William Marrion Branham
Jan Groenveld
Every now and then someone contacts us and tells us of how
someone has got themselves involved with a group they don't
know much about. Closer questioning usually reveals they have
become involved in a bible-based cult nicknamed the "Branhamites".
We refer to them as a cult for two reasons: (1) They have a
structure that permits no disagreement, they have teachings
you must be "spiritual enough to hear", their teachings cause
havoc to the converts personality and the converts family life
and they claim they alone have the truth; (2) They teach
heresy according the historical, orthodox Christian position
on the nature of the Godhead and the work and person of Jesus Christ.
WHO WAS WILLIAM BRANHAM?
William M Branham died in a car accident in 1965. His death
did not stop the growth of the group that followed him
however. Throughout the world groups of his followers promote
his teachings enthusiastically. Most people who come in
contact with them are only permitted to see the "deeper things
of God" when they are "spiritual enough to receive them."
During his ministry Branham was well-known in Pentecostal
circles for his claims to heal the sick and have special
"words of knowledge" from the Lord. However, few knew much
about his history or his teachings. Even today I have spoken
to older Pastors who had no idea that Branham denied some of
the central teachings of the Christian church such as the Tri-
une nature of God.
HIS BEGINNINGS
William Branham was born in April 1906. He was the first of
nine children born to Charles and Ella Branham.
There were claims of supernatural signs, angelic visitations
and even a halo over his crib at birth (Footprints on the
Sands of Time by William Marrion Branham; (Spoken Word
Publications; Jeffersonville, Ind., 1975 pp. 2, 21, 93).
Branham claimed that at seven years of age an angelic voice
warned him to "never drink, smoke, or defile your body in
anyway, for I have a work for you to do when you get older"
(William Branham: A Man Sent from God by Gordon Lindsey.
William Branham Publisher, Jeffersonville, Ind. 1950 p. 30).
Branham said : "There was always that peculiar feeling, like
someone standing near me, trying to say something to me, and
especially when I was alone. No one seemed to understand me at
all. The boys I associated with would have nothing to do with
me, because I wouldn't drink or smoke, and all the girls went
to dances of which I wouldn't partake either, so it seemed
that all through my life I was just a black sheep knowing no
one who understood me and not even understanding myself." (A
Man Sent From God, p. 31).
Branham claimed to have had a series of visions during and
after surgery when he was about 20. He had been overcome by
toxic gas while working for the Public Service Company of
Indiana. He says that he feared he might die and was not yet
ready to meet God. Apparently this incident led him to seek
God. He went behind woodshed at his home and cried out to
God. He said that:
"Suddenly there appeared a light in the form of a cross and a
voice spoke to him in language he did not understand. Then it
went away. He became frightened and wondered as he said,
'Lord, if this is you, please come back and talk to me again.'
The light reentered the shed. As he prayed, it appeared again
the third time. Now he realised that he had met God. He was
happy; he was thankful." (William Branham: A Prophet Visits
South Africa p. 9-11)
For Branham this was a call from God to preach. He began
attending the Missionary Baptist Church and some Pentecostal
Holiness groups during the same time period. He felt more
accepted by these "oneness " or "Jesus only" Pentecostals and
it was through the "oneness" Pentecostals that he was
propelled into worldwide recognition as a miracle worker. (All
Things are Possible by David Edwin Harrell. Indiana University
Press, Bloomington, Ind., 1975 pp. 27-40.) [Oneness
Pentecostals deny the Tri-une nature of God. This is the
modern form of the early church heresy of Sabalienism.]
BRANHAMS CLAIMS
Branham claims he received yet another angelic visitation in
May 1946. This time he was told that if he would be sincere
and persuade the people to believe in him, nothing would be
able to stand before his prayers, not even cancer (A Man Sent
From God, pp.76-77). It was after this visitation that his
healing and deliverance ministry grew to worldwide proportions
and touched thousands of lives (All Things are Possible pp.
27-40, 159-164).
During the late 1950s, the healing and deliverance rallies of
the famous Pentecostals of that time began to decline from the
prominence of the previous decade. Branham's declined along
with the others. He began to devote his time to his home
church, Branham Tabernacle of Jeffersonville, Ind. Away from
the influence of the more orthodox leaders of the Pentecostal
movement and Branhams path of heresy broadened.
Other claims of Branham were:
a) He was Elijah the prophet, the seventh angelic messenger
to the Laodicean Church Age (Footprints on the Sands of Time,
p. 620),
b) Anyone belonging to any denomination had taken "the mark
of the beast" (Footprints on the Sands of Time, pp. 627, 629,
643, 648).
c) He received divinely inspired revelations (The Revelation
of the Seven Seals, Branham: Spoken Word Publications, Tucson,
Ariz., n.d. p. 19; Questions and Answers, Book 1, Branham:
Spoken Word Publications, Tucson, 1964 p. 60.)
Eventually the majority of his followers believed he could
teach no error. He was, and still is, idolised by most, even
worshiped, by some of his followers.
Branhams "divinely inspired revelations" included an
unscriptural doctrine about end time events known as the
Revelation of the Seven Seals and that the fall of man
happened when Eve had sexual relations with Satan and that
this sexual union produced Cain and in so doing begat a fallen
race with Satan's nature. (An Exposition of the Seven Church
Ages, W M Branham, Branham Publisher, n.d. pp. 98-99, 101).
Branham also taught that "every sin that ever was on the Earth
was caused by a woman ... the very lowest creature on the
Earth" The Spoken Word, Vol. III Nos. 12, 13, 14;, Branham:
Spoken Word Publications, Jeffersonville, Ind. 1976; pp.
81-82.
BRANHAM'S MINISTRY
Even though it can be verified that healings and supernatural
occurrences were seen at Branham's rallies we have no
scriptural authority to use these manifestations to prove or
disprove the man was sent from God. Branham's doctrines and
teachings are what should be examined first. He claimed to be
the "prophet to bring the Christian church into final truth,".
If his doctrines are unscriptural then the man and his
ministry must be re-evaluated.
Well know Pentecostal preachers of the time such as Gordon
Lindsey, Oral Roberts, T L Osborn and Ern Baxter seem to have
accepted Branham as a "great man of God" because of his humble
spirit and his ability to work miracles. Humility and miracles
do not have any scriptural justification for acceptance of a
persons's claim to be from God. There are many who are not
Christians who manifest a meek and humble demeanour such as
Buddhist priests. They are noted for these traits and have
turned many westerners to their beliefs because of it. For
the Christian, all the meekness in the world means positively
nothing apart from the indwelling Lord Jesus Christ.
Miracles by themselves are not scriptural indicators of being
from God either. The magicians of Pharaoh's court duplicated
many of God's miracles performed through Moses (Ex 7:10-13).
Paul speaks of lying signs and wonders ascribed to the power
of the evil one. (2 Thess 2:8-9) Satan can work miracles and
does not mind God getting the glory when it suits his
purpose - blinding people to follow after other gods.
Christians are quick to point out claimants to be God's
prophet such as Joseph Smith, Ellen White or Mary Baker Eddy.
We should insist that ANYONE claiming to be God's prophet or
spokesperson be examined and apply the same standards to those
who are working within the mainstream churches to this same
scrutiny lest the sheep be led astray. Branham's teachings
about God must be measured against the Bible.
A prophet a "mouthpiece" for God. He simply communicates what
God tells him to say. God provided criteria for testing those
who claimed to be his mouthpieces in Deut 13:1-3 and 18:20-22.
There it says that even if the prophet works signs and
wonders, if he teaches us to follow after strange gods he is
to be rejected. If a prophet predicts future events, every
single one of those predictions must come true, down to the
finest detail. If the events don't occur the prophet is to be
rejected. In 1 Kings 13 we find a story which shows what
happens to those who follow someone found to be a false
prophet.
In Matt 7:15-24 Jesus also told us how to recognise a false
prophet. He said to examine their fruit. But contrary to the
opinion of many, the fruit that we are to examine is not the
fruit of the Spirit or their life but what the "prophet"
proclaims. The fruit of a "mouthpiece" is what he "speaks".
Branham failed both the Matthew and Deuteronomy tests.
There is evidence that Branham taught a false gospel from the
very beginning of his ministry. Ern Baxter, a well known
Pentecostal evangelist, was with Branham from 1947 to 1954.
Baxter wrote, "when he would speak, especially in those early
days, he would say some things that were terribly provocative.
To me, (they were) unnecessarily so. So when we talked
together, we agreed that apart from his giving testimonies and
relating his life story, I would do all the speaking and he
would do all the ministry to the sick. That was the way it was
when we were together" (New Wine Magazine, Dec 1978, p. 56).
Branham's doctrine continued to deviate further as time
passed.
Close scrutiny of what Branham taught reveals an unscriptural
view of God that would put him under the "strange god" clause
of Deut 13:1-3 For example:
"What is God? God is a great Eternal. At the beginning, way
back before there was a beginning, he wasn't even God. Did you
know that? A god is an object of worship, and there wasn't
nothing to worship him; He lived alone. And in him was
attributes. What is an attribute? A thought." (The Spoken
Word, Vol. III, p. 79)
Branham denied the Triune nature of God. He pronounced it a
"gross error" (The Spoken Word, p. 79). As a prophet with the
authority of a "Thus saith the Lord," he said it had been
revealed to him that "trinitarianism is of the devil"
(Footprints on the Sands of Time, p. 606).
Branham failed the Deut 18 test of a prophet from God in that
his predictions did not come true with 100 percent accuracy:
"Based on these seven visions, along with the rapid changes
which swept the world in the last 50 years, I predict (I do
not prophesy) that these visions will have all come to pass by
1977. And though many may feel that this is an irresponsible
statement in view of the fact that Jesus said that "no man
knoweth the day nor the hour," I still maintain this
prediction after 30 years because, Jesus did not say no man
could know the year, month, or week in which His coming was to
be completed. So I repeat, I sincerely believe and maintain as
a private student of the word, along with divine inspiration
that 1977 ought to terminate the world system and usher in the
Millennium". (An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages, p. 322).
Even though Branham tried to qualify his statement by saying
he "predicted" rather than "prophesied" certain events this
does not change things because any time a person claims that
they are a prophet of God, that they are speaking under divine
inspiration, it is prophecy.
The year 1977 is long gone. The United States is still here.
The world is still turning and the Millennium has not begun.
Since what Branham predicted has not taken place we can only
conclude that Branham was not a prophet sent by God.
We can be thankful that almost every word Branham voiced from
the pulpit in Branham Tabernacle was recorded and transcribed.
His followers regard these transcriptions as the "spoken
word," and on an equal status to the Bible. These transcripts
clearly show and confirm our position that Branham's teachings
were definitely not from God.
All Christians can learn a valuable lesson from the example of
William Branham. Anyone who wants to be a superstar must be
able to stand up to intense scrutiny. By claiming to be
speaking for God a person automatically subjects themselves to
close "fruit inspection" by the Body of Christ. And it doesn't
matter if the name is Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, Ellen G
White, Charles T. Russell or William Branham.
There will always be "prophets" like Branham claiming to
receive extra-biblical revelations. Some will point to the
signs and wonders as proof that their deviant teachings are
from God. We must always remember that no matter what miracles
they may work, if they do not speak according to the Word of
God and lead us after the One True God we must conclude that
they are not of the Lord God and we should reject their
message.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
_--_|\ Jan Groenveld Internet: py10...@student.uq.edu.au
/ \<--- Brisbane, Australia Fido: 3:360\316
\_.--._/THE MOST DANGEROUS LIE IS THAT WHICH MOST CLOSELY RESEMBLES THE TRUTH
Jan Groenveld
Examining the Life and Claims of William M. Branham
by Stephen F. Cannon
At PFO we get many requests for information on different
religious groups and personalities. One request that arises
periodically is for information on William M. Branham. Even
though Branham died in an automobile accident in 1965, there
are still small groups of his followers around the country
that propagate his teachings, and occasionally his name will
be spoken with awe by Christians in the Pentecostal/
Charismatic tradition. Usually these will recount Branham's
miraculous ability to heal the sick and obtain special "words
of knowledge" from the Lord. Very few of these, however, seem
to know much about his background, claims or teachings.
Early Life
Born to Charles and Ella Branham in April 1906 as the first
of nine children, William's early life was said to have been
marked by many supernatural signs and angelic visitations: A
visible light or halo over his crib at birth (Footprints on
the Sands of Time, William Marrion Branham; (Spoken Word
Publications; Jeffersonville, Ind., 1975; pp. 2, 21, 93); an
angelic voice at seven years of age cautioning him to "never
drink, smoke, or defile your body in anyway, for I have a work
for you to do when you get older" (William Branham: A Man Sent
from God, Gordon Lindsey; William Branham Publisher,
Jeffersonville, Ind. 1950; pg. 30); and shortly thereafter a
vision wherein he foresaw a bridge built over the Ohio River
where 16 men would be killed in a construction accident
(William Branham: A Prophet Visits South Africa, Julius
Stadsklev; Julius Stadsklev Publisher, Minneapolis, Minn.,
1952; pp. 3-4).
Branham was raised in abject poverty in rural Indiana. Even
though he many times heard the mysterious voice of the angel,
Branham's upbringing "was not religious." He did, however,
manage to follow the angel's advice from his "first
visitation" and never did smoke or drink. This led the young
Branham to always feel different from the people around him.
"There was always that peculiar feeling, like someone
standing near me, trying to say something to me, and
especially when I was alone. No one seemed to understand me at
all. The boys I associated with would have nothing to do with
me, because I wouldn't drink or smoke, and all the girls went
to dances of which I wouldn't partake either, so it seemed
that all through my life I was just a black sheep knowing no
one who understood me and not even understanding myself." (A
Man Sent From God, pg. 31).
When he was about 20 years old, Branham was overcome by toxic
gas while working for the Public Service Company of Indiana.
He was hospitalized. Upon hearing that he needed surgery,
Branham feared he might die and realized that he was not ready
to meet God.
During and just after the operation Branham said he had a
series of visions that ultimately drove him to the woodshed
behind his house crying out to God:
"Suddenly there appeared a light in the form of a cross and a
voice spoke to him in language he did not understand. Then it
went away. He became frightened and wondered as he said,
'Lord, if this is you, please come back and talk to me again.'
The light reentered the shed. As he prayed, it appeared again
the third time. Now he realized that he had met God. He was
happy; he was thankful." (A Prophet Visits ... pg. 9-11)
Branham immediately sensed a calling from God to preach. His
early association was with the Missionary Baptist Church, but
he also had contact with some Pentecostal Holiness groups.
Because of his mystical leanings it was with these "oneness"
Pentecostal people that Branham felt most comfortable and
accepted. Ultimately, it was through them that he was
catapulted into worldwide recognition as a great miracle
worker. (All Things are Possible, David Edwin Harrell;
Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Ind., 1975; pp. 27-40.)
In May 1946, Branham received yet another angelic visitation.
He was informed that if he would be sincere and persuade the
people to believe in him, nothing would be able to stand
before his prayers, not even cancer (A Man Sent From God, pp.
76-77). It was after this visitation that Branham's healing
and deliverance ministry grew to worldwide proportions and
touched thousands of lives (All Things pp. 27-40; 159-164).
During the late 1950s, the healing and deliverance rallies of
the previous decade began to decline. Branham began to devote
more time to his home church, Branham Tabernacle of
Jeffersonville, Ind. Away from the influence of the more
orthodox leaders of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement,
Branham soared to new heights of heterodoxy. He was idolized
and even worshiped by most of his followers, who thought he
could teach no error.
His teachings included the claim that he was Elijah the
prophet, that he was the seventh angelic messenger to the
Laodicean Church Age (Footprints, pg. 620), that anyone
belonging to any denomination had taken "the mark of the
beast" (Footprints, pp. 627, 629, 643, 648) and that he
received divinely inspired revelations (The Revelation of the
Seven Seals, Branham; Spoken Word Publications, Tucson, Ariz.,
n.d.; pg. 19; Questions and Answers, Book 1, Branham; Spoken
Word Publications, Tucson, 1964; pg. 60.)
These revelations included: an elaborate but unscriptural
eschatological system known as the Revelation of the Seven
Seals, the idea that the fall of man happened when Eve had
sexual relations with Satan, that his sexual union produced
Cain and in so doing begat a fallen race with Satan's nature
(An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages, Branham, Branham
Publisher; n.d. pp. 98-99, 101). As a corollary to this,
Branham said that "every sin that ever was on the Earth was
caused by a woman....the very lowest creature on the Earth"
The Spoken Word, Vol. III Nos. 12, 13, 14;, Branham; Spoken
Word Publications, Jeffersonville, Ind. 1976; pp. 81-82.
Quoted in The Man and His Message, pg. 41).
Evaluation of a Ministry
That there were healings and supernatural occurrences at
Branham's rallies is historically verifiable. That Branham was
a "man sent from God," a "prophet to bring the Christian
church into final truth," is highly questionable because of
Branham's bizarre and unscriptural doctrines.
Branham's acceptance as a great "man of God" by ministers
such as Oral Roberts, Ern Baxter, Gordon Lindsey and T.L.
Osborn, and the public seems to rest on two factors: his
humble spirit and his power to work miracles. It is the
opinion of this writer that there is no clear scriptural
justification for using either of these to authenticate
spiritual orthodoxy.
There have been many well outside the ranks of orthodox
Christianity who have clearly demonstrated a meek and humble
demeanor. Certain Buddhist and Hindu holy men are noted for
these traits. Kindness, humility, and a meek character in and
of themselves mean absolutely nothing apart from the
indwelling Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible is very clear that even miracles are by themselves
not true indicators of doctrinal orthodoxy. The magicians of
Pharaoh's court were able to duplicate many of God's miracles
performed through Moses (Exodus 7:10-13; :6-7). And in the New
Testament, Paul speaks of lying signs and wonders ascribed to
the power of the evil one. (II Thessalonians 2:8-9)
How then is one to come to a conclusion about whether or not
Branham was indeed a "man sent from God." As with Joseph
Smith, Ellen White or Mary Baker Eddy or anyone claiming to be
a prophet; Branham's teachings about God must be measured
against the Bible.
The role of a prophet is nothing more than being a
"mouthpiece" for God. He merely relays what God tells him to
say. Jesus, in Matthew 7:15-24, tells how to recognize a false
prophet. The fruit that we are to examine is not the fruit of
life, as many would have us believe, but what he says God
says. Deuteronomy 13:1-3 and 18:20-22 give us other criteria
for testing a prophet: He will work signs and wonders, but
even if he does and then teaches us to follow after strange
gods, he is to be rejected; he will predict future events, but
every one of those predictions must come true, or the prophet
is to be rejected. Branham fails both the Matthew and
Deuteronomy tests.
Evidence exists that Branham was doctrinally aberrant from
the inception of his popular healing campaigns. Charismatic
evangelist Ern Baxter was with Branham at the height of his
popularity from 1947 to 1954. In an article in the December
1978 New Wine Magazine, Baxter wrote: "when he would speak,
especially in those early days, he would say some things that
were terribly provocative. To me, (they were) unnecessarily
so. So when we talked together, we agreed that apart from his
giving testimonies and relating his life story, I would do all
the speaking and he would do all the ministry to the sick.
That was the way it was when we were together" (pg. 56). As
time progressed, Branham's doctrine deviated further and
further from the standard.
As mentioned above, there is evidence that supernatural signs
did occur at Branham's meetings (A Prophet Visits pp. 48-195).
The healings and prophecies purportedly came through an angel
that was always with Branham on stage and continually gave him
counsel and revelations (William Branham: His Life and
Teachings, Kathie Adler; Narrow Way Ministries, Holbrook,
N.Y., 1986; pp. 3-5) This has given rise to the charges by
some researchers that Branham practiced occult healing
(Between Christ and Satan, Kurt E. Koch; Kregel Publications,
Grand Rapids, Mich., 1971; pp. 149-150). But it is equally
evident that Branham taught an unscriptural view of God that
would put him under the "strange god" clause of Deuteronomy
13:1-3:
"What is God? God is a great Eternal. At the beginning, way
back before there was a beginning, he wasn't even God. Did you
know that? A god is an object of worship, and there wasn't
nothing to worship him; He lived alone. And in him was
attributes. What is an attribute? A thought." (The Spoken
Word, Vol. III, pg. 79)
Moreover, true to his early oneness Pentecostal teachings,
Branham denied the biblical triune Godhead. He pronounced it a
"gross error" (The Spoken Word, pg. 79) and as a prophet with
the authority of a "Thus saith the Lord," revealed that
"trinitarianism is of the devil" (Footprints, pg. 606).
Signs and wonders? Yes. Strange gods? Yes. False prophet?
Absolutely!
Branham also failed the test of a true prophet in that his
predictions did not come true with 100 percent accuracy:
"Based on these seven visions, along with the rapid changes
which swept the world in the last 50 years, I predict (I do
not prophesy) that these visions will have all come to pass by
1977. And though many may feel that this is an irresponsible
statement in view of the fact that Jesus said that "no man
knoweth the day nor the hour," I still maintain this
prediction after 30 years because, Jesus did not say no man
could know the year, month, or week in which His coming was to
be completed. So I repeat, I sincerely believe and maintain as
a private student of the word, along with divine inspiration
that 1977 ought to terminate the world system and usher in the
Millennium". (Seven Church Ages, pg. 322).
Despite the fact that Branham tried to qualify his statement
by saying he "predicted" rather than "prophesied" certain
events, any time a prophet of God speaks under divine
inspiration, it is a prophecy.
It is now 1988. The United States has not been destroyed, the
world's systems have not been terminated, and the Millennium
has not begun. Therefore we can conclude that Branham was not
a true prophet of God. It is fortunate for researchers that
almost every word Branham uttered from the pulpit in Branham
Tabernacle was recorded and transcribed. To the Branham
follower, it is the "spoken word," on an equal footing with
the Bible. To the investigator, it is confirmation that
Branham's teachings were definitely not from God.
The ready acceptance of Branham by a large portion of those
in the Pentecostal/Charismatic tradition points to a serious
flaw in that way of thinking.
Instead of a clearly articulated theology based on inductive
Bible study, the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement has by and
large derived its teachings from personal experience and then
tried to find scripture to authenticate the experiences. Where
no scriptural authentication can be found, "special revelation
knowledge" is often appealed to. This has led to a superstar
mentality that unfortunately pervades the movement.
"Apostles" and "prophets" abound in this milieu and like
Branham receive extra-biblical revelations. Also, like
Branham, they point to miraculous signs and wonders as proof
that their aberrant teachings are from God.
Christians can learn a valuable lesson from the life and
teachings of men such as Branham: In God's economy there are
no superstars. All are subject to the same scriptural
scrutiny. Anyone who stands to proclaim the word of God must
"speak according to the law and the testimony". By speaking he
is automatically subjecting himself to a close "fruit
inspection" by the household of faith. This is true whether
his name is Joseph Smith, Charles T. Russell or William
Branham.
(c) 1988 - PFO. All rights reserved by Personal Freedom
Outreach. Reproduction is prohibited, including BBS, except
for portions intended for personal use and non-commercial
purposes. For reproduction permission contact: Personal
Freedom Outreach, P.O. Box 26062, Saint Louis, Missouri 63136.
Barbara Sanders
CH> On Thu, 20 Apr 1995, Simon Odell wrote:
CH> > Can anyone give me some information about William Branham
CH>please, or > point me in the right direction?
CH> >
CH> Will send you some files e-mail on this subject.
Jan, would you send them to me as well? I have been following some
of his 'teachings' by one guy from Australia <smiles> on Fidonet,
one of the bible echos. I believe they say he was the Messiah who
returned or prophet or something like that....and was 'killed' in
I think 1967?? I forgot all they said, since I dismissed
him as false, from what I have heard of his teachings.
Barbara
Blume, Michael
point me in the right direction?
yours in His name
Simon Odell
Hi, Simon,
William Branham was a man mightily used of God in the gifts of the
Spirit (Word of Knowledge, miracles and healings) and preached around
the world in the fifties and early sixties.
He was Oneness (as I am) - that is, did not believe in the trinity of
God, but rather that the Father Son and holy Ghost were three roles or
offices of Absolutely One God.
He was largely responsibility in spreading the Jesus' name Baptism
throughout North America.
He was a Baptist preacher at first, and came to a campmeeting held by
people who later became the United Pentecostal Church International.
He was asked to preach and was invited to speak at a Pentecostal
Church. His in-law family felt insulted that he would go to a "Holy
Roller" church, and he refused. He said he experienced the rebuke of
God after his refusal, and made his mind up to fellowship with the
Pentecostals (around the time of the early 40's) anyhow.
He did not "join" any organization, and later preached vehemently
AGAINST church organization. The trinitarian Pentecostals had him
preach constantly, as well as did the Oneness Pentecostals. He would
hold breakfasts for the ministry during his very popular evangelistic
crusades and try to unite the Trinitarians and Oneness people
together. Sadly, each of the groups told him to either preach for one
group or the other, otherwise they would disfellowship him. He was
hurt by that and went practically on his own. Some say this was one
of the causes for him to get into false doctrine, as I will mention
later.
He became deeply used in the Word of Knowledge. He would take time
out after his ministering the word to pray for people. He said the
Lord told him the names and particular problems of people he was to
pray for right there before the congregation. There were physical
conditions revealed to him supernaturally (Later mimicked by preachers
like Peter Popov using radio transmitters and receivers) and spiritual
conditions revealed. There were many outstanding miracles of healing
as ambulances brought stretcher upon stretcher of afflicted people who
were healed at his tent meetings.
He is reputed to have raised people from the dead (a notable
occurrance of this happened in Norway) and became world-wide known for
miracle ministry.
He became involved in a doctrine which turned many many people off
him. He called it the "Serpent Seed" doctrine. He believed that Eve
literally had a sexual relationship with the devil, the serpent, and
Cain was the result. He said Adam knew Eve once before both Cain and
Abel were born. Cain's father was literally the devil, he said.
Later, when Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for being of their father the
devil, Branham pointed out that this was literal since they were
literally of the seed of the serpent. Branham said that all
"intellectual" religion came from the serpent's seed. Cain's lineage
were the "smart" ones, while Abel's example, and Seth's lineage,
portrayed acts of faith.
This was a form of predestination, since he was one time Baptist. If
one was of the serpent, according to Branhamism, one would not
believe the truth and was predestinated to eternal damnation. One way
to tell if one was of the serpent or not was to see if one would
vehemently reject the Serpent Seed doctrine.
He preached that SETH was born in Adam's image, thus implying that
since Cain was not said to be born in Adam's image, Cain was not of
Adam, but of Satan. He failed to say that Abel was not noted to be
born in Adam's image either, though. So, you can see how much of his
doctrine was based upon supposition and assumption.
He said that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the MIDST
of the garden was the womb of Eve, laying heavy stress upon the word
MIDST as though the midst of a woman was inferred. Children were
often called "Fruit" of the womb in the Bible, as if to imply the
symbolic representation of the tree in Eden to be a woman's womb.
His followers later began thinking him to be the Seventh angel of the
book of Revelation, and hailed him as the final "prophet" of the
7 church ages. He did not explicitly declare himself as such, but did
not deny it. He egged it on. One day he said that Billy Graham was
highly used of God, and, notably Graham's name includes the name "Ham"
as being indicative of God's name. He didn't mention that BranHAM
also ended in this manner.
He believed the 7 trumpets to be the seven prophets of the seven
church ages. A trumpet was the declaration of the prophet for that
age. Among the prophets of the ages, he claimed that Wesley and
Luther were the prophets for their age.
He began the VOICE OF HEALING fellowship of all the major
Tent Revivalists of the fifties. It started out as the name of his
magazine, and later came to include all the evangelists as such,
namely, Oral Roberts, AA Allan, Jack Coe, etc.
They say that he would have led all the major evangelistic spotlights
instead of Oral Roberts had he not taken a nervous breakdown and
retired for a year or so. Roberts took the opportunity and headed the
Voice of Healing campaigns as a result.
Branham, despite his (IMHO) ungodly Serpent Seed doctrine, was widely
known to be a man of deep compassion. His life story, _William
Branham, A Man Sent from God_, can be obtained for a couple dollars
from Jeffersonville, IN, at his present-day headquarters (although he
died in Dec. '65, himself). And this book cannot be read without a
tear coming to your eye as you read of the compassion for souls he
possessed.
He often complimented the Roman Catholic people for maintaining a hold
on faith in miracles and healings, although he denies the trinity as
Roman Catholic in origin and denied their particular doctrines that
are distinct among them.
In my opinion, he was truly used in the gifts of the Spirit as so
terribly few have in such depth, but veered from the truth when he
began ministering Serpent Seed. Today, his followers believe
themselves to be superior than all other church groups, with the
Holiness Oneness people closest to themselves. They are dwindling
away to small congregations, although they have world-wide contacts,
especially in Kenya and Switzerland. There is no gift ministries
amongst them. One of their preachers told a preacher friend of mine
that he would not discuss Bible with him unless he could also discuss
Branham.
Branham preached hard against women's immodesty and lack of holiness.
And his Serpent Seed message would creep into pretty well all his
messages at the end of it.
He died in a violent vehicle accident, being hit by a drunk driver in
December of 1965. His followers actually kept his body believing it
to rise from the dead, as would the 2 witnesses of Revelation 11. The
Law evetually had to step in and claim the corpse.
He was sincere, as reports many people who personally knew him. But
he was sincerely wrong (IMO).
I have many of his sermons on tape and have some of his books,
should you desire any more info.
My advice is to watch yourself around his people and his doctrine, but
realise that the Lord did use him in the gifts of the Spirit. His
doctrine of the Serpent Seed is devilish. I would not recommend
anyone to accept it. But his faith, as evident in his gift ministry
was amazingly astounding! Many ministers accept his faith as genuine
and the miracles as truly of God, but deny his doctrine of Serpent
Seed as blatant false doctrine. And I must agree.
Let me know if you would like more info.
Mike (MBL...@PORTHOLE.ENTNET.NF.CA)
bja...@gmail.com
Would appreciate contact, thanks.