William Branham - God's Prophet?
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 because they have a structure that permits no disagreement; they have teachings you must be "spiritual enough to hear", their teachings cause havoc to the convert's personality and family life and they claim they alone have the truth.
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.