ministry, and never in the local congregation. By this means the apostolate feels that it is able to maintain the proper checks and balances.
A Resource to be Used, not Abused
Though indispensible for the theocratic work of NCCG, the Olive Branch is not needed for salvation, any more than NCCG or any other Church is. The salvation message needed to guide souls to the New Birth and to heaven is already present in the Bible. The Olive Branch is not actually therefore needed for evangelism and is not used for that in NCCG. It is not a "second witness for Christ" nor a more "perfect Scripture", a claim made by certain cults of their own extra scriptures. The Olive Branch is not, therefore, used to bring souls to Christ. That is the function of the Bible.
Neither is it indispensible to bringing Christians to a maturity of the faith for this also is contained in the Bible. Where the Olive Branch comes into its own is in occasionally providing a magnifying glass to certain areas of the Bible which have been interpreted in several ways, but more importantly in laying down the beginnings of a blueprint for the Millennial Theocracy. It also lays down a structure for Christian Communities and Congregations, and in assisting the disciple in his walk towards greater purity and sanctification. The Olive Branch may therefore be said to be for those who are already in Christ, built firmly on the Bible, and are on their way to Zion.
Friday 30 March 2001
Second Supplement to the Second Edition
The Olive Branch, following in the Restoration and Pentecostal traditions of formal revelation-writing, is periodically punctuated by "thus saith the Lord" or "thus saith Yahweh". The author wishes it to be understood, in the light of remarks made in the First Supplement to the Second Edition above, that these qualifiers are not to be viewed in the same light, authority or emphasis as found in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible but shall serve several functions peculiar to the Olive Branch revelation itself:
- 1. They reflect the author's belief that he has, as accurately as he can, rendered the original concepts revealed to him into the words of his own language, and his personal belief that these concepts are themselves inspired;
- 2. That what follows, or preceeds, these qualifiers is nevertheless to be privately tested by the reader to determine whether these words are inspired or not, and should not be assumed ipso facto to be the words of Yahweh, bearing in mind that no infallibility is claimed in any Olive Branch revelation;
- 3. That the private reader is mandated to test and prove all things written in the Olive Branch, without compulsion or constraint, and should live by his conscience as the Bible demands; and
- 4. That in spite of these qualifiers, acceptance of divine infallibility of the Olive Branch writings shall never be made as a test of membership or faithfulness, or used to intimidate or force members to confess their divine oirigin which alone belongs to the Protestant Canon of the Bible.
Nevertheless, where doctrine and ecclesiatical organisation and function are concerned, the Olive Branch shall, at the very minimum, be accepted by all members as an Assembly Consititition that defines official church doctrine and practice. The Olive Branch is not written in stone as were the Ten Commandments and should therefore be always viewed as existing in the shadow of the original Bible revelation that inspired them.
This statement has been made by the original author out of a desire to preclude any cultic spirit that would follow in any idolisation of the Olive Branch by spiritually immature members.
Thursday 25 November 2010
This page was first created on 23 April 1997
Last updated on 25 November 2010
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