William Branham - A Prophet from God?

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.

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