A Lasting Legacy
January 2000
This is a true story, and because it so graphically brings home a point, I would like to share it with you.
The twin girls were born 109 years ago this month as the fifth and sixth children of a Swedish immigrant family living in a small town in western Michigan. Because they were premature, and each weighed only a little over three pounds, the father hurriedly ran through the snow for over a mile to fetch his Lutheran pastor to administer the rites of infant baptism by sprinkling them in the “Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” “Thank God,” the father said in Swedish, “now if they die, they will go to Heaven.”
Given the names “Ruth” and “Esther” after the two books of the Bible, both girls survived and were raised in the Lutheran church along with their other seven siblings.
By the time they were teenagers most of the children in the family had begun going to a Methodist church in their town, much to the dismay of the Lutheran pastor, who warned their parents that they would most certainly be lost. In those days, the new birth and holiness was still taught in the Methodist church.
Esther, the younger twin, eventually moved to Chicago to work as a nanny, where she attended the Moody Church. There was a young minister there named Paul Rader, who impressed her with his faith and sincerity. When he left the Moody Church to start an independent work, Esther was one of the young people who followed. It was there, at the Rader Tabernacle, that she met Brother F. F. Bosworth, who later traveled with Brother Branham.
Esther married late in life, and in the 1930’s she moved to California with her husband and daughter. She would sometimes go to the nearest church, but was always searching for that something that she had seen in the life of Paul Rader and his wife. Eventually she began attending Pentecostal churches, but even though they believed in healing and the Holy Ghost, she did not feel what she often saw was genuine.
Her twin sister, however, did not have this same desire for the Lord. She ridiculed her twin’s desire for a deeper walk with God. While Esther always pointed her daughter to the Lord, Ruth’s daughter was not raised in the way of the Lord. Later, Ruth’s daughter married an atheist, while Esther’s daughter married a man who loved this Message.
Well, there’s a deeper walk somewhere, or you’d never thirst for it. Something has created in you a desire to walk closer to God.
59-0407 Led By The Spirit
Esther first attended Brother Branham’s meetings in Oakland, California in 1957. She was also privileged to be in his meetings again in San Jose in 1959, Lakeport in 1960, Grass Valley in 1962, and Bakersfield in 1964. Although her husband was not a Christian, he had taken her to the 1960 and 1962 meetings. Her twin sister, who was visiting her, also went to the meeting in Grass Valley.
Esther had suffered with a colon problem for years, and during the second night of service, Brother Branham called her out of the audience.
“Here’s a little woman, I’m looking at her setting here. She’s suffering with a colon trouble. Her name, I don’t know her. But you believe God can tell me who you are, lady? Mrs. Berglund. You believe with all your heart and you can be made well. You believe.”
62-0705 Jehovah-Jireh #1
She did believe. But her twin did not. Not only did she loudly criticize Brother Branham, but called the prophet of God a “mind-reader” and encouraged her unsaved brother-in-law to do the same.
What a dangerous thing to do! Brother Branham so often spoke of what Jesus said when He was called “Beelzebub”:
And Jesus turned and said, “‘I’ll forgive you for that,” for the atonement wasn’t yet made, “but someday the Holy Ghost will come and do the same thing,” He said, “and to speak one word against That, it’ll never be forgiven you in this world nor the world to come.”
65-0427 Does God Change His Mind?
It was after this, in February of 1964, while attending the Bakersfield meetings, that Esther was privileged to meet Brother Branham. As he spoke to her, he pointed to a large tree across the highway, and said, “You see that tree? You think that’s pretty. But that’s only the negative. Just wait till you see the positive!” That left no doubt as to where she would spend Eternity.
Like Esau and Jacob, He hated one and loved the other one before they was even born and had a chance to do anything, because He was God; He knowed all things.
61-0212M Jehovah Jireh
When she mentioned that she was a twin, Brother Branham immediately began to speak to her about Esau and Jacob, telling her how before they were ever born, God loved one and hated the other.
One day, while Esther was brushing her hip-length hair, her visiting twin entered the room with scissors in her hand. Before she could be stopped, she grabbed a portion of Esther’s long hair and cut off several inches. “You and that crazy religion of yours,” she smarted.
Be careful what you do against Christians. Better to be--better to be drowned in the sea with a rock around your neck then to bring even offense to one of them. Be careful!
53-0607 The Ministry Of Christ
After Brother Branham preached The Choosing Of A Bride, pronouncing judgment on California, there was a large exodus of believers who moved inland from the West Coast. At Brother Branham’s request, Esther’s daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild moved to Tucson, but Esther’s husband was not a believer. He would never leave California. So Esther prayed that God would make a way. It only took two months without his grandson, and her husband was willing to pull up stakes at age 79 and also move to Tucson.
It was not long thereafter that Esther learned her twin sister had cancer. By the time she sought medical help, it had spread throughout her body, and the doctors were not able to remove it. She lingered many months, suffering excruciating pain, before this dread disease finally claimed her life.
He said He’d visit the iniquity of the parents upon the children and the children’s children till the third and fourth generation.
58-0928M The Baptism Of The Holy Spirit
Shortly after Ruth’s death, her youngest granddaughter was diagnosed as schizophrenic though only 11 years old. For the past 30 years she has been in and out of mental institutions. Ruth’s own daughter also developed cancer, which spread throughout her body, and she died without knowing the Lord.
Ruth’s other granddaughter turned all her attention toward a career. She earned a doctor’s degree in psychology, and was employed by a large corporation, in charge of their European branches. Although her home was filled with books on how to solve every problem by psychology, it did not contain the one Book that had the answer to every problem, the Bible. Eventually she began to dabble in the occult, and today believes she is a witch and is also close to losing her mind.
That’s blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, which there’s no forgiveness. That’s what the Jews done, made fun of the people with the Holy Ghost, and were condemned and lost for it. Correct. Didn’t Jesus say, “If you speak one word against the Holy Ghost, it’ll never be forgiven you in this world or the world to come”? So be careful. If you don’t understand, set still.
54-0515 Questions And Answers
But what happened to Esther? What was the outcome of her life, and that of her daughter and grandchildren?
About a year after she moved to Tucson, the doctor diagnosed her as having a cancer on her kidney. Brother Billy Paul came to the hospital, prayed over her and placed a prayer cloth on her over which Brother Branham had prayed. God healed her and she went home from the hospital to continue her life.
She and her husband eventually moved here to the Jeffersonville area to be with their daughter and family, who also had moved here.
When she had reached the age of 89 years, she was once more diagnosed with cancer, this time of the colon, where Brother Branham had said in 1962 that she had a problem. But there is where the great difference in the lives and attitudes of these twins paid off. Although quite frail, she was NOT suffering any pain. Within two weeks of being diagnosed with cancer, God quietly called her one morning to see the positive of that tree Brother Branham had spoke some sixteen years earlier.
Every time I see a tree, I think, "That tree is a negative; there's a positive somewhere." That tree was made off of something, an Intelligence made it. And all this earth does is reflect the heavenly. The Bible said so. And if there's a tree here that has to perish, there's one in glory that won't perish.
57-0901E Hebrews, Chapter Four
Yes, believing this Message and honoring the prophet of God certainly paid off for Esther.
But what about the family she left behind? What kind of heritage did her life bequeath to her daughter and grandchildren? Remember, Brother Branham said,
“Live right. It’ll—it’ll do something to your children to follow you. On, on, keep living right, doing right, separating yourself from the things of the world, and live godly in this present world for Christ Jesus.”
59-0423 Abraham’s Seed
Well, all of her grandchildren believe this Message, and her daughter, Helen, and both of her grandsons, Stephen and Samuel Borders have worked here at Voice Of God Recordings for many years.
What a difference it made in the lives of these twins to speak FOR or AGAINST this Message. By speaking against this Message one twin brought condemnation not only upon herself but on her children and grandchildren as well.
To the other twin, who stood for the Message, God showed His grace time and time again, not only to her, but to her descendants as well.
Your--your attitude towards Christ will make a great impression on what your children will be. Your life that you live before your family will make an impression on what your children will be.
57-0915E Hebrews, Chapter Seven #1
I trust you enjoyed reading this account of the mercies of the Lord and how the faithfulness of one little woman made a difference in three generations.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for the contributions you have made to Voice Of God Recordings.
What you do, if there is a coming tomorrow, and you have a great grandson, your action today will determine what he’ll be then; for we read in the Bible where that Melchizedek, when He met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and Abraham the patriarch give Him a tenth, a tithings of all he had... And then he said that a tithing, that just only Levi could accept tithes. But he said Levi who received tithes paid tithes when he was yet in the loins of Abraham. Oh, can you catch that?
58-0928M The Baptism Of The Holy Spirit