THE VISIONS OF JOHANNA BRANDT
(21/03/10)
CONTENTS
Birth and young days
Your people are my people
“Tommy Atkins, the war has only just begun!”
The enemy’s ‘peace’
The miracle cure
The Messenger and his prophetic warnings
Johanna Brandt and Seer van Rensburg
The Millennium
The Century of blasphemy
Introduction to the last days
The Mother of all Abominations
Arrival of the Messenger
The departure
Your life as sacrifice
Blessed is South Africa
Visions of 7th December 1916
First Vision
The winding road
Second vision
There is no death!
Third vision
On the Battlefields of Europe
Fourth Vision
The disasters that will hit South Africa
Fifth Vision
Night attack on Johannesburg
“For this you were born…”
South Africa – God’s pearl
Sound the Trumpet!
Warning to the black tribes
The dying hour
Awakening
The message must be sent out!
Passage of fifteen months
Land of the future
In the Crucible
Europe
England
End
References
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TO THE READER
These prophecies of Johanna Brand are a condensed version of her remarkable book, THE MILLENNIUM (1918). There are also extracts from the Millennium – A Prophetic Message to the Native Tribes of South Africa (May – 1918) The Crucible (1920) and lastly her prophecies regarding the “Night attack on Johannesburg.”
As the Manse mother if the Reformed Church Johanna Brandt had a remarkable experience while keeping the wake beside her dying mother’s bedside. An Angel appeared to her, and in five visions revealed a series of alarming events for which South Africa still had to be prepared. She completed a book about this in 1918, but no publisher would touch The Millennium, so she had to have it published at her own expense. The publication not only caused great alarm in Church circles, but also spurred the politicians and presses to draw the sword against her.
With this second revised edition of her visions under the title The Visions of Johanna Brandt, it has now once again become available to readers in more than 80 years. Even her worst critics have to admit that some of her visions are now becoming reality!
CHAPTER 1
Birth and young days
Johanna Brandt’s father was the well-known Reverend Nicolaas Jacobus van Warmelo, born at Goude in the Netherlands. He came to South Africa to serve in the Reformed Church in the Transvaal. Shortly after arrival his young bride died of fever, and afterwards he went to settle at Marabastad, not far from Pietersburg. In 1867 he married Maria Magdalena Elizabeth Maré, the young daughter of the magistrate of the Soutpansberg region, Dietlof Maré. Johanna, the second youngest of seven children, was born on 18th November 1877.
Her father played an important role in the events leading up to the outbreak of the First War of Independence and the restoration of the Zuid Afrikaanse Republiek.
When Britain annexed the Transvaal in 1877, the Boers attempted in vain to regain their independence by peaceful means. In 1880, three months before the meeting at Paardekraal to celebrate the Festival of the Vow, they issued an invitation to all the Churches to come and support the nation in their difficult struggle. Only one minister attended – Rev. Nicolaas van Warmelo.
It was also through her father that Johanna developed such a deep love for the Boer nation, and even years after his death it would serve as incentive to serve her people during their biggest crisis (The Anglo Boer War, aka Second War of Independence). Her father became a leading figure in the country. He was highly respected among the Boer nation because he felt so strongly about their freedom. He passed away in 1892 at Heidelberg, and his demist came as a big shock to the people, and even to this day his name is mentioned in the history books about the First War of Independence.
After his death, Johanna’s mother moved to Pretoria. Johanna went to live with her in Sunnyside on the estate Harmonie, situated on the banks of the Apies River. The old house at Harmonie stood on the same place where the hostel of Normal College would later be built. At the time it was a beautiful piece of land, and the great manor house was also occupied by the Preller family for a while. The Van Warmelo’s were also well-acquainted with Pres. Paul Kruger, Genl. & Mrs Piet Joubert, as well as Dr. W.J. Leyds, the Secretary of State.
At the time of the Jameson Raid Johanna was visiting her uncle in Florida. When the trouble began escalating she returned to her mother’s house in Pretoria on horseback. It was a whole new revelation for her mother that Johanna displayed a totally new characteristic that she had not observed in her daughter before.
Your people are my people
During 1897 she and her mother left for Europe on holiday. While there, Johanna studied music for some time in Germany, and it was during one of these visits to Holland that she met a young man who was studying theology Louis Ernest Brandt. His father was mayor of the little towns Velp and Rheeden. They returned to South Africa when the war broke out. However, more than a year later Johanna and her mother still enjoyed a normal life in the old manor house in Pretoria. Johanna’s three brothers had left to join in the fighting, and Willem, who was still studying in Holland, returned through Lourenço Marques (now Maputo) to fight on the side of the Boers.
“Tommy Atkins, the war has only just begun!”
Johanna’s adventures only began with the British annexation of Pretoria. Those dramatic events at such a young age made her realise for the first time that she was caught in the middle of a war situation. The threat suddenly became part of their daily existence on seeing the British soldiers riding into Pretoria. It was right there and then that her patriotism took root. In the March 1948 issue of the magazine Die Fleur she even tells how it came about: “… totally exhausted, the British troops marched into Pretoria. Thousands and thousands of khaki-clad soldiers, dirty, tired and hungry, at a given order they sank to the ground on the plain in front of the government buildings. Some of them tried to eat their rations they had with them; others were too tired to eat, and almost immediately fell into a deep sleep, while one old soldier looked into the face of the young girl standing next to him and brokenly said: “Thank God the war is over!”
However, I bent over him and said in a trembling voice: ‘Tommy Atkins, the war has only just begun!’
The soldiers pitched their tents in the grounds at Harmonie. When Johanna arrived home later the estate swarmed with troops. Lord Kitchener’s headquarters was close to Harmonie, and from then until the war ended, Johanna never knew peace and rest again. However, it did not disturb her much, for she was now caught up in the most exciting time of her girlhood days when the Van Warmelo family began acting as secret agents for the Boers.
The stately manor, Harmonie, in Sunnyside suddenly became the central point for a finely-planned espionage service, and that right under the noses of the British headquarters! Johanna and her mother were the chief architects of this almost unbelievable and extremely daring ‘liaison’ between Pres. Kruger in Holland and the Boer forces in South Africa!
After a while the British established concentration camps in the country for the Boer women. Johanna was one of the first people to offer her services as a nurse. She immediately complained about the appalling conditions of the camps. Reports about these conditions were written on tissue paper, carefully sealed and stored in an empty pill-box and sent to a family member in the Netherlands for forwarding to a Mr. W.T. Stead, Editor of the Review of Reviews, a London-based paper that was strongly opposed to the war, and passionately pleaded for the Boer cause.
The enemy’s ‘peace’
The war years dragged on. Johanna’s health slowly began deteriorating in 1902. Under much stress and worries she eventually left for Europe to marry Louis Brandt. While on board the ship, the Peace Treaty was signed at Vereeniging and the Boers forced to surrender. That whole day was spent in drinking and celebrating, and the champagne flowed – the hated Boers were conquered and the British could gloat in their victory. However, Johanna was so sad that she kept to her cabin. For her it was shock, heartbreak and pain, for she did not want their peace! She remembered how some of the Boers used to arrive at Harmonie in the middle of the night, sick and tattered, knocking at the door and asking for shelter. In the concentration camps there were emaciated little children, the cruelty of the British doctors, and the cold-bloodedness of the British government forces. She saw many a child die, knowing that these deaths were caused or assisted by British doctors.
She and Louis Brandt married in Arnhem. Until the day of her death, Johanna remembered with joy the telegrams of congratulations they received from the Boer generals and pres. Kruger, as well as an official congratulation from Queen Wilhelmina.
Her eldest son was born in the Netherlands, and after this the yearning for the homeland became just too much, and her husband was wiling to go to South Africa to settle there. It was a great adjustment for Louis, but he never complained. He personally experienced the poverty and misery of the Boers, and perhaps this gave him the necessary understanding for the passion Johanna felt for her people. However, in later years he also did much to promote the Boer cause, and was also moderator of the Reformed Church in South Africa for 21 years before he passed away in 1939.
The Miracle Cure
Johanna did not have a strong constitution, and from her childhood days often contracted tonsillitis. It gradually became worse, and until her twelfth year underwent several unsuccessful operations. She also experienced several attacks of facial paralysis, and later abscesses began forming on her tonsils. At the age of 14 she almost died from diphtheria, and even later in time developed a rheumatic heart. Doctors also established that she was born with a condition known as ‘Floating kidneys.” In 1917 at the age of 40 X-rays photos were taken of her abdomen, and the doctor told her she had abdominal cancer, and only an urgent operation would save her life.
However, Johanna decided not to undergo surgery and adhere to her principles, viz. her faith in God, and natural healing. On informing her doctor that she was following a special diet of water, milk and fruit that had helped her for other illnesses before, he told her it was too late for that, and if she did not undergo surgery, she would die within a few weeks.
Nevertheless she followed this cure and was completely healed. After that she still enjoyed good health for 47 years, and only passed away on 23rd January 1964 at the ripe old age of 87 in her flat in Newlands. (She later wrote a book about her wonder cure and would be available from Vaandel Publishers).
The Messenger and his prophetic warnings
However, it was not so much Johanna’s participation in the “Petticoat-Commando” (Bonne Commando) or her miraculous recovery from cancer that brought her fame – as well as abuse and revilement – but in her 39th year she received a ‘prophetic message from an Angel’ who influenced her total outlook on life and whole being so drastically that she was never the same afterwards.
While keeping a wake beside her mother’s sickbed during the night of 1st December 1916, a Heavenly Messenger (Angel) appeared to her and told her that she had been chosen for a very important task: she must warn her people that the Second Coming of Christ is very near, and that they must keep to the pathway that God had decreed for them. They must not take strange paths and turn their backs on God, for then God would judge them. Yes, he would let them go through a crucible, a night of utter Darkness and terror – worse than they could ever believe possible.
However, that was not all. The Messenger also had a special for the black nations of South Africa – draw away from the whites and do not become involved in their doings, or else…
In February 1918 she had her remarkable visions published under the title “The Millenium.”
To Johanna’s disappointment neither her compatriots, the blacks, nor the Church showed any interest in her message. “I could not find a publisher for the book, so I was compelled to publish it myself, without experience or funds…”
The media also had their knives out for her: “For ALL the newspapers in South Africa – Unionists, United Party and Nationalists – attacked, ridiculed and reviled me… In our time it was regarded as being pernicious to announce the Second Coming of Christ, and to prepare the world for this that must precede the Coming…”
With the publishing, of the second impression, she wrote that although the English rejected her message, the Afrikaners accepted it, “but the Church had not done so yet. Members of the congregation praised it, but the shepherds, the spiritual leaders, still held back.”
From her writings it seems to appear that her husband also did not want to comment on the visions.
This resistance from Church officialdom can largely be attributed to the fact that the ‘contents’ of her visions were often the total opposite to the generally accepted Church dogma. Even though she was the Manse mother, the Church leaders did not dare support her. The only escape from their dilemma was to keep silent about her statements.
Probably one of the most sensational revelations in her visions, and one that definitely caused Churchly eyebrows to be lifted high was that section where she said that Christ apparently appeared to her in Person and told her that He will be coming back to South Africa.
As a matter of interest it can be noted that there is a reference in the Book of Enoch is being interpreted by certain theologians that Christ’s return to Earth will occur somewhere in the SOUTH. And after the first quarter the east is mentioned because it is the first, and the second – the south, for the Almighty will descend there, yes, there in a special sentence He that is forever blessed will descend forever.
The renowned old Boer prophet, Seer van Rensburg, probably also experienced a vision in the 1920’s that could be related with this:
“In the North in the sky is a gallery, and on the gallery is the description of the tabernacle with the golden chandeliers, and a great many children emerged from behind the gallery and came down to the South. The children were all dressed in white and they had blue eyes…”
Johanna Brandt and Seer van Rensburg
Although Johanna and Seer were contemporaries, they did not know each other. Yet there are remarkable similarities between Seer’s visions and this that the Messenger made known to Johanna on 1st December 1916 beside the bed of her dying mother:
Johanna Brandt: “It is dusk in South Africa! The pitch-dark night is creeping up on us, and in the coming battle we must gird ourselves with the weapons of righteousness.”
Seer: “But in the difficult time that is coming, it will be so dark that I cannot see my hand before my eyes…”
Johanna Brandt: “South Africa will be the last to enter the crucible and the first to emerge again.”
Seer (Regarding a black government in South Africa): We in the Union will be the last to enter, but we will be the first to emerge.”
Johanna Brandt: “But South Africa, like other parts of the world, must still undergo the final purification process.”
Seer: “The Afrikaner nation will be purified again … and although the betrayal and brotherly disputes will be rife among our people, I see our people forging ahead on the road decreed for us by God…”
Johanna Brandt: (Regarding the blacks in South Africa): “They must have no hand in the oppression and suffering, they may not rectify old grievances. It does not matter what their grievances are, regardless of justified their dissatisfaction may be, if they interfere, they will be destroyed.”
Seer: “I see a mighty warrior rising up from the earth and lifting his assegai and shield above his head so that the shadow falls across the earth. This is far ahead, and then I see him disappear behind a misty cloud. But before this time I also se darkness descending across our land.”
Johanna Brandt: (Regarding the crucible) “For during that time God will be in judgment of the Afrikaner nation and take them into the crucible because of their abominable sins and wickedness…”
Seer: “In 1914 (during the Rebellion) we went through a strainer or sieve, but when the Dark time arrives, we will go through the crucible…”
CHAPTER 2
The Millennium
The reason why she decided to call her book The Millenium, she writes as follows: “Because it was revealed to me at the time of my mother’s passing away, when I received the order to write and use my experience without bounds in the service of my people, this Message had to be translated into every language, to reach every corner of the earth. For that reason I chose the one word as title that would remain unchanged in all tongues to avoid confusion with other works covering the same subject.
“As everyone who is familiar with the world of religion knows, the word “MILLENIUM” comes from the Latin word MILLE = Thousand, ANNUM = year, and this is the only word that all languages describe the same thing – the Thousand-year Kingdom of Peace, or as it is also called, “The First Resurrection,” or “The (Second) Coming of Christ.” All this can be said in this one word, MILLENIUM.”
The Millenium is a promise: “The addition of this promise is one of the most powerful events in the Bible that a time of peace and prosperity will come to the earth – The Millenium – but the people must first have reached the bottom of the chasm.
No one knows how long we will struggle at the bottom of the chasm before we accept the return to our Father’s house, but we have every reason to think that these last tribulations will follow each other with terrifying rapidity. Because of its own force, the storm will soon abate.”
Then Johanna sketches for us a scenario with the Bible as background of the time that will precede the Second Coming of Christ directly. There are signs to indicate we will know that the Coming of Christ is on hand, and then she names the following texts as examples:
1. Dan. 7:25 – And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws, and they shall be given into His hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.”
2. 2 Thess. 2: 3-4 – Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called GOD, or that is worshipped, so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
2a 2 Thess. 2:11 – And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.
3. 2 Peter 3: 3-4 – Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.
Johanna says this about it: “A hundred years ago the ‘mockers’ had already misused the fact that Christ had not yet fulfilled His promise about His return over a period of eighteen hundred years by hitting the doubters at their lowest point with the question: “Where is the promise of His return? Our forefathers who lived in the daily expectation of His return are dead, and everything still goes on the same as from the beginning of time!” This quotation comes from a publication published at the beginning of the 19th century.
“Today’s Christians ask the same question, and many (even pastors) are not certain any longer whether the return of Christ will still happen.”
But the time for doubting and waiting is almost finished, according to Johanna in her book, The Millenium, for the prophets of Christ repeatedly warned their followers to be on the lookout for certain signs that will precede this event.
The Christians that know their Bible also know that during the past hundred years there have been many changes that are directly connected to those warnings. And the tempo at which events are happening is escalating – before the advent of the motor car, aeroplane and TV, life was so tranquil that people still had time in the mornings and evenings to “take the Books” – in other words, the head of the household would read a few verses from the Bible, say a prayer, and the family would sing a hymn together. This was usually done at the breakfast and supper table. It was also a time when Holy Communion events would run over a whole weekend; to visit friends and family, and manufacture most of their needs by hand. But now that the 20th Century has mechanised and made everything so much easier, people have no more time for their nearest and dearest, and even less to hold house-worship or attend Church. There is a thirst and mad scrambling for knowledge that never seems to end!
Dan. 12:4 – “But thou, o Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”
She said the Angel also warned her against those who announced “Peace! Peace!” for it was in contrast to what the Messiah said: “I did not come to bring peace, but the sword…” Every time there is a call for peace, she said, it is followed by bloodshed and chaos.
The century of blasphemy
Since the creation of Adam, no single generation on earth passed by without violence. And when Johanna Brandt wrote about this terrifying vision she had, WW1 had just ceased, and everyone was once again shouting “Peace! Peace!” for that was all everybody was yearning for, but she saw storms threatening that would bring greater violence and bloodshed across a peace-seeking world than during that Great War.
The century of blasphemy, she said, is the end of the abominations of persecution, martyrdom, death and violence during the past nineteen-hundred years.
Godlessness in the world has increased drastically over the last almost 2000 years; the followers of Christ have been persecuted in every manner possible. During Nero’s time Christian martyrs lost their lives in the arenas before crowds of thousands who cheered at these bloody spectacles.
According to Johanna, no peace will be found anywhere on earth. War will come, and preparations must be made for war. God also expects His people to be prepared, and He uses Joel to spread the message: Joel 3: 9-10: Proclaim this yet among the Gentiles; prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up; Beat your ploughshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
And then, further in verse 14: “Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.”
The Thousand Year Peace is predicted in Revelation 20. This comes after the Great Oppression and the period of persecution. Satan will be bound for that time and will only be released again after a thousand years have passed to mislead the nations (the Gog and Magog) and gather them from the ends of the earth for the final battle against God’s tens of thousands. (Compare Revelation 20:7).
When Satan and his hordes have been defeated, he is cast into the pool of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophets are already gathered, and then the Great white throne judgment arrives. Johanna says this about it: “The Last Judgment, the second death, the new heaven and earth, the New Jerusalem only comes after the Thousand Year Kingdom of Peace when Death and Hell have been conquered.
Introduction to the last days
The earth has not been purified yet for the glory and holiness of the Redeemer, and we expect all countries will still be heavily devastated – through internal unrest, revolutions, strikes, arson, famine, and civil war.
The elements will me powerfully moved so that we will experience huge earthquakes; we will get navigable rivers where it is now dry and sere. This will be the most frightening period approaching is, and which is described as the outpouring of the last seven plagues in which the wrath of God will end. Dark, inexplicably symbolic is the explanation of the last seven plagues, but we will see a ray of light during deep meditation.
The Mother of all Abominations
There has been a lot of speculation about who Babylon is and which is referred to in Revelation 17. Some people this it is America, others are of the opinion that the real Babylon is the one that has recently been rebuilt, but Johanna Brandt sees it differently.
“The seventh plague – the destruction of Babylon – what else can it be but the destruction of the power of gold? The great harlot sitting there on many waters – did not all the kings of the earth sin with her? Did not all the merchants of the earth grow rich from the power of her wealth?”
“She is the mother of all the abominations of the earth! She represents the gold that all nations and multitudes, and peoples and tongues have been deceived, and on which all dwelling on earth have become drunk. This is the gold that is meant here, and everything that is represented by gold – influence, position, honour, power and wealth.”
Johanna Brandt sketched all these things for us nearly 80 years ago that would precede the Second coming: “The whole earth will be in a state of destruction and chaos. Every country will be shaken by war within its borders; through revolutions, strikes, rebellion, civil wars, plagues, famine and UNKNOWN pests (AIDS?); and all this will happen while the elements will release their fury on earth…”
CHAPTER 3
Arrival of the Messenger
During her mother’s long illness, Johanna stayed by her bedside most of the time. It was tiring and sad at the same time, as she was very attached to her mother, and she wanted to be with her until the end. Sometimes she was so exhausted that she remained awake with great difficulty in the chair beside the bed. Her one sister eventually assisted her at the sick bed.
And so it happened that her sister woke her again around 2.30 a.m. during the night of 1st December 1916 for the last stretch on the night watch.
That might Johanna was alone beside the bed of her dying mother, praying. Mrs. Van Warmelo, Johanna’s mother, was near her end after a long illness. The hours dragged slowly past. All that Johanna could do was to pray that her mother would soon be released from her suffering.
While absorbed in prayer, suddenly a Presence, brighter than the sun, suddenly entered the room and called to her in a clear voice. Johanna tells what transpired:
“You, fearless!” the Angel called. The voice of the invisible being hit my soul and spirit in the same manner the Presence hit my spiritual eye. My senses played no part in the experience, even though they were functioning normally.
“You, fearless!” the voice spoke again. “What you have done for your country and your people are well-done! (a reference to her contribution during the Second War of Independence aka Anglo Boer War). You are now being called to greater things!”
The voice was so clear and penetrating that I looked up. I then looked around, also looked at my mother to see whether she was disturbed by the Being. It did not seem whether anyone else besides myself had heard the voice, and my mother showed no sign that she was aware of the Presence.
While He was speaking to me, I watched my mother who was totally unconscious. I did not pass out, I was not in a trance, and I did not dream. I knew all the time what was happening. I did not doubt for one moment that this wonderful visitor came from heavenly places.
“Who are you?” I asked in a whisper.
“I am a Messenger from heaven who was sent to anoint you with the spirit of prophecy! The past year was only a trial period, and you did not waver. Many things that have been hidden from you will soon be revealed to you, and I am legally allowed to give you a sign through which you will receive assurance. Now, close your eyes and you will see when your mother’s parting hour will be.”
I obeyed and I saw my watch before my spiritual eyes indicating five minutes before five. It disappeared immediately, like a lightning bolt lighting up a tunnel for a millisecond in time, showing up the minutest details. I looked at my watch on the night table and saw the time stood at precisely 2.00 a.m. I wanted to go and tell my sister what had happened, but the Messenger stopped me and said I must spend the almost three hours alone with my mother until the time for departure arrived.
After a long and intense struggle with myself, because I realised I was free to go if I chose to do so, I sat down again and bent my head. Then I stammered: “Your will be done. Look down mercifully on the handmaiden of the Lord.”
He then told me at what time I should notify my family in order for them to come and say goodbye to my mother. His appearance happened at 2.00 a.m., and the time to gather the family together was at 4.55 a.m. Once again I wanted to go and call my sister, but the Messenger held me back again. “You will remain alone, for I have something to tell you – wait alone for three hours, you, unafraid!” that was an order I had to obey.
A feeling of dismay came over me. I wanted to escape from the room, for the seriousness with which the strange words “you, unafraid” were repeatedly spoken, made me realise that I was on the brink of unutterable things, and I had to gather every ounce of courage needed to face whatever it was. I sat down once again and repeated: “Your will be done. Look down mercifully on the handmaiden of the Lord.”
I bent my head and waited….
During the three hours she spent alone with the Messenger, and had to wait for the time to call her sister and other family members, he gave her a few visions of which she asked the meanings.
In one of them she saw her mother on their farm, Harmonie, and in another vision another Person appeared to her (she referred to him as a Being) who seriously and relentlessly pointed out the troubles and perils that the life of a dedicated servant held. He also pointed out her own sins and weaknesses, knowing her deepest secret thoughts, and told her: “Withdraw! Withdraw from the world! You cannot serve until you have laid down all the earthly ties and temptations, and emptied the chalice of suffering right down to the last dreg…”
The Messenger’s order made a thousand things rush through her thoughts; she grew afraid and overwhelmed. What was happening was not of this world, and this exacerbated the fear within her. And just as she thought she was going to die with fear, she heard the Messenger say: ““Peace is with you in these hours! Peace and strength!” And suddenly a wonder feeling of calm came over her. The fear had disappeared, as well as the Messenger.
Johanna could never write about the ecstasy of senses that overcame her at that moment, and when people asked her about it, she simply replied: “I have no words to describe it.” It was so wonderful that she just experienced it and stored it in her deepest self. It was as though this deepest joy completely and utterly took hold of her. Nothing could destroy it. Eventually it did pass, she remembered afterwards, but years later she still remembered the overwhelming joy she experienced during those hours.
The Departure
When she again looked at her watch, she noticed with surprise that it was 4.55 a.m. – the exact time the Messenger asked her to call her family members to her mother’s bedside.
Day was breaking outside. A glimmer of light shone through a gap in the curtains. A new day had begun, but for Johanna it was a heavy moment, for the time of parting had come. However, her mother’s suffering had also come to an end, so Johanna saw this new day also as a moment in which there was relief for a soul that had undergone bitter suffering.
Her mother was sill unconscious, but breathed gaspingly. Every breath required effort, and without wasting another moment, Johanna went to her sister’s room and then to that of the nurse. The nurse was awake immediately and got up. Johanna’s sister was already by their mother’s bedside when the other two arrived. Suddenly a change came over the mother’s features.
She opened her eyes and it was immediately clear that she recognised everyone. She tried to say something, but was too weak to do so. Johanna later remembered it was as though she had returned from another world. She had often promised them that when she died, she would return to tell them what it was like on the other side of death. Now she had virtually returned with a heavenly glow in her eyes and eternal peace on her face. And yet she could not say anything to them, but the expression on her face was sufficient for Johanna. There were beautiful things beyond death. It was not fearful, and for that Johanna was grateful.
That night at ten o’clock she drew her last breath, leaving a deeply mourning Johanna behind.
She told her family about the wonderful experience with the Messenger, and for days on end she could think of nothing else. It was an important event, but she still could not understand what had happened to her, and there were no explanations forthcoming. She just cold not forgets the moment with the heavenly Messenger. He had told her that he had come to anoint her with the gift of prophesy and that she would see the future of the world, especially South Africa, but she had not yet seen anything. There was no vision or image or dream that would give her any indication that he meant what he had said. She did not know what to think of it, but she was certain that she did not dream it.
Johanna instinctively knew that she could trust the Messenger. After all, he told her the truth about when she and her siblings were to say goodbye to their mother. But would he really return, or would she have seen him only this once?
The time for mourning, heartbreak, physical strain and intense emotions began taking their toll. Johanna was exhausted after everything that had taken place, but this not yet the end of her experiences.
After the funeral she left for Heidelberg with her brothers for a period of rest. However, five days later she returned to Pretoria to assist with the settling of her mother’s estate. She also wanted to see her sister before this lady’s return to Alphen.
The following Wednesday she spent time to clear up her mother’s personal possessions. Her sister joined her later to help with the sorting.
That night they once again slept at the estate of their elder brother next to Harmonie. They did not want to remain in the large old house that held so many memories, as the day had already been too much for them.
They made a bed in the lounge. Johanna retired early, being very tired, but still she could not get to sleep immediately. She still could not accept that her mother was dead and buried, and she also lay worrying about her mother’s last request that Harmonie must not be sold, as well as other things, but there was also a heaviness in her mind about the Messenger who visited her at her mother’s deathbed. Eventually she finally fell asleep at eleven.
Your life as sacrifice
On that Thursday night of 7th December 1916 she slowly awoke at 2.00 a.m. with a feeling of dreariness in her body and a dull cramping pain in her heart. Ice-cold perspiration covered her face and hands and her chest felt tight. She immediately thought she was getting a heart attack.
The house was pitch dark, and she could not raise her voice to call either her brother or sister. She also could not rise from her bed and go to her sister. All she could do was to lie still and wait for death, for she believed that would be her end. She did not doubt for a moment that she was going to die.
With a clarity of spirit she wondered how it was possible that she did not know about a heart problem. It must have been something to do with the Messenger, she thought. There must be some connection between his visit and her end, for why did this problem only show up now?
Then the most wonderful thing happened to her. Once again it was 2.00 a.m. Everything in the house was silent. Her sister was fast asleep and Johanna was alone when the Messenger once again appeared to her, but this time he remained a long, long time – more than 18 hours.
Johanna tells what she experienced that night. “Suddenly the darkness changed to the beauty of an ethereal light, and the restful voice of the Messenger sounded in my soul with the same words that he addressed me the first time: “You, fearless! What you have done for your country and people is good; but are you willing to take one step further? Are you willing to give your life for the good of South Africa?”
It felt indescribably wonderful, unbelievably great to hear that question. Without a moment’s hesitation I replied: “If that is Your will, then I am not only ready, but also extremely grateful.”
“Then you will write down what I am going to tell you. You were born for this hour, and your whole life was a preparation for the revelation that is about to be made. You will also receive the necessary strength to fulfil your task, but know this – it will only be done at the cost of your life that you bring as willing sacrifice for the holy task that is more valuable than life itself. You have been chosen, but not forced. The work and sacrifices in the vineyards of the King must be voluntary.”
Blessed is South Africa
“Blessed are you through the thousands that will be blessed through you! Wake your sister now and tell her what I disclosed to you.
The Messenger had gone, but life slowly returned to Johanna. Her pulse was still weak and irregular, she gasped and breathed haltingly, but she was able to get up. She wearily got down from the bed and went to her sister as the Messenger ordered her to do.
Johanna sat down on the bed beside her sister. Her sister listened as Johanna told her that she had to die, and that she needed her sister’s help to do everything she had to do that day. The tightness in her chest had not subsided yet. Every so often she had to get up and walk about in the room in an effort to relieve her breathing.
Her sister remained calm. As far as she was concerned, there was no doubt that Johanna was not going to die. She was merely overstressed and exhausted.
When she began feeling very ill again shortly afterwards, Johanna was of the opinion that it was another heart-attack, and her sister had to help her back to bed. Afterwards Johanna requested her sister to bring her paper and pencil in order to write down what she had to do when she died. There was so much she herself still wanted to do, but realised that it might not be possible. It was a great consolation for Johanna that her sister was so willing to help.
Later the doctor examined Johanna’s heart, but she never heard the result, as he apparently never informed her of his finding, but probably also because she never asked him about it.
However, she mainly ignored the result of the doctor’s examination or his theories. It was no longer of any importance to her. There were greater things that required her attention. She was absorbed in preparation for her own death, and did not want anything to draw her attention away from the task that had been assigned to her. There was still so much to be done. Nonetheless she drank the tonic the doctor had given her – faithfully drinking it in the hope that it would provide her with the strength required to write. But even writing sometimes proved beyond her and she was just too exhausted to continue. When she felt too bad, she put her writing materials aside and eventually dropped off to sleep.
Later, when she awoke, the Messenger was beside her bed again.
CHAPTER 4
Visions of 7th December 1916
The wonderful secrets were revealed to Johanna, and she saw and experienced indescribable things. One vision after another passed before her eyes. The first one was a spiritual journey back to her own past, back to the things that were already long past. She recognised people whom she had already forgotten about, but now remembered again. Apparently this vision was just to convince her that the Messenger knew everything, and that it was in his power to also show her the future.
First Vision:
The Winding Road
She said: “A panoramic view slowly passed before me. It was lovely, but also terribly strange. There were green fields beneath a sunny sky, shady trees and water fountains. There were also dizzy heights with secret chasms that made me fearful. Here and there were violent storms and refreshing rains, but also a dry and deserted desert. Yet this scene was not totally unknown. It was as though something was tugging at my memories. There was a narrow pathway that was forever climbing through varying scenes. It was known to me!”
“It is my life!” I suddenly whispered.
The Messenger smiled.
“That is your life. Have I presented it accurately?”
“O, yes!” I called out. “How well I know that sunny area that looks so friendly in a dark area … those unfathomable depths… that immeasurable desert! Those menacing clouds that also speak to me of war, robbery, destruction, despair – the lightning bolts of national disasters that shocked my spirit in the glory of my youth… That shining mountaintop in the strange land that speaks to me of the summits of love – everything brings back the storms and sunshine I remember back into my life. But the scene brings back more than I can remember – once again I see in spirit familiar places from my youth that I have long forgotten; long-gone memories of pain and love and joy, of friends and enemies that have preceded me long since. Now everything stands before me again as clear as yesterday. How can that be? The winding road, still winding upwards – where does it lead to, friendly Messenger?”
“When the sun sinks in the west (at seven that evening) – look, your windows fact west – when the last rays fall on you today, you will know where the winding road led you to. It is not without a reason that this vision has been shown to you. The evidence of the true representation of your life must speak to you later when the veil has been drawn away from the future of South Africa. Hold on to this memory.”
After that Johanna fell into a deep sleep again.
Second vision:
There is no death!
Once again the Messenger woke Johanna from her sleep. She was wide awake immediately and ready to listen to what he wanted to tell her.
“Have you not got any worries? No thoughts about the future about what your small children will do without a mother in this cruel world? No concern about your deprived husband?” the Messenger wanted to know.
“Absolutely nothing! He that asks me the sacrifice of my life, will He not provide better for them that I could ever do?”
“Great is your faith, you, fearless! And your reward will be great. Look – see the future of your loved ones…”
“That is Harmonie!” she replied, surprised.
“Yes,” replied the Messenger. “The future of your generation rests on your beloved Harmonie. But look again. What else do you see?”
Johanna tells: “I looked and looked, but I did not understand what was happening before me. No, I did not understand any more. I see, but I don’t grasp it – I see myself in the centre of that happy group! I see myself moving as the centre of all those I love, with all the sweet intimacy of the past, but a thousand fold enhanced. United in the bliss on indescribably joy, it seems we are all working together in the Vineyards of the King, and as though Harmonie is the centre of a heightened idealism for South Africa, through South Africa, for the whole world. Please give me clarity for this unknown vision…”
(Harmonie does not exist any longer. The Normal College of Pretoria was built on the land where the old manor house once stood. Only later she began to understand that the events as described by the Messenger would only materialise after this dispensation had passed.)
“In the life of self-sacrifice there are unheard-of compensations,” the Messenger continues. “You will experience it yourself. But I am not permitted to reveal the true meaning of the vision to you. If you wish, you can attach your own interpretation to it, and write what you think of it to have published after your death.”
Johanna was ecstatic over the scene she was looking at.
“There is no Death,” the Messenger’s voice reached her. “No division that you call ‘Death.’ You do not fear the future, and rightly so. Allow the consolation and joy of this vision strengthen your hands for your task, and prepare you for that which is still to come.”
Exhausted from the shock of the ecstasy, she dropped off into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Johanna was convinced she was going to die at seven that evening. That was the time when the sun’s rays would fall through her bedroom window, and that was the time she was told by the Messenger to prepare herself. Then she would see where her winding road of life would lead her to.
Her husband, Rev. Louis Brandt, arrived from Johannesburg a few hours later. She was very happy to see him, and immediately told him about the wonderful Messenger. That night they calmly discussed all the events. He tried to convince her that she was not dying, but Johanna remained adamant, for she knew better. When the sun set at seven that evening, she would depart from this world. She firmly believed this. As far as she was concerned, the Messenger had announced her end for that particular time of day.
However, he said not a word about her visions, because she was dying, she thought there could have been things she knew about that others were not permitted to know – at least, not now. She was just privileged to receive the information! However, that did not stop her from giving her husband a string of orders on how he must raise the children, and she also pertinently asked him to please not interrupt her in the preparation for her approaching death.
He was perfectly willing to accommodate her, in the same manner that her sister also refused her nothing. He also solemnly promised to see to it that her last wished were obeyed if she should really pass away.
His condition was that meanwhile she should sleep and rest, and not tire herself by writing everything down. However, his warning went flying in the wind. Her strength was already at its lowest ebb, and she could only pen down a few words on paper. Her exhaustion increased, but she continued writing. Later on she said she was in constant contact with the Messenger who showed her all the visions again. Yet she was conscious of everything around her and never lost consciousness.
Third Vision
On the Battlefields of Europe
“I see the battlefields of a doomed country, soaked with the blood and tears of millions of unhappy people from all parts of the world. It was a terrible scene – it would have been unbearable – shattering – if it wasn’t for the glow hanging above the clouds of dust and smoke…”
This vision remained floating before her stunned spirit, and while looking at it, she once again realised that it was not as we always thought; it was not just another struggle between earthly nations; no, this time it was the last deadly conflict between the powers of Light and Darkness. This condition was created by humanity itself, and although they were the instruments, they were not the powers involved in the conflict.
Already in Gen. 3:15 God announced this conflict between Light and Darkness. And since then man has been calling ‘Peace! Peace’ in vain, but this cannot be ended in the present dispensation. The Lord Himself will do so with His second coming when He hurls Satan and his descendants in the pool of fire.
Only after Johanna had looked closely for some time did she realise why the struggle was so cruel and long drawn out. It was because the struggle was so uneven – the forces of Darkness were stronger than the forces of the Light, and she suddenly called out in a loud voice: “How must the world be saved then?”
The Messenger calmly listened to Johanna’s alarmed call, and then he explained: “If you would like to look again, you will see the Light slowly gaining the upper hand,” he said. “Painfully, with unbelievable sacrifices, slowly, and with superhuman effort the Light is busy conquering the Darkness. Inch by inch the battle continues and Light is gaining ground. Look – there where you least expect it, the Light rises – look, the rays of Light are shining through the thickest clouds of destruction. In fact, it is the last battle between Good and Evil, between Light and Darkness.
“It is not the Light on the side of England and Darkness on the side of Germany, or the other way round, as people would like to think, but Light and Darkness on both sides. The Light in Great Britain is busy pursuing the Darkness in Germany and destroying it. The Light in Germany is warring against the Darkness in England and must break it. Thus it is the same in all the inhabited countries of the world. No country, no nation, no ally will triumph in this battle, but the Light will be the winner all over. Where the Light is winning now, people will suffer least. If you wish to take a closer look at the scenario, you will see it is only in that sense that the countries I have indicated, will triumph over the others…”
The Messenger explained further that the conflict must spread across the length and breadth of the world until it becomes one huge worldwide conflict. It will also not be limited to one part of the world, but all nations will be involved in it. The Darkness, and everywhere it is present will have to be destroyed by the Light.
“This is the great and final battle lying ahead fir the whole world,” the Messenger said. “But at the end of the days Darkness will descend across virtually all the world, and there will be very little Light. However, where people still cling to God and His Word, the suffering will not be so great.”
“In the end,” the Messenger continued, “will and must the Light triumph, regardless of how uneven the powers might be; how long and bloody the struggle, for it is the preparation for the Second Coming of Christ that is on hand now.”
The Messenger assured Johanna that the purifying process would not last any longer than absolutely necessary. Not a drop of blood, not a tear of despair and sadness, not a drop of sweat in a pained face, no broken heart, destroyed house, plundered land of maimed body – no suffering of any kind will occur if it can be avoided during preparation for this Great Day. Everything that has thus far stood in the way of fulfilment of His Holy Promise must be removed. That is why it still cannot be the end.”
The vision shocked Johanna. All the suffering and misery and bloodshed that still lay ahead was just too much for her. Until now her people were oppressed and vilified, her beloved compatriots died without reaching that they so much wished for – peace and independence. And now she had to hear that more – and worse – things lay ahead for them. She pleaded that everything should end quickly; that there should be release.
“Not yet – net yet,” came the reply from the Messenger. “We are only at the start of the suffering, for during – and after – this war there will be revolutions, strikes, civil wars, earthquakes, pestilences, famine and storms. A darkness, so stifling, so impenetrable, so terrible will fall on earth; many will pray for Death to release them – and Death will NOT release them.”
At the time it was impossible for Johanna to know what still lay ahead for her people and all humanity on earth. Only after WW2 did the disasters and wars and strikes and other things intensify with great steps. Decadence burst open like a huge abscess, spreading across the world and contaminating everything and everybody. The evil and Darkness about which the Messenger spoke is now visible everywhere.
Fourth Vision
The disasters that will hit South Africa
Once again she woke from a short, deep sleep, and still the Messenger stood beside her bed. This time there was a new warning:
“Wake up!” he called. “Wake up, for time is short, and I still have one vision to open before your eyes! Look! Look at the near future of South Africa! Be strong, and do not stumble. Get all your strength together, for I cannot ask you to look at the terrible scene just to torture you, but to prepare you for the task that still lies ahead of you…”
The Messenger showed Johanna a terrible scene of the terrors and evils that awaited her beloved country and her people in the future. It was such a devastating vision that she cried out in fear, and feared that seeing it would cause her to die. With fearful eyes she sat upright in her bed and felt the perspiration of death running down her face.
“Spare! Spare south Africa!” she called out in fear.
“What do you see?” the Messenger asked.
Johanna relates: “I saw a beautiful land being attacked by a seething hurricane. What was strange was the sudden unexpectedness of the storm. It was so terrifying that even the earth seemed to tremble and roar while the lightning bolts and thundering of angry elements tore the clouds apart, and then hurling a shower of fire and hailstones down on the earth. Everywhere there was blood and devastation threatening to wipe everything off the face of the earth. I saw human beings being driven like leaves before the wind and pursued to all parts of the earth.”
Compare this prophetic pronunciation in the Bible: Isaiah 29:5 – “Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away; yea, it shall be in an instant, suddenly…”
And then, Verse 6: “Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire…”
“This was a fearful scene that occupies my thoughts to this day. But that was not all. The storm of despair that threatened South Africa with destruction seemed to rage across the length and breadth of the country. It also seemed if the darkness of a terrible night descended over humans and animals, and many souls really – as the Messenger said – prayed for death to release them, but all in vain.
However, Johanna elaborated further on what she saw in that terrible vision:
The eruption of that storm was strange, and completely unexpected! It was an alarming eruption of unprecedented anger! And after South Africa was completely destroyed, the storm abated just as suddenly. It was of short duration, despite the overwhelming violence of it.
Someone entered the room and placed a cool hand on her wet forehead. But she was eager to talk to the Messenger again.
“Please leave me alone so that I can sleep,” she asked.
The person silently left the room again, Johanna turned to the Messenger. She had only one thought in mind. With all the love she felt for her people and her country, she once again pleaded: “Please spare South Africa…”
The Messenger looked at her and replied: “Do not fear, you fearless! Did you really think that your country had no Darkness to overcome? Do you not understand that if South Africa is spared these disasters, it cannot share in the coming glory? No, the scenes you have witnessed are unavoidable. The disasters threatening South Africa will gradually be caused by hatred and envy, violence, injustice and jealousy. The storm is an eruption that no-one will be able to withstand, a storm of a long-cultivated suspicion, mischief-making, hypocrisy, corruption, oppression and evil passions – all the evil that built up over the years and kept suppressed in the heart of the nation. What people sow, they must reap. They sowed the wind and are reaping the whirlwind. In South Africa – more than elsewhere – they bent the knee to the god of gold. With thoughts of revenge and bitter irreconcilability on the one hand, and injustice violence and greed on the other hand, the field has long ago been prepared in a hundred-thousand hearts in South Africa for this storm of revenge that must come soon.
Do not fear! You saw that the outburst will be of short duration! You have been called to warn your people by seeing a live example of the scene. Prepare the people to unite in justice in an effort to break the might of the storm. I tell you, the judgment that cannot be avoided can be softened – the terror can be shortened. The disasters cannot be avoided, but they can be reduced. It depends on your loyalty; it depends on the power of your call and whether the nation will be prepared to listen…”
Fifth Vision
Night Attack on Johannesburg
What the Messenger told her about the bloodbath that would take place in South Africa, he said: “Look!”
She looked and saw a miniature kaffir-assegai lying on the ground before her. Then she saw the start of a strike that quickly spread across the country, and the letters XL hung high in the sky. Everything had ground to a standstill – even the big business houses were locked and deserted and nothing was functioning any longer.
The strikes were so intense that the whole country was paralysed. While this was going on, the blacks were organising in secret and one night they assembled in Johannesburg. Then everything happened quickly and unexpectedly – power was cut in and around the city.
After that she saw them spread through the white residential areas and murdering our people far and wide. Thousands upon thousands will die during that “Egyptian Night” that will descend over Johannesburg.
“When I saw all the mutilated bodies lying around me in the vision, I called out in shock: “This cannot be, because there are not so many people in Johannesburg!”
Because of the terror of this vision, Johanna Brandt’s hair turned grey in a single night. She was also in such a state of shock that she could not even talk to her husband about it.
“The manner in which they murdered the whites is too terrible for words, she wrote. Like 150 years previously at Bloukrans, I saw how these barbaric blacks grab white babies by their feet and dash their heads against the nearest hard object. The screams were terrible. Women and children, old and young were mown down with guns, assegais, knobkerries, bush knives, or any other weapon the blacks could lay their hands on were used in these attacks, leaving the dead lying in their own blood. People tried to flee, but they were caught and mercilessly cut down and left to lie in their own blood. There was blood everywhere – on the pavements, in the houses, apartment buildings and shops.
“When day broke, I saw how the black hordes move towards Pretoria. That was the signal for the other blacks in the country to join in the attacking spree and systematically murder whites in their own towns. She also heard them refer to this night as “Our Great Day.”
During this time Europe, but especially England, will experience a period of famine during which millions will die.
She spoke further about events abroad: “During the time when people will be dying from hunger, Germany will become the breadbasket of the world, and just as it happened in Egypt, provide the world with food.”
About South Africa she said: “We will be the country of the future. There are precious minerals in our soil that have not yet been discovered, and which will put our country in the forefront of development in the world. There are still other unknown riches underground (the Kruger Millions) that will be found by the Boer nation itself. God’s blessing will descend over us again… for we are the chosen people of God…”
“For this you were born…”
This last vision about the bloodshed in South Africa upset her more than any of the others, for that which she had seen, was not just limited to South Africa, and would also erupt in the rest of the world.
What was different from all the other tribulations that South Africa experienced in the past, said Johanna, were the storms that preceded the Coming of our Lord, and the glory it would bring over the country; different from any kind of peace and prosperity that we had enjoyed before, “for it was a heavenly beaming that overshadowed us, and could not be compared with anything else.”
The fact that South Africa would not be as hard hit as the rest of the world was a consolation. The Messenger told Johanna that God had chosen South Africa as a special instrument through which the whole world would be blessed. He also issued a special warning with a specific purpose to the people of this country.
South Africa – God’s Pearl
“But know this,” the angel told Johanna, “this message of prophetic warning would be more readily believed by the simple and unspoiled people in the world, and when the time comes for the prophetic disasters for this country to be fulfilled, the world will see how well-prepared you are, and how capable you are to meet these problems head-on. They will see that you are brave and fully trustworthy in the face of the worst perils; that you can remain calm in the raging anger of the storm; that you do your duty despite the dangers, and they will accept the evidence of your example and be compelled to follow it in order for them to be saved on the Big Day that will come. God will show mercy to South Africa! Johanna realised, but that was not all – there were also conditions and responsibilities that rest on the shoulders of the nation.
She continued: “O, nation of South Africa, the sacrifice asked from you is great! Great is the responsibility resting on you! You will accept the message on faith alone, without proof, without higher authority of the written word – but the world will accept it through the fulfilment of the prophecies of the disasters that must come over you. Thus, it was through your suffering!”
The sacrifice to which she was referring, and being asked from South Africa, is the sacrifice of complete faith. She was told by the Messenger: “South Africa is a pearl in the eyes of our Lord.” For here in South Africa the first great miracles of the new century mentioned in Revelation will take place. Through South Africa the world will be compelled to believe that the Second Coming of the Redeemer is at hand.
She continued: “A beautiful Light – not of this world – washed over the inconsolable scene, and I stood watching in awe. I saw the glorious and exalted Presence of our Beloved Master in our midst – here in South Africa. And that was the meaning of the visions I had seen – that Jesus Christ our God will come to us when the storms of purification and preparation are over, and people’s hearts are made ready through suffering to meet Him.
Johanna wrote: The Second Coming of Christ on the night after the storm, will go hand in hand with great surprises, for the humble and despised will be exalted, and the proud ones will be humiliated into the dust.
In this battle b