William M. Branham Thoughts?

[Daniel Marsh]

"Branham proclaimed himself the angel of Revelation 3:14 10:7 and prophesied that by 1977 all denominations would be consumed by the World Council of Churches under the control of the Roman Catholics, that the Rapture would take place, and that the world would be destroyed. 

...

Branham taught that the Word of God was given in three forms: the zodiac, the Egyptian pyramids, and the written scripture. (1)   He said that anyone belonging to any denomination had taken "the mark of the beast". (2)
He denied the Trinity, calling the Trinitatian doctrine "of the devil."

...

His doctrine of the "serpent’s seed" taught that Eve’s sin involved sexual relations with the serpent. Some humans are descended from the serpent’s seed and are destined for hell, which is not eternal, however. The seed of God, i.e., those who receive Branham’s teaching, are predestined to become the Bride of Christ. There are still others who possess free will and who may be saved out of the denominational churches, but they must suffer through the Great Tribulation.

...

n spite of his apparent humility and consecration, Branham had great difficulty controlling a strident, hateful attitude toward women. 

...

Oh, something like that, I said, ‘I…This was my remarked [sic] then, THEY’RE NOT WORTH A GOOD CLEAN BULLET TO KILL THEM WITH IT.’ That’s right. And I hated women. That’s right. And I just have to watch every move now, to keep from still thinking the same thing."

https://www.apologeticsindex.org/5870-william-branham

 

Simply put he is a false teacher, false prophet and hates women.    Since he does not love sisters in the Lord, he is not even a Christian.

 

 

[Daniel Marsh]

https://www.apologeticsindex.org/5870-william-branham

https://web.archive.org/web/20040616170914/http://www.discernment.org/precedin.htm

https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/branhamismprofile.pdf

http://letusreason.org/Latrain3.htm

http://letusreason.org/Latrain4.htm

https://web.archive.org/web/20070808035721/http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/branham.htm

https://www.apologeticsindex.org/u00.html#upc

https://web.archive.org/web/20070808035721/http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/branham.htm

https://web.archive.org/web/20010628141714/http://members.aol.com/acts0412/branham.html

https://william-branham.org/

"From his involvement with the Kardashian family in California to his politically charged sermons supporting the revival of the Ku Klux Klan, William Branham lived a fascinating and unbelievable history connected to the collaboration, influence, and power of recognized public figures and events in American history. Some of those public figures made the F.B.I.’s Top Ten Most Wanted List as they entered the Healing Revival while others became respected ministers of the Gospel. "

https://william-branham.org/site/books/pbtwh

There are healings within cults including Theosophical groups, Christian Science, Mormons, and many more.

 

 

 

 

[Starise]

Thank you @Selah7

20 hours ago, Selah7 said:

This is prophecy for the end times.

Acts 2: 14-18

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

 The end times were then at that time when Peter was addressing these people using that Joel scripture. How could it be any other way?  We always see the "end times" as later on, yet here we have a clear reference to something that happened long ago referred to as happening in the last days or end times.

20 hours ago, Selah7 said:

Verses 17 and 18 above in the book of Acts are what the prophet Joel said, and this is what Peter repeats on the day of Pentecost.  It is found in Joel 2:28-32.

So the day of Pentecost happened and some say it is ongoing at different times while others say it only happened once thus fulfilling the prophecies of Joel. What is your opinion? Let's examine the scriptures again-

20 hours ago, Selah7 said:

Joel 2:28 "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:"

Joel 2:29 " And also upon the servants and upon the hand maids in those days will I pour out My spirit."

Joel 2:30 "And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke."

Joel 2:31 "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come."

Joel 2:32 "And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.

If we say this has all already happened how do we explain the other events connected with the prophecy? Possibly this is a progressive prophecy that hasn't all been fulfilled. It isn't fulfilled until the "terrible day of the Lord" comes. Any other explanation needs to account for  a dark sun and a moon of blood. And what do we make of "blood, fire and pillars of smoke" ? Incidentally people have spotted pillars that look something like a tornado. I don't think they were made of smoke though. Only God will be behind these particular wonders, " I will shew wonders". This cancels out any similar man made things. Blood comes from inside the body. If this is literal it's very curious how He would do it as a wonder and how it would not involve a body, yet in other passages we have talk about 1/3 of the ocean tuning to blood. I don't doubt it will happen. How exactly I can't say. If you kill off ocean life there's bound to be blood. If people and or animals die in mass numbers blood will drain into the oceans. That's a whole lotta blood. Your emphasis on "remnant" is interesting.

 

[Starise]

20 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

In my opinion, this is one of those verses where we need to know; who [all], what [Spirit, prophesy, visions, dreams], when and where; in context. The when: When did the last days begin? I believe that starting point is when Jesus rose from the grave. Rather than continuing my thoughts and quoting scripture. I should turn it over to someone much more knowledgeable than me, Dr; John MacArthur. What do you think Dr. MacArthur?

MacArthur: Well thank you for asking my opinion Mr. Dennis. Would this be the first time you have not plagiarized by chance?

Dennis: Ahh, ahh, ahh, but, but, but...

MacArthur: last days. This phrase refers to the present era of redemptive history from the first coming of Christ (Heb. 1:2; 1 Pet. 1:20; 1 John 2:18) to His return. My Spirit. See notes on 1:2, 5, 8.
2:17, 18 all flesh. This indicates all people will receive the Holy Spirit, because everyone who enters the millennial kingdom will be redeemed (cf. Matt. 24:29–25:46; Rev. 20:4–6).
2:17 visions … dreams. Dreams (Gen. 20:3; Dan. 7:1) and visions (Gen. 15:1; Rev. 9:17) were some of God’s most memorable means of revelation since they were pictorial in nature. While they were not limited to believers (e.g., Abimelech, Gen. 20:3 and Pharaoh, Gen. 41:1–8), they were primarily reserved for prophets and apostles (cf. Num. 12:6). While frequent in the OT, they were rare in the NT. In Acts, all of God’s visions were given to either Peter (chaps. 10, 11) or Paul (chaps. 9, 18; cf. 2 Cor. 12:1). Most frequently they were used to reveal apocalyptic imagery (cf. Ezek., Dan., Zech., Rev.). They were not considered normal in biblical times, nor should they be so now. The time will come, however, when God will use visions and dreams during the Tribulation period as predicted by Joel 2:28–32 John MacArthur Jr., ed., The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997), 1635–1636.

Dennis: Was it OK to emphasize some of your commentary?

MacArthur: Don't touch my intellectual property. I believe I've heard all about you. Was your next door neighbor Mr. Wilson?

Dennis: Ahh, ahh, ahh, but, but, but...

Thanks @Dennis1209 I see two trains of thought here. One says the new testament sets the precedent for any future expectation as it relates to people having visions or dreams from God since all of these things appear to be isolated to only a few select men. The other extreme says these events never let up from then until now.

 MacArthur appears to minimize these things in the NT . I think he further muddies the waters when he states the Joel prophecies will be carried out in greater number with regard to visions and prophecy at some time in the future during the "tribulation period" though Joel doesn't mention specifically a tribulation. I find this interesting because Peter himself mentioned it happening right then at the time he stated it was happening. This makes MacArthur's statements contradictory. I hear him saying it's doesn't happen much anymore but it's going to happen more later on. Wait a minute John M., a lot of it already happened. What makes him think it happened, it basically stops or comes to a slow halt and starts up again? I have no indication of this.

 

[Selah7]

5 minutes ago, Starise said:

Thank you @Selah7

 The end times were then at that time when Peter was addressing these people using that Joel scripture. How could it be any other way?  We always see the "end times" as later on, yet here we have a clear reference to something that happened long ago referred to as happening in the last days or end times.

So the day of Pentecost happened and some say it is ongoing at different times while others say it only happened once thus fulfilling the prophecies of Joel. What is your opinion? Let's examine the scriptures again-

If we say this has all already happened how do we explain the other events connected with the prophecy? Possibly this is a progressive prophecy that hasn't all been fulfilled. It isn't fulfilled until the "terrible day of the Lord" comes. Any other explanation needs to account for  a dark sun and a moon of blood. And what do we make of "blood, fire and pillars of smoke" ? Incidentally people have spotted pillars that look something like a tornado. I don't think they were made of smoke though. Only God will be behind these particular wonders, " I will shew wonders". This cancels out any similar man made things. Blood comes from inside the body. If this is literal it's very curious how He would do it as a wonder and how it would not involve a body, yet in other passages we have talk about 1/3 of the ocean tuning to blood. I don't doubt it will happen. How exactly I can't say. If you kill off ocean life there's bound to be blood. If people and or animals die in mass numbers blood will drain into the oceans. That's a whole lotta blood. Your emphasis on "remnant" is interesting.

 

Yikes!  We ain’t on the same page, bro  ….and I don’t even know where to start.  It’s prophecy, Starise.  The remnant is the Elect, standing up for the Truth—for Jesus—being delivered up, letting the Holy Spirit speak through us.  

Matthew 10:19-20

19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

 

[Starise]

16 hours ago, Daniel Marsh said:

https://www.apologeticsindex.org/5870-william-branham

https://web.archive.org/web/20040616170914/http://www.discernment.org/precedin.htm

https://www.watchman.org/profiles/pdf/branhamismprofile.pdf

http://letusreason.org/Latrain3.htm

http://letusreason.org/Latrain4.htm

https://web.archive.org/web/20070808035721/http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/branham.htm

https://www.apologeticsindex.org/u00.html#upc

https://web.archive.org/web/20070808035721/http://www.wayoflife.org/fbns/branham.htm

https://web.archive.org/web/20010628141714/http://members.aol.com/acts0412/branham.html

https://william-branham.org/

"From his involvement with the Kardashian family in California to his politically charged sermons supporting the revival of the Ku Klux Klan, William Branham lived a fascinating and unbelievable history connected to the collaboration, influence, and power of recognized public figures and events in American history. Some of those public figures made the F.B.I.’s Top Ten Most Wanted List as they entered the Healing Revival while others became respected ministers of the Gospel. "

https://william-branham.org/site/books/pbtwh

There are healings within cults including Theosophical groups, Christian Science, Mormons, and many more.

 

 

 

 

Well thank you @Daniel Marsh this isn't just a smoking gun, it's a machine gun with a clip full of silver bullets.

I read each of these links you provided. He was a charlatan pure and simple if all of this is true and I believe it probably is. I am unsure of the implications to his links to the Kardasian family since I know nothing of them or what they were into.

In MANY cases lots of people have come forward claiming to be prophets that all claim it began with a bright light they attributed to God or an angel. The comparative analysis to real bible prophets in some of those links was also a healthy reminder as to what a real prophet called by God would or wouldn't do or say.

That he was playing around in caves at night looking for something or waiting for something sounds more occult than it does Christian to me.His full acceptance and support of secret organizations and lodges is a really big red flag. 

The Holy Spirit is the force behind any godly healing. His power was derived from an angel. 

Yep he's off my list. @Alive mentioned it was a waste of time. I would agree only adding that it sometimes pays to investigate these things IMHO to see what they are according to the Bible.

Edited July 27, 2021 by Starise

[Starise]

9 minutes ago, Selah7 said:

Yikes!  We ain’t on the same page, bro  ….and I don’t even know where to start.  It’s prophecy, Starise.  The remnant is the Elect, standing up for the Truth—for Jesus—being delivered up, letting the Holy Spirit speak through us.  

Matthew 10:19-20

19 But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

 

Being on a different page isn't unusual for me. We might even be in a different book. Talking about the remnant and the "elect" gets into a whole bunch more theological doodoo. If we are going to go there we need to reference other scriptures about that specifically right?

I am aware Joel is a prophetic book full of prophecy. Another hopefully pertinent question from me might be what exactly what are these visions and prophecies made up of?  We are only told they will happen and have happened as per Peter. What exactly is the substance of these visions and dreams? Do we ever hear of it? Do they provide more specifics as to the events closer to the end?

If the prophecy is repetitive and redundant all we need do is read the Bible to learn the same things, OTOH if it is intended to further shed light for those of us here, then maybe it isn't necessarily repetitive and might be more specific. See my points? 

[Alive]

Starise--my point was made because there have always been fringe folks saying all kinds of things and we don't need that. We have the scriptures and a trust that the LOrd is sovereign and we--being His adopted sons are in very good hands.

:-)

[Starise]

1 minute ago, Alive said:

Starise--my point was made because there have always been fringe folks saying all kinds of things and we don't need that. We have the scriptures and a trust that the LOrd is sovereign and we--being His adopted sons are in very good hands.

:-)

I understand Alive and I realize you come from an educationally disciplined background which I have respect for even though I don't know exactly what it was. You were simply trying to save me some grief. I get that and thanks. 

The dangerous thing about William Branham is that he led literally thousands of people during these huge meetings, many who were in fact said to be healed from various things. He had the support of many in the Pentecostal denomination. One reason I believe he was successful in leading so many people was because his healing ministry healed people.

What does this say about some large denominational bases who came out in support of him initially? What does this say about the gullibility of human nature? What does this tell us about what can happen in the future when someone shows up doing "signs and wonders". This one man was accepted by a very large contingent of Christians from various races and denominations. Was he preaching the real gospel or was he baiting people in by offering healing as a way to sell another false gospel? That last question is the scary one because this is what I am thinking he was up to.

[Riverwalker]

Whoa this guy was a train wreck of doctrine

two statements hit me hardest

1.  In 1963, Branham preached a sermon in which he indicated he was a prophet with the anointing of Elijah, who had come to herald Christ's second coming. 

2.  Branham predicted the rapture would happen by 1977 and would be preceded by various worldwide disasters, the unification of denominational Christianity, and the rise-to-power of the Roman Catholic Pope.

There are many others that seem quite contradictory but those two define Self aggrandizement (1) and false Pr4ophecy(2)

and everything falls apart after that

Do I think he was a Charlatan? No....he never sought money, nor the fame that his sycophantic followers gave him. Do I think he was misguided.....yes.

I mean even the Charismatics found his views "out there"

Some of his stuff I agree with  Annihilationism is one and others such as serpent seed? 

I think this guy was well meaning but definitely off the reservation.

 

 

 

Edited July 27, 2021 by Riverwalker