Sidney Jackson had to wait about twenty-five years before the Word of the Lord concerning Holland came to pass. In 1976, our pastor met Sidney Jackson in Germany and was led by the Lord to invite him to our church in Rotterdam.

Meeting with Sidney Jackson in the Leeuwenstein Street, Rotterdam

When Sidney Jackson heard about the testimonies of the miracles and the signs the Lord had done in the life of Harry van der Stel and about the way the Lord had spoken to him, he greatly rejoiced. He said that one did not hear about such things in other places in the world, and Sidney had been travelling to several other countries around that time.

William Branham had once told Brother Sidney that he would become an old man. Sidney was about 76 years old when he first came to Rotterdam in 1976, when he and his wife Johanna visited our church and his ministry was a great blessing to us. From 1976 until 1981 they visited our church in Holland every year.

From 1969 to 1981 Sidney Jackson and his wife Johanna resided not only in the church in South Africa, but also regularly in Pearry Green’s church, in Tucson, Arizona. Brother Sidney was an “associate minister” there and Pearry Green once said that Sidney Jackson really had three “homes”: his home in South Africa, his home in Tucson, Arizona and his home in Rotterdam, Holland.

From left to right: Sidney Jackson, Reg & Gloria Searle, Harry & Annie van der Stel with their son Samuël, Barrie Bonamour, Lukas de Beer and Gene Long in the Leeuwenstein Street in Rotterdam, 1977.

Sidney went deeply into the Word, which the Lord had revealed through William Branham. The main theme he spoke on was the opening of the Seven Seals, with the hidden truths of God which came forth from that. He also pointed out which important messages should be translated first. In between the meetings in Rotterdam, Sidney Jackson would also talk for hours and hours about the Message and testify about all the things that the Lord had done, often even into the middle of the night.

When he was here in Rotterdam, the Lord would also speak to Sidney Jackson, while he prayed in the Spirit, during the night. Once he asked Harry van der Stel to call a certain person in the USA, as the Lord had told him that night that the daughter of this person was involved in a serious accident, but that she would be all right. When calling that morning Harry found it was true, and he told that person that the Lord had shown to Brother Sidney that the daughter would be all right.

At the airport in 1977, saying good-bye to Sidney Jackson and the brothers from South Africa.

Sidney Jackson was not ashamed of the little humble group in Rotterdam, since he knew his calling. At the airport he used to raise his hands in the air while saying “Thank God for Rotterdam”. Sidney Jackson was always enthused about the events in Rotterdam. Once a minister from Singapore visited our fellowship and he told how that Sidney Jackson had testified to him, in America, for about forty-five minutes long, all about what the Lord had done in Rotterdam.

The meetings with Sidney Jackson were very blessed and he set our church in order by pointing out Brother Harry as the pastor and pointing out the other ministries, for example that of Brother Vriesema as elder. In a prophecy spoken by Sidney Jackson, the Lord told Harry van der Stel what his calling was and an exact commission was given to him concerning his ministry for the Bride of Christ.

In a meeting in 1979, Sidney Jackson spoke the following prophecy concerning the church in Rotterdam, at the end of the service:

“Enemies will strive to injure. But God will hide us.   
All his hosts employ. God will turn them.
What seems to harm you. Into everlasting joy.
That is the message to the church.”

In 1979, on May 29th, Sidney Jackson related to the church of Rotterdam how on that day, while he was sitting beside Harry van der Stel in his living room, he had received the full revelation of the commission the Lord gave to him in 1952 about him going to Germany and Holland. Some excerpts of this taped sermon are given here:

“Brothers and sisters, in my spirit I can just fall down and weep before God. It wasn’t till this day that I got the full revelation, that what God had in His mind when He spoke to me in 1952 and He said I would go to Germany and He said I would go to Holland. The great emphasis was Holland, Holland, Holland and I realize it was God’s love and desire for a visitation here to Holland...

And why He has chosen Rotterdam, why He has just come in a simple place like this, we don’t even want to question that. But I know God has done something. And this afternoon thinking, I could even lie on the floor, sitting here whilst my brother was speaking. I know God has done a work here. I know there is soil prepared. And we have the right Seed of this hour. It is the Spoken Word Seed for this hour...

Now I give it to you, in 1952 the prophet spoke and he give me that letter. To go to Holland. And I think the Lord spoke Holland: ‘Holland, Holland, Holland’; three times. I said to Brother Branham ‘The Lord said I go to Holland’. I wasn’t even full time. I was still on my farm. I rebelled, I didn’t want to leave the farm. I had a very heavy bond on it.

But in 1953 the Lord took me out; He stripped me of everything. We were nine years on the road, in a trailer, 16-foot trailer. We travelled all over, right up to Belgian Congo. All, wherever we went, God was with us, undertaking for us. But little did I know that what God spoke in ’52, would be manifested, here that I see it tonight. You might not understand it, but I thank God my brother has an insight of it... My heart is full of gratitude to God. Only this afternoon I understood what God meant, He said ‘you go to Holland’.”