QUESTION:
What does Communion wine signify?
ANSWER:
“And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” [Matthew 26:26-29]
“For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eat, tarry one for another. [I Corinthians 11:23-33]
“I believe the elders will take their place, and they'll--of the church, and they'll bring the people up as they come, row by row, for the Communion. Always think of that song, “Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious Blood shall never lose Its power, till all the ransomed Church of God be saved to sin no more.” (Let us bow our heads.) Gracious and Holy Father, Jehovah, the great Almighty, send Thy blessings upon Thy people as we wait. Forgive our sins. And now, we offer to You this sacrament, this wine, the grapes that's been grown, and hands of ministers crushed this together. And it was made into wine for the cause that we're now bringing it to You for, that it might represent to us the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray Thee, Father, to sanctify the wine for that purpose. Forgive every sin of ours. And may every person that receives this wine to their body, may they have health, strength, and salvation from You. Grant it, Lord. We ask it in Jesus' Name. Amen.” [The Key To The Door, Jeffersonville IN 62-1007]
“Let us pray now as we bow our heads. Silently you pray for us; we pray for you. [Brother Branham and congregation take a few moments in silent prayer--Ed.] Father, as we take this Communion (as we call it Communion), it is in remembrance of You. And when this little beaten wafer touches our tongues and goes into our mouth, may we recognize that He was bruised, and mashed, torn for our sins. And that veil that hid Him from us... Now, He's in us, the Holy Spirit. And when we receive the wine, may we realize that it was by His stripes that we're healed, by His Blood we are saved, the Life that was in the Blood. Now, Father, gather us together for this solemn occasion, forgiving our sins. In Jesus' Name, we ask it. Amen.” [Ordination, Jeffersonville IN 62-1104E]
“Then as we come to the table of the Lord... The table of the Lord, as I have explained it here before, is not... We believe what we call the Communion is--is the taking of the bread. We place the wrong--the--the wrong... We place the right thing in the wrong place. It isn't the bread that matters; it isn't the wine that matters; that's the kosher bread and the wine. But the thing that is, is "Communion" means "to talk to," and in talking to Him, remembering Him. I think it's the most blessed time of the services. See? Every hour of our life ought to be a Communion.” [Remembering The Lord, Jeffersonville IN 62-1209]
“Today, the Roman Catholic church adopted, "Father, Son, Holy Ghost," to take That's place. Instead of That, a Communion. "Lick out a tongue and take up a wafer, and the priest drink the wine, and you're one together." The "Communion," in the stead of being the Holy Ghost, called, "holy Eucharist." And a "Father, Son, Holy Ghost," a trinitarian baptism, when it's not even spoke of in the Bible. The Name of Father, Son, Holy Ghost is the Lord Jesus Christ.” [The Indictment, Jeffersonville IN 63-0707M]
“The Bible said, "In like manner He took the cup. And when He had supped, He took--said, "Take and drink; this is the cup of the New Testament. As oft as you do this, you show forth the Lord's death till He come." As I hold in my hand tonight this wine, made from the--from the life of grapes that's been brought together here to represent the Blood of Jesus Christ. There's never a time yet, that I've ever picked up the Communion tray, but I didn't look in there and see my sin's gone. I see if it hadn't been for that what--what--well, where would we be? I think of in there where a sick man lay dying, yonder in the hospital: me. It's through His stripes I was healed. May the God of heaven bless this wine for its intended use. Lord Jesus, we present to You this grape juice, wine taken from the blood of the grapes to represent the Blood of Jesus Christ. May, as we receive it, Father, may sickness depart from us. May sin, desire, be taken from us. May we live such holy, consecrated life after this, that men will see the reflection of Jesus Christ in us, and that our--our walk in life would be worthy of the Gospel that we believe. Grant it, Father. And sanctify the--this wine now for it's intended use. In Jesus Christ's Name. Amen.” [Communion, Jeffersonville IN 63-0707E]
“After the battle is over, after the--the real believer has fought the enemy, broke down the lines and tried to capture his brother, the real Seed of Abraham bringing back that wayward brother, Melchizedek come out and served wine and bread, Communion, giving Communion after the battle was over, served the Communion to him after the battle. A very beautiful type of when the battle is over, here on earth, the victories have been won. Jesus said, "They would eat it anew in the Father's Kingdom, after the wayward has been brought back. Then the first thing we do when we go in, after the battle is over, is sit down at the table in the Kingdom of God. And there those that has fought, and sat down and overcome, shall be clothed in the righteousness of Christ, and then again they take the bread and the wine, in the Father's Kingdom on the other side. What a real picture this is, of Abraham going out and getting Lot and bringing him back.” [Jehovah Jireh, Louisville MS 64-0402]
“Jacob wrestled all night, and wouldn't turn Him loose until He blessed him. That's right. Battled for Life! And after the battle is over, then God gives you of Himself. That is His true Communion. The little bread and wafer just represents It. You shouldn't take it 'less you've wrestled it out and become part of God. Remember, at this time, the Communion had never been instituted, not until before the death of Jesus Christ, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years later. But Melchisedec, after His child Abraham had won the victory, Melchisedec met him and gave him wine and bread; showing that after this earthly battle is over, we will meet Him in the heavens and take the Communion again. It'll be the Wedding Supper. "I will not drink no more of the vine, or eat the fruit, until I eat it and drink it with you, anew, in My Father's Kingdom." [Who Is This Melchisedec? Jeffersonville IN 65-0221E]
“Listening in, in Jeffersonville now, there's a family named Wright. Brother Woods and I went down to see them. They make the Communion wine for the church.” [I Have Heard But Now I See, Shreveport LA 65-1127E]
Bible References: Matthew 26:26-29; I Corinthians 11:23-33; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:15-20
[Answer provided by Bro. Ken Andes, Minister, Lynden, WA, USA]