Seek The Truth

Seek The Truth
The 2015 Articles

By John Collins and Kristi Gibson
Copyright 2015. Seek The Truth, Inc

Table of Contents
ABOUT THIS BOOK 10
THE BRIDGE GRACE BUILT 11
JOHN 12:9-11 99
VOICE OF GOD RECORDINGS CONTRADICTIONS 103
VOICE OF GOD RECORDINGS CONTRADICTIONS (CONTINUED): 105
FROM THE FAQS PAGE ON THEMESSAGE.COM 107
LOGICALLY FLAWED ARGUMENTS ON THEMESSAGE.COM 110
LETTER TO JOSEPH BRANHAM: 114
POSTED TO THE USER POSTS ON THIS PAGE: 120
TORTURING TURTLES FOR FUN: 129
HOPE'S NURSE: 130
BIBLE VERSES ABOUT PRIDE: 132
SCRIPTURE WARNS OF FALSE PROPHETS: 133
THE INTERSECTION OF WILLIAM BRANHAM AND JIM JONES 134
HEBREWS 4 — REST, THROUGH SALVATION 137
2
JOHN 12:9-17 145
WILLIAM BRANHAM - BEFORE I DIE 149
JOHN 12:17-28: 151
JOHN 12:28-36 156
THE 1933 PROPHECY OF THE 1977 DOOMSDAY: 160
THE MESSAGE AND CHRISTIAN PATRIARCHY--INTRODUCTION TO A SERIES:

PART 1 167
THE DUGGARS (CHRISTIAN PATRIARCHY) VS. THE MESSAGE OF WILLIAM

BRANHAM (PART 2): 170
LEE VAYLE ON THE BRIDGE PROPHESY 175
SEX SCANDALS AND CHRISTIAN PATRIARCHY (PART 3) 177
GENDER ROLES --WHAT THE BIBLE ACTUALLY TEACHES (PART 4): 182
WILLIAM BRANHAM'S "FUTURE HOME" PLAGIARISM 193
CHRISTIAN PATRIARCHY AND SEX WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES (PART 5) 195
CHRISTIAN PATRIARCHY AND SEX WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES: (PART 5) 206
BRANHAM'S BIBLE BASHING BONANZA: 218
"DON'T THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATHWATER" 220
WILLIAM BRANHAM'S TRUMPET OF UNCERTAINTY 223
3
THE SUBTILITY OF MESSAGE RECRUITMENT 229
SUCH AN UNCERTAIN SOUND 230
THE TESTIMONY OF ALFRED POHL 232
BIBLICAL EXEGESIS: 233
PASTORS LEADING THEIR CONGREGATIONS FROM WILLIAM BRANHAM

BACK TO THE BIBLE 235
LOGICAL FALLACIES-THE AD HOMINEM 238
LOGICAL FALLACIES--COMPARING APPLES TO ORANGES: 239
DID WILLIAM BRANHAM BAN SOCCER? 242
LOGICAL FALLACIES--THE STRAWMAN 244
WILLIAM BRANHAM AND THE DYLANN ROOF MASSACRE 246
THE PARK - WILLIAM BRANHAM AND HOMOSEXUAL PREDATORS 248
UNENDING QUESTIONS 250
SLUMBER 252
THE ROMANS ROAD 254
A LOOK INSIDE THE COVER OF LARKIN'S DISPENSATIONAL TRUTH: 256
THINGS WE CAN AGREE ON 258
AN IN-DEPTH COMPARISON BETWEEN LARKIN AND BRANHAM: 262
4
IS “THE MESSAGE” THE WORD OF GOD FOR TODAY? 263
WILLIAM BRANHAM ON SALVATION 268
TO THE MANY WHO ARE CONTACTING US ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY 273
CAN YOU CATCH THE "REVELATION" ABOUT 1977? 279
LET’S TALK DISEASES 282
DID YOU KNOW - FOURTH OF JULY 286
THE CHICKEN OR THE WOMAN'S EGG 289
WILLIAM BRANHAM'S RACIAL SLURS IN THE SERMONS 293
CANCER 294
HOUSTON DURING CLOUD, BACK TO ARIZONA, LATER ADD A FACE 312
SEEKING GOD 315
THE PENTAGRAM TABERNACLE EMBARRASSMENT 318
DEDICATED IN 1933. OR 1934. OR 1935. OR 1936 321
LET'S TALK NUMBERS 322
HOW 'BOUT THEM SECOND BROWN BEARS 324
A MATTER OF FACTS 327
WILLIAM BRANHAM IS NOT FALSE 329
5
THE "ONE" VISION THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN 332
WILLIAM BRANHAM AND HOMOSEXUAL PIGALLE 335
INTENTIONS 344
WILLIAM BRANHAM'S HOLY GHOST EXPERIENCE 349
WILLIAM BRANHAM'S PROPHECY HUMBLE PIE 351
BECAUSE HE SAID SO 353
WILLIAM BRANHAM'S MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE 357
10 WAYS TO DETERMINE IF YOUR CHRISTIANITY HAS BEEN

'AMERICANISED' 360
WHY DIDN'T ANYONE CORRECT WILLIAM BRANHAM 361
WILLIAM BRANHAM'S FILTHY MOUTH 363
SATAN CASTING OUT SATAN 367
WILLIAM BRANHAM AND THE BAAL OF PEOR 370
WILLIAM BRANHAM, DOWIE, AND WIGGLESWORTH 374
THE STRATEGIES OF A CULT PASTOR 380
A WALK THROUGH HISTORY - SEEK THE TRUTH BLOG 385
WILLIAM BRANHAM - NO MAN KNOWETH THE HOUR IN 1977 389
WILLIAM BRANHAM - JUST A MAN - HE MADE MISTAKES 399
6
JOSEPH BRANHAM AND HONESTY 402
WILLIAM BRANHAM ADVISING AGAINST SOLOMON 406
VOICE OF GOD RECORDINGS - BECAUSE HE SAID SO - PART 1 407
IS JOSEPH BRANHAM HONEST - COURT RECORDS 440
RESPONSE FROM VOICE OF GOD RECORDINGS 447
AFRICANS DECLARE BRANHAM TO BE GOD 448
TESTIMONY DESCRIBING EXPERIENCES IN A BRANHAM CULT 450
WILLIAM BRANHAM'S "JONESTOWN" OF 1977 453
SCIENCE IS OF THE DEVIL 455
SECRET AUDIO LETTER TO LEE VAYLE 460
7
UPDATED: SECRET AUDIO LETTER TO LEE VAYLE 463
THE MARTIAN PROPHECY 470
TRIBUTE TO PEARRY GREEN (1933 - 2015) 472
HOW TO SPOT A LEGALIST 477
THE PASSING OF PEARRY GREEN 479
BILLY PAUL'S LAST WORDS 484
THEM ANTS ARE ATTACKING THE UNITED STATES 488
WILLIAM BRANHAM'S RAPTURE OF 1962 493
JUST ANOTHER DOOMSDAY CULT 495
WILLIAM BRANHAM DEEP CALLETH UNTO THE DEEP - DID BILLY PAUL CALL
AN AUDIBLE?: 499
JEFFERSONVILLE INDIANA IS DOOMED 500
WILLIAM BRANHAM'S 1946 JUDGMENT: 506
WILLIAM BRANHAM'S FORCED ALTAR CALLS ... WITH VENGEANCE: 511
CONFESSIONS OF A CULT PASTOR 515
WHO HEALS THE INFANTS 523
A SHAKING UP AT THE BRANHAM TABERNACLE 526
THE MESSAGE AND THE MESSENGER ARE ONE AND THE SAME GOD 532
8
TAILORING TO THE CROWD: 537
THREE HIGH WORDS 540
WILLIAM BRANHAM AND THE ZODIAC OF HEALING 550
WILLIAM BRANHAM AND SNAKE HANDLING 553
WILLIAM BRANHAM - I WAS STANDING JUST BELOW THIS 562
THE BAXTER - BRANHAM CAMPAIGNS 563
EDGAR CAYCE AND WILLIAM BRANHAM 566
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BRANHAM TABERNACLE SPLIT - PART 2 572
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BRANHAM TABERNACLE SPLIT - PART 3: 579
WILLIAM BRANHAM AND JACK MOORE 583
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BRANHAM TABERNACLE SPLIT - PART 4 588
THE 1936 DEED VS. WILLIAM BRANHAM'S LIFE STORY 595
9
About This Book
This book is a collection of blog entries from the website,
www.seekyethetruth.com. As individual posts, they
chronologically outline a progression of thought during the
course of an entire year. As such, they are not intended to be
read and understood as the “final word.” With each blog
post, discussions uncovered hidden facts and truths that were
not common knowledge at the time the post was created. As a
progression of thought, it is also to be understood that the
views and opinions of each post’s authors may not remain the
same today. As new facts are presented, understanding of
each topic is also subject to change.
Often, passages of scripture are referenced in the blog posts.

The authors do not claim to be an authority of scripture or a
theologian. As students in the Bible writing blog posts, it is to
be understood that a progression of Biblical knowledge and
understanding is also included with the articles posted. The
understanding of scripture at the time of the post may not be
the current understanding by each author.
This book is intended to be a resource for those impacted by

the “Message of the Hour,” the religious following of William
Marrion Branham. Followers of Branham’s doomsday cult
experience much the same journey as they attempt to
deprogram and seek to find themselves in “normal” Christian
life. During this journey, many of these posts will seem
familiar to this subset of the Christian faith – while they will
be very unfamiliar to Christians who were not raised in a
doomsday cult.
10
The Bridge Grace Built
Galatians 5:22-23 are some of the most well-known scripture
verses in the entirety of the Bible, and for very good reason:
in them, Paul lists the ‘fruits of the spirit’—those things that
are evidence of a Spirit-led life. It is a wonderful thing to
study, and an even more wonderful thing to bare testimony to
in our lives. However, there is so much more to Galatians
chapter 5 than this list of virtues—Paul concludes his
arguments against legalism in the first 10 verses, summarizes
the Law and urges Christians to move past it away from it
and into liberty in verses 11-15, instructs us on how we
should use our Christian liberty in verses 16-21 and what we
should abstain from, and then in his concluding remarks tells
us what we should be displaying instead in our lives.
In short, this chapter bridges the gap between legalism and a
true Christian walk. There is a lot here, and we could spend
weeks studying it and still never do it justice. But, with the
limited time that we have, I’ll do my best to hit the high
points of this profound chapter.
Galatians 5:1-10:
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm,
then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke
of slavery.
11
2 Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves
be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. 3
Again I declare to every man who lets himself be
circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. 4
You who are trying to be justified by the law have been
alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. 5
For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the
righteousness for which we hope. 6 For in Christ Jesus
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value.
The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through
love.
7 You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep
you from obeying the truth? 8 That kind of persuasion does
not come from the one who calls you. 9 “A little yeast works
through the whole batch of dough.” 10 I am confident in
the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is
throwing you into confusion, whoever that may be, will
have to pay the penalty.
Paul reiterates himself a lot when there is a point he wants to
make, and in verse 2 we see him once again addressing the
issue of circumcision, this time point-blank telling the
Galatians that if they submit to circumcision “Christ will be
of no value,” to them! Verse 3 states that every man who
allows himself to be circumcised must obey the entirety of
the law. Verse 4 gets even more to the point—those who are
trying to be justified by law are alienated, or separated from
Christ and have fallen from grace.
12
What a contrast from the ‘fallen from grace’ taught in the
message of William Branham! In the message, if you don’t
dress or live your life in accordance with message standards
you are ‘fallen from grace’ (for those interested in a
reference, see paragraph 223 in ‘The Way of a True Prophet’
preached in January, 1963 or paragraph 163 in ‘The
Choosing of a Bride’ in April, 1965). Paul, in contrast, states
that it is by submitting ourselves to these rules that we have
fallen from grace! We could very easily substitute ‘message
standards’ for ‘circumcision’ or ‘law’ and come to a better
understanding of what it means to ‘fall from grace’—it
means to give something besides Jesus Christ and His grace
extended to us any power to save. The Judaizers during
Paul’s time and message pastors have that in common—one
gives the power to save to an individual’s ability to keep the
law of Moses, and one gives the power to save to an
individual’s obedience to what William Branham’s
teachings—but both minimize the power of Christ’s
sacrifice, and both reject Paul’s command to refrain from
legalist mentalities—from bondage.
Continuing in verses 11-15:
11
Brothers and sisters, if I am still preaching circumcision,
why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of
the cross has been abolished. 12 As for those agitators, I
wish they would go the whole way and emasculate
themselves!
13
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But
do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve
one another humbly in love. 14 For the entire law is fulfilled
in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as
yourself.” 15 If you bite and devour each other, watch out or
you will be destroyed by each other.
13
Pretty strong words from Paul! Clearly Paul wanted to rid the
church of the Galatians of these agitators and to provoke the
Galatians to uphold the truth of the law by keeping the
simple command, “love your neighbor as yourself.” Verse 12
is something worthy of a deeper study, for depending on the
Bible translation you’re reading either Paul wants the
agitators to castrate themselves or simply remove themselves
from the fellowship. It is a very interesting study for those
interested.
In verse 15, Paul changes directions, and begins to describe
those things that Christians shouldn’t do. He begins by
urging them to stop the arguments, insults, and offenses
between each other, but this continues in verses 16-21:
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the
desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is
contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the
flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are
not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the
Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality,
impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft;
hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,
dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and
the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like
this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
14
He starts out with a summary—walk in the Spirit and not for
the flesh, for the flesh (what we desire in our selfishness in
order to gratify ourselves) is contrary to the Spirit, and the
desires of the Spirit are contrary to the flesh. This isn’t to
say that we are never to experience pleasure in our lives, but
simply that we shouldn’t conduct ourselves for the purpose
of self-gratification, and if we come to a point in our lives
where we have to choose between walking in the Spirit and
feeding the flesh we should deny our bodies and live to bring
honor and glory to Christ and good to our fellow man.
But from experience (and I’m sure you can attest to this as
well) living in order to please our Heavenly Father, further
the Gospel of Christ, and serve our fellow man with love and
compassion though difficult at times is ultimately the most
rewarding thing we can do, and it is through good works and
Spirit-led living that we can attain true fulfillment and
enjoyment in our lives.
Verses 19-21 list a number of very specific things that
Christians, who are yielded to the Spirit of God and led by
God on a daily basis will not participate in or be guilty of
doing at any time. Sexual immorality, impurity, and
debauchery are without question refrained from by all those
professing Christianity and those led of the Spirit of God—
sexual immorality is an affront to the covenant of marriage,
which is build on the mutual respect of husband and wife to
provide for one another stability, permanence, safety, and
intimacy that we all crave in romantic relationships. No
matter which way you slice it, sexual immorality rejects one
or more of these things.
15
Debauchery, or uncleanness in behavior and speech can be
offensive to others—certainly not something we would
purposefully do if we love the person and want to treat them
with respect and dignity. Idolatry is willful disregard for the
sovereignty of God—it is unloving to our Heavenly Father.
Sorcery or witchcraft says that by a power outside of the will
and purposes of God we can have power ourselves to
manipulate our world. Not only is this an affront to God but
depending upon the sorcery engaged in, it can be unloving
towards others.
Hatred, discord, jealousy, and fits of rage go without
saying—all of these things are by definition unloving
towards our fellow man. There is no such thing as a ‘Godly
hatred’ for another human being, for God say fit to die for
the whole world—He loved the World so much that He gave
His life to save it.
Selfish ambitions are going to cause us to disregard the
feelings and needs of others in favor of the single-minded
pursuit of what we want to do regardless of the effects on
those around us.
Dissentions and factions are simultaneously unloving
towards God and His Word, and represent unloving attitudes
towards our fellow man. We should always strive to remain
in harmony with one another and to maintain fellowship, for
boundary lines and exclusions do nothing but hurt one
another.
16
Envies, drunkenness, and orgies are expansions of already-
established principles—envy evolves from jealousy,
drunkenness is an excess caused by a selfish ambition to
forget responsibilities, and orgies are without questions
sexually immoral. Paul adds ‘and the like’ to the end of this
list, implying of course that there are many more things
similar to those that he already mentioned that are likewise
evident of a person living for the flesh.
And lastly, after outlining what NOT to do, we come to this
famous section of scripture:
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23
gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no
law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified
the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by
the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not
become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Love, joy, peace: When these things come from the Lord, it
can never be anything but perfectly glorifying to God and
uplifting to our fellow man. There is nothing more
restorative than true love—patience, kind, and gentle love
that bares with one another and don’t begrudge each other
anything. True joy—Joy in the Lord and in the good things
of God is intoxicating and rejuvenating. Being around
someone that is genuinely joyful is the best feeling in the
world. Peace: peace without ourselves and with our
conscience. Peace in our relationships, peace in our nations,
and peace at a global scale—peace that comes from God is
like fresh water for the thirsty. We as fallen creatures, when
left to our own devices generally create chaos and war
between each other and without our own flesh—but those led
of the Spirit of God are full of peace instead!
17
Forbearance, or longsuffering, or patience is a beautiful thing
that without we are completely ineffectual in our attempts to
reach people for Jesus and our day to day interactions with
others cannot be positive ones without patience. Parents need
patience with their children, children with their parents,
bosses with employees, and employees with bosses. We need
patience to keep good attitudes in the grocery store line and
we need patience to receive from the Lord in His timing.
Kindness and goodness are needed on a daily basis in order
to carry our callings in Christ—regardless of what they are.
Faithfulness—in many ways, there in nothing more loving
and Christ like than true faithfulness. Being there through
the highs and the lows, sticking to something through
adversity, and being trustworthy in our relationships and to
our callings is so important!
Gentleness is a wonderful quality to have, allow us to reach
the broken and tender in our world with the Gospel Truth and
with Love.
And lastly—self-control. I find it interesting Paul chose to
place self-control at the end of the list. Though it is without
questions a fruit of the Spirit of God, self-control is not the
ONLY thing. It is separate from the others—we don’t
exercise our ‘self-control’ to ensure we love others, or have
joy, or have patience. Self control, though possibly
correlated, is not encompassing of these other virtues. In
addition to TRUE love, we exercise our self-control in order
to do loving things. In addition to TRUE patience, we
exercise our self-control to continue being patient and refrain
from selfishness and impatience.
The last 2 verses of Galatians chapter 5 are worthy of
repeating before we conclude:
18
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the
Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying
each other.
Something that we as Christians all too often do is use these
‘fruits’ listed in Galatians 5 as a measuring stick to determine
if we are in right standing before God. Paul seemed to know
that this would inevitably happen, and so he addresses it at
the conclusion of his list by telling us not to become
conceited because of the Spirit of God. We should never use
our Holy Spirit leadership as source of pride in our lives, and
we should not use it in order to judge our fellow man. We
should not be jealous of others for their perceived level of
spirituality, and we should not provoke each other (tease,
guilt, or anger someone) by using spirituality and the Spirit
of God like a weapon or ruler by which we gauge each other.
_____
For those leaving the message, abandoning the ‘rule book’ in
favor of something as simplistic as this may feel like a
daunting task. For me, going from a systematic and
regimented way of life where decisions about right and
wrong, good and bad are made for me to the freedom in
Christ and the thousands of daily judgments and decisions I
have to make with the Spirit’s guidance was a scary shift.
There are days I feel like it would be easier if we could just
have a list of rules to follow—but that is not what Jesus died
on a cross to do for us. He doesn’t want us to be serving a
list of rules, but actively engaged in life, being led by the
Spirit every single step of every single day, so that He can
work and move in our lives in powerful ways.
19
Like a bird set free from a cage after being inside it for years
on end, God wants us to fly and desires to help us do it. He
has said that He will never leave or forsake us, and that if we
simply believe upon Him, He will guide us where He wants
us to go. But, at least for me, though the cage door is wide
open and God is beckoning me away from it, I have a hard
time abandoning the security I have come to know inside of
the legalistic system. I have a difficult time wrapping my
mind around freedom in Christ—but I know that it is His
desire for my life.
So with faith I stand before Him and I surrender my
insecurities. When I don’t know the answer I remind myself
that I don’t have to have all the answers—that God will not
smite me for not knowing, but like a Good Shepherd will
continue to care and nurture me until I do know—until I’m
more mature and more capable. I have learned through the
trials that have come in my life that God is ever faithful, and
that I truly can trust the Holy Spirit to lead and guide me—
that I can trust God to work all things to his glory and for my
good.
I do have fear; but I also know that my fears are
unfounded—that in Christ there is perfect love, and perfect
love casts out all fear. When the cage door first opened, I
stood in the doorway. For a while, I perched on the top of the
cage, looking down on what I came out of and knew that it
was bondage, but was still unable to truly step away. Now,
though I feel myself frequently looking back at the bondage,
I am getting further and further away. Old habits die hard—
and it’s going to be a process, but I am learning, just as Paul
explained in Philippians 4, that I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me. We all can—He is the power,
strength, confidence, and guidance we need.
20
It is common practice by those in the message to quote this
portion of scripture that we’re studying today in order to say
that those of us that have left the message of William
Branham are ‘serpent seed’ or ‘of our father, the devil’. They
take this argument directly from the tapes of William
Branham, who proclaims regularly on tape that rejecting his
message means that the individual is rejecting Jesus Christ—
even if that individual DOES believe upon the Lord:
_____
64-1221 - Why It Had To Be Shepherd

248 And look at those trained theologians of that day,
trained! Holy? Clean living? We have nothing to compare
with it today, the way they lived. And what did the Great
Shepherd call them? Said, "You are of your father the devil,"
because they didn't… They recognized the Word, but the
Word of another day, not the Word of that day. 249 If they
recognized Noah's time, that's all right, that was Noah's
time; but it wouldn't work in Moses' time. And Moses' time
wouldn't work in Christ's time. See? Luther's time won't work
in Wesley's time. Wesley's time won't work in Pentecostal
time. And Pentecost has done the same thing the rest of them
did. Now, who has give me help in the days gone by? Asked
you.
_____
This ‘dispensational’ understanding of the plan of God is

diametrically opposed by scripture—particularly this portion
of scripture, where Jesus addresses the Pharisees as
‘belonging to their father, the devil’. William Branham
claims that the issue with the Pharisees was not that they
lacked fundamental faith in God, but that they lacked faith in
21
the “Message of the Hour.” The reality however is that Christ
WAS concerned with their faith in God in general—not just
their faith in Him, but their underlying lack of faith in the
promises of God contained in their holy texts.
Let’s take a look at the scriptures and examine this exchange

piece by piece:
_____
33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and

have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we
shall be set free?”
34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is
a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the
family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets
you free, you will be free indeed. 37 I know that you are
Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill
me, because you have no room for my word. 38 I am telling
you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are
doing what you have heard from your father.”
39 “Abraham is our father,” they answered.
“If you were Abraham’s children,” said Jesus, “then you
would do what Abraham did. 40 As it is, you are looking for
a way to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I
heard from God. Abraham did not do such things. 41 You are
doing the works of your own father.”
“We are not illegitimate children,” they protested. “The only
Father we have is God himself.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would
love me, for I have come here from God. I have not come on
my own; God sent me. 43 Why is my language not clear to
you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. 44 You
belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out
22
your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning,
not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he
lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the
father of lies. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not
believe me! 46 Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am
telling the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Whoever
belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not
hear is that you do not belong to God.”
_____
Right from the beginning we see the issue is one of faith in

the promises of God and not simply in the “fresh things”
Christ was teaching for their ‘hour’. Jesus tells them that they
have no room for His word (John 8:37), and that what He is
presenting is Truth from God (John 8:40). The issue is not
that they haven’t heard these promises before and are
rejecting Him because they are clinging to a dispensation that
had passed, but that they refused to hear (John 8:43), refused
to examine and hold to the Truth (John 8:44), and refused to
acknowledge what they knew to be true—what they knew
they could not disprove and what they were simply choosing
to disbelieve (John 8:45). They were refusing to listen to
God—both Jesus Christ’s words and the words of Scripture
(John 8:47). It was their refusal to accept what they knew to
be true that made them ‘of their father the devil’ and not of
God.
John chapter 5 records a similar exchange between Jesus and

the Pharisees and the explanation Christ gives as to why the
Pharisees refused to believe in Him is the exact same as the
one in today’s text. They refused the testimony of John the
Baptist even though they agreed and knew it to be reliable
(John 5:33), they rejected the testimony of the Scriptures that
23
foretold of Christ’s coming (John 5:39), and they rejected the
testimony of Christ’s works, even though they knew that
these works were in harmony with the prophesies made
about the coming Messiah (John 5:36). In short, they were
unwilling to come to Him and truth Him for their salvation
(John 5:40)!
It wasn’t that they didn’t see and know that Christ was the
Messiah, but that they were unwilling to humble themselves
and admit what they already knew to be true—they were
unwilling to put their faith in Him. They refused to examine
the truth, refused to accept the Word of God, and refused to
do anything but fight against what they already knew was the
truth. They buried their heads in the sand, stating in outright
defiance of the Word of God and of Jesus Christ, their
saviour that they did not want to submit to the authority of
His words—even if they were true.
In summary, the Pharisees were sold out to a lie and were too
proud to submit to God. They would rather continue in a lie
that admit their error and come to Christ. It was in their pride
that they rejected Christ, and it was in their wilful ignorance,
their determination to ignore facts that they crucified the
Messiah.
_____
In the message of William Branham we were taught that

understanding, knowledge, and in-depth study of the Word
were contrary to true faith in God. Anyone coming forward
with a question about the message was usually told to ‘place
it on a shelf’—that seeking to find out the answer was an
intellectual pursuit and that you should not approach God in
that way—have faith, and the understanding will come in the
24
Lord timing.
This teaching flies in the face of Scripture, however:
Proverbs 18:15
An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the
wise seeks knowledge.
Habakkuk 2:14
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of
the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Proverbs 2:1-5
My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my
commandments with you, making your ear attentive to
wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if
you call out for insight and raise your voice for
understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as
for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the
Lord and find the knowledge of God.
Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you
have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to
me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also
will forget your children.
Luke 1:77
(Jesus came) To give knowledge of salvation to his people
and forgiveness of their sins,
Colossians 1:9
And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray
for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of
25
his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Hosea 6:6
For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge
of God rather than burnt offerings.
_____
And lastly, the scripture verse I would like to conclude with

comes from 1 Corinthians 2:6-16:
6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is

not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are
doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden
wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our
glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if
they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9
But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,

nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit.

For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of
that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends
the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we
have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is
from God, that we might understand the things freely given
us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by
human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual
truths to those who are spiritual.
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit
26
of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to
understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15
The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be
judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of
the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of
Christ.
Allow these words to sink into your heart and transform your
perception of God as opposed to wisdom, understanding, and
education.
While it is true that we should not seek to find God in the

folly of human wisdom and the ‘insights’ of worldly
philosophers and thinkers, our minds, having been
transformed by a work of the Holy Spirit, are able to search
everything, even the depths of God (1 Cor. 2:10). The Spirit
gives us comprehension of the thoughts of God (11), and
understanding of things pertaining to salvation (12).
A spiritual person judges all things (15), and understands the

mind of the Lord—even has the mind of the Lord (16)!
Clearly, we are not to check our brains at the door when we
become a Christian! God desires to transform our minds and
renew them (Romans 12:2) so that we can think, and reason,
and understand the Truth of God.
We will not all understand the things of the Lord to the same
degree—understanding is a gift of the Holy Spirit, and so is
knowledge. Some will be extravagantly gifted with Bible
understanding, and that is a beautiful thing—an edifying gift
given for the betterment of the Body of Christ.
The Pharisees refused to accept true knowledge of the

Lord—refused to heed the wisdom and instruction of those
27
with more understanding in the Word of God and of Truth.
May we never be guilty of the same.
28
Galatians 6- Pride in Ourselves
Today we’ll be concluding Paul’s letter to the Galatians,
which does a great job reemphasizing the high points made
throughout the letter and focusing the minds and hearts of
those reading towards true Godliness and continued growth
in the Lord.
Beginning from verse 1:
Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who

live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch
yourselves, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other’s
burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If
anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they
deceive themselves. 4 Each one should test their own actions.
Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without
comparing themselves to someone else, 5 for each one
should carry their own load. 6 Nevertheless, the one who
receives instruction in the word should share all good things
with their instructor.
Paul urges the Galatians (and us as well as fellow members

of the Body of Christ) to bare with one another—to be
willing confront one another in love with sins and work
collaboratively in order to restore one another to righteous
standing and fruitfulness in Christ. He tells the Galatians in
verse 1 to restore each other ‘gently’—but also warns to
watch ourselves, so that we are not likewise tempted. We
should bare with each other, carry each other’s burdens, and
in this sacrifice of love one for another we call fulfill the law
of Christ.
29
We then see Paul address the issue of pride—something all
too often overlooked and unappreciated by Christians, but
something we are ALL guilty of—something those of us who
have left the message are often well acquainted with. Verse 3
says that is anyone thinks they are something when they
aren’t they deceive themselves. Given the context of the
letter, there are a few things Paul may have meant here.
Maybe some of the Galatians thought of themselves as Jews;
maybe as righteous in their behavior and standing before
God because of their works; or maybe there were some that
thought of themselves as uniquely gifted by God to impart
doctrine. But regardless, Paul states that if a man thinks he is
something when he in fact is not, he is nothing more than
deceived.
We should each test our own actions, Paul says, and take
pride in our own actions without comparing them to others.
We should each carry our own load, and stop comparing our
lot with each other’s. A good summary of the principle Paul
is conveying can be found in Philippians 2:12: “Therefore,
my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my
presence, but not much more in my absence—continue to
work out your salvation with fear and trembling”. It is
unprofitable to try and figure out how we compare to others
in Christ—to others of different ethnicities, of different
backgrounds, of different time periods, or of different socio-
economic groups.
30
The Galatians (and us as well) shouldn’t worry about trying
to ‘fit’ into a specific people group. There is no benefit from
being a Jew in Christ, nor is there a benefit to comparing the
differences between the two and attempting to dictate rules
(like circumcision, holiness standards, dietary practices) to
those of a different background. There is plenty for us to
worry about ourselves—and we should use our time to carry
our own load, deal with our own burdens, and address our
own issues individually. We should bare with each other, and
we should encourage all to a higher walk with the Lord—but
getting into the weeds, dictating matters of conscious is
unfruitful, and can cause divisions and temptations for
ourselves and those around us.
To summarize: Christianity isn’t about us trying to conform

to proper behavior and all to act and look and smell the same
as other Christians. We are called to conform to the image of
Jesus Christ, and though we should encourage those around
us to that end, we are fooling ourselves if we think that we
are something special—that we (either ourselves individually
or us as a collective group) are the standard by which others
should be judged.
31
The next statement—in verse 6—shows Paul transitioning to
another topic—the support of the leaders in the church and of
the church body in general. “Nevertheless, the one who
receives instruction in the word should share all good things
with their instructor”. Clearly, Paul taught that ministers of
the Gospel and leaders in the church should be supported
financially and should share in the ‘good things’ of life.
That’s not to say that leaders should be served at the
expense of the laity—but instructors also should not be going
without basic provision or ‘good things’ while the
congregation abounds with prosperity.
Paul continues this discussion of provision and the sharing of

good things in this famous section of scripture—Galatians
6:7-10:
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps

what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the
flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the
Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not
become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will
reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those
who belong to the family of believers.
Thought the sowing and reaping analogy has many

applications outside of finances, Paul IS relating it in this
portion of scripture directly to the sowing of material
things—of the ‘good things’ of life. If someone sows their
good things to please their flesh and to reap a benefit for
themselves in the flesh they will end up reaping destruction
of their flesh. If someone sows in order to please the Spirit of
God, however, that person shall reap eternal life.
32
This is by no means tying salvation to giving! But those led
of the Spirit of God will sow their wealth toward spiritual
good; those not yielded to the Spirit of God will sow their
wealth to self-gratification. God doesn’t want us to try and
buy our way into heaven—but He does want us to hear the
Spirit’s leadership and answer that call in every aspect of our
lives, including our finances.
Paul tells us in verse 9 that there is a promise of God

associated with this giving—those that sow without growing
weary will at the proper time reap a harvest of good. This
promise is found throughout scripture—Luke 6:38, Malachi
3:10, Psalms 126:5-6 just to name a few—God promises us
that what He calls us to give for His purposes shall yield us
good. It is the principle of sowing and reaping, and it applies
just as much today as it ever did before. Verse 10 is worthy
of repeating, “therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do
good to all people, especially to those who belong to the
family of believers.”
If it is within our ability to help someone, we are called as

Christians to do that. We are called to be charitable, and
sacrificial, and compassionate. We are called to generosity,
and we are called to selflessness with our material goods.
We are called by the Spirit to give the control of these things
over to the Spirit.
Paul concludes the letter with a note that (presumably) was

written in his own handwriting—in bigger letters, either to
emphasize his point or because Paul had serious vision
problems and needed to write in large font so he could see
what he was writing:
33
11 See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own
hand!
12 Those who want to impress people by means of the flesh
are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason
they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of
Christ. 13 Not even those who are circumcised keep the law,
yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast
about your circumcision in the flesh. 14 May I never boast
except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which
the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15
Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything;
what counts is the new creation. 16 Peace and mercy to all
who follow this rule—to the Israel of God.
17 From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on
my body the marks of Jesus.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit,
brothers and sisters. Amen.
Again, Paul tells the Galatians—do not allow yourself to be

compelled to circumcision. The people attempting to
convince the Galatians to be circumcised are only doing so in
order to have something to boast about in the flesh and in
order to avoid persecution. It is a selfish thing they were
doing.
34
Paul differentiates himself from these Judaizers, stating that
he never wants to boast in anything except the cross of Jesus
Christ. He does not concern himself with the flesh of his
followers—circumcision or uncircumcision mean nothing to
him—only that the people under his teaching are becoming
new creations—that they are getting saved. Paul blesses
those who hold to this teaching in verse 16. He asks that the
dissensions in Galatia cease—that they no longer trouble him
with these matters, for he is a faithful servant of Christ,
bearing in his flesh the marks of Jesus Christ. These ‘marks
of Christ’ are in the original the same as ‘branding’ marks
borne by slaves, indicating that they are a possession of
someone else. What Paul is saying in effect is that he
belongs to Christ—that they are not going to sway him away
from where he stands because he is sold out to Jesus—he is
the servant of Christ, and these matters already addressed
from the Word of God are not open for any further
discussion.
Paul concludes his letter to the Galatians with well-wishes—

“grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers
and sisters”.
And so, I likewise conclude this bible study. God Bless you,
and may the Lord continue to lead and guide you into all
Truth.
35
Blind but Now I See
There are some passages of scripture that stand alone in the
demonstration of the glorious Gospel story and the
transformational power of Christ. John chapter 9 is one such
chapter.
In it we see the Good News of Christ established—the Truth

of the Word of God made abundantly clear. There was a
man—likely minding his own business and not seeking to
find anything life-changing that day—but as he went about
his own life, Jesus Christ passed by. And when the Lord
came into contact with this man his life forever changed.
_____
9 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His

disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his
parents, that he was born blind?”
3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but
this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in
him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who
sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I
am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud
with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told
him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means
“Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home
seeing.
8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him
begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and
beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was.
Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”
36
But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.
11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and
put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I
went and washed, and then I could see.”
12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.
“I don’t know,” he said.
_____
How remarkable!!
This man was blind from birth, and by simply obeying the
words of Christ and doing something that seemed so strange
with simple faith the man was healed—his eyes were open
and for the first time in his life he could see.
After this encounter with Jesus Christ, he was very

noticeably changed. Often when sinners first come to Christ
they too are very obviously changed as well, and it is through
this change that our neighbors come to hear of the Lord—
this was the case for this man as well. His neighbors could
not deny the difference Jesus had made in this man’s life,
and it was by his testimony that they began seeking the Lord
themselves.
37
But the reach of the once-blind man’s testimony did not stop
with his immediate neighbors. The news of his healing
spread all the way to the Pharisees. He was brought before
them for questioning, and this man was bold in declaring the
truth, even before the skeptical audience. May we never fear
to speak the truth as well! The man didn’t have all the
answers, but what he did know beyond a shadow of a doubt
the Pharisees could not take away from him—and what we
know all the naysayers in the world and all the self-righteous
modern-Pharisees cannot steal from us either.
_____
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been

blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and
opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the
Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He
put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and
now I see.”
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God,
for he does not keep the Sabbath.”
But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?”
So they were divided.
17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you
to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”
The man replied, “He is a prophet.”
18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had
received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19
“Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was
born blind? How is it that now he can see?”
38
20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we
know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who
opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he
will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they
were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided
that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah
would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his
parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
24 A second time they summoned the man who had been
blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said.
“We know this man is a sinner.”
25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know.
One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did
he open your eyes?”
27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not
listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to
become his disciples too?”
28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this
fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know
that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t
even know where he comes from.”
30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t
know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We
know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the
godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of
opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not
from God, he could do nothing.”
34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth;
how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
_____
39
We too know that God hears our cries and answers us—that
He provides for our needs. We know that God has been
faithful to save us, and that our lives bear witness to the
power of God. We know that, regardless of our past alliance
with the cult of William Branham, we know that we are
Christians. We know that we have had a personal experience
with the Lord. Some of us were saved while sitting under
false teaching, but the truth of our salvation is real and that
fact cannot be taken from us!
People much older, more studied, and vastly more respected

than us can attempt to belittle our experience and try to paint
our motives or heart’s conditions as something they are not,
but they cannot steal the Truth we know away. We are
saved. We are walking in the Light of the Word, and we are
faithfully committed to living a life pleasing to the Lord. We
know the Word of God does not lie. We know that man’s
word can fail, but God’s word can NEVER fail.
We know the facts—and this man likewise knew the facts.

We know that the message William Branham taught was
based upon false teaching—it was foundationally flawed
because it rejected the Truth taught in scriptures, promoting
instead the myths and fables devised by men. We know that
William Branham’s life story was a lie, and we know that the
‘vindications’—the cloud, the bridge, the tent, the bear—
were fabricated, or in some cases complete failures. We
know that we make the right choice by walking away from
the false in order to follow Jesus—we know because it is
undeniable truth.
40
Regardless of the insults hurled in our direction, we can
stand steadfast in the knowledge of the truth, just as this
once-blind man did. He never wavered from his testimony
because he was completely honest with himself and with
others. He didn’t claim to have all the answers, but what he
did know, he held onto with all he had.
And that was enough.
Not long after the man made his stand against the Pharisees,
Jesus sought him out once more:
_____
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he
found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may
believe in him.”
37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one
speaking with you.”
38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped
him.
39 Jesus said “For judgment I have come into this world, so
that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this
and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of
sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
_____
41
And so, Jesus concludes His dealings with this blind man by
extending to him the clear revelation of Truth. Jesus made
Himself known to the blind man, opening his physical eyes,
but also opening his spiritual eyes to who He was. The man’s
response? He fell down and worshiped Jesus!
The Pharisees, however could not be bothered to humble

themselves. They could not admit that they were lacking in
any way, and because of their arrogance refused to admit the
Truth. It was their pride that caused their blindness—they
were blind, not because they lacked the ability to see the
Truth, but because there were fundamentally opposed to the
concept that they could be wrong. Jesus says if they were
truly blind they would not be guilty of sin—but that was not
the issue. The issue was that in their arrogance they claimed
to see, but in truth they were blinded by their own pride.
May we never be guilty of the same! May we always

maintain hearts open and willing to be corrected by the Word
of God! May we always have enough humility to recognize
when the Lord opens our blinded eyes to the Truth, and
enough confidence to stand on that Truth even in the face of
adversity. And most importantly, may we never allow
ourselves to knowingly ignore the Truth in order to maintain
our self-appointed positions as ‘special’, ‘elect’,
‘enlightened’, or ‘exalted’. We, like this once-blind man, are
absolutely nothing without Jesus Christ. He is the reason we
can rejoice—He is the reason we can see.
Let’s give Him all the glory and honor and praise for the
countless blessings He has given to us!
42
After The Message- A Letter to
Those Who Have Left
Let’s face it—leaving The Message is NOT easy, and those
that insist we’re doing so to “live a life of sin” or to “partake
of the world” or because we can’t “live the life” are the
reason it’s not easy.
Suddenly, your entire community thinks you’re a heathen
being led away from all things good and holy and into a life
of debauchery and blatant sin. Your desires to feed the flesh,
they say, are causing you to reject the one and only true
move of God in the world today and in so doing you are
rejecting God Himself. Your inability to follow the
Prophet’s rules are the root cause of your issues and any
evidence you have against William Branham, his teachings,
his prophesies, Voice of God Recordings, well-respected
Message ministers, or anything or anyone else associated
with the message is simply an excuse.
The truth, however, is nearly everyone that leaves the
message does so for one of three main reasons: either they
identify a doctrine that does not agree with Scripture, or they
lose confidence in William Branham as a result of studying
his life and prophesies, or they are hurt by followers of the
message either physically, emotionally, or spiritually so
thoroughly that in an effort to preserve their sanity, their
physical well-being, or the well-being of their children they
feel there is no other option but to run.
43
Unfortunately, some of those that are harmed in the message
keep running, searching for the harmony and authenticity
that was lacking within. Some run into vices and addiction,
some run into lives of frivolity and little forethought, and
some run into self-destructive patterns of behavior. Some run
so hard in an effort to escape the pain that they really do run
from God—but make no mistake about it: those injured by
people in the message and by the spiritual abuse in the
message do not run away from their abusers because they are
feeling rebellious against God, but because of the scars left
by those who have mistreated them.
For the most part, those that are most often labeled as
‘Dathan and Korahs’ or ‘serpent seed’ leave in order to live
Christian lives, raise their families up in Christian homes,
and continue seeking the Lord. Those that are on the
forefront of the ex-message community are God-fearing
people reaching back into the community full of hurting
people that they themselves escaped. And they do all this for
the benefit of those in the message to the Glory of God.
For those that left after finding doctrinal issues, Praise the
Lord! I wish you the very best on your journey into all
Truth. I pray that God continue to reveal Himself to you
from His Holy Bible, and that the Truth you find is freeing
and life-giving. Jesus told us in John 8:32, “And you will
know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” It is my
sincere hope that you WILL know the Truth, and that you
will not settle any doctrine of man again simply because of
whom it is that speaks to you or because of any credentials
they have or claims they make. Instead I pray that you will
take everything back to the Bible, for the Scriptures are
written so that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ and the
Son of God, and in believing we may have Life in His Name
(John 20:31).
44
For those that can no longer trust William Branham because
of the lies and falsehood in his life story, his prophesies, or
his bible teaching I urge you to not lose faith as a result of it.
William Branham did lie about himself and he did make
false prophesies, and he did twist scripture, but don’t fear!
There is truth to be found in Scripture for anyone who longs
to know. Many times those in the message will try and
throw the Holy Bible under the bus in an effort to excuse the
falsehoods in the message--Voice of God Recordings
published an article that did just that, explaining how it’s
okay for the message to have errors since the Bible has
(perceived) errors too. Search out the Scriptures, study and
know that it is noble and honorable in the sight of the Lord to
diligently study in order to find Truth. Acts 17:11 tells us of
the Berean Jews who did just that, and they are recorded in
the Word as being of noble character. In 2 Timothy 2:15,
Psalm 119:11, Hosea 4:6, 2 Peter 1:2-3 study and knowledge
of the things of God are encouraged and praised! Do not fear
study, and do not fear questions. For it is my sincere belief
that there is not a question you can possibly possess that God
is not willing and able to answer.
45
And lastly, to those that left the message because of the
abuse physically, emotionally, and spiritually taking place
within it from the very tapes recorded over 50 years ago to
the individual lives of thousands of message believer
families across the world—know that you are NOT alone,
that you are loved, and that your life can and will be
beautiful and fulfilling. What has happened to you is nothing
unusual within this kind of environment and even if you feel
like the only person in the world that understands the pain
you are feeling please believe me when I say there is
absolutely nothing you can be feeling, or experiencing, or
thinking that others have not been through. My heart aches
for you, and if I could I would rewind the clock to prevent
the devastation that you have seen and felt in your lifetime.
But since I cannot, I can only offer you my deepest and most
heartfelt tears of grief on your behalf and my promise to be
here for you if you need support.
A special note as well to those reading this that are still in the
message as well—God’s Word promises that you can obtain
Truth (John 8:32, John 16:13, Psalm 145:18). Do not place
things anymore upon the shelf, but search the Scriptures and
get answers to your questions and verification for your
beliefs from the Word of God and from the historical record!
In the same way Christian historians and archeologists
continue to search and seek more and more evidence and
facts to corroborate the truthfulness of the Word of God in
order to build the faith of Christians and spread the Good
News to the world at large, you owe it to yourself, to your
families, and to those whom you insist on holding to message
standards to verify the truthfulness of the things you are
saying.
46
But most importantly—you deserve to know the facts as a
Child of God, and God is not in the business of turning away
those that sincerely seek answers to their questions.
Remember Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask, and it will be given to you;
seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks
finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” That is a
promise! Claim it for yourself, and take God at His Word!
You may not be expecting the answer He gives you when
you begin your journey seeking Truth, but God WILL
answer you and will not leave you empty handed and
continually searching for answers. The only thing He asks is
that you commit yourself fully to Him alone and that you
seek His face.
The road is not always easy, but know that He will never
leave you or forsake you. We’re here for you, too.
With Love
47
In These Last Days
Today we’re going to take a look at Hebrews chapter 1,

which really gives us a great perspective on the eternal plan
of God and the focus of our lives and our faith as Christians.
It’s best summarized in the first 4 verses of the chapter,
which say,
“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the
prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these
last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he
appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he
made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory
and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all
things by his powerful word. After he had provided
purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the
Majesty in heaven. 4 So he became as much superior to the
angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.”
This is pretty self-explanatory—God used to speak to us
through the prophets, but now in the last days He spoke to us
by His Son, Jesus Christ, who was the ultimate fulfillment of
all the things he’s previously spoken of through the
prophets. Jesus Christ was appointed heir of all things, and
by Him all things were made. The Son is the radiance of
God’s glory and the exact representation of Him,
demonstrating to us the character and nature of God the
Father. Jesus provided sanctification for our sins, and He is
infinitely superior to the angels for He inherited a superior
position to them.
48
This whole section probably sounds foreign to those still in
the message or those newly out of it—though isolated pieces
of this chapter of scripture was quoted in the message it is
highly unlikely that it was ever read in its entirety within a
message church, for to do so would have rendered many of
the points made in the message null and void.
First, that God no longer speaks to us by prophets, but “in the
last days” speaks to us through His Son—There it is in
Hebrews 1:1, as clear as day. In the PAST God spoke
through the prophets, but IN THE LAST DAYS speaks
through Jesus Christ. Amazing! It’s truly a glorious thing to
think about the implications of this. Not that God doesn’t
have prophetic utterances in the last days, because the truth
of this is supported throughout the New Testament in verses
like Acts 2:16-21 where Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32 about sons
and daughters prophesying when the Holy Spirit comes, and
in 1 Corinthians 14:3 where Paul says that those who
prophesy speak for the up building and encouragement of
believers. But this does say that the work of the prophets to
lead God’s people is ceased—Jesus Christ is now rightfully
in His place as Lord and King over believers, forever set
apart as THE leader , THE Son of God, and THE Son of Man
as opposed to A leader, A son of God, or A Son of Man.
49
We also see quite plainly that God exalted the Son and set
Him in His position by The Father’s will. Verse 2 says that,
“he has spoken to us by His Son,” and that he “appointed
Him heir of all things.” It’s a hard pill to swallow for
some—but God the Father and our Lord, Jesus Christ are
relational to one another. Jesus Christ sits at the right hand of
the Majesty in heaven—which is to say, Jesus Christ is not
the Majesty in heaven but is distinct from Him, so much so
that He can be describes as external to Him, sitting on the
right hand of God the Father, the Majesty in heaven. Even
so, we are told in verse 4 that He is superior to the angels—
He has inherited a superior position to them, and in verse 2
we are told that through Jesus Christ all things were made.
Jesus Christ then, is not some lowly human being or creation
that was used of God—He was far greater than that! He is
The Son of God, and He inherited Lordship over creation—
in fact, it was by Him that creation was made.
The rest of the chapter quotes various Old Testament
Scriptures, pulling them forward and identifying Jesus Christ
the their fulfillment:
50
5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my
Son; today I have become your Father”? Or again, “I will
be his Father, and he will be my Son” ? 6 And again, when
God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all
God’s angels worship him.” 7 In speaking of the angels he
says, “He makes his angels spirits, and his servants flames of
fire.” 8 But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will
last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter
of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated
wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above
your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” 10 He
also says, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations
of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 11
They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a
garment. 12 You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment
they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your
years will never end.” 13 To which of the angels did God
ever say, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a
footstool for your feet”?
51
We can see in the remaining verses of the chapter just how
superior and exalted Jesus Christ is. First, Psalms 2:7, “I will
be his Father, and he will be my Son.” Jesus Christ was the
Son of God, and God was His Father—there is a relationship
there, and it is as a Father to a Son. 2 Samuel 7:14 and 1
Chronicles 17:13 tells us that God would command all the
angels to worship Him—Jesus Christ, which was done at the
time of his birth and other times throughout His time on
Earth. God differentiates Jesus Christ from his angels and
servants. God says in Deuteronomy 32:43 that angels are but
spirits and servants flames of fire, but His Son is described in
Psalms 104:4 as being far above His companions and
anointed with the oil of joy, and in Psalms 45:6-7 and Psalms
102:25-47 as the One who laid the foundations of the Earth,
the everlasting One, the One who will grant those that perish
everlasting life, and the One who will remain the same and
whose years will have no end. In Psalms 110:1 we are told
that God the Father will give victory over the enemy into the
Hands of the One who sits on His right hand.
How amazing to discover just how magnified and exalted
Jesus Christ is! He is not just a man, not just a servant, not
just a prophet—He is far more than that. He is the giver of
eternal life—the granter of salvation.
In verse 14, we are given the ultimate conclusion to the
subject covered in Chapter 1 of Hebrews— “Are not all
angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will
inherit salvation?” Both earthly angels and heavenly
angels—all ministering spirits are sent to serve those who
will inherit salvation—which WAS Jesus Christ, and through
faith as an extension of His grace towards us, these angels
are sent in order to minister to us as well on His behalf.
52
Were I to attempt to give a one sentence summary of this
chapter it would be, “God sent the prophets of Old to point
the way to Jesus Christ, and now that Jesus Christ has come
we have everything we need to obtain salvation through
Him.”
So what’s our take-away lesson from this portion of
scripture? I think there are many that we can take away from
this, but I believe the one that speaks the most to me is the
fact that Jesus Christ is so superior to all other messengers
and servants of God—He alone is the means to eternal life
for He alone inherited it, and that through Him alone can we
obtain salvation. It pretty much does away with all fears
about missing “the message of the hour”, because the
message of the Last Days is Jesus Christ and His teachings
and work of salvation on the Cross, and the ‘essentials’ for
salvation are contained entirely in Scriptures—in the Gospel
accounts of Jesus Christ, and in the epistles that shed light on
the meaning and application of the principles of Christ.
53
So if you’re still wrestling with guilt or worried about
missing something, don’t worry! This chapter tells us plainly
that if you’ve found Jesus Christ and believe upon Him
alone, hearing His words and believing His teachings you’re
listening to the message for the last days. So take a deep
breath, and just allow that man-made burden to search and
seek and discover and find salvation melt away. Just come to
Jesus Christ, the Son of God! It’s really that simple. In the
message we were always told that the Gospel was simple, but
let’s be honest—1100 plus tapes, tons of rules, confusing
doctrines, church age timelines, demonology, marriage and
divorce…so many doctrines that required a great deal of
work to learn and comprehend in order to even possibly
qualify for bride status. And then there’s all the different
rules about who is saved and who’s not, who’s bride and
who’s not, who’s foolish virgin and who’s not, and none of
the message churches agree with one another, and even from
tape to tape things contradict each other—that is not simple.
That is really, really complicated. That ‘simplicity’ requires a
suspension of all reason, logic, and understanding in order to
accept. It requires a great deal of cognitive dissonance to
maintain, and it requires completely ignoring the facts in
order to stick to the tapes.
But believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ—that’s simple. It’s
not easy—but it is simple. And it starts with the
acknowledgement OF Hebrews 1:1—that Jesus Christ IS the
message of the Last Days—that He fulfilled all things and
through Him all Truth has been revealed. That He is all that
we need—that Salvation belongs to the Lord.
54
John 10-22-42 Ye Are Gods
It is not an uncommon trait of Christian cults to utilize this
section of the Gospel of John in order to deemphasize Jesus
Christ and overemphasize their cultic belief system and
central figurehead.
It is no different in the cult that surrounds the ministry of

William Branham. In order to elevate themselves, the clear
meaning of scripture is reinterpreted, as we will see in our
study today.
The Gospel of John continues in chapter 10 with Jesus once

again being confronted by the Jews—presumably the leaders
in the temple. The questions they are asking are not new—
they are precisely the same as the questions they had been
asking from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and much of
what is said in response is the same theme as his previous
conversations—this time the allegory He uses to illustrate
His point is that of sheep hearing and obeying the voice of
their shepherd:
22 Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was

winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in
Solomon’s Colonnade. 24 The Jews who were there gathered
around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in
suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”
55
25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, 26 but
you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My
sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one
will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has
given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them
out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”
But of course, the Jews reject this teaching and instead of

attempting to truly understand what He is teaching them seek
to put Him to death for the Truth that He proclaims. They
aren’t killing Him because they don’t believe that He has
power, but because Jesus Christ is clearly claiming to be the
Son of God, and they understood that by claiming to be THE
‘Son of God’ He was claiming to be equal to God—to be
God:
31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,

32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good
works from the Father. For which of these do you stone
me?”
33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they
replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim
to be God.”
Usually, Jesus escapes them by this point, and disappears

into the crowd. The Gospels state this in a variety of ways
(see Luke 4:30, John 8:59, among others). This time,
however, Jesus answers their hatred with a reminder from the
book of Psalms—from the text of their Law:
56
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I
have said you are “gods”’? 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to
whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set
aside— 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as
his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you
accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?
37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. 38
But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe
the works, that you may know and understand that the Father
is in me, and I in the Father.”
The portion of scripture Jesus is reminding the Jews of is

found in Psalm 82:6:
‘I say, “You are gods,

You are all sons of the Highest.”
According to William Branham, Jesus references this verse

in order to show that as believers, message-following
Christians are ‘amateur gods’:
56-0814 - Divine Love And Sovereign Grace

Now, did you realize, that you being a person as you are,
that you're not altogether flesh? You're spirit and flesh. Not
only that, but Jesus said that the Bible said, that we are in a
miniature way, gods. The Bi—Jesus said that. We are… He
said, if that was prophets and so forth of the Old Testament,
that Jesus were—was referring to, said, "It's written in your
law, that ye are gods. And if he called them gods, who the
Word of God come to, then why not Himself, being the Son of
God, when He makes Himself equal with God?" Now, we
are, in an amateur way we are creators.
57
WMB also uses this verse to boost his credibility as a
prophet and as a servant of God:
60-0731 - Show Us The Father And It Will Satisfy Us

For the Word of God is sharper, more powerful, than any
two-edged sword, piercing to the sunder, and the marrow of
the bone, a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the
heart. The Word of God comes into a human being and
discerns the thought. Jesus perceived their thought. If that's
right, say, "Amen." What was He? "In the beginning was the
Word; the Word was with God; and the Word was God. And
the Word was made flesh." And He said, "You condemn Me
because I call Myself the Son of God, and it's written in your
laws that ye are gods." 70 Man was made to be a god. His
domain is the earth. The whole earth's awaiting now for the
manifestation of the sons of God to be made manifest. Look
how far behind we are. But remember, the prophets… He
said, "If you call them gods, who the Word of God came
to…" What was a prophet? A Divine interpreter of the Word,
had the Divine interpretation. The signs of Him foretelling,
and foreknowing, that was a vindicate to the people that he
was a prophet.
And once again, WMB teaches that man will become god—
and all because Jesus quotes this segment of Psalms:
62-1104M - Blasphemous Names

191 And some day the sons of God will again become gods.
Jesus said so. "Is not it written in your law, 'Ye are gods'?
Then if you can call those who He called god, who God
visited, how can you condemn Me, say, when I say I'm the
Son of God?" See? Now we're getting into something deep.
Now watch this when we drive it down.
58
The issue is that the 82nd Psalm that Jesus is bringing to
their remembrance has absolutely nothing to do with
elevating man to the level of god—it has everything to do
with elevating Jesus Christ—the One sent into the World—to
His rightful place as Lord and God, and correcting the
arrogance of these Jews who are thinking of themselves more
highly than they ought. Here is the Psalm in its entirety:
God presides in the great assembly;

he renders judgment among the “gods”:
2 “How long will you defend the unjust
and show partiality to the wicked?
3 Defend the weak and the fatherless;
uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
5 “The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing.
They walk about in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 “I said, ‘You are “gods”;
you are all sons of the Most High.’
7 But you will die like mere mortals;
you will fall like every other ruler.”
8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth,
for all the nations are your inheritance.
Jesus was reminding these Jews about their eventual end—

about their arrogance, and with the same tone in the same
context puts them in their place. “God presides in the great
assembly,” the Psalm says, “he renders judgment among the
‘gods’”!
59
These Jews had elevated themselves so highly that they had
forgotten the sovereignty of God. They had become so
corrupted by defending the unjust and showing partiality to
the wicked (brings to mind the Jews’ defense of Barabbas
(John 18:40)), and had for so long ignored the weak and
fatherless, the poor and needy that the Psalm says, “The
‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk
about in darkness.”
The Psalm does indeed say, “Ye are gods”—but not with the
tone and intention WMB and other cults as well try to use.
The Psalm tells us that these ‘gods’, these ‘sons of the Most
High’ will, “…die like mere mortals; you will fall like every
other ruler.” Verse 8 probably most clearly brings to light
the point Jesus was attempting to make by reminding these
Jews about this portion of scripture:
“Rise up, O God, judge the earth,

For all the nations are your inheritance.”
So, ignoring all the flawed Biblical teaching from the

message, let’s examine Jesus’ teaching in light of the clear
Truth of scripture:
1) Jesus very clearly claims to be God. The Jews understood

this and sought to stone Him for blasphemy because of the
claim He was making.
2) Jesus calls their remembrance to this section of Psalms,
reminding them that though they have ‘power’, they are
NOT and cannot ever be equal in authority and power to
God, and that they are subject to the judgments of God the
Father.
60
3) He asks them why they consider it blasphemy for Him to
claim to be God’s Son, and tells them to look to the works
that He is doing and will continue to do. It is these works,
Jesus says that testify that “He is in the Father, and the Father
is in Him”.
4) Ergo, Jesus is claiming the authority of judgment. He is
claiming the right to preside over the Assembly of God, and
He is showing them that they are to be in subjection to
Him—that far from being comparable in power and
authority, they are subject to His judgments.
The Jews obviously understood what it was He was

claiming, and immediately tried to seize Him again:
39 Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place
where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he
stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said,
“Though John never performed a sign, all that John said
about this man was true.” 42 And in that place many
believed in Jesus.
Jesus escapes, and when He arrives on the Jordan where John

the Baptist had been baptizing, He is met with a
reaffirmation of the Truth Christ taught in the temple—that
John the Baptist’s testimony of Jesus Christ was true. And
what did John the Baptist testify?
John 1:15— “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me

because He was before me.”
John 1:27—“I am not worthy to untie the thong of His
sandal.”
John 1:29— “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the
sin of the world!”
61
John 1:34— “I myself have seen and have testified that this
is the Son of God.”
And so, far from an attempt to elevate the position of man to

‘amateur godhood’, John chapter 10 is about the superiority
of Christ—about His rightful place as ruler and judge, about
His deity, and about His glory.
62
John 11 - For God's Glory
Raising Lazarus from the Dead-Part 1
"For God's Glory"
There are either five or (arguably) six passages in the

scriptures that mention Martha, Mary, or Lazarus--siblings
that Jesus was intimately acquainted with during His time
and earth and with whom He stayed during His travels.
Mary, Martha, and Lazarus do not appear to have been
travelling with the party of disciples, but instead were
apparently fixed in Bethany--the reason for this not
scripturally clear, but it is something worth consideration, for
Jesus never once suggests that these siblings are anything
other than devout and faithful servants and disciples of His,
and they repeatedly are praised for their faithfulness--the
divinely inspired revelation of the sisters preserved
repeatedly in scripture--three (possibly four) times the story
of Mary's anointing of Jesus Christ with costly oils, once of
Mary's desire to learn at the feet of Jesus, and once of
Lazarus's resurrection and Martha's inspired statements
concerning Christ at that time.
63
It is possible, given the very little detail that is included in
scripture concerning this family, that Mary, Martha, and
Lazarus were a part of a Jewish sect called the Essenes,
whom the first century historian, Josephus briefly describes
in The Wars of the Jews, Book 2 chapter 8. The Essenes
(whose existence and precise customs and beliefs are
disputed by historians) lived lives committed to celibacy
(which might explain why Mary, Martha, and Lazarus appear
to be bucking cultural norms and remaining unmarried), and
might also explain why the siblings, though identified by the
Lord as faithful followers, did not travel with Him and
instead remained in Bethany at their home, entertaining Him
when He came through their region.
It is well documented that Bethany contained a large

population of poor and needy--particular lepers, and there is
some historical evidence that points to the existence of an
Essenes-run sick house there. It is possible, therefore, that
Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were serving the poor in Bethany
as hospital workers or aids as a part of their ascetic sect.
This theory seems to be supported in part in context--Mary
is berated for wasting costly oil that could have been used for
the poor, and Jesus tells Martha that, "the poor you will
always have with you, but you will not always have me,"
while Jesus teaches in the house and Martha tried to get
Mary to help her with her work in the kitchen.
64
Regardless of the historicity of this theory (and it is just that-
-a theory, one unverified within the Biblical text), we find
Jesus' interactions with this family in this very sad time both
familiar and warm. These people know Jesus, and Jesus
knows them. There is mutual love--genuine relationship
there. When Jesus discovers that Lazarus is sick, scripture
repeatedly tells us that Jesus loved this man and His sisters.
But, despite this, Jesus does not run off immediately to the
side of Lazarus--he waits:
_____
Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany,

the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary,
whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who
poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her
hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you
love is sick.”
4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end
in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be
glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her
sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was
sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he
said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
_____
65
Jesus waits for two days before setting out to Bethany.
Scripture tells us that the reason He did this was "for God's
Glory". How precisely this waiting period accomplished
God's Glory depends on your perspective and understanding
of many things--geography, Jewish mourning customs, and
even the exact timing of Lazarus's death. Regardless of the
"how" this benefitted God's Glory, we can, from the text
itself, determine the "why". This miracle--raising Lazarus
from the dead, is going to set into motion the eventual death,
burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. It was the
beginning of the end.
The danger this journey and public appearance to the life of

Jesus was not lost on the disciples:
_____
8 “But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there
tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”
9 Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight?
Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble, for they
see by this world’s light. 10 It is when a person walks at
night that they stumble, for they have no light.”
_____
The disciples recognized the danger--they were walking

directly into the line of fire and into the midst of the
Pharisees once more. Jesus tells His followers that, "anyone
who walks in the daytime will not stumble." Jesus, walking
faithfully in the Light of the Father's plan, likewise cannot
stumble, for He can see by the Light of God.
66
Jesus tries and tell the disciples what is about to happen, but
in their typical fashion, the disciples misunderstand. Jesus
clearly intends to brink the 'sleeping' Lazarus back from the
dead. The disciples, however, believe that Jesus is planning
to walk into His own death at the hands of these conspirators:
_____
11 After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our

friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to
wake him up.”
12 His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get
better.” 13 Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his
disciples thought he meant natural sleep.
14 So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, 15 and for
your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.
But let us go to him.”
16 Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of

the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
_____
The plan, then, is a simple one. Jesus will go to the 'sleeping'

Lazarus, raise Him up from the dead, and in so doing, the
Glory of God will be fulfilled. Not only that, but for the sake
of the disciples, Jesus is glad that God is commanding things
be done in this way, so that they can learn an important
lesson about death--that it is not a final destination, and that
the soul of man does not depart the control of the Son of
God--that Jesus Christ has power over death and the grave.
67
What we will see in the remaining parts of this story,
however, is that the Glory of God will be fulfilled in more
way than one through this miracle. That, even in the saddest
and most desperate moments of our lives, when all hope
seems lost, Jesus is a faithful High Priest, touched by our
hurts, and faithful to intercede on our behalf. In this story,
Jesus interceded in a very physical way--raising a dead man.
But, the more miraculous intercession was yet to come.
Jesus was going to intercede for our sinful souls and redeem
our spiritual condition, bringing us too from death unto life.
And the ball starts rolling right here, at the tomb of Lazarus,
where Jesus proves that He has the power over life and
death.
68
Hebrews 2- Sufficiency of
Christ
In Hebrews chapter 1 we read that God has spoken to us in
the last days by His Son, Jesus Christ--that Jesus Christ is,
therefore, the messenger of the 'last days'. Today, this
fundamental truth is expanded, and we will see the
sufficiency of Jesus Christ's message of salvation.
Christian cults, in order to establish themselves as the "one
true move of God" must undermine the sufficiency of Jesus
Christ and minimize the importance of His work on the
Cross in order to elevate themselves as necessary. In the
message taught by William Branham, this meant that
'believing upon the Lord, Jesus Christ' was NOT sufficient
for salvation, and that in order to be filled with the Holy
Spirit and saved a man or woman must first do a number of
works in order for God to deem them worthy of salvation.
William Branham explained it using his "steps to the new
birth" and "jar in the chicken yard". According to Branham,
step one is belief and faith (picking the dirty jar out of the
chicken yard), but then you must sanctify yourself--get rid of
cigarettes, stop drinking, stop even desiring sinful things
(clean out that jar). Then, you can be filled with the Holy
Spirit--but remember, that according to William Branham
you can have the Holy Spirit every single day of your life
and STILL go to hell. So what else is required?
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WORKS. You must DO something for God and be used of
Him in order to be absolutely sure that you're saved. From a
message position, this may mean ministry, a life of financial
giving, service to the local church, faithful attendance,
raising a big family in the message, handing out Voice of
God tracts, or listening to tapes, and of course rigid
adherence to Message standards. Basically, accepting and
living the 'message life' was the ONLY sure way of
guaranteeing a position in the Bride.
In this scheme Jesus Christ and His sacrifice consists of one
part of a four-part picture--sanctification is a work done by
man in order to merit the Holy Spirit, but even that is not
entirely 'freely given' is it? How many times did we kneel at
the alter and pray for hours on end for the Holy Spirit? How
many went back time and time again certain that their 'filling'
hadn't been sufficient? So we "wait upon the Lord", get right,
and pray up--doing all that we can in order to convince God
that we are worth His grace. We had to be SURE we had
repented of everything that might be hindering us, and we
had to be sure to keep a meek spirit, for the Holy Ghost was
a timid dove that would fly away when we grieved Him. And
of course, those not truly put to use are simply clean jars
filled with a drink and benefitting no one. If God doesn't
come down and take that jar and put it to work, why pick it
up in the first place? It might be clean and filled, but was
it redeemed?
Hebrews 2 paints us a very different picture about the Gospel
and about the sufficiency of Christ. Starting in verse 1:
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We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what
we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the
message spoken through angels was binding, and every
violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3
how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This
salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was
confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also
testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and
by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
And so, let's pay attention! We don't want to drift away, as so
many have and adopt something extra. Again, the writer of
Hebrews contrasts the Old Testament with the New in verses
2 and 3--on one hand, the messages delivered by 'angels' or
messengers was binding and violation was met with
punishment, and even more so is this true for those who
reject the Truth of Christ Jesus. And what is this Truth?
Verses 5 through 9:
5 It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come,
about which we are speaking. 6 But there is a place where
someone has testified: “What is mankind that you are
mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him? 7
You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned
them with glory and honor 8 and put everything under their
feet.” In putting everything under them, God left nothing
that is not subject to them. Yet at present we do not see
everything subject to them. 9 But we do see Jesus, who was
made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned
with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by
the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
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God's plan all along was to place the world and all it
contains--physically, spiritually, and otherwise under the
control and subjection of Man. It was true in the beginning,
and even after the Fall it was God's intention to restore it to
the way it was. It is true that we don't currently have
complete control over all things in the earth, but this is
because we are a fallen creation, and we cannot nor will we
ever measure up. But the Gospel--the Good News is that we
do not have to! Regardless of our shortcomings, there is One
that DID overcome--there is One that was crowned with
glory and honor because he suffered death as a completely
innocent man--paying the infinite penalty for sins He never
committed so that He might taste death for us all.
But even more than this, Christ's sacrifice did something else
profound:
Verses 10-13:
10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was
fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything
exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect
through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes
people holy and those who are made holy are of the same
family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and
sisters. 12 He says, “I will declare your name to my
brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your
praises.” 13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And
again he says, “Here am I, and the children God has given
me.”
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Verse 10 tells us that Jesus Christ pioneered the perfection of
salvation through His suffering, and in verse 11 we find that
those for whom Christ died are made HOLY. Not that
Christ's sacrifice causes people to want to be holy, or causes
them to strive for holiness, or that Christ's sacrifice enabled
them to become holy--no. Christ's sacrifice MAKES
PEOPLE HOLY! It makes sons and daughters of the same
family as Christ, and it makes us perfectly redeemed before a
Holy Father, true sons and daughters. No further work
necessary, no maintenance of a holiness code needed, and no
begging and pleading at the alter required. We WERE made
perfect in Christ through His suffering--the debt is paid, and
we are holy in Christ Jesus!
As if this is not enough--being made holy, redeemed, and
freely restored as a son or daughter of God through Christ,
the rest of the chapters tell us that Christ is unfathomably
more. Not only does Jesus Christ and His death make us holy
before God and restore us as sons and daughters, He also
overcomes MORE!
Death is overcome. Sin is overcome. Now listen to what else
Christ has done for us:
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14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared
in their humanity so that by his death he might break the
power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the
devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in
slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels
he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason
he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in
order that he might become a merciful and faithful high
priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement
for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered
when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are
being tempted.
Jesus broke the power of the devil and freed us from the fear
of death. Sure, we may die in this earth, but Christ proved
that we will rise again--that there is more, and that our final
breaths are not the end. We don't have to live in fear of
missing something in this life, for Jesus Christ destroyed the
fear that grips man. When we truly come to appreciate what
Jesus Christ did for us we can approach death with boldness,
knowing that if we lose our lives here it is not the end--that
there is a place prepared for us in the Father's house.
Not only this, but Jesus does not leave us comfortless. He has
become a 'high priest' to us, and he is faithfully sitting and
making atonement for us forever. His sacrifice was
completely sufficient, and He is constantly ready to apply
that sacrifice to us afresh every single minute of every single
day. He does not grow weak, but is faithful to atone for the
sins of the people.
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Jesus knows what it is to be tempted, and He knows what it
takes to overcome. Are we always going to be overcomers in
our flesh--within ourselves and through our efforts?
Absolutely not. If we're truly honest with ourselves, we all
sin and fall short of the glory of God every single day. There
are days we will win the battle, and there are days we will
lose the battle. But we can rest assured of one thing--the war
over sin is already won! Jesus Christ was victorious, and it is
through His victory that we too are more than overcomers.
We don't just overcome sin; we are completely without sin--
we are holy. And not because we did something, or were
good enough believers, or 'prayed up'. WE are overcomers
and we are holy because Jesus Christ is, and by faith we can
partake of what He alone was able to accomplish.
_____
In summary, the Truth of Christ is so much more than we
ever imagined while sitting in a legalistic, works-based
system. The Gospel is far more than a list of steps we must
take or an incantation or prayer to recite. The Gospel is Jesus
Christ and He alone, accomplishing BY Himself
righteousness. It is the loving Father sending His most
beloved Son in order to redeem the unworthy and unholy in
order to elevate the lowly as sons and daughters, holy in
every way. It is a faithfulness to continue atoning for the sins
of man, and it is a promise to help us overcome our fears and
shortcomings from a place of understanding.
In short, the Gospel is Jesus Christ and Him alone.
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I'm astounded at times how clearly this Truth is spelled out
in scripture and how I overlooked it for so long. But by
God's grace, I see it now. I take Hebrews 2:1-4 seriously, and
have purposed in my heart and mind to not forget. The
Gospel is not about me. It's not about what I gain and what I
can now do and what I should now not do. It's not about how
to properly dress, what we should eat and drink, or how we
can best show the world and the Lord our commitment to
righteous living. The Good News is that God sent His Son to
die for us, and that by doing this, we are holy. All scripture
leading up to Christ's birth was given to point forward to
Him, and all scripture given after was given to point us back
to Him.
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Raising Lazarus from the Dead-
Part 2 John 11-17-44
"The Resurrection and the Life"
Previously we established that all that was to transpire at the

tomb of Lazarus was going to be done for the Glory of God--
and that included the condemnation from the Pharisees that
would follow, which was ultimately going to lead to the
Crucifixion.
Today, we will see Jesus, coming to raise Lazarus and
interacting with his sisters, showing very real emotions at
their sorrow over losing their brother, and the ultimate
miracle--the raising of a dead man back to life. It would be
easy (and understandable!) to become awed by the
miraculous and forget to examine the events leading to it--all
of which are included in the Word of God for our benefit.
____
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been
in the tomb for four days. 18 Now Bethany was less than two
miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to
Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out
to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my
brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now
God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the
resurrection at the last day.”
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25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The
one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26
and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you
believe this?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the
Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
____
Martha is often painted as the less devout of the two sisters,
but as this portion of scripture indicates, Martha really did
believe that Jesus Christ was Lord. She believed that He was
full of power, and had faith in Him. What we often interpret
as a lack of commitment was actually just a difference in
personality--something that Jesus never rebukes Martha for--
she was created the way she was, and even though her
relationship with the Lord is different doesn't mean that it is
any less valuable and sincere. She was obviously different
than her sister and needed to be taught different lessons--but
we never hear a bad thing spoken of the woman--she was
constantly making herself of service.
We see Martha several times throughout scripture and in all

of them Martha is actively engaged in work. Here, we see her
meeting the Lord to greet Him as He approached, then
turning around and fetching Mary, before once more going
out to meet Jesus. In Luke 10:38-42, Martha is busy, running
around distracted with preparations for the company (and
quite possibly the poorhouse that she and her siblings may
have been involved with). Later in the Gospel of John we
will see Martha at work again--this time, serving a meal in
Jesus' honor.
Moving forward in the story, we can see Mary's relationship

with Jesus Christ highlighted--it is certainly different, and the
contrast is an edifying thing to study:
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____
28 After she had said this, she went back and called her sister
Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking
for you.” 29 When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and
went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet entered the village,
but was still at the place where Martha had met him. 31
When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house,
comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went
out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb
to mourn there.
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw
him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here,
my brother would not have died.”
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had
come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in
spirit and troubled. 34 “Where have you laid him?” he asked.
“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
____
Where Martha comes in full composure, declaring what she
knows to be the truth, Mary comes distraught, weeping. It is
very interesting, though that each woman declares to Jesus
the same revelation of His power--that He could have
prevented the death of their brother.
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The sight of Mary's tears, however has an effect on our Lord
beyond that Martha's composed conversation--Jesus is
moved in the spirit and troubled by her profound feelings, so
much so that He weeps. He is truly a High Priest that is
moved by our emotions and can fully empathize with our
sufferings (Hebrews 4:15). Mary's emotion is not a
weakness, nor is Martha's lack of it a weakness--but we see
Christ willing and able to answer us according to our need.
For Martha, it was a teaching moment, and for Mary is was
reassurance that He was sympathetic to her trials.
We aren't told specifically why is was the Jesus wept, but we

do get to see the Jews' reaction to it, and Christ's actions
upon arriving at the tomb of Lazarus:
_____
36 Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”
37 But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the
eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was
a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away
the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this
time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe,
you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and
said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew
that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the
people standing here, that they may believe that you sent
me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice,
“Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands
and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his
face.
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Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him
go.”
_____
The Jews see Jesus crying and automatically assume that He
does so out of grief at the loss of Lazarus. That may very
well have been the reason--Jesus was, after all, fully man and
was deeply concerned for this family that he counted among
his friends.
But perhaps--just maybe, Jesus's weeping was not for
Lazarus. After all, He knew that Lazarus was dead well
before this. He arrived and greeted Martha, discussed the
death of Lazarus with her, and even declared His intent to
raise Lazarus from the dead! It wasn't until he saw Mary,
weeping and mourning the loss of her beloved brother that
Jesus wept. Maybe, this weeping was not tears of sorrow, but
of empathy.
If indeed that is the case, how truly blessed we are! Not only
does our Lord know our struggles, He is compassionate
enough to experience them fully as we do. As He approaches
the Father on our behalf then, He comes to Him in the same
condition we are. If we are filled with grief and sincerely,
humbly confess our sins to Him, Jesus Christ likewise goes
to the Father with a heavy heart full of grief, and full of
sincerity. How could our requests ever be ignored with so
righteous a petitioner pleading our case? How could our
Heavenly Father behold His Son, who is in every way
worthy, and deny Him forgiveness for sins to which he
comes humbly to confess and repent of on our behalf?
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Jesus comes to the tomb, and commands the tombstone be
rolled away. Martha (always the practical one!) points out
that the tomb will surely smell for the body had been
decaying four days. Jesus does not scold her, but gently
encourages her to have faith, for He is about to do a
marvelous and glorious work.
The stone is removed, and Jesus prays, "Father, I thank you

that you have heard me." Jesus may have meant His previous
statements declaring His intentions to raise Lazarus. He may
have meant simply His unspoken prayers during this ordeal.
He may have meant that the Father heard His cries and His
heart's desire to have Lazarus alive once more. He then says,
for the express benefit of the congregants that this is being
done so that, "they may believe," that Jesus was sent by the
Father.
In a loud voice, Jesus calls for Lazarus.
Out of the grave he comes, still wrapped in grave clothes! I

dead and decaying man, raised from the dead.
From this moment on, Jesus's message is clear and the path is
cleared to the Cross. The hearts of his accusers are hardened
against Him so thoroughly that even seeing His power
displayed in this way is not enough, and it does nothing but
cause them to grow more determined against Him.
It will not be long and the culmination of Jesus Christ's

earthly ministry--the death, burial, and resurrection of the
Messiah will take place. But before it does, Jesus has a few
more things He wants His disciples to know.
Stay Tuned.
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Hebrews 3- Greater Than
Moses
Continuing with our study in the book of Hebrews, we find
in Chapter 3 a shift in focus. In Chapters 1 and 2 we have a
thorough argument as to who Jesus Christ is, and why He is
worthy of our worship and reverence moving forward. Now,
the author is going to take us backward and demonstrate
through the Old Testament Law the superiority of Christ and
the legitimacy of the New Covenant. But first, a call to
accept once and for all the absolute superiority of Christ
above ALL OTHERS--Including the Giver of the Law that
most of the remaining book will be discussing: Moses.
Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the

heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we
acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. 2 He was faithful
to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in
all God’s house. 3 Jesus has been found worthy of greater
honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater
honor than the house itself. 4 For every house is built by
someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 “Moses was
faithful as a servant in all God’s house,” bearing witness to
what would be spoken by God in the future. 6 But Christ is
faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house,
if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in
which we glory.
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Truly, Moses is presented as a mere servant of Jesus Christ--
the Son who rules over the House of God--the body of
believers. Thus the author of Hebrews continues, reminding
the readers of the words of God found in Psalms 95:7-11,
which prophesied of the time when God would once more
speak directly to His people:
7 So, as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
during the time of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested and tried me,
though for forty years they saw what I did.
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger
‘They shall never enter my rest.’”
We are a blessed people to have received the promise of

God!
Indeed, God has spoken once more directly to Man by and

through Jesus Christ, and continues to do so by the Holy
Spirit which was sent to be a comforter and guide to us. Our
hearts too have been transformed from hearts of stone to
hearts of flesh, tender and willing to be led and molded by
the Lord in all humility. Our hearts, however can become
sinful if we allow ourselves to turn away from God and the
Truth of His Word. It is for this reason that we are positioned
into a body of believers that can share in Christ's promises
and can encourage one another to a higher walk with the
Lord:
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(verses 12-14)
12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a
sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.
13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called
“Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s
deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed
we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.
Verse 14 says that if we can "hold our original conviction

firmly to the end" it means that we have truly come to share
in Christ. Often, this is utilized in legalist systems to support
the idea that those who fail to live up to the rules of the
group are not really saved.
That teaching however, is nowhere supported by scripture,

and there are ample examples in scripture of the failings of
man being completely ineffective at disrupting the finished
work of Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17, "If anyone is in Christ,
he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!".
The work done by Christ cannot be undone, and those who
have truly surrendered the Lordship of their Life to Christ are
a new creation and the old is gone. There is no "old man" to
become once more, and thereby lose what was gained in
Christ. What Christ has given is a free gift--an irrevocable
one.
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The redeemed will not live in continual unrepentant sin (1
John 3:6), but we are fooling ourselves if we think for a
moment that any one of us is able to go without sinning ever.
Though we are new creations in Christ with hearts of flesh,
desiring to do good, we are weak; and as long as we are in a
body of flesh, we will be tempted by it. It is for this reason
that we needed a Savior to begin with, and for this reason
that we need Jesus Christ every single day of our lives in a
position to intercede on our behalf. We need His Holy Spirit
to lead and guide us, and we need a strong Help in a time of
trial.
Moving forward in the text, we find that if we are able to

"hold to our original conviction" it means that, just as the
Psalmist wrote in Psalms 95:7:
(verse 15)
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion.”
"Holding to our original conviction” then is very clearly a

matter of the heart, and a matter of constant and continual
surrender to God. It means that we do not rebel against His
authority in our lives and we do not harden our hearts against
Him. No matter where we are in our walk with the Lord, we
must all be willing to say, "I could be wrong." THAT is a
heart of flesh--a yielded and humble heart, listening for the
voice of the Lord.
The writer continues with the idea of this softened heart by

recalling the condition of the Jews in the wilderness under
Moses about whom Psalms 95 was referring when it says,
"as you did in the rebellion":
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(verses 16-19)
16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all
those Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And with whom was he
angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned,
whose bodies perished in the wilderness? 18 And to whom
did God swear that they would never enter his rest if not to
those who disobeyed? 19 So we see that they were not able to
enter, because of their unbelief.
So once again the point is clearly made that God desires a

surrendered heart. The people in the wilderness heard the
Word of the Lord, and disobeyed, sinning outright against
God's express instructions to them. It wasn't that they didn't
know better--they all knew what had been commanded them.
They didn't try and do the right thing and fail--in open
rebellion they disobeyed, knowing full well that they were
transgressing. It was a hardened heart--a heart intent upon
rebellion that without shame did exactly what they knew was
wrong--that was what separated them from the Lord.
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They did not believe that God was Who He said He was, and
they didn't truly believe that God was going to follow
through with His plan were they to transgress. It was not the
physical sin act in and of itself that separated--it was the
heart committed to wickedness that did. David sinned
repeatedly, but he had a heart that was tender. When
convicted of his transgression, David accepted that he was
entirely in the wrong. David, though clearly not an example
of exemplary life choices, is heralded as a man after God's
own heart--and the reason is clear! David had a tender heart.
He wasn't perfect, but he was sincere. There was not a fleck
of rebellion in him. He absolutely gave into temptation of the
flesh over and over again. But never once did David choose
to reject God's authority in his life.
___
Chapter 3 begins by explaining to us that Jesus Christ is

superior to even Moses. It then emphasizes how at one time,
God did not operate at a personal level because of the
hardness of men's hearts--the concepts presented in Hebrew
1:1 being reinforced once more with a slightly different
emphasis. By reading through Psalms 95 we get to see the
Old Testament principle brought forward and applied to
believers of Christ. In this instance, rebellion against God
vs. surrender to His will in our lives is contrasted, the former
discouraged and the latter praised! And finally, the chapter
concludes with a fundamental truth--that what separates us
from God is unbelief in His divine promises.
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It is a beautiful thing to study the scripture like this--one
verse at a time, one chapter at a time, in order and in context.
There are topics that I've found repeated throughout the
Bible that get very little attention in legalistic teachings--
such as the sufficiency of Christ alone and the truly effective
nature of His sacrifice for us. Taken out of context, these
things can be minimized, but when we study the Bible daily--
really immersing ourselves in it and committing ourselves to
understanding it the Truth becomes so clear. Things that are
overemphasized in the message suddenly take on a more
balanced place in our lives, and we can really start to
embrace the Gospel in its simplicity.
I'm going to continue going through the book of Hebrews
one chapter at a time, and I sincerely hope you too read and
study the text, allowing God to speak to you through it.
Please share your thoughts concerning Hebrews chapter 3! I
would love to hear what this passage means to you, too.
God Bless!
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With A Cheerful Heart
John 12:1-7
The Gospel of John begins the account of Jesus Christ's

crucifixion in chapter 12 with a scene that many of us are
familiar with--a woman breaking a jar of expensive perfume
over Jesus's feet, wiping and cleaning them with her hair. In
Jewish custom, it was a great honor to be anointed with oil at
a party--it symbolized that you were the honored guest, and
all who attended the party and came in contact with you
would know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you were being
honored by the aroma from your anointing.
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where
Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here
a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while
Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3
Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive
perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with
her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the
perfume.
Unsurprisingly, after this wonderful act of devotion to the
Lord, Judas Iscariot objected:
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to
betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and
the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.”
6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but
because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used
to help himself to what was put into it.
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It is amazing that Jesus permitted someone who He knew
was going to betray Him, and who was stealing from the
disciples to participate in ministry and to have the kind of
responsibility that he did as the money keeper. Surely, if
anyone knew that Judas was stealing from the money bag it
would have been Jesus Christ. Yet, instead of outing him and
expelling him from the group, God permitted Judas to remain
in the Twelve in order to fulfill His ultimate plan. Even
though repeatedly Judas's true nature manifested itself
through his words and actions, Jesus does not turn him out
If Judas had not been included in the Twelve, God's Will
would have still been manifested, and Christ would have still
died in order to save the world from its sinful condition. But,
someone else would have ultimately needed to betray Him.
One of the other Disciples would have needed their eyes
blinded to the Truth so thoroughly that they could have
committed the kind of evil that Judas did--in order to fulfill
prophesy; in order to fulfill what ultimately must be done for
the benefit of all.
The Bible doesn't give us a clear explanation as to why Judas
Iscariot was chosen to fulfill the betrayal. It doesn't explain
why he was initially included in the Twelve and why he was
permitted to remain. It doesn't explain why Jesus allowed
him to handle the money being the untrustworthy character
his name is synonymous with even to this day. But, I imagine
that it was done to fulfill God's perfect plan.
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Sometimes it is difficult to see God's hand in the unfolding
of our lives. Sometimes, bad things happen to us and evil
prospers and it is hard to wrap our minds around why. This is
especially true for those of us who have suffered
tremendously in our lives at the hands of religious people,
religious institutions, and religious zeal in general. Our
minds try to rationalize what seems irrational--how can a
God look down upon my suffering and do nothing about it?
Why do the wicked prosper, while the sincere and innocent
get crushed at the hands of their oppressors?
I wish I had an answer.
But, I believe that God does in fact have a plan to make
beauty from the ashes. Even in this moment in scripture--
Judas is speaking from the wickedness of his heart about the
material value of this oil, attempting to sell his selfish pursuit
of personal gain as a concern for the poor. But, Jesus takes
the opportunity to answer this naysayer and teach us
profound spiritual truths:
7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she
should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will
always have the poor among you, but you will not always
have me.”
Jesus praises the action--in all its extravagance as an act of
love and devotion to Himself. Mary anointed Jesus for His
burial, which He reminds the disciples once more is swiftly
approaching.
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It seems very strange that Jesus would state in so absolute
terms that we will 'always have the poor' in verse 8--
certainly, it would be Christ's plan to eliminate suffering!
Certainly, as the savior of the World, He would want His
people to eliminate inequality above all else. But we see here
that Jesus knows that poor will always remain upon the
earth--that though we do get the sense that this isn't the 'ideal'
it is an unavoidable truth. Why is that?
I have a few possible explanations. First, that man's nature
does not change. Just as Judas in this very passage spoke of
doing things for the poor but in reality sought personal gain,
there will always be those that seek to selfishly benefit from
the goodwill of others. Charity scandals are still occurring to
this day--CEO's of non-profits make enormous salaries off
donations given in sincerity to help the hurting; 'trustees'
skim from the top of offering plates, and distribution of
goods and services for the poor are based on factors outside
of need--who knows who, what color/ethnicity/gender/social
position is the recipient, etc. Where there is the wickedness
of man there is prejudice and inequity--where those remain,
there will be some who suffer.
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Second, there are, and will always be illness, natural
disasters, and other things that can destroy the stability of
any of us at any time. We cannot fully eliminate the poor in
any society because we cannot prevent the occurrence of
these things. There are times when, for no fault of their own
people find themselves in desperate need.
We know Jesus had a heart for the sick and the needy. We
know that He did not promote the accumulation of personal
wealth for wealth's sake, and we know that He was
constantly telling those with much to generously give--in
some cases, to sell everything they owned and give it to the
poor. But, we see here what seems to be a contradictory
statement. Instead of giving to the poor--instead of using the
wealth this Spikenard could have yielded to feed the bellies
of the hungry, Jesus allows for the extravagant. He allows
(and honors) Mary for anointing Him in this way.
Perhaps, there is more to this than meets the eye. Maybe, in
addressing this extravagance in this way Jesus is teaching us
something not only about the reverence due to Himself, but
also about the plenty many of us in Western Society get to
enjoy on a daily basis. After all, the poor will always be with
us, He says. Why bring this up at all if the only point is that
the action is one of devotion to Christ?
Is it possible that Jesus was teaching stewardship is not
always radical giving? Is it possible Jesus was teaching us
that honoring God can look different depending upon the
individual?
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For me, this passage demonstrates that God calls us all
individually, and that we all have different things to do in our
lives for the Lord. Some are called, like the Rich Young
Ruler, most of the Twelve, and Paul the apostle to lives of
radial servitude following the Lord--a life devoid of personal
belongings and lives of constant and complete giving. But
some, like Mary, are called to different forms of stewardship.
Mary was honored as a woman who gave abundantly in
order to bless our Lord--but her giving looked completely
different than the others. Joseph of Arimathea is another case
in point. He maintained a wealthy household, and was known
as a rich man. He loved the Lord and is known for his
generosity, providing the Lord with a tomb at His death.
Very little else is known about the man from Scripture--but
he is described as an honorable man and a disciple of Jesus
Christ, and he did something generous and necessary. But,
his giving looks different than that of, say, the Apostle Paul.
The importance was never placed by Christ upon the
greatness of the sacrifice. Those who sacrifice more are not
counted more righteous in His sight--though are certainly
called blessed! The point then is not to give the most--but to
always give. It's not to always give all we have to the poor--
but to give to the poor. It's not to always anoint Jesus Christ
with oil--but when the opportunity and the Spirit leads us to,
to do so with a cheerful heart.
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Mind Control
For those that don't believe the message taught by William
Branham and perpetuated worldwide in Message churches
constitutes mind control, consider the following:
The Message meets most if not all signs of a cult in every

single one of the definitions of a Cult, mind control group, or
brainwashing ideology available from reputable scholarly
and Christian apologetic sources. Let's take a look at one
today: the BITE model.
____
The BITE model of a Cult by Steven Hassan:
B-Behavior Control: Controls dress, diet, sleep deprivation

(church camp, anyone?), finances, leisure and entertainment,
permission required for big decisions, discouraged
individualism and self-expression, rigid rules and
regulations, values dependency and obedience over
independent thought and leadership skills.
I-Information Control: Deliberately withholds information

from new members and outsiders, minimize or discourage
access to anti-cult information and resources, limits contact
with former members, compartmentalize relationships:
"believers vs. unbelievers", extensive use of cult-generated
materials, using privately shared information in public
sermons.
T-Thought Control: Insist upon black and white thinking, use

of loaded language, teaching thought-stopping behaviors
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("put it on the shelf", anyone?), rejection of rational thought
and minimize value of education, labeling alternative beliefs
as illegitimate, evil, or corrupt.
E-Emotional Control: Manipulate and narrow the range of

acceptable feelings, some emotions discouraged as selfish or
evil, promote feelings of guilt or unworthiness as valuable
and desirable, instill fear of disapproval, shunning, and
losing one's salvation, name-calling, shunning, and forces
exclusion of ex-members. There's never a legitimate reason
to leave.
____
Judge for yourself honestly--Does the Message fit the BITE

model of a cult? Be honest with yourself. Don't allow
yourself to remain trapped in something harmful.
God Bless You, and keep Seeking the Truth!
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Long Services
The longest recorded sermon of William Branham available
at Voice of God recordings is "The Spoken Word is the
Original Seed". This sermon is 377 minutes (6 hours, 17
minutes). It was preached on a Sunday at the Branham
Tabernacle on March 18, 1962. The preaching was split into
two parts with approximately 90 minutes of intermission
between halves. Keep in mind though that this is only the
preaching. There was a song service, announcements, and
likely Sunday School prior to the recording of the morning
service, and likely some worship before the preaching of the
second half.
How many have attended longer? What's the longest you

have ever sat in church in a single service? In a single day?
I have personally attended a service that lasted from 6 PM

until approximately 2 AM, so about 8 hours. The morning of
that service there was an additional approximately three
hours. That was about 11 hours total within a 24-hour period
sitting in church.
Here's the even bigger question: what is the benefit of these

ridiculously long services?
Who does preaching in this kind of marathon actually

benefit?
98
John 12:9-11
The Cautionary Tale of the Chief Priests
After Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, and after He is

anointed with oil by Lazarus's sister, Mary the time had
come for Jesus to make his last journey into Jerusalem--His
triumphant arrival as the King of Israel. The Gospel of John
reports that the chief priests, who eventually turned our Lord
and Savior over to Roman authority as a criminal were
already making plans to have Jesus killed.
Interestingly though, the Gospel also accounts of the plan to

kill Lazarus as well:
____
9 Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was

there and came, not only because of him but also to see
Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 10 So the chief
priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, 11 for on account
of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and
believing in him.
____
It is not immediately clear why the chief priests wanted to

have Lazarus killed. We know that Jesus represented a
serious and direct threat to their position of authority as
leaders over the Jewish people and because of this it makes
sense that they would seek to kill Him. But Lazarus?
As far as we can tell, Lazarus was not an influential man. He
99
is not mentioned in the book of Acts or in the writings of
Paul or the other apostles as an important player in the
church after Christ's resurrection. We know that Lazarus and
his sisters were devout disciples of Christ, but for some
reason (which we've already contemplated in previous posts)
they did not travel with Him and instead remained at
Bethany. We have no reason to believe he was a rich man--it
certainly wasn't noted in scripture at any point.
Nevertheless, Lazarus elicited enough animosity from the

chief priests that they sought to kill him too, strictly because
of his testimony! Lazarus was only a threat because he knew
the Truth. He knew, probably better than anyone else on the
earth at the time that what Jesus Christ was claiming about
Himself was absolutely the Truth. Because of the man's
testimony, they sought to kill him--to kill any influence he
may have had over their congregations and they wanted to
kill the (probably small) sphere of influence he possessed.
How true is this even today? When those that have left the
message of William Branham begin speaking out against its
false teaching and false foundations message believers,
instead of addressing the issues being raised or disputing the
facts seek instead to kill the influence and reputation of those
speaking out. They are called names, false accusations are
made against them, and rumors are spread. When that doesn't
work other more sinister methods are employed until their
reputations are destroyed or they are unable to carry on
because of other pressures placed upon them.
But the bottom line is this: if the Jewish leadership had their
eyes truly set upon God and upon seeking out the Truth there
would have been no need to plot the deaths of Lazarus and
other early Christians. There would have been no desire to
100
falsely accuse Jesus. Instead, they would have done all in
their power to demonstrate His false teachings--to show that
what he was claiming was wrong scripturally. Their tactics to
subvert Jesus's ministry is very telling.
Isaiah 1:18 says, "Come now, let us reason together," says

the LORD." The context of this verse is a call for those that
follow and love the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to
come before the Lord and determine right and wrong--to
think over the things that they are doing, even the high
religious things that are done unto God. To take all of the
sacrifices, prayers, thoughts, and daily interactions with
others and determine he correct course. Not through blind
obedience to tradition or one man's instruction--but to lay out
the whole, and determine the right course of action from all
the available evidence--by the leadership of the Spirit of God
to find the Truth.
That is essentially what we all should do, is it not? Come to

the Lord in humility and find out the Truth for ourselves.
Otherwise, we are simply bringing the Lord our meaningless
offerings and though we be as outwardly perfect as the
priests were, our hearts can never truly please the Lord and
we will remain ineffectual in His Kingdom.
The next time we come across a challenge to our faith let us

not seek to kill the influence and testimony of the individuals
or group of individuals that are causing the unrest. Instead,
let us all humble ourselves and allow for the possibility that
we are wrong. By the leadership of the Holy Spirit, let's
prayerfully consider all things, treating nothing with undue
contempt before first testing it (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22). Let
us remember to build our house upon the solid rock of Truth-
-upon the solid rock that is Jesus Christ and His words
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(Matthew 7:24-27). In order to do that though we must we
willing to step outside of our comfort zones.
Message believers (and others as well): it is okay to be

wrong. It is okay to admit that you believed something that
wasn't true--we have all been there. It does hurt the pride of
man, but at the end of the day, it is better to face things head-
on and know for sure of where you stand than to continue in
uncertainty. It is better for your soul to humbly address
challenges to your faith than to crucify the Truth by
stubbornness and vanity.
Let's take the story of the chief priests throughout scripture

as a cautionary tale about the downfalls of religious zeal that
excludes the examination of opposition to one's beliefs. The
cost in the case of the chief priests was the death of their
Messiah at their own hands.
May we never be likewise guilty.
102
Voice of God Recordings
Contradictions
From themessage.com website FAQ's section:
"What is your statement of faith?
We would say that our "official" church doctrine would be

the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Our statement of faith
can be summarized like this: No creed but Christ; no law but
love; no book but the Bible."
From Joseph Branham's speech at the Russia Minister's

Meeting September 22, 2006 (as a representative of Voice of
God Recordings:
"You believe that. Is this Message you absolute? If this

Message is your absolute, then we can fellowship with one
another. If you have another absolute, if you take another
man's idea, another man's thought, his interpretation, then we
can't fellowship."
____
So which is it, Voice of God? Is the official church doctrine

the Bible alone and Christ alone as stated in the new
"outreach" website, or is it the message and William
Branham? What is Voice of God's standard for fellowship?
Is it possible Voice of God believes one thing but is

presenting something different in order to attract new
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unsuspecting followers? Why not state up-front that those
who don't accept the message of William Branham are not
welcome in fellowship?
____
1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we

have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His
Son cleanses us from all sin.
104
Voice of God Recordings
Contradictions (continued):
"I'm already a Christian. Does this information on this
website really matter to me?
Yes! Christians should believe all of God's Word; that's why

we go to church and read our Bibles. Why would you believe
the part of the Bible that says Jesus died for your sins, and
disregard how sin started in the Garden of Eden?"
(from the FAQS section of themessage.com)
____
"I have but one motive and one objective and that's to
promote Brother Branham and this Message."
(Joseph Branham, Russia Ministers Meeting Sept. 22, 2006)
____
Is this about the Bible and believing all it teaches--or is this

about promoting a man? Reading through the website, it is
clear that the end goal isn't to support Bible study for all
Christians to grow--this is about getting people to believe
"the message".
We already knew the motivation of Voice of God Recordings

was never to benefit the 'nominal Christians' or encourage all
to a higher Walk with the Lord. It has ALWAYS been about
promoting the man, William Branham.
105
But why obscure it to 'new recruits' in this outreach website?
106
From the FAQs page on
themessage.com
"Do you think I'm lost because I'm a Catholic or a member of
another denomination?
The Lord Jesus said, "Judge not, that ye be not judged." No

man has the authority to judge salvation. Jesus also said, "He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned." So it doesn't matter if you are
a Catholic, Baptist, or Pentecostal; if you believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ then you will be saved."
According to William Branham?
56-0715 The Mark Of The Beast, para. 154:

Now, let the Spirit of God come in, come through the hearing
of the Word. You heard it. That's the Bible. If you receive
the mark of the beast, you're lost forever. If you receive the
Seal of God you're sealed forever. And there's the two spirits
is working.
65-0120 - Lean Not Unto Thy Own Understanding , para. 82:

And that's what it is, exactly. Denominationalism absolutely
(I can prove it by the Bible) is the mark of the beast. "She
was a whore; she had prostitute daughters." And we know
that that is the Truth. Organized religion, it's contrary to the
Word, and it's antichrist in its principles. Not everything in
there is antichrist; but in its principles, it's system is
antichrist, because it's against the Word of God. Every
organized system is that way.
107
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages - Chapter Ten - A
Resume Of The Ages:
And that very same spirit and doctrine is right amongst all
Protestants and it is called DENOMINATION. Nicolaitanism
is organization, humanizing the leadership of the church, and
thereby deposing the Spirit. Balaamism is denominationalism
which takes the church manual instead of the Bible. And
right to this hour, many of God's people are caught in the
snare of denominationalism and God is crying to them,
"Come out of her My people, lest ye be partakers of her sins,
and that ye receive not her plagues." You see they are
ignorant. But if the rapture should take place at this moment,
ignorance would be no court of appeal from the judgment of
God for being in the wrong ranks.
64-0319 - Calling Jesus On The Scene, para. 195:

And the world go right on just the same, people preaching,
and people thinking they're getting saved, just exactly like
they did in the days of Noah, so forth. Noah entered in the
ark, and people went right on, and the world turning just the
same. Think of it! And, Eternally lost, thinking they're saved.
____
To summarize: William Branham CLEARLY teaches that

those in denominations CANNOT be saved unless they leave
the 'antichrist' system. Those who receive the mark of the
beast, he says, cannot be saved and are sealed to destruction.
Those outside of the 'ark of safety' cannot be saved--
ignorance is no excuse.
Therefore, the 'prophet' Voice of God is promoting teaches

very emphatically that being in a denomination or being a
108
Catholic does mean that you cannot be saved. It is only by
coming out of that system that they can be Bride and saved
as part of the elect.
Why does themessage.com say something contrary to what

William Branham taught?
Might it be another example of VoG watering things down in

order to gain followers?
109
Logically Flawed Arguments on
themessage.com
"I did some research and found a few websites that are
dedicated to refuting things that Reverend Branham said.
How do you answer them?
You will find websites dedicated to refuting anything and

everything, including the Bible. We simply ask that you
judge the Message we have presented to you by the Word of
God, and not by rhetoric that is so easy to find on the
internet. Remember, there is no one more slandered than the
Lord Jesus. If you are doing something right, then you can
expect criticism."
____
Here are some definitions so that we may properly examine

this explanation:
refuting: PROVING a statement of theory to be WRONG or

FALSE; to DISPROVE something.
rhetoric: The art of effective or PERSUASIVE SPEAKING

or WRITING, especially the use of figures of speech and
other compositional techniques.
slander: the action or crime of MAKING A FALSE

STATEMENT and DAMAGING someone's REPUTATION.
criticism: EXPRESSION OF DISAPPROVAL
110
____
Just for the fun of it, let's substitute the primary definitions of
these words and see if we can gain any clarity as to what
Voice of God's answer to this question:
"I did some research and found a few websites that are
dedicated to PROVING TO BE WRONG OR FALSE things
that Reverend Branham said. How do you answer them?
You will find websites dedicated to DISPROVING anything

and everything, including the Bible. We simply ask that you
judge the Message we have presented to you by the Word of
God, and not by PERSUASIVE SPEECH OR WRITING
that is so easy to find on the internet. Remember, there is no
one about whom more FALSE STATEMENTS and
REPUTATION DAMAGE has been attempted than the Lord
Jesus. Is you are doing something right, then you can expect
EXPRESSIONS OF DISAPPROVAL.
____
To summarize:
1) Websites that disprove William Branham should not be

considered since it is also possible to disprove the Bible.
(Logically invalid. If something is 'disproved' that means that
it is false. If the Bible is disproved, that means it is false. If
William Branham is disproved that means he is false. These
two things are independent and linking them in this way is
confusing and dishonest)
2) Listen to what we have to say and compare that to the
111
"Word of God", and don't listen to any persuasive speech or
writings on the internet. (Bare in mind, though that William
Branham's sermons are the "Spoken Word"--therefore, he
cannot possibly contradict the "Word of God".)
3) Keep in mind that Jesus was falsely accused and people

tried to damage his reputation. (Therefore, William Branham
is likewise being falsely accused just like Jesus. Again, a
logical fallacy. William Branham is not Jesus and the two
must be independently examined. It is unfair to judge them
together as a cohesive unit since they are two separate
entities).
4) Any time someone does something right, you can expect

people to express disapproval. So you can judge something is
right IF it is being disproved of. (A logical fallacy for sure. If
this were the case, every criminal ever accused of a crime
would be innocent.)
112
Voice of God Recordings -
Questioning The Bible
Voice of God Recordings - Questioning The Bible:
It appears branham.org has removed the publication

"Because He Said So" (Catch The Vision) after publishing an
article describing "those websites" who "question the Bible."
Is it because their website "questioned the Bible?
113
Letter to Joseph Branham:
I wrote this letter to Joseph Branham almost a year ago. To
date, I have received no reply--nor do I ever expect to.
Initially, I did receive an email from a Voice of God
employee stating that Joseph was, "deeply moved" by my
letter and wanted to have a phone conversation. I gave Voice
of God my contact information and the times that would be
best to call. Not once did I receive a call. When I sent a
follow-up email a few weeks later I received no reply--over
10 months later, I am still waiting.
Bottom line, there is no answer to give that would cast

William Branham in a good light. The recordings themselves
are enough to find him false. The issues with the message are
very real and substantial, and message believers deserve to
have answers to these questions--I deserve to have answers
to these questions.
I have answers now, and because of the answers I left the

message and haven't looked back.
I share this because I always intended to share it as well as

JB's reply--I even stated so in my letter. In the past year,
since no reply has been made, I felt it was time to share what
I asked.
What Voice of God and Joseph Branham couldn't or

wouldn't answer.
____
Brother Joseph,
114
For the sake of brevity I will get straight to the point. About
six months ago, my husband and I left the message. It wasn't
because we couldn't 'live the life' or because we wanted to
have freedom. On the contrary! The condemnation and hurt
that has resulted from this decision has been anything but
freeing physically and emotionally although I do admit I
have never felt more free spiritually.
At the urging of a friend, I write to you today for answers to

my core questions. You may ask yourself why you should
answer me. I'm a nobody, I'm not an important player in the
message, and I've never been a big donor to Voice of God
Recordings. But I know one thing is for certain I am very
important to the Lord Jesus, so important that he died on a
cross to save me from hell. I ask that you likewise find it in
your heart to think of me as Christ does his child, worth it all.
Luke 15:1-7 is Jesus' parable of the lost sheep, and tells of
how a Good Shepherd will leave the 99 to search for the one
lost sheep. If it is helpful, consider me like that lost sheep, in
need of a loving Shepherd to find me and bring me back into
the fold. To date, there has not been a single person show
any interest in doing so with any substantial effort. Perhaps
you will be different. I have many people who will be privy
to our correspondence that believe so.
My reasons for leaving the message boil down to three

things: prophesies that did not come to pass, teachings that
are extra-biblical, and inconsistencies in Brother Branham's
life story that draw into question his integrity as it relates to
every aspect of his ministry. To simplify, I am asking you to
answer one question related to each of my three core
problems with the message. They are as follows:
115
1) The Bridge Prophesy. Recently, Voice of God Recordings
has published a video of a gentlemen that I will not name at
this time who claims to have knowledge either second or
third-hand of men being buried in the pillars of the
Municipal Bridge. The problem I have with this explanation
is twofold. First, it does not align with what Brother
Branham said on the tapes happened to the 16 men. He says
they fell off the BRIDGE and landed in the WATER. Your
explanation is that they fell of the scaffolding before the
bridge was even completed and landed in cement. Even if I
was a message believer, this explanation would not pass the
'word test' since it does not line up with what Brother
Branham said. Secondly, there is no historical record of any
such event ever taking place men falling into the water or
concrete. The explanation has been given that the records
could have been lost, but it is verifiable that no newspaper
article for any day for the years that could have potentially
held this event were lost. They are all preserved though our
nation's archival system and are available for perusal for any
interested party. Additionally, there are Coast Guard Station
records, obituary records, engineering reports, etc. that list no
disaster of this magnitude taking place during the time of
construction. For a detailed analysis of the historical records
related to the Bridge construction, see the comprehensive
research done by searchingforvindication.com.
2) Extra-biblical teaching specifically, that the pyramids and

the zodiac were God's first bibles. Don't get me wrong I think
it is incredibly interesting to think about the symbology of
the zodiac as it relates to the Gospel and God's eternal plan
for salvation. It is intellectually stimulating and is very fun to
read about and hear. Likewise, the talk of pyramids,
capstones, etc is interesting. The idea that Enoch built the
116
pyramids is fascinating and makes the observable pyramids
of Egypt seem even more magnificent. But the fact remains it
is not in scripture. Enoch is NOT described as building the
pyramids, and divination and astrology and the study of it is
forbidden under the law (Deuteronomy 18:10-14, Isaiah
47:13-14) the New Testament warning against doctrines that
were not expressly written, genealogies, and fables (Titus
1:14, 2 Timothy 4:4). How am I supposed to accept the bible
plus extra-biblical teaching? The bible is completely
sufficient for ALL doctrine. What then, do we do with these
teachings with no root in scripture? Do we ignore
admonishing by Paul to reject fables and doctrines of men
and instead cling to the perfect Word found in canon?
3) Life story inconsistencies Particularly, the fact that

Brother Branham was NOT under the cloud in Arizona in
1963. Your brother-in-law, George Smith has acknowledged
this and given an explanation that he was under it in 'another
dimension' and not physically under it. Again, if I were a
message believer still this explanation would not pass the
'word test' for it directly contradicts what Brother Branham
said on the matter. Brother Branham said repeatedly that he
was under it when it appeared and the photos in Life
Magazine were taken. He states that the men that were with
him saw the cloud, and that the cloud appeared as the angels
were leaving. If George Smith is to be believed, the angel's
appearing caused the cloud and the cloud picture was taken a
week prior, and not as Brother Branham was standing under
it. There is no getting around the facts. The cloud appeared
on February 28, 1963 200 miles away from where Brother
Branham would hunt 8 days later. At the time Brother
Branham was in Texas. There is no way to make the facts of
the cloud and Brother Branham's account match up. In order
to explain, George Smith was required to contradict Brother
117
Branham. That calls into question everything related to this
event, including the opening of the seals. How does one
believe the message and, based upon the facts of this event,
effectively ignore Brother Branham's testimony in this regard
and continue to believe his testimony in other matters?
Brother Joseph, I don't write these things to try and stump

you. I write them because they have completely stumped me!
I am not a difficult person to appease. I am willing to change
my mind and come back to the message if I am found wrong.
What I can no longer do is believe something blindly
because it is convenient and the path or least resistance when
it comes to my friends and family still in the message. I want
the truth. Jesus said that we SHALL know the truth and the
truth SHALL make us free. I am holding to that promised
Word!
I will end with this. I have seen the explanations Voice of

God Recordings has put out regarding these things.
Particularly, a Catch the Vision newsletter devoted to
demonstrating 'mistakes' in the Bible in order to state that it
is okay to have perceived mistakes in the message. That
answer, to me, is entirely insufficient at this time. The Bible's
so-called mistakes are easily reconciled with scripture. It is
the perfect, flawless, Word of God. I don't expect the
message to be at the same degree of perfection, and I believe
that it is not. But repeatedly VoG has stated that it is in fact
infallible and as absolute and perfect as God's holy Word of
Scripture. I am not asking you, sir, who I know to be a busy
man, to answer these questions with similar encouragements
to 'only believe'. I need solid meat--answers to these
questions from the Word of God, so that I can be right before
the Lord if I am indeed wanting in some way.
118
I eagerly await your reply, as do the many I have taken the
liberty of copying this correspondence to.
Sincerely,
Kristi Gibson
119
Posted to the user posts on this
page:
...
It has been a while since I asked Voice of God Recordings

this question. Unfortunately, I have never received any
response. It's a subject that matters to me. So May the
administrator of this lovely blessed website allow me to post
this letter and may God children help me understand it.
Below is the copy of the e-mail.
Dear Bro Joseph Branham & Billy Paul,
I am sending this e-mail because as a black person I am

shocked, outraged and disappointed to see on how VGR is
racist and discriminating on promoting Brother Branham
teaching of segregation that strictly forbids interracial
marriage between a black person and a black human being
which is not scriptural.
I know you know all those sermons in which he shows how
racist and segregationist
Branham, 54-0103E
60-1113 CONDEMNATION.BY.REPRESENTATION
(Today, we have so much fussing and stewing about this
segregation of white and colored and everything)61-0411
BUT.IT.WASN'T.SO.FROM.THE.BEGINNING
64-0418B A.PARADOX
64-0830E QUESTIONS.AND.ANSWERS.4 (In this sermons
he's treating that of communist)
62-0319 THE.END.TIME.SIGN.SEED
And the list goes on. I say it's racist because the bible which
120
is the supreme authority does not forbid interracial marriage.
below is the list of some people who get married to other
race:
Joseph while in Egypt got married to an Egyptian. I was born

in The Democratic Republic of Congo which is in the
African Continent. So I have studied the African history
along with its various races including the one that is in
Egypt.
The Hebrews were forbidden to marry Canaanites and other

pagan peoples (see Exodus 34:11-16 and Deuteronomy 7:1-
3). The reason was because those people worshipped idols,
not because of race. In fact, the Hebrews, Amorites,
Canaanites, etc. were all racially similar.
Moses was married to an Ethiopian woman and was

criticized for it by his family:
Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the

Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a
Cushite woman.[3]
A Cushite is from Cush, a region south of Ethiopia, where

the people are known for their black skin. We know this
because of Jeremiah 13:23: "Can the Ethiopian [the same
Hebrew word translated "Cushite" in Numbers 12:1] change
his skin or the leopard his spots?""
In response to Miriam's criticism, God does not get angry at

Moses; he gets angry at Miriam. Then God strikes Miriam
with leprosy. Why? Consider this possibility. In God's anger
at Miriam, Moses' sister, God says in effect, "You like being
light-skinned Miriam? I'll make you light-skinned." So we
121
read, "When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold,
Miriam was leprous, like snow" (Num. 12:10)
God says not a critical word against Moses for marrying a

black Cushite woman.
In fact, there are no passages in the Bible that condemn or

even discourage biracial marriage.
We also have King Solomon whose wife was Black.
It's obvious that those teaching was inspired to William

Branham by his link and love to the KU KLUX KLAN . We
all know that William Branham had a soft spot for the KKK.
His first pastor, Roy Davis, was a well known member of the
KKK (I have official Documents of the KU KLUX KLAN to
prove it). And also with segregation as He was for
segregation. Unfortunately, he claimed that he could
prophecy but he couldn't see that The U.S. Supreme Court
overturned the Loving’s' convictions in a unanimous
decision (dated June 12, 1967), dismissing the
Commonwealth of Virginia's argument that a law forbidding
both white and black persons from marrying persons of
another race and providing identical penalties to white and
black violators could not be construed as racially
discriminatory. The court ruled that Virginia's anti-
miscegenation statute violated both the Due Process Clause
and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth
Amendment.
Chief Justice Earl Warren's opinion for the unanimous court
held that:
Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man,"

fundamental to our very existence and survival.... To deny
122
this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the
racial classifications embodied in these statutes,
classifications so directly subversive of the principle of
equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely
to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due
process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the
freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious
racial discrimination. Under our Constitution, the freedom to
marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the
individual and cannot be infringed by the State.
ã€€
William Branham also seems to have confused the KKK
with Freemasonry, and there is some speculation that the
KKK evolved out of the Masons.
We didn't even have food to eat, in the house, so how could

we pay a hospital bill, hundreds of dollars? But she, through
her church society and the Ku Klux Klan, paid the hospital
bill for me, Mason's. I can never forget them. See? No matter
what they do, or what, I still... there is something, and that
stays with me, see, what they did for me. And they paid the
bill to Doctor Reeder. He is still living, lives here in Port
Fulton, could tell you the story.
63-1110M - Souls That Are In Prison Now
Rev. William Marrion Branham
123
"I can never forget them. See? No matter what they do" that
quotes disappointed me as a black person and many African.
For your information I personally lost confidence to Voice of
God and Branham teaching. So is my brothers, my family
and so are many believers in Congo and in many African
Countries after reading this racist quotes. A lack of
confidence is growing in our hearts. Instead of condemning
the KKK as they kill black people. He didn't. Weird for a
man who pretend to be a prophet or messenger. I use the
term pretend because after research his major doctrine were
plagiarism of various author such as CLARENCE LARKINS
(the 7 church ages and so forth).
IT'S UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND AGAINST THE 14th

AMENDMENTS
I know you are aware how people reacted after watching

Donnie Reagan video on YouTube .Just type on YouTube: "
DONNIE REAGAN RACIST" it will show you that video.
I had to stop going to message churches when I moved here

in the US because of that. White people really have racist
attitude when I wanted to ask a white sister in Marriage.
No black people is happy with the KU KLUX KLAN even

though you have some black people in the message. Many
are still in the message because of the pastors’ doctrines of
that leaving the message means to go to hell. When I was in
Africa the quotes of Brother Branham defending the KU
KLUX KLAN where not available and was removed in the
translation because No African is happy to follow a man who
defends the KU KLUX KLAN.
124
With racism growing stronger in America ( Police killing
black people and not being held accountable, Fraternity
chanting racist songs and so forth along with the US
Attorney report on racial bias) and you promoting those
teachings, it's raising questions on the credibility of Voice of
God Recordings.
" A black man is happy in the state he is" said Branham and "
I have many precious color friends" .
Don't think black people are happy when we see that

Branham is calling MARTIN LUTHER KING Jr a
communist, Black people are not happy knowing that Bro.
Branham was defending the KU KLUX KLAN which kills
black people , we are not happy of those quotes. In Africa
people are leaving one by one the message because of that.
And with websites like www.seekyethetruth.com ,
www.believethesign.com and so many more showing how
cultist is the message people now take time to search the
scriptures and find out that they have the right to understand
for themselves.
I know you guys are white and will say that Joseph and Billy
Paul Branham are not racist and blah blah blah. that we have
many believers in Africa and have precious brothers of color.
Those kind of quotes are hurting, OFFENSIVE AND
RACIST. watch on YouTube how The Pastor DONNIE
REAGAN was qualified of racist. So will Voice of God be.
Let the number of people leaving the message make you
understand and get that. I know as you are white people the
US government will still allow you to spread those teaching
and lying on the media that RACISM AND BIAS are not
tolerated.
In closing I have some biblical verse I would like to share
125
with you to make you understand that the teaching of
forbidding interracial is not from God. IT'S
UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND AGAINST THE 14th
AMENDMENTS Section 1.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and

subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United
States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall
make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges
or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any
state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without
due process of law; nor deny to any person within its
jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
ã€€
GENESIS 41: 44-45 (Verse may very depending on
versions)
44 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I am Pharaoh, but without
your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt." 45
Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave
him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,[d] to be his
wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.
Number 12
Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of

his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 "Has the
Lord spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he
also spoken through us?" And the Lord heard this.
3 (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than
anyone else on the face of the earth.)
4 At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, "Come
out to the tent of meeting, all three of you." So the three of
them went out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of
cloud; he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned
Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, 6
126
he said, "Listen to my words:
"When there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions,
I speak to them in dreams.
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.
8 With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the Lord.
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?"
9 The anger of the Lord burned against them, and he left
them.
SONG OF SOLOMON 1
I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the

tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.
Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath
looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me;
they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own
vineyard have I not kept.
Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor
free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in
Christ Jesus.
ã€€
So as you see now that forbiding interracial marriage is not
found in the bible. read the following verse
Galatians 1: 8-9
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other

gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you,
let him be accursed.
127
As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any
other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be
accursed.
ã€€
God bless you
Bro Junior KANYINDA
Long Beach, California
128
Torturing Turtles for Fun:
One time me and my little brother, that's gone on... We were
out walking around in the woods, and we found an old
terrapin. I don't know whether you Texans know what a
terrapin is or not. And kinda walks funny. And we thought
that's the funniest looking thing that we'd ever seen. So I...
When we got up to him... He puts me just in the mind of a lot
of people that goes to a gospel meeting, as soon as
something's said they don't like, get up and go out, just while
the preaching's going on. Just like that old turtle pulled
hisself back in his own shell. Well, I said, "You know...
wonder how we could make him run again?" So I said, "Way
mama makes me run is by a switch." So I went and got a
switch, and I just poured it on him. It didn't do no good. You
can't do it that way. Certainly, you can't. So I thought around
a little while, and I said, "Well, there's a little creek running
right down there. He'll walk or I'll drowned him." And I took
him down there and stuck him down in the water. Just a few
bubbles come up and that was all there was to it. You...?...
make any difference. You can baptize them this way or that
way. Don't do no good. You can't get them to run for the
Lord like that. But you know what I did? I built up a little
fire and set the old boy on that; he really went running then.
What we need tonight is not a arguing on a little creed, but
what we need tonight is the Holy Ghost and fire...?... old
fashion powers of God to burn sin and selfishness, disrespect
for each other, burn it out of us with the love of God. That's
right.
58-0611 THIRSTING.FOR.LIFE
129
Hope's Nurse:
She motioned to the nurse. She took me by the hand, she
said, "Louise," we knew them all well. She said, "Louise,"
(Hale) she said, "I hope when you get married that you have
a husband like mine."
52-0720A - Life Story
And she said, "Come here, Hilda," it was a friend of hers.

And here's what made me feel. She said, "I hope when you
get married you have a husband like mine. "
My wife called her over. She said, "Juanita," said, "I hope
when you get married you have a husband like mine." Said,
"He's been so good to me," and she had her arm around me.
She called the nurse, Miss Cook. She said, "Come here." She
said, "Set down just a minute. I've just got a few minutes
left." And she was Hope's friend. And she was biting her lip.
She said, "When you get married, I hope you get a husband
like mine." And that... You know how it made me feel. She
said, "He's been good to me, and we've loved each other the
way we have." And said, "I hope you get a husband like
mine."
She said, "Come here," to the nurse. And she said, "Evelyn,"
she knew her, a schoolmate. Said, "If you ever get married, I
hope you have a husband like mine."
50-0820A - My Life Story
130
The nurse come in. And she said, "Nurse, come over." She
said, "I hope when you get married, you'll have a husband
like mine."
50-0200 - Here We Have No Continuing City
Where My Troubles Started

Where My Troubles Started:
"And right there, the sorrows started. Immediately after that,

my father died. My brother was killed a few nights later from
that. I almost lost my own... I lost my father, my brother, my
wife, my baby, and my sister-in-law, and almost my own life
within about six month's time. And just started going down.
My church, pretty near everything went down, down, down.
Hope taken sick. Just right after that, the 1937 flood come
on."
Branham, 51-0415A - Life Story
131
Bible verses about pride:
Proverbs 11:2:
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble
is wisdom.
Proverbs 16:5:
Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the
Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 16:18:
Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a
fall.
Galatians 6:3:
For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he
deceives himself.
James 4:6:
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the
proud, but gives grace to the humble."
Jeremiah 9:23:
Thus says the Lord: "Let not the wise man boast in his
wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the
rich man boast in his riches,
132
Scripture Warns of False
Prophets:
1 John 4:1:
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see
whether they are from God, for many false prophets have
gone out into the world.
2 Peter 2:1:
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there
will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in
destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought
them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.
Matthew 24:24:
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's
clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves."
2 Corinthians 11:13-15:
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen,
disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder,
for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is
no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as
servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their
deeds.
133
The Intersection of William
Branham and Jim Jones
by John Collins and Peter M. Duyzer
When Jim Jones needed a headline act for the opening of

Peoples Temple in Indianapolis, Indiana, who better would
fill the bill than William Branham.
Rev. Branham, a healing evangelist from the 1940's through

1960's, was credited by some for starting the "Latter Rain"
and "Word Faith" movements as well as other fringe groups.
In March 1956, when Branham announced a new campaign
to be held for four days in June that year, Jones promoted the
event through the Herald of Faith newsletter, the Open Door
newsletter, local newspapers and mailing lists. The strategy
was successful: Branham's name attracted some eleven
thousand people to the Cadle Tabernacle, and the evangelist
performed numerous miracles through his alleged gift of
discernment which facilitated healing the sick. In the months
to follow, Jones too, became a familiar name within the
Healing Revival Movement for possessing the same
supernatural gifts.
Jones, like Branham, claimed to be "The Word. The Spoken

Word. The Living Word." But while Jones and Branham
practiced similar gifts during their meetings, they did not
necessarily see eye to eye on things. In Jones' taped sermons
recovered by the FBI following the deaths in Jonestown, the
Temple leader alleged that Branham admitted to not
believing the Bible, and that he advised Jones not to preach
134
from it. In describing Branham's 1965 fatal car accident,
Jones scoffed at the evangelist's prediction that he would "be
around, while you [Jones] will be in trouble." Evangelists
like Branham were not truthful, Jones added, because the
Bible was "the greatest money train they've ever been on."
From 1960 until his death in 1965, Branham proclaimed that

1977 would be the year that the world would end, basing his
prophecy upon a disputed 1933 vision at the Branham
Tabernacle in Jeffersonville, Indiana. The truth of the
prophecy might have been limited to Jones himself.
On Memorial Day of 1977, when Jones and 600 of his

followers attended a large demonstration on the Golden Gate
Bridge to advocate for improved suicide-prevention
measures, the Temple leader confessed that he was in a
depressive state, which included suicidal tendencies.
"Suicide is a symptom of an uncaring society," Jones said. "I
have been in a suicidal mood myself today for perhaps the
first time in my life, so I have personal empathy for what we
are doing here today." It was one of Jones' final appearances
in the US before the mass emigration of 1000 Temple
members to Jonestown.
135
References
Branham, William, Making A Way, Audio, 56-0304,

Jeffersonville, IN. Branham, William, Condemnation By
representation, Audio, 60-1113 Jeffersonville, IN.
Branham, William, An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages
(Dallas, TX: Voice of Healing, 1975, 382 pages).
Duyzer, Peter M. Legend of the Fall (British Columbia,

Canada: Canbooks, March 3, 2014, 338 pages).
Reiterman, Tim and John Jacobs, Raven: The Untold Story

of Jim Jones and His People, (USA: Dutton Adult, 1982, 622
pages).
136
Hebrews 4 — Rest, Through
Salvation
Hebrews chapter 4 is a section committed to explaining the
Old Testament principle of Sabbath rest as it applies to the
New Covenant believers--those saved by Christ's sacrifice.
The first principle of Sabbath rest that must be established is
that 'rest' in the life of the Christian is very important to God-
-so important, that the author of Hebrews equates the
observance of 'rest' to faith:
Verses 1-3:
Therefore, since the promise of entering his rest still stands,
let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen
short of it. 2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed
to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no
value to them, because they did not share the faith of those
who obeyed. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest,
just as God has said,
"So I declared on oath in my anger,

'They shall never enter my rest.'"
And yet his works have been finished since the creation of
the world.
"The Message" bible translation (not to be confused with the

message of William Branham--this is a idiomatic translation
of the Bible in comtemporary language) makes these verses a
little bit easier to understand. Here's how it phrases verses 1-
3:
137
For as long, then, as that promise of resting in him pulls us
on to God's goal for us, we need to be careful that we're not
disqualified. We received the same promises as those people
in the wilderness, but the promises didn't do them a bit of
good because they didn't receive the promises with faith. If
we believe, though, we'll experience that state of resting. But
not if we don't have faith. Remember that God said,
Exasperated, I vowed,
"They'll never get where they're going,
never be able to sit down and rest."
It is ultimately by faith that we accept the rest of God--and if

we are unwilling to accept the true rest that is available and
promised to us through Jesus Christ, the question becomes,
"Where is our faith?"
In order to fully accept this rest that God has available to us

we must first come to an understanding about what God
means by 'rest'. Let's continue in Hebrews and see if we can
gain a better understanding about what resting in the Lord is
all about:
Verses 4-11
4 For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in
these words: "On the seventh day God rested from all his
works." 5 And again in the passage above he says, "They
shall never enter my rest."
6 Therefore since it still remains for some to enter that rest,

and since those who formerly had the good news proclaimed
to them did not go in because of their disobedience, 7 God
again set a certain day, calling it "Today." This he did when
a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage
138
already quoted:
"Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts."
8 For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have
spoken later about another day. 9 There remains, then, a
Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters
God's rest also rests from their works, just as God did from
his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest,
so that no one will perish by following their example of
disobedience.
So, to summarize: in the Old Testament, God commanded

the children of Israel to take a full day off every single week
from their labors. This day was the Sabbath, and it was
considered holy and consecrated unto God. This Sabbath day
was symbolic--it reminded the Israelites to take time and
commit it to spiritual things, but it also reminded them about
the promises of God--promises that He kept when he brought
them out of Egypt and into the promised land--promises that
the Israelites over and over could not believe.
Because of their disbelief in the promises of God to provide

them with true rest, throughout time man has failed to grasp
the true nature of rest in God. Thankfully, though, God is
longsuffering, and He will have His way! God has kept His
promise to provide rest for the soul to whomever will believe
upon Him, whenever they believe. Verse 7 says that God sets
a time calling it Today--that He is, in effect, constantly
drawing us to Him and giving us an opportunity to come into
rest NOW--Today. David knew this Truth, and said in his
Psalm, "Today, if you hear his voice and do not harden your
hearts..."
139
It was a continual promise that didn't have an expiration date.
All it takes is faith.
If the true rest that God intended to give the Israelites had
been the promised land, God would not have spoken about it
after they entered the land as if it was still something on the
horizon (verse 8)--but He did keep talking about it, and
commanded them to continue resting from their labors on the
Sabbath--to continue in faith waiting for the 'promised land'
and God's rest.
Verse 11 urges us to then continue seeking to enter into true

rest so that no one will perish by following the Israelites'
example of disobedience.
And what was their example? They were impatient, and they
did not believe that God was going to deliver them into the
promised land and into true rest.
We can do that too, spiritually. We can get so caught up in

our life's journey that we lose sight of its purpose. God leads
us into valleys, and He leads us up to mountain tops. There
are seasons of blessings and seasons of drought. It is not
difficult for us to forget that there is purpose to our lives'
trials. There will one day be an end to our worldly troubles,
and our worldly gains and losses will be rendered completely
insignificant.
If we maintain faith, though we will find rest in the promises

of God, and we won't become overwhelmed with our worldly
troubles, attempting to seek out our own path--a path of
disobedience to God's plan for our lives and His Word.
140
And now...one of the iconic verses William Branham used in
order to puff up his ministry--Hebrews 4:12. In context, it
becomes very clear that this verse has absolutely nothing to
do with 'discernment' or telling people trivial facts that
William Branham attempted to tie to this verse. Hebrews 4
thus far has demonstrated the promise of God to give us rest
and that this promise endures to this day. It established that
the 'rest' the Israelites had on Sabbath and the 'rest' they
gained when they entered the promised land were not the
ultimate goal--it was always about a spiritual rest and the
peace that comes from faith in the promises of God.
Now, verses 12 and 13--in this context:
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any
double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and
spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes
of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's
sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes
of him to whom we must give account.
The author first established that we are talking about the

attainment of rest by faith in God. He continues by saying,
"For the word of God is alive and active."
He is essentially says, "Let's be careful not to fall into

disobedience but to have faith." How is that going to be
accomplished? "For the word of God is alive and active..."!
The Word of God--Jesus Christ, the Word made Flesh, is

alive and active. The Word of God is sharp and can penetrate
any surface, even dividing the intentions of our hearts from
the longings of our souls, separating the two and revealing
the truth of our hearts. The Living Word of God is able to
141
judge our thoughts and attitudes, and make these judgments
known to us. Nothing remains hidden--but God, by His
Word, exposes it all and lays it bare.
God makes these judgments known to us in a number of

ways. By the Word of God found in the Bible we can read
Truth, and if we are humble and open to correction, be
molded and guided by it. We are led by the Spirit, and even
when we feel like we're in a fog and cannot see where we are
going, God can lead us with a 'still small voice' or a prick in
our hearts.
For what purpose does the Word of God reveal the secrets of
our hearts? Once again, it has nothing to do with a
demonstration of power or 'vindication'--verses 14-16 clearly
tell us the purpose of the Word of God's ability to uncover
the truth within the hearts of man:
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has

ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold
firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high
priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but
we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we
are yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God's throne
of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help us in our time of need.
Once again, we find that it all comes back to our personal

relationship with Jesus Christ. The Word of God reveals the
secrets of the heart for a purpose--and that purpose is to draw
us into closer fellowship with Jesus. He is our High Priest--
He never ceases to empathize with our weakness and help us
through our temptations and struggles, but we must come
before Him in both humility and in faith, and seek His mercy
142
and grace in our times of need.
Rest, then is something we have by faith. It is something

constantly available to us, and it is something we can attain
by having faith in the promises of God. Even when we have
doubts and struggles, God's Word is there, making known to
us our needs so that we can take them before the Throne of
God. Faith allows us to be at peace. When we have faith, we
can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are who God
says we are, and that God is able to do what He says He can.
We needn't fear that God is going to forsake us--Because His
Word promised that it would not! When we do have
struggles, we can by faith come to God with them and have
confidence that He will hear us and that He will help us.
That doesn't mean that everything in our lives is going to be

perfect. We are going to have trials. We are going to have
temptations. But at the end of the day, we can find rest
believing that God is in control. Though we suffer, by faith
we can trust that our suffering has an eternal purpose, for
God's Word has promised us this, and Jesus Christ affirmed
the promises of God to us by His death and resurrection on
the Cross. We can find rest for our souls for every area of our
lives by simply believing the promises of God. It was God's
intention all along--and thanks be to the Lord that we can
attain that ourselves through the finished work of Jesus
Christ!
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20TH CENTURY
CHARLATAN
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William Branham: 20th Century Charlatan
This book is an examination of the fundamental issues with

the Message of the Hour, the religious cult following of
William Branham.
Truth is a fixture, one that cannot be moved. Truth is based

upon facts, and facts are based upon solid information. Faith
in truth is incredibly easy — as more information presents
itself, there is an increase of facts that lie in favor of truth.
No matter which viewpoint is taken, if the information is
accurate, the end result of researching facts will end in
proving truth.
Facts themselves cannot change. They are the solid

foundation of truth. If one tries to hide the facts, then one
also hides the truth. If one tries to move or change a fact,
then one also moves or changes the truth.
When this becomes necessary for faith, then one's faith

cannot be considered faith in truth.
Kindle and paperback COMING SOON!!!!!
144
John 12:9-17
The Triumphant Entry
12 The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to
Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover
visitors 13 took palm branches and went down the road to
meet him. They shouted,
"Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of

the Lord! Hail to the King of Israel!"
14 Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the

prophecy that said: 15 "Don't be afraid, people of Jerusalem.
Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey's colt."
16 His disciples didn't understand at the time that this was a

fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his
glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that
these things had been written about him.
It was always amazing to me that the people in Christ's day

did not recognize that He was the fulfillment of prophesy
since His life so closely resembled those things that were
foretold in the Old Testament. As time goes on and I grow in
understanding of the Scriptures I am convinced that the lack
of understanding on the part of the people during Christ's
lifetime was not just understandable--it was fully justified.
This passage of scripture makes that very clear: the King of

Kings rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. True, there was a
large crowd that awaited His arrival and threw down their
coats and palm branches in His honor. But, there was no
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national homage paid. There was no recognition from the
congregation of Israel as a whole, and this large crowd, even
though they rejoiced to see Jesus entering the gates of
Jerusalem and knew Him to be the King of Israel and their
Lord did not recognize Him as the fulfillment of every
prophesy foretold concerning the Messiah.
And why? Because ultimately, Jesus Christ had yet to enter

into His glory. Until He died, rose, and ascended all of His
claims, all of the miracles, and all of His teachings, though
edifying and God-inspired, did not "vindicate" Him as the
Messiah. They were signs, true--and they were utilized to
catch the attention of the masses so that when the ultimate
purpose of Christ's coming--the crucifixion and resurrection
took place, there would remain no doubt in anyone's mind
about who He was.
In the Message, we were told to look to the signs William

Branham made to "vindicate" him as the last days
messenger. We were told that the Scriptures foretold of him,
and that we can trust his teachings (even when contrary to
scripture), trust his prophesies (even when they don't come to
pass), and trust his testimony (even when he's been proven to
lie) all because of the fact that "God said he would send a
prophet in these last days."
It takes a fundamental change in mindset to understand that

'signs' are NEVER given as the proof. Jesus Himself did not
command the people to look to His many signs, instead
teachings that an evil and adulterous generation seeks after
signs, but that the real 'vindication' is the resurrection of
Christ from the Grave. (Matthew 12:39, 1 Corinthians 1:22-
23).
146
Laying aside the controversial arguments against William
Branham as a trustworthy witness; laying aside all the proof
we have against the truth of the signs and wonders, if we take
only what the Bible tells us about these last days and
prophets we can swiftly come to the conclusion that he was
false. The argument against his claims can be summarized in
Hebrews 1:1-2:
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time

past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days
spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all
things, through whom also He made the worlds;
William Branham claimed that in order to attain salvation

and avoid tribulation and judgment we must believe his
message and follow him--the 'messenger of the hour'.
Scripture teaches us differently. Scripture teaches us that is it
God, speaking to us through His Son in these last days that
saves us and brings us the Words of Life.
It is right to be weary of false prophets--we were warned,

after all that they would come. It is right to test to see if a
prophet is false or not. And it is right to discard the false and
seek after the true in all things. From this false teaching
alone, we can lay aside William Branham and his message.
The Word teaches us one thing, and this man another. Let's
stay with the Word!
Those following Jesus did not recognize the fulfillment of

every prophesy during His lifetime. But I would like to
suggest that instead of that pointing to a deficit of faith or
diligence on their parts, it was the exact opposite. They didn't
recognize Jesus as the fulfillment of all during His time on
earth because He had not yet fulfilled all things. But, when
147
they saw the Truth made known in the resurrection, God
exchanged their hearts of stone for hearts of flesh, and they
tenderly accepted the Truth that Christ had brought to them
from His very birth onward.
This is why the simplicity of the Gospel is so very important.

Paul stresses that the Gospel is Jesus Christ and Him
crucified alone because ultimately, that alone is the sign--that
alone is the vindication. The rest was given to benefit us,
yes--but may we never be found guilty of seeking after a sign
instead of the Truth of the Gospel.
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William Branham - Before I Die
The reason I've always believed--before my class here--that
there was something, that I'd have a part before I die of
getting Israel back to the Lord, because when... The very
hour, by the Pan American chart, that Israel was declared a
nation for the first time for two thousand years since they'd
been scattered, not a people, it was that very same hour,
exactly to the hour, that the Angel of the Lord met me up
yonder and sent me to the--with the Gospel--the very same
thing: May the 7th, 1946.
Now, then another thing that gives me to know; it's restoring
the hearts of the children back to the fathers and the hearts of
the fathers to the children: the Message. Notice Malachi 4,
not 3, 4.
--61-0730M, Gabriel's Instructions To Daniel, Branham
Tabernacle, Jeffersonville, IN,
149
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150
John 12:17-28:
"All who want to serve Me must follow Me"
17 Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the
tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others
about it. 18 That was the reason so many went out to meet
him because they had heard about this miraculous sign. 19
Then the Pharisees said to each other, "There's nothing we
can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!"
As if to emphasize the point made in the previous post,

verses 17-19 tells us plainly: those that went out to meet
Jesus Christ did so because they had heard of the signs that
He was performing. It was the signs that drew the crowd--
and yet, they even while fulfilling prophesy, did not yet
recognize Him as the fulfillment. And why didn't they?
Because they had not yet witnessed the ultimate purpose of
Jesus's coming and had not received what He had come to
give them, which Jesus explains when some of the Greeks
that had seen the crowds asked to meet this Man who had
caused multitudes to declare Him King:
20 Some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem for the

Passover celebration 21 paid a visit to Philip, who was from
Bethsaida in Galilee. They said, "Sir, we want to meet
Jesus." 22 Philip told Andrew about it, and they went
together to ask Jesus.
23 Jesus replied, "Now the time has come for the Son of Man
to enter into his glory. 24 I tell you the truth, unless a kernel
of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But
its death will produce many new kernels a plentiful harvest
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of new lives. 25 Those who love their life in this world will
lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world
will keep it for eternity. 26 Anyone who wants to serve me
must follow me, because my servants must be where I am.
And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. 27 "Now
my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, 'Father, save me
from this hour'? But this is the very reason I came! 28 Father,
bring glory to your name."
We see Jesus in His final days not pointing the people

backwards to what God had done previously, and not asking
them to believe because of what He was capable of, but to
look forward to the time at hand--the swiftly approaching
day when the plan of God would be fully realized. In His
typical fashion, Jesus employs a parable, likening the
spiritual things about to take place to the physical world that
His audience readily understood:
"I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the
soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce
many new kernels--a plentiful harvest of new lives."
Jesus's death was necessary. No one could receive the New

Birth until He died--until He tasted death on our behalf. And
why? Because we had to attain the same position spiritually
that He held--perfect fellowship with the Father, and a heart
yielded to the will of God and spotless before Him. We
cannot attain this standing in and of ourselves. We cannot
live perfect lives, and we all, like sheep go astray and attempt
to follow our own paths (Isaiah 53:6). It took Jesus Christ
and the Power of God to change our hearts and soften them
towards Him. It took the pouring out of the Spirit of God
upon all flesh to give us the faith needed to live for the Lord.
It took the sacrifice of the spotless Lamb to cleanse us from
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our sins.
Jesus continues, teaching us in verses 25 and 26 what it
means to attain eternal life: it means counting as lost the
things of this World and instead focusing on the lasting and
eternal things of God, and second, to follow Jesus Christ. We
know what it means to count as lost the things of the World--
it means to be sacrificial, just as Jesus was sacrificial. It
means to arrange our affairs so that God's will be done in all
things, and it means storing up our 'treasures' in heaven;
putting our time and energy into Godly and worthwhile
causes instead of draining ourselves on things that have no
eternal value.
The second part of that, though--following Jesus is a little bit

more tricky to grasp. Does following Jesus mean that we
simply read and learn about Him, or is there more to it?
Following Him means going where he goes and doing what

He did. Not all of us will become martyrs, and not all of us
will wonder about praying for the sick and raising the dead
and speaking in parables.
Some of us will become teachers, and will share the Truth of

the Gospel with the world. Some will become parents, and
will raise up their children to honor God and to serve Him.
Some will become doctors and will do all they can to care for
people. Some will become drive through employees, and will
share the Gospel with their coworkers and be an example of
hard work and integrity that shows others the character of
Jesus.
Following Jesus is ultimately about the heart--yielding

ourselves entirely to the will of God for our lives, and
serving Him. God honors those who serve the Son in
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whatever capacity they do so.
Jesus did ask God to take the burden from Him of serving in
the capacity to which He was called--but Jesus recognized
that the Will of God needed doing, regardless of His will. We
too must walk that road, and come to a place where we can
say, "Not my will, but yours be done." When we have done
that, we too are following Jesus where He went. We too are
doing what Jesus is asking, and serving Him with our whole
heart.
For many of us, leaving the message of William Branham

was one time wherein we abandoned our will and followed
Jesus. It would have been far easier to stay put in the safe
and secure churches and communities that exist around the
message--but when we realized that God was calling us out
and revealing more of Himself to us, we could no longer stay
put.
I remember well the moment where I gave it up into God's

hands--I was praying over various things I was studying, and
I realized that until I gave it into the hands of God and
allowed Him room to move and change my heart, I was
going to remain stagnant and in spiritual turmoil. So I
prayed, and I told the Lord that He could have my theology
and change it, and make it whatever He desired. I wasn't
going to keep my sacred cows anymore, and I wasn't going
to cling to the things I thought I knew. I put my fear out on
the table, and I let Him have it all.
A year and a half later, I still believe that was my "garden of

Gethsemane" moment. That was one of the few times in my
life that following the Lord was desperately painful. Many
people have more of these moments than me, but thus far in
154
my life that was one of the major moments when I knew I
was starting on a path with the Lord that would be full of
trials--but I did it anyway. By God's Grace, despite all the
pain leaving the message, I am 100% sure that I did what
God wanted me to do, and He has been faithful with all that I
laid at His feet.
I say all of this for a purpose: Jesus alone died for our sins.
He alone is able to bare the weight of sin and come out
victorious over it, and in His infinite mercies has extended to
us the benefits of his victory over sin and death. God wants
us to follow Him, and He is able to use those that are yielded
fully to Him--but we must first understand that God's way is
not our way, and that His plans are not our plans. We, like
the Lord Jesus, must put our wills on the backburner and
allow the Will of God to rule in us.
155
John 12:28-36
"For Your Benefit"
After Jesus's triumphant entry, a group of Greeks came to the

house of Phillip and sought to see Jesus--possibly because
they had heard of his many signs and wonders; possibly
because of the greeting He received upon entering Jerusalem,
and maybe because of the many rumors that surrounded Him
as the Jewish Messiah. Either way, they came, and Jesus
used the opportunity to teach them about Heavenly things,
hoping to draw them to him.
He starts off in verses 23-28 by explaining to these Gentiles

what it means to be a follower of His--it means aligning your
will to the Will of God, dying to self, and being born again.
It means a change in perspective--but even more than that. It
means a complete change of heart--a willingness to forsake
the worldly things for the eternal things of God. In so doing,
we follow the path that Jesus trod and the example that He
set. We tenderly accept His will for our lives.
Just as these Greeks are learning of these weighty spiritual

truths, John tells us that a voice from heaven confirmed what
Jesus was teaching:
Then a voice spoke from heaven, saying, "I have already

brought glory to my name, and I will do so again." 29 When
the crowd heard the voice, some thought it was thunder,
while others declared an angel had spoken to him.
What an incredible thing to have occurred!
156
But Jesus, instead of pointing to this occurrence as some kind
of "proof" that He was the Messiah, Jesus instead points
(once again) to what is to come:
30 Then Jesus told them, "The voice was for your benefit,
not mine. 31 The time for judging this world has come, when
Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out. 32 And when I
am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself."
33 He said this to indicate how he was going to die.
The voice, then was an aid for their faith--but it was not what
Jesus wanted them (or us) to place our faith upon. Jesus was
still pointing everyone forward to the coming resurrection as
the thing to look for--the thing that was constantly being
indicated--constantly, and with every other sign being
pointed to and emphasized.
Like usual, though, the crowd did not understand. This time,
it was because they had a fundamental misunderstanding
about what the Messiah would do:
34 The crowd responded, "We understood from Scripture

that the Messiah would live forever. How can you say the
Son of Man will die? Just who is this Son of Man, anyway?"
35 Jesus replied, "My light will shine for you just a little
longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will
not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see
where they are going. 36 Put your trust in the light while
there is still time; then you will become children of the
light."
After saying these things, Jesus went away and was hidden
from them.
157
The truth was that Jesus Christ, the Messiah was not going to
live forever, but would be the master of death. They were
seeking after some eternal person who would continue on the
earth with them forever--but Jesus tells them the truth--that
He would not be staying forever, but would be leaving them.
That they needed to walk in the Light when they had it with
them, because there would be a time coming wherein the
Light would be removed, and they would need to continue in
the Light themselves--become children of the light.
Become children of God and be born of the Spirit.
___
As we lead up to the crucifixion of Christ, we continue to see

a number of things very clearly: First, that Jesus Christ came
for the purpose of dying and resurrecting to save us all. He
didn't come in order to do other things--those other things
were done so that we would believe what He ultimately did
at Calvary. Second, that God wants us to believe in Him and
yield our wills to Him. Jesus Christ as our example, this
means far more than paying lip service to a belief in the
Lord--this means a complete change of the heart. A full
surrender, that God can then use for His Glory.
And lastly, that even with all the signs and wonders, even
with all the voices from heaven and all the teachings and all
the prophesies, the Gospel remains incredibly simple: Jesus
Christ and Him crucified. That is all there is to it. If we can
truly understand firstly who Jesus Christ is, and second what
it is He accomplished on the Cross, we will have all the
knowledge that we need in order to serve Him in spirit and in
Truth. The rest--the signs, the wonders, the prophesies, are
158
given for our benefit. They are not the ultimate point and
they are not what we should be focusing on--they are given
so that we can have faith to accept the Truth of the
resurrection.
159
THE 1933 PROPHECY OF THE
1977 DOOMSDAY:
Does YOUR cult church tell you that Branham's 1977
doomsday was included in the 1933 prophecies? ... or do
they claim that the 1933 prophecies were "just predictions?"
Now, in 1933 when we were worshipping over here in the

Masonic temple where the Church of Christ stands today, on
one April morning before leaving home, I was dedicating my
a car (I got a '33 model car, and I was dedicating it to the
Lord's service.), and in a vision I saw the end time. Now,
notice how striking this is. Back yonder when I was just a
boy, and you can imagine what a 1933 model car looked like
now, what it looked like. And I went over there to the
Masonic temple where... Some of you old-timers in here
remembers; it's wrote down on an old paper at home. It's
already in print and went out around the world. See? That
was in 1933. And I predicted that there would be some great
tragedy happen to this United States before or by the year of
1977. How many remembers me saying that? Look at the
hands. Sure.
Now, watch. I predicted seven things was yet in the making

of the before this great consummation or great thing would
take place here in the United States some great horrible
thing.
Branham, 61-0806 - The Seventieth Week Of Daniel
160
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161
INCUBATOR PREACHER
CHICKENS
INCUBATOR PREACHER CHICKENS:
Seminary preacher reminds me of a incubator chicken. A

little incubator chicken just chirps, and chirps, and chirps,
and ain't got no mammy. He's mechanically turned out. Puts
me in a mind of a incubator preacher too. That's right.
Branham 50-0115 - Believest Thou This?
Stunning photo, isn't it? Branham proudly standing in front

of the International Bible College, founded by Leonard W
Coote
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Bible_College).
Now, the first meeting, when I come to San Antonio. I was

there, I think, with Brother Coote and the and the
International Bible School. And I forget the auditorium we
had the service in. And it was either my first night or second
night, I think the first night, when I was walking to the
platform, someone raised up in the building, way back in the
back, and spoke with tongues, like a a machine gun firing.
And he had no more than sat down, just a moment or two, till
one raised on the platform and give the interpretation.
63-1229E - Look Away To Jesus
162
William Branham's Cloud -
Seek The Truth
William Branham claimed to have had a vision describing
the need to travel west and meet with five angels. Five,
according to Branham, had a significant meaning in the
spiritual realm since the English word for "grace" had five
letters. So he travelled west.
But in later telling this spiritual event revolved around seven

angels, not five. And according to Branham, these seven
angels instructed him to return to Jeffersonville, Indiana, to
receive the "revelation of the seven seals." During the
meeting, Branham claimed that each of these seven angels
met him in his room each day, and that he knew absolutely
nothing about the sermon on the day prior. This description
of seven angels (not five) continued until a magazine article
describing a mysterious cloud was handed to him.
163
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164
ERRORS IN DISCERNMENT
ERRORS IN DISCERNMENT:
How many of your cult pastors told you, "It's never failed,
not even one time?" And after leaving, realized that they'd
never tested that statement, simply repeating Branham's own
words? How many more shocked when you found names he
missed, diseases he got wrong, likely from a "prayer card"
being out of order?
This one's for all those of you who suffered spiritual abuse
by a cult pastor paid small fortunes to simply study the
sermons and the scriptures yet chose to spend their time
hunting or frequenting the golf course.
165
One Prophet At A Time
One Prophet At A Time:
William Branham programmed his followers to look to

himself as a leader, claiming that "God only sent one prophet
on the scene at a time." Yet during the time of Babylonian
captivity, God's voice was speaking through multiple
prophets in both Babylon and Jerusalem. Daniel and Ezekiel
were speaking God's Voice to those in captivity while
Jeremiah, Obadiah, and Habakkuk were speaking God's
Voice to the Jews in Jerusalem.
Did William Branham purposefully lie? Did he simply not

care what the Bible contained? ... or was he paid millions by
unsuspecting crowds misled to believe he had read a Book he
had never read?
166
The Message and Christian
Patriarchy--Introduction to a
Series: Part 1
In the explosion following the revelation of scandal in the
Duggar family, I felt it might be time to address something
of an 'elephant in the room' amongst those who are out of the
message of William Branham and attempting to move on in
Christ.
When I first left the message, I still would have considered

myself a "Holiness Pentecostal" "Christian conservative",
and would have proudly labeled myself a "submissive wife"
and a "believer in traditional family values". Privately, I held
many of the same convictions that the Duggars do--including
the belief that God alone should decide family size and that
no unnatural measures to limit reproduction should be taken
by Christian couples (aka--no chemical or barrier birth
control). I believed strongly in homeschooling as the ONLY
right answer for Christian families, and I believed that the
only legitimate form of discipline is one based entirely upon
scripture, which translates into spankings and words of
admonition alone, and a rejection of child rearing practices
derived from scholarly or secular sources.
Not that, in and of themselves any of these labels or beliefs

are evil things or scripturally flawed. I had scriptural backing
and a wider community of Christians that shared these
convictions--so I felt justified, and to this day don't feel
people that uphold these convictions have ill intent when
167
executing them in their daily lives. Like myself and my
family, we were doing the best we knew how, seeking to
serve God to the best of our ability and understanding.
As time went on, however the Lord softened my heart to

those Christians that didn't believe things the way I did, and
with that softening came spiritual growth and a deeper
understanding of the Lord's will for my life and for the life of
my family as a unit--a Will that cannot be easily classified or
labeled with such terms anymore. It took a shift in mindset--a
departure from the rigidity taught in the message and an
understanding that 'traditional' doesn't always equal 'ideal'.
Now, I have changed quite a few of my beliefs, and have a
better understanding of what it means to be "led of the Spirit"
(John 16:13), to live in the freedom of Christ that He died to
provide us (Romans 8:1-4), and what it means to study and
test all things, holding on to what is good and discarding the
rest (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
But this series on Christian Patriarchy is not about my

beliefs, though I will often share what it is I believed and
what I now believe about the various topics I'll be presenting
for consideration. This is about the problems with the
ideology scripturally (for there are several), the problems
logically, the problems domestically within families that
prescribe to this mindset, and the problems on a much larger
scale for Christianity and for the world as a whole.
Stay Tuned for part 2 tomorrow: The Duggars (Christian

Patriarchy) vs. The Message of William Branham
168
Memorial Day
Memorial Day:
For all those who have paid the ultimate price on behalf of
this great nation, we honor you.
For Veterans and those who are currently serving in the US

Armed Forces, we thank you for your service and for the
sacrifices you make on a daily basis to keep our country safe
and free.
___
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his
life for his friends.
John 15:13
169
The Duggars (Christian
Patriarchy) vs. The Message of
William Branham (Part 2):
The intersection between the Christian Patriarchy movement
to which the Duggars prescribe and the message will be all
too familiar. Though the Duggars are pretty mainstream
doctrinally and align fairly consistently with Southern
Baptists and similar groups, the Duggars have a few more
peculiar doctrinal positions. Many of the things that make the
Duggars so iconic in American pop culture are things
William Branham also taught and message believers (MBs)
likewise hold to as absolute truth:
1) Both the Duggars and MBs believe that women and men
have distinct, non-intersecting roles and purposes in the plan
of God, in society, in church, in the family, and in a
marriage. Both believe that women should be at home with
their children and not working outside the home. They
believe that women should submit to the will of their
husbands in spiritual matters and to the authority of male
leadership in the church--even if their personal convictions
differ strongly with the men 'over' them. Both believe that
women should be the primary caregivers to children and men
should be responsible for finances, and that men have the
final authority on all family decisions.
In a marriage, this submission is even more pronounced.

Michelle Duggar has stated that she, as a wife should make
herself sexually available to her husband at any time he
170
desires, and that this is part of her duty as a wife. William
Branham, likewise taught that women are designed in order
to be available at all times as part of their flawed, Satanic
design (65-0221M, paragraphs 158-162).
2) Both the Duggars and MBs believe that women and men
should dress in traditionally gender-specific clothing. The
Duggars do not allow their daughters to wear pants or shorts-
-not even the youngest girls under 5 years old; Duggar boys
do not wear shorts. Anyone familiar with the message know
that this is practiced in the message as well and for the same
reasons: modesty, and gender specificity.
3) Both the Duggars and MBs believe that women should

have long hair and that this constitutes a 'covering', and that
men should have short hair. Though the Duggar girls are
allowed to cut and style their hair, they maintain hair below
their shoulders.
4) Both the Duggars and MBs eschew all things considered

'worldly'--which seems to be a matter of personal
interpretation for both. The Duggars over time have loosened
up on their standards of dress. At the beginning of their
show's airing, the Duggars wore exceptionally plain clothing
and little to no makeup; today, however it is clear they have
changed their convictions. The girls wear makeup; the styles
are much more modern. MBs likewise have a wide range of
interpretations on what it means to dress 'worldly'.
They also share a conviction against most forms of

entertainment--secular or modern style music, television or
movies, organized sports, and a plethora of other things
deemed 'worldly' by either parents or some other authority
(in the message, this could be the recordings of William
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Branham, a pastor, or a respected personality in the
message).
5) Both the Duggars and MBs believe that attaining higher

education is an unnecessary and foolish endeavor for a
Christian--effectively spiritualizing the simpler career
choices prevalent in both--manual labor, skilled labor and
other similar pursuits. Not to say these career choices aren't
good ones--but eliminating the possibility of other choices
can keep children that would otherwise be successful from
ever achieving their full potential. Some kids, after all, make
wonderful carpenters. Others should do accounting; and still
others should be rocket scientists.
I point all this out in order to show that the Message of

William Branham does indeed share many of the same
beliefs that the Duggars do--that the Message is, at its core, a
Christian Patriarchy group, and that in order to understand
the real issues with the Christian Patriarchy movement as ex-
message Christians we must examine what we believed and
may still believe. These similarities that I've pointed out may
seem shallow, but with further study we will hopefully begin
to see that these similarities point to more fundamental
correlations between the two movements--correlations that
should be examined by those of us seeking to move on and
discover the Truth of God's Word moving forward.
We must be willing, as we delve into complex topics, to

admit that we too were a part of this problem. For some of
us, admitting that there is a problem at all will take time,
prayer, and study. Just like we laid the issues with the
prophesies, life stories, erroneous doctrines, and twisted
scripture found in the message out before the Lord for
correction, we must also lay these doctrines out for
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examination and correction.
Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow: Sex Scandals and Christian

Patriarchy
173
Correction To Today's Post
Correction To Today's Post:
Thanks to those of you who contacted us regarding today's

post, "Sex Scandals and Christian Patriarchy Part 3." There
was an error in the post, and one of the names was incorrect
with regards to Gene and Leo's "Park" wherein children were
abused and molested by the elders of the commune William
Branham blessed and promoted. We try to give you the most
accurate information possible, and therefore have corrected
and reposted the article.
For those of you looking for information concerning the

sexual abuse in "The Park," you can read the transcripts on
the "Opinion" tab of the government document.
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Lee Vayle on the Bridge
Prophesy
For years, we have known that the 'official story' about the
Bridge Prophesy made by William Branham was false. After
the exhaustive research conducted by
searchingforvindication.com, we know beyond a shadow of a
doubt that the story told by William Branham was a wild
imagination--nothing even remotely similar occurred at the
Municipal Bridge in Jeffersonville. 16 men did not drown
during the construction. It simply did not happen.
Voice of God Recordings tried to sell us on the idea that the

men fell in a vat of concrete, getting the son of a mayor of
Jeffersonville to tell a third-hand account of an accident of
which there is no evidence. This explanation, even IF true
(which we are convinced is not) would make William
Branham a false prophet still, for the explanation doesn't
match what is said on recorded tapes.
One of the more interesting excuses/explanations we've been

able to locate is this one by Lee Vayle. He owns that the
Municipal Bridge in Jeff did not suffer such a tragedy during
construction and suggests that the "prophesy" was a "vision
of a past event"--the Big Bridge in Jeffersonville, where 16
men did die during construction....in 1890.
When your own followers cannot agree that the prophesies

are true, it's time to reevaluate. We urge all to read this,
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compare it to the recorded sermons, and then read over
searchingforvindication.com. It may lead you somewhere
you never expected to go, but Truth matters. Study it
through, and be willing to say, "I am wrong. I need to change
and follow Christ where He leads me."
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Sex Scandals and Christian
Patriarchy (Part 3)
The Duggar's scandal is unfortunately not uncommon
amongst Christian Patriarchy adherents. From Gene Goad
and Leo Mercier's infamous "Park" wherein Mercier tortured
children and sexually molested young boys to the countless
scandals that are prevalent in message churches throughout
the world, these things continue to happen with each new
generation. Innocent children are still being placed in harm's
way day after day after day; men and women raised in
"conservative Christian" homes are growing up to be
predators and deviants.
It's easy to pretend that Josh Duggar's crimes were unique--

but I have personally known at least two families wherein
similar things have taken place and have heard accounts of
many more. Only a cursory internet search will demonstrate
just how prevalent sexual violence and incest in the home is
amongst conservative Christians. The answer: far too
prevalent!
These things aren't happening in God-fearing homes as a

result of a learned behavior (generally speaking). For the
most part, any kind of sexual thought or behavior is
forbidden in conservative homes--and yet, this is STILL
happening. Having not been taught to do so, boys and girls
are experimenting with their sexuality in the most abnormal
and destructive of ways--by taking advantage of the weaker
and younger among them, or by experimenting with one
another incestuously or far too young.
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I don't say these things to shock--but I know that it is going
to be shocking to at least one someone reading this. Believe
me--even if you haven't personally witnessed these things or
heard of it first-hand, it HAS happened and is happening
currently. There are children in message churches that are
currently being abused, and there are families with William
Branham's portrait on the mantle addressing the same things
the Duggars are having to address with their family.
The fact that these things are so common in the Message and
in Christian Patriarchy on the whole should send up some red
flags. It is important, having identified the problem to trace it
back to the source. Though it is likely there are far more
scholarly studies available than what I'll be presenting, I am
hoping to present a few of the things I feel are the biggest
causes of such abuse in Christian Patriarchy specifically:
Sexual abuse happens in the Message and Christian

Patriarchy at large because:
1) There is a fundamental lack of equality between the sexes.

Men are seen as superior physically, spiritually, and within
society--women are seen as 'complimentary but weaker' at
best and 'God-ordained to be subordinate' at worst. As a
result, boys are raised to become domineering rulers of
womenfolk. Some will take this power over women, girls,
and younger children too far and abuse it. Girls, conversely,
are raised to be obedient and submissive to men and boys in
general. In this way, girls become primed for exploitation.
2) Uninvolved or limited involvement of parents (particularly

fathers) in the day-to-day happenings of children's lives
leaves a vacuum into which a wide array of sexual abuse or
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deviance can exist without check. The Duggars cannot
possibly watch all of their now 17 children living at home at
all times because of the sheer number of children, and as a
result must rely on siblings to care for younger children
autonomously. This is very much the case too in Message
homes with many children. It can also happen in smaller
families when parents rely heavily on family, church friends,
or siblings to care for children without regularly checking up
on these caregivers. Any why would they? To many,
attending a Message church and being well respected in the
Bride is cause enough to trust someone without check.
3) A lack of proper, age-appropriate, and accurate sex

education for children is often the norm, and the lines of
communication to discuss sexual urges or inclinations is
often closed and forbidden. It is a subject that is often taboo
in Message homes, and judging by the silly way in which
Jim Bob Duggar discussed the subject with his son and son-
in-laws prior to their marriages is likely taboo with them too.
Children that are uninformed are at risk for exploitation, and
adolescents with burgeoning sexualities and unanswered
questions will likely seek the answers in unhealthy ways.
Teens without open lines of communication with trusted
adults in order to address their growing urges and
temptations will experiment in secret where and with whom
they believe they can get away uncaught.
Also, teaching both boys and girls to view their sexual urges
as inherently evil and their bodies as inherently impure is
going to cause both to try and hide their problems from even
trusted adults. When abuse does take place, many victims
fearing backlash from their parents and will hide it--and in
the Message at least, that makes perfect sense. If it is the
woman's fault when a man looks on her to lust after her, how
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much more so is it her fault when that man acts on his lust?
Though a woman be innocent of the "act" (willful sexual
contact) she is still, according to William Branham guilty of
committing adultery if a man thinks of her lustfully (60-
0911E paragraph 21, 59-0708E paragraph 17, and many
more).
4) Lastly, isolation from the outside world on the part of both
the children as well as the adults and family as a whole can
cause problems, like the one the Duggars had with their son
to continue unaddressed. Had the girls been attending school
and had other trusted adults monitoring them on a regular
basis, and had the issues surfaced earlier perhaps many of the
victims could have been spared. If Josh had received the
proper punishment for his crimes at the hands of law
enforcement, and had the family allowed professionals to
assist in the rehabilitation of both the predators and the prey
the 'scandal' surfacing as it has not only would have been
avoided, but the long-lasting damage--the depths of which
we may never know might also have been prevented.
Living in a vacuum is an unhealthy way to exist. When

people in the Message don't trust the police or other
government entities, and when transparency and
accountability with society at large is viewed as not only
unnecessary but spiritually wrong you generate captives--
captives that are potential abuse victims, with no where to
turn and no one to advocate on their behalf.
Imagine this: Josh Duggar's sibling victims were forced to

continue living in the same home as their abuser for years
following the abuse; were forced to forgive their abuser and
keep the mistreatment hidden on national television, all while
Josh stands before the crowds looking like a perfect son and
beloved brother for whom the family will go to great lengths
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to protect? Surely, at least some of that bothered the victims-
-and yet, their voices will never be heard, and their interests
were forced to take a back seat. They cannot come out and
demand justice without splintering their family unit, and they
cannot express any disagreement with the rulings of their
father, who is all-authoritative in all matters concerning
them.
It is a sad realization--but the Duggars are not the first family
that have had this same problem, and it stems from a
fundamental misapplication of various biblical principles--
particularly those dealing with sexuality and gender roles.
Tomorrow we'll delve into the Scriptural answer to some of
these issues, and how the Christian Patriarchy movement and
the Message of William Branham fall short.
Stay Tuned for Part 4 of the series: Gender Roles: What the
Bible actually teaches
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Gender Roles --What the Bible
Actually Teaches (Part 4):
While in the message I was a strongly convinced that women
should stay home with their children and should not work
outside of the home. Like the Duggars, I believed women
should serve their husbands and that daughters should learn
to be likewise domestically minded, learning at the apron
strings of their mother what it is to reverence the men in their
lives. This includes fathers, brothers, and other gentlemen.
Translated into daily lives, it means that women serve the
men and make domestically serving them an enjoyable
experience. It means teaching our daughters to enjoy
cooking, cleaning, gardening, and the like. It means boys on
the flipside are given more room to roam and explore and
"be boys" in the yard, getting dirty.
For the Duggars, this lifestyle is more than a 'choice'--it is

seen as the "right" way--the only way that God could
possibly call a family to behave. They give grace to those
that don't practice the same traditional family values and
traditional gender roles--but they would never consider it
appropriate, nor would they allow one of their unmarried
daughters to aspire to a career or interest that wouldn't
directly serve their future calling as wife and mother. Barring
a major change of heart, there will be no Duggar daughters
that do engineering, or attend medical school, or join the
military.
This, at the core is the same teaching that permeates the

message of William Branham. Taking only what can be
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found on the tapes, many message families have structured
their lives and homes in much the same way as the Duggars,
relegating women to lives of strictly domestic pursuits and
men to the stereotypical career choices deemed traditionally
'masculine'.
Consider the following quotes by William Branham. While

reading these, imagine how folks that believe William
Branham to be the infallible mouthpiece of God might take
these quotations and apply them to their lives:
On Women in the Workplace:
A woman's place is at home with her children. And when

she... Now if her husband's sick and she has to work, that's
different. But woman's place is at home in the kitchen, and
when she leaves that she's out of her place. Exactly right. ---
57-0727 - He Was To Pass That Way
But if it isn't, listen, sister dear, God made you for one place,
the kitchen. When you get out of there, you're out of His
will. Remember that. Women was made to be a helpmate at
the house. She never was made for office work. And it's
caused more disgrace and divorces and things. ---56-1003 -
Painted-Face Jezebel
Many of you has wanted to do something for God. And

you've neglected it for the washtub, for a job out yonder in a
factory somewhere. Some of you women that ought to be
home with your kids, reading the Bible to them. You got a
job out yonder to make a extra dollar. Shame on you. God
gave you a job; that's raise them children. Teach them the
things of God. It's the truth. Think on your ways, woman.
What will them dollars do? They'll ring like Judas Iscariot's
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did. Think on your ways and turn your foot to His
testimonies, unto His Blood, unto His grace, unto His offer. -
--59-0814 - As I Thought On My Ways
Conclusion from these quotes: Women should not work

outside the home unless their husband is unable to work and
provide necessities of life
On Women Driving:
I said, "They oughtn't never let a woman behind a wheel."

Boy, if I was there, she wouldn't do it, if I had anything to
say about it. 212 They say the women is the most safest
drivers. I'm an international traveler. Me and my son,
crossing this nation, put a book up in the in the car. And
every time a boo-boo was called, pulled on the road, we
marked it down, "man" or "woman." And out of three
hundred, there were two hundred and eight-one of them
caused by women; nineteen of them by men. That's exact.
Yet, she's set there and push her hair up. And she turn out
like this, and make a left's right, and everything. But, oh,
course, the police ain't going to say that. They got them on a
police force. What a disgrace! 213 When a woman gets from
behind the table in the kitchen, in the house, taking care of
her own little ministry God give her, her babies, she's out of
the will of God. ---63-0412M - The World Is Falling Apart
Conclusion: Women should not be allowed to drive
On Traditional Masculinity and Femininity:
Could you imagine that? Perfuming himself up, that's a sissy,

not a man. 360 "Look," I said, "sister, I'd rather go with a
Christian boy that had feet like gravel cars and smelled like a
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polecat, if he was absolutely a Christian." That's right. True.
Yeah. 361 It's excuse, "Such cute little feet, and smells so
good." ---57-0922E - Hebrews, Chapter Seven #2
There seems to be something among man. Man don't seem to

be, have that masculine touch that he used to have. Women
don't have that feminish touch she used to have. You take
man today, man don't seem to be burly like they used to be.
It's all some sort of a... They want to wear suede shoes with
purple, and--and they want to act like women. Now that is
true. It seems to be, more or less, like a perversion. ---64-
0112 SHALOM
And women dressing and acting and doing, and man

permitting them to do it, big bunch of sissies! It seems like
there is not even man any more. You see man wearing pink
shoes, and and preachers on the pulpit, something like that.
That's a disgrace. I like to see man again that's absolutely
man. Looks like there's a power that drives them to do it, it's
the devil and the pressure of this day. That's right. Sometime
a man weighing two hundred pounds, and muscles like that,
and not an ounce of man in him; acts like some big sissy out
here. I like, let man be man. Let women be feminish, let
them be ladies. When the Token is applied, they turn back to
that. God made them different, and they are different. Man
wants to look like women; women wants to look like man. It
goes to show there is a perversion, a dark spirit hanging over,
gross darkness over the people. ---64-0208 - The Token
Conclusion: Men should be traditionally masculine and

failing to do so means that there is something spiritually
deficient in the man. Women likewise should be traditionally
feminine in dress and behavior and failing to do so means
that they are spiritually deficient, as are the men (husbands,
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fathers, ministers) responsible for them.
On Education:
Knowledge and civilization, and true Christianity, has
nothing in common. Civilization, and true Christianity, has
not one thing in common. Civilization is by knowledge. We
all know that. And knowledge is from Eden, proved it, by
what he preached in Eden. And knowledge causes death. Is
that right? What caused death in the garden of Eden?
Knowledge. But can't be of God, so it's of the devil. Whew,
was that a good one! Knowledge, science, education, is the
greatest hindrance that God ever had. It is of the devil. ---65-
0801M - The God Of This Evil Age
Conclusion: Christians should not pursue knowledge of the

world. It is incompatible with God and it is of the Devil.
In contrast, the scriptures tell us a very different story about

gender roles and what Godly womanhood and manhood
looks like. There is no doubt that the culture in Biblical times
often looked down upon women working and earning an
income. Laws often prevented women from earning an
income at all, and women were never included in inheritance
or lineage in the ancient cultures about which the Scriptures
were written. Nevertheless, there are several noteworthy
examples of women in the Bible working outside the home--
some verses even praising women for doing so!
Stories of women in the Bible are a unique occurrence from

other ancient texts. The book of Esther and of Ruth are
devoted exclusively to the strength, faith, and character of
Godly women--this is something that you will very rarely
find in the secular texts of the day, much less the other
ancient religions. Women are included in the lineage of our
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Lord--something that, given the time period, was
exceptionally unusual.
Jesus taught and befriended women during his time on earth

even though culturally it was very taboo for an unmarried
Jew to speak to unrelated women--especially unrelated
women of different races, which was the case with the
Shunamite woman and the woman at the well.
The Proverbs 31 verses describing a woman that is actively

pursuing real estate and business ventures of various kinds,
trading, managing employees, travel, and charitable pursuits
in addition to household management, child rearing, and
physical labor. She is described in Proverbs 31:10 as an
excellent wife and in Proverbs 31:29 as far surpassing the
excellence of many women. This was not a woman obeying
the 'traditional' practices of women in her day and time--this
was a woman that was stepping out the norm and
accomplishing far more than was expected financially,
socially, and domestically.
Clearly, God has a very different idea of what constitutes

womanhood. It is clear from His repeated praise of women
defying traditional domesticity, crossing cultural lines in
terms of the honoring of women, and a commitment during
Christ's earthly ministry to the welfare of women--even when
it meant defying social norms that God cares deeply for
women and desires more for them than society (even our
modern one) try and convince us is ideal.
The following scripture give a pretty good picture of what

God sees as the 'place' of a woman in Christ:
Galatians 3:26-29
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For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For
as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on
Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave
nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in
Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's
offspring, heirs according to promise.
True, despite this equality there are distinctions between

roles of men and women in society, the family, and the
church per the Scriptures. However, this does not mean that
these distinctions are rigid, legalistic things--as the examples
from the Scriptures already presented prove. God does not
relegate women to the kitchen, as William Branham did, and
He doesn't prevent them from careers. Nowhere in the
scriptures will you find a command of God for women to
remain at home unemployed. Nowhere are women told not to
earn an income or have a job. Women during Biblical times
did not have jobs because of the social construct of the day--
but the Word of God does not forbid it, and women
eschewing the societal norms are often mentioned in positive
lights. Many women were listed as 'benefactors' of Jesus'
ministry, and many women were said to have been following
Him and His disciples on their travels.
The only thing that comes even remotely close to forbidding

women from working outside of the home are commands
from Paul for older women to teach the younger to 'work at
home' in Titus 2:5 and 1 Timothy 5:14. But even these verses
do not preclude a woman from earning an income--it is
merely a command to stay busy and not allow themselves to,
as Paul states in 1 Timothy 5:13, become idle, gossiping,
social busy-bodies--which was a problem during that time
with unemployed women without many responsibilities.
Women clearly should remain occupied, whether at home
188
100% of the time or out in the workplace.
___
Manhood, in the same way has a variety of flavors in the

Scriptures--but nevertheless they are all considered equally
legitimate and honorary. David, though small in stature and
given to artistic pursuits like music and poetry is chosen to
be King of Israel; some men were wealthy and some were
poor; some men did manual labor and some were Priests or
merchants or government employees. Some men were
outspoken (Peter comes to mind), and some were shy and
soft-spoken (Moses is a great example). Nevertheless, ALL
these men were used of the Lord, and all of them are
examples of Godly manhood.
The Patriarchal mindset states that a man must be a strong

leader, a spiritual giant, and a picture of traditional
masculinity. But this is simply not the case. There is a wide
array of men, and a cookie cutter mindset is simply unfair.
___
Education in Christian Patriarchy
The last point I'd like to address in this section is education.

For both men and women, education is seen as something
unnecessary in the Patriarchal doctrines the Duggars hold, as
well as in the message. There are some Quiverfull/Christian
Patriarchy adherents that do educate their children well, but
for the most part, it is not seen as the ideal. Instead of 'formal
education' both believe that children should be taught
practical skills--for men this means construction, yard work,
and how to start simple businesses that employ their skills.
189
For girls, this often means a thorough understanding of
domestic skills--childcare, housekeeping, and cooking.
The Duggars with their 19 kids rely heavily on the older girls
to help manage the home out of necessity. Having that many
little ones would be impossible for one woman to manage
herself, so the oldest daughters are given responsibility over
homeschooling, daily care of children, cooking, laundry, and
much more.
The problem is that children are not permitted a choice (once

again) to be who they want to be and do what they want to
do with their lives. Even if a child is "permitted" to attend
college they will often be at a disadvantage from the start,
having received little in the way of education earlier on in
their lives.
Many young adults from message homes find themselves in

the strange position of being completely unemployable and
without the basic education needed to continue at University.
But it's not just Message believers--it's many children who
have been raised to believe that education does not matter,
only to discover that in our society and modern economy it
most certainly does matter.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average

income for households with no more education than a High
School diploma is 38,976.00 Compare that to the average
income of households with Bachelor's Degrees: 75,568.00!
Nearly 40k more annually for the more educated
individuals.
It is not surprising that so many families in the Message and

in Christian Patriarchy as a whole end up under the poverty
190
line. With so many mouths to feed and only one minimally
educated breadwinner, it is statistically the most likely
outcome for the majority of families.
Compare the forbidding of education with the scriptures

praising the attainment of knowledge and understanding:
Ecclesiastes 7:12
For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money,
and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the
life of him who has it.
Proverbs 16:16
How much better to get wisdom than gold! To get
understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
Proverbs 18:15
An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the
wise seeks knowledge.
Daniel 1:17
As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in
all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in
all visions and dreams.
Proverbs 23:12
Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of
knowledge.
God values the attainment of knowledge and wants His

children to grow in understanding. It is considered a wise
endeavor to seek knowledge, and an intelligent person
acquires it. God gave Daniel and the rest of his captors
learning and skills in literature and wisdom, which equipped
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them for their time in captivity. Daniel's survival was partly a
result of this God-given education in literature. If that isn't a
testimony to the importance of equipping our children with
skills they need for success in this world I don't know what
is!
Stay tuned for Part 5: Christian Patriarchy and Sex: What the
Bible Actually Teaches
192
William Branham's "Future Home"
Plagiarism
William Branham claimed that his sermons came from
"visions," and one such "vision" was his "Future home of the
Heavenly Bridegroom and the Earthly Bride."
"Now, way I always find my messages is by prayer. I'll be

setting in prayer and something reveals to me. And I wait on
it a few minutes and see if it's right, then I feel it closer. And
then sometimes I keep waiting till breaks into a vision. But
when it begins to come and I'm satisfied it comes from God,
then I go to the Scripture."
William Branham - 64-0802
It would appear, however, that instead of "going to the

scripture," he went directly to a book by Clarence Larkin. In
fact, it would appear that the entire "vision" came directly
from Larkin's book.
Why would a messenger from God claim divine vision over

the writings of a man? Is this God's idea of a future home, or
Larkin's?
193
Why Does the Birthdate Matter,
Anyway?
Why Does The Birthdate Matter, Anyway:
William Branham gave three birthdates. Why does it matter,

asks the cult pastors? Why do we care if he knew his own
birthday or not? Maybe it was a time in history when people
just didn't know their birthday!
But William Branham claimed each of the three with

absolute knowledge. Two of them were tied to spiritual
events, and one of them bound to the marriage of his first
wife. Take away the one that he claimed was the "Moses was
given two signs" life story, and one chooses his "Moses"
ministry over his "Elijah" ministry. Choose his "Elijah" story
so that he can be cult leader John Alexander Dowie's
successor, and one must remove his "Moses" ministry.
Choose what he signed to government documents, and you

remove both "supernatural" life stories...
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Christian Patriarchy and Sex
What the Bible Teaches (Part 5)
Contrary to the teachings found in many Patriarchal pseudo-
Christian sects, sex is not a taboo subject in scripture as we’ll
explore today, much is written in the Word of God about the
beauty and innocence of sexual feelings and marital
relations. An entire book of the Bible Song of Solomon is
dedicated to the sexual and romantic feelings between a man
and his future bride. For those that have not read it, I
encourage you to do so. This book, though symbolic of
spiritual things, demonstrates that God does not consider it a
sin for mankind (and womankind!) to have natural sexuality
and attraction.
But before we begin to discuss what the scriptures do teach

us about sex in the life of a Christian it is important to come
to an understanding about what it does NOT say teachings
that are common to Christian Patriarchy and the Message as
taught by William Branham. These thing cannot be rightly
established by Scripture, and since it cannot be established,
we would do well to remove these false teachings and false
doctrines from our minds:
1) Scripture does NOT TEACH that women were designed

by Satan or for immorality, or for sex. This is simply a
FALSE DOCTRINE with absolutely NO scriptural basis.
God created man AND woman as part of the original
creation (Genesis 1:27). God’s plan from the beginning was
to have two genders of human beings male AND female.
These two God-created beings were placed together in one
195
body (Adam) and later separated into two co-equal beings
that together constituted a complete picture of God’s
intended image for humanity together, scripture tells us, they
are ONE FLESH (Genesis 2:18-25). Women were created by
God to complete the image of man that God ordained. In that
way, being a woman does not necessitate any added shame
or responsibility when it comes to issues of sexual
immorality.
2) NO WHERE does sex within the marriage bed defile a

person, but we are told that the marriage bed is to be
considered undefiled by all (Hebrews 13:4). In this way,
there is NO SHAME in sex within a marriage, and there is no
shame inherent to sexual intimacy. It is a holy thing when
used as God intended. Any doctrines that say married
couples should abstain from sexual contact for any cause
besides privately mutual agreed upon separation for a brief
time should be completely disregarded as unscriptural. Any
‘convictions’ or teachings that consider a married woman or
man as less holy as a result of their married state is
foundationally unscriptural.
As Jesus taught in Mark 7:20-23, it is not the body’s physical

“state” that defiles a man it’s not what you eat, or what you
wear, or whether you’re a virgin or not that defiles it is the
heart and what comes out of it that defiles. Holy sex within a
marriage, therefore, could never defile.
Therefore, the teachings on marriage and divorce found in

the message are foundationally flawed. In Marriage and
Divorce, WMB’s arguments against women marrying again
hinges on the pretext that women, once they are no longer
virgins, are ‘defiled’, ‘marked’, or ‘bound’ to something
beyond the marriage covenant. This is Scripturally
196
unfounded.
3) Victims of sexual assault DO NOT BEAR ANY

RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ABUSE. One of the false
teachings in the Message is that a woman is responsible
when a man lusts for her. This is foundationally false.
Scripture never once places the blame for the lust upon the
woman but squarely upon the man that lusted. Scripture tells
us to flee sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18, 2 Timothy
2:22), that each individual person is tempted, not by scantily-
clad women but by their own desires which becomes sin
(James 1:14-15), and that we should guard our eyes from
temptation (Matthew 5:29). Sin originates in the hearts of
mankind (Matthew 15:19) so a woman with a pure heart is
not sinning even when she is the object of a sinful man’s
lusts. It is simply a scriptural impossibility. She may well
have sins of her own, but his lust is NOT her responsibility.
____
Now that we have these things established, we can take a
look at what scripture DOES teach us about sex.
First, sex was part of God’s plan for marriage from the very
beginning. From the moment God created the woman from
Adam’s side, God wanted marriage and conjugal relations to
exist (Genesis 2:24). When the Corinthian church wrote
Paul, they were under the false impression that God did not
want men and women to have sexual relations at all but Paul
set them straight:
1 Corinthians 7:1-5
Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is
good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”
But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each
197
man should have his own wife and each woman her own
husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal
rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife
does not have authority over her own body, but the husband
does. Likewise, the husband does not have authority over his
own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another,
except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may
devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so
that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-
control.
Sex, then, is not a dirty thing that should be avoided, but a

blessed and holy creation of God. Often in Christian
Patriarchy sex is viewed as a filthy thing discussions about it
avoided at all costs. This is not only a dangerous practice, but
it creates a fundamental misunderstanding in the minds of
men and women alike concerning their bodies, their natural
sexuality, and the purpose of marriage in the life of the
Christian.
We already have established that marriage and sex within a

marriage do not defile a person and somehow make them
unclean or less consecrated marriage is honorable, and the
marriage bed pure (Hebrews 13:4). Additionally, scripture
teaches us that our inherent sexuality is not sinful that men
being attracted to women is not wrong, and women being
attracted to men is not wrong. As stated repeatedly in the
Song of Solomon, the issue is not the desire the bridegroom
and the bride have towards each other that is to be avoided.
Their love is pure, and their attraction to one another is not
sinful but the “awakening” or stirring of the passion that
cannot be rightfully fulfilled (lust) is the issue. (SoS 3:5).
We could spend a great deal of time discussing the many
198
lessons concerning sexuality from the Song of Solomon but
to summarize: both the bride and the bridegroom express
their delight in the bodies and sensualities of the other. The
bride longs for her husband before they are wed, and the
bridegroom expresses his admiration for his future wife’s
body in vivid detail none of which is sinful! It has been
included in scripture as an example of God-ordained love
between a husband and a wife. The intimate and all-
consuming desire between a husband and a wife are
symbolic of Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:32).
It is therefore wrong to shame children and young adults for

having sexualities as many Patriarchal Christian sects,
including the Message, tend to do. Doing so reinforces the
false doctrine that God-ordained marital sex is somehow
dirty. Indeed, we are hard-wired to seek that intimacy with
another by God Himself it is purely how we were designed.
Instead of shaming the young for having these feelings, we
should instead teach them the proper outlet for them, which
is marriage, and how to avoid temptations to “awaken love
before it is proper”.
Like the bride’s admonitions to the maids in Song of

Solomon, we should instruct the youth to avoid “stirring up
love”. We should instruct them to flee youthful passions (2
Timothy 2:22), which doesn’t mean that they ignore them or
harbor feelings of shame for them, but that they do not allow
these passions to become sin by acting upon it or allowing
the heart to dwell upon it. Youth (and all Christians) should
avoid bad company (1 Corinthians 15:33) that would make
maintaining morality difficult, submitting their lives God
fully and resist evil (James 4:7), and conduct one’s affairs
not with indulgence of the flesh in mind but in all things to
pursue righteousness (1 Timothy 6:11).
199
____
Correcting the misinterpretations and misapplications of

scripture that follow a fundamental misunderstanding about
the inherent purity of sexuality and the marriage bed is a
huge feat one that I will barely scratch the surface of today.
But, now that we have established that 1) attraction to the
opposite sex is not sinful, 2) marriage and sexual intimacy do
not “defile” a person, and 3) that women are not any more
responsible for sexual immorality than a man because of
their gender, we can at least address a few of the biggest
issues that cause confusion:
Modesty
William Branham taught that women should cover their

bodies in loose-fitting clothing that hides the natural form of
her body so that men won’t lust after her. The Duggars
likewise ascribe to this definition of ‘modesty’ that a woman
is only ‘modest’ when her flesh is fully covered so that a
man will not lust when looking at her. The problem is that, as
we have already discovered, a woman is not “designed for
lust”. She is not responsible for the thoughts her appearance
elicits in the hearts of another. The only thing that she is
responsible for in terms of her appearance is outlined in
scripture as follows:
1) Women should wear respectable (appropriate) apparel that

is not showy, expensive, or chosen to bring undue attention
to herself. (1 Timothy 2:9-10)
2) Women should not allow their clothing to define them, but
instead what they wear should be a secondary matter entirely
to a pure heart (1 Peter 3:3-4).
200
3) Women should not dress or behave with the intent in their
heart of trying to cause men to sin (Matthew 18:6-7)
...and that’s it! We do not have condemnation for

disobedience to “law” for we are free in Christ, no longer
under the law of sin and death but are now under the law of
the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:1-2). We should not use our
freedom in Christ in order to indulge the flesh with sinful
pursuits, but to lovingly serve one another (Galatians 5:13).
Nevertheless, we are free, and in that freedom there is a great
deal left to our discretion through the leadership of the Holy
Spirit. We are not our own we are Christ’s, and He leads and
guides each of us individually.
Therefore, teaching for doctrine “modesty standards” that are

beyond the express written commands of scripture is a false
teaching. Let me repeat that:
Any church, pastor, teacher, or “prophet” that teaches a

modesty requirement beyond what Scripture teaches is
spreading false doctrine!
We absolutely should have standards, and we should

absolutely use discretion when choosing clothing so that we
are a benefit to the Kingdom of God and not hindering it.
However, when our personal standards cross the line into
doctrine we have overstepped the bounds of our authority.
Modesty, therefore is not about loose-fitting clothes,
necklines, sleeve lengths, lace, pants, or makeup it’s about
appropriateness, humility, and consideration for the needs of
the Kingdom of God day in and day out on an individual
basis.
Dating
201
The Duggars have attained the fame that they have in part
because of their very strict policy against “dating” and all the
typical things that accompany it. Emotional connection or
intimate friendship between members of the opposite sex is
forbidden prior to courtship. Touching a member of the
opposite sex is forbidden except for family members, and
even in that there are designated boundaries to avoid ‘impure
thoughts’ about them. There is absolutely no kissing
permitted prior to marriage, and no unchaperoned
interactions between members of the opposite sex even
during a courtship or engagement until the wedding day.
Though many in the Message do not go to such extremes

regarding dating relationships, there are many doctrines with
no basis in scripture concerning dating false doctrines whose
roots can be traced to a fundamental misunderstanding of
God’s gift of sex.
Nowhere in the Bible is there a guideline given for “proper”

dating or courtship rituals that must be observed in the life of
a Christian. We have basic guidelines to keep us from
sinning like avoiding bad company, fleeing lusts, and many
examples that teach us to avoid situations that could be
compromising. We should be mindful to pursue relationships
with the opposite sex sober-minded and thoughtfully but that
does not mean that every Christian must do the exact same
things. We should, through the leadership of the Holy Spirit
do what is necessary to keep ourselves pure prior to
marriage, but that does not necessarily prevent dating.’
Dating for young adults is going to, from necessity, look

quite a bit differently than dating for the more mature. Those
seeking romantic connections far later in life will likely go
202
about it differently still. The point is not to be legalistic or
bound by a set of rules but to be at liberty to approach it with
God’s will in mind and pure intentions at heart.
Though sex prior to marriage is sinful, sexual attraction is

most certainly not wrong, but a natural part of the human
condition. It is when we allow these attractions to become
lust that we have a problem. It is natural for men to be
attracted to women and to pursue romantic relationships with
women that they are physically attracted to. The same holds
true for women it is normal, and as long as it doesn’t become
lust in our hearts or impurity in our actions there is no sin in
it. Men can admire the beauty in women including in the
female form without it becoming lust.
Though William Branham taught that kissing was equivalent

to sex, biology clearly demonstrates that this is not true. The
lips do not contain “sex glands” they are simply another part
of our face containing many nerve endings and it is therefore
pleasant to have them touched. The Scriptures are filled with
positive examples of Godly kisses Song of Solomon 1:2 tells
us of the (soon-to-be) bride’s desire to have her future
husband kiss her on the mouth. Jesus on multiple occasions
had women kiss his feet. Romans 16:15 tells us to greet one
another with a holy kiss! There are examples of friends
kissing one another, fathers kissing their children, among
others. Jacob kissed Rachel when he first met her (Genesis
29:11) when they were unmarried and before any discussion
of marriage had taken place.
Kissing, then is not in and of itself sinful. It is only sinful

when accompanying lust or sexual impurity. Dating, likewise
is not sinful. Creating a doctrine of man and enforcing it as if
it were a God-given command however is without question
203
sinful.
Women’s Roles
Because of the flawed view of women’s origins and the

purpose of women in the plan of God, Christian Patriarchy
has a flawed idea about the role of women in society and in
marriage. Though this was already addressed before, it is
worth repeating briefly:
Women are equal in Christ, and are co-heirs of the promise.

Women are no more ‘required’ to be available sexually to
their husbands than husbands are ‘required’ to be sexually
available to their wives. Women have not been placed upon
the earth in order to fulfill a purpose tied to their gender
exclusively whether the sect believe that to be the
gratification of their husbands or the birthing of as many
babies as possible. Women’s value is not tied to their bodies,
and it is not tied to their relationships with men, but their
worth comes from God. It cannot be taken from them.
Women are creations of God and reflect His glory.
Any teachings that belittle this truth is false.

____
Conclusion
The denial of these truths is the foundation upon which
deviant thoughts and behaviors form. In purity and according
to their natural design, men and women are attracted to one
another. When these natural impulses are criminalized, the
individuals attempt to bury them. This false doctrine causes
every conceivable controversy and contention in the Body of
Christ. Suppression of the truth causes major spiritual
problems, as outlines in Romans 1:18-31. This portion of
204
scripture tells us exactly why sexual deviance arises in the
Body of Christ it is because they deny the truth of God
ordained from the beginning, and in so doing harden their
own hearts to the Word of God. God them gives them over to
the lusts of their hearts, and every evil thing within mankind
rends its head.
Our homes, churches, and cities suffer because of the false

teachings going out from Christian Patriarchy movements
like the message of William Branham. In Hosea 4:6 God tells
us, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.”
When we do not know the truth of the Word of God
concerning these matters we are putting ourselves at risk. It
is important that we are diligent in our walk with the Lord,
studying all things out and knowing beyond a shadow of a
doubt what the Truth is. There is too much at stake for God’s
people to continue in ignorance.
Our hearts go out to the many who suffer under these false
systems. Our prayer for you is that you find healing in the
arms of Jesus, peace and freedom in His promises, and
salvation in His sacrifice. For those predators that, within the
false system feel justified in their victimization of the
weakest among us, I pray for justice in this life so that they
can come to repentance and avoid the wrath that awaits them.
It is only through exposing the wrongs of the wrongdoer and
enforcing justice that we can help the victims heal and the
predators truly reform. In this way, we hope that covering up
sexual assault and abuse in the church always gets called
what it is: a crime against innocents by all involved parties.
205
Christian Patriarchy and Sex
What the Bible Teaches: (Part 5)
Contrary to the teachings found in many Patriarchal pseudo-
Christian sects, sex is not a taboo subject in scripture as we’ll
explore today, much is written in the Word of God about the
beauty and innocence of sexual feelings and marital
relations. An entire book of the Bible Song of Solomon is
dedicated to the sexual and romantic feelings between a man
and his future bride. For those that have not read it, I
encourage you to do so. This book, though symbolic of
spiritual things, demonstrates that God does not consider it a
sin for mankind (and womankind!) to have natural sexuality
and attraction.
But before we begin to discuss what the scriptures do teach

us about sex in the life of a Christian it is important to come
to an understanding about what it does NOT say teachings
that are common to Christian Patriarchy and the Message as
taught by William Branham. These thing cannot be rightly
established by Scripture, and since it cannot be established,
we would do well to remove these false teachings and false
doctrines from our minds:
1) Scripture does NOT TEACH that women were designed

by Satan or for immorality, or for sex. This is simply a
FALSE DOCTRINE with absolutely NO scriptural basis.
God created man AND woman as part of the original
creation (Genesis 1:27). God’s plan from the beginning was
to have two genders of human beings male AND female.
These two God-created beings were placed together in one
206
body (Adam) and later separated into two co-equal beings
that together constituted a complete picture of God’s
intended image for humanity together, scripture tells us, they
are ONE FLESH (Genesis 2:18-25). Women were created by
God to complete the image of man that God ordained. In that
way, being a woman does not necessitate any added shame
or responsibility when it comes to issues of sexual
immorality.
2) NO WHERE does sex within the marriage bed defile a

person, but we are told that the marriage bed is to be
considered undefiled by all (Hebrews 13:4). In this way,
there is NO SHAME in sex within a marriage, and there is no
shame inherent to sexual intimacy. It is a holy thing when
used as God intended. Any doctrines that say married
couples should abstain from sexual contact for any cause
besides privately mutual agreed upon separation for a brief
time should be completely disregarded as unscriptural. Any
‘convictions’ or teachings that consider a married woman or
man as less holy as a result of their married state is
foundationally unscriptural.
As Jesus taught in Mark 7:20-23, it is not the body’s physical

“state” that defiles a man it’s not what you eat, or what you
wear, or whether you’re a virgin or not that defiles it is the
heart and what comes out of it that defiles. Holy sex within a
marriage, therefore, could never defile.
Therefore, the teachings on marriage and divorce found in

the message are foundationally flawed. In Marriage and
Divorce, WMB’s arguments against women marrying again
hinges on the pretext that women, once they are no longer
virgins, are ‘defiled’, ‘marked’, or ‘bound’ to something
beyond the marriage covenant. This is Scripturally
207
unfounded.
3) Victims of sexual assault DO NOT BEAR ANY

RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ABUSE. One of the false
teachings in the Message is that a woman is responsible
when a man lusts for her. This is foundationally false.
Scripture never once places the blame for the lust upon the
woman but squarely upon the man that lusted. Scripture tells
us to flee sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18, 2 Timothy
2:22), that each individual person is tempted, not by scantily-
clad women but by their own desires which becomes sin
(James 1:14-15), and that we should guard our eyes from
temptation (Matthew 5:29). Sin originates in the hearts of
mankind (Matthew 15:19) so a woman with a pure heart is
not sinning even when she is the object of a sinful man’s
lusts. It is simply a scriptural impossibility. She may well
have sins of her own, but his lust is NOT her responsibility.
____
Now that we have these things established, we can take a
look at what scripture DOES teach us about sex.
First, sex was part of God’s plan for marriage from the very
beginning. From the moment God created the woman from
Adam’s side, God wanted marriage and conjugal relations to
exist (Genesis 2:24). When the Corinthian church wrote
Paul, they were under the false impression that God did not
want men and women to have sexual relations at all but Paul
set them straight:
1 Corinthians 7:1-5
Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: “It is
good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”
But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each
208
man should have his own wife and each woman her own
husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal
rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife
does not have authority over her own body, but the husband
does. Likewise, the husband does not have authority over his
own body, but the wife does. Do not deprive one another,
except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may
devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so
that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-
control.
Sex, then, is not a dirty thing that should be avoided, but a

blessed and holy creation of God. Often in Christian
Patriarchy sex is viewed as a filthy thing discussions about it
avoided at all costs. This is not only a dangerous practice, but
it creates a fundamental misunderstanding in the minds of
men and women alike concerning their bodies, their natural
sexuality, and the purpose of marriage in the life of the
Christian.
We already have established that marriage and sex within a

marriage do not defile a person and somehow make them
unclean or less consecrated marriage is honorable, and the
marriage bed pure (Hebrews 13:4). Additionally, scripture
teaches us that our inherent sexuality is not sinful that men
being attracted to women is not wrong, and women being
attracted to men is not wrong. As stated repeatedly in the
Song of Solomon, the issue is not the desire the bridegroom
and the bride have towards each other that is to be avoided.
Their love is pure, and their attraction to one another is not
sinful but the “awakening” or stirring of the passion that
cannot be rightfully fulfilled (lust) is the issue. (SoS 3:5).
We could spend a great deal of time discussing the many
209
lessons concerning sexuality from the Song of Solomon but
to summarize: both the bride and the bridegroom express
their delight in the bodies and sensualities of the other. The
bride longs for her husband before they are wed, and the
bridegroom expresses his admiration for his future wife’s
body in vivid detail none of which is sinful! It has been
included in scripture as an example of God-ordained love
between a husband and a wife. The intimate and all-
consuming desire between a husband and a wife are
symbolic of Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:32).
It is therefore wrong to shame children and young adults for

having sexualities as many Patriarchal Christian sects,
including the Message, tend to do. Doing so reinforces the
false doctrine that God-ordained marital sex is somehow
dirty. Indeed, we are hard-wired to seek that intimacy with
another by God Himself it is purely how we were designed.
Instead of shaming the young for having these feelings, we
should instead teach them the proper outlet for them, which
is marriage, and how to avoid temptations to “awaken love
before it is proper”.
Like the bride’s admonitions to the maids in Song of

Solomon, we should instruct the youth to avoid “stirring up
love”. We should instruct them to flee youthful passions (2
Timothy 2:22), which doesn’t mean that they ignore them or
harbor feelings of shame for them, but that they do not allow
these passions to become sin by acting upon it or allowing
the heart to dwell upon it. Youth (and all Christians) should
avoid bad company (1 Corinthians 15:33) that would make
maintaining morality difficult, submitting their lives God
fully and resist evil (James 4:7), and conduct one’s affairs
not with indulgence of the flesh in mind but in all things to
pursue righteousness (1 Timothy 6:11).
210
____
Correcting the misinterpretations and misapplications of

scripture that follow a fundamental misunderstanding about
the inherent purity of sexuality and the marriage bed is a
huge feat one that I will barely scratch the surface of today.
But, now that we have established that 1) attraction to the
opposite sex is not sinful, 2) marriage and sexual intimacy do
not “defile” a person, and 3) that women are not any more
responsible for sexual immorality than a man because of
their gender, we can at least address a few of the biggest
issues that cause confusion:
Modesty
William Branham taught that women should cover their

bodies in loose-fitting clothing that hides the natural form of
her body so that men won’t lust after her. The Duggars
likewise ascribe to this definition of ‘modesty’ that a woman
is only ‘modest’ when her flesh is fully covered so that a
man will not lust when looking at her. The problem is that, as
we have already discovered, a woman is not “designed for
lust”. She is not responsible for the thoughts her appearance
elicits in the hearts of another. The only thing that she is
responsible for in terms of her appearance is outlined in
scripture as follows:
1) Women should wear respectable (appropriate) apparel that

is not showy, expensive, or chosen to bring undue attention
to herself. (1 Timothy 2:9-10)
2) Women should not allow their clothing to define them, but
instead what they wear should be a secondary matter entirely
to a pure heart (1 Peter 3:3-4).
211
3) Women should not dress or behave with the intent in their
heart of trying to cause men to sin (Matthew 18:6-7)
...and that’s it! We do not have condemnation for

disobedience to “law” for we are free in Christ, no longer
under the law of sin and death but are now under the law of
the Spirit of Life (Romans 8:1-2). We should not use our
freedom in Christ in order to indulge the flesh with sinful
pursuits, but to lovingly serve one another (Galatians 5:13).
Nevertheless, we are free, and in that freedom there is a great
deal left to our discretion through the leadership of the Holy
Spirit. We are not our own we are Christ’s, and He leads and
guides each of us individually.
Therefore, teaching for doctrine “modesty standards” that are

beyond the express written commands of scripture is a false
teaching. Let me repeat that:
Any church, pastor, teacher, or “prophet” that teaches a

modesty requirement beyond what Scripture teaches is
spreading false doctrine!
We absolutely should have standards, and we should

absolutely use discretion when choosing clothing so that we
are a benefit to the Kingdom of God and not hindering it.
However, when our personal standards cross the line into
doctrine we have overstepped the bounds of our authority.
Modesty, therefore is not about loose-fitting clothes,
necklines, sleeve lengths, lace, pants, or makeup it’s about
appropriateness, humility, and consideration for the needs of
the Kingdom of God day in and day out on an individual
basis.
Dating
212
The Duggars have attained the fame that they have in part
because of their very strict policy against “dating” and all the
typical things that accompany it. Emotional connection or
intimate friendship between members of the opposite sex is
forbidden prior to courtship. Touching a member of the
opposite sex is forbidden except for family members, and
even in that there are designated boundaries to avoid ‘impure
thoughts’ about them. There is absolutely no kissing
permitted prior to marriage, and no unchaperoned
interactions between members of the opposite sex even
during a courtship or engagement until the wedding day.
Though many in the Message do not go to such extremes

regarding dating relationships, there are many doctrines with
no basis in scripture concerning dating false doctrines whose
roots can be traced to a fundamental misunderstanding of
God’s gift of sex.
Nowhere in the Bible is there a guideline given for “proper”

dating or courtship rituals that must be observed in the life of
a Christian. We have basic guidelines to keep us from
sinning like avoiding bad company, fleeing lusts, and many
examples that teach us to avoid situations that could be
compromising. We should be mindful to pursue relationships
with the opposite sex sober-minded and thoughtfully but that
does not mean that every Christian must do the exact same
things. We should, through the leadership of the Holy Spirit
do what is necessary to keep ourselves pure prior to
marriage, but that does not necessarily prevent dating.’
Dating for young adults is going to, from necessity, look

quite a bit differently than dating for the more mature. Those
seeking romantic connections far later in life will likely go
213
about it differently still. The point is not to be legalistic or
bound by a set of rules but to be at liberty to approach it with
God’s will in mind and pure intentions at heart.
Though sex prior to marriage is sinful, sexual attraction is

most certainly not wrong, but a natural part of the human
condition. It is when we allow these attractions to become
lust that we have a problem. It is natural for men to be
attracted to women and to pursue romantic relationships with
women that they are physically attracted to. The same holds
true for women it is normal, and as long as it doesn’t become
lust in our hearts or impurity in our actions there is no sin in
it. Men can admire the beauty in women including in the
female form without it becoming lust.
Though William Branham taught that kissing was equivalent

to sex, biology clearly demonstrates that this is not true. The
lips do not contain “sex glands” they are simply another part
of our face containing many nerve endings and it is therefore
pleasant to have them touched. The Scriptures are filled with
positive examples of Godly kisses Song of Solomon 1:2 tells
us of the (soon-to-be) bride’s desire to have her future
husband kiss her on the mouth. Jesus on multiple occasions
had women kiss his feet. Romans 16:15 tells us to greet one
another with a holy kiss! There are examples of friends
kissing one another, fathers kissing their children, among
others. Jacob kissed Rachel when he first met her (Genesis
29:11) when they were unmarried and before any discussion
of marriage had taken place.
Kissing, then is not in and of itself sinful. It is only sinful

when accompanying lust or sexual impurity. Dating, likewise
is not sinful. Creating a doctrine of man and enforcing it as if
it were a God-given command however is without question
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sinful.
Women’s Roles
Because of the flawed view of women’s origins and the

purpose of women in the plan of God, Christian Patriarchy
has a flawed idea about the role of women in society and in
marriage. Though this was already addressed before, it is
worth repeating briefly:
Women are equal in Christ, and are co-heirs of the promise.

Women are no more ‘required’ to be available sexually to
their husbands than husbands are ‘required’ to be sexually
available to their wives. Women have not been placed upon
the earth in order to fulfill a purpose tied to their gender
exclusively whether the sect believe that to be the
gratification of their husbands or the birthing of as many
babies as possible. Women’s value is not tied to their bodies,
and it is not tied to their relationships with men, but their
worth comes from God. It cannot be taken from them.
Women are creations of God and reflect His glory.
Any teachings that belittle this truth is false.

____
Conclusion
The denial of these truths is the foundation upon which
deviant thoughts and behaviors form. In purity and according
to their natural design, men and women are attracted to one
another. When these natural impulses are criminalized, the
individuals attempt to bury them. This false doctrine causes
every conceivable controversy and contention in the Body of
Christ. Suppression of the truth causes major spiritual
problems, as outlines in Romans 1:18-31. This portion of
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scripture tells us exactly why sexual deviance arises in the
Body of Christ it is because they deny the truth of God
ordained from the beginning, and in so doing harden their
own hearts to the Word of God. God them gives them over to
the lusts of their hearts, and every evil thing within mankind
rends its head.
Our homes, churches, and cities suffer because of the false

teachings going out from Christian Patriarchy movements
like the message of William Branham. In Hosea 4:6 God tells
us, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.”
When we do not know the truth of the Word of God
concerning these matters we are putting ourselves at risk. It
is important that we are diligent in our walk with the Lord,
studying all things out and knowing beyond a shadow of a
doubt what the Truth is. There is too much at stake for God’s
people to continue in ignorance.
Our hearts go out to the many who suffer under these false
systems. Our prayer for you is that you find healing in the
arms of Jesus, peace and freedom in His promises, and
salvation in His sacrifice. For those predators that, within the
false system feel justified in their victimization of the
weakest among us, I pray for justice in this life so that they
can come to repentance and avoid the wrath that awaits them.
It is only through exposing the wrongs of the wrongdoer and
enforcing justice that we can help the victims heal and the
predators truly reform. In this way, we hope that covering up
sexual assault and abuse in the church always gets called
what it is: a crime against innocents by all involved parties.
216
William Branham Shortnickers
William Branham Short Knickers:
For those of you searching our website for the photo of

William Branham in "shortnickers" or "shortknickers," you
will find difficulty returning any results. In the United States,
"knickers" are called "pants," and "shortknickers" are called
"shorts." Therefore, searching for "shorts" would return the
photograph of William Branham in Africa proudly posing in
his short pants and suntanned legs, while searching for
"shortknickers" would return no results.
We felt it necessary to create a blog post entitled

"Shortknickers" for those in countries that call "pants"
"knickers," and call "shorts" "shortknickers." This way, the
google search utility can index the word "shortknickers" and
display William Branham wearing "shortknickers" in Africa
while he himself preached hellfire and brimstone to all
"sissies" that wore "shortknickers."
If you feel that there is another word for "shortknickers" that

should be indexed, please send it in for us to blog about! And
if there is another word for "naked chest," there are other
photos we can index that defy all message legend.
217
Branham's Bible Bashing
Bonanza:
Recently, many from developing nations have contacted
Seek The Truth, willing to accept that William Branham had
failed prophecies, lied about spiritual events, and even lied
about his own life story. "What does it matter?" they ask.
Branham taught us about the Word!
It isn't until that they realize that Voice of God Recordings

has only translated a VERY limited number of sermons into
other languages during the course of the past fifty years that
they realize that there is a problem. What are they hiding?
Has fifty years not been long enough?
We can't answer the question as to why the multi-million-

dollar organization refuses to offer the sermons to every
nation and tongue. They claim it is the "gospel," and by
default replaces the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Isn't the rapture
supposed to occur when the "gospel" has been spread to
every tribe and tongue?
Maybe it is because the printed sermons themselves are

causing an exodus. As people read, without the Hitler-style
screaming that lulls people to sleep, they realize that
Branham's inventions include invented scriptures. Branham's
changing details of truth includes changing details of Bible
verses.
Could it be that Voice of God Recordings is unwilling to

translate the sermons to foreign lands because it would come
218
at a time when more and more people are now educated and
have a good understanding of Scripture?
219
"Don't throw the baby out with the
bathwater"
For those unfamiliar with the phrase, "don't throw the baby
out with the bathwater" is a metaphor that means "don't
throw the good out with the bad".
Often, those of us that leave the message of William

Branham are accused of throwing out the "good" done in the
ministry of William Branham along with the "bad". Perhaps
there is some truth to this criticism, but in order to make a
proper judgment one way or another, we must adjust the
metaphor so that it fits this specific case more closely:
___
There is a bathtub tainted with poison full of various

creatures--snakes, lizards, scorpions--but also harmless
things like rocks and bits of dirt--not exactly worth keeping,
but not bad either. There is also, in the very bottom of all this
a lost diamond ring. You can't see it through the disgusting
putrid water and past the creatures that make your stomach
twist into knots; and it's quite buried under the vast amounts
of dirt--but you KNOW it's there somewhere.
The diamond ring is valuable to be sure, and you don't want

to lose it. But, you're never going to find it sifting through
the trash--the creatures are menacing, and the water is toxic.
So, what to do?
220
You take the bathtub outside, and you dump it onto the
ground. You back up and give the snakes, lizards, and
scorpions time to scurry away. Once you know the coast is
clear, you cautiously approach the pile of dirt. You put on a
thick pair of gloves and a face mask, aware that the poison
from the water still lingers in what remains. Carefully, you
sift through the rocks, discarding the worthless in search of
the one thing worth searching for.
Eventually, you find it--a ring. Though covered in mud, the

faint glimmer of the diamond in the sunlight tells you that
your efforts are worth the struggle.
Still wearing protective gloves, you take the ring inside. You
first rinse it with pure, clean water from the faucet. Then,
you submerge it in a pool of disinfectant, scrubbing away the
poison, the filth, and the waste from the creatures. It takes
time, but when you pull it out, disinfected-- it is clean. You
sit it on a towel in the sun and wait for it to dry.
Then, ring in hand and waste destroyed by its exposure to the

light, you celebrate.
___
Leaving the message is much the same. There is good in the

message--but it is buried under a mountain of bad.
We aren't "throwing the baby out with the bathwater"--we

are seeking Christ in purity, daily shedding the false doctrine
and worldview that tainted the beautiful Truth of the Gospel
for so long.
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Who Will Lead Us Now That
William Branham's Exposed As
A False Prophet
Who Will Lead Us Now That William Branham's Exposed
As A False Prophet:
"In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets
at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he
has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all
things, and through whom also he made the universe."
- Hebrews 1:1-2
"The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John.

Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is
being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it."
- Luke 16:16
"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has

ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold
firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high
priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but
we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we
are yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of
grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help us in our time of need."
- Hebrews 4:14-16
222
William Branham's Trumpet of
Uncertainty
In the early part of his ministry, William Branham claimed
that communism was the Mark of the Beast, and claimed that
he prophesied of the rise of communism in his prophecies of
1933. But in the latter part of his ministry, Branham claimed
that all denominations that rejected his message had already
taken the Mark of the Beast, promoting the idea that there
were two classes of people: us (those who did not have the
Mark), and "them" those that rejected his ministry and had
taken the Mark of the Beast.
As Branham's "trumpet of warning" started sounding, it

became very evident that it was blowing in many different
directions with uncertainty. While in the cult, it was very
difficult to determine which "Mark of the Beast" we were
supposed to believe, and which were simply "missed marks."
Here are a few of Branham's targets to listeners trying to

focus their aim to a moving target:
* Communism
* Apostasy
* Union of Churches
* Unbelief
* Catholicism
* Rome
* Not having the Gift of the Holy Spirit
* To blaspheme the Holy Spirit
* Any denomination of faith other than Branham's
* Not descending from the seed of Abraham
223
John F. Kennedy - William
Branham Prophecy Fulfilled
John F. Kennedy - William Branham Prophecy Fulfilled:
Cult followers are quick to forget President John F. Kennedy.

Sure, they remember the nation's history, and some are even
intrigued with conspiracy theory, but as it applies to the cult,
they turn a blind eye. Why? Because Kennedy is an
"elephant in the room."
Kennedy was the perfect arch-enemy to Branham's "Elijah

Superhero." To the cult, Branham was the humble Elijah
facing the wicked Jezebel and her "Ahab" -- who Branham
claimed to be Jacqueline and John Kennedy. It was, he
claimed, the fulfillment of "prophecy."
But the prophecy Branham claimed vindication for, and the

prophecy the cult pastors teach, are two different things.
Polar opposite, even. Cult pastors use fear tactics that refocus
this prophecy to a future fulfillment -- not a past. They claim
that if Hillary Clinton is elected, it will once again
"vindicate" a prophecy that is pointed to our future -- not our
past.
Why do they not mention THIS version of the prophecy? Is it

because Kennedy's assassination exposed William Branham's
hind quarters as false prophet?
224
HOT OFF THE PRESS I
SURVIVED A CULT
HOT OFF THE PRESS: I SURVIVED A CULT:
"People have known these things for years, what does it hurt
to believe them anyway?"
This single question led to a difficult journey of self-

examination. It is a journey that is all part of an exodus away
from one of many doomsday cults. You are invited to take a
personal tour through the inside of one such cult, capturing
glimpses into the people, the places, and the experiences
found inside.
I survived a cult. It’s been an exciting journey, and will

continue to be one. I’ve met many new friends, seen some
new faces, and have started a new life with new possibilities.
New leaders are stepping forward to carry the torches for
those of us who began the journey together, and when those
leaders grow tired, others will continue.
This personal journey includes many names and faces that

you will find familiar. Did your church make the list? Is your
pastor mentioned? Did YOU make the list?
225
William Branham's Political
Agenda
When you examine William Branham's statements regarding
government officials and those running for candidacy, it is
very evident that there were political motivations behind
some of the statements in the sermons. Though Branham
claimed that he was "neither democrat or republican, I'm a
Christian," his rants against political parties would seem to
say otherwise.
And while an evangelist's political stance may not be

concerning, when they start claiming that God gave them
divine instruction about the politicians one has to wonder.
Especially when the same evangelist claimed that God told
him two polar-opposite visions regarding the President of the
United States.
In the Church Age Book, Hitler was the cause of the war, as
any today would expect:
The next vision foretold that an Austrian by the name of

Adolph Hitler would rise up as dictator over Germany, and
that he would draw the world into war. It showed the
Siegfried line and how our troops would have a terrible time
to overcome it. Then it showed that Hitler would come to a
mysterious end.
BRANHAM, LAODICEAN.CHURCH.AGE
But in the sermons of the early 60's, it was America's

political parties that initiated the World War:
Now, look what happened now. In... President Franklin D.

Roosevelt took America to England's tea party. That's right.
226
Germany never picked on us; we picked on them, throwed
the whole world into a war, to cause a world war.
BRANHAM, 60-1113
CONDEMNATION.BY.REPRESENTATION
227
I Survived A Cult - Personal
Glimpses Of An Exodus
Our family was different. We were special, but I didn't fully
understand why until I reached my late teens. Each church
we visited already seemed to know us. They seemed
genuinely interested in hearing about our lives, each and
every aspect. They were especially excited to hear tales from
my father, as he told stories from his childhood.
My father was one of those blessed enough to have known

the Prophet. His father was blessed far beyond words, having
walked with the Prophet and enjoyed a strong friendship.
How we lived, what we enjoyed, what we abstained from
enjoying all aspects of our lives were interesting to crowds
with itching ears.
228
The Subtility of Message
Recruitment
When you were first introduced to the message and William
Branham, did you know everything? Was it all laid out on
the table?
My personal experience as a message recruit was very much

like what is presented in this article.
---
'“Ethical groups tell you up front what they want and who
they are,” says Hassan. There is what he calls “informed
consent” among members. But with cults and groups that
practice mind control, there’s “a lot of deception, a lot of
lies, and people don’t know what they’re getting into.”'
229
Such an UNCERTAIN SOUND
William Branham's ability to "discern the thoughts of the
heart" is what many believe "vindicate" him as a prophet.
Surprisingly many message believers are unaware that WMB

gave credit to a number of very different supernatural events,
abilities, or entities as the source of healing in his prayer
lines:
1) Discernment is the most well-known and understandably

so. It is the only one with any basis in scripture whatsoever--
though the application of this 'gift' as the sign of a prophet is
terribly weak and poor exegesis indeed.
2) Hand Vibrations: WMB claimed he had the supernatural

ability to determine the disease of the individual standing
before him by sensing vibrations in their hands. Most of the
mentions of this talent are in early sermons or references
back to earlier times when this gift was in effect. He does not
claim to be determining diseases through hand vibrations in
his later ministry.
3) Amber Light: Though "amber" is a color associated with

the mineral and therefore yellow, gold, and orange in hue,
William Branham claimed that his "amber light" was
yellowish-green. This light, according to WMB, would settle
upon an individual and cause their healing.
4) His Angel: WMB often claimed that the angel that spoke
to him in his room/cave accompanied him on the platform
during prayer lines, and it was through this angel that people
230
were healed and the power of God could be present in the
meetings.
5) His own supernatural ability to heal: WMB asks his

congregation to believe in HIM for their healing on a number
of occasions. He tells them that his prayers are special--that
God promised that if the people would believe HIM (William
Branham) that his prayers would always be answered by
God.
6) Visions into the demonic realm. On a number of

occasions, WMB tells of the shape and appearance of
demons and supernatural spirits that hang over people, and
by recognizing these demons WMB claims he would know
the problems in the life of a person in the prayer line or
audience. The sermons series "Demonology" goes into vast
detail about this particular method of healing/disease
determination.
____
So, which one is it?
Perhaps it is time to consider the possibility that

"discernment" and telling people their disease was a result of
memorizing prayer cards and information fed to him by those
working the crowd. Perhaps it is time to consider the
possibility that "the uncertain sound" we are warned of in
scripture can be clearly heard on the contradictory,
confusing, and ever-changing recorded sermons.
231
The Testimony of Alfred Pohl
"Our moderator should have recognized it when he couldn't
see the spots, and I couldn't see them. He should have
recognized there's something wrong. He should have
recognized, too, when he dealt with the editor of the
newspaper in Winnipeg, when he couldn't produce one
genuine case (of divine healing). But still, even after that he
let Branham go through our churches throughout western
Canada.
To me, it was ridiculous. That's another thing that made me

leave the denomination, because I said that I cannot stay in a
denomination that is dishonest like that. That isn't honesty."
232
Biblical Exegesis:
For those unfamiliar with the term, 'exegesis' is the critical
exposition or explanation of a text. When we talk about
biblical exegesis we are referring to the conclusions reached
about doctrine, context, and content of scripture after careful
study.
As Christians we are commanded in scripture to study

diligently the Word of God so we can be effective workers
for His Kingdom in whatever capacity we find ourselves.
Failure to properly study the scriptures and come to solid
conclusions concerning its meaning puts as at a
disadvantage. We cannot be as effective if we are not
properly equipped!
____
2 Timothy 2:15
"Study [be diligent] to show thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of truth."
____
Doctors cannot be effective and content with the knowledge

of one procedure or one isolated body part--that sort of
shallow understanding is worthless when it comes to saving
lives. To be a good doctor, learning must continue, and
understanding must be thorough. New and improved
233
procedures should be learned; new research should be taken
into account; medicines must be researched and integrated
into the physician's arsenal. A doctor who understands the
intricate details of the body and how those systems
interrelate will spot diseases quickly, diagnose more
accurately, and treat far better than a doctor who knows the
bare minimum required to attain his medical degree.
We can all appreciate the need for diligence in the medical

profession. If continued learning is foundational to those
responsible for the health of the physical body, how much
more should we seek to continue learning and growing in
understanding of the eternal things of God--things that we
ALL are responsible for?
Why then do we so often neglect the in-depth study of

scriptures, instead deferring to the conclusions of others
without the slightest concern as to how they conducted their
exegesis?
Here is an overview of proper biblical exegesis. Ask yourself

this: is my understanding of the Gospel firmly grounded in
good exegesis, or am I merely following men? Do I KNOW
through careful study what it is I believe, or have I simply
absorbed the teachings presented to me without diligently
searching it out for myself? Am I following William
Branham's interpretation of the the Scriptures, or am I
following the Truth of the Scriptures?
234
Pastors Leading Their
Congregations From William
Branham Back To The Bible
Br. Joe Hefflin, pastor and devout follower of the "Message"
for over 40 years, gives his personal testimony of why he
chose to instead become a devout follower of Jesus Christ. In
his testimony, he describes both his journey into the message
and his journey out, seeking God's truth and trusting the
leading of the Holy Spirit all along the way.
"Someone might ask what the message of Br. Branham has

done for me. I believe it has cause me to have more faith in
the Word by searching out the Truth of it, to be sure that
what I believe can be backed up by Scripture and Spiritual
understanding."
- Bro. Joe Hefflin
Using both the Bible and William Branham's own recorded

instructions, Bro. Hefflin walks through a sample of the
many times William Branham's "gift" contradicted itself or
strayed from Scripture.
"I feel under the delusion of Satan, many honest people have
made Bro. Branham and/or his message an Idol, by putting
the Message equal with, or above the Word. Good sincere
people do not do this willingly, but because of what has been
drummed into them by the ministry, they do it
subconsciously. I even had one minister tell me that Bro.
Branham corrected the errors in the Bible; another simply
235
said we should take what Bro. Branham said, because we
look at the Scripture with a carnal mind."
- Bro. Joe Hefflin
Read more:
236
Slothful Christians
Slothful Christians:
There's an epidemic--not just in the message, though

certainly there too.
As Christians, we are called to study scripture for ourselves--

to commit ourselves to knowing everything that we can
about the Word of God. Unfortunately, instead of diligently
studying and coming to a better understanding of the Word,
many follow the commandments of men, adopt the doctrines
of men, and and reverence the opinions of men.
Don't be a lazy Christian. Pick up your Bible. Study it. Read

up on the history. Understand the context. Don't rely on
anyone else to mediate between you and the Lord--come to
Him yourself, and allow Him to speak, teach, and reveal to
you directly.
We should absolutely consider the opinions and conclusions

of other Christians--but we should never attempt to make
excuses for our own sloth.
237
Logical Fallacies-The Ad
Hominem
Often, when supporters of William Branham cannot argue
the facts presented by those who have left the message, they
will employ logical fallacies--or flawed logical arguments--
in order to justify their continued belief in "the prophet", his
false prophesies, his unscriptural teachings, and his many
fabricated stories.
Ad Hominem attacks are one such logical fallacy.
It does not matter who is presenting the facts--the facts speak

for themselves. It does not matter who is making the
arguments--if you cannot logically refute them, the
reputation of your opponent whether good or bad cannot
make your own position any more valid. Truth is truth,
whether you believe it or not, whether you like it our not, and
whether you accept it or not.
Pointing fingers at ex-message believers that are sharing the

Truth is not going to change the facts:
William Branham is STILL a false prophet.
238
Logical Fallacies--Comparing
Apples to Oranges:
Another tool in the WMB defender's arsenal is the faulty
comparison of two unrelated things.
All too often this means comparing William Branham with

the Lord Jesus. Message defenders will say that since Jesus
taught things like "eat my flesh and drink my blood" we can
ignore the unscriptural teachings of WMB. They will state
that since Jesus prophesied about the destruction of the
Temple (his body) and that it would be restored in 3 days--
since he didn't spend an entire 72 hours in the grave must
mean that he too prophesied falsely, and therefore we can
ignore William Branham's numerous false prophesies. Some
will even compare WMB to Jesus in terms of his
persecution--WMB was kicked out of denominations for his
"stand", and Jesus was hung on a cross for His.
The problem with this reasoning is that it is comparing

apples to oranges--two totally different things.
Jesus taught doctrine that was occasionally difficult to

immediately understand, employing metaphors and simple
stories with a symbolic and moral lesson (also known as
'parables') to make his points. Doing so DOES NOT IN ANY
WAY equal false teaching! Jesus was prophesied to teach in
parables in Psalms 78. It is a fulfillment of prophesy, and
served a practical purpose as well. His lessons were easily
understood by the common people in the culture, and even
today, we can study these lessons and glean spiritual truth
239
from them. They are timeless, and they are beneficial to our
souls.
WMB taught clearly unscriptural things--that the pyramids

were built by Enoch (no scriptural basis), the Zodiac was
God's first bible (no scriptural basis), and that Jesus Christ is
Michael the Archangel to name a few. These aren't parables;
these aren't metaphors! These are false teachings brought
forth by a false teacher.
Bottom line: You cannot compare WMB to Jesus Christ. He

is nowhere near the same, and doing so is logically useless
and does not help your argument.
WMB must stand alone. He must be compared, not to Jesus

Christ in order to justify shortcomings, not to another man or
group, but to the Word of God. He must stand or fall on his
own merits alone--and after much study, he FAILS.
-His teachings fall short of the standard when they deviate

from the clear teachings found in scripture. (1Timothy 6:3-5,
Galatians 1:6-9)
-His prophesies are false, and therefore according to scripture
he is a false prophet (Deut. 18:20-22)
-He lied about many things in his life, and never attempted to
correct himself. WMB's testimony is untrue, and God does
not lie. A liar cannot be trusted, and we are told in scripture
to flee for refuge to the Truth--to the Lord. (Proverbs 19:9,
Leviticus 19:11, Hebrews 6:18)
Comparing WMB to Jesus is not helping your argument--it is

only serving to make you look less like a Christian and more
like a cult follower.
240
Seek the Truth. Let's deal with the real issues and stop
playing games.
241
Did William Branham Ban
Soccer?
It is a common-held belief in African message churches that
William Branham forbade his followers from participating or
watching soccer games.
The belief, of course, has very little to no basis in truth.

William Branham never once mentioned the sport--
soccer/football/futball, though extremely popular in other
parts of the world is less so in the United States, and was
even more unpopular during WMB's lifetime. He never so
much as said the word, "soccer"--nor does he make mention
of it in any fashion.
Though from time to time William Branham did speak

against sports, most of the followers in the United States
believe that the rules regarding sport participation and
enjoyment are much more lenient. Indeed, in practically
every message church in the Western world you will find
little boys on baseball teams, men that enjoy watching
American football games after church on Sundays, and even
girls playing sports (in their skirts or culottes, of course).
Even Voice of God Recordings has volleyball nets, paintball
fields and go-carts for the youth. William Branham was
explicit that sports should not be played on Sundays--some
will honor this, and others will make justifications around it.
Exceptionally few ban sports all together.
So why then does this teaching abound?
242
--Some pastors are knowingly lying. Since their congregants
place more stock in "the prophet" than the scriptures,
attributing this teachings to WMB carries more weight and is
more effective at controlling their behavior than appeals to
traditional "holiness" teachings based upon (misapplied)
scripture alone.
--Some may have been told this by another, and since they
don't understand the English language and since all the
sermons are not translated into other languages by Voice of
God, they have no way to check.
--Some may believe, like the rare few in the West, that sports
are "worldly" entertainments and should be completely
rejected in every form.
____
The question African believers need to ask themselves is

this: what ELSE is your pastor lying about? What else are
you being taught about William Branham's teachings are
false?
If you study the actual teachings of Branham you will see

that the "fruits" at the end--pastors that lie, pastors that
commit heinous crimes, followers that beat their wives and
children, and so, so much more.... all of this rottenness is a
symptom of a much bigger problem.
The tree from the roots is rotten. William Branham is a false

prophet, and the Message is a Christian cult.
243
Logical Fallacies--The Strawman
Those that leave the message of William Branham to follow
Christ usually have very well defined reasons for their
decision.
Here at STT, those reasons are thoroughly documented on

seekyethetruth.com.
Nevertheless, those attempting to undermine our position

will often try and downplay the importance of addressing the
facts and muddle the debate with logical fallacies. One such
fallacy that we see time and time again is called "the
strawman argument".
Instead of addressing the clearly presented facts about the

false prophesies, the false teachings, the lies in William
Branham's life story, and the rotten fruit throughout the
movement, some will instead argue that we here at STT are
motivated by something besides a search for truth, that we
have personal issues that are the cause for our "slandering the
prophet", or that we believe and espouse something we have
never have.
These fabricated assaults on our credibility and the truth of

our argument may work for a time. But one need only read
the website to see the arguments we are presenting, and the
ignorance of those using the strawman argument. There is no
need for speculation--the facts can speak for themselves, and
WE can speak for ourselves.
We know what our arguments against the message and

against William Branham are--they have been thoroughly
244
expressed, and we are willing and able to defend those
positions with documentation. What we cannot continue to
do is clarify our position immediately after we have clearly
defined it.
Let's take the arguments back to the facts. William Branham

made false prophesies--like the India Vision he admitted
failed. He taught unscriptural things--like the Zodiac and the
Pyramids being God's first bibles. He lied about his
childhood, his birthdate, and countless other things in his life
story; the fruit on this tree is rotten, and the cause is the
roots.
He is, therefore a false prophet, a false teacher, a false

testimony, and the message is a false movement.
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William Branham And The Dylann
Roof Massacre
Once again, our country is torn apart by regurgitating racism
produced by the brutally abominable history of slavery and
segregation. Many are following the news as it emerges, how
Dylann Roof wore African Apartheid and other racially
degrading patches, and have seen the conversations with his
school mates describing his wanting to reinstitute
segregation. Promoting the errors of our past, he wanted to
separate the white man and the black man, from the schools
they attend to the sections of the restaurant they are allowed
to dine, to the bathrooms they are permitted to enter. It is a
disgrace.
We do not make lightly of what happened in this tragedy.

Nor do we claim that William Branham was in any way
directly behind this evil. But we are reminded that the evil
history of this nation was an evil far more widespread than
Branham's followers, and it was an evil that William
Branham often supported in crowds that supported this racial
system. Telling stories with the intent of painting a picture of
the African American that is pleased with segregation, he'd
make statements like, "A colored man is satisfied in the state
he is in, so they don't need those things." ( 63-0628M - O
Lord, Just Once)
There are many examples we can show to expose William

Branham as a false prophet. Even through his own words, the
India Prophecy failed, and we have mounds of concrete
evidence that his Bridge Vision was taken from newspaper
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articles for an event on a different bridge before his birth.
"Prophecies" of cars taken directly from newspaper articles
and more, angelic conversation that came from books by
Clarence Larkin, he was more of reader than he was a
prophet. But this issue runs deeper than his failed prophecies
or plagiarism and gross twisting of scripture. His promoting
segregation, and promoting it only to specific crowds while
rejecting it to others, displays a hidden agenda that is purely
evil. This false teaching exposes his claim to be an "End
Time Messenger" of God, and opens eyes as to exactly
whose "messenger" William Branham became. The God of
the Bible cannot and does not allow messengers teaching
evil. We do not reject the fact that Branham was a
messenger, but there are numerous examples -- just like this
of segregation -- that tell us exactly which direction this
"messenger" was leading us.
Please continue to pray for those involved in the tragedy in

South Carolina. May God be with them, and may this be a
wake up call for a bleeding nation.
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The Park - William Branham and
Homosexual Predators
The most common email or private message we receive,
often used as a rebuke in a comment to one of our Facebook
posts, is a question used as a distraction: Why do you
constantly speak against William Branham? There are
pastors in America now allowing homosexuals in their
churches! Pick on them instead!
Avoiding the obvious disregard for the Gospel and the plan
of salvation worded into this question, we'd like to take the
time to answer it at the same level of mindset that would ask
such a question. Christians who are familiar with the Gospel
realize that Christ came to save the sinner, not to turn them
away. A physician who came for the sick, not the well.
Many in William Branham's cult are not aware that their

"message" was in the hands of sexual deviants. Even fewer
are aware of the results of the commune that William
Branham blessed, and fewer still are those familiar with the
"vision" that Branham used to promote their very tragic
ministry. Those who do know keep silent, in an attempt to
cover up solid evidence of failure for Branham's claim to
"know the very secrets of the heart" or to have established an
end-time-message based on spiritual vision.
Those who have seen our statements on this subject deny

their accuracy, claiming twisting of Branham's words or even
creating paragraphs that were not originally from William
Branham. It's very difficult to believe, when Voice of God
Recordings refuses to translate all sermons into other
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languages -- only a few from the entire "message" are
available in printed form. Is fifty years not enough time?
Here is one example, using their own search tool, "The

Table." There are plenty more, all you need do is look!
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Unending Questions
Acts 17:10-12
Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by
night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the
synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than
those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all
readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out
whether these things were so. Therefore many of them
believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women
as well as men.
_____
Is something not adding up? Are you constantly dwelling

upon a particular doctrine that doesn't seem to fully align
with scripture, unsure how it fits? Are you confused when
William Branham appears to contradict himself, but you are
told repeatedly that "every word is THUS SAITH THE
LORD"? Are you finding the hypocrisy of the leadership, the
divisions between the churches, and the prideful spirit and
judgmental nature of message followers more and more
difficult to reconcile with the teachings of Christ?
There is nothing wrong with saying, "I don't know." There is

nothing wrong with you having questions--everyone does,
whether they admit it aloud or not. It is impossible for any of
us to understand everything, and Scripture tells us that those
who believe they know everything are really the farthest they
can be from true understanding (1 Corinthians 8:2). There is
no "evil spirit" causing you to earnestly seek clarification in
God's Word, and there is nothing the Lord loves more than to
250
reveal Himself personally to you! Know this: if your heart is
seeking Truth in the Lord, you will find it (John 8:32).
Don't allow those questions to pile up anymore. Do as the

Bereans did--search it out. Compare the message of William
Branham to scripture. Compare his life story to the
historically verified facts. Study his prophesies, and he sure
that they came to pass as he prophesied every single time.
Seek the Truth.
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Slumber
All these victims
Stand in line for
The crumbs that fall from the table
Just enough to get by
All the while
Your invitation:
"Wake on up from your slumber
Baby, open up your eyes
Wake on up from your slumber
Baby, open up your eyes!"
____
There is more than the meager crumbs falling from "The

Table"--there is fullness of joy, amazing, unending grace,
and a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ
offered freely to those who come to Him in humility and
sincerity.
Don't settle for the crumbs any longer--He has an invitation

for all those that call upon the Name of the Lord--they shall
be saved! It is that simple--and yet it is so unfathomably
profound.
God so loved the world that he sent His one and only Son
that that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but
passes from death into Life.
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John 3:16
253
The Romans Road
For those who have sat under the false teachings concerning
salvation found in the message of William Branham, it can
be difficult to wrap our minds around the simplicity of the
plan of redemption revealed in Scripture alone. When
salvation is about doing the right things, belonging to the
"right" group of people, and following the right human
leader (aka: William Branham) the Truth is often distorted,
and coming back to the basics can be a huge challenge.
The Romans Road is a series of verses from the book of

Romans that outline the plan of salvation and the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. It is something easy to remember and therefore
easy to share, and encompasses a vast number of concepts--
from the need for salvation for all mankind, to the free gift of
Christ provided for all, to the peace and assurance that
accompanies believers in Christ.
____
Romans 3:23: For all have sinned and come short of the
glory of God.
Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of
God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 10:9: That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as

Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the
254
dead, you shall be saved.
Romans 10:13: For everyone that calls upon the name of the
Lord shall be saved!
Romans 5:1: Therefore, since we have been justified through

faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 8:1: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for

those who are in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:38-39: For I am convinced that neither death nor

life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the
future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor
anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the
love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
255
A Look Inside The Cover of
Larkin's Dispensational Truth:
William Branham taught that the Seven Churches of Asia
Minor found in the book of Revelation were symbolic of
seven church "ages," starting with the time of the Apostle
Paul, and ending with himself as the "messenger" for the
final age. According to Branham, he was given divine
revelation as to these ages, dates, and messengers, and
followers of Branham's ministry believe this doctrine to be
scriptural truth.
This teaching is loosely based upon the doctrines of John

Darby, well known to be the "father of dispensationalism."
The teaching seems to have originated with a mystic named
Jane Leade, who established a religious group that called
themselves "The Philadelphia Society." Leade's teachings on
the "dispensations of the ages" became more widely known
through members of her following, and was ultimately
spread by Cyrus Scofield and his Scofield study bible.
Interestingly, Leade's prophecies were found among the
possessions of Charles Price, a Los Angeles pastor whose
church Branham frequented.
Branham's timeline for the "church ages" seems to be

identical to the drawings of Clarence Larkin in his work
entitled Dispensational Truth. The same dates that Larkin
used for his drawings are used in Branham's teaching, with
the exception of the last age, which Branham pointed to
himself. And while Larkin did not list messengers for each
age, Branham chose messengers to align with these ages,
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erroneously picking one messenger that was not alive during
his church age.
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Things we can agree on
We so often dwell on the things William Branham said that
we don't agree on, we thought we'd take a moment and
reflect on a couple of things he said that we agree with
completely!
Many message believers will be surprised to learn that their

prophet said a few of these since they differ so much with the
established doctrine in message churches. Nevertheless, he
said it and that settles it, right? ;)
____
William Branham on judging people by the heart and not

their outward appearance:
“Now, we never judge people by how much they own, or

how big a homes they live in, how they dress. We judge
them by what's in their heart. That's where God lives, in the
heart. And when you find simplicity, humility, and
loveliness, and... That that's what we love.”
62-0724 - Sir, We Would See Jesus
____
William Branham on Christian denominations: different

fellowships that all belong to the body of believers:
“Dear brother, sister, there's only one Church, and that's the
body of believers out of every church, that are truly believers
in our Lord Jesus Christ. That's the only Church there is. We
do not come into the Church into the Church of God. We
258
become into this fellowship; the Baptist fellowship, the
Methodist fellowship, the Catholic fellowship, the
Presbyterian fellowship. We become in there by a working
agreement, like the unions have in the churches. But in the
Church of the living God, we do not come in by letter, by by
handshake, by water baptism. But the Scripture says, "By
one Spirit we are all baptized into one Body." A Christian,
regardless of what fellowship we're connected with, we are
borned a Christian by the Spirit of God, and we become
believers on His Name.”
51-0727 - The Church Of The Living God
____
William Branham on fellowshipping with those that differ

doctrinally from you:
He said, "You know what we are going to do?" Said, "We're

drawing a little ring and drawing you right out of our circle.
If you draw me out, I'll draw you back in." I said, "When you
make one circle, God, by His grace, will let me draw another
one and pull you right back in." That's right. Draw them right
back again”
61-0425B - The Godhead Explained
____
William Branham on the sufficiency of Christ alone for

salvation:
"For there's not another Name given under heaven among

men whereby a man may be saved." Not, Baptist don't save
you; Presbyterian don't save you; Catholic don't save you;
259
Jesus saves you. All in the little textbooks, man-made
theories, they put them down; "That's what we believe." And
that's the reason we stay away from it. We have no textbook
but the Bible, no leading, no bishop but the Spirit. That's
right. And then, if there's a wrong spirit that comes in will try
to twist something in there, the Word will untwist it.”
58-0928M - The Baptism Of The Holy Spirit
____
William Branham on judging himself as a false prophet:
If these things that I have said come to pass, then you believe
God. If they do not come to pass, then I I am a false prophet
then.
50-0713 - Obey The Voice Of The Angel
____
William Branham on the Trinity:
“See, the Bible, First John 5:7 said there are three that bear
record in heaven: the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and
Father, Word, and Holy Ghost, which was the Son, and these
three are one. And there's three that bear record in earth: the
water, Blood, and Spirit, and they agree in one; not one, but
agree in one. You can't have the Father without having the
Son; you can't have the Son without having the Holy Ghost,
for they are inseparable, one. The trinity is in a one.”
53-0608A - Demonology, Physical Realm
____
260
William Branham on the Ordinance of Baptism:
“Eat of the bread... Now, I know Jesus is the Bread of Life;

that's true. But this is a symbol just like baptism. Baptism
doesn't save you; baptism is only a sign that you're
witnessing to the congregation that you believe in the death,
burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It doesn't save you.
Water will not save. It's your faith that saves you.”
59-0628E - Questions And Answers
_____
William Branham on the simple Gospel message of Christ:
You don't have to go to school and know some great

theology, or or say some great long creeds, and speak names
that the one that's giving it to you doesn't know what it
means. The only thing you have to know, is know that Jesus
died to save sinners, and His Blood washes you white as
snow. That's it, simple childlike faith.
60-0709 - God's Provided Way Of Approach To Fellowship
261
An In-Depth Comparison
Between Larkin and Branham:
"Rev. Clarence Larkin (1850-1924) was a Baptist Bible
teacher and author. His book “The Book of Revelation” was
published in 1919. William Branham mentioned that he had
read Clarence Larkin’s work, and he appears to have relied
heavily on Clarence Larkin’s material to form the core
teachings of his supposed “End Time Message”. William
Branham claimed that his teachings on the seven seals in the
book of revelation were given to him by his angel, but in
fact, those teachings were Clarence Larkin’s work published
44 years before, in 1919."
262
Is “The Message” the Word of
God for Today?
Let’s allow William Branham to rule once and for all the
truth on this matter, shall we?
You’re sure to be surprised by the verdict!
___
*The Message is old manna over fifty years since it fell:
We're in the last days. We're standing near the judgment.

Why? They're trying to eat old manna that fell back yonder
fifty years ago
65-0718M - Trying To Do God A Service Without Being
The Will Of God
____
*Since William Branham prophesied things that didn’t come

to pass, by his own mouth we are to disregard him as a false
prophet:
-If anything he prophesied doesn’t come to pass....
If these things that I have said come to pass, then you believe
God. If they do not come to pass, then I I am a false prophet
then.
50-0713 - Obey The Voice Of The Angel
263
You can go to my hometown and find it one time, in all the
times that It's ever told anything, that didn't come to pass just
exactly the way It said. Now, you pin a sign on my back as a
false prophet, and I'll walk through your streets.
53-1106 - Do You Now Believe?
-In the prayer lines
Now, I asked you people the first night that I come here, that
if these signs didn't take place down through the meetings,
the speakers of the people's hearts, things that they'd
forgotten for years, the diseases showed, and all like that,
perfectly, everyone perfectly; then you say that... If I... If that
didn't happen, then you could say I was a false prophet.
51-0415E - The Hour Is Come
But if you do agree with me, then yet you you can still
question that until you see it manifested. That's right. If it's
God's Word, God has to keep His Word. If He doesn't keep
It, well, then it isn't God, then I I've been a false, I been a... I
made a false manifestation, I I've been a false prophet.
62-0218 - Perseverance
-Teaching contrary to the bible...
Now, that's rough, but anything that teaches contrary to this

Bible is a false prophet. I don't care how polished it may be,
it's false prophecy. That's right.
58-0927 - Why Are We Not A Denomination?
-William Branham about being caught in a lie...
264
I'm going to be found a false prophet or telling you the truth.
If I tell the truth, God will vindicate the truth. If I tell a lie,
God will show it that it's a lie. But His Words can't lie.
59-0708E - Be Certain Of God
____
How important is it to KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt

that William Branham is a true prophet of God before
following him?
I've got to leave here. You've got to leave here. And if I go as

a false prophet, I'll lose my own soul and lose yours with me.
59-1219 - Questions And Answers On The Holy Ghost
___
To summarize, William Branham taught that following the

"old manna" preached fifty years before is STAGNANT--
you need fresh meat. It has been over fifty years since
William Branham preached anything at all and more than
that since the majority of his message was preached. He
taught that every single prophesy must come to pass as
spoken for him to be a true prophet, and since we know
about the failed India vision, the failed Bridge prophesy, and
the false bear prophesy (among MANY others), he would
consider himself a false prophet.
Since we know that he preached things that are contrary to

scripture, William Branham would consider himself a false
teacher. Since we know that he lied many times about his life
story we know that he would consider himself false on that
basis as well.
265
And lastly, we know that William Branham believed that
following a false prophet puts your soul at risk of eternal
damnation, so it is essential for the well-being of your soul
that you don't follow a false prophet!
So are you going to listen to your "prophet" and stop

following the false, stagnant message preached by William
Branham, or are you going to ignore these warnings from the
"messenger of the hour"?
266
A Refutation of William
Marrion Branham
Cult Education Basics - William Branham's Exposition of the
Seven Church Ages
"Due to the introduction into this region of the doctrines of

William Marrion Branham it has become necessary that a
standard, however humble, be raised against the flood of
false and self-serving doctrines that has poured into the
minds of so many sincere individuals through countless
publications, recorded messages and even movies.
The author has chosen the book entitled 'An Exposition of

the Seven Church Ages' as the basis for this refutation and
shall attempt to examine the major points of this book as
clearly and objectively as possible.
The author requests only your patience and your time in

reading this lengthy message.
'Let God be true and every man a liar' Romans 3:4"
267
William Branham On Salvation
Do you need to follow “the message of the hour” in order to
be saved? Do you have to believe the messenger of the day
in order to have true faith in Jesus Christ?
Let’s see what William Branham has to say about it.
(Those thinking they already know the answer to this

question, just take a seat and listen to your prophet preach
the Truth of the Gospel!)
____
--How are we saved? By faith? By works? By a combination

of the two?
I said, "By believing Him." That's right. By believing and

resting your faith upon His finished works; that's it. And
every true, genuine, gift of God will point to Calvary on the
finished works of the Lord Jesus Christ. There's no one can
heal; there's no one can save; there's no one can add one
thing to salvation, not a thing.
56-0406 - The Infallible Word Of God
You're saved by the merits of Christ. Is that right? Now, not

trust your own merits; there's nothing you can do to be saved,
only believe on Him. I couldn't go to heaven in my
righteousness. Neither could you go there in your
righteousness. God wouldn't receive it. But He will receive
the righteousness of His Son. And if we believe on Him as
the Scripture says, believe that He is, and will confess Him,
268
He will work the righteousness in us.
50-0822 - Faith Without Works Is Dead
Now, man has always tried to save himself, and do different

things to be saved by, but it's never has been in the New
Testament by any works of our own; it's "by grace are you
saved, through faith." That's the only thing that can save you
is grace.
53-0325 - Israel And The Church #1
____
--But don’t we need to be baptized, accept the message of the

hour, and follow a code of holiness first to truly be saved and
go to heaven when we die?
Now, while you all have your heads bowed, you with the
Holy Ghost, now you, every one of you that believes and
accepted Jesus as your Saviour, while the rest of the audience
looks this way, raise up your hand. Raise up your hand, you
that accepted Jesus as your Saviour. Now, there's a witness.
Now, according to the Word of God, God witnesses to you in
Heaven. A hour ago, you'd have went to hell. Now you'd go
to Heaven if you died. That's the difference between death
and Life, by your faith in Jesus Christ. Is that right? You are
alive now; you are made a new creature.
Aren't you glad that He said, "Hear ye Him." Why? Moses

represents the law. No man could keep the law. There's no
flesh saved by the law. The law is a a condemner of the
people. No one could be saved who keepeth the law. No
works that you can do can save you. You might do one thing,
join church, baptize forward, backwards, whatever you
269
would. That doesn't have anything to do with it. You are not
saved by your works. It's by grace are you saved; that's a gift
of God. "No one man can come to Me except My Father
draws him first.
57-0125 - Hear Ye Him
____
--But what about following the right leader!? Doesn’t

salvation come from the “messenger of the hour’s message”?
What about those that don’t know about William Branham or
don’t come under his ministry?
Now, the only thing that a minister could do would be preach

to you salvation in the cross. He couldn't save you. There's
no preacher tell you he can save you. He asks you to accept
what Jesus has already done. Is that right? How many of you
are pastors, do that, raise your hand? Sure, you accept Christ.
Now, he can preach, but he can't save; but he points you to
Calvary. You accept it, then when you come up, and say,
"Now, I take Jesus as my personal Saviour," you believe in
your heart that you are saved. Now, the critics on the outside
say, "Oh, John, there's no difference in you. Why, you look
just the same as you al...”? But, you might look the same;
you might not feel any different; but in your heart you
believe you're different. See? Then you confess that you're
different. "He that will confess Me before men, I'll confess
him before the Father and the holy angels." 39 Now, if you
believe you're better, then you say you're better; you act like
you're better. See? You say, "Yes, sir, I'm I'm saved." You
associate with those that are saved. You believe you're saved.
You act like you're saved, and it works righteousness. Is that
right? That's 'cause He was wounded for your transgressions,
setting at the right hand of the Father to make good anything
270
you confess.
51-0923 - The Principles Of Divine Healing
___
--Well, should I at least be sure and find the right church

with the holiest congregation? Aren’t those denominations
evil, the weaker Christians poison, and shouldn’t I come out
from among them?
And brother, you might take, join this church, join that
church, you'll go to the Methodist awhile. If they do
something over there you don't like, you'll take your paper
out and go over and join the Baptist. If you don't like it over
there, well, you'll come over here at the Nazarene, join them.
You go back over to the Presbyterians and join them or over
at the Christian Church. You've packed your paper till it's
wore out. Why don't you forget, and tear the thing up, and
put your name on the Lamb's Book of Life in Heaven, where
it can't be moved. And there with fellowship with the
Methodist brother, the Baptist, the Presbyterian, and come
together in these union meetings and worship God and let
your heart be open and be a brother to all men. Say, "God
bless you, brother." If the man's in the wrong, don't condemn
him, help him up. When you see these drunks and prostitutes
on the street, don't point your scornful finger and say, "I'm
better than they are." The thing to do, that person's just as
low as they can get now, if anything, take them by the hand
and lift them up and point them to Jesus Christ, the Son of
God, Who can save them. But, oh, "I belong to the churches,
we don't have such people as that in our churches." We've
drawed a boundary line now. We just let a certain class of
people come to our churches. That's right. What we need
today is that old-fashion, Holy Ghost revival, a nationwide,
which makes us all shake hands with one another and call
271
one another, "brother and sister." God bless you.
53-1018 - Elijah
____
I think that cleared up those misconceptions :)
Confused about why William Branham preaches it so

emphatically two (or three or four) different ways?
We were too, which is why we walked away from the

confusion and into the Truth of the Gospel by grace alone
through Christ alone revealed in Scripture alone.
Suddenly, this whole salvation thing gets a lot easier to

understand.
Romans 10:9
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe

in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be
saved!
272
To The Many Who Are Contacting
Us About Homosexuality
We are receiving questions about William Branham's
interactions and acceptance of homosexual men in his
campaign. Some of this, we can attribute to the ruling by the
United States Supreme Court on gay marriage, but not all.
Others are curious, now having heard of the tragedies in the
Park.
Those who did not know these men find this information
shocking and unusual, but those who were around the "tape
boys" and others from Branham's campaign usually respond
with, "I always knew those men were gay." The younger
crowd, now realizing that much of Branham's cult legend is
not what it appears, seem to be seeking for evidence of their
homosexuality. The problem is, with the nature of this
"evidence," one could not produce it unless traveling back in
time with a video camera. What is now referred to as "closet
homosexuality" looks much differently now than it did in
days gone by, and evidence would involved capturing two
men in sexual relations.
This site makes a solid attempt at avoiding opinion presented

as fact without supporting evidence. And due to the issue
mentioned above, the only evidence available would be
witness testimony by men respected by the Branham
campaign. Unfortunately, we cannot use witness testimony
by those of us contacting us from the Park in Prescott,
Arizona, who lived very close to two of the homosexual men
in Branham's campaign. We respect their privacy, and have
given them our promise to confidentiality. We can, however,
273
refer to the statements made by Lee Vayle, respected as
"Doctor" by William Branham, who Branham chose to both
author and edit some of his books. Branham himself used
Lee Vayle as a witness to some of his "supernatural"
experiences, one of which can be found on 58-0130 "The
Handwriting On The Wall." If Vayle is a good enough
witness for William Branham, then he should be a good
enough witness for his followers.
Lee Vayle himself mentioned some of the homosexual men

in Branham's campaign. In a sermon entitled "Godhead,"
Vayle mentions both Gene Goad and Leo Mercier, as well as
Baron Von Bloomberg who was one of Branham's campaign
managers.
"And at that time there was with that group that went to
Europe, a Christian Full Gospel businessman, identified with
them, named Faery Von Blumberg even the name is typical
Fairy? Not trying to be facetious, but look at it. It’s
absolutely true. That was his name, and he was an avowed
H-m-o-s-x-u-a-l. At the same time Leo and Gene, two H-m-
o-s-x-u-a-less, attached themselves to Bro. Branham’s
ministry tape boys which was allowed by God"
- Lee Vayle, Godhead
Others are writing in to debate our stance on gay marriage

after the court's ruling. I find this interesting, because if a
person were to be truly interested in the subject matter itself,
they would not be asking us. We have not presented
ourselves as any theologian or scholar, and in all of our
posts, we simply point people to the scriptures to find the
answers themselves. If they were truly interested in the
answer, they would not be asking us. It appears that these
questions are an attempt to initiate a private debate, so that
274
they can unleash their "spiritual swords" upon us in the event
that we disagree with their point of view.
In the past, we have made it very clear that we don't

participate in private debate. In our experience over the past
three years, followers of William Branham who engage in
private debate without the eyes of their peers watching do
not respond with the same restraints. The fruits of the Spirit
are not present in private discussion with cult members, and
we find the onslaught of insults and curses placed upon
ourselves and members of our family to be fruitless
discussion. So we reiterate, we do not debate in private.
Interestingly, should we debate, we fully expect a discussion

that describes the condition today as a "Sodom condition,"
because "Sodom was rained upon with hellfire and brimstone
because of their homosexuals." This is a common statement
made by cult pastors, those who study William Branham
more than they study the Bible. While the Bible does often
refer to homosexual acts as sin, Ezekiel 16 is very clear why
Sodom was destroyed:
[God speaking to Jerusalem, who He says was the mother of

harlots in the verses prior] "As surely as I live, declares the
Sovereign Lord, your sister Sodom and her daughters never
did what you and your daughters have done. “‘Now this was
the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were
arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the
poor and needy."
-- Ezekiel 16
If you want to learn more about what the Bible says about
homosexuality, we recommend that you go directly to the
Source. Neither ourselves or any other men -- pastor,
275
evangelist, missionary, or elder -- has any opinion that can be
better than reading for yourself:
276
Letter to Bro Jackson
Letter To Bro Jackson:
"I know there are things about the Message that you may not
see but it is God."
- Jim Jones of Jonestown.
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Moving Targets
Did you know that the 1933 prophesies WMB supposedly

made and wrote down in the flyleaf of his bible changed over
time?
Did you know that WMB prophesied that Christians should

not eat eggs and that they should not live in valleys?
Did you know that not a single "flyleaf" has ever been
produced verifying that these prophesies even happened in
1933? That the "cornerstone" of the Branham Tabernacle
was opened, and not a single thing was in there? Not a single
"eye-witness" verified these prophesies for posterity?
Something seems off-target...
...which is probably why the targets are continually being

moved.
Seek The Truth.
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Can you catch the "Revelation"
about 1977?
Many in the message would like you to think that William
Branham's 1977 rapture and judgment
prediction/prophesy/teaching was simply a flawed man's
flawed thoughts--not a prophesy by inspiration of God, and
not the revealed truth that only "the prophet" can give with
authority and vindication as the "restorer of all things".
The problem with this explanation is that William Branham

DID claim divine inspiration for the prediction. He claimed
supernatural authority in making the prediction as God's
prophet whose prophesies had never once failed, and he
claimed scripture itself reveals the truth of this teaching
during his 70 weeks of Daniel sermon series.
He left himself an escape from responsibility, though,

because many false prophets had already claimed to know
the date and failed--Charles Taze Russell (1914), Hebert
Armstrong (1936/1943/1972/1975), Jehovah's Witnesses
(1941/1975), Jim Jones of Jonestown (1967), among
countless others. William Branham knew that a failed
prophesy about the end of time could harm his credibility
and his following could dwindle, so instead of calling it a
"prophesy", he instead shrouded it with just enough
deniability that if the prediction proved untrue he could still
claim to be the one authority to Laodicea--he could still
claim to be the mouthpiece of God.
Here are the questions we all must ask about this prediction:
279
1) If this was JUST a prediction, does that mean WMB's
'divine inspiration' was wrong? What ELSE did WMB say by
'divine inspiration' that should be discarded as untrue?
2) If this was JUST a prediction, does that mean that WMB's

authority as "the mouthpiece of God" has limitations? If he
could be wrong about this while claiming authority as a God-
sent prophet, what ELSE is wrong? What ELSE deserved re-
evaluation?
3) If this was JUST a prediction, does that mean WMB's

bible teachings are suspect, since he taught this date tied into
scripture in Daniel's 70 Weeks? How do we begin to separate
the true "restored Word" from false teachings?
____
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 systems and usher in the
millennium.
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages - Chapter Nine -

The Laodicean Church Age
____
Now, counting the time, we find that we have exactly

(Listen.) seventeen years left, and we will have the same
280
span of time given to us as God dealing with us in the power
of the Holy Spirit since A.D. 33 until 1977, the same span of
time of 1954 years. God deals with us the same as He did
with the Jews. See? How about that? Now, mark down in
your book a little Scripture here I want to give you. Leviticus
25, begin with the 8th verse. God calls a jubilee every forty-
ninth year; the fiftieth year was the jubilee. We know that.
We understand that. From the first jubilee of Leviticus 25:8,
in 1977 will be the seventieth jubilee, making exactly 3,430
years. Jubilee means the going up, the release.
Branham, 61-0806, Daniel's Seventy Weeks
____
The Laodicean Age began around the turn of the Twentieth

Century, perhaps 1906. How long will it last? As a servant of
God who has had multitudes of visions, of which NONE has
ever failed, let me predict (I did not say prophesy, but
predict) that this age will end around 1977.
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages - Chapter Nine -

The Laodicean Church Age -
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Let’s Talk Diseases
Thousands of people came from all over to the church
meetings held by William Branham in the late 40’s and 50’s.
The appeal? The promise of divine healing from a man of
God that can read the ‘thoughts and intents of the heart’
declaring your name, disease, and perhaps the town that you
live in or the condition of your soul. Newspaper articles
declared the successful healings, and in a time before much
of the modern medical understanding today, divine healing
was often the last resort.
There was no chemotherapy to treat cancer, and there was

little hope of preserving your vision if diagnosed with
cataracts. Ultrasound wasn’t invented until 1956. The
purpose of the appendix remained a mystery and was often
routinely removed. The polio vaccine was invented in 1952,
but many were already physically handicapped as a result of
the virus that many believed was caused by consuming ice
cream.
And so, it was with fear that the sick entered divine healing
meetings, hoping that the travelling preacher could give them
what the medical community could not. They come in, fill
out a prayer card with their name, diseases, and hometown,
giving this card to an usher who briefly chats with them and
offers them reassuring words. They take their seat and await
their time in the prayer line. Those without prayer cards are
comforted as well; the ushers greeting them and assuring
them to just have faith for their healing. Maybe, just maybe
“the prophet” will call them out of the crowd and declare
them healed!
282
When the preacher calls their number and then tells them
their name and disease, the people are astonished and are
filled with peace flooded with adrenaline, they feel better
they feel hopeful. William Branham attributes his gift to an
Angel on the platform that reveals the diseases to him
through a number of signs vibrations in his hand, visions of
hovering clouds, and so on. Regardless of the source of the
information, the audience wants to believe the story so badly.
The fact that they wrote their diseases down on cards for the
usher matters very little like William Branham said, you
must have faith to accept the gospel of divine healing.
Some of the “healed” people became even sicker and

succumb to their diseases because they lack faith. Some got
worse, and then better. And some a rare few received their
healing immediately and fully on the platform. But most left
the building, still sick, still weak, and still hopeless and in
need of a miracle that simply did not come. Perhaps next
time, they will have enough faith. Perhaps next time, they
will “touch the garment” and be made whole.
William Branham claimed his angel revealed diseases to him

by divine means but if you read over the transcripts of the
prayer line, there are some serious issues with this. First,
WMB makes mistakes, healing a man of deafness when in
reality he has issues speaking, not hearing. He calls out the
wrong names, and he claims healing for people that later die
from their diseases, such as Donny Morton.
Then, there are the “discernments” of diseases that simply do

not exist. Supernatural explanations of diseases that don’t
adequately explain the medical phenomena are touted as
revealed truth. Causes of diseases that the scientific
283
community has now proven false are treated like the
indisputable truth, revealed by divine inspiration in the
prayer line.
Let’s take a look at just a handful of examples where ‘the

prophet’ got it wrong:
___
Gallbladder Seepage? This is not an actual medical

condition.
And you have a gallbladder seepage with that.

50-0714 - At Thy Word
Prostate Condition Causing Nervousness? Perhaps someone

can be nervous about their prostate condition, but “nervous
condition” (what today we would classify depression,
anxiety, or another psychological condition) is not directly
caused by a prostate condition.
I want to talk to you again, after I found your trouble. You're

nervous, which that's caused from a prostate condition. Isn't
that right?
53-0215 - Jesus Christ The Same Yesterday, Today, And
Forever
Cancer Caused by Bruises? Cancer a different life form?

Though many believed cancer WAS caused from bruises
before the medical community determined differently, we
now know that cancer has absolutely nothing to do with the
bruising of the skin. Cancer is also not a germ, and is not
biologically a different life it is genetically a part of the
person who has cancer.
284
What's a cancer? Is a life. Look, there's no cancer on my
hand. There might be sometime. What does cancer come
from? (Everything in the natural, represents the spiritual.) A
cancer would be a a scavenger, buzzard, eats dead things. A
cancer comes from a bruise. And then when that bruise
comes, there's a ... a little cell in there that's bruised, that
backslides. A life, another life, not your life, a germ, comes
in there. It's a spirit first that develops itself around it by a
germ or takes the germ that's already in your body, and takes
its place.
___
Judge for yourself--can the 'prophet of God' be

simultaneously infallible and so obviously wrong about the
cause of various diseases? Can "the spirit of God" reveal a
disease that isn't real?
Seek the Truth. If you are holding out because of the divine
healing, study it out fully and come to an informed
conclusion instead of assuming it is all correct--because it
isn't.
285
DID YOU KNOW - Fourth of July
Many cult followers learn their world history through
recorded tapes of William Branham, some even preferring
his version of history over history taught in public schools.
While Message believers in today's version of the cult enjoy

Fourth of July celebrations with barbecue, hot dogs,
fireworks, fun and games, the cult of yesteryear celebrated
with threats of impending destruction marinaded with doom
and gloom. Take Branham's "Masterpiece" for an example:
"Yesterday, fourth of July. Thomas Jefferson had signed the

Declaration of Independence, him and the other board that
was with him, and the Liberty Bell rang, and we was
declared an independence, as a nation. According to history,
there has never been a democracy at any time last over two
hundred years. And that was 1776, July the fourth. And we're
just eleven years left. Will it make it? No, can't, see. Eleven
years. And, if it does, it'll break all history. And we see the
condition of time. We see the condition of the people. We
see the condition of politics. We see the condition of the
world. It can't stand. It's got to sink, like the Titanic. It must
go down, for theirs give room. One nation gives room to
another, as it falls. And this kingdom must fall, and every
other kingdom, to give room to that Kingdom that's coming,
which cannot fall. "For we receive a Kingdom that cannot be
moved," through this perfect image of God, the
Masterpiece."
William Branham, 64-0705 - The Masterpiece
Not only did the nation last eleven more years after 1964
(very close to Branham's 1977 doomsday prediction), his
286
tidbit of history is incorrect. The Greeks coined the term
"Democracy" in 430 B.C., and Iceland is the longest
continuous democracy, dating back to 930 A.D.
287
Covert Narcissistic Personality
Disorder
Covert Narcissistic Personality Disorder:
Church congregations seem to magnets for people with

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), and especially a
type of NPD called ‘covert’. NPD leaders in a congregation
tend to be covert because the characteristics of NPD are quite
diametrically opposed to the common image of Christian
behavior and countenance. This covert quality will serve to
effectively hide the NPD leader for an extended period of
time (even decades).
Because NPD people are highly talented at shifting blame

and attention away from their own character flaws, the
average congregational member may never suspect that there
is a very sick leader who is perpetrating the decline of their
congregation. Prospective members need to recognize the
signs of a congregation with an NPD leader so as not to join
what is essentially a doomed congregation. Prospective
ministry new hires need to be able to discern congregation
with and NPD in power so as not to take a congregational
call to what will be a hellish ministry.
288
The Chicken or the Woman's Egg
With today's cult followers more knowledgeable with
science and anatomy than the cult of yesteryear, they are a
little more than shocked when they hear William Branham
make spiritual claims that rely upon denial of what we all
understand and know to be fact. At which point, we receive
questions concerning what Branham taught on specific
subjects.
One such question came in this week: "Did William

Branham teach that Mary did not produce the egg that
birthed baby Jesus?"
This question, as some of the younger, more knowledgeable

crowd is aware, is the conundrum one encounters when
William Branham claims that Mary was not the mother of
Christ, denying John 19:25
"Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister,
Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene." - John
19:25
In many of Branham's derogatory statements towards Mary,

the mother of Jesus, and women in general, he claimed that
she was "just an incubator," that she "did not produce the
egg," and that Jesus had no part with her, and therefore was
not a Jew, denying John 4:22:
"You [Gentiles] worship what you do not know; we [Jews]

worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews." -
John 4:22
289
The more knowledgeable crowd, schooled in anatomy and
physiology, realize that the woman's body has already
produced all of her eggs for her lifetime, and that the
Menstrual Cycle releases an egg every month.
But it is not entirely true that William Branham "said" that

Mary did not produce the egg. Those who use this phrase,
"William Branham said," mistakenly try to claim that
William Branham remained in the same position in any given
subject, when there are very few subjects in which
Branham's position remains the same.
Here are some examples of Branham correctly stating that

Mary already had her egg:
"We all know that the bloodstream comes from the male sex.
The germ of life comes through the the male. And in this
case, Mary had the the egg, but the germ, the blood cell,
came from God the Creator Who made it. So you can't say
Jesus was a Jew, He wasn't."
Branham, 60-0309 - Why?
"The very Jesus that was conceived in the womb of Mary

when Jehovah, the Almighty God, overshadowed her, and
brought a blood cell into her womb, mixed with that egg that
was in the woman, brought forth, not the blood of the Jew, or
the blood of the Gentile, but the Blood of God"
Branham, 60-0724 - The Unchangeable Word Of God
But as with almost any claim we study from the "Prophet of

uncertain sound," He also said the exact opposite:
"Mary... If that Baby's body (which the flesh comes from the
egg), and if that Baby's body was flesh of Mary, then what?
290
Then Mary had to have some kind of a sensation. You see
where you put God doing? God created both egg and blood
cell. "
Branham, 62-0128A - A Paradox
"That egg cannot be there without a sensation. There had to

be something happen. And look where you put Jehovah,
mixed up in sex. God created the entire Being of Christ in the
womb of Mary, and she was just a woman, an incubator, that
bare this Son. Wasn't nothing of her. Now. She's just a
woman that God used."
Branham, 62-0624 - Super Sign
"But the egg didn't come from Mary. If the egg come from
Mary, then there had to be a sensation. Look where you put
God. God created both egg and blood cell."
Branham, 63-0121 - Zacchaeus, The Businessman
"Well, then, if this woman produced the egg, then how could
David say "I'll not leave My Holy One see corruption,
neither will I leave His soul in hell"? Then if the woman egg
was in Christ, then the person's got something to do with His
part in the resurrection, when it's wholly complete with God.
Why did God raise up a sexual part of a person? In the
resurrection, why didn't He leave His body see corruption?
Because He was holy. And how could He be holy if He'd
have had a conception with Mary, and the pollen had come
from Mary, the egg down through the tube into the womb?
There'd have had to be some sensation to bring the egg
down. Then the woman would be... 82 Well, you say, "The
egg might have been laying there. Could have been
possible." But that, if so, then look what happens here, then
He wasn't altogether God. He wasn't God, inasmuch as He
was human. But then if that be so, the woman had something
291
in it. And the the actual seed that come from Mary, which
come from her mother, and her mother, and her mother, was
something human mixed into it, with a human desire.
Couldn't have been. No, sir."
Branham, 62-0211 - Oneness
Many of you that are now leaving the message cult and
seeking Christ also contact us about parents who refuse to
even look at the fundamental issues with "The Message."
"Why can't they see it?" we are asked. "Are they blind?"
Partly, this may be true:
"Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they

may believe what is false" - 2 Thessalonians 2:11
But in examples like this doctrine of "Mary's egg," they

simply may not have the same knowledge and understanding
of God's creation and all that is in it. A people attracted to a
religious movement through signs and wonders, at a time
when much less understanding of the Bible, religion in
general, and scientific fact were available, are more difficult
to persuade away from gross error and into truth. They
cannot see the error, and were attracted by signs and
wonder.
One can only respond with 2 Thessalonians 2:9:
"The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan

with all power and false signs and wonders"
292
William Branham's Racial Slurs in
the Sermons
To those wondering where William Branham used racial
slurs towards those with dark skin, we will only comment on
those he made on recorded tape. Any private conversations
are second-hand information and not worth examining.
Here are a couple of examples
An old darkie, not long ago down in the south before the
proclamation was signed for the independence, or the
freedom of the slaves, one night there was a little old place
where he was playing the organ and having a glorious time in
the service, where the darkies had met together to worship
the Lord.
Branham, 55-0121 - The Water Of Separation
Africans are big burly, heavy fat-like people. Some of them

are nearly seven-foot tall, and weigh, oh, two hundred and
eighty, or three hundred pounds, burly
Branham, 53-0609A - Demonology, Religious Realm
There are several statements against Jews, which we can

attribute to his influence by the Ku Klux Klan through Roy
E. Davis. Here are some examples:
293
Cancer
Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide, killing an
estimated 8.2 million people in the year 2012 alone. An
estimated 39.6% of people will be diagnosed with cancer at
some point in their lives. There is not a nationality,
socioeconomic group, or race exempt from the threat of
cancer.
In the 1940’s and 1950’s the medical community was still

working hard to prevent cancer and treat it effectively, but
they were unfortunately working with many of the pieces
missing. DNA was not clearly understood at the time,
modern techniques for cancer screening had yet to be
invented, and the very nature of cancer cell structure was
misunderstood.
Even though tests on laboratory animals had proved the

theory wrong in the 1920’s, many people still believed that
injury was the primary cause of cancer. Some believed that
cancer was a virus and that cancer was something foreign in
the body. It was a fearful time a diagnosis of cancer meant
death within five years in approximately 50% of cases.
Surgery would often leave cancer survivors marred, and
before the advent of chemotherapy and radiation, inoperable
cancers meant almost certain death.
It was into this world that William Branham and the other
healing evangelists entered the field. When the medical
community had little in the way of answers, these traveling
preachers promised results if only you can believe God for
your healing.
294
The problem, of course, is that William Branham and the rest
of the healing revivalists from this era made grandiose claims
of incredible healings that cannot to this day be
substantiated. Statistically, about 50% of the people seeking
healing in William Branham’s meetings would have lived for
five years after their diagnosis regardless of whether they had
a preacher pray for them or not. For those that didn’t survive,
there was ALWAYS an excuse.
William Branham taught that in order to be healed the person

seeking healing had to maintain unwavering faith, even if
they got sicker, they could not lose faith or they would lose
their healing. When a person DID succumb to their disease,
the travelling preacher could always blame the failure on the
sick person’s lack of faith.
It was a genius scheme, and many desperate souls came

searching for their miracle.
But in order to get the people in the door, there had to be a

carrot something that would draw the people not just to faith
for their healing, but to the supernatural manifestations of the
special man of God to “the prophet”. William Branham made
some incredible claims about all kinds of different healings,
but some of his most fantastic involved the total and instant
healing of cancers or tumors falling off right in front of the
audience:
___
Two weeks ago, before I went to New York, there was a lady
come in with a cancer in the throat. The Holy Spirit spoke to
her, in the meeting. Here she was there, Sunday, with a
295
cancer in a piece of a rag, she had coughed it out. The
doctors looked at it, and said, "The life went out of the
cancer, and it's come loose." And she coughed it out. 219
Another one had a cancer in the female glands. And she had
it right there, with an enlarged picture, with the doctor's
statement with it. She had passed it, two days later.
63-1127 - The World Is Again Falling Apart
Now, I I can tell you this. God, Who is my Judge, Who I

stand before, I... By newspaper clippings, front page
headlines carrying this, it could be showed here at the
platform. I seen the time when people come to the platform
with hanging cancers, hanging on their bodies; and while
prayer was being made, their cancer turning white, dropping
off, and rolling down across the floor while I was praying for
them. God, Who is in heaven, that looks down, knows that's
true. When newspaper reporter standing there and shoot the
picture of it, and declared in the newspapers on the front
page.
50-0816 - Looking To The Unseen
Here not long ago, way down there in Kentucky, Brother

Sullivan, an old patched blue shirt, steel gray eyes, looked at
me in the eye and said, "Preacher, I believe that." Oh,
brother, that was one hundred percent plus. He did. And a
cancer, hanging on the side of his face dropped off on the
floor. He believed it. So many's got hope instead of faith.
Now, the newspapers packed the article of it: a reporter
standing there and the cancer rolled off over his feet. He
couldn't keep from writing about it. Picked it up himself.
Say, "Why don't... I didn't see it nowhere."
61-0318 - Abraham's Covenant Confirmed
___
296
The issue of course is that we have absolutely no evidence
that ANY of these incredible healing claims were legitimate
there are no records or testimonies from any first-hand
witnesses healed in such a dramatic fashion, no newspaper
articles, and no doctor’s statements.
More troubling, though is this account of another of the

healing revival preacher’s fake healings involving cancers
falling from bodies:
____
“Did he have the power to heal? There are a number of

problems with assertions that he could “many healings were
known to be faked, many of the cancers coughed up were
bloody chicken parts, many of the “infirmed” were perfectly
healthy (church) members in disguise, many were used as
crowd-pleasers or as a way to bring people in...”
-- Don Beck
____
This testimony is from a former follower of the infamous Jim

Jones of the People’s Temple, and the fake healings were
seen as a means to an end building up the faith of the people
so that they could receive the teachings. This testimony is
even more troubling when you consider the fact that William
Branham preached a revival meeting hosted by Jim Jones at
the Cadle Tabernacle in Indianapolis June of 1956, and again
in Chicago, October of that year. The two healing revivalists
then were not strangers to one another but more than likely
stood on the same platform, working together in prayer lines.
Both claimed supernatural healings for cancer resulting in
tumors falling from the bodies of those diagnosed.
297
The fact that these kinds of things were being faked by other
healing evangelists of the era Branham knew and
(potentially) mentored should be cause enough for concern
as to the truth of these stories. The lack of evidence in
newspapers, doctor’s notes, or first-hand testimonies should
also be cause for alarm but in reality, this is only a minor
issue in the scheme of Branham’s healing crusade against
cancer.
In addition to the healings themselves being suspect, we

must also consider William Branham’s flawed understanding
of cancer and how it works.
Some may ask themselves why it is important that William

Branham have a correct understanding of how cancer is
contracted, what it is, and how it functions in the body he
was just a man, living in a time of widespread uncertainty
and limited medical knowledge, and as a result reflected the
time in which he lived. We totally agree with that sentiment,
and don’t begrudge William Branham his errors concerning
cancer in any way. The trouble is, though that William
Branham claimed to be “God’s voice”, “Elijah the prophet”,
“the angel to Laodicea”, and the “restorer of all things”.
Because of these claims, the vast majority of people
following him today believe he is infallible, when that is
CLEARLY not the case.
Here are just a few examples of William Branham’s

confusion concerning the cause of cancer:
___
Cancer caused by bruises?
298
For instance, we'll take the... to speak for a few moments
about cancer. It seems to be one of the major enemies today.
What is a cancer? Where did it come from? Tumor, cataract,
ulcer, pneumonia, tuberculosis, all of those names are
medical names that medical science gave them. The Bible
declares them to be devils. For instance, cancer, what is a
cancer? It usually comes from a bruise.
50-0100 - Diseases And Afflictions
And a cancer, in the natural... In the spiritual he's a devil. He

types the scavenger and a buzzard: eats dead things. The
cancer comes from a bruise. For instance, my hand, it it it it
hasn't got any cancer on it. And it may have sometime. Well,
what causes a cancer, is a... Some cell, germ in my body,
backslides, gets bruised, or something sets in. And from that
germ, or cell, it starts a multiplication of cells, multiplying,
and it forms a cancer, and it starts eating into the body.
Cancer caused by Tempers?
And it it's about sixty percent of the cause of all sickness is

temper. Yes, sir, them tam tantrums you fly loose, remember,
you just developing a cancer, ulcer, or something like, when
you do it. When you get all stewed up about somebody, "I
won't go back there any more. Wait till I give them a piece of
my mind." All right. Remember, you're the one's going to
pay for it. Just keep happy.
56-0404 - The Infallibility Of God's Spoken Word
Cancer caused by Penicillin?
And as I was just getting ready to leave... Course, that spread
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the West Coast. And here some famous doctor had sent his
grandchild way back over behind Pasadena, and put up a
roadblock there to pray for that child; where he'd give it a
shot of penicillin, caused a cancer to come into its side, a
little bitty baby about two.
58-1221M - Where Is He, King Of The Jews?
Cancer caused by Another Lifeform?
The strange thing it is, is many times doctors don't know.

They know the growths there, but what caused it? It's got to
have a reason. It's got to be there for some cause. And it's a
life; it's not your life; it's another life that come in you. It's
another cell, a developing of cells, multiplication of cells,
that's what you are. And that's what a germ is. A cancer
germ, tumor, cataract, any other germ. It's in you for one
purpose; it's a death in your mortal flesh, a cancer, sucking
your blood, killing you. It's a growth; it has no form. You
take form after the nature of your father. Or any anything
after its kind, every seed after its kind. You're the seed of a
human being; it'll produce a human being. Seed from a dog
will produce a dog, from a bird will produce a bird. 13 But a
cancer, tumor, cataract, any of those diseases, they don't have
any... They're spiritual things. And they just form any kind of
a a malignancy or whatever it is, and spread forth.
56-0421 - What Visions Are
And Satan's against you. Therefore, this cancer he he starts,

or this tumor, whatever it is; from a germ he begins to
multiply, in to, like a tumor becomes malignant, so forth. It's
a body, just like you're of a body. It has a spirit just like you
are spirit; only it has not a soul. But it has a life like you have
a life. And therefore, then, in you, in your flesh, there is two
lives. One are you and the other one is another being,
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multiplying cells, growing a body, just like you growed in a
body. Is that right? Well then, what does that? The devil. The
the germ is a life. First, the germ is a teeny little cell with a
life in it. And that life only can come from two resources:
either from God or the devil. And you came from the germ of
life, by God. The cancer, tumor, or so forth, come from the
germ of life by the devil. And he's trying to destroy your life.
He eats up your bloodstream and and in different ways he
works upon you. Therefore, I know that they are devils. Jesus
Christ called them devils. And what He says is the truth.
They are the devil. Devil is a tormentor. He's here to tear up
your body, to eat you up, to destroy you, shorten your three
score and ten, if he can.
Now... But now watch this cancer. Now, say it on my hand.

Now, there's none there now. They could be someday. Well,
and there it is then if it's a growth comes on that hand, a
cancer wherever it may be, it's another life. It's developing a
different cell though it is a cell, but it started from a life. Just
like you started first before that little germ, that's as far as we
can tear your body down to that one single cell, and the little
germ is a teeny little cell, but beyond that cell is a spirit,
because it's got a life. Well, that life came from God for you,
but where did this life of death come in your body, which is
called cancer, who brought that there? That's the devil. Now,
Jesus called it a devil, and by being a minister that's the
terms I take. What the Bible says is right.
53-0904 - Healing (What Cancer Is)
But remember, in dealing with like a substance, a tumor,

we're not dealing with that lump or the cancer. What is a
cancer? It's a life, and it's not your life; it's another life. It's a
multiplication of cells. And what caused it to be there? It's
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another life that's coming to yours to kill you. The Bible calls
it a devil. We call it cancer today, which is a medical term,
which comes from the word "crab." But the Bible calls it a
devil, a killer.
58-0503 - The Queen Of Sheba
Cancer caused by...babies?
Now, we know where your body come from. But in you, say,
there's a cancer, or a tumor, or a cataract, or a cyst. Where
did it come from? Where come that thing? See, the first
thing, the devil cannot create. That's the reason the devil
cannot heal. There's only one Creator; that's God. But the cell
that backslides, bruised... Like on a woman's breast
sometimes comes a rose cancer. It's because of the baby, or
some bruise on her breast. And that little bruise, the cell
breaks and another life gets in that house of the cell. When
the cell's been bruised, the life of cancer comes into that and
begins to multiply cells.
62-0726 - A Testimony Upon The Sea
___
We now know that cancer forms because of damage to the

DNA of cells that then reproduce more damaged cells and
fail to die or repair damage like normal cells do. Many things
can trigger the formation of cancer cells. People can inherit a
propensity to develop cancer, exposure to carcinogenic
substances can damage cells and cause the development of
cancerous ones, and mistakes can occur in the routine
reproduction of cells in the body, resulting in cancer.
There is no way to know definitively what caused specific

cancers, but we DO now know that injuries (bruises) do NOT
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cause cancer. We know that people with hot tempers do not
have a higher risk for cancer. We know that penicillin is safe
and does not cause cancer, and we know that babies do not
cause breast cancer. We also know that cancer is NOT
another lifeform, but a growth caused by the malformation of
cells within a person’s body. Therefore, cancer is genetically
a part of the body, and not a foreign entity.
Let’s examine additionally William Branham’s teachings

regarding the spiritual significance of cancers. Because of
Branham’s fundamental misunderstanding about the origin
of cancer, he falsely taught that the foreign “germ” that
causes cancer is introduced into the body as a result of
demons:
___
How many's heard me explain how diseases are germs, and

germs are life. You're a germ yourself; you come from the
germ of life. Is that right? Well, if you come from your by
your father and mother, a germ of life... A cancer is a germ; a
cataract is a germ; a tumor is a germ; tubercular is a germ. Is
that right? Where did they come from? What kind of life are
they? The doctors call... That's medical names, saying,
"cancer, cataract," so forth like that. Jesus called them a
devil. Is that right? And that's what they are. And anyone
knows "a devil" means "a tormentor." And it's something
that's tormenting your body.
47-1102 - The Angel Of God
___
William Branham further teaches that cancer demons have

specific shapes and ‘vibrations’ that he was able to feel in his
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hand:
___
Cancer demon shaped like an ‘octomus’?
Heavenly Father, I pray for my brother now with cancer. His

life is being eat up with this big demon cancer is doing it.
You're the only One Who can take that "octomus" out of
him, that demon, stretching forth his powers and limbs in
there to eat the very life out of this man. Father, he's our
brother. And we come to You as Your children.
48-0302 - Experiences
Cancer demon making a ‘brrrr’ sound when it moved to

WMB’s hand?
Now, take this other hand, and feel it, touch that hand here.
See? See what I mean? Now, it's just... That comes right to
my heart. It kind of like a "brrrr." That's that cancer. It's
alive.
51-0721 - Life Of Demons, And Visions
Cancer demon getting excited, making waves, causing

WMB’s hand to swell as it leaves?
Now, I feel it coming... Here it comes again. Now, look at it.

See? It's just like waves. Now, that cancer is excited. The life
of the cancer, the life of that germ in there, is excited. That's
a spirit, because near here, you and I, stands the thing that
can make it leave there by your faith. 34 Now, I'm going to
pray for you, because you know you got cancer. You've been
very nervous and upset. I'm not reading your mind. But you
know what I'm talking about, don't you? I don't even have to
say it. But now, what I'm trying to do, is to get this to leave.
Now, I'm going to pray, and I'm going to have the audience
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to bow their heads. I want you to watch my hand. If it if it
goes away, you're healed. That'll be three witnesses. Is that
right? If it stays there, you still got cancer. Now, remember, I
can't make it go. Now, the reason I ask you to to to watch
(See?), you're the one that's got the cancer. If it goes out,
there'll be a cancer at large. See? And if this, now, if your
faith is all can make it go. Now, I want you to believe while I
pray. And I want you to watch my hand, see if it moves in
any way at all. See? And then if that just drops down, the
swelling leaves, the vibration off of there leaves, if it comes
normal, just like this hand, you're healed. If it doesn't, you're
not. See? I have nothing to do with it. It's your faith from
here out.
51-0721 - Life Of Demons, And Visions
___
There is no doubt that William Branham did not understand

cancer.
Despite the supposed ‘promise’ from God that nothing would

stand before his prayers, not even cancer, William
Branham’s legacy is not thousands of indisputable healings.
Many have testified to the failure of the campaigns to
produce legitimate results as by the traveling preacher. Some
of the most applauded “successes” were overstated and in
some cases completely untrue.
But the question is bigger than healings. It is bigger than any

one, isolated issue we here at Seek the Truth could point out.
The question is and always has been about Truth.
Were all the things William Branham said about cancer true?
...No
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Were all the healings he claimed occurred factual? ...No
Therefore, is William Branham infallible? ...No!
Don’t allow fear to control you, and don’t allow yourself to

remain in a prison of false pretenses. If William Branham
can be wrong about cancer, what else could he be wrong
about? You owe it to yourself to find out! Our God is a God
of Truth find the Truth, and you will find the sanctifying,
freeing joy and peace that accompanies a close walk with the
Lord.
And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
John 8:31
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

John 17:17
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An Example of William Branham's
Blatant Lies:
We are often met with harsh objections when we refer to
Branham's "lies," or when we refer to some of his stories as
"fiction. " Ironically, a great deal of these objections come
from overseas, where only a handful of the 1100+ sermons
have been translated during the course of the last few
decades and millions of dollars of donations collected for
"spreading the message." Those raising objections realize the
implications of his not being truthful when they refer to
scriptures such as "all liars, shall have their part in the lake
which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second
death." (Rev 21:8)
As many of you are aware, cult websites are starting to

popup here and there defending Branham's ministry, such as
"themessage" or "theendtimemessage" (Add ".com" behind
these, even Facebook flags them as 'not safe') Even a
newsletter was published by Voice of God Recordings (one
they apparently have now removed). Those of you who have
fully studied each issue realize that these websites and
publications employ two deceptive tactics as a defense: they
claim that Branham's ministry can have discrepancies
because (they claim) the Bible has discrepancies, or they
offer only a small subset of the issues giving only partial
facts that appear "mysterious" - leading the reader to believe
there are no concrete facts to support opposing views. These
sites work very well to corral those who are not aware of the
issues, but as you are aware, offer absolutely no defense to
those who are fully informed.
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There are also those who mistakenly think that William
Branham was not challenged on these things when he was
alive -- only because Branham himself claimed that he was
not. Ern Baxter, named partner in the "Baxter-Branham
Campaigns," says it best:
" I urged him not to say some things in public. As long as we

worked together he refrained. One of the reasons for my
leaving him was that he was starting to say some seriously
wrong things. " - Baxter, New Wine Magazine Interview,
December 1978
Those who are unaware that Branham was untruthful on

several occasions need a clear example, one that does not
rely on external facts collected through historical documents
or witness testimony. There are many, many statements
made by William Branham we could use for an example. But
the one that strikes home for many people is the lies told
about the death of his father. When combined with his stories
of a "spiritual childhood," these fictional statements unravel
the mythology that Branham himself created.
Many are familiar with Branham's stories about the death of

his father when he was a child. How he was a hunter, trapper,
fisherman to feed his widowed mother in a Kentucky log
cabin where she opened their eyes with "coon grease."
I said, "When I was a boy, my father died. I had ten children

to take care of, and I had to work and support my mother and
the children. Then since the Lord has sent me out, why, I
have-haven't had a chance."
Branham, 53-1129
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Some time ago, there was a-a fellow at Fort Wayne, Indiana,
said to me, he said, "Brother Branham..." And he was behind
the stage at the Fort Wayne Gospel Tabernacle. He said, "It's
a shame, your grammar." I said, "I know it's awful." I said, "I
didn't get an education, there's ten of us children. And dad
died, and I had to take care of the other nine."
Branham, 59-0414
Interestingly, many of those same people also believe

Branham's OTHER version of the story, the one where his
father died in his arms as a young minister. The level of
programming (or brainwashing as some prefer to call it) is
such that the cult mind will believe both conflicting stories,
at the same time, though they are mutually exclusive:
"As I told you a few Sundays ago; when I stood by my dying

baby, and Satan standing there and said, "There is your
daddy, died in your arms the other night. There is your wife
laying down there in a-in the morgue, and here is your baby
going. And you asked Him to answer you, and He pulled
your... He pulled a shade down over you. Now, and yet He's
a good God, and yet you said He was a Healer. And you,
who are standing for what you said was right, you're wrong."
Oh, every reason, every mental faculty had to agree that it
was right; and he was right, that much.
Branham, 65-0829
Those deeply programmed believe both of Branham's

versions of his father's death, one by medicine and one by
alcohol addiction:
Alcohol:
"Brother, my daddy died drinking. Don't do this. I could not
give you money to drink, 'cause I'm a minister." And the
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tears coming down his cheeks, asking You to bless him.
Branham, 59-1122
Medicine:
First thing, I lost my daddy. I run over to the house to see
him, picked him up in my arms like that, he looked up at me
like that, he smiled. A doctor had give him a dose of
medicine that killed him. One overdose of strychnine for his
heart, and it killed him. 'Course, there's nothing said about
that. The undertaker covers up the doctor's mistakes many
times. Nothing I got against doctors, but I say there's nothing
said about that.
Branham, 50-0200
To the person who has never been in a doomsday cult, all of

this will seem comical. That someone could believe that a
man died from two different causes on two different dates is
unbelievable -- but remember, "all things are possible to
them that believe!" (notice, in this case, it is not "them that
believe in truth.")
But to the programmed cult mind, this will seem foolish by

this author. They are programmed to believe all versions of
all stories told by one man. And they cannot see the
difference in these stories. In response to this very example,
we have received statements such as, "I don't understand it,
brother, but I believe every word." or statements similar to
Voice of God's (removed) newsletter, claiming that because
different men writing different books have (what they call)
discrepancies, William Branham is given a free pass to tell as
much fiction as one mouth is capable -- and you still must
"SAY WHAT THE TAPES SAY."
This only works so long.
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There are a people who will stand for Truth. There are a
people who will stand for the Bible. There are a people who
are God's sheep -- not William Branham's sheep -- and they
are sheep who will hear God's voice. They are sheep who
will hear the One True God, not the Indiana hillbilly who
pretended both to be a Kentucky hillbilly and the "voice of
god."
To those people, those who stand for truth, we stand with

you.
God bless.
311
Houston During Cloud, Back To
Arizona, Later Add A Face
We are receiving several questions concerning William
Branham's timeline of events that surround the "great cloud
of mystery." Those searching our website have given us
feedback that some of the quotes are too difficult to find.
Specifically, the quotes wherein Branham claims to be going
back to Arizona after the Houston trip, which places him in
Houston during the mystery cloud -- invalidating his
testimony of standing directly underneath the cloud with a
number of "witnesses." Some of these questions coming
from those who have recently discovered George Smith's
testimony admitting that Branham was simply not there.
We've listened.
The website is now updated, and you will see a section of

quotes specifically organized with Branham's statements
referring to the order of events. This can be found above the
other quotes, in a section entitled "Branham's statements
about going to Houston first"
Here is a sample quote:
"Brother Fred Sothmann, I know he's here. And I'm pretty

sure Brother Norman is here. We was up... I had to go to
Houston about getting that little boy saved from the electric
chair. And then I went back and I went hunting up there with
the brethren. And that morning, I was standing there picking
cockleburs, or--or what they call goatheads there, burrs off of
312
my trouser leg. And the blast did just exactly the way It said
it. Is that right, Brother Fred? And I--I--I must have jumped
way off of the ground. And just above me was the Angels of
the Lord that sent Message back, for me to come here to
break these Seals. Why here, why at the tabernacle? Why
didn't I do it there? Because I had made a promise to my
church and to God, that any new Message would come from
this tabernacle, recorded from here. And He was helping me
to keep my word, to stay back here to do it. And then
immediately I went back again."
Branham, 63-0623M STANDING.IN.THE.GAP
Others are not aware that the pictures of the cloud containing
a "face" (there are more than one) were never intended to be
received as an authentic photograph. Instead, these were
made as either examples that a face would "fit" into the ring,
or as an example of what "the prophet must have
envisioned." This is common knowledge in the States,
especially in Tucson and Jeffersonville churches. But it
would be difficult to listen to decades of recorded sermons
by the pastors to find their statements on this subject,
assuming they are still available. Unfortunately, cult pastors
do not transcribe their sermons like Branham's sermons have
been. And some cult pastors are actually pulling their
sermons off of the internet, fearful that people might actually
study what they are saying. Now, ironically, the most
damaging thing to this cult are the words spoken by "the
prophet"...
Since we do not have the sermons transcribed, we can

instead refer to the statements made by "Midnight Cry" in
2010, revised and republished in 2015:
"It is also known that Brother Green had Shirley Abbot
313
Studio produce a brownish/white duotone copy of the Life
Magazine photograph. This is no longer in circulation but is
reported to have displayed slightly more pronounced facial
features than the black and white reproductions. A second
black and white glossy reproduction of the Life Magazine
cloud photograph was made available by Brother Green
during the early 1970’s.
This reproduction was of poor resolution and in addition, the
cloud profile was excessively prominent but it too presented
suggestions of facial features caused by areas of
unexpectedly dark shading that extended across most of the
image, (i.e., well beyond the width of the ‘forehead’),
strongly suggesting that the shading had also had been
caused by problems with the reproduction processes and
likely human enhancement.
Similarly, Brother David Mamalis, Pastor of the "Phoenix
Christian Fellowship" in Phoenix Arizona had a professional
black and white copy made of the Life Magazine photograph
and it too displayed pseudo facial characteristics but is no
longer in circulation."
314
Seeking God
In the message, we are often told and encouraged to "place
questions on the shelf" and "wait upon the Lord" for the
answer to our doubts and questions. As a result, many in the
message NEVER seek out answers to their questions if they
cannot be found easily and effortlessly.
The problem with this advice is that it ignores a large portion

of Scripture that urges us to seek after God diligently and
desire a deeper understanding and relationship daily. If the
Bible is God's Word to us, shouldn't we be committed to
understanding it? Shouldn't we study with fervency to
determine what it is God is telling us? Why would we EVER
settle for uncertainty when we have been given a promise--
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you shall find;
knock and the door shall be opened?"
It is true that sometimes we must wait. Sometimes, patience

is necessary, and we must wait on God's timing for answers
to our questions. Sometimes, answers are difficult, and
following the Lord takes us on winding and difficult paths.
But, that does not excuse us from actively seeking of God
daily.
___
What does seeking look like?
--Searching the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16-17, Acts 17:11, 2

Peter 3:16)
--Active Prayer (Philippians 4:6, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, 1
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Timothy 2:1-4, Jeremiah 33:3)
--Repentance of Sins (2 Chronicles 7:14, Acts 17:30, James
4:8-10)
--Allowing the Movement and Leadership of the Holy Spirit
(John 16:12-15, Romans 8:26, Isaiah 11:2, 1 Corinthians
2:13)
--Acknowledge the Testimony of Creation (Job 12:7-10,
Psalm 145:5, Ecclesiastes 3:11, Romans 1:19-20, Matthew
6:28-30, Psalm 8:3-4)
--Actively Love Others (1 John 4:7-8, 1 John 4:19-21,
Matthew 5:43-48, Micah 6:8, Romans 13:9)
____
I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently
find me.
--Proverbs 8:17
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and
all these things will be added to you.
--Matthew 6:33
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;
knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks
receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who
knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son
asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a
fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know
how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will
your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who
ask him!"
--Matthew 7:7-11
You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your
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face, Lord, do I seek.”
--Psalm 27:8
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they shall be satisfied.
--Matthew 5:6
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The Pentagram Tabernacle
Embarrassment
There are questions concerning the photograph we used in
the video posted yesterday to our Facebook feed of the
"Pentagram Tabernacle," the nickname we used for
Branham's tabernacle back when he hung a satanic
pentagram above the door instead of the symbolic eagle and
sword. Rather than answer them individually, this post
should sufficiently explain:
This photograph was taken from the Tucson Tabernacle

website in early 2014, and we have since been referring any
with questions to their website to confirm that we did not in
any way alter the photograph. The original photograph, as
advertised by the Tucson Tabernacle website at that time,
contained a pentagram above the door. There is one single
photograph they have not yet removed which has a (very
blurred) pentagram, but the one with a clear satanic
pentagram appears to have been removed after we published
the video. Will the blurry one disappear after this post? :)
The photograph itself is not unique, and that cult website did
not contain the only copy. In 2010, another message believer
uploaded the photograph to an online image photo cloud.
We apologize for the confusion; we were not aware that the

picture was no longer hosted on the Tucson Tabernacle
website, and are thankful that at least two additional online
sources still exist. Check it out while you can, we don't
expect them to continue hosting the image -- you'll notice
318
that it isn't one that is proudly displayed elsewhere. Heaven
forbid they sell the "Pentagram Tabernacle" with their
expensive photo albums at the cult headquarters!
319
I'm Not An Old Man Yet
I'm Not An Old Man Yet:
We all remember him saying it. We all remember the pastors

repeating it. We all remember the prophecy it was referring
to. Then, after a few rounds of the "old man" visiting various
churches, we all suddenly stopped hearing about it.
Why did it stop? Why did the pastors suddenly become silent
without apologizing to their "flocks?" Were these pastors
acting as the shepherd or the wolf in the sheepfold, following
a much, much larger pack of wolves?
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Dedicated In 1933. Or 1934. Or
1935. Or 1936
Many from around the world make their pilgrimage to Mecca
(or the Branham Tabernacle in Jeffersonville, as some call
it), to visit the Tabernacle they believe Branham dedicated in
1933. The Tabernacle they believe Branham built after
having a series of six (or seven or eight) prophecies they also
believe in 1933. Prophecies that Branham buried in the
cornerstone (or buried in his desk drawer, or buried in his
Bible).
Very few are aware that the deed to the tabernacle is dated
November of 1936. Fewer are aware that the cornerstone was
replaced, empty when it was removed. Fewer still are aware
that he preached from tents until the tabernacle was
purchased, before the 1937 flood, as a Pentecostal minister.
Or that his wife-to-be was active in a Pentecostal church,
contrary to his life stories.
Most cult followers refuse to look, because each of these

facts invalidate both the message and the messenger. And
only a handful have asked the cult headquarters to see the
prophecies allegedly in the desk drawer or bible -- those that
do typically make their exodus from the cult and into
Christianity.
321
Let's Talk Numbers
“Surely, if it weren’t true there wouldn’t be SO MANY
Message believers!?”
Let’s look at a couple of statistics to put the following of

William Branham and the number of Message believers into
perspective.
Voice of God Recordings estimates that they provide

materials to about 2 million people worldwide, half of these
in Africa. We know some of these people receiving materials
aren't followers of WMB, and some followers don't receive
materials from Voice of God--so we'll go ahead and assume
this number is accurate. This seems like a lot of people, but
let’s take a look at some statistics to put this “large
following” into perspective.
Worldwide, there are approximately 2.2 BILLION

Christians, 1.6 BILLION Muslims, 1 BILLION Hindus, 500
MILLION Buddhists, 400 MILLION Folk Religionists, and
14 MILLION Jews.
And estimated 1.1 BILLION people have NO religious

affiliation whatsoever.
If the Message were evenly distributed in countries

worldwide (as opposed to concentrated in North America
and Africa) there would only be an estimated 91,000
message believers in the US, less than a ¼ the number of
elected government officials!
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If these people were evenly distributed in the US, there
would be 12 message believers in Jeffersonville! Were the
global population of Hindus to be evenly distributed as well,
there would be over 6500 Hindus in Jeffersonville!
Statistically, 1 in 3500 people follow the message (assuming

Voice of God’s estimated 2 million is accurate). There is a
higher probability of getting struck by lightning in your
lifetime (1 in 3000) than believing the message!
Clearly, the following is minuscule, representing about

.0003% of the world’s population. There are not “a lot” of
followers there are small concentrations of message believers
representing a statistically irrelevant religious ultra-minority.
If you’re clinging on because, “so many people cannot

possibly be wrong” consider the facts there is not a “large
following”. It is, as it always has been, a tiny movement.
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How 'Bout Them Second Brown
Bears
I remember being at the cult headquarters during the Easter
pilgrimage, and hearing a faithful follower asking Billy Paul
Branham to see the trophy of the "Second Brown Bear"
among the expensive collection of dead animals Branham
had slain at the expense of his congregations' donations.
Long before I knew there was a single question about
Branham's ministry, I remember the look on the poor fellow's
face when he learned that there wasn't one, and that Branham
hadn't yet bagged the beast.
I don't recall the exact words, but it was something to the

effect of, "No, brother, he hasn't got him yet. But I believe he
will!" And I remember the fellow's eyes light up, willing to
accept almost any answer short of "this prophecy failed, and
was unfulfilled during William Branham's lifetime." He was
brainwashed to the level that he actually left the office with a
smile and a newfound faith that God would resurrect the
dead prophet just to send him on one more hunting trip.
From time to time, we get a question about this failed

prophecy. Why DIDN'T William Branham say that he killed
the second bear? He lied about the other prophecies, why not
lie about this one? Was it a perpetual prophecy, one that
would fund several more hunting trips?
We can't really say, other than saying that we are certain that
William Branham did not expect to die before several of his
prophecies were fulfilled. We can only guess.
324
What About the Miracles?
“If he wasn’t really healing the people, why didn’t that make
front-page news?”
One of the more unbelievable ‘healing’ claims WMB made

repeatedly was the healing of Donnie Morton. He claimed as
late as 1964 that Donnie Morton was healed, and that he was
alive and well, defying the medical community's predictions
about his chances of survival. WMB mentions this article
directly over 30 times, but those in the congregation
obviously did not fact-check the man on the platform!
The truth of the matter was quite different than what

Branham claimed. Reader’s Digest carried the story in
November of 1952. Donnie Morton was diagnosed with
meningitis and his doctors told the family that the boy was
going to die. His father took him through William Branham’s
prayer line and he was declared healed. But, Donnie wasn’t
healed, and died of meningitis and pneumonia. He never
recovered, he never received his healing. The article recounts
the tragedy with a bittersweet, hopeful tone, highlighting the
faith and dedication of a poverty-stricken father as he faced
the excruciating ups and downs of his son's illness , and the
love that lives on in the memories of little Donnie.
Reader’s Digest was a well circulated publication and the

failure to heal WAS documented the followers simply didn’t
verify what he was claiming! People simply accepted what
WMB claimed without further evaluation.
If you are clinging on because you believe in the diligence of

those who followed his ministry early on it is time to
325
reevaluate. They certainly weren't diligent about this claim.
326
A Matter of Facts
Many in the Message, when presented with the facts about
William Branham’s unscriptural teachings, false prophesies,
failed healings, and fantasy “life story” will balk at the
claims.
The truth is simple matter of separating fact from fiction.
“Surely, if what he was teaching were wrong, one of the

many knowledgeable ministers would have corrected him!
Surely, Pastor Joe would know if he was teaching contrary to
scripture!”
--Most “ministers” DID disagree with him, and most STILL

DO. In the United States alone, over 220,000,000 (that’s 220
MILLION) people, or 70% of the population identify as
Christian. Of those, 25% (55 MILLION) are Evangelical,
15% (33 MILLION) are Mainline Protestant, 20% (44
MILLION) are Catholic.
The idea that, “if it were wrong, the knowledgeable ministers

would know” is preposterous. There are many God-fearing
Christians in the US seeking the Truth of God’s Word and
coming to very different conclusions than those William
Branham had.
Many DID disagree with Branham during his lifetime,

including some of those closest to him. Campaign managers
left him, former sponsors stopped inviting him, and entire
cities barred their doors. WMB attributed this to corrupt and
weak teaching in denominations but the facts remain, people
327
during his lifetime DID stand against what he was saying.
The vast majority of Christian ministers did. The handful of
groups that did sponsor him represent a significant minority
of the Christian landscape. William Branham and the ‘faith
healing’ revivalists of the 40’s and 50’s were never a
majority movement, and many through their disassociation
made clear their opposition to what he was teaching and
claiming.
Regardless of the conclusions of those alive during his

lifetime, facts are facts, and fiction is fiction. There is no
time limit on Truth.
Regardless of what Pastor Joe thinks, regardless of his IQ or

years committed to the message, and regardless of his
profound revelation or first-hand experience, none of that
changes the facts.
False teachings. False prophesies.
False prophet.
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William Branham Is Not False
From time to time, we receive messages from cult followers,
claiming that we believe William Branham himself is "false."
Another came in today, a misled cult member claiming that
we think "ONLY William Branham is false."
This is simply not true. We have never made this claim, and
in fact often say differently. Nor do we think "Branham is
false"
Branham is just a man. Can I say YOU are false? Can you
say I am false? We are humans, placed here by God with the
sole purpose of giving God glory.
We often point out the many things Branham said that were
false. They were words, and are not the man himself. If you
told me that you were Jesus Christ, we would respond that
your words are false--not that you, yourself were false. We
might respond that you were mentally ill, and recommend a
good psychiatrist.
Branham not only claimed to be the return of Jesus Christ in

a 1965 sermon (65-1127B P212), he claimed that God spoke
many things which have now been proven to be false. Those
words, not the man, are false.
Many of us either knew, or had parents and grandparents

who knew this man. My own parents were best friends with
Branham's children, and my grandfather was very close to
William Branham himself. So close, in fact, that according to
him, William Branham promised that he would one day
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oversee his Tabernacle, long before he died. And he now
does. They loved this man.
But many of these mothers and fathers, grandparents, and

more, are aware that his words -- words that he claimed to be
God's words -- are false. Yet, they live blissfully content to
love the man and "spit the seed out" as Branham taught them
to do for the words that are in question.
Were Branham a minister, claiming to be giving us words of

a man, this can be scriptural -- they would let iron sharpen
iron with words of correction to their children and shepherds
to their flocks. The elders would have even corrected
Branham himself. But he claimed that his words were the
words from Almighty God -- Thus Saith The Lord. And
these "words from God" often failed or came from words
from magazines, newspapers, and even television. Some
came from a 1933 World's Fair.
Branham is not false. Branham's "message" has proven itself

to be false. We do not even need to try to persuade any of
this fact. All we need do is simply point others towards
Branham's recorded statements and recorded factual history.
Many say that "we are false," or that "we are lying." Without
realizing what they are doing, these cult followers are in turn
claiming that Branham himself was lying -- each and every
example we give is a comparison of Branham's own words
with that of Bible or history. Sometimes Branham's own
words that disagreed with each other -- even though he
claimed them to be divinely inspired.
Branham made many prophecies that have failed. Some of

them, such as the India prophecy, he admitted to have failed.
This makes Branham a "false prophet," yet the man himself
330
is not false; It is very evident that he was, in fact, a man and
was, in fact, not a figment of our imaginations. In many
ways, I wish that he were -- we would not have experienced
a doomsday cult that divides families and separates them
from other Christians.
When we do point these things out, and when those fleeing

this harmful doomsday cult awaken enough to see it, then
they realize that there is only One God. He gave us His
Word, and told us that in these last days, He has spoken to us
through His Son. And that Son is not William Branham, even
though Branham convinced a multitude otherwise.
Seek the Truth. Read your Bible for itself. In it, you can find
life. In Branham's cult, there is no life, only worship of a
false prophet.
331
The "One" Vision That Didn't
Happen
Of the many cult churches I've visited from coast to coast in
the United States, none were so intent on proclaiming
Branham's "Tent Prophecy" as the home church of
Jeffersonville, Indiana. In contrast, some cult pastors
ridiculed the Branham Tabernacle for believing that William
Branham would rise from the grave to take one more world
tour as an evangelist when this idea seems so contrary to
Scripture. The Bible does state that the dead in Christ will
rise, but Christ Himself is supposed to come first:
"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a
loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the
trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught
up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore
encourage one another with these words." - 1 Thessalonians
4:16-18
"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised
imperishable, and we shall be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:52
As strange as it may seem to those in the "tape only" cult

churches, some cult ministers actually make an attempt to
reconcile Branham's claims with scripture -- even if it is
directly in conflict with the "Word out of Jeffersonville."
When comparing everything Branham said about this tent
vision, they could not preach it. So what did they do?
332
There was no real answer to this problem. Branham
prophesied that he would get a large tent, one with a tiny
room, where cult followers would enter with William
Branham to receive their new bodies. This prophecy itself
could not be reconciled with scripture. Therefore, the
ministers who tried desperately to take this back to the Bible
were forced to "spiritualize it," or turn the entire prophecy
into a symbolic meaning rather than describing a physical
event.
But there is more than one huge problem with doing this.
Branham compared this prophecy to others in his ministry --
prophecies that were real, physical events. To spiritualize
this single prophecy, one must twist Branham's words. The
Jeffersonville church refused to twist -- instead proclaiming,
"SAY WHAT THE TAPES SAY."
This hard stance to promote the tent vision, however,

produced even more problems for the Jeffersonville church.
Yes, by changing the scriptures in 1 Thessalonians to replace
"The Lord Himself" with "Lord Branham," they could
explain why the tent vision was never fulfilled during
Branham's lifespan. But in some of these proclamations of
the "rapture tent," William Branham claimed that this was
the only prophecy that had not yet been fulfilled.
That single statement is ignored by each and every cult

pastor in the following of William Branham. Most of them
teach their congregations that they are expecting a female
president in order to fulfill one of Branham's (unfulfilled)
prophecies. Others look to the Google Car, expecting another
of his (unfulfilled) prophesies. Those in India look forward
to another revival, where Branham himself leads an altar call
333
of 300,000 souls. Those in Alaska wait for his return for the
slaughter of a Kodiak bear. The list goes on, and on, and on.
And with each of these, the cult pastors are forced to twist
the words of their Bibles -- because they refuse to alter the
words of William Branham even when they are in direct
conflict with each other.
But the fact of the matter is, we are following instructions

from Mecca, or as some like to call it, Voice of God
Recordings and the Branham Tabernacle. We are "SAYING
WHAT THE TAPES SAY." If you line up all of the quotes
for this "Tent Vision," it is easily apparent that it was no
vision at all. It was wishful thinking, at a time when William
Branham was abandoned by men who refused his false
doctrines. A time when he was trying to make a name for
himself without Ern Baxter. Over time, and to collect more
money, wishful thinking turned into prophecy. And upon his
death, prophecy turned into false prophecy.
The bottom line here does not come to opinion or difference

in understanding of Branham's doctrine for these cult pastors.
Branham said it. They twist the scriptures to support it. But
in doing so, each and every one of them are forced to deny
William Branham himself when he claimed that every
prophecy except this "Tent Prophecy" was fulfilled.
How many of YOUR cult pastors still look for the fulfillment
of one of these prophecies -- one of these prophecies that
Branham clearly stated (often) that was already fulfilled? Are
THEY twisting Branham's words after already twisting their
Bibles?
334
William Branham and
Homosexual Pigalle
What if during the Sunday morning service, your pastor
suddenly made a confession to the congregation you were
sitting with: “I heard that there was a city that they called the
‘Smut capitol of the world,’ a city filled with prostitution and
sexual acts in the streets, and I wanted to see it for myself.”
Most of the congregation would be abhorred. There would be

women gasping from the pews as they covered their
children’s ears, and men with stern eyebrows as they listened
intently to see what the pastor would say next. Did he go to
stand on a corner and preach the Gospel? Did he rescue some
lost soul from a life of sin? Was he a sinner when he went,
and found repentance?
If the pastor did none of the above, and decided to use his
vacation to a modern-day Sodom to illustrate how evil the
world has become, many of those eyes would widen. Some
would never return. First-time visitors to this church would
leave, completely shocked and wondering what they just sat
through!
Described above is an example of normal Christian people,

sitting in what they mistakenly thought was a normal sermon
by a pastor they elected to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Those same people reading will find this article to be
comical, even somewhat unbelievable. This is a real
situation, with a real minister, describing a real event, and
using that vacation to the Smut Capitol of the World as one
of the many themes throughout his sermons. But there is one
335
difference. From a cult leader to a heavily programmed cult
following, their reaction was abnormal. As their programmed
minds listened to the sermon, their programmed response
was to receive this into their minds as though it were coming
from Almighty God himself. Such brainwashing is the life of
a member of the cult of William Branham.
Quartier Pigalle is one of the 20 Arrondissements

(administrative districts) of Paris, France. Since the early
1900’s, it has been known world-wide as a tourist district
containing many sex shops, theatres and adult shows
throughout the district. During the second World War, it’s
infamy spread to the English speaking soldiers, and the
Allied soldiers nicknamed the district “Pig Alley.” But
before the War, the city itself was already recognized in
America as the world’s raunchiest “Sin City,” long before
this nickname got reassigned to Las Vegas, Nevada. In 1928,
American-born actress Josephine Baker (born Freda
Josephine McDonald in St. Louis, Missouri) established a
nightclub in Pigalle. There, she would become famous for
her erotic dancing, almost completely nude.
Early in his ministry when William Branham mentions his

time in Paris, he does not specifically mention the sex
district. But he is very clear that he is referring to sin of
Biblical proportions:
“Then what did they do? What happened? Here is where he

started. The Devil set up his headquarters there. There is
where he started, right there, to demoralize the world, from
Paris, France.”
Branham, 54-0509 - The Invasion of The United States
And the first time he mentions Pigalle, he separates the
336
horrific sexual sin from his context, almost making it sound
like a run-down dark alley in the Bronx filled with homeless
and destitute:
“I've been in Pigalle in France, to the lowest slums that I

could find, and talking, and praying, and so forth.”
Branham, 55-1009
But the further that William Branham distanced himself from

Ern Baxter to make a name for himself without the former
half of the Baxter-Branham campaigns, these reservations in
mentioning the Smut Capitol of the World become less
constrained. In fact, he had no reservations at all.
In 1958, he mentions the city, almost apologetic. The casual

listener would mistakenly think that he stumbled onto the sex
shops and prostitution by accident:
“When they told me that Pigalle in Paris was such a ill-famed

place, how did I know; I was never there.”
Branham, 58-0928M - The Baptism Of The Holy Spirit
And in 1960, a bit more of the description starts to enter his

sermons “but not enough to let the unsuspecting listeners
realize that he was referring to the “sex district of the world.”
In fact, Branham claims that his listeners would be doing
well to take their daughters to see the place for themselves:
One time I give it a challenge. I'd wanted to see what I was

talking about. When I was in France, I went to Pigalle. I
never take anybody's word for it; I wanted to see it myself.
Branham, 60-0311 - Mary's Belief
I think that it would be a good thing for any man to take his
337
son to the bowery and let him see. I think if you was ever in
France, take your daughter to Pigalle;
Branham, 60-0716 - From That Time
But by 1961, there were no boundaries. A very programmed

crowd began to listen to more and more descriptions of the
city, some of which related to the sexual sin:
When I went to Pigalle, Brother Moore and I, when I was in

France, we thought we'd see just those old prostitutes of
Pigalle,
Branham, 61-0217 - The Mark Of The Beast And The Seal
Of God #2
As his descriptions of the district began to be more

descriptive, Branham removed the “shocked” aspect from his
stories. As he stated, he “never take anybody’s word for it;
[he] wanted to see it [himself].” Listeners were aware that he
knew where he was going before he went. But this was not
consistently the case. Nor did he continue with his sexual
descriptions of the sins of the place “he would sometimes
replace “prostitution” with “old haggy look” or other vague
descriptions.
“And I heard different people tell me about especially down

in France, down in the place called Pigalle, and how that the
the people was so immoral. Well, I thought, "If I ever go in
there, I'll see them people down there, women coming out,
you know, reprobates, with such a old haggy look, you
know, and mean." And and I went down in Pigalle, the first
night, me and three more ministers. Brother, what a surprise
we got!”
Branham, 62-0531 - The Conflict Between God And Satan
338
But combined, and to a normal (not programmed) crowd, this
would be the very same scenario mentioned above. A
minister, claiming to preach the Gospel, was describing his
desire to see the Smut Capitol of the World and his vacation
to act upon his wishes.
When we first pointed this out in a previous article, many

questions were raised. After discovering that according to
Lee Vayle, Branham travelled the world and took many
“mini vacations” with homosexual men, letters started
coming in asking why William Branham would visit a place
filled with FEMALE prostitution and sex shops. One writer
blatantly stated, “I thought he [William Branham] was
homosexual!”
“And at that time there was with that group that went to
Europe, a Christian Full Gospel businessman, identified with
them, named Faery Von Blumberg even the name is typical
Fairy? Not trying to be facetious, but look at it. It’s
absolutely true. That was his name, and he was an avowed
H-m-o-s-x-u-a-l. At the same time Leo and Gene, two H-m-
o-s-x-u-a-less, attached themselves to Bro. Branham’s
ministry”
- Lee Vayle, Godhead Part 12
As with any of our publications, this article will neither agree

or disagree with this claim. We will only offer facts “facts
that you will not get from the cult headquarters “and let
readers piece them together with the rest of the facts.
Opinion is of no value, and the more facts presented, the
clearer the picture.
When most people think of cabarets, erotic dancing, and

other sexual sins that would have taken place at the Smut
339
Capitol of the World, the mental image created does not
include the full picture “especially from a Christian
perspective. We imagine levels of sexual sin, and studying
William Branham, imagine a district in Paris with the lowest
level. Many of us “myself included “mistakenly compare this
sex district with Las Vegas. Mental images of women
wearing much more than a bikini kicking their heels to the
air like one might see on an older television show such as
Bonanza. But remember “this was such a raunchy place that
it received world-wide infamy. This is not the type of sexual
sin that could be presented to young viewers sitting around
the black-and-white television.
In a “History of Homosexuality in Europe,” the author

describes Paris and Pigalle as a place recognized for
homosexual sex shops. According to this author, the
homosexuals fled Berlin to migrate into Paris during the war:
“Paris held a special position in the 1920’s. In a climate of

relative tolerance, many specialized homosexual and lesbian
establishments were opened, and the capital gained a
reputation for the variety of its night-time pleasures. When
the Nazis cracked down in Berlin in the mid-1930s, Paris
essential became the new center of homosexual life. The
homosexual venues were mostly found in one of three
locations: Montmartre, Pigalle, and Montparnasse.”
- A History of Homosexuality in Europe, page 50
And the prostitutes that William Branham mentioned were

not necessarily female. The district was also filled with male
prostitution:
“The most visible area of homosexual sociability in post-

Liberation Paris was the district around St.-Germain-des-
340
Pres, which had become fashionable after 1945 owing its
association with the existentialists. Two popular homosexual
meeting places were the Cafe de Flore “whose manager Paul
Boubal had no liking for his homosexual clientele “and the
Reine Blanche cafe. Neither was “officially homosexual,
unlike the nearby bar Le Fiacre, which opened at the
beginning of the 1950s in the Rue Cherche-Midi. For a
decade this was THE gay bar of Paris. Its first-floor
restaurant was patronized by a fashionable crowd of actors
and singers while downstairs there was a miniscule bar
where drinkers were so tightly packed that the pressure of
bodies was a sexual experience in itself. Christopher
Isherwood, visiting in 1956, described being “jammed in a
crowd so dense you could only sway with it like seaweed in
water.” The existence of these bars also made the St.
Germain district a meeting place for male prostitutes who
hung around the cafe’s or on the pavements. Those who
preferred a seedier, less fashionable atmosphere found it in
the Pigalle district, which was fanning the dying embers of
its homosexual glory days.”
- The Shadow of the Occupation, 1942-1955, Page 49
We will never know why William Branham went to the Smut

Capitol of the World, or which venues he visited while there.
All we can confirm is what Branham and Lee Vayle told us:
- He heard that Pigalle had prostitution

- In very few of his statements does he mention gender
- He wanted to see it for himself
- He did go see the sex district
- It was bad enough that he called the place “Satan’s
Headquarters”
- Vayle confirmed that Branham travelled with homosexual
men
341
William Branham Misinterpreting
Nazarite Vows
Numbers 6:2-21 describe the vows of consecration that the
Children of Israel could voluntarily impose upon themselves
as an offering to God. This vow included three basic
requirements:
1) Abstain from wine, wine vinegar, grapes, raisins,

intoxicating liquors, vinegar distilled from such substances,
and eating or drinking any substance that contains any trace
of grapes.
2) Refrain from cutting the hair on one's head; but to allow
the locks of the head's hair to grow.
3) Not to become ritually impure by contact with corpses or
graves, even those of family members.
Keep in mind that the Children of Israel did not adhere to

these vows as a whole -- only those that voluntarily accepted
to consecrate themselves. Those that did not enjoyed wine,
intoxicating liquors, vinegar, haircuts, and were able to
mourn with the dead.
William Branham did not fully understand this custom. In his

twisting of scripture, Branham claimed that we were all
under a "Nazarite Vow" -- even though none of us
volunteered -- and that he himself was "born under" one.
Then, without studying the custom, he imposed portions of

each of the vows, ignoring parts of the vow. It was very
evident that he, himself, had never read and/or studied the
book of Numbers. For instance, his followers could use
342
vinegar but not wine. They could eat grapes, but not drink
intoxicating liquors. They must let their hair grow uncut --
but only the women. And all were permitted to attend
funerals and even touch the dead.
To a normal (not programmed) Christian who has studied

these verses, Branham's false teaching can be found
somewhat comical. It could be compared to an angry school
teacher who forces their entire class to take a "vow of
silence" without their consent. Each student -- whether they
deserved it or not -- suddenly lost their privileges to speak.
Had Branham actually studied the book of Numbers, his cult

would look much different. Women would not be cooking
with vinegar, children would not be drinking grape juice, and
men's hair would be just as long as women's.
I thank God that we were set free from this unscriptural cult,
free to read the Scriptures for what they say rather than what
one man pretended to study and then teach with undeserved
authority.
343
Intentions
It's self-evident to most of us: we can have the best intentions
in the world, but that does not excuse bad behavior. William
Branham confirmed this universal truth repeatedly in his
recorded sermons in a variety of different applications:
--No matter what the intention, a church not centered upon

God's Word and His program is in the wrong:
But in the Word I find that God did not intend for the church
to be governed by intellectual or by any theology of man, but
the Holy Spirit was given to the Church to govern and
control the body of Christ. And I think in doing that, with
that in mind and in God's program, we will never be
successfully, no matter how good our intentions are, until we
get back into the center of God's program where the Holy
Spirit...
57-0113 - What Does It Take To Make A Christian Life?
___
--"The road to hell is paved with good intentions", so even if

you intend to do right and abstain from sin, failure is still
failure:
You think of what you've done. Look at the evil. Look how
you've put off Christ. You've intended to be a real Christian.
You've intended to be filled with the Holy Ghost. You've
intended someday, but your intention will never get you
there. Hell's paved with good intentions.
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59-0814 - As I Thought On My Ways
Notice how that God's warns, "Don't lie." Then every New
Year you'll sign a pledge, "I'll not do it any more." Oh, you
got good intentions. Certainly. hell's paved with that, with
good intentions. You don't think that... You think that's the
way to do it, just presume that that's the way you should do
it. Every New Year just say, "Well, I'm going to make my
New Year vows. I'll write them all out." And before two days
is up, you done broke half of them. See, you can't do it.
62-0713 - From That Time
___
David's good intentions did not earn him any merits with
God:
God is sovereign. And we see here what David done, in the

Scripture reading of First Chronicles 13. And he was... His
intentions were good. But God does not give us merits on
good intentions. There is only one way to serve God, that's
by doing His will at His command. And God, being
sovereign, there is no one to tell Him what to do or how to do
it. He does it the way, He knows the right way to do it.
65-0718M - Trying To Do God A Service Without Being
The Will Of God
___
Even murderers can have good intentions:
Do you think, you say, "Well, I intended... I didn't mean to

be bad." Oswald might say the same thing. If the justice of
our Supreme Court will call for justice, it'll call. It's it's our...
345
It's the absolute of the nation. The whole nation is tied to that
Supreme Court, and there can be nothing left. He's
committed the crime. He has to pay for it. No matter how
much he didn't mean, how his intentions was, or nothing
about it; he is going to pay for it, anyhow.
63-1124M - What Shall I Do With Jesus Called Christ?
__
However, as much as WMB condemned even the very souls

of men and women because of their inability to live 100%
according to the standards he taught, there are several
alarming examples of a double standard:
Even if WMB teaches incorrectly, for HIM, it is about right

intentions and not actions:
But I hope that God will interpret to you the meaning in my

heart. See? If my words are not right; my intentions, I I trust,
are.
65-0123 - Broken Cisterns
___
When the prophesy failed, WMB urges us to ignore his

failure as a prophet, and instead learn a valuable lesson about
“bad influence”. His failure to follow the Lord is totally
forgiven, and used as a cautionary tale:
And when... I had been very much constrained to go to to

India. And yet, as many of you might know, the Indian trip
wasn't the success that it should've been, because I failed to
follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and never recognized it
346
after He give me a vision to go to Africa first and then to
India. 31 And and some of the brethren said, "Oh, just... We
can't get Africa together, so... Brother Roberts has just been
down there, so take off to India." And under the influence of
my brethren, well maybe taught... But no matter what
someone influences you, if God has told you something
different... And now, judge it by the Word (See?), by the
Word, and then go.
57-0126B - India Trip Report
___
When Martin Luther preached error, because of his position

as a church age messenger, all is forgiven him, the error
overlooked, his “failure in judgment” seen as a foolhardy
mistake, and his good intentions are praised above his
actions:
But for all that, God used Martin Luther. Let it not be said
that his intentions were wrong. Let it only be said that his
judgment failed. Truly if the Lutherans could get back to his
teaching and serve God as this gracious brother served Him,
then that people would surely be a credit and praise to the
great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages - Chapter Seven -
The Sardisean Church Age
___
So, which matters the most?
If you’re a denominational church, a denominational

minister, a layperson, or even King David from the Bible, it
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is your actions that matter the most, regardless of your
intentions.
But, if you happen to be William Branham, or you happen to

be one of the men he picked to be “God’s voice to the
people” in one of the “church ages”, all that matters is your
intentions, and every mistake or failure can be overlooked.
So what does this mean for those in the message now? It

means that “as long as you believe the messenger of your
day” and are “walking in the light of your day”, your actions
essentially do not matter. Sure, there is a “standard” of
behavior, and those that fail the standard, even if they are
message believers will receive some degree of judgment and
scorn; but there is grace for those that declare William
Branham a prophet.
But for those of us that walk away, there is no more grace,

and only judgment. For the denominational churches, any
failure is seen as vindication of their bad standing with God,
and any person outside of the message with struggles is
reprobate, and never had a genuine walk with the Lord to
begin with.
The double standard is poisonous, simultaneously excusing

the failures of some and condemning the efforts of others. It
all comes down to a question of intentions do our intentions
matter? Do our actions matter? What is the balance? These
are the kinds of questions that are essential for Christians to
ponder and come to an understanding about from the Word.
There is no double standard in God’s eyes, and we must be
willing to accept the Truth. Unfortunately, when clinging
onto the false teachings of William Branham, this subject
becomes impossible to navigate.
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William Branham's Holy Ghost
Experience
Each and every one of us that profess Christianity can
remember that time when we surrendered our heart and soul
to Jesus Christ, made new creatures to serve Him all the days
of our lives. For a Christian, this is the greatest milestone in
one's life. It is the showdown between good and evil.
William Branham himself expressed the sentiment well, as a

time one would never forget. It was a personal experience,
one between God and man.
There are those now, after realizing that Branham's

supernatural claims, life stories, and prophecies are fiction,
that ask the question: "Was the man even saved?" Others,
those still trapped in the cult, ask the question, "How can you
accuse one of the 'brethren?'"
According to William Branham's own words, he is not saved.

This experience, according to Branham, is fundamental in
the process of salvation -- and it is an experience that one can
never forget. Yet, Branham himself gives multiple, different
versions of his own experience. Here are some examples:
* He was converted to Christ in a Baptist church (51-0720)

* He was converted in an old coal shed (59-0815)
* He was converted in a bar room (63-0731)
To the normal Christian, the one who is not fully

programmed to accept each and every conflicting version of
Branham's many stories, this simply cannot be. If he does not
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remember, that's no problem -- simply tell his congregation,
"I don't remember." If he does remember, the stories will
match. The normal Christian realizes that the only possibility
can be that Branham himself was lying about his own
conversion to Christ, and from that point on, every single
word from his mouth is subject to question.
But to the programmed (brainwashed) cult follower, this

subject is largely avoided. That which cannot be reconciled
is cast aside with an "I don't understand it, brother, but I
believe every word the 'prophet' said."
What do you think? Was he lying about his own conversion?

Or was he lying when he explained that one could not forget
this experience when he, himself, had forgotten?
Can a man who has accepted Christ be so untruthful about

every aspect of his life, right down to his own conversion?
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William Branham's Prophecy
Humble Pie
Most in the cult of William Branham are unaware that
Branham himself admitted failed prophecy. As one would
expect, this prophecy isn't included in any "witness
material," and new converts are never told that the elders are
aware of prophecies that did not come to pass. In fact, most
ministers in the cult proudly boast that each and every
prophecy that Branham proclaimed was fulfilled beyond
question.
Of course, now that many are fleeing this religious cult,

many are confronting these pastors with the many questions
that do exist. Those who question are either scorned or ex-
communicated, shepherds willing to kill that "one lost sheep"
rather than lead it back onto the safety of the fold. Why?
Because they realize that there are no answers to the
questions. They realize that if the entire congregation asks
the questions, he must address the group from behind the
pulpit. And then, they'd need to offer "humble pie" for what
they have boasted for decades.
But Branham never fully offered "humble pie" for his own
prophecy. Rather than admit that he had predicted incorrectly
with the "India Prophecy," he claimed that he did not travel
according to God's plan. Like Jonah, who also did not travel
according to God's request, Branham did not go to India
first.
... only with one CRITICAL difference. Jonah's God could
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not fail. Branham's "god" did.
Many of those who have asked their pastors about this failed
prophecy have now left the cult, more than unsatisfied with
the response. They are either ridiculed for asking the
question, or scorned for not believing that God could, indeed,
fail because of William Branham.
I'm so thankful that we left this cult to serve a God who does
not fail, one who does not use a mortal human as a crutch.
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Because He Said So
Over the past several months, several people have contacted
us to tell us their story of their experiences in leaving the
Branham cult. Many refer to a publication entitled "Because
He Said So," a newsletter published in an attempt to distract
cult followers from the issues in William Branham's ministry
by claiming that there are "contradictions" in the Bible. This
single publication has been one of the most powerful forces
pushing cult members to make their decision to flee to a
Christian church. If the cult headquarters is willing to throw
their bibles under the bus to uplift the lies of a false prophet,
the movement cannot be of God.
Recently, a young man made his exodus from the cult. He

wants to share with us a major milestone in his journey of
escape. Aware of the questions, he contacted Voice of God
Recordings for answers. Curious as to why VOGR would
remain silent on the hundreds of fundamental issues, he
expected a strong defense of the ministry.
Rather than answers, however, the response was "Because

He Said So." Referring to the publication (which now
appears to have been removed from branham.org), the public
relations contact claimed that the questions were fully
addressed. As we all know, they were not, and the
publication seems to have done more damage to their public
relations than they ever thought possible.
THE LETTER:
Hi my name is _______, I am writing to complain. 20 years
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ago I believed the message but as years go by I am finding
inconsistencies. I am shocked and disappointed to see that
various website like Seek The Truth and
www.believethesign.com and so many more are showing to
the world the mistakes of Brother Branham. Instead of giving
your version and clarification, Voice of God Recordings is
remaining silent.
Many major concerns is this: You all agree with me that A

THUS SAITH THE LORD means that God has spoken. And
we all know that God never lie and never make mistake.
Here is my question When Brother Branham pronounced
Judgment on Los Angeles, He said that Capernaum was
under the sea.... but we have proof that Capernaum is not
under the sea. So was brother Branham lying to us that he
was speaking a thus said the Lord? So it can't be a thus said
the lord because God can't lie and make mistake...
If you can make a page where you clarify all the truth that
www.seekyethetruth.com and www.believethesign.com have
published. Remaining silent will make us all think that
www.seekyethetruth.com and www.believethesign.com are
right. And for your information people are living the
message one by one because of that. And Billy Paul who is a
member of the board of director at Voice of God
acknowledge that he was told by Bro. Branham he will not
be an old man that Los Angeles will go under the sea. He's
now 80 and which means that that prophecy failed....and
instead of enlightening God's children.... you guys are
remaining silent to facts like that. Question yourself about it
and tell people the truth if there is something that you are
hiding us.
I am waiting for your answer...I may be reached at ***-***-
****
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God bless you
BELOW IS THE REPLY FROM VOICE OF GOD:
Dear Brother,
Please don’t fall into their trap. They are pointing things out
to you with so-called “proof.” You will find the same attacks
on the Bible all over the internet. It’s the same spirit. Google
“Bible inconstancies” and you will see that they attack the
Bible in the same way they attack the Message. Once they
have discredited the prophet, then they will tell you how the
Bible is translated wrong. The ultimate destination is
complete unbelief.
Our question for you is, why are you believing them? Has
the Lord vindicated their ministry? Has He shown wonders
in their ministry like He did the Lord Jesus, apostles, and
Brother Branham? If you are looking for evidence, then here
it is: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1) Everything comes
back to faith. We should NEVER try to prove God’s Word
through carnal evidences. It will never work, and it destroys
our faith.
We have addressed their attacks in a publication titled,

“Because He Said So.” We can send you that publication if
you would like. If Judas had a website, it would look just like
the ones you are frequenting. We choose to move as the Lord
directs and to not be distracted by the attacks of a handful of
scoffers and internet hecklers. Why would we point out their
lies, rather than pointing people to the Truth? All they do is
try to cast doubt. The more you read their lies, the more of a
chance they have to entice you into their depths. These things
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were prophesied to come (I Peter 3).
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William Branham's Marriage And
Divorce
Of all the sermons that William Branham preached in his
hometown of Jeffersonville, Indiana, "Marriage and
Divorce" is arguably one of the most damaging to the female
members of his doomsday religious cult. It could even be
argued that this is the most destructive sermons of his entire
recorded ministry.
When new converts are introduced to "The Message," cult

pastors generally hand them a tape that was recorded away
from the home church of Jeffersonville where the "deep
mysteries" were preached. "When Love Projects," for
instance, is a very lighthearted sermon often given to a new
convert. Preached in Canada, Branham withheld a great deal
of his heretical and extra-biblical teaching. The pastor at
Branham's tabernacle in Jeffersonville often handed out
"How the Angel came to me," which was preached in
Chicago, Illinois. First-time listeners find themselves
awestruck at the descriptions of supernatural events, unaware
that there are deep, dark secrets that they must learn later,
and the huge amount of fiction they are digesting.
"Marriage and Divorce" is one recording containing those

deep dark secrets. In this sermon, women are degraded to a
level lower than a dog or even a hog. In fact, that is his exact
words:
"Now, there is nothing designed that can deceive, and be

deceived, as easy as a woman. There is nothing designed or
can stoop as low as a woman can. Think now. There is
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nothing designed, in all creation, that can stoop as low as a
woman can. She can tear a man's heart to pieces easier than
anything else there is in the world, is his wife. Let that nice
little wife get to running around with some other man; look
at that fellow sitting there with his children, the tears
dropping out of his eyes. She is designed that way. She is
designed to do this. There is no hog, no dog, or no other
animal, designed like her or can stoop as low as she can
stoop. Now, that is true."
Branham, 65-0221M - Marriage And Divorce
There is an abundance of examples of Branham's heretical

teaching in this sermon that can be used, but they all boil
down to one single point: The woman is to blame. For
everything. Branham walked his listeners through his trail of
thought, right back to the Garden of Eden. And then he
blamed all sin and death on Eve, the mother of all living.
Death, he said, came from the woman, while life, he said,
came from the man.
When cult pastors are confronted with this heretical doctrine,

they often respond: "He didn't mean GODLY women --
Branham was condemning the ungodly." But remember,
Branham was walking his listeners through the Bible,
referring to Biblical women right down to Eve. The women
he referenced were not all "ungodly" -- in fact, some were
righteous.
But in the end, there is little to gain when an ex-cult member

discusses these things with an argumentative pastor. It is not
the ex-cult member that these self-proclaimed ministers are
arguing with. These cult pastors who are indoctrinating their
congregations with unscriptural teaching, are arguing directly
with the Apostle Paul. Paul would disagree that death came
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through the woman, and in fact is very clear that sin and
death came through Adam.
"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man,

and death through sin, and in this way death came to all
people, because all sinned To be sure, sin was in the world
before the law was given, but sin is not charged against
anyone’s account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death
reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even
over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did
Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come."
- Romans 5:12-14
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10 Ways To Determine If Your
Christianity Has Been
'Americanised'
While the word “Christianity” ought refer to a single
religion, the reality is that many cultures have succumbed to
a process of syncretism where there are actually many, many
forms of Christianity that look nothing like the original
picture on the outside of the box. Pointing this out is painful
for many, as it often pulls the rug out from some of our
deeply held beliefs -- things we thought were Christian
beliefs and values, but ultimately turn out to be just cultural
values and beliefs.
America is no different. The powerful influence of American
culture has, for quite some time, seeped into the Christian
faith to the point where we have an entirely new product.
Instead of Christianity as it was passed onto the disciples and
early church, we have a uniquely American version -- and
one we’d do well to dissect until we’ve found freedom from
it, and freedom to return home to the life and message of
Jesus.
Is the version of Christianity you’re living out the real-deal
or is it the Americanized version? Here are ten ways you can
tell -- but there are undoubtedly many more
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Why Didn't Anyone Correct
William Branham
We are often asked by the cult followers of William
Branham, "If all of these problems with his ministry exist,
why did not anybody correct him?"
This type of question is a result of the thick level of

programming and indoctrination administered by the cult
pastors in the religious following of William Branham. If this
evangelist travelled the world, performing miracles and
teaching the Bible from city to city and town to town,
reaching the millions of people that he boasted, the proof is
in the results. If these millions of people agreed with him,
there would no longer be other denominations. The fact that
the cult calls themselves the "little bride" speaks for itself.
Others, aware that many did not agree with his ascetic and
mysterious doctrines, respond with what William Branham
called "discernment" -- what normal (not programmed)
Christians would call "clairvoyance." William Branham
passed out "prayer cards" in sermons, asked the sick and
afflicted to write their names, addresses, and diseases on the
cards, and he would guess them as they approached the
platform -- similar to the tactics of Jim Jones and others.
Some researchers believe that Branham trained Jones to use
the same strategy when Branham helped kick-start Jones'
ministry in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Cult pastors have programmed their followers to believe that

Branham's clairvoyance was more than 100% accurate. In
fact, they repeatedly tell their followers, "It has never failed,
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not one single time."
When we are contacted by those awakening in these cult

churches, we often ask them: "How accurate would YOU be
if you had someone cutting out 'errors in discernment' from
the tapes?" Then we direct them to table.branham.org to
examine just how many "Blank.Spot.In.Tape-Ed" are in the
recordings, and to notice how many are in the prayer lines
versus how many are during the sermons. After this simple
exercise, they return completely shocked that they've never
noticed this before.
To confirm that Branham indeed made many errors in his

clairvoyance, we then give them an example and a testimony.
The testimony that best suits the ministry is the example
Branham himself used all throughout his recorded ministry:
the healing campaigns in Canada. Branham often bragged
how "thousands upon thousands" were healed. Yet, the
ministers involved with this campaign tell a much different
story. According to Alfred Pohl, the aftermath to the mess
Branham created was a complete disaster -- people coming to
him to ask why their family members were dying of the
diseases that Branham had foretold their healing through his
"crystal ball" (or angel on the platform, if you are still a cult
member).
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William Branham's Filthy Mouth
Christians who encounter the cult followers of William
Branham are often surprised at some of the things they hear
on the recorded sermons that are given to them as "witness
material." Though they are usually given a light-hearted
sermon with very little "deep mysteries," normal (not
programmed) Christians do not expect some of the rude,
crude, and socially unacceptable statements from a minister
claiming to be preaching the Gospel.
Wouldn't it be funny if instead, new converts were given the

sermon "Marriage and Divorce?" Picture the scene: the
unsuspecting family gathers around the tape player, father in
his recliner and mother on the couch with her children. And
they all start listening, expecting to hear an uplifting, Gospel-
centered sermon?
Suddenly, they hear William Branham talking about how

women get "walleyed" when they have sex! And how large
their "sensations" are! And then he tells the men that he has a
bunch of printed material of the sexual nature, in his hand,
and he will be passing it out to them!
A normal (not programmed) Christian family would

scramble to cover their children's ears while quickly stopping
the tape. And likely rip the magnetic tape from the casing,
tearing it so that nobody else would stumble upon the filth!
But this is not the case with the brainwashed following of

William Branham. Fathers and mothers line their children up
to sit in the pews for the lengthy sermon, slowly lulling
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themselves to a state of mind that receives without fully
paying much attention. In fact, if you were to question a test
group of cult followers, most would strongly disagree that
William Branham made any such statement.
Now imagine that same exact scenario. And instead of

handing them the full and complete heretical sermon, you
only hand them that one single paragraph. How would they
respond? Would they agree with Voice of God Recordings,
that every single word spoken on tape is "divinely inspired?"
Would they call it the "Second book of Elijah" as many in
the cult now call the series of recordings?
Or would they simply ask you why you were handing them
pornographic material in the disguise of a Christian
minister's sermon?
Each time we post reference to these indecent statements by

William Branham, we receive an onslaught of hate mail from
the cult cult followers. It is amusing when we read some of
them, telling us how shameful and offensive we are for
posting the quote from the sermon -- almost as if it were
coming from our mouths instead of his. But remember, this
is a direct quote from a sermon that children around the
world are forced to listen to INSIDE cult churches! And they
are Branham's words, not ours!
The question to ask a programmed cult follower is this: If

Branham was truly preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ,
which all children should be hearing, then would we not be
praised instead of shamed for quoting him? If he did not have
a filthy mouth from behind the pulpit of a Christian church,
then would not spreading his "message" be blameless before
God and man?
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Voice Of God Recordings Hides
Blank Spots
For those of you asking about the sudden disappearance of
the thousands of blank spots on tape in "The Table," Voice
of God Recordings' online search utility at branham.org, it is
easier to post a response than answer individually.
Voice of God Recordings did not actually remove them from

the online search utility's transcripts of the sermons. If you
read any of the sermons, especially during a "prayer line,"
you'll notice that they are still there and some of them are
still placed in very convenient locations. But it appears that
they did, indeed, attempt to hide them.
The problem is not with the content of the sermons, but

rather, with the search utility itself. It appears that they have
removed the ability to search "blank spot" and pull up the
thousands of results. And in comparison to the older
(installed version) of the Table, many of them have been
renamed. Instead of "[Blank spot on tape -- Ed]", they have
introduced new labels to describe the missing portions of
tape. (Some of which are valid, such as "End of Tape - Ed")
But you will notice that "[End of tape -- Ed]" Is a properly

formatted phrase, having words with spaces in-between. At
the same time, "[Blank.spot.on.tape -- Ed]" is not properly
formatted -- there are periods in-between the words and not
spaces. The new search utility is programmed to ignore
results with this type of formatting. In other words, the new
search utility is programmed to ignore the blank spots in
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tape.
For instance, if you search "Blank spot" in the new search

utility on table.branham.org, you will return one single
solitary result: a paragraph from sermon index 61-0413
"WHY".
And that is our question! "Why?"
But there is no need for alarm. This "glitch" can be

circumvented by searching for this phrase:
"blank.spot.on.tape". It will not return the full set of results,
but you will still see enough to get the general idea.
What we do not know is which IMPORTANT ones are

missing from this query. Some of the blank spots are directly
in the most important part of a "prophecy," some in
clairvoyance session (discernment), and others in some of
those "mystery revelations." Some are even legitimate,
places where two tapes were spliced -- though these make up
a very small percentage.
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Satan Casting Out Satan
Times have significantly changed. As a child growing up in
the "Message," the religious following of William Branham,
the focus of each sermon was prophecy and doctrine. We
listened earnestly as cult pastors told us how each doctrine
Branham taught was a "revealed mystery," and these
revelations were required to develop rapturing faith.
Though all pastors often mentioned William Branham's

claim to the prophetic gift, they seldom described his
"prophecies" in great detail. Instead, they used them as
examples of his "vindication." We were told that his
prophecies never failed -- not one single time. Therefore, he
was a "vindicated prophet of God."
Now that multiple prophecies have proven to have failed,

and some of them appear to have developed from reading
newspapers and watching television, these prophecies can no
longer be used as "vindication." Therefore, Voice of God
Recordings decided to initiate a campaign of "Because He
Said So," and published a newsletter with this title.
In this newsletter, cult followers were asked to transition

from the doctrines we all grew up with. No longer was this
"prophet" vindicated by his prophecy -- we are asked to
believe that his "healing ministry" was vindication that he
was a messenger from God.
This is an ever-so-subtle deception. A prophet is vindicated

by his prophecy -- if the prophecy fails, then the prediction
did not come from divine inspiration. And multiple verses
from the Bible describe how we are to treat prophet whose
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prophecies fail. Therefore, VOGR would have you ignore
vindication of prophecy, as we were taught, and instead
focus on vindication of ministry. How? To focus on the
healing.
After this campaign was initiated, cult pastors all changed

their tune. No longer were these prophecies used as a
foundation to the ministry, and instead were to be considered
inconsequential. Now, the focus must be on the healing. And
they began to ask, "Can Satan cast out Satan?"
This question, coming from Matthew 12:26, is also an ever-

so-subtle deception. It requires the followers to believe that
every sickness and ailment comes from a "demon." By using
this strategy, and only then, try to compare William Branham
claiming for a person to accept their healing by faith to Jesus
Christ defending why he was not the prince of demons.
Essentially, cult pastors ask you to compare William
Branham to Jesus Christ, which is idolatry.
Not only does this strategy display an unexperienced study of

Scriptures, it is a denial of William Branham himself.
Revelation describes the coming onslaught of miracles
designed to deceive:
"And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of

those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the
beast;" - Revelation 13
But as some of you are aware, showing scripture to a cult

pastor is like showing a T-bone steak to a vegetarian. If
William Branham did not quote the scripture on tape, and
describe his view of that scripture, they will not eat it. So
instead, let's focus on what William Branham DID say: That
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the Beatles had impersonated a gift of divine healing:
369
William Branham And The Baal of
Peor
Often through the recorded sermons of William Branham, a
new convert will be suddenly surprised when they hear the
words, "Thus Saith The Lord!" To normal (not programmed)
Christians, these words are understood as they were
intended. The mouth of Almighty God has spoken, through
the mouth of a prophet.
Throughout the King James Bible, "Thus Saith The Lord"

appears approximately 413 times. Each time this phrase is
used, it is declaring to a people a message given by God
through the mouth of one of his prophets, or by a person God
speaks directly to who has a prophecy. Normal (not
programmed) Christians recognize that it is not the mind of
the human that created the thought given in the message; the
combination of words came from the mind of God. In today's
English, this phrase would be better expressed as "God is
speaking through me to tell you THIS."
But to the programmed cult follower, these words are

commonplace. Hearing them so often, many times applied to
what is clearly the thoughts of William Branham, they have
decreased value on the subject matter. Often, Branham
himself appears not to know what these words actually
meant.
For instance, "It is written" appears 80 times in the King

James Bible. These three words are used when a speaker
describes a passage from Scripture, telling the listener that
they are referencing the Holy Writ. In today's English, this
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phrase would be better expressed as "The Bible says THIS."
When William Branham taught his followers that the Bible

instructed husbands to divorce their wives if they cut their
hair, he used the phrase "Thus Saith The Lord." In other
words, "GOD IS SPEAKING THROUGH ME TO TELL
YOU TO DIVORCE YOUR WIVES IF THEY CUT THEIR
HAIR."
Instead, he should have said, "IT IS WRITTEN," because he

was referring to scripture. But there is one fundamental
problem with this -- it's NOT in scripture.
So the cult follower is faced with one of two choices: Either

God was speaking through William Branham with inaccurate
words, or William Branham did not study his bible with
regards to the subject of marriage and divorce. Or even
worse, a third option, he was adding to the Word of God.
But the programmed cult follower cannot think in these

terms. All thought concerning the prophet must flow through
their programmed (false) understanding that William
Branham, a human, is accurate with regards to scripture and
doctrine. Instead of testing the prophet against the Bible, they
are trained to test the Bible against the prophet.
But again, the value of prophecy is lessoned.
To the programmed cult follower, trained to first understand

William Branham as being correct and then filter all thought
through that understanding, they have devalued prophecy.
They have devalued any message that God might actually
give through a prophet. They are trained to believe that the
mortal human can first speak, and then declare "Thus Saith
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The Lord" -- whether or not the Lord hath actually "Saith" it.
And they are trained to believe that in cases where these
statements fail, they are to be reinterpreted to succeed.
Examples of this can be found throughout many of

Branham's prophecies. Take for example the doctrine of
"Presidential Prophecy", first declaring the president at time
of doomsday to be a "woman" changing to Kennedy by
William Branham and then later back to a "woman" by cult
ministers. Or the prophecy of the "egg shaped car" changing
to "driverless car." Or the "India Prophecy" with specific
travel itinerary changing from "Africa to India," to "India to
Africa," many times. And this 'vision' allegedly "failed"
because of travel itinerary.
To the normal (not programmed) Christian, this presents a

problem. In fact, to the normal (not programmed) person of
any or without any religious affiliation, this presents a
problem. A prophecy with no specific target is not a
prophecy at all. But to the programmed cult follower, this is
the way of a prophet. Branham himself instructed men to
"revise" his prophecies, or "bring them more up to date."
"By the way, Mr. Mercier and many of them are going to
take some of these old prophecies, and dig them out, and
revise them a little, or bring them up to date, and put them in
papers"
William Branham, 60-1113 - Condemnation By
Representation
The Bible likens this to sorcery. And it is declared

abominable before God. The children of Israel were warned
against changing words of "Thus Saith The Lord"
(prophecy), and reminded of what happened to those who did
372
this in the past, those who followed the Baal of Peor:
"Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract

from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I
give you. You saw with your own eyes what the Lord did at
Baal Peor. The Lord your God destroyed from among you
everyone who followed the Baal of Peor, but all of you who
held fast to the Lord your God are still alive today."
Deuteronomy 4
373
William Branham, Dowie, and
Wigglesworth
When it became common knowledge among the cult
following of William Branham that prophecies were left
unfulfilled, prophecies were changed and "brought up to
date" through the hands of Leo Mercier and the tape editors,
and prophecies failed before Branham's untimely death,
Voice of God Recordings started a campaign "Because He
Said So." Initiated through a newsletter publication, this
campaign was proclaimed through the voices of the cult
ministers that it was acceptable for Branham's prophecies,
doctrines, life stories, and ministry to have fundamental
conflicts and error, because -- they claim -- the Bible itself is
also filled with internal conflict.
Instead, Voice of God Recordings and later the cult pastors

began proclaiming Branham's "healing ministry," claiming
that this "prophet" was vindicated by signs and wonders --
not by whether or not his prophecies were successful.
Imagine, if you will, a baseball player that is "vindicated" by
how well he can play badminton. Both are sports -- just as
both healing and prophecy are gifts from God, but in both
cases a separate and sometimes distinct function.
Over time, however, new thoughts were added upon Voice of

God Recordings' initial response. These cult ministers --
some who have claimed prophecy as "vindication" for over
fifty years, were now proclaiming "healing" as "vindication
of a prophet." And just as they proclaimed that Branham had
a gift of prophecy "like no other" for the last several decades,
374
they now proclaim that Branham had a divine healing
ministry "like no other."
Those who have studied the history of the post-war

evangelists with ministries focused on the gift of healing
know otherwise.
When the modern-day Pentecostal movement began, they

required a supernatural gift as "evidence" of the Holy Spirit's
work in your life. It was a new "gospel," much different than
the descriptions given in the letters of the Apostle Paul. They
began proclaiming that "speaking in tongues" was "evidence
of the Holy Spirit."
Over time, some realized that this was in error. There was
more than one spiritual gift given to the church, yet they
were only focusing on one single gift as evidence of the
Spirit. Divisions in the Pentecostal faith began segregating
Pentecostals into different bodies of people.
One such branch of people separated themselves and began

to follow John Alexander Dowie, "Elijah prophet" and
"divine healer" from Zion, Illinois with worldwide fame for
his amazing healing ministry. This camp recognized the
"Gift of Divine Healing," and over time, appears to have
initiated the "Gospel of Divine Healing."
Followers of this new "gospel" often proclaimed successors.

It was commonplace to follow a "prophet leader" until their
death, and then a "successor leader" in their place.
Sometimes this new leader was described through prophetic
statements, as in the case with Dowie and Wigglesworth.
This leader-succession, under the doctrines of this new
"gospel," was compared to Elisha's succession of Elijah's
375
prophetic gift. For this reason, some of the leaders in this
new movement claimed to be the "Elijah" for this day.
William Branham claimed to be the successor of both

evangelists in the Divine Healing movement:
Wigglesworth:
"And how that Dr. Price had prophesied of a great move
coming. And Dr. Price moved off the earth one day.
Wigglesworth moved off one night, Dr. Price the next
morning. And the next day I was visit by the Angel of the
Lord just to go out. And man foresaw it coming (You see?),
and here it is now."
Branham, 57-0325 - The Lamb And The Dove
Dowie:
"How Doctor Dowie, in his death, prophesied that I would
come to that city forty years from the time that he died. Not
knowing nothing about it, he died on one day, and I was
borned on the next.
Branham, 51-0929 - Our Hope Is In God
In a world without airplane travel, it could be argued that

Dowie's ministry was more impacting than that of Branham
or Wigglesworth, though Wigglesworth would have had
access to air travel in his later years. Dowie's following had
grown so large that he declared "Zion" a city in Illinois in
1901, and churches were established world-wide to his
honor. Churches were established in South Africa, which
quickly spread throughout the country as the "Zionist
Christian Sect" movement.
To a normal (not programmed) Christian, this new logic

from Branham cult ministers is problematic. Cult pastors
376
claim that Branham's ministry brought forth the "Gospel of
Divine Healing" is in error -- this movement was initiated by
Dowie before the Azusa Street Revival. Their claim that no
other minister has influenced the world with a healing
ministry like Branham is also in error -- Branham himself
claimed to have been the successor to two such men! But
most importantly, their claim that Branham's "message"
originated with Branham is in error -- this "message" was a
continuation of the men Branham molded his ministry after.
It was truly a message of the "Gospel of Divine Healing,"

and Branham honored the dead "Elijah" ministers well. He
continued their ministry far into the 20th century, and
influenced men of his following who would later become
"Elijahs" in distant lands.
But to the normal (not programmed) Christian, any "gospel"

other than the Gospel of Jesus Christ that Paul proclaimed is
accursed.
377
Freemasonry - The Masonic
Lodge - religious cults, sects and
movements
A reader sent in this email, and wanted to share his

experience:
------------------------------------------------------
In 2011 when I was in Kinshasa , Democratic Republic of
Congo before I move to the US, while reading the 61-10-15
the Questions and answers. I fell on this question:
"Brother Branham, is there anything wrong with belonging

to a lodge after we have become a Christian, such as the
Masons? No, sir. You be a Christian wherever you are. I
don't care where you are, you can still be a Christian."
61-1015M - Questions And Answers
So I was preoccupied about it. Then during a pastors meeting

I rose that question. I was shocked about the answer. They
said that The free mason was not an occult lodge while
Brother Branham was alive. It became an occult science after
his death.
This how they defend Branham's quotes on the masons in
Africa. There are some message pastors who joined the
masons and practicing occult sciences saying that question
asked to Branham allows them to join.
I still doubt it and strongly believe that the free mason is

occult since its founding
378
------------------------------------------------------
This is a question sent in to us by multiple people over the

past few years, especially after we publish any discussion on
the pentagram that William Branham hung on the door of his
original Tabernacle. Now that more information has surfaced
about the inner workings of Freemasonry, more and more
people question whether or not Christianity and Masonry can
mix.
The answer to this question is not a simple as one might

think. Like the cult following of William Branham, each
Masonic lodge has a slightly different viewpoint. And each
Mason has a slightly different view of salvation. Like
Branham's followers, some think they are saved through the
lodge, and others do not.
The only true way to answer this question is to look at the

fruits of Freemasonry. Scientology and other cults appear to
have been produced by this belief structure, and Christian
apologetics link their formation to the ideologies of
Freemasonry. So the question by the man or woman who
sent the email is legitimate: Can a prophet of God claim that
Christianity and Freemasonry can mix?
379
The Strategies Of A Cult Pastor
When Seek The Truth first began as a simple webpage with a
few questions to ask a cult pastor, it quickly spread in
private. Mostly to cult pastors across the United States, the
handful of notes in unorganized thought were not much of a
concern to the freight train called "the Message." And
rightfully so -- their initial conclusion was that a single man
from Jeffersonville was trying to start a movement.
Over time, the handful of notes began to increase. And cult

pastors began to notice that no attempt was made to gain a
following -- but the list of fundamental issues with the cult
doctrine was filling quickly. Within only a few months’ time,
pastors themselves were forced to question subjects they had
drilled into their congregations' heads each and every Sunday
for decades.
During this time, ministers were not concerned with the man
asking questions or his eternal salvation. Not a single cult
pastor tried to plead with him towards a change of heart. Not
a single elder reached out to offer answers. Not a single cult
follower reached out in concern. It became clear that the
primary concern was containment, not salvation.
It was not until others took notice of the questions that cult
pastors began to address the issue. Whether it was seen as a
direct threat to the amount of incoming tithes or they were
afraid to answer, no response was given until the questions
became public knowledge. It was only then that they realized
an uncomfortable truth:
380
People leaving the message were not following after a man.
They were leaving because they had discovered hidden
secrets -- secrets these same ministers had withheld for
decades.
Still, many cult pastors attempted to claim that they were

following a new leader, and named specific men from cities
in the United States and Canada. Sermons addressing those
who had "crossed the line between life and death" by
questioning, they began to mention ex-cult members by
name from behind pulpits.
But they quickly realized that in doing so, many who had
never heard these names became curious. They wondered
why the crowd was thinning, but the programmed cult
mindset is to ignore those that leave, not to try and lead them
back to salvation. Many of these members now cut off from
fellowship were close friends and family, and curiosity is a
powerful force. They went to look, and they also realized
that there were huge issues with cult doctrine.
It was about this time that a new strategy was employed:

"What does it matter?"
Though this strategy was not successful and did not last very
long, cult pastors began to ask the question, "What does it
matter if William Branham was not truthful in his life stories,
doctrine, and even prophecy? Referring to Abraham's calling
Sarah his "sister, they began claiming that "Abraham lied
also." (Not telling their congregation that Sarah was
Abraham's half-sister). And then, they began asking the
question, "Branham pointed others to Christ, and many were
now followers of Christ. What does it matter?"
381
This strategy was not successful, largely due to the fact that
questions were raised as to which "Christ" Branham pointed
to. As cult followers began to search through the transcripts
of his sermons to identify Branham's overall description of
Jesus, they quickly found that Branham's version did not
fulfill all scripture. Branham taught a version of Christ that
was strangely twisted to sound very similar to himself.
It was not until it became public knowledge that Branham

was recorded praying to an angelic being that the new
strategy quickly fizzled out. Even though most were
programmed to believe "every word that the tapes say,"
prayer to an angel was uncomfortable. Some of them were
familiar with the letter of Hebrews (Heb 1), which clearly
describes Christ as "So much better than the angels," and
draws clear separation between the Son of God and the
angelic beings that worship Him.
This presented a problem for cult pastors. Branham taught

the theology of Charles Taze Russell, founder of the
Jehovah's Witness movement, that Jesus Christ was the angel
Michael. And Branham cult pastors had no problem ignoring
Hebrews to further that theology. But they reconciled their
difference in opinion with the book of Hebrews by claiming
that "now, Christ is above the angels; he is now God's Son."
Russell taught similar. But in this instance, William Branham
is praying to an angel. This could only be reconciled by
placing other additions to scripture, additions that Branham
had not yet made. Was Christ again lowered to one of the
angels? The new strategy fizzled out.
What they do not realize is that before he died, William

Branham was headed down a pathway to reconcile this using
that same exact pattern of thought. Christ again lowered to
382
one of the angels, but that is not where it ends. Only weeks
before his death, Branham started programming his
following to believe that Christ was lowered beyond
heavenly angel -- Christ would be lowered once again to
human.
"Now, we've had Elijahs, and Elijahs' coats, and Elijahs'

mantles, and Elijahs' everything. But the Elijah of this day is
the Lord Jesus Christ. He is to come according to Matthew
the seventeen-... Luke 17:30, says the Son of man is to reveal
Himself among His people. Not a man, God! But it'll come
through a prophet."
Branham, 65-1127B - Trying To Do God A Service
Branham's days on this earth did not allow programming his

following with this new doctrine that was beyond that of
Russell. But what if God had not removed Branham from the
cult? What if cult followers were programmed to believe that
Jesus Christ was returning as "Elijah," whom the following
were already programmed to believe was William Branham
himself? How much different would the cult be today?
Those of us that have left the cult have pondered these

questions, but not many have followed them to their
conclusion. Already, the cult following of William Branham
can be easily compared to Islam, where the denomination of
faith follows a dead prophet. Like Islam, the following will
tell you that the dead prophet is not God, but pointed others
to God. And like Islam, they will tell you that though they do
not believe the human was God, his words were from God.
How much different would it look if Branham succeeded?

Would cult followers pray three times a day facing
Jeffersonville, Indiana? Is that why Voice of God Recordings
383
sells "prayer mats" similar to Islamic prayer mats? Would the
cult followers pray in the "name of Branham?" Is that why
some in Jeffersonville already pray in Branham's name?
Cult pastors have changed their doctrines several times since

Seek The Truth began, reversing hardcore teaching they
stood by for decades. In the end, unless they teach that Jesus
Christ came to earth in the form of William Branham whom
they claim is the "Elijah of this day," they are deviating from
Branham's teaching. Until they realign, they will never
reconcile the error they brought for so many years. So the
question quickly becomes:
Will they finally reconcile their ministries with William

Branham's sermons? Will they all join together proclaiming
that William Branham was both Elijah and the Lord Jesus
Christ, while praying to another angel that was also Jesus
Christ, and that God's Son was cast out of heaven to support
William Branham's ministry?
Or will they proceed with countless other strategies, all

failing, in an attempt to never apologize for false teaching?
384
A Walk Through History - Seek
The Truth Blog
I remember when Seek The Truth first started, as a simple
place to access a few notes. What started out as a simple way
to help my memory when I confronted my pastor with a
handful of questions has grown into a very large repository
of research material. Had you told me in February, 2012
when this site started that over 7,000 cities in almost 200
countries would be frequenting my personal site, I would
have started laughing!
Had it not been for my grandfather's words, "People have

known these things for years, John, what does it hurt you to
believe it anyway?", I would have probably sat confused on a
handful of questions for the rest of my life. And had the
angry mob of friends and family not become violently
different than the nice, gentle spirits I once knew, I likely
would have just crawled back into my corner of the cult
church, happy to be lulled to sleep by the voice of William
Branham as the rest of the church did. But the shock of the
home church -- the Branham Tabernacle in Jeffersonville
Indiana -- covering up secrets did not set well. So I began
digging to see why.
Many remember how rough-around-the-edges my posts

were. As simple notes turned into a blog, it was very clear
that an unprofessional writer was attempting to discuss what
polished authors and public speakers were addressing. And
their refined methods of dodging issues made my
unprofessional bluntness and abruptness seem like the little
385
David approaching the mighty Goliath. And I imagine that
even David was a little more polished than my emotional
mess.
In 2012, I was beginning with square one. I had read the

Bible, but only through the filter of William Branham. I had
studied church history, but mostly just the history that could
be found on Branham's books and transcripts. I had studied
the supernatural events and prophecies in the "Message," but
only through one or two recorded sermons. I had no reason
to believe that these things would be so vastly different when
compared across the entire collection of tapes recorded by
Branham.
But even with my unpolished style, there was one very

powerful element that gave me a huge advantage over the
polished cult ministers and evangelists: transparency.
When a cult member hears the word "transparency," it is

almost if they have discovered Pandora's Box. They get very
curious as to what is inside. Most in the cult have never
experienced this. What is this great thing called
"transparency," and why would anyone do it? Why not hide
what you don't want others to see, and show them only the
things you want them to see? Why not hide the things people
have known for years, and only show them what they think
they know?
I decided that the best way to help others flee a religious cult
is to be fully transparent in everything. From past sin in my
life, to the many mistakes made along the way, to the good
time and bad as I went through the many stages of grief. I
documented what I experienced as others experienced the
same.
386
And this transparency is often attacked. My confessions, my
mistakes -- anything that can be used against my research
information is free game to a cult minister. I often wonder if
I have actually angered entire third-world nations! My
servers are under constant attack, and I have had to restore
the blog posts from backup tapes multiple times. It started
out sort of funny -- brute force attacks with passwords like
"Malachi4" or "JesusIsLord" -- as if my passwords would be
so simple. But over time they have become serious and
sophisticated attempts to destroy the data.
For this reason, I also made a decision to store the entire

history -- all blog entries, books, and more -- in multiple
places. Using PDF files for the originals, I also uploaded to
Scribed, Kindle, and Amazon. The entire history of Seek The
Truth can be found in multiple locations, many of which are
free of charge.
All of this said, I have restored all of the files from the 2012,
2013, and 2014 blog. They had been missing on the website
for a few months, but some of you have noticed that they are
starting to reappear as I find them in the backups. As of two
months ago, our most active page is the blog.
With this restoration, I decided to combine all of the posts

into collections that are also uploaded to Scribd, Amazon,
and Kindle. Even in their raw, unpolished form, the fully
transparent and fully documented history of the site will
remain forever intact.
You can find each of these individually below, or on the

Bookshelf page of the website, www.seekyethetruth.com
387
Paperback: COMING SOON!
388
William Branham - No Man
Knoweth The Hour In 1977
To a normal (not programmed) Christian, to hear a minister
suddenly start claiming that he has predicted the year of the
destruction of the earth is a clear warning sign of a false
teacher. To normal (not programmed) Christians, these types
of predictions have historically been made by religious
fanatics both mentally impaired and seeking followers
instead of following Christ. A normal (not programmed)
Christian recognizes the full meaning of the passage of
scripture, in context, explaining exactly WHY "no man
knoweth the hour."
The followers of William Branham, programmed by cult

doctrine, often raise a defense of their denomination of faith
by attempting to separate "prediction" from "prophecy." And
reading through discussion forums debating the many
fundamental issues with William Branham's ministry, the
conversation quickly runs down a rabbit hole debating the
definition of the two words. But in doing so, the underlying
problem is lost in human emotion.
For a man to make such a prediction, Scripture must be

altered. Words must be added to the teachings of Christ and
the apostles, and words must be taken away. And more
problematic, Branham's page outlining the "Prophecies of
1933" (which are conveniently "lost" by Voice of God
Recordings), is invalidated.
Reading from this "now missing" page, Branham claims to
389
have made his prediction of his 1977 doomsday on a paper
written in 1933. Notice, as he reads, he uses words such as
"today," and then describes the scene in 1933 verses 1961:
"Now, in 1933 when we were worshipping over here in the

Masonic temple where the Church of Christ stands today, on
one April morning before leaving home, I was dedicating my
a car (I got a '33 model car, and I was dedicating it to the
Lord's service.), and in a vision I saw the end time. Now,
notice how striking this is. Back yonder when I was just a
boy, and you can imagine what a 1933 model car looked like
now, what it looked like. And I went over there to the
Masonic temple where... Some of you old-timers in here
remembers; it's wrote down on an old paper at home. It's
already in print and went out around the world. See? That
was in 1933. And I predicted that there would be some great
tragedy happen to this United States before or by the year of
1977."
Branham, 61-0806 - The Seventieth Week Of Daniel
But earlier in his ministry, as many cult pastors are aware,

Branham made no such claim. Did he forget his own
prediction? Did his "page" in his "desk drawer," or "flyleaf
of his bible" even exist?:
"I'm not one of the people that tries to predict that Jesus is
going to come this year or next year. I don't know when He's
going to come, or no one else does know when He is going
to come. We just know what He said to look for."
Branham, 54-0824 - Jesus Christ The Same
This, in of itself, is not problematic. To a normal, "not

programmed" Christian, it is simply a display of his mental
state. The arises when he tries to enforce this new "post-
390
dated prediction" with theology. In his "Church Age Book,"
Branham added additional words to Jesus Christ's teaching
on the things that are to be. And he did so to enforce his own
prediction, which he claimed to have received through
Divine Inspiration.
How does the cult pastor reconcile this addition with these
scriptures?:
"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you,
neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the
commandments of the Lord your God which I command
you."
Deuteronomy 4:2
What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou

shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.
Deuteronomy 12:32
"Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou
be found a liar"
Proverbs 30:6.
The reason God is so adamant on this is because "The

entirety of Your word is truth” (Psalms 119: 160).
"For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the
prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these
things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in
this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of
the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out
of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the
things which are written in this book."
Revelation 22:18-19
391
To Hell With William Branham
One of the most shocking things to Branham cult member
and non-cult member alike are the number of people that
proudly declare their desire to follow William Branham,
even if means to follow him to hell. When a cult member
becomes aware of the countless issues with Branham's
ministry, they become curious as to what others are saying
about these issues. And before long, they come on contact
with the fruits of this ministry: Branham's people.
Normal (not programmed) Christians understand the danger

in following mortal human beings, and many are aware of
the Apostle Paul's rebuke for doing so:
"When one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow

Apollos,” are you not mere human beings? What, after all, is
Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom
you came to believe as the Lord has assigned to each his
task. planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been
making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one
who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things
grow.
- 1 Corinthians 3
But William Branham claimed to have a vision that is in

direct conflict with this passage of scripture. In this vision,
he claimed that he saw a strange version of purgatory -- a
place where the dead spirits dwell in their new bodies before
ascending to Christ. And the groups of people were
segregated according to the leader they followed, "Paul's
people" with the apostle Paul, and "Branham's people" with
392
William Branham.
So to the programmed cult follower, this vision is given

greater respect than Paul's rebuke for following mortal men.
Deeply programmed to follow a human leader instead of
Christ, they often ask, "If Branham is false, who do YOU say
we should follow?"
Many cult followers are unaware of the statement, but

William Branham did give similar warning -- but with one
slight difference than that of the Apostle Paul: he claimed
that his followers would follow him directly to hell:
"I've got to leave here. You've got to leave here. And if I go

as a false prophet, I'll lose my own soul and lose yours with
me."
- Branham, 59-1219 - Questions And Answers On The Holy
Ghost
The problem is that his following -- especially those in

developing nations from largely pagan background -- agree
and will gladly go. Over the past few years, we have
collected many of these statements, as an example of the
fruits of William Branham's ministry. To those who have not
yet stumbled onto these fruits, we have decided to give you a
sample of some of the collection. These are responses given
to those who have left the following of William Branham to
instead follow Christ:
...
"____, why don’t you Go to heaven with ua critics en leave

us go to hel with our dear false prophet as u claim.en let as
wait not more than 50YRS From today en c whether the
393
oposite wil b true."
"IN HELL I WILL JOIN HIM..."
"Am ready to die holding to william branham s message.

Whether it takes me to hell its a choice i made. thats ok with
me. No one will shake me on this. I wisnh you. i need to read
a spoken word message now than reading yo trash guys"
"Many - many tekel ufarasin... Im ready to go to hell with

him .all the best on your wide gate!!"
"if wat braham preached will lead me to hell, then so be it.

Mind u james dont criticize a true servant of God because he
was a forerunner of Christ's second coming"
"thanks so much. The type of hell Bro Branham went, I want

to go there too. He has follow Christ to that hell, and I want
to go too. So, David, x10 of you can't convinced me out of
that way.
"God,I respect prophet WMB and 101% believe the message

you sent to me for this day through him.where you lead me i
will follow and even if i go to hell I will do so
happily,worship you there and never stop loving you.let our
friends who disagree with your message know that we love
them too,those who are sweat to us and those who are not
and forgive us all of all our sins.what i don't understand in
the message I believe it and I know I will understand it by
and by.Gracious God.Amen"
"i knw nw that u r more spiritual than WILLIAM

BRANHAM.U say that man is evil and i agree.u hav more
394
proofs to prove that but am ready to go to hell with him.that
evil man has taught me many things which i didnt knw.water
baptism is amongst them .am happy and comfortable to be
associated with him.we were under denominations but
nobody taught us about true gospel.am proud to be
associated with him.the evil man has showd me the righteos
Jesus christ.am proud to be under his message.more things
has been revealed thru this evil man which i knw without
him i cuddnt hav known them.i dont worship him but am
happy with his teachings.so i wanted u guys who r spiritual
to remove me from this group.May God bless uu"
"Wat truth do u kw..,if he drags me to hell i will be glad to

go with him rather than go with u..."
"I Believe every word of the prophet and even if it means

going to hell believing it than so be it!That's how sure I am
we are following the correct prophet."
"If Brother Branham will go to hell, then i want to be right

behind him, i believe with all my heart that he was God sent,
nothing can change what i feel about what we believe in.
"Even if jesus Christ cast me in2 hell...i'll still believe his

prophet"
"HE WHO IS GOOD LET HIM CONTINUE.... EVEN IF

TH MSG BROUGHT BY WMBRANHAM TO THE
GENTILES WIL TAKE ME TO HELL, THEN LET ME
GO THERE. am one of them ad the life boat soon is
comming... the demon wch blinded pple eyes not to see the
signs of time is inwork today so saints beware."
"I Would Rather Lose My Soul Following Branham's
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Message Than Go To Heaven Following Another."
"I don't mind going to hell because I believe him... because

y? I know wu I am, nd I knw what am raised up for!!!.... let's
see wu will go to hell believing a false prophet!!!.... ure jst
being blinded by ur own so called man!!!.... Lord will have
mercy upon u both souls!!!!."
"U aren't so hold onto ur faith n let us believe n trend our

path to hell."
"I WILL GO TO HELL WITH HIM WITH HIS MESSAGE

WHICH PAUL ALSO PREACHED."
"leave my prophet alone! even if i'll go to hell i'll go

believing his massage to the laodicean church age.it is upon
you to believe his message or perish!your insults can't shake
me even."
"why do u care?I m read to go to hell for what u allege as

false.I don't need yo help bros,go to heaaven wth yo true
while I burn in hell for believing in WMB"
"I am ready for hell if that is were it lead me ,provided

branham is there , than your heaven without my prophet."
"leave us we wl go to hell"
"enough d msg he gave us,in it we found

love,joy,peace,happiness dat non odar outside d msg have,if
d msg take me to hell which it cannot,am still gona be loving
and thanking Bro braham..."
"I cannot deny the message. if its false,lemmy go to hell with
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it than following u!"
"By the way, I personally say, and this I say personal: I'd
rather go to hell believing than to find myself in hwll for not
believing"
...
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Helping Others
There are many in the following of William Branham that
despise and reject the fallen. Like Pharisees in the time of
Christ, their minds are so focused upon the Law and trying to
keep it that they overlook Grace and helping people into it.
Pastors often seem like they are working very hard to save
the saved and scorn the fallen.
But at the same time, because of the cultish mindset, feel that
no good can come outside of the cult. Any good act by
another human who does not follow Branham being is
scorned, because "they aren't believers." Instead of praise for
the wonderful work they do, they receive scorn and titles like
"serpent's seed" or "cannon fodder."
It's amazing now, after having left the cult, when I watch
videos such as this. I'm amazed at how much impact a single
person can make in the lives of so many when they aren't so
programmed to look only within the invisible walls of a cult
structure.
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William Branham - Just A Man -
He Made Mistakes
For decades, the pastors in the cult of William Branham
proclaimed the "perfection of the recorded ministry,"
referring to the 1200+ recorded sermons of William Marrion
Branham. One pastor is often quoted as saying, "It's more
accurate than today's newspaper," while others had similar
sayings. All of which combined led the followers to believe
that each word that proceeded from the mouth of William
Branham onto magnetic tape was the voice of God himself.
Hence the name: Voice of God Recordings. Branham himself
claimed, "I am a voice of God to you."
But after awareness of the many fundamental issues in the

ministry of William Branham was widespread, these cult
pastors changed their tunes. Following the direction given to
them by Voice of God Recording's publication, "Because He
Said So," they started proclaiming that "Branham was just a
man; he made mistakes." And some of these mistakes, they
now admit, made their way onto recorded sermon.
One such mistake is one that William Branham often made,

describing the years in which Enoch lived on the earth.
While the King James Bible numbers his days as 365,
William Branham often described the "FIVE HUNDRED
YEARS" that Enoch walked the earth. This, cult pastors now
say, is a mistake.
But it is not as simple as that. Were it mentioned one or two

times, it could be said that William Branham did, indeed, slip
up. And even without the associated doctrine tied to this
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number of years, one might claim that William Branham
simply never read the scripture concerning Enoch of the
Bible, and was "preaching from the hip." Though a cult
pastor would never admit this, it would be favorable to the
truth behind the "five hundred years."
William Branham tied his description of Enoch to the

destruction of the world by flood, where Noah and his family
weathered the storms in an ark. According to Branham, these
five hundred years would have been required -- he often
referred to Noah and Enoch walking the earth at the same
time. Why?
This was bound to an apocalyptic doctrine, one far older than

the doctrines Branham learned from other cult leaders such
as Charles Russell and Alexander Dowie. Apocalyptic
writings popular immediately before, during, and after the
time of Christ produced several pseudepigraphal books.
(books written under the name of a famous Bible figure but
by a different author than that figure.) The Apocalyptic book
of Enoch, not found in our Bible canon, is one such work.
Many copies of the book of Enoch now also contain

fragments of the "Book of Noah" that it references. And
William Branham's "five-hundred-year-old-Enoch" appears
to have came directly from these fragments. Included in the
Dead Sea Scrolls, a collection of some 981 different texts
discovered between 1946 and 1956, the fragment of the
Book of Noah starts out with these words:
"In the year five hundred, in the seventh month, on the

fourteenth day of the month in the life of Enoch. In that
Parable I saw how a mighty quaking made the heaven of
heavens to quake, and the host of the Most High, and the
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angels, a thousand thousands and ten thousand times ten
thousand, were disquieted with a great disquiet. And the
Head of Days sat on the throne of His glory, and the angels
and the righteous stood around Him."
- Book of Noah
Again, one can mistakenly describe the number of years in

Enoch's life as 500 when the King James Bible says 365. The
years alone are of no consequence unless your doctrine
includes numerology. But William Branham took the 500
year doctrine from the Book of Noah, and added another
theology to the Bible scriptures: That Noah was NOT
righteous, and that Enoch typed the "bride" while Noah
typed "tribulation and death."
This, as most normal (not programmed) Christians

understand, is a direct conflict with scripture found in
Genesis 6:9:
"Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation.

Noah walked with God." - Gen 6:9
It is evident why cult pastors so easily backtrack on the

doctrine of "perfection" they placed on Branham's ministry
for so many years. It is easier to explain why they were
mistaken on the "voice of god" to the people than to explain
why that voice had to go outside the Holy Writ to justify
their doctrines. To put it bluntly, it is easier to say that God's
"mouthpiece" was full of error than to explain why God's
"mouthpiece" produced doctrine contrary to scripture.
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Joseph Branham And Honesty
Is Voice of God Recordings being honest with you? Some of
you asking about the worship of William Branham and his
sons, confused because the statements of denial by VOGR to
your countries through translators conflict with what you
read in the discussion groups. And why wouldn't you be
confused? What purpose would they have in being
dishonest?
Those who live in Jeffersonville can tell you a much

different story, especially among the men and women who
were with William Branham when he was alive. Many of
them pray in his name or his son's name. Many of them do
not visit the Branham Tabernacle, because "Jesus Christ has
already came and gone."
I ran into one such person after starting Seek The Truth. He
was aware of the website and the many issues, and I found it
strange that he treated me with respect. While most (not all)
in the cult that I come in contact with around the
Jeffersonville area turn their noses up or quickly leave the
stores and restaurants I'm in when they notice me, this person
was kind and courteous. And then he told me why:
"Jesus Christ has come to earth and gone, in the form of

William Branham. I was in Louisiana when I watched what
he did in the meeting, and he was nothing short of almighty
God."
He went on to say that it did not matter what one did any
more (referring to sinful deeds and specifically my website).
He said that he told his daughters that they could grow up to
402
be prostitutes if they wished -- it did not matter. He said that
he warned them that they would regret it, have a very rough
life filled with disappointment, but it did not matter. Jesus
Christ had come and gone.
Those visiting the Tabernacle from abroad do not often come

in contact with these individuals. And they are not usually
visiting long enough to notice the division in the Tabernacle
-- "Joseph's people" versus "William Branham's people"
versus "the ones who fall into neither camp." But spend some
time in Jeffersonville, get to know the people, and suddenly
you will find yourself in "Branham Mecca" -- the holy grail
of Branham worship. And the town is filled with Branham
worshippers, only a handful of which ever darken the door of
the tabernacle.
So we ask again: Is Voice of God Recordings being honest

with you?
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William Branham's
Disneyworld Supercar
BelieveTheSign posted a video, one that was strangely
similar to Branham's later alterations to his alleged "egg car
prophecy." In later retellings of this prophecy, there are new
details added to claim predictions of self-guidance. It is this
prophecy that ministers reference each time the Google Car
or other self-guided cars make the news.
Many of you are aware of the numerous issues with this

prophecy. How that Branham attended a 1933 World's Fair,
one that included the futuristic world that Norman Bel
Geddes predicted in his 1932 book, "Horizons"
Or how that those who entered the 1933 World's Fair were
transported by the egg-shaped "Dynamaxion," which failed
miserably due to its top-heavy egg shape.
Many of you have seen the Central Power and Light

Company's advertisement of the driverless car made after Bel
Geddes' design, and have noticed that Branham's addition of
details to these prophecies appear to change with the
technological advances of the times. At the time this became
public knowledge, Voice of God Recordings also published a
few similar advertisements of the time, trying to distract cult
followers from the specific details Branham gave that
matched the article.
404
But, as BelieveTheSign points out, there is not so clear of an
example of William Branham's forming "prophecy" from the
technology of the day than this of Walt Disney's "Magic
Highway." It is not until three years after Disney's video is
produced that William Branham adds the description of the
family playing checkers to his prophecy -- the prophecy that
was originally nothing more than a change in shape.
To date, this technology is experimental, and the days of a

family playing checkers is long past. If the vision were truly
peering into the future, at the day when this technology
(might be) mass-produced, one can only assume that
Almighty God knew there would also be portable video
game devices, DVD players, Netflix streaming, and other
entertainment. Quite frankly, if I had to sit and play checkers,
I'd rather play with a real steering wheel!
But nevertheless, it's a small world, after all! Maybe Gene,

Leo, and Branham discussed this on their camping trip!
405
William Branham Advising
Against Solomon
William Branham often blasted those who advised to "eat,
drink, and be merry." Is this a wise decision? Is it
Scriptural?
"There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are

righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds
of the wicked, and there are wicked people to whom it
happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that
this also is vanity. And I commend joy, for man has nothing
better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for
this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life
that God has given him under the sun."
Ecclesiastes 8:14-15
406
Voice Of God Recordings -
Because He Said So - Part 1
In 2012, Voice of God Recordings published a newsletter
entitled, "Because He Said So" in an attempt to offer a
defense against those who have discovered William
Branham's twisting of scripture, failed prophecy, fictional
life stories, and other fundamental issues with the material
they publish around the world. It appears that this newsletter
has been removed from the website after the repercussions of
this publication -- cult followers began to notice that the
newsletter was not so much of a defense as it was a blatant
attack on the Holy Bible.
We were recently asked about this newsletter. One ex-cult

member giving their testimony mentioned that this was the
very thing that made him realize that they are uplifting a man
rather than pointing to Christ. Others, curious to see it, are
struggling to find it.
Since this publication is no longer easily accessible to the

public, we plan on discussing each section of the newsletter.
Their attack on the Bible presented many questions
concerning scripture to readers, and offered little in the way
of answers to either the fundamental questions of William
Branham's ministry or what Voice of God Recordings
considers to be flaws in the Holy Writ.
The first section asks the question: "So if God did, in fact,
send a prophet, shouldn't we believe all that he says?" And
then, referencing a scripture in Genesis where the serpent
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deceives Eve through words, proceeds to mislead cult
members by using very similar tactics.
The opening question of this article is misleading, as it

guides the reader into the assumption that all prophets
claiming to be from God are actually from God. Throughout
the entire publication, there is one critical element missing:
following the scriptures instructions to test the prophets to
confirm that they are, indeed, from God.
"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits
to see whether they are from God, because many false
prophets have gone out into the world." - 1 John 4:1
It is also misleading, because it leads the reader to assume

that apologetic websites exposing Branham's failed
prophecies would exist even if William Branham was sent by
God -- and of the Christians who are dedicating huge
portions of their lives towards exposing falsehood, I cannot
think of a single one who wouldn't listen to a prophet of God
that met the scriptural test. Simply put, William Branham did
not. In fact, the very reason this publication was necessary
confirms that there are issues in the ministry.
The author of this publication would have you believe that

by comparing the serpent's tactic of "planting seeds of doubt"
to examining the words of a prophet, those who question
William Branham are also "planting seeds of doubt."
Correctly worded, William Branham planted the doubtful
seed, the examiners are the ones who are simply examining
the fruits of that seed.
I truly believe that the reason this publication is no longer

freely available has to do with the trail this author is leading
408
you through the first section. "Doubt has an open door to
spread from Genesis to Revelation. True to form, he is doing
the same thing with the Gospel today."
Cult followers are starting to notice that the vast majority of

the people who flee the cult of William Branham are making
their exodus into Christian churches that uplift the Bible and
would NEVER ... absolutely never ... publish a newsletter
that discredits the Bible to make it look worse than the
fundamental issues in the message. This article was praised
by many in the cult when it was first published, as it made a
general comparison between those leaving the message and
atheists. This does not sit well with a family who watches
their sons and daughters leave to become Christians who
love Jesus Christ with all their heart.
The opening statements, with a large, bold, heading

"BECAUSE HE SAID SO," sets up the theme for the rest of
the publication. It does not matter if a prophecy failed. It
does not matter if a lie was discovered -- even if that lie was
bound to a (fictional) supernatural event. Because he said so,
you are not to question. And those who do are like atheists,
because WE [VOICE OF GOD RECORDINGS] say so.
Together, let's examine each and every way that Voice of

God Recordings attacks the Bible, and ask ourselves the
question: Is 'because they say so' the reason the publication is
no longer available?
Stay tuned!
409
I never will forget the day I received my copy of "Because
He Said So," the newsletter published by Voice of God
Recordings printed to defend the failed prophecies of
William Branham by claiming the Bible itself had issues. I
was disheartened, knowing full well the damage this kind of
message could do to a people not armed with information
about the Bible they claim to know.
It was particularly saddening to read the second section

entitled "The Four Gospels." The way in which Voice of God
presented the comparison between statements in the four
accounts of the Gospel of Jesus Christ was disgraceful. To
summarize the section, the author attempts to place each of
the Gospels in question by highlighting specific points they
feel are contradictions -- but then leave the reader wondering
why! They are not reconciled, because Voice of God
Recordings could not reconcile the many contradictions and
failed prophecies given by William Marrion Branham. It
appears they feel it is better to leave the reader in the dark
about their alleged contradictions, since they will forever be
left in the dark about fundamental issues with the material
they publish.
At this point in my life, I had just begun my journey of study

of the Bible. Not just the written text, but a full study of how
the text came to be, the different genres of books in the Bible
from poetry to prophecy to witness testimony and more. I
was deep into studying the men who decided upon the Bible
Canon, why they chose the books and letters we now read,
410
and why others were dismissed. I studied the field of "text
criticism," which contrary to how it sounds, is the method
used by the King James translators as well as modern
translators in deciding which text is authentic among the
more than five thousand different families of copies of the
Bible.
While in the cult of William Branham, this type of study was

strongly forbidden. Though Branham surrounded himself
with theologians and even gave "honorary" titles of "Doctor
[of Divinity]" to men like Lee Vayle, the cult strongly
forbids the study of the history of the Bible and all that is in
it, the subject matter of seminaries. Many in the cult call
these places "cemeteries," implying that only the eternally
dead would visit such a place. If they only had access to the
photograph of William Branham proudly standing by one of
his favorite seminaries!
In the cult, one is programmed to believe that a single man,

William Branham, is the sole authority of scripture.
Moreover, one is programmed to believe that everything one
needs to know about the Bible is on recorded tape -- not
realizing that Branham never mentions entire books of the
Bible critical to understanding the covenants of the Mosaic
Law and the eternal covenant of Grace. Without being armed
with information, readers of this article were suddenly
handed an atomic bomb, asked to place it inside of their
bible, while Voice of God lit a fuse to destroy the Book they
claim to uplift through their printed material. Again, simply
put, they raise several questions without giving any answers.
Their strategy is to apply the same logic to the Bible that
they ask you to do with William Branham -- BELIEVE IT
BECAUSE WE SAY SO.
411
This post is not intended to spark a debate on the different
types of answers that normal (not programmed) Christians
are armed with to defend such attacks to the Gospels they
hold dear. For centuries, men much more qualified than
myself have given defense of the Bible, all the way back to
Justin Martyr and Irenaeus whom William Branham claimed
to have respected. Different schools of thought are applied to
this defense of the faith, called "apologetics," and most
normal (not programmed) Christians are aware to some
extent of the apologist method.
The method used by most fundamentalist or evangelical

churches is the belief of "Scriptural Inerrancy." Ironically,
this is the same belief proclaimed by Branham cult pastors --
at least until the publication of this article. Many ministers
that have proclaimed Scriptural Inerrancy for the past fifty
years have now changed their tune: they claim that because
their bibles have error, William Branham was justified in his
wrongdoing.
The points of contradiction raised by Voice of God

Recordings are these:
* That the book of Matthew was in error when it claimed

there was an earthquake
* That the book of Mark was in error when it claimed that

there was only one angel (or ANGLE as the newsletter
misprinted)
* That the book of Luke was in error when it stated that there
were three women at the tomb
* That the book of John was in error when it stated that Jesus
412
instructed Mary to go and tell the disciples
Those who believe in Scriptural Inerrancy would have no

issue discussing these claims to reconcile. In fact, regardless
of which methodology used to defend the faith, most
apologists would simply tell Voice of God Recordings that
most of these are not even contradictions. Because one
witness felt necessary to describe an earthquake, while others
awe-struck that God's only Son had risen did not write about
it, is that really a contradiction? Even a non-Christian
historian would tell you that this is simply a detail that one
account includes and the others do not.
The rest of the points Voice of God Recordings attempts to

convince their following are "contradictions" are much the
same. Those who believe in Scriptural Inerrancy will tell you
that one single woman visited the tomb, and returned with
more women. And they will tell you that Voice of God
Recordings was a bit mistaken about the "two men versus the
two angels" -- most Christian ministers interpret the two
"men in white" as angelic beings.
But not all Christians use Scriptural Inerrancy in defense of

the faith. Other Christians believe that the Bible can be
inspired by God while NOT inerrant. This group of
Christians would argue with Voice of God Recordings that
these were four ... separate ... witnesses testifying to the same
event. And any who have watched a court trial calling
witnesses to describe an event will bear different results,
each from the perspective of the witness. Maybe Matthew
was the only one who remembered the earthquake! Maybe
Luke, shocked to hear of angelic beings walking the earth,
recorded three women instead of two. Does that make his
witness testimony of Christ's Resurrection any less valid?
413
The deceptive strategy used in this section by Voice of God
Recordings is to lead the reader to believe that because they
question the Gospels written by four different men, we
should not question the accounts given by one single man:
William Branham.
But what if this publication, "Because He Said So," were

instead published about William Branham? What if instead
of Matthew's "one angel" and Luke's "two angels," we had
the "Gospel according to William Branham" verses the
"Gospel according to William Branham?" And William
Branham claimed that he remembered both one angel AND
two angels, two women AND three women, an earthquake
and NOT an earthquake?
In reality, these are the types of contradictions found in the

ministry of William Branham. One man, multiple versions of
each story. Not multiple men with a few minor details
differing.
Those in the cult following of William Branham must ask

themselves: Why did Voice of God Recordings change from
stressing Scriptural Inerrancy when the public became aware
that William Branham contradicted himself multiple times
and about multiple unforgettable events? And why have the
pastors done the same? Why is it so important to uplift the
man, William Branham, that they would start questioning the
Gospels proclaiming the life, death, burial, and resurrection
of Jesus Christ?
Are they proclaiming Jesus Christ? ... or are they

proclaiming William Branham?
414
In the newsletter entitled "Because He Said So" published by
Voice of God Recordings in an attempt to convince the cult
followers to ignore the fundamental issues in their published
materials, the second half of the second article is the most
disturbing. After making an attempt to convince the cult
followers that they cannot trust their Bibles, (but they still
must believe them BECAUSE THEY SAY SO), Voice of
God Recordings actually ... challenges ... their followers!
In the very center of the article, after questioning the

Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the calling of His disciples,
the author gives the reader this challenge: SEE FOR
YOURSELF! THE BIBLE CONTRADICTS ITSELF! The
article reads, "We encourage you to read Matthew 4, Mark 1,
and John 1:28-43 and then try to answer these questions."
And then proceeds into what they allege are contradictions
found in scripture.
But then, rather than offer answers to the readers, Voice of

God Recordings stresses the point that there ARE errors in
the Bible, and you MUST employ blind faith to believe. The
author writes, "Are you going to forsake the entire Bible and
your Christianity because you can't make the Gospels
logically agree? Or, will you simply have faith that the Bible
is written through the Divine inspiration of God, exactly the
way He wanted it?"
As we pointed out in our previous example, normal (not

programmed) Christians who are armed with an
415
understanding of Scripture and history of the Bible Canon do
not waver in faith when atheists make the same arguments
Voice of God Recordings made in this publication. We've
previously mentioned those who believe in Scriptural
Inerrancy, the stance most cult ministers took before the
public became aware of the fundamental issues with the
materials published by Voice of God Recordings. And we've
mentioned other views of scripture outside of Scriptural
Inerrancy, specifically those who study the texts and are
aware of their genre, history, and variances in translation.
Normal (not programmed) Christians are prepared to give a
defense of their beliefs -- not to "only believe" BECAUSE
WE SAY SO. And rightfully so:
"Honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to

make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the
hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" - 1
Peter 3:15
Christians who were not influenced by the programming and

indoctrination of this religious cult would be a bit surprised
that this article asks the reader to believe that there are errors
in their Bibles , and that they are to believe this "book of
errors" with no defense of the faith. It is the direct opposite
of 1 Peter 3:15, and a dangerous road to trod. History has
horrific examples of men who ask their followers to accept
their doctrines by blind faith, some of which slaughtered
their entire congregations such as Jim Jones. Ironically,
William Branham started Jones' career in Indianapolis, and
the two toured the nation in the "Divine Healing" ministry.
Again, we will not debate the multiple ways in which normal

(not programmed) Christians defend the faith by offering
answers to these types of questions, or try to help you decide
416
which method is better than others. For this discussion, we
will explain what those who believe in Scriptural Inerrancy
would say in defense to Voice of God Recordings' deceptive
tactics to support the fundamental issues with their printed
material. It seems appropriate, because before this
publication, most cult pastors and even Voice of God
Recordings leaders proclaimed the same stance. This appears
to have changed when the public became aware that they
were advertising their printed material with fictional stories
and false claims.
In this section of the article, Voice of God Recordings makes

the claim that Matthew 4, Mark 1, and John 1 all contradict
each other with regards to the timing of Simon and Andrew
deciding to follow Christ. Most who believe in Scriptural
Inerrancy would answer the author's allegations by pointing
them to the Temptation of Christ. Matthew and Mark do not
put the journey to Galilee immediately after the temptation in
the wilderness. They explicitly say it happened after John
was cast into prison. John's Gospel is the only one describing
the intermediate period. It appears that after the temptation in
the desert Jesus went back to the place where John the
Baptist baptized, and the collection of stories are simply not
in order.
That the collection of stories in the Gospels are not in

chronological order is a shocking new discovery to those
who study the Bible only through William Branham's
perspective. In fact, had the author of the article published by
Voice of God Recordings spent even a little time studying
the aspects of Scripture that are "common knowledge," he or
she would be aware that the Gospel of The Gospels of Mark
and Matthew are arranged thematically, while the Gospel of
Luke is arranged chronologically. Written to a Jewish
417
audience, thematic arrangement was more common than the
chronological arrangement expected by Gentiles. John's
Gospel is also not arranged chronologically, but in an
arrangement that expresses the deity of Christ.
Those who do not follow the Scriptural Inerrancy belief

system are also aware of this issue and prepared to have a
defense to both atheists and those like Voice of God
Recordings who would ask their followers to believe their
Bibles through blind faith alone. They are aware that the
Gospels are not in chronological order, but they are also
aware that the Gospels are comprised of both written and
oral tradition. Some stories contained in the Gospels were
handed down from the original writings, while some
passages of scripture were added through memories of the
event discussed by the early Christians. Similar to Voice of
God Recordings many testimonies reverencing William
Branham's life and times, the early Christians reverenced the
life and times of Christ.
Although some scholars disagree, many Bible scholars date

the earliest manuscripts of the Gospels to:
Mark: 66-70 AD
Matthew: 80-90 AD
Luke: 80-90 AD
John: 200 AD
Some passages contained in the Gospels came even later,

such the ending of the book of Mark. The "snake handling"
verses often referenced by William Branham are believed to
have been written between 300 and 400 AD and are not
found in the original manuscripts.
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So to a Christian who believes the Bible can be Divinely
inspired without accepting the doctrine of Scriptural
Inerrancy, the order of passages are not important so much as
the Divinely inspired content. The argument the author
makes in the article, questioning the Bible because of the
order of events differing from book to book, is of no value.
They were not intended to be in chronological order, nor
should they be understood as such.
The most ridiculous aspect of this section of the newsletter is

the idea that we can accept the fundamental issues with some
of the fictional stories William Branham presented to his
following because of the lack of understanding of the
structure of the Bible. Even if the Gospels were written
chronologically, and they all differed greatly, they were the
testimonies of four individual men about an event they
remembered from the past. And beyond that, it was an event
that they themselves did not witness -- they were not the
women at the tomb and they were neither Simon or Andrew.
These were testimonies given to them second-hand, which
they knew to be true, and they included in their books
testifying of the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus
Christ.
Like the opening statements of the newsletter, this is a subtle

deception similar to the Serpent deceiving Eve through
subtle words. And it is an important point that must be made
as they proceed through the articles that come later in the
newsletter. If you are to believe that William Branham can
be both in Houston, Texas and the mountains of Arizona at
the exact same time, you must believe that the chronology of
the Bible is in error. Therefore, Voice of God Recordings
must emphasize what they allege as error, and ask cult
ministers to do the same.
419
In the newsletter "Because He Said So," published by Voice
of God Recordings to offer a defense of the fundamental
issues with their printed material, various aspects of the
Bible are placed in question. Using this strategy, they
cleverly attack what they claim are issues in chronology,
what they claim are differing witness testimony, and what
they would like for you to believe are conflicting details in
the supernatural events. As the public became aware that
William Branham's ministry contains the same type of
issues, it became necessary for them to lower the importance
of Scripture to raise importance of Branham.
This strategy continues by placing the conversion of the

Apostle Paul into question. And the title of the article uses
the phrase "Fiercely Contested," leading the reader to believe
that many others -- Christians and atheists alike -- also
question the details presented in Scripture about the light in
the wilderness and whether or not the men heard the voice
speaking. But they take things to a new level in this section,
because they ask the reader to believe a lie. As it became
public knowledge that they were printing materials
containing statements that were simply not true, it became
necessary to convince cult followers that they can AND
SHOULD believe a lie.
If a normal (not programmed) Christian if the person

standing next to them heard a voice, and that person
answered, "Yes I did and No I did not," a huge problem
arises. The person cannot hear something that he did not
420
hear. And the person cannot claim that they did not hear
something that they did in fact hear -- otherwise, they would
be lying. So a normal (not programmed) Christian would
quickly understand that this person next to them is either
lying or is mentally insane.
Voice of God Recordings would have you believe that the

men with Paul during this experience both DID and DID
NOT hear the voice. The author asks, "So which account of
Paul's experience is true?" And then he answers for the
reader, "THEY ALL ARE!" And then introduces another
concept that they want to train the user to understand as it
applies to the fundamental issues in their printed materials:
The "natural eye" (they mention) versus the "spiritual eye."
(they assume). In other words, if you catch William Branham
in a lie, and you believe him to be lying, you must have a
"natural eye." But if you have the "spiritual eye" they have
the ability to program into their following, then you will
ignore instances where you catch William Branham in a lie.
In fact, the author writes, "The 'inconsistency' is not in the
Message, but in the way they [a person who questions]
judges the Message."
In the previous studies, we have explained the different ways

in which Christian apologists defend the faith. The person
who believes in Scriptural Inerrancy must defend the faith by
presenting an answer as to why both sides of the argument
are true, while Christians who do not follow this belief
system will simply explain that the Divinely Inspired text
was written by men and copied by men.
In this example, however, it would be good to point out that

the Bible was not originally written in English. Most in the
cult following of William Branham refuse to study any Bible
421
other than the revised King James Version (Even though
William Branham studied from other versions such as the
Lamsa Bible). Not understanding the methods of "text
criticism" that the King James translators used to determine
which passages of scripture were the closest to the original
transcripts that did not exist, the cult followers do not fully
understand the complications in translation. And they
especially do not understand the problems faced by the
translators during the time of King James -- most in the cult
would be shocked to learn that the translators of the 1611
version of the King James Bible admitted that the text was
only as accurate as the limited number of transcripts and the
limited understanding of the language. And some of the
books of the Bible were translated through multiple
languages before they were written in Greek and finally
English. During this process, words and phrases can
sometimes take on different meanings.
There are varying answers to the question Voice of God

Recordings presents to their cult followers, but one of them
given by Christian apologists deals with these issues in
translation.
In Acts 22, the phrase in question can also be literally

translated as "They did not hear the sound." The NIV
correctly translates the verse as "to hear," as opposed to "to
understand."
From Christian Apologetics & Research Ministry:
"Literally, that clause in 22:9 may be translated, “They did

not hear the sound.” The NIV correctly translates the verse,
because the verb “to hear” with the genitive case may mean
“to hear a sound” and with the accusative case “to hear with
422
understanding.” The genitive case is employed in 9:7, and
the accusative is used in 22:9. So the travelers with Saul
heard the sound (9:7) but did not understand what Christ said
(22:9). Thus in Acts 9:7, “hearing the voice,” the noun
“voice” is in the partitive genitive case [i.e., hearing
(something) of], whereas in 22:9, “they heard not the voice,”
the construction is with the accusative. This removes the idea
of any contradiction. The former indicates a hearing of the
sound, the latter indicates the meaning or message of the
voice (this they did not hear). “The former denotes the
sensational perception, the latter (the accusative case) the
thing perceived."
No matter which defense of the faith you give as an answer,

the bottom line is as William Branham himself often stated:
"let black be black and white be white." In other words, truth
cannot be false, and a lie cannot be true. What Voice of God
Recordings would have you believe (a lie) is exactly what
the Bible warns us against:
"The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan

with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all
wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they
refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God
sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what
is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not
believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2
Thessalonians 2:9-12
423
In the final article on the first page, Voice of God Recordings
sets the standard for the rest of the article by adding one final
and very subtle statement: That we cannot believe in
scientific discovery. This is critical in examining the
fundamental issues with the printed material they have
gained over a hundred million dollars producing.
Specifically, they would have you believe that you cannot
trust fact, because fact was discovered by man.
William Branham himself is responsible for this strategy, and

we cannot say that Voice of God Recordings was clever
enough to have employed it. They are simply continuing the
strategy that Branham used.
Branham was absolutely thrilled with science. Throughout

his recorded ministry, he often mentioned scientific studies,
surveys and analysis of scientific facts, scientific theory
presented by leading scientists in the nation, and more. But
while he enjoyed it, he convinced his followers that science
was "of the devil," and that they should not enjoy it as much
as he apparently did. But worse than that, he programmed his
followers to believe that scientists "invent" scientific fact,
and that because a "human invented it," it cannot be trusted.
The same argument is made in this article of the publication.
But they take it one step further, claiming that internet
studies cannot be trusted, because they are created by
humans.
Ironically, they also promote the idea that the cult followers
424
should only "say what the tapes say," because the voice of
William Branham is a "voice of God to you." So when you
read the voice of William Branham speaking things that are
not true, which strategy should the devout cut follower
pursue? Are they to believe that the websites that directly
quote William Branham are in error because they are human?
What about Branham's words, which Voice of God
Recordings claim are the voice of Almighty God? This
cannot be reconciled.
But it is critical that cult followers become convinced that

facts are in error. Otherwise, they realize there is no other
alternative: William Branham was deceiving the masses by
lying, and facts expose him as a false prophet.
It amazes me when I watch a new person make their exodus

out of the cult and into Christianity. When they suddenly
discover the joys of reading and enjoying scientific studies in
the same way William Branham apparently did, they have a
newfound freedom. And then it suddenly hits them: True
scientists aren't forcing their opinion upon people -- they are
presenting a scientific theory. And this theory is either
proven true or proven false through studying scientific fact.
Theory can be moved; facts are immovable.
Voice of God Recordings understand this more than their

followers understand. It is apparent through the strategy
employed on the first page of the newsletter. To summarize,
these are the main points of the first page, preparing the
reader to read through the rest of the newsletter with the
boundaries that they have clearly defined:
1) That the Bible has error

2) That those who question Branham can be compared to
425
atheists
3) That facts cannot be trusted
4) That research about William Branham cannot be trusted
5) That it is OK to lie, and all versions of a story must be
accepted
6) That you cannot question a prophet, regardless of whether
or not the Bible instructs us to
7) That those who question are not using "spiritual eyes"
And most importantly, that you must believe William

Branham BECAUSE HE SAID SO!
426
The very first of the fundamental issues Voice of God
Recordings tackles in the publication "Because He Said So,"
is 1977. Ironically, the author wants you NOT to believe that
1977 is the final year of the existence of mankind -- even
though "he said so." This is critically important, because they
are aware the religious following of William Branham
should be (and is by some) recognized as a doomsday cult. It
is a unique doomsday cult, simply because the "doomsday
prophet" died before his doomsday.
Unlike others in the past who have defended William

Branham's 1977 doomsday by trying to convince listeners of
a difference between a "prediction" and a "prophecy," Voice
of God Recordings employs a new, more deceptive strategy
in this article. They do not deny that William Branham gave
this prediction under "Divine Inspiration" because they are
aware that most cult followers now recognize that
"predictions under Divine Inspiration" are also called
"prophecy." Even William Branham referred to some of his
prophecies as "predictions" given under "divine inspiration."
Instead, the author wants you to believe that readers living

decades after "doomsday" can still believe his 1977
prediction because the Bible has "error." Referencing another
alleged discrepancy found in the Old Testament, Voice of
God Recordings compares 1977 to the years Israel spent in
Egypt.
As we've pointed out before, there are multiple answers
427
given in defense of the faith by those who believe in
Scriptural Inerrancy. One of the most common is that the
time period began when Ishmael, son of Hagar the Egyptian,
mocked and persecuted Isaac. When you study from this
perspective, the difference in years can be reconciled. Those
who do not follow that belief system will point out that this
text is thousands of years old, thousands upon thousands of
hand-written copies distant from the original transcripts. If
there is a difference, is it really important that the dates
differ? Was not Israel in Egypt?
This is not even similar to William Branham's doomsday

prophecy. Cult followers will unanimously claim that Israel
was indeed in Egypt, but they will also unanimously deny
that the world ended in 1977.
There is another deceptive tactic employed by Voice of God

Recordings that is ever-so-subtle. In fact, most who have left
the cult would not notice the strategy, and would ask why the
author would admit Branham's failed doomsday date. To the
cult member who is reading, it is very powerful: they hand-
picked quotes in which William Branham did not claim
"Divine Inspiration" on his 1977 doomsday. The did NOT
include any quotes in which he DID claim divine
inspiration.
"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 systems and usher in the
millennium."
William Branham, An Exposition Of The Seven Church
Ages
428
Is Joseph Branham Honest -
Claiming Ownership Of The
Tabernacle
In an August 8, 2015 letter posted to the front page of
branham.org, the website of Voice of God Recordings,
Joseph Branham announced that he had taken part ownership
of the Branham Tabernacle. This announcement turned a few
heads, because Joe described his ownership had literally split
the church in half -- his half being the side with the tape
room. "Can a building be legally split in half?" some asked.
"How could such a mistake be made?" others questioned.
"Isn't this tabernacle owned by the people?" frustrated
members inside the church exclaimed, remembering William
Branham's own statements as they related to the vote by the
people.
But a simple trip to the Clark County Courthouse in

Jeffersonville, Indiana complicates the issue. It appears that
both Billy Paul and Joseph SHOULD have been aware of all
of these exchanges in property. Not only are they listed with
the courthouse as official trustees, a quick review of the
signatures on the documents place many things in question.
And not just with regards to property. When John (Jack)

Vissing gave his "witness testimony" regarding the Clark
Memorial Bridge, questions poured into our website asking if
Vissing was on the Voice of God Recordings payroll. While
we cannot examine their payroll (except for the 100 million
dollars incoming), we can examine the signatures on these
documents. Guess whose signature we find!
429
The largest surge of cult members fleeing the following of
William Branham out of the cult and into Christianity came
when searchingforvindication.com published their articles
overturning William Branham's bridge prophecy. Beyond a
shadow of a doubt, and examining the history of the bridge
from every angle, the writers of searchingforvindication.com
determined that William Branham had lied about a "vision."
But these people examining the bridge prophecy were not

"questioners" as Voice of God Recordings would have you
believe by reading this article. In fact, they were believers of
William Branham, indoctrinated by the cult programming,
and started their website to help lead those questioning
Branham back into the cult. They truly were searching for
vindication. But vindication did not lean towards William
Branham -- instead, it leaned towards those who noticed that
his "prophecy" got the wrong bridge.
Voice of God Recordings is very deceptive in the opening

statements of the article. To the casual cult reader examining
the newsletter, they would be led to believe that there is a
lack of evidence. As with every other prophecy William
Branham claimed to have declared, the burden of proof is
placed on the seeker, not the prophet. The scriptural
commandment to test the prophets according to the outcome
of their prophecy is made more difficult since the original
prophecies are conveniently "lost" by Voice of God
Recordings. They lead the reader to believe that there is a
430
lack of evidence, and then compare that lack of evidence to
men who lived thousands of years ago in a far and distant
land where archaeological evidence is often destroyed
through through countless wars.
But the truth of the matter is that there is an astounding

mound of evidence produced by
searchingforvindication.com. Those who have examined the
site are often shocked at how much evidence against William
Branham's claim could be unearthed by one single mother
and father while juggling children. Though the burden of
proof was wrongfully in the hands of the seeker, they were
able to seek and find.
It is very interesting that this strategy by Voice of God

Recordings was largely unsuccessful. So much of a failure in
fact, that after the newsletter was published, they instead
began using the testimony of one John (Jack) Vissing to
defend Branham's failed prophecy. And Vissing's words
were enough to push several cult followers over the edge
towards questioning everything -- Voice of God Recordings
proudly presented Vissing's arguments as factual evidence
even though it was in direct conflict with the vision itself.
The number of men, the number of years predicted and other
details did not match.
Voice of God Recordings gambled their millions on the

question of whether or not the average cult follower would
accept the opening arguments of the newsletter and believe
in a lie simply because they said so.
431
Is Joseph Branham Honest - We
Stand Corrected
Is Joseph Branham Honest - We Stand Corrected:
In yesterday's video, "Is Joseph Branham Honest - Claiming

Ownership of the Branham Tabernacle," we asked any who
found outdated or incorrect information in our research to
contact us on our website.
You responded.
One viewer asked us to take a look at document ID#

200213151 10-20-00-200-798.000.010, executed by William
Paul Jr., Wiatt, Tarrent, & Combs LLP. So we took another
trip to the local courthouse.
In Joseph Branham's "testimony" published to branham.org

(http://branham.org/articles/862015_ATestimonyFromBrothe
rJoseph), he made the claim that transfer of Lot 15 of the
corner of Eighth and Penn Street (the Branham Tabernacle)
was "unbeknown to Bro. Billy Paul or myself." We asked
you: "Is Joseph Branham honest?"
After the second trip to the courthouse, and using the

document ID, we were able to find the deed executed in
2002. Guess who showed up in person and signed it? ;)
NOTICE: This video has been taken offline until further

notice.
432
Probably the most interesting article in the entire newsletter
is Voice of God Recordings' defense of the cloud. If one
reads the article using only the facts presented in the
publication, and reads the somewhat honest admission at the
end of the article, even a skeptic would believe. To have
declared this cloud's significance to the cult for the past fifty
years, and then admit that they simply do not know why the
dates do not align, one can see that this is the article that
Voice of God Recordings spent the most time researching.
Years earlier, when the cloud was first placed into question
by Peter Duyzer, author of "Legend of the Fall" found on
wmbranham.net, a great deal of time was spent researching
this event by George and Rebekah Smith. (William
Branham's daughter and son-in-law). Though most of the
cult were unaware, they published a newsletter in defense of
the questions that were raised in the 1980's. Many read the
newsletter and enjoyed it as though it were a commemoration
to the event and had no idea that it was trying to solve a
problem.
What is even more interesting is the fact that after the

websites questioning William Branham began to examine the
cloud with a fine-toothed comb, even George Smith changed
his stance on the timeline of the cloud. In a 2014 video,
Smith admits that William Branham could not have been
under the cloud according to a human timeline. His
conclusion, which not all cult pastors agree with, is that
Branham stood under the cloud in the spirit -- rather than in
433
person as he claimed.
We do not need to go through the entire article, pointing

readers to the overwhelming amount of research that has
been made available. Most in the cult are aware of the issues,
and even this article itself admits that they do not have all the
answers. If you simply search the internet for "William
Branham Mystery Cloud," you will find the arguments.
Instead, we will address the deception that Voice of God

Recordings employs in this article to the unsuspecting reader
who has never done such a search. Their target audience for
this audience appears to be the cult follower who is not
aware of the many issues with the cloud, because they only
present partial information. Anyone who has studied the
cloud in any detail can recognize that the author leads you to
believe no additional facts exist.
The second paragraph begins with these words: "Although

scientists never thoroughly explained the cloud." By
"scientists," the author is referring to "James MacDonald,"
the scientist that William Branham named to claim scientific
evidence for what he considered to be a supernatural event.
(This, as you know, is ironic since the opening arguments of
the newsletter ask you to IGNORE scientists, because they
are human.)
Often when the cult defends the cloud and its many issues,
they refer to MacDonald's initial report. In the first report,
MacDonald explains that this cloud is not a natural
formation, and that he does not have enough information to
explain it. He is initiating a study of the cloud, and this is the
first of his documented studies. It is a prelude, so to speak.
434
What they do not tell you is that MacDonald produced a
second report, and that he was a "UFO hunter." Initially,
MacDonald wanted to find evidence of extra-terrestrial
existence through studying the cloud, as he was trying to
convince the United States government that alien life had
entered the earth's atmosphere. His second report expressed
his decision to abandon the study of this cloud, because it
WAS explainable. Moreover, the Voice of God Recordings
article claims that the "mystery cloud" was 17 miles higher
than clouds can form, which is a contradiction with
MacDonald's report.
The second deceptive tactic used by Voice of God

Recordings in this article is exactly what they asked the
reader to avoid in a previous article. They ask the question,
"Why weren't there photographs and eyewitness accounts in
California, where the cloud supposedly originated?"
I will remind you their statement on the previous page:

"Contrary to the skeptics' way of thinking, a lack of evidence
is not evidence."
In the end, the cult follower is left more confused after

reading this article and comparing it to the testimonies of
those who describe the cloud. Many questions start to form:
* If William Branham was standing under the cloud in

another dimension as George Smith claimed in his video,
were the two "witnesses" also carried over in that same
dimension?
* If so, why do their testimonies describe the human aspects

of the hunting trip and not the spiritual.
435
* Why is it OK for Voice of God Recordings to ask us for
evidence in the cloud issue, but ask us to ignore a lack of
evidence in the bridge prophecy?
* Why do they not mention the second report?
* Why do they not mention James MacDonald's abandoning

his research of the cloud after determining it was
explainable? And then why do they claim that it was
"unexplainable"?
436
The last article on the third page of the newsletter is a plea,
almost an act of desperation by Voice of God Recordings,
begging the cult followers not to visit the websites that
examine William Branham and his ministry. As one would
expect, the opening arguments claim that none of these
websites can be trusted, and that they can be compared to
skeptics who did not believe Jesus Christ in the days when he
walked the earth.
When read without knowing all of the fundamental issues

with the message, one can agree with most of this article. If
you did not know that William Branham had failed
prophecies, and were not aware that the Bible instructs us to
examine the prophecies of prophets do determine if they
were sent by God, one can positively agree with most of
what the author presents.
There are skeptics of Christianity, and there have always

been. Since the days that Jesus Christ walked the earth, the
world has seen believers and unbelievers. And you
absolutely SHOULD place yourself into the scenario that
they describe. Examine yourself, were you alive two
thousand years ago. Would you believe Christ? If you heard
that he was breaking the Mosaic Law, would you listen to his
words? Would you have faith in the Word of God?
I fully agree with most of this article, with the obvious

exception to whether or not the websites can be trusted. And
437
I have often said, do NOT trust the information that we
present on the website -- examine it for yourself. If you find
a mistake, contact us and we will change it as quickly as
possible. We are humans, and we do make mistakes.
And I agree with their assessment of the internet. You will

find hundreds of websites criticizing the Bible. You can find
conspiracy theorists claiming that Christ did not exist. You
do need to be careful as to what you feed your mind upon --
not everything is wholesome and healthy.
If there is one problem I have with this article, it is the first

sentence: "Various websites say Brother Branham was a
false prophet and they give some really good arguments, so
he must be."
Their strategy here is to compare their publications to the

"forces of good," and the websites examining William
Branham to the "forces of bad." And the forces of good
(them) ask that you believe "BECAUSE HE SAID SO." The
problem is that they want the readers to believe that William
Branham is false "BECAUSE WE SAID SO."
Those who have visited our websites know differently. We

were devastated when we learned that William Branham was
a false prophet. We cried real tears when we first heard his
life story, and cried even more real tears when we learned
that most of that life story was fictional. We have never
asked any person to believe that William Branham is a false
prophet "because we said so." This is the strategy of a
narcissistic personality, one that is the very title of this
newsletter, and one that denies huge portions of scripture.
The Bible asks us to test the prophets, not to believe them
"because they said so."
438
Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of
things not seen. But the Bible does not want you to believe
that a Christian can place their faith in lies or liars.
"A righteous man hates lying: but a wicked man is

loathsome, and comes to shame." - Proverbs 13:5
439
Is Joseph Branham Honest -
Court Records
Earlier this week, we published two videos examining Joseph
Branham's "testimony" that he is claiming ownership of a
portion of the Branham Tabernacle. In this video, we asked
the question: "Is Joseph Branham being honest?"
At the end of the video, we also made the statement that the
information contained within was believed to be complete
and accurate. Viewers immediately contacted us, telling us
that while the information seemed accurate, we were missing
a very important document: the deed Joseph was referring to.
Search results for "Branham Tabernacle" or "Voice of God
Recordings" in the Indiana state records did not return any
results. The researcher gave us the exact document number
in question, and a second video was made asking the same
question: "Is Joseph Branham being honest."
Since the publication of these two videos, much has

happened. New information is pouring in, suggesting that
there is much, much more to this story than we first thought.
To be quite honest, we almost decided to ignore it --
compared to the many other things we have found to be false
in the ministry of William Branham, it really does not matter
whether or not Joseph Branham's testimony is the truth and
nothing but the truth.
You may have noticed that the two videos are no longer
available. Earlier today, we were asked to take down portions
of the two videos, and delete portions of both film footage
and images. These portions of the video were not significant,
440
and do not affect the overall subject matter of the video. So
we returned to the Clark County courthouse to further
examine the many documents on record, and found several
new areas that require research. Not only does the
Tabernacle own the plots of land underneath the tabernacle
and adjacent to the buildings, it appears that other plots of
land were purchased and sold for unusual amounts of
money.
We have rebuilt the video, trimming out portions for both

duration and compliance, and have added a minor selection
of the new documents on record in the local courthouse.
Other records require much additional time, effort, and
money to research in Indiana as well as other states in the
U.S.
After examining all of the information to this point, we have

formed our opinion to this question. What is your opinion? Is
Joseph Branham being honest?
The result of all of this work can be found here:
441
The last page of the newsletter "Because He Said So"
published by Voice of God Recordings is the most
disturbing. It can be said that the middle section is attempting
to offer a defense of the materials they publish, even if it
gives no answers. And without answering the many
questions, the first section is required to set the boundaries of
WHY no answers will be given. Both sections make the
claim that the Bible has error, and therefore we should ignore
the error in William Branham's ministry.
The last section does not appear to be written to those who

still believe in the cult, however. It is written to those who
have discovered the many issues, and are now seeking out
their own salvation with fear and trembling. But rather than
offering a plea for their return to the sheepfold, they offer
what many felt was a rebuke and an insult to any who follow
the Bible's instructions to test a prophet. And Voice of God
Recordings is not asking that you ignore one single passage
of scripture follow William Branham. There are seven tests
listed in the Bible that we are to use when testing a prophet --
even a prophet of God. How do we know that a human being
is a prophet of God? By putting him through the tests that the
Bible require:
1) The "Word Test": "To the law and to the testimony: if

they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there
is] no light in them." - Isaiah 1:20
If their prophecies do not agree with Scripture, it was not a
442
prophecy from God. While Voice of God Recordings asks
you to ignore contradictions, God asks you to ignore
prophets who contradict the Scriptures.
2) The "Truth Test": "I have seen also in the prophets of

Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk
in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none
doth return from his wickedness. v.16, Thus saith the LORD
of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that
prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision
of their own heart, [and] not out of the mouth of the LORD."
- Jeremiah 23:14
This passage of scripture compares a lying prophet with an

adulterous one -- and both are an abomination before
Almighty God. While Voice of God Recordings asks you to
ignore lies of a prophet, God asks you to ignore prophets
who lie.
True prophets will reprove other prophet's sins, rather than

conspire to support one-another's claims.
3) The "Success Test": "The prophet which prophesieth of

peace, when the word of the prophet shall come to pass,
[then] shall the prophet be known, that the LORD hath truly
sent him." - Jeremiah 28:9
True prophet's predictions must come to pass, ALL of them.

While Voice of God Recordings ask you to ignore
prophecies that did not come to pass, God asks you to ignore
prophets whose prophecies do not succeed.
4) The "Fruit Test": "Beware of false prophets, which come

to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
443
wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. ... Even so every
good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree
bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil
fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
...Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." - Matthew
7:15
We are not only to examine the prophets, we are to examine

the fruits of his ministry. While Voice of God Recordings
asks you to ignore the corruption that has been exposed by
many of the research websites, God tells us that a corrupt
tree cannot bring forth good fruit.
5) The "Confession of Faith Test": 1 Jn. 4:2. "Hereby know

ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh is of God:" (See also Hebrews
4:15. Jesus "was in all points tempted like as [we are, yet]
without sin.") - 1 John 4:2
A true prophet of God will confess that Jesus came in our

"fallen" human flesh, tempted in every single point, and yet
without sin. When Branham claimed that "Christ died a
sinner. (55-0227A), Voice of God recordings asks that you
ignore this statement. God asks that you ignore this prophet.
6) The "Voice of God Test": "For how can the servant of this
my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway
there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left
in me." - Daniel 10:17
True prophets are mouthpieces for God. It is not their own

breath or their own strength that create prophecy -- God
gives them the voice and the strength. There is no need for a
true prophet of God to change a prophecy; God has spoken.
444
While Voice of God Recordings asks you to believe that
William Branham can invent prophecies based on World's
Fairs, newspaper advertisements, television and more, God
tells us that men who do this are not servants of the Lord.
7) The "Focus Test": "John bare witness of him, and cried,

saying, this was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after
me is preferred before me: for he was before me." - John
1:15
A true prophet of God will not collect followers. They will

point to Jesus Christ, and ask you to follow Christ. They will
not tell you that they are leaders, judges, or any stature of
importance. The will not proclaim visions "beyond the
curtain of time" where there are "Branham's people" and
"Paul's people," they will ask you to join "Christ's people."
The entire last portion of this newsletter is asking you to

ignore all of these tests, but specifically the seventh test.
They ask you to focus on William Branham, and mock those
who do not. They ignore all of the scriptural tests that God
requires of a prophet, and to instead use their tests: Did he
hunt? Did he heal? Did he have signs and wonders? Did he
rebuke religion? Did he rebuke women for their paint?
None of the tests that Voice of God recordings require of us

are scriptural tests of a prophet of God. And they are not tests
that focus on the salvation of the individual or the focus on
Jesus Christ. Each of these tests are to compare whether or
not William Branham appeared to have the same personality
and ministry that they claim Elijah had in the days of the Old
Testament -- ignoring the fact that Elijah did not lie, did not
false prophesy, and did not have false doctrine.
445
At the end of the statement, after telling us to use THEIR
tests instead of the scriptural tests, they ask those they label
skeptic, unbeliever, and impatient, "Which one does the
Word say to believe?"
We'd like to answer this question for them. The Word says to
believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Almighty God, who
lived the perfect, spotless life, died for the sins that we
committed, was buried and rose again. The Word says to
believe in Jesus Christ, who was the Word in the Beginning,
with God, and in Whom can be no lie. The Word says to
believe in the Word itself, and to test the prophets.
We cannot speak for all other websites that research William

Branham. But we can assure you
that believethesign.com, searchingforvindication.com, wmbr
anham.net, and seekyethetruth.com are following the One
that the Word says we are to believe.
446
Response From Voice of God
Recordings
Voice of God Recordings has responded to the many
websites that are now researching the claims made by
William Branham on recorded sermons, as well as the claims
made by Voice of God Recordings used in advertisement and
promotion of the products they sell. Are they using false
advertising techniques?
Their response is now posted on www.branham.org, and we

invite each and every one of you, whether you are in the cult
or have left the cult behind to find Christianity. Look and see
their response! Is it sufficient? Have they sufficiently
satisfied the burden of proof that William Branham placed
upon the shoulders of the person or persons making the
claims?
"Before you can put that in public, you have to have

documented statements from doctors and so forth that that's
true."
- Branham, 61-0412
447
Africans Declare Branham To Be
God
William Branham often referred to his healing campaigns
with Oral Roberts in South Africa as highly successful,
claiming that when he began to speak, the crowds were
"converted." In fact, he claimed that he got "30,000 converts
in one day."
To a Christian audience, this sounds wonderful. To a

Christian audience, this is a man planting a seed, allowing
God to water that seed, and they envision Christian people
helping these new converts by teaching them more about
Jesus Christ and the Bible. To a Christian audience, a new
convert is nothing more than an open vessel -- and this first
step in their journey is simply unscrewing the lid. Now, that
vessel must be filled.
To a Christian audience, from a minister claiming to be

"Christian," they expect that these "new converts" are
converts to Jesus Christ.
But to a programmed cult follower of William Branham, this

is not the case. A new "convert" is a person who accepts
William Branham. A new convert is a person who accepts
and believes the materials printed by Voice of God
Recordings. Many new converts are not given bibles, but
most new converts are given "the spoken word" (the
transcripts to sermons published by William Branham.
A normal (not programmed) Christian would quickly ask:

"What are the fruits of this type of ministry?"
448
Here is an example of the fruits of William Branham's
ministry, watered and matured through the printed materials
of Voice of God Recordings. These "30,000 converts" have
now started producing fruits that declare William Branham
to be their god.
449
Testimony Describing
Experiences In A Branham Cult
"I was raised in a cult. It was a very strict religious cult,
they're called 'Branhamites,' you can look them up on the
internet or you can just go to branham.org and you'll find out
more about them. Now if you go there, please don't join, and
understand that they don't say, 'we're a cult, please join us.'"
So, if you go and look at it, please understand what they are.
They believed in an 'end-time prophet.' They believed his
name was William Branham. They believed he was the
literal resurrection of the prophet Elijah from the Bible, and
they believed that he was the forbearer of the literal
apocalypse, that the living revelation's in the Bible.
And they believed in things like "no education past the sixth
or seventh grade." No radio. No television. They didn't
believe an women wearing any garment that pertained to a
man; no jewelry, not allowed to cut their hair. Had to be
completely subservient to their husbands. This is a great deal
if you are woman listening to this, right?
If you didn't act in a subservient way to your husband,

corporal punishment was allowed. Husbands regularly gave
their wives spankings and things like that for not applying
the rules of the house.
There were all kinds of things that went on in this cult, and
my mom was a very bright woman, and I was trying to
understand, how did she come up with the idea that this was
450
a good thing to do? And what kept her there for so long? I
was there from the time I was six until I was about sixteen
years old. And I wanted to know, I had to understand, how
did my mom decide to raise me and my two brothers in this
wild environment of this cult and what kept her there?
And I finally did understand it, but when I was sixteen, I left
home and I quit going to the church, because they were
pressuring my family quite a bit about me continuing to go to
school. And when I left, they did one interesting thing right
before I left. They brought me up on stage, or the platform if
you will where the pulpit was. They had the deacons and the
ministers lay their hands on me, and they prayed to God that
he would turn my soul over to Satan for the destruction of
my flesh. That I would be killed or that I'd be so severely
tormented that I would drag myself back and beg for
forgiveness. And maybe I'd be lucky and then be able to go
to heaven, though it was very, very, very unlikely at that
point -- since only 144,000 people could go and there were a
lot more than that in the organization. There's about two and
a half million of them in the world today. That organization
still exists.
But what happened when I left was that I, you know, a

couple times in my life I thought their prayer might be
working, to be honest with you Joe, but at the end of the day,
what I did is I sat down and began studying persuasion,
coercion, manipulation, advertising, marketing -- anything
that I could get my hands on that would help me understand
what decision my mom made.
So as a result of that, I've leveraged that into a business

where I'd help people and businesses create rapid consumer
influence strategies -- where I'd help people become very
451
effective at creating persuasion strategies. And during that
time, I began to understand how people persuaded
themselves. And persuading yourself is one of the key ways
that you become masterful of your time; that you become
masterful of your life!"
452
William Branham's "Jonestown"
of 1977
In the moments leading up to and aggressively in the
aftermath of the Jonestown Massacre, government agencies
began sifting through private recordings to analyze
statements made in private by Jim Jones to his cult
following. While the cult members in Jones' South American
commune were aware and familiar with his "secret" doctrines
the rest of the world was curious to see why people would
willingly sever themselves from society and ultimately sever
themselves from life. In November of 1978, over 900 people
willingly gave their own lives to the belief system that Jones
had created. They were indoctrinated with the belief that
there was no hope left, and the only way out was death.
Followers of William Branham are shocked when they first

learn that William Branham made statements that he did not
want on recorded tape. What were these secrets? If this
"message" was sent to the entire lost and dying world, why
did this lost and dying world not have access to it? How can
we claim that large cities like Los Angeles had "rejected the
message" when Branham himself hid that message from
them?
But William Branham often mentioned the clear separation

between recordings produced for resale and recordings
intended for private meetings of his cult following. Like
Jones, his public presentation was kept separate from the
private secrets. In his sermon, "Hearing, Recognizing, Acting
on the Word of God" in 1960, Branham says, "We in the
Tabernacle here, these tapes are {...} just for friends." (60-
453
0221) When cult followers discover this, the most obvious
question asked is, "how can they recognize and act on his
word if he keeps it secret?"
But that shock pales in comparison to the actual meat of the

sermon. Like Jim Jones, his message is that there is no hope
left. Our children have no future, education is no longer
necessary and actually makes their futures worse. Many of
these statements paint a very similar future to the one that
Jones painted for his own cult following.
But Jim Jones did not meet his tragic end in 1965 like
William Branham did. Unlike Branham, Jones' future
continued to grow darker. The outlook for each of his
followers grew darker with it, continually feeding on these
"mysteries" instead of Scripture.
How much different would the cult be today had William

Branham continued to live until his 1977 doomsday? How
much worse after that doomsday came and went. Would his
following have also migrated to another country? Would
they have taken their lives for no reason other than
Branham's private statements about their bleak futures?
454
Science Is Of The Devil
Concerning "science," the cult followers of William
Branham are faced with this strange conundrum: Do we use
scientific evidence as "vindication" of Branham's ministry as
William Branham himself asked us to? Or do we ignore it,
believing that scientific research is a tool of Satan used to
deceive us ... also as William Branham claimed?
Cult followers are familiar with Branham's many statements

concerning science. In fact, many are programmed to believe
that all scientific facts cannot be believed because Satan is
using scientific fact against their cult doctrine. Voice of God
Recording's "Because He Said So" newsletter made that
exact claim -- we cannot believe scientific fact, because
(according to their newsletter) the Bible cannot be trusted."
Those who were not involved with the cult of William

Branham are not familiar with this ideology. Most normal
(not programmed) Christians are aware that facts are the
building blocks required for truth, and that "fiction" is better
associated with Satan's tool Belt. For those people, the not-
programmed crowd, let's examine a few of Branham's
statements:
"But Cain's children did. Why? Inspired by their daddy, the

devil. Cain, inspired by his daddy, the devil, and these
inspired by that seed coming down."
Branham, 65-0801M - The God Of This Evil Age
"Knowledge, science, education, is the greatest hindrance

that God ever had. It is of the devil."
455
"knowledge and science, and Christianity, has no fellowship
at all. One is of the devil, and the other one is of God."
"I don't care how much science we have, and whatmore, or

education, it's of the devil."
Branham, 65-0911 - God's Power To Transform
"All culture in the earth, all powers of science, and

everything, is of the devil."
Branham, 65-0911 - God's Power To Transform
"science, education, cities, culture. It's of the devil"

Branham, 65-1031M - Power Of Transformation
"And science is taking is taking the natural things and

perverting it to do things that it wasn't intended to do."
"education, science and civilization, is of the devil. That's

right. It isn't of God. It is of the devil. "
"science and civilization, is of the devil"

Branham, 65-1204 - The Rapture
"Education, science, civilization, and all these things that we

seemingly so enjoy today, is of Satan, and will perish."
Branham, 65-1205 - Things That Are To Be
"Education, all these things, they're of the devil; science

perverting the natural things, making something else."
Branham, 65-1207 - Leadership
456
The problem as we mentioned above, is that while
programmed to reject scientific fact, cult followers are also
asked to use it as "vindication" of their prophet. But the
problem is actually much deeper than that.
When science is used to compare Branham's statements with

recorded history, the cult asks their followers to ignore
"scientific fact." Milestones in history, government records
and more that are threatening to cult doctrine are excluded
from conversation.
But when asked to use "science" as "vindication" of William

Branham's supernatural claim, cult followers are asked to
fully accept and believe "scientific theory" instead of
"scientific fact" using a slight-of-the-hand technique.
For example:
William Branham used a report given by George J. Lacy that

examined a photograph taken in the Houston Coliseum that
appears to display a halo above William Branham's head.
Branham often refers to this as "science vindicating" his
ministry:
"You're probably familiar with this picture. It was proven by

science that it was the only supernatural Being that was ever
scientifically photographed."
Branham, 53-0800 - The Twentieth-Century Prophet
But the slight-of-hand technique replaces Lacy's actual

statement describing scientific with Branham's theory.
Scientific fact in the document, scientific theory in
Branham's logic. Lacy's report states that "the light struck the
457
lens," which was apparent to anyone who examines the
photograph. Branham's theory is that this light was "God."
Many scientific theories are incorrect. And to the

uneducated, a scientific theory can seem like a "lie of Satan"
when proven false. But this process is how we establish
scientific fact. One very simple example of this is water and
ice. One can theorize that ice can be poured from a vessel of
water since ice is water. It is a valid scientific theory, but not
a valid scientific fact. Once the theory is examined, one
quickly realizes that the facts do not support the theory. But
the fact that ice is made of water is immovable -- it is
scientific fact.
In essence, Branham asked his followers to use science as

proof of his halo photograph, but confused his followers as to
the process of establishing scientific fact. Worse, most of the
children of the cult are forbidden to study this process at all -
- some of them removed from schools and higher education
for the statements we sampled in this post.
To the normal (not programmed) Christian, they would

quickly notice that this is an elementary-level process. Were
lights positioned in the same location as the "halo?" Did
other photographs taken in the same building produce similar
halos? Are all of these halos "God?" A normal (not
programmed) Christian would quickly realize that to honor
Branham's request to make use of science to back his claims,
one must also give the Beatles, basketball players, atheist
speakers and more "gods" above their heads. In this
particular instance, science can absolutely "disprove god" --
we know with certainty that the light bulbs above the heads
of these people were created by man. Therefore, these lights
were not gods.
458
To the normal (not programmed) Christian, it is clearly
obvious that William Branham's ministry was filled with
self-promotion rather than a focus upon the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. This slight-of-hand technique is nothing more than
deception used to lure itching ears. But beneath that
deception lies a deeper problem:
To make this claim, that scientists were 'of the devil,'

Branham had to twist and deny scripture.
459
Secret Audio Letter To Lee Vayle
On the outreach websites containing the transcripts of the
recorded sermons of William Branham, there is one
"sermon" that you will find of particular interest. It is a secret
recording, one never intended for public viewing, one that
"Doctor" Lee Vayle appears to have disobeyed Branham's
request in destroying. Why did he not obey?
This top secret transcript was initially sent to Lee Vayle as

instructions for Vayle's manuscripts. Branham was giving
instructions as to the seeds Vayle could plant, which he
would water and grow in the minds of an unsuspecting
audience. These very statements are critical in understanding
how the cult became the multi-million-dollar-powerhouse
that it is today.
Immediately before telling Vayle to destroy the tape,

Branham instructs Vayle to begin mentioning the similarities
between Branham's name and Abraham's name. Both have
seven letters. Both end in "HAM." Branham asks that Vayle
"inject" it in his material.
Then, using a few scattered examples, he creates a roadmap

of specific passages of scripture to indicate that he [William
Branham] is the return of Jesus Christ:
1) His name was similar to Abraham (in English, not

Hebrew)
2) One of the titles of Jesus Christ was "Son of Man"
3) Prophets were also called "Son of Man"
4) Therefore, prophets must be Jesus Christ
5) By extension, he [William Branham] was Jesus Christ
460
Along with this strategy, Branham himself started injecting
similar statements into his sermons. Take the 1965 "Birth
Pains" sermon for instance. Branham continued the logic
with:
6) Billy Graham's name also ended in "HAM"

7) Graham's name was not seven letters
8) Lot was sent to Sodom
9) Therefore Billy Graham was sent to prepare the way for
the "Son of Man" (Jesus Christ) whose name (In English)
numbered seven letters.
There are multiple problems with this, the largest being

translation of the ancient Hebrew. Abraham's name did not
number seven letters in Hebrew -- Hebrew has no vowels,
and five symbols.
Also, there is the issue of "Son of Man," which is much,

much deeper than anyone in the cult realizes. "Son of Man"
correctly translated is "Son of Adam," (ben-'adam) which
literally means "human." It is used 93 times in the book of
Ezekiel to show a stark contrast between the lowly status of
humanity against the exulted dignity of God.
This presents a problem for the version of Christ most often

described by Branham. Though his views of the Godhead
vary widely, from praying to the persons in the Trinity to a
modalistic or dualistic God, he most often used Charles Taze
Russell’s theological representation of Christ. In this form,
Branham would claim that Christ was "just a man" until his
baptism, then becomes a higher being, then abandoned to die
as a human on the cross. Branham did not understand the
concept of "fully God and fully man" that most Christians
461
believe. The idea that a "son of man" or "lowly human"
could live a perfect life, die on the cross for our atonement,
be buried and rise again all while being "son of man"
(human), "son of David" (heir to the throne), "son of God"
(The Heavenly Father's only begotten Son" was foreign to
Branham. His Influence from the Jehovah's Witness founder
ran too deeply.
But in the end, the strategy was highly effective. He truly

accomplished his goal. The cult has now accepted Branham
as the "Spoken Word." They truly believe that his voice was
the "Voice of God," and that the words proceeding from his
mouth onto magnetic tape came directly from the mouth of
Almighty God. Though most in the cult would deny having
been led into Branham's trap, even the names of the
organizations selling his product speak to their replacement
for the Holy Writ.
It is a shame, because the instructions were so simple:
"Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or

‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false
prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so
as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect"
Matthew 24:23-24
462
UPDATED: Secret Audio Letter to
Lee Vayle
Earlier today, we published findings of a top secret recording
sent from William Branham to Lee Vayle regarding some
statements Vayle could make to lead the people to believe
that William Branham was the return of Jesus Christ to this
earth. In the video that accompanied the text, we only
included the written transcript of the recording that Vayle
refused to destroy upon receipt.
We walked you through the key points in the transcript that

Branham wanted Vayle to "inject," all leading the cult
following to understand that his "Message" was the return of
Jesus Christ. From there, Branham would seal the deal by
convincing the people that "the message and the messenger
are one and the same."
Since publishing the video yesterday, we found the audio

portion of that recording on a third-party website available
for download. The video has been recompiled, now including
Branham's voice with the top secret audio message.
Somehow, I have this mental image of Voice of God

Recordings wishing they had invested in the "Mission
Impossible Tape Player," the one that ends with, "This
message will self destruct in sixty seconds" and a wildly
addictive tune that has endured the ages. Thankfully for
those escaping the cult, Branham's investments went towards
other equipment such as short-range radio broadcasting
equipment in the Tabernacle.
463
Let's Join Together And Help
Branham.org:
When Seek the Truth first started, there were several
websites proclaiming William Branham as the forerunner to
the second coming of Jesus Christ to this earth. In fact, some
of them even claimed that William Branham WAS the
second coming of Jesus Christ. Others sat somewhere in the
middle, claiming that Branham's "Message" was the second
coming of Jesus Christ. Interestingly those in that latter
category never produced any details of what this "Message"
is or was beyond "PREPARE YOURSELF" -- which we
could have already gathered from our Bibles. But their sites
and their churches proudly present banners quoting Luke
17:30, understood to mean that they believe this verse
applied to Branham's ministry or William Branham himself.
When other websites, such as

www.searchingforvindication.com and
www.believethesign.com started their examination of the
materials published by Voice of God Recordings and came to
many of the same conclusions, these cult websites started
taking notice. A few of them even attempted to answer the
many internal conflicts of Voice of God's material, but with
little success. One site in particular tried to explain why the
"Church Age Messengers" all disagreed with Branham's
doctrinal stance, while still agreeing with Branham's
statement that each "Messenger" lived during their "Church
Age." And Columba did not live during the time span of the
"Age" that Branham appears to have copied from Clarence
Larkin's "Dispensational Truth."
464
But the most interesting part of this process are the changes
that started coming to the websites owned and managed by
Voice of God Recordings. Until that point in time, all
information on branham.org, youngfoundations.org, and the
other sites VOGR managed were virtually unchallenged.
They were free to publish any statement made by William
Branham, and present it to the readers as though it were
absolute truth with no examination into its accuracy.
Most of the followers of William Branham are easily sold.

Almost any collection of words that are joined together into a
quote are readily accepted so long as you attribute the quote
to William Branham. We always include the tape index
along with the quote so that readers can confirm that
Branham did, indeed, make the statement. But I've often
wondered if quotes from Adolf Hitler or even Hillary Clinton
would be accepted if we added Branham's name to them.
Many followers would argue until they blue in the face to
support a statement made by Buddha if it had William
Branham's name under it.
Let's face it. Some of the issues are complicated. Many

followers of William Branham must be taught what they are
supposed to believe before you can explain to them why they
cannot believe it. And VOGR does not make this any easier
when they do not offer the complete collection of sermons in
other languages. Is fifty years not long enough to translate?
Money surely isn't the issue!
But other issues are not so complicated. When William

Branham claims that the earth is square, most school children
know better than this. When Branham claims that men have
one less rib than women, most teen agers know better. To
believe Branham's strange claims that shooting stars are
465
weather lights, Mars is a billion years from earth, mustard
cannot hybrid or opium comes from lilies, one must abandon
basic knowledge or common sense.
Thankfully, the websites exposing William Branham's

ministry are making a difference. Many of the nonsensical
issues are now being removed. For example: On the "Young
Foundations" website, the "Did You Know" article teaching
young children that the earth is actually square now is
offline.
466
The newsletter "Because He Said So" that explained how
Branham could tell lies since [they claim] the Bible is filled
with errors is now offline. That publication in of itself
produced a mass exodus from the cult.
Speaking on behalf of all websites exposing the failed

prophecies, fictional life stories, hypocrisy, and false
doctrine of William Branham I can say that the most difficult
challenge is keeping up with all of these changes. It is very
difficult to address a fundamental issue that the cult has
decided is no longer fundamental. As priority shifts, it edges
very closely to circular reasoning -- by the time you reach the
end of the cycle, it starts back at the original doctrine.
For instance, when we first started Seek The Truth, Voice of

God Recordings had positioned themselves to promote the
idea that William Branham made no mistakes. In Joseph
Branham's Russia videos, the world was suddenly aware that
"This Message Is [his] Absolute." Pastors continued the
strategy, claiming that "This Message is more accurate than
today's newspaper." My grandfather would often say, "This
message will stand against all scrutiny," meaning that no
matter how you examined it, you will not find a single
problem with it.
But after hundreds, possibly thousands of fundamental issues

surfaced, all of these people retreated. No longer was it
perfection, it was a message of imperfection. No longer was
Branham's statements without error, they were filled with
error -- and that's ok, because [they] claim the Bible itself has
error. No longer does it matter whether or not William
Branham was under the cloud, whether or not sixteen men
fell from a bridge, or whether or not that bridge was built
467
before or after Branham's birth, whether or not he saw an
egg-shaped car at a world's fair or more. That foundation of
perfection was ripped out and retooled with a foundation of
imperfection. The "Message" itself had now changed.
So on a mass scale, it is evident that the research websites are

making a difference. No longer can men inflect spiritual
abuse using nonsensical claims -- their congregations want
truth and are aware of error. Pastors are starting to fear the
thinning of their church pews, and are now withholding
many wild claims that they have preached for over fifty
years. Cult pastors now have to examine their statements
before they are made in public. Our question is, why was this
not the case to begin with? Should any pastor be given the
right to say anything he wants, without any boundaries? It
reminds me of a bull in a china shop. Looking back, some of
the claims we heard from Sunday to Sunday are quite
comical. Maybe that's why some cult pastors are now starting
to require logins on their sermon transcripts and recordings.
All of these websites have a list of the topics each site feels
to be fundamental in realizing that this religious following is
a spiritually abusive cult. Our "Resources" page and Blog
have made the website almost 125% more active than it was
this time last year. Though new content is not being added as
quickly as we'd like, many of the most important facts are
listed.
The most impressive list of issues with the message is found

on www.believethesign.com. It's actually quite impressive,
each detail expanded to explain WHY it is an important
issue, or in some cases why it is not so important.
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Let's join together and help branham.org! How many pages
can we help them remove or update?
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The Martian Prophecy
Of all the "Did You Know" posts that Voice of God
Recordings used for "education" of the children of
Branham's religious cult, the most absurd is that of the
distance between the planets Earth and Mars. According to
William Branham's "revelation" in April of 1955, traveling
from Earth at the speed of light, it would take billions of
years to reach Mars.
At the time William Branham claimed this "revelation," the

world was abuzz with excitement surrounding the advances
in technology in space flight. Only a few days before, March
25, a Navy jet fighter named Chance Vought exceeded the
speed of sound on the first flight of the XF8U-1 at Edwards
AFB. March 1955 was a breakthrough for the space program,
the F-1 rocket engine reaching a million pounds of thrust in a
single chamber. These breakthroughs had the world talking,
and they were talking Mars.
The very same month that William Branham claimed this

"revelation," Paramount Pictures released a Technicolor film
entitled "The Conquest of Space," advertising that viewers
could "See how it will happen in [their] lifetime." The movie
revolves around General Samuel T. Merritt (played by
Walter Brooke), and his critical mission: to travel to Mars.
Few in the cult of William Branham realize it, but while

condemning his followers for watching television and
movies, Branham himself seemed to enjoy the entertainment.
We've pointed out earlier how some "visions" of giant birds
and insects appear to come from science fiction films, and
Branham himself admitted to have went to the theaters to see
470
a raunchy Marilyn Monroe film. When Branham told his
audience of this new "revelation" concerning Mars, it was a
direct argument against the many newspaper advertisements,
billboards, radio advertisements, and television promotions
of the new Martian film. In other words, "Hollywood is
telling you that we will go to Mars. I (William Branham)
have the revelation that they are wrong.
At the time Branham claimed this revelation, he had a 50/50

chance of success. Either mankind will send equipment to
Mars using this new technology, or they will discover that
their calculations on the distance between planets was far
greater than they expected. Branham was gambling on the
latter.
But at the time Voice of God Recordings used this failed

prophecy as an education tool for young learning minds, it
had already failed. We had already reached Mars, and it was
not nearly so lengthy of a trip as the general population had
expected. Rather than the "billions of years at light speed"
that Branham "revealed," it takes only nine months traveling
at mankind's current rocket velocity.
People often question why Seek The Truth claims that the
cult has ultimately decided to choose William Branham as
their new god. Many of these people in the cult pray to the
name "Jesus." But at the same time, many of these same
people, following Voice of God Recordings' example, taught
their children that Branham's "revelation" was true long after
it was proven "false." They have decidedly chosen a false
"revelation" over established fact. They have decidedly
chosen a false prophet over truth.
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Tribute To Pearry Green (1933 -
2015)
One of the founding fathers of the Message, the religious
following of William Marrion Branham, has passed on to the
other side. And in the time of death, I feel that every
Christian should put aside their differences to pay respect to
the deceased and offer their love and support to the families
affected by the passing.
Since it is well known that this site disagreed with a great

deal of Mr. Green's position on many of the doctrines
introduced by William Branham, we fully intended to keep
silent and let the people of the Tucson Tabernacle mourn.
When word came to us yesterday regarding his passing,
many who had left his congregation had an emotional
response that we feel would be disrespectful to the situation,
regardless of circumstances initiating their departure from
the church. In the end, God holds all things in his hands, and
He knows the hearts of men.
It was not until we read the "tribute" on Voice of God

Recordings website, branham.org, that we decided to break
our silence. Not to speak on behalf of those who have made
their exit from this religious following, but to speak on
behalf of Pearry Green. Mr. Green deserves a REAL tribute,
not the few little paragraphs we find on Voice of God
Recordings website.
I, personally, did not know Mr. Green. It is no secret that the

followers in Jeffersonville did not see eye-to-eye with Pearry
Green, and my family was no different than the others in
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Jeffersonville. I do not remember ever having seen Mr.
Green in person, though I'm sure that at some point in my
life I would have visited his tabernacle in Tucson. But
shocking to those of you who have left the religious
following of William Branham, I am going to make an
attempt at a proper eulogy. I am going to do so with the
assumption that Mr. Green believed in what he said,
respecting the fallen as I would any other person who
devoted his entire life to something that he believed in --
regardless of whether or not I, myself, believed in it or the
eternal consequences of that belief system.
Pearry Green was much, much more than simply a "man who
setup a telephone hookup" as branham.org's article would
have you believe. And it was not only a "telephone hookup"
that he established for the churches that followed William
Branham during his life. How many are aware that he also
had a "TELEVISION hookup?"
"Now I want to greet the folks who is on the telephone

hookup tonight, across the country, all the way from
California to New York, and Texas and and up different parts
of the nation, from Maine to California. So, we got a ... a
system of hooking up these telephones, that's been a great
blessing. And now we understand, through our good friend,
Brother Pearry Green, that they've got a ... a little gadget they
can put on your television set, and not only will it be on the
telephone but it will be televised right in your television set,
also. And they're seeing about it now."
- Branham, 65-0919 - Thirst
Pearry Green worked very hard to spread William Branham's

"message to a lost and dying world." In 1964, he sponsored a
series of meetings in Beaumont, Texas, inviting William
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Branham to speak for the crowds to hear what he truly felt
was the new Gospel, or the "Spoken Word" for our day. In
the 1964 sermon, "God Is Identified By His Characteristics,"
Green worked very hard in sponsoring and organizing the
meeting, actively participating in the proceedings, and
working closely with William Branham to convert Christians
into what would later become "The Message."
He continued to be active in helping spread Branham's

ministry, not only through the telephone and television
hookups mentioned earlier, but preaching and teaching the
doctrines that he learned from William Branham as the two
turned from close acquaintances to close friends. When
Branham would mention groups of followers from around
the country, it is no surprise that Green was often
mentioned.
"Be with Brother Neville and these men who are bringing the
Word way down in Texas, and out in Arkansas, and different
places; just be with them, Father. Brother Pearry Green and
all the group there, and just be with all them, Lord; they're
Your little children."
Branham, 64-0823E - Questions And Answers #2
Peary Green eventually relocated to Tucson, Arizona,

through what he believed to be a leading from the Holy
Spirit. He was instrumental in establishing the following in
Arizona, through the tabernacle that he would pastor until the
day of his death. Though, I'm sure that if you asked Pearry
Green at any time in his life, William Branham was the
pastor while he was just a minister pointing others to Christ
through William Branham's teaching. Branham himself
recognized this.
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"I'm so grateful that Brother Pearry followed the leading of
the Holy Spirit, and today we have a tabernacle."
Branham, 65-1121 - What House Will You Build Me?
But Green did so much more than this. After Branham's

death, he continued with outreach programs to spread the
Message to the world. His ministry, resources, and writings
are still used by the two to four million followers around the
globe. Books were published, such as "Acts of the Prophet,"
which detail the life and times of William Branham
according to Branham's many recorded stories and his
personal experiences with William Branham. Whether Voice
of God Recordings wants to believe it or not, this religious
following would not be what it is today without Pearry
Green. It likely would have imploded after Spoken Word's
book entitled "1977" detailed Branham's predictions that did
not succeed in the year that the book described. Green and a
handful of men kept this religious following alive.
I take issue with Voice of God Recordings limited

celebration of the work that Pearry Green did for them. Not
only because this is not much of a tribute to such a big name
in the Message, but because of the statement that
branham.org is making here. The best thing they can say in
tribute is that he setup a "telephone hookup?" Really???
If this TRULY were a message sent to a lost and dying

world, would not his spreading of that message to that lost
and dying world be the greatest tribute to his life? The
handful of people that would have heard a handful of
sermons through a low-quality telephone signal cannot
compare to the hundreds of thousands of people that he
brought this message to! If branham.org truly believed that
Branham's statements were true, and that this "little bride"
475
has just a few more days until they are raptured, would not
they rejoice that the "Message of the Hour" was spread to
hundreds of thousands more? Wouldn't they want every
single person -- man, woman, and child -- to hear the words
that they feel are life to a dying soul? Wouldn't they tribute
him by saying that he literally saved the lives of the dying?
Or would they rather only a handful through a very limited
telephone hookup be the only souls saved?
I, personally, no longer believe the portions of Pearry

Green's belief system that have been proven false. As
William Branham said, "let black be black and white be
white." But I am willing, for just this moment in time, to pay
respect to a man who devoted his life to spreading the new
gospel that he believed in. And if the followers of this
religious system are unable to properly tribute Pearry Green
for his dedicated work, I feel that a great injustice has been
served to the family of the fallen. To that family, I offer my
deepest condolences, and pray that God will offer you peace
and comfort during this time of sorrow. I pray that God will
recognize his devotion to what he believed, and that he truly
did find his place in the loving arms of the Savior who died
for all men.
"He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us
all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all
things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is
God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the
one who died more than that, who was raised who is at the
right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
- Romans 8:32-34
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How To Spot A Legalist
1) They cheapen grace by focusing on what we must do
rather than on what Christ has done.
2) They'll say non-sensical things like, "Salvation is free but

it will cost you everything you have."
3) They are "fruit inspectors" and hypothesize how much

spiritual fruit a person must produce in order to truly be
saved.
4) They focus on things like turning, trying and crying

instead of faith alone in Christ alone for salvation.
5) Their "gospel" could never be falsely accused of being a

license to sin (like Paul's was in Romans 3:8!)
6) They scare others with assertions that, if you preach too

much grace, people will run amok.
7) They conveniently avoid or mis-exegete large portions of

gospel-centric New Testament books like Galatians, Romans
and John.
8) They blend justification passages with sanctification

passages and then try to get us to drink a heresy smoothie.
9) They bake the same works-based righteousness cake that

Mormons and Muslims do but cover it with evangelical
frosting.
10) They use the phrase, "You mean to tell me" a lot. Then
they create worst case salvation scenarios of those who claim
477
to be Christians but abuse the grace of God. "You mean to
tell me that someone can be saved and still"
478
The Passing of Pearry Green
Yesterday, we took a brief pause from our usual posts to put
aside differences and offer support to the families affected by
the passing of Pearry Green, pastor of the Tucson Tabernacle
and one of a handful of pillars who held the cult following
together through the past fifty years. As you can imagine,
doing so brought forth a surge of emotion from both sides of
the fence.
Leaving a religious cult, especially a doomsday cult, is an

experience that leaves its mark. Most of the people we've
worked with who have left the cult of William Branham
describe an emotional and even physical pain as they try to
deprogram and enter the normal life that other Christians
take for granted. Having been suffering through the battering
of spiritual abuse for decades, many people experience the
same difficulties in life that a battered wife would experience
and endure long-lasting effects. Leaving is met with each of
the five stages of grief one faces with a death in the family,
and sees the face of their spiritually (and sometimes
physically or sexually) abusive pastor in the faces of pastors
in each new church that they try.
Of those who have left, some are brave enough to help

others. They quickly find themselves suffering through a
heated battle from men attempting to cover up the cult's
hidden secrets while struggling with the emotional burden of
each and every person they support during their exodus. And
it takes its toll. Over time, and after having dealt with the
pure evil that is underneath the covers of this and other
doomsday cults, we become hardened to the circumstances
of those both trapped inside and now fleeing. Faces start to
479
glaze over. After a few hundred, new faces all blend in
together. Over time, it starts to become a "good versus evil"
battle rather than men and women helping each other escape
from the bondage of an oppressive and dangerous religious
system.
Too many times, we find the many examples of scriptures

where Christ or the Apostles were very blunt in their
statements concerning false teachers and apostasy. And
being distanced from the human element, we sometimes
forget that inside the shell of that false teacher is a living,
breathing soul that God loves. It breaks the heart of God for
any to perish, no matter their sin. Though their eternal
destination is at risk, God loves not only the false teacher,
but each and every person close to them. When their heart
breaks, God hears their cries. If their soul is sent to
punishment, God does not stand above them and scorn.
I will be the first to admit that I am no exception to this rule.

After personally supporting the exodus of hundreds from the
cult of William Branham through a constant flow of email,
telephone calls, video chats, and internet messaging, I find
myself overwhelmed. I would love to sit down with each and
every person, put my arms around them, and spend the next
several years helping them through the battle that I know will
be their life for the years to come. But continuing this work
for long periods of time can take its toll, as we have seen
with some of the others who have helped hundreds out of the
cults. When we lose that element of humanity in each and
every situation, we become part of the problem rather than
part of the solution.
There are numerous passages in the Bible that describe the

evil of failed prophecy, false teaching, and evil minds who
480
would sever the body of Christ. And men who practice this
sin are given a great deal of emphasis in scripture. Not only
are they causing themselves to fall, they cause many others
to stumble. But often, we misinterpret these scriptures.
Having been programmed by a religious cult, we find
ourselves reading scripture in the same way that our cult
leader taught us. We quickly turn the God of love into a god
of wrath that is no better than the gods of Greece and Rome
that Paul devoted his life towards battling. But remember, we
don't see many scriptures describing Paul's hatred of the men
spreading false mythologies -- and with good reason.
These passages are not written for our condemnation of the

mortal human who stumbled into sin. They are written as
warning for God's children. That same God who loved even
the vilest sinner loves his own, and does not want them to
stumble into idolatry and worship of men or their gods. The
scripture condemning false teaching is not given as an
example for Christians to gather around condemning other
humans or torment their families for their sin. The scripture
is given for Christians to be aware of that sin, and to
condemn the evil that infected the human.
And they are grossly taken out of context of both the writing
itself and the culture surrounding the passage. "Let the dead
bury their dead" (Matthew 8:22), for instance, has a much
different meaning in our culture. In the English language,
this sounds very much like Christ is telling a potential
follower not to hold a funeral for the death of his unbelieving
father. Correctly applied to the culture, the man is unwilling
to leave his heritage behind to follow Christ, because his
father is at the last few years of his life. Christ's statement is
not a condemnation of his father, but rather a plea for the
son.
481
We have been programmed to read condemnation into every
passage of scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. We read it
as a roadmap to the destruction administered by an angry god
of wrath rather than a love letter to a soul that God loved
enough to send His only Son to die for. We are trained to
praise those who convert to our belief system and condemn
those that disagree. Until they convert, of course, and then
we love them as though they were always seen as another
human being. We forget that God sees us in the same way,
no matter what point in our lives He is viewing. Too many
times, we loosely use the phrase "Judge the sin, not the
sinner," without actually applying that strategy.
But worse, we forget the unbelieving thief on the cross.

Remember, Christ hung between two thieves, one who found
salvation immediately before death, and one who did not.
Because the saved sinner heard the words of Christ, we
rejoice and recognize him into our minds as a fabulous story
of a deathbed conversion. But what about the other sinner?
Did not Christ love him just as much? Did not Christ want
him to find salvation?
This situation applies not only to the corporal punishment

described in scripture, but also to the situation at hand. And
we are living in days of the Eternal Covenant of Grace, not
the severity of the Mosaic Law. As Mr. Green "hung on his
cross" while recognizing that his life was quickly coming to
an end, which pathway did he choose? Did he choose life,
joined to the family of God? Did he choose death? Did God
love him any less, no matter his choice? We cannot say
which pathway that he chose. None of us were by his
bedside.
482
Like the Pharisees in the days of Christ, we find ourselves
turning the Bible -- even the New Testament -- into nothing
more than another set of Laws, just as we were programmed
to do by false teaching. And we scrape through each book
and letter, finding verses that agree with our stance on the
issues that we find more important through doctrinal study.
Like the Lawyers of Christ's day, we expand upon those
passages, trying to determine how best we can apply those
and condemn those who do not agree with our application.
But remember, God did not give us these books as just cause
to condemn our fellow man. The entire collection of books
and letters is summed up in love:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great
and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall
love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments
depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
- Matthew 22:37-40
Let us not be guilty of following the first commandment

while ignoring the second.
483
Billy Paul's Last Words
The death of Pearry Green brings back several memories of
days gone by, many of which I wish that I had back. When I
think of all the many times we sat under the message
ministers that Branham appointed into elite positions within
the doomsday cult, my heart breaks for the children that are
being raised under this bondage. Like us, they did not choose
to be bound under spiritual abuse. They were not given a
choice between the Gospel of Jesus Christ as it is explained
in the Bible and Branham's version of "gospel" that he
gathered from other cult leaders such as Charles Taze
Russell, John Alexander Dowie, and Joseph Smith. Many of
them will never learn of the New Covenant of Grace,
understand the fulfillment of the Mosaic Law, or even enjoy
reading scripture in full context of the author's intent.
I look around at the many elders in this religious system,

those who are old enough to have known Branham
personally. Only a handful remain, and their days on this
earth are numbered. Some of them struggle with mental
faculties, as was evident with Fred Sothmann in his video
proclaiming to the world that William Branham was really
Jesus Christ in the flesh. But all of them have a story to tell.
Those who are fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to have

been close to the men I consider to be "cult royalty" grew up
hearing numerous tales of the life and times of William
Branham. While "normal" children enjoyed sitting around
the fireplace listening to stories from yesteryear by those
who lived life to the fullest, these children gathered around to
listen as Branham's appointed advertised for Voice of God
Recordings. Hunting and fishing stories with a supernatural
484
twist, predictions and prophecies that were so "special" one
could never find them on any recording, and useless facts
that were special only because they involved the Branham
family were repeated often with enthusiasm. Like a primitive
people letting their peers catch a glimpse of their shiny rock,
these elders had something the others did not have: moments
with "the prophet."
But each one of them has a collection of "prophecies" that

are of personal nature. They were only meant for their own
special insight into the future and not to be shared with
others. When William Branham died, those constraints were
loosened -- these insights were shared with others in
testimonial meetings and speeches in homes, rented
buildings, and from behind pulpits. The younger crowd in the
following would listen in amazement as they heard
Branham's special instructions for them when "that time
came," and appears to have given them each a different set of
details by which that time would be known.
I sit in amazement as these elders die without these

"prophecies" fulfilled, wondering how the "visions" of their
life on earth before the rapture can be explained when they
are gone? How the man in the wheelchair can die before he
"says the right thing and walks again," or how the pilot can
die before his plane "carries Branham's tent around the
world." One by one, as these that were lifted up larger than
life are brought back down to six feet under, their
immortalized stories become very mortal and flawed.
Too often, these very physical predictions are transferred into

the spiritual realm, as George Smith did with Branham's
being in Houston, Texas when the "Mystery Cloud" floated
over northern Arizona. When events can no longer be
485
explained naturally, they quickly morph into metaphorical or
symbolical prophecy.
When I watch another cult giant fall, I always begin

pondering the strategy that will be used when Billy Paul
Branham passes. The entire cult remembers the book that
Pearry Green published entitled "Acts of the Prophet." And
many my age were over-zealous followers of Billy Paul,
traveling all around the country to hear his many testimonies
confirming Green's description of Branham's "special
prophecy" for his own son. Pearry Green describes the
conversation as this:
"he [William Branham] turned to his son and said, "Billy,

where are you standing?"
"Downtown Los Angeles," Billy Paul replied.
"Where are you standing?" Queried the prophet.
"In front of the May Company, downtown Los Angeles,"
replied Billy.
At this Brother Branham made a prophetic statement:
"Billy" he said, "I may not be here, but you won't be an old
man until sharks will swim right where we are standing."
- Green, Acts of the Prophet, Page 119 (1993 version)
All are aware of Billy Paul's age, and very few can convince
themselves that he is not an old man. The crowd that are
trained to "say what the tapes say" recall William Branham
calling himself an "old man" in 1957 at age 48 (or 49,
depending upon which birthdate Branham claimed at the
time).
"I'm an old man now. So many things has been done. I've
seen the blessedness of God and how He's done great works,
and healing the sick, and saving the lost, and calling back the
486
backsliders, bringing brethren together and taking away their
differences. I just love to be in that type meeting."
- Branham, 57-0516 - We Would See Jesus
Billy Paul is 80 years old this year, far beyond Branham's old
man of 48. Within a few short years, he could actually "die
of old age," medically speaking and breaking Branham's
special prophecy. How will this play out? What will they
say?
I can picture many spiritualizing his "old man" prophecy,

claiming that Branham did not mean "until," but instead saw
a vision of Billy Paul in his new body. Others, who realize
that a new body in downtown Los Angeles would be in
disagreement with Branham's prophecies of destruction
might spiritualize it, claiming that "Billy Paul's spiritual
knowledge is still that of a teenager." Maybe Branham was
looking into George Smith's dimension when he saw a
young, spiritual, Billy Paul!
I lean more towards thinking that Voice of God Recordings

will wait until after the passing to claim that Billy Paul
himself peered into the other side as he fades away. A well-
embellished tale of Billy Paul talking to himself as he is
slipping beyond the curtain of time, exclaiming, "Look at
myself! I'm young again! And what's that? The water's
rising! I see sharks swimming right were I stood so many
years ago!"
487
Them Ants Are Attacking The
United States
In 1954, a Warner Brothers film entitled "Them!" hit the big
screen. Starring James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan
Weldon, and James Arness, Them! was the first of its kind of
science fiction horror involving the "big bug" genetic
mutations of earthly creatures due to nuclear fallout. Some
big names were discovered in the film, actors that would go
on to far greater fame. Disney discovered Fess Parker as the
perfect fit for their Davy Crockett role, John Wayne saw
James Arness as an up-and-coming western actor, and an
uncredited Leonard Nimoy would later become the beloved
Mr. Spock of the Star Trek series.
Interestingly, Arness would go on to play the Marshall Matt

Dillon -- a fictional character created by John Meston for the
lawman in Gunsmoke. In wild rants of condemnation,
Branham would tell his followers that this fictional character
was a real-life historical figure who was "yellow as a
rabbit.":
"And Matt Dillon was as yellow as a rabbit. He shot twenty-

eight man in the back, innocent people, going outside of
Dodge City and waiting in a bush. And when a man come
along, that somebody would call him and tell him that there
was a certain villain coming through, then stay out there and,
when the man come in, he'd shoot him through the back.
Now we find he's "big guy" that comes down. Why, it's it's
absolutely glorifying sin."
Branham, 63-0120M - The Voice Of God In This Last Days
488
But Arness was not the only part of the science fiction horror
film that caught Branham's attention. It appears that
Branham attempted to capitalize on the grips of fear that held
the audience spellbound in the movie Them!
Beginning in 1964, the Soviet Union began testing nuclear

devices in Kazakhstan and Novaya Zemlya. These tests
yielded the power of approximately 47 kilotonnes of TNT
until the Russians became more aggressive. In 1965, they
were successful in improving yield from 47 to 140 kilotonnes
of TNT. On January 15, 1965, the powerful detonation
occurred in Balapan, Semipalatinsk, Kazakhstan. This test
proved to be as powerful as the US Sedan experiment of
1962, and was the first Soviet industrial use of nuclear force.
The resulting crater later became Lake Chagan (or Balapin),
a hole that was about 1,339 feet wide and 328 ft. deep.
These tests continued once in February, four times in March,

Once in May, twice in June, and once in July. The Russians
were aggressively displaying their power, and the world was
watching. Though the Red Scare ended in 1957, there were
those that believed the Soviet Union would soon exercise its
power against the United States.
William Branham used this fear to his advantage. Not just

the fear of Russia's testing, but the fear of the science fiction
Hollywood was embedding into the hearts and minds of a
captive audience. These nuclear "big bug" theories made
their way into Branham's sermons during the 1965 Soviet
Nuclear Testing.
"They'll scream and holler; great hideous things in their

imaginary mind. The radios and things, our television
programs, are producing it. There'll be such things as ants
489
raise up on the earth, that will be as high as fourteen trees;
there will be a ... an ... a bird will fly across the earth, with
wings four or five miles across; and people see them, they'll
scream and holler, and cry for mercy. But it'll be the Plagues.
Wait till I preach on those Plagues opening up."
Branham, 65-0815 - And Knoweth It Not
But what was once a captivating horror film of the 50's is a

comical display of improbability today. Even young children
who might watch the movie "Them!" in reruns would laugh
at the humorous idea of an ant the size of a house. The
appeal for that genre of science fiction has long since passed.
While Branham's vision of big bugs may have sounded
convincing in the 60's, today's world would instead be
captivated by a deadly nanovirus, solar radiation, or terrorist
attack. The idea of a big bug is so improbable that it does not
even strike fear.
More than this, today's Christians recognize Branham's

strategy for what it is: fear tactics. This type of spiritual
abuse is the doctrine of demons, and today's Christians are
more informed. They realize that the ancient mythologies,
dangerous religious cults, and all oppressive religions are
based on fear instead of the love and Grace of God.
"For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love
and self-control."
- 2 Timothy 1:7
"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For
fear has to do with punishment and whoever fears has not
been perfected in love."
- 1 John 4:18
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The Obliteration of Louisville
Kentucky
A recurring theme throughout William Branham's recorded
ministry was the idea that Communist Russia destroying the
nation. According to his list of 7 (or 8+) prophecies that he
claimed to have been given in 1933 (or 1932), Branham
claimed that he envisioned a "smoldering ash heap" of the
destroyed nation. Using this as a platform, Branham
successfully bound audiences in fear using the nations
Communist Scare from 1947 to 1957. So successful, in fact,
that his riding this wave of terror lasted well beyond 1957.
It amazes me each time a new threat to the nation is

publicized. No matter who originated the threat, the cult
ministers point their blame directly to Russia. Whether it is
the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), or a cyber attack
by China, or even some localized internal threat, cult pastors
continue to try and squeeze blood from the turnip Branham
had already compressed to the size of a garden pea.
They are ever-so-excited when they see any conflict between

our nation and Vladimir Putin. As public relations continue
to tear down between our two countries, many of them
remember the days when common people were buying bomb
shelters to survive the nuclear blast Russia was going to send
our way. The old timers in the cult churches feed on this fear,
inventing new conspiracy theories that bind all opposing
nations into one single Russian mafia of nationalities. But in
doing so, they fail to follow "every word" the prophet spoke.
Not realizing that this fear tactic was a strategy, and since
491
they do not live in the metro area of Louisville, KY, they
ignore parts of Branham's many descriptions of the events
during this Russian Scare. Branham enjoyed using fear
tactics that hit home -- scaring the people in his home church
of Jeffersonville, IN that Louisville was the target of the first
attack. Louisville, whose only claim to fame of the time was
the Kentucky Derby and a few breweries.
Even cult pastors are smart enough to realize that this is a

strategy that did not make sense. If a country was going to
bring down a nation in this day and age, their first target will
be a major financial center, communications, or industry. As
we've already seen, New York is the most likely target, and
even terrorist organizations recognize the importance of a
first strike. When the World Trade Center fell, it shook the
nation.
So as cult pastors continue to ride Branham's wave of fear,

their congregations need to ask themselves: Why aren't they
proclaiming that Russia is going to destroy LOUISVILLE
Kentucky? Why don't the conspiracy theories all lead to the
Kentucky Derby being obliterated? Why do they not mock
the restaurants of their town that their favorite Kentucky
Bourbon will no longer exist? Have they, too, realized that
this is nonsense?
492
William Branham's Rapture of
1962
Many are familiar with Branham's doomsday prediction of
1977. Some are even aware of Branham's doomsday
prediction of 1954, which he mathematically calculated
based on a two-thousand-year "world order" based on some
unknown origin:
"But look, let's take historically speaking. The first two

thousand years, the world order come to a climax, and God
destroyed the world with water. You know that? Then it
come forth as a new world. And the second two thousand
years, it came to its end again and God sent Jesus. Is that
right? This is the end of the next two thousand years, 1954.
And the Gospel, Jesus said, "The work would be cut short."
For what? "The elect's sake, or no flesh would be saved," it
would so wicked. So we're at the end time. And then the
seventh, in type, is the Millennium, a thousand years."
- William Branham, 54-0513 THE.MARK.OF.THE.BEAST
But very few are aware that when preaching in cities that had
never heard of the 1954 doomsday or the 1977 Armageddon,
Branham scared the unsuspecting crowds with a 1962
doomsday. Take the tiny little city of Green Lake,
Wisconsin, which even today has a population of less than a
thousand people. Branham entered the city, gathered the
people, and told them that only "a month or so" was left
before "little bride" was swept away.
"What's the matter with people? Can't you see we're at the
end time? It's all over. The next thing will be a sweep that'll
493
grab that little group together. In a month or so she'll be
gone, as soon as she's gathered together. Well, we're at the
end. There's no hopes left nowhere."
- Branham, 62-0518 - Letting Off The Pressure
What was the purpose of his many doomsday predictions,

based on calculations that had no scriptural basis or even
reasonable mathematical logic? Is capturing the hearts of
men through fear of destruction the way of a righteous
teacher? What happened to this crowd of people when the
"month or so" had passed, 1962 ended, and they were all still
living and breathing the Green Lake fresh air? Were they
suddenly scared that they missed the rapture?
494
Just Another Doomsday Cult
When we use the term "religious cult" for the cult following
of William Branham, it is by no means a specific term. Nor
does this phrase fully describe the hidden dangers to be
found inside -- no matter how beautiful it may appear from
the outside. A cult following is simply a group of people
following a leader with a specific set of ideologies that the
group agrees to follow. In his book, "Antiquities of the
Jews," Josephus describes the "Jesus cults" that started to
spring up during the Roman occupation of Jewish territory.
Very few in Christianity today would be offended by
declaring themselves to be followers of Jesus. But as
followers of William Branham, this seems offensive because
inwardly, they realize to uplift any other mediator between
God and man is in error.
But if we were to start using specific terms in our writings,

the correct label for the cult followers of William Branham
would be a "doomsday cult." This term describes a cult
following of a prophet leader who has declared that he has
special insight on the coming apocalypse. Many times,
doomsday cult leaders will describe a specific year and the
mathematical calculations they used to create this formula of
doom, and use this as a fear tactic in their sermons while
serving a large plate full of spiritual abuse.
Most cult followers are only aware of Branham's 1977

prediction, simply because it is the most often described in
what remains (unedited) on recorded tape. Few are aware of
the other years Branham claimed were the start of the End of
Days, or the many different variations of these doomsday
495
calculations. Nor are they aware of the doomsday prophets
Branham copied and/ or influenced to make and spread some
of these calculations. His "1954 Doomsday," for instance,
appears to have originated with false prophet and faith healer
John Alexander Dowie and is tied to the start of the "Latter
Rain" movement.
Branham:
"But look, let's take historically speaking. The first two

thousand years, the world order (world order? Is this a
freemason / illuminati term?) come to a climax, and God
destroyed the world with water. You know that? Then it
come forth as a new world. And the second two thousand
years, it came to its end again and God sent Jesus. Is that
right? This is the end of the next two thousand years, 1954.
(Why 1954? Why not 2000?) And the Gospel, Jesus said,
"The work would be cut short." For what? "The elect's sake,
or no flesh would be saved," it would so wicked. So we're at
the end time. And then the seventh, in type, is the
Millennium, a thousand years."
- William Branham, 54-0513 THE.MARK.OF.THE.BEAST
John Alexander, the “Elijah” to Branham’s “Elisha,” was

also involved with doctrine surrounding this year. In 1904,
he told his followers to expect the full restoration of
apostolic faith and announced that he had been “divinely
commissioned” the first apostle of a renewed end-times
church. Ironically, Branham announced that he was born in
1907 (the day after Dr. Dowie died). 1954 would be the
“Jubilee year,” 50 years after Dr. Dowie’s 1904 doctrine.
"How Doctor Dowie, in his death, prophesied that I would

come to that city forty years from the time that he died. Not
496
knowing nothing about it, he died on one day, and I was
borned on the next. And forty years to the day I entered the
city, not knowing nothing about it. Oh, how God's great
move is coming together. I hear the sound of abundance of
rain."
Branham, 51-0929 OUR.HOPE.IS.IN.GOD
But 1954 was not Branham's only doomsday. There were

others, frequently mentioned. Some given as prophetic
predictions, others used casually, but all with the intent to
capture the minds of the people by fear. Each prediction of
the coming apocalypse contained the simple message: "You
have no hope. Listen to me."
"What's the matter with people? Can't you see we're at the
end time? It's all over. The next thing will be a sweep that'll
grab that little group together. In a month or so she'll be
gone, as soon as she's gathered together. Well, we're at the
end. There's no hopes left nowhere."
- Branham, 62-0518 - Letting Off The Pressure
His 1977 prediction of Judgment was no different. Branham

claimed that if he lived a normal life, he would witness this
doomsday. If he died before it came, his listeners would
witness it. By his calculations, it would not last until 1978.
And though he put a large margin of error in the prophecy
(From 1978 to 1999), many of those same listeners watched
his doomsday come and go.
But even if cult followers are unfamiliar with the various

years of doomsday, they are familiar with Branham's
statements when he described a prophecy. Almost every time
Branham made a prophetic statement, he would ask his
listeners to "Mark it in your bibles."
497
"You're bound for judgment. There is no other way to accept
it. Write it down in your Bibles. I'm getting to be an old man.
You see if it doesn't go to judgment. If I live a normal life,
I'll see it, normal time. Another few years will turn it."
64-0313 - The Voice Of The Sign
Some of those who traveled to watch Branham and Jim Jones

in the faith healing campaigns, however, did see a doomsday.
In Memorial Day of 1977, Jones confesses to his listeners
that he was severely depressed and entertaining suicidal
thoughts. In 1978, the first year of Branham's "Tribulation,"
Jones slaughtered hundreds of his doomsday cult followers
in Jonestown, Guyana, South America.
498
William Branham Deep Calleth
Unto The Deep - Did Billy Paul
Call an Audible?:
Those coming out of the Message, the cult following of
William Branham, give testimony of their childhood
memories as their parents dragged them across the country to
spend time in the Branham campaigns. Some were old
enough to remember their experiences, and have shared with
us memories of days gone by.
Multiple describe the structure of the campaigns. Often the

children sat up front, separating the adults from the platform
by the number of children in the crowd. Those with back
trouble were given wheelchairs, told that the waiting line was
too long, and they could sit in the wheelchair to ease the
pain. All remember Billy Paul Branham, making his way to
and from the center stage. Some remember watching him
stand beside Branham, or as he slipped notes into his Bible
as you see in towards the end of the Chicago Campaign
video, or talking to others during prayer as you see in the
Deep Calleth Unto The Deep video. But what position did he
play in the campaigns?
499
Jeffersonville Indiana Is Doomed
The doomsday cult of William Branham through the cult
leader did not only predict multiple years of doomsday
through mathematical calculation, divine inspiration, and
input from cults from days gone by. If you examine the
strategy of fear-mongering administered to the congregation,
you will find that predictions of time were least in the long
line of apocalyptic fear strategies. When entering a city and
especially returning to a city, Branham sometimes
condemned the people of that city to hell.
Branham's version of the "gospel" that he named the "Gospel

of Divine Healing" in September of 1953 included a works-
centered ascetic belief system that he taught could bring
healing to body, mind, and spirit. Those who accepted his
new gospel were praised and accepted into his fellowship,
but those who disagreed due to examination of scripture were
condemned and rejected. In a line-in-the-sand mentality,
Branham began to teach that entire cities could "sin away
their day of grace."
It does not take much examination of scripture or church

history to determine that this type of works-righteous
doctrine was no invention of Branham. Even studying the
other cult leaders Branham often praised in his sermons, such
as Dowie, Russell, Smith, and more will reveal a long line of
men who promoted similar ideas. It takes less time
examining the writings of the Apostle Paul, Peter, Jude,
Irenaeus, Luther, and Wesley to determine what founding
fathers of today's Christian faith felt about this belief system
rebranded as the "Gospel of Divine Healing."
500
Branham appears during these sermons to have considered
himself a reincarnation or "type" of the prophet Jonah -- sent
not to one single city, but to the cities of the nations of the
entire world. He would often compare his "message" to these
men in the Bible, telling the people that a "greater than Jonah
is here."
"I wonder today that as God has sent His gifts, His servants
into the world and without a shadow of doubt is performing
and doing the things that He did before He was crucified as a
witness to this province, to this nation, to this people, that He
is the same Jesus Christ Who raised from the dead, as Jonah
come from the belly of the whale, and the people flatly turn
It down and walk away from It. What will happen in the day
of judgment? For I say unto you, that a greater than Jonah is
here. I say unto you that a greater than Solomon is here. Who
is it? The resurrected Jesus Christ the Son of God is here, and
doing the things that He promised He would do.
Branham, 57-0805 - God Manifesting His Gifts
But the people of Branham's religious following did not fully

grasp what Branham was implying. When Branham would
tell the people that the resurrected Jesus Christ was in their
midst, most assumed the traditional view of the Holy Spirit
that was poured out into the hearts of the people at Pentecost.
Branham sprinkled throughout his sermons the idea that the
prophet's voice was the "Spoken Word," that word was God,
and the human prophet and his word were the "self-same
thing."
"We find out that when a man comes, sent from God,
ordained of God, with the true THUS SAITH THE LORD,
the message and the messenger are one and the same.
501
Because he is sent to represent THUS SAITH THE LORD,
Word by Word, so he and his message is the same. A
denominational man under denominational auspices, he and
the church is the "one." A theologian under theology, made
by some denomination, he and his message are one; church
of theology, a theologian. It's correctly. Then when a man
comes with THUS SAITH THE LORD, he and the Message
is one. And when Elijah come with THUS SAITH THE
LORD, he and his message became one. Just as Jesus, when
He come, He was the Word, Saint John 1. So the Word of
God and the messenger of the age was the selfsame thing, all
the time. That's right. Jesus was the Word that was
prophesied of. "
Branham, 65-0718E - Spiritual Food In Due Season
Once he partially established himself as the return of Christ,

Branham's "Jonah ministry" began proclaiming death and
destruction to the people of the cities who did not come out
of their denominations of faith to join his plight. To
Branham, those who rejected his Messiah doctrine, had
rejected Christ himself. Therefore, they had "sinned away"
their chance at atonement. Branham's hometown of
Jeffersonville, Indiana was no exception to this rule:
"Listen, you've been so nice, and these have been rugged,

and they've been a long time. Now, you've been setting in
this church since 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, two and a half hours,
setting in this hot church. You didn't do that just to be setting
there. And I guess ninety-eight or ninety-nine percent of the
congregation has stuck right in their seat since that time. I
want to say this: Jeffersonville, I feel this, that it's sinned
away its day of grace."
Branham, 59-0628E - Questions And Answers
502
At first glance, the success of his Jonah ministry appears to
revolve around the prophetic statements of judgment against
Los Angeles. Branham claimed that before his son Billy Paul
was an "old man," the city of Los Angeles would be under
the Pacific Ocean. Billy Paul Branham, now eighty years old,
spent a large portion of his life repeating this prophecy. It is
our opinion that his increased age and failing health hushed
the voice of praise for his father's words, but it is evident that
these statements are no longer made in large crowds of
people not hidden in seclusion.
But Branham's "Jonah ministry of judgment" was not limited

to cities. At times, Branham would claim that entire states of
a nation were under God's wrath:
I told Mr. Woods; is present tonight. And, I guess, eight or

ten of the man, or fifteen, that was there at that time when it
took place; the next morning, where the Lord came down in
a whirlwind and ripped the mountain out around us, and cut
the tops of the trees loose, and made three blasts, and said,
"Judgment is headed towards the West Coast." 168 Two days
after that, Alaska almost sunk beneath the earth. And since
then, up-and-down the Coast, the belches of God's judgment
against that spiritual screen. There is a iron curtain, there is a
bamboo curtain, and there is a sin curtain.
Branham, 65-0219 - This Day This Scripture Is Fulfilled
Nor was Branham's proclamations of judgment limited to

states of a nation. Oft times, the nation itself was under
judgment and beyond repentance:
That's what these anointed messiahs count to if you reject

God's Messiah. What did they get? When the Pentecostal
blessings struck Russia, or Germany, they rejected the
503
Message. They laughed at them and put them in jail. What
did they do? They rejected the Cross, and they got a double-
cross, the swastika. You don't receive mercy, then there's
nothing left but judgment.
Branham, 62-1216 - The Falling Apart Of The World
Those fleeing the cults in the continent of Australia give

witness testimony that his proclamations of judgment were
not limited to nations, and that their churches taught that the
entire continent of Australia was under God's wrath for
"rejecting this message" Branham taught. It is clearly evident
that only a small number of people ascribe to Branham's
works-centered faith, and the number of people who follow
the many rules Branham identified in his sermons as required
for righteousness are quickly decreasing. In fact, it can be
said that as a whole, most of the people in "the Message" do
not follow "the Message."
In part, this straying from the cult's oppressive doctrine is a

good thing. Oppressive fundamentalist religion has been
linked to all sorts of mental and psychological disorders,
addiction and depression, suicidal tendencies, and even
homicide. But closer examination proves that while ignoring
cult rules introduced by Branham, cult doctrines of judgment
and condemnation towards other Christians still dominates
the doctrines still practiced by the religion. Other Christians
who do not agree with the "works of the law" as taught by
Branham are not viewed as justified in the eyes of the cult
following. As a result, they truly believe that these other
Christians have "fallen from grace," sinners who have fell
short of the glory of God.
The Bible tells us this:
504
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in
his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But
now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart
from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear
witness to it the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus
Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are
justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus,
Romans 3:20-24
Cult followers must ask themselves: Is the Grace of God

sufficient for the people of Jeffersonville? The people of Los
Angeles, Alaska, Russia, Germany or Australia? Is the
doomsday prophet's curse more powerful than the love and
forgiveness of Christ?
505
William Branham's 1946
Judgment:
As William Branham proclaimed God's wrath upon various
cities, nations, and even continents, he often would express
his opinion concerning the "decision" each of the condemned
locations had made. Like Jonah of the Bible, Branham
declared judgment for wrongdoing, but unlike Biblical
prophets of God, never described what the people had done
to earn this tragedy -- before, during, or after the "decision."
Though no evidence exists to support Branham's many

claims to have written down his prophecies in various
locations prior to their usage in sermons, Branham refers to
having made some of these declarations prior to 1946. In a
1958 sermon, Branham claims that God spoke through him
to declare judgment on America for making her "final
decision."
"And the revival is just about over. You remember as THUS

SAITH THE LORD, I said, America made her final decision
in 1946. Watch, since then. She's gone, and there's nothing
left but judgment and chaos."
58-0309-96
Ignoring Luke 16:16, William Branham styled himself as an

Old Testament prophet. Depending upon which particular
doctrine he was attempting to enforce, he went so far as to
compare himself and his ministry to them. For the "signs and
wonders" of his Post WWII Healing Revival, Branham
compared himself to the prophet Moses. Claiming that he
was given two signs "just as Moses was given two signs,"
506
many of his followers thought that he was the Moses prophet
of our time. In his "Shunamite woman" stories, he was the
great Elisha. When President Kennedy was in office, he
proclaimed that he was the "Elijah," comparing Kennedy and
Jacqueline to Ahab and Jezebel.
But he was not only attempting to present himself as the

reincarnation of these Biblical prophets, Branham also
attempted to bind his ministry to their ancient prophecies
describing the Children of Israel and their opposition. After
his Chicago Campaign, Branham began claiming that Nahum
had prophesied concerning Outer Drive in Chicago rather
than Nineveh as the book describes in verse 1.
"That great eagle called Nahum, four thousand years ago,

went up so high in the Spirit of God until he seen Outer
Drive in Chicago, four thousand years later. Said, 'The
chariots shall rage in the broad ways: they shall run like
lightning, they shall seem like torches, they'll justle one
against another.'"
Branham, 57-0714
But during his times of declaring judgment, Branham's

ministry was compared to that of Jonah. Making statements
such as "A greater than Jonah is here," Branham declared
that these cities and nations had made their "final decision,"
and would now pay the price. But unlike the Biblical Jonah,
Branham's self-pronounced judgment is missing the most
important element: the call to repentance. The God of the
Bible would not punish a people without having first warned
them of their egregious sin worthy of causing every man,
woman, and child -- Christian or not -- to taste God's wrath.
Because of these missing elements, Branham's version of
507
God quickly becomes a God of vengeance rather than a God
of love and forgiveness. A Father who would slay his own
children in a moment's notice and without having even
explained why they would be slain. Biblical prophets who
had the unfortunate task of declaring judgment upon a city
mourned heavily for the sins of the city long before judgment
was pronounced, because their mouth was used as a mouth of
warning prior to correction. And their instructions were
explicit; God told the people exactly what they were doing
wrong, how to correct it, and reminded them of his tender
mercies:
“‘Return, faithless Israel, declares the Lord. I will not look

on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the Lord; I will
not be angry forever. Only acknowledge your guilt, that you
rebelled against the Lord your God and scattered your favors
among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have
not obeyed my voice,
declares the Lord"
- Jeremiah 3:12-13
When you review the events in the history of the United

States for 1946, it is quickly evident that more good
decisions were made than bad. Many were laying the
groundwork for peace, some of their decisions still used to
this day. 1946 was no pivotal year for a nation. But 1946 was
a pivotal year for Branham's ministry.
Though Voice of God Recordings no longer publishes it, a

1945 pamphlet entitled "I Was Not Disobedient To The
Heavenly Vision" describes William Branham's early
successes. The "commission from God" is a little different,
the healing strategy was a little different, and the "message"
of that time was one of healing for the nation rather than
508
judgment and doomsday. But for whatever reason, this
ministry was abandoned in 1946.
In a 1947 newspaper article, William Branham's brother

Henry is described as having a very large tent meeting in
Vandalia, IL. To a casual reader, it is just another faith healer
in a long line of health-and-wealth-gospel ministers. But to
the person who has recently escaped the cult following of
William Branham, it is an almost exact description of the
William -- not Henry -- Branham that they know so well.
Later in 1956, Branham acknowledged the newspaper article,

claiming that it was printed in error rather than describing his
brother Henry:
"Chicago paper called me Brother Henry Branham. I never

will forget that, the "Tribune" here in Chicago. Had two or
three pages of it in the meeting, been a long time since
then."
Branham, 56-1003 - Painted-Face Jezebel
But regardless of how it was achieved, this new ministry

Branham describes in the 1947 newspaper started in his
pivotal year "1946." And reviewing the early publications,
no mention of this "Judgment" can be found. It is evident
that his early campaigns made no mention of what he later
claimed to have been prophecy. The newspapers printed
stories about the "nattily dressed" faith healer rather than the
doomsday prophet who scared an entire town during a tent
revival.
Since William Branham never mentioned the "decision" that

America made in 1946 that was worthy of innocent children
being slaughtered, we decided we would present you with
509
several major and entertaining events of that same year. You,
as a reader, can decide which event Branham claimed to have
offended God. We submit that in our opinion, America did
not offend God in 1946. America offended William Branham
in 1946.
510
William Branham's Forced Altar
Calls ... With Vengeance:
Though many are aware of the unscriptural nature of William
Branham's frequent usage of end-of-the-world predictions
and pronouncing judgment on cities, states, nations, and
continents of the world, there was a method to his doomsday
madness. It takes a close examination of the altar calls that
still remain unedited on the recorded sermons from 1947 to
1965.
Branham felt that these altar calls were a fundamental

element of the sinner's conversion to the Gospel of Divine
Healing, and it served a two-fold purpose: Branham taught
that these altar calls were the "showdown," the sinner's
choice between death and life. But it also was a measurable
statistic for the success or failure of the conversions to this
new gospel he proclaimed.
The problem is that the crowds were not as receptive as he

wanted. With his ministry fading and replaced with other
Gospel giants such as Billy Graham and Oral Roberts,
William Branham needed successful recognition in the media
to draw larger crowds. He could not be that shepherd seeking
one lost sheep -- Branham needed to be the shepherd that
rejuvenated all of the sheep. And he needed them to gain
their excitement at the platform for advertisement
photography. But what happened when those crowds were
not obedient to his command?
In Canada, those who did not obey were harshly scolded and
511
threatened. According to Branham, any who did not obey the
altar call were making a decision to burn forever in hell.
"What's the matter with you, Canadians? What's the matter?

It's a good thing to be conservative, but don't be too starchy.
You're going to grieve the Spirit away from you, and you
won't have no revival. Listen at me. I speak in the Name of
the Lord. Break up that stubbornness among you, that
starchy... Get to your knees. You know you need repenting. I
speak in Jesus Christ's Name. Yes, sir, if you want to have a
revival, warm your heart to God. There's a dozen or two of
you more needs to be around this altar tonight. And if I'm the
servant of God, if I'm the prophet of God, I speak in His
Name, and you know who I'm talking to. Plan your place
here at the altar. You're too starchy. You better get right with
God, 'cause the hour is coming when you're going to scream
to find this, and you won't find it. That's THUS SAITH THE
LORD. That's God speaking. All right. Find your way
around this altar. You who are indifferent, shame on you.
When the Holy Spirit come and do the things that He's doing
right in the midst of you, and you set like a like you was
froze to death. Get out of the seat and get to the altar; repent
or perish. That's true. Don't know why I'm saying this.
Something is saying to me to say it. I'm giving you a
warning. This may be your last one too. You repent. I don't
care what church you belong to. If you're not repented and
the love of God's not in your heart, you're a sinner and on
your road to hell. That's THUS SAITH THE LORD. The
same God Who discerns the spirits here and tells them their
condition, is speaking right now. I speak in Jesus Christ's
Name. Fly to the altar and get to your repentance, quickly,
before God turns the page over on you, and you're doomed
forever. That's THUS SAITH THE HOLY SPIRIT that's in
the midst of us now. 59 That's blunt, but that's Him. I can
512
only speak. God knows that I wouldn't say that within myself
for nothing. Something grabbed me and said, "Say that." I
only obey God"
Branham, 57-0806 - God Projecting His Love
But are forced altar calls leading of the Holy Spirit? Does the
Holy Spirit threaten and scold? According to William
Branham, this was not his voice threatening the Canadians.
As the name of the publishing company insinuates, Branham
claimed that this was the Voice of God speaking, not the
voice of William Branham.
Worse, Branham claimed that by rejecting his command to

stand around the altar, these Canadians would "grieve away"
the Holy Spirit. In other words, the man on the platform was
so important to God, that if they rejected Branham's voice,
they would anger the One that God sent to lead and guide us
into truth.
But is this idea scriptural?
"Altar calls" are a practice that started the 1700s by the first
generation of Methodists in America. Influenced by the
Church of England, these Methodists remembered the public
confession in the Church of England, and honored that
memory by calling the end of the church building an "altar,"
and continuing the practice. But it was not until the 1820's
that it hit mainstream Christianity. A lawyer by the name of
Charles Finney changed the course of Evangelical
Christianity in America with what is hailed as "America's
Greatest Revival." In Finney's theology, all that a sinner
needed to be saved was a decision of the will, rather than a
regeneration of his nature. In other words, Finney did not
believe in the necessity of the new birth of the inward man as
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described in John 1:13 and John 3:1-8. Primarily because he
did not believe in the reality of the sinner's depraved nature
(Jer.17:9; Eph.2:1-3).
Though this practice cannot be found in scripture, Finney's

influence is widespread. Many ministers today are
abandoning the practice, because attributing salvation to a
physical act is an outright denial of several passages of
scripture. Even an atheist can "walk up to the altar," and
return to his or her seat as an atheist. It takes a change of the
heart for a conversion of the soul.
It also denies the assurance of salvation. Christians who have

accepted their salvation by faith in Jesus Christ actually
question their assurance during an altar call. Should they go
forward? What if they have sinned? Do they need to hold a
confession?
Mainstream Christianity realizes that it is nothing more than

sheer arrogance to believe that the man on the platform or his
commands can gain one's eternal salvation. And William
Branham took this arrogance to a whole new level by
proclaiming that his forced altar call was done so through the
mouth of the Almighty God.
"the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all

who believe. For there is no distinction: for fall have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his
grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be
received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness,
because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former
sins."
- Romans 3:22-25
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Confessions of a Cult Pastor
Last night, we received an email from a pastor who has made
a difficult journey. As the title implies, it is a confession
from one having made their journey out of a religious cult,
but from the perspective of a pastor.
This is a very sincere and sobering letter, sobering even for

me. In my writings, I often use the same label for each pastor
in the religious following of William Branham. This
confession from an ex-cult pastor is a reminder that each
person is an individual, and as individuals, many desire the
Holy Spirit to lead them into truth. Many cult pastors face
their congregations each Sunday with sincere intentions not
knowing they are preaching error -- some even confused as
to what those intentions and what their statements of faith
should be.
We who have experienced the spiritual bondage of William

Branham's doomsday cult must remember that the bruised
sheep is not the only sufferer. The shepherds were also
bruised, suffering just as we were. And after realizing error,
an ex-cult pastor has a much more difficult pathway to
closure. Their burning desire to protect the sheepfold did not
stop when they walked away.
...
Good day to all.
My name is Joseph Hefflin, and I have been a cult pastor for

many years. I feel it is time for me to confess these things
since by God’s wonderful Grace he has broken the bars of
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deception for me and pointed me to what is Truth, His
Word.
If you would not be familiar with what is called “a cult” a

good description would be to fall under the leadership of a
man instead of the Holy Ghost. In doing so you will be led to
believe many things that are not Scripture and without
realizing it, your faith will be overthrown. 2 Timothy 2:18.
My spiritual journey, as most others, started out correctly by

answering the call to the Gospel about 50 years ago. I had a
desire to learn more about Christ and his Word, but
somewhere I began to lean more to what I could see, and
understand intellectually than to be spiritually led. Of course
I did not know what was happening, nor did I realize that
when a person starts their Christian journey, that is when
Satan attacks them to try to pull them away from the
leadership of the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 2:18,19.
Knowing that God is a supernatural being, I began to look

for supernatural events that I thought would identify the
presence of God. This begins my journey into the Pentecostal
Church. Somewhere in that journey I began to feel that I was
called to minister, but never answered that call while
affiliated with the Pentecostals. Searching the Scripture I
begin to see error in what was called “the evidence of the
Holy Ghost.” A teaching that all had to speak in what was
called other tongues. There were other doctrines that the
Pentecostals taught that I also questioned. I believe the Holy
Spirit will lead people to take all things back to the Word,
and when we fail to do that is when Satan, usually through
some man’s teaching, will lead a person into error.
It was at point in my life that I was looking beyond the
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Pentecostals to find more truth and to have my understanding
opened to the Word of God that a friend gave me a tape of
William Branham preaching a message called: “a total
separation from unbelief.”
Again, my eyes began to look at the seemly supernatural that

surrounded the man William Branham, and I thought this is
surely a great man of God. My mistake begins by taking the
supernatural as vindications of truth instead of the Word,
thus began my journey into the cult. I had failed to recognize
that Christ had warned us not to look at signs and wonders
alone. Matthew 24:24.
At this point in time I searched for others that were

acquainted with William Branham and his message, which I
found and they were very glad to help me farther into the
cult.
It has been said that ministers of the cult called (the message)
stand behind the pulpit and lie to their congregations. I do
not deny that to be a fact, but I do know that many of them
do not know they are pointing to something that is not truth. I
believe it was said about Jim Jones that led over 900 people
to their death at the Jonestown Massacre “They drink their
own Kool-Aid.” The Bible speaks of evil men deceiving and
being deceived. 2 Timothy 3:13. Being a former salesperson,
I know the best salesperson is one that truly believes in his
products. Likewise prophets, pastors and teachers that
deceive people often times believe the same lies they are
telling.
I was caught up in the same system listening over and over to

a man saying that he was the fulfillment of Malachi 4,
Revelation’s 3:14, Revelation’s 10:7 and Luke 17:30 and
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being associated with a group that also believed, that I
became convinced that it was the truth and I needed to get
that message about the end time prophet to as many as
possible. After all, he had more signs following then anyone
I knew of at that time. He continually said those signs were
vindication or proof that he was who he said he was and that
he was telling the truth.
I cannot deny that God in his mercy give me many warning

signs, which I either ignored or was advised by my elders to
“put it on the shelf.” Some of the first things I noticed as I
tried to study the message were that the teaching on the Seals
in the book of Revelation seemed to be very confusing.
William Branham seemed to say that intercession was over,
or maybe not over, the seals was for the Bride of Christ and
turn around and say that anything after the 3rd and
sometimes the 4th chapter of Revelation was all for the Jews
and had nothing to do with the Gentiles. Again I was advised
and told that I could blaspheme the Holy Ghost if I would
question the prophet. Others would tell me I just needed
revelation, although they or no one else could explain the
discrepancies in the “message.”
This may seem as a strange scenario but I compare it to an

abused wife, or sometimes husband, that believes that the
abuse is their fault and sometimes spend their life trying to
overcome something they blame on themselves.
Liken to people in the message that blame themselves for not

having the correct “revelation” to understand these great
mysteries spoken by a prophet, and end up putting them “on
the shelf” while they wait year upon year trying to have faith
for a revelation that never comes.
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Through the years I tried to put Scripture with what I
believed was the message of the hour, but now know that I
had to “twist” scripture to make them fit with the message I
thought was truth. This was because I was accepting what a
man taught instead of seeking God through Christ and asking
him to lead and guide me to all truth.
For years I had asked God to reveal the Seals and why there
seemed to be discrepancies in what was according to William
Branham a “perfect” message.
After 40 years of preaching and teaching the “message” one

day while trying to study again the things taught in the Seals
I fell on my knees and asked God just to show me the Truth
whatever the cost. It was at that moment that, by God’s
grace, I saw that all that mattered was what the Word of God
said. That I could never receive a revelation on something
that was not and never had been the Word of God.
A cult will often quote the Word of God as being an absolute

while little by little leading you away from what it tells you,
and by deception get you to depend upon the teachings of a
man instead of Jesus Christ. I have also found that those
caught in a cult can never defend themselves by the Word of
God. I have never found anyone in the message of William
Branham that will sit down with me and prove by the
Scripture all the things that he taught, and when you try to
show them his error or sometime fabricated stories they will
walk away instead of listening or trying to defend by the
Word of God his doctrine. The reason for this is that there
are no Scriptures to back up a lot, if not most, of his major
doctrines.
Satan uses a cult teaching in order to get the people who
519
follow it to deny Scripture; often they are seduced into these
things and never realize that they are denying Christ to
follow a lie. It is impossible to follow a cult’s teaching
without denying Scripture.
For instance one major teaching of William Branham is that

he opened mysteries of the Gospel that have been hidden
from the foundation of the world.
63-1130E GO.AWAKE.JESUS_ SHREVEPORT.LA V-17

N-9 SATURDAY_
Â« 18 The mysteries of the Gospel has been hid since the
foundation of the world, but was supposed to be revealed in
these last days. And so, if the Lord willing, I want to speak
on that.
William Branham repeats this at least seven times in

different sermons so it is not just a slip of the tongue. To
believe that you have to not believe
What Paul said in Galatians 1:8,9

GALATIANS 1:
Â» 8 â€ But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach
any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached
unto you, let him be accursed.
As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any
other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be
accursed.
My question, if it was hidden from the foundation of the

world, then Paul the apostle could not know it, so it has to be
a different Gospel. Either William Branham or Paul had to be
mistaken. Most cult members will stay with William
Branham.
520
There are dozens of other teachings that are contrary to
Scripture as you can read about some of them in my
testimony if you would care to.
I cannot get you to fathom the sorrow I feel for having

promoted these doctrines over the last many years, many
people that I have taught have already passed on and I have
no way to recall what’s been taught. My prayer that God and
the people who know me will forgive me these errors and
pray for me that I can hold to the Word of God.
I have also come to realize that most people in the message

cult will never allow their minds to be changed no matter
how much Scripture or evidence that you provide them. I
have for the last two years or so tried to just teach from the
Scripture, but then felt I should try to help people that I know
still rely on the teachings of William Branham, but find there
is not much I can do unless God Himself intervenes.
Paul spoke about Israel having a veil upon their heart, but
when they turn to the Lord it shall be taken away. I am sure
the same applies to every cult member if they would turn to
the Lord and his Word they also would see truth.
In my testimony I have given the reasons for not following

the message of William Branham anymore, nearly a
thousand have read this testimony, but no one has challenged
what I have said. Again one of the attributes of a cult is they
cannot and will not defend their belief with Scripture.
I know there are a lot of lies on the internet about William

Branham as there is about anyone, but also there are people
who have dedicated their lives on finding out the truth. I may
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not agree with everything that is stated, but I do know that
the truth is out there if you would like to find it.
Some of these web sites were started to prove William

Branham’s ministry, but after research found they could not
longer follow the message.
Please contact me if you have any questions or feel you can

correct what I have said. The only defense I have received
about William Branham’s ministry is “I have faith I do not
need evidence” which will work to keep people in any cult.
Thank you.
522
Who Heals The Infants
The Post World War II Healing Revival brought an
onslaught of ministers all gathering together around this new
gospel Branham called the "Gospel of Divine Healing," all
believing this new gospel would attract people to the faith
through healing of their bodies. Branham's publication,
"Voice of Healing," describes many of the young men and
women introduced into this new gospel and their world-wide
campaigns reaching from the United States to the farthest
reaches of the globe. Big names such as Billy Graham, Oral
Roberts, A. A. Allen, Aimee Simple McPhereson and others
attracted hundreds of little-known ministers intent on joining
this movement to heal the sick.
Through the healing campaigns of these men and women,

thousands claimed healing of their bodies from all sorts of
illness from the common cold to the virtually unknown
deadly diseases such as cancer. Men, women, and children
made their way from long distances to find their cure having
heard the tales of success from friends and family and having
witnessed others claiming their healing.
But not all were healed. As the Healing Revival began to

diminish, the numbers healed diminished with it. The people
were becoming more informed to the success ratio of the
revivals, and realized that the numbers could possibly be
compared to the success ratio of the body's natural process of
healing. The crowds began to thin, and Christians began to
notice the results of this new gospel that was being spread
around the world.
Ministers began to abandon the movement. Seen as a
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"sinking ship," several evangelists chose to make their exit
from the divine healing gospel as the people as a whole were
further informed. Men like Gordon Lindsay began publishing
books and pamphlets such as "Divine Healing In the
Branham Campaigns," offering them for sale at the product
booths at the entrances and exits of the meetings. In these
publications, the divine healers would offload the power of
healing from the man on the platform and the Jesus he was
promoting to place healing squarely upon the shoulders of
the sick and afflicted. If their disease went uncured, how
could the evangelist be blamed? The sick must have not had
enough faith to heal themselves!
It is quite possible that this decision that alienated these

healers from other Christian ministers and their
congregations. Not only was this idea of a powerless god
unscriptural, it bordered unethical. The publications were
very similar to the "fine print" on medications today, those
having adverse side effects and limited success in test
groups. Men like Alfred Pohl admitted that their exodus from
the Divine Healing movement was mostly from the deceptive
practices employed by the healers and their campaign
management staff.
William Branham was no exception to this rule, being part of

the problem rather than part of the solution. When Ern
Baxter decided to abandon Branham's campaigns, Branham
was left with very little choice other than to ride the divine
healing movement to its end and create a new movement
similar to the "Word Faith" or "Prosperity Gospel." Some
believe that Branham's ministry spawned off the health and
wealth gospels, using the "Word Faith" doctrine in sermons
like the 1960's "Speak To This Rock." Ultimately it can truly
be said that he chose to go in his own direction.
524
Ministers in the cult of William Branham have very little
knowledge of this history, claiming that Branham's Gospel of
Divine Healing and its results are "vindication" of prophecy.
Following Branham's example, they place the healing of the
sick onto the shoulders of the sick. If they are not healed, it is
no fault of the minister -- the sick were not faithful.
But what about the infants? Who heals them? Whose

responsibility is the faith of an infant who cannot understand
either their disease or this "fine print" on how they accept it.
Is not their healing a responsibility of the cult minister?
Should their disease be fatal, is the cult pastor responsible for
their death? Did the cult pastor not have enough faith?
Those fleeing the cult of William Branham realize that not

only is this a different "gospel," this is a different "god." It is
a god that is powerless to heal an infant, much like the gods
of Greece and Rome. The minister becomes nothing more
than an idol made of stone, powerless to heal anyone. When
a person makes their journey out of the Branham cult, they
flee to a God who is not powerless. The leave for a Gospel
that is real. Not one that centers around the worldly thoughts
of this mortal body, but one that focuses on the fruits of the
Spirit that lead us into the life to come.
525
A Shaking Up At The Branham
Tabernacle
It has come to our attention through multiple people who
have been almost lifelong fixtures in the Branham
Tabernacle that a major coup has been executed against the
leadership of the church. In most cases, this would imply that
those under the pastor have decided to overthrow current
authority, however the authority structure of the Branham
Tabernacle is unlike most churches in the religious following
of William Branham. A close examination of financial
records and an overall examination of church activities will
quickly lead one to believe that the pastor of this particular
church, nor (most) of the elders, are making the critical
decisions. Therefore, this "coup" has instead been exacted
through mass resignation.
During the time when my family attended the tabernacle,

financial transparency was almost non-existent. There were
some very broad financial details posted to the bulletin board
at the entrance of the church. But knowing my grandfather's
financial status and comparing it to the going rate for
standard church expenses in a Southern Indiana town, it is
evident that the accounting practices included a ledger not
visible to the people paying their tithes. My grandfather did
not and does not live an extravagant lifestyle. But you can
imagine the shock when we entered a normal Christian
church and started receiving a four-to-six page summary of
every expense right down to the bathroom supplies. While
normal Christians expect transparency in church finances,
churches in the religious following of William Branham
expect the opposite. Why? They act according to the
526
example that was set forth by Branham himself.
There were times when a family attending the church went

through financial hardship. Under normal (mainstream)
church leadership and even normal for some other Message
churches the bank account for the church included a savings
fund for charitable contributions for the needy. As a non-
profit establishment, one can only assume that donations for
the growth and support of the church community are to be
used for that growth and support. For as long as I can
remember, this is not the case with the Branham Tabernacle.
Those involved with the Tabernacle long before Brother
Neville took his position as head pastor report the same issue
the needy suffered while the church accumulated a large
mass of money that just "vanished." I remain in contact with
people from both from Brother Snelling's church and Brother
Neville's church to compare the present to days gone bye.
In today's world, it is not uncommon for men or women in

salaried positions to make over $70,000 USD. Many in
specialized fields make well over $100,000, and it is very
easy to look around the Tabernacle to count those doctors,
lawyers, analysts, computer or software technicians and
more. It is uncommon for a family to make less than $30,000
USD, especially if both the husband and the wife are earning
income. But for sake of argument, let's assume there are no
individuals with a specialized skill, and all are working at the
lesser wage. And let's assume that church attendance is only
500.
Paying tithe at 10% means that every ten people donate

$30,000 to the church. During the course of a year, the
church would accumulate 1.5 MILLION dollars before
expenses.
527
But all are aware that most in the Branham Tabernacle do not
earn the lower wage. It could easily be assumed that an
average wage for a tithe-paying church member would be
closer to $60,000 per year. It is also well known that many
tithe-paying "members" never darken the door of the
building, paying their tithes to the Tabernacle while staying
at home and listening to the audio recordings of William
Branham. We can assume that actual church attendance
including the "silent payers for silent prayers" would be
closer to 700.
Paying tithe at 10% means that every ten people donate

$60,000 to the church. During the course of a year, the
church would accumulate 4.2 MILLION DOLLARS before
expenses if these numbers are correct. We can only assume
they are higher, based on those working with specialized
skills.
Where does all of this money go?
Unlike some of the other big-name pastors in the religious

following of William Branham, my grandfather did not make
a large salary. In fact, most would be shocked if they actually
observed my grandfather and his lifestyle. They would be
more shocked if they asked him what he took home each
week. Many members of his church lived a far more
extravagant lifestyle than the pastor. As a person growing up
"on the inside," these were things that I myself witnessed
which raised a curiosity into the business structure of the
church. It was not until after leaving the following, however,
that I began reviewing the financial records that are available
to the public. ... financial records that most tithe-paying
members do not review.
528
When Voice of God Recordings reported a $100 million
USD increase in profit, it obviously raised my curiosity even
further. As a non-profit organization, an increase in assets at
this level raises not only my curiosity, but also the curiosity
of the Internal Revenue Service. Even an entry-level
accountant would realize that this money could not be held
very long while holding a non-profit status. It was not long
before this money was transferred into another newly-
established organization, whose sole purpose was to disperse
the funds. This was presented on our website in a video,
"Voice of God Recordings - Jehovah Jireh Foundation"
It was during this research that we noticed the Branham

Tabernacle listed on Voice of God Recordings' end-of-the-
year tax return. Also listed was the "William Branham
Evangelistic Association," which was still reporting (hidden)
financial movement. But the Arizona PROFITABLE
company is configured such that its earnings are not publicly
displayed.
Recently, it was brought to our attention that this profitable

Arizona company held a portion of the grounds under the
Tabernacle, and that both Billy Paul and Joseph signed these
grounds away from the trustees. This matched what we had
found in a brief trip to the Jeffersonville courthouse in 2013.
When we reviewed Joseph Branham's public announcement
leading readers to believe that he had no prior knowledge on
these transactions, we had to ask the question: Is Joseph
Branham Being Honest?
Multiple sources confirm that resignation letters from the

deacons included public statements that allude to these same
findings. When we visited the Jeffersonville courthouse in
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August, the woman helping point me to documentation
mentioned that there were others from the Branham
Tabernacle who recently went through many of the same
documents. She asked me, why did I not just get the
documents from them? Interestingly, the legal documents
that pertain to the most recent transaction are not all-
encompassing. There's a much larger story to tell when one
examines all of the documents, starting back when the "Billie
Branham Pentecostal Tabernacle" was purchased.
Questions are pouring in concerning this disruption in church

leadership at the Branham Tabernacle. What are the
changes? WHY are the changes? What is the strategy? We
felt it necessary to address what we do know and avoid
diving too deeply into speculation. We seek truth, not rumor.
We do know that the entire staff of deacons has stepped

down. We know that the pastor has stepped down. We know
that Joseph Branham has taken ownership of a portion of the
building that includes a vault. We know that he and Billy
Paul deeded it away from the trustees in the 80's, and that
both Joe and Billy Paul were (and appear to still be) the only
surviving trustees according to court records. We know that a
"prophecy" was inserted into the table describing a "future"
"forest cathedral."
We know that this "forest cathedral" is now being built. We

know that a building has been erected next to the Branham
Tabernacle that looks suspiciously like a welcome center for
a museum. We know that a new pastor has taken his position,
one who some claim is fully devoted to Joseph Branham,
Billy Paul, and Voice of God Recordings.
It does not take a smart man to understand that this is only
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the third step of a much larger plan, and that this plan started
long before any of us were aware of its existence. And we
know that while these milestones of this master plan reach
maturity, it is the "little people" who suffer.
Please keep the people of the Branham Tabernacle in your

thoughts and prayers as they eyes are opened to what lies
beneath.
531
The Message And The
Messenger Are One And The
Same God
Those who examine William Branham's sermons
chronologically for any length of time begin to notice
patterns in both style and doctrine. To the person who has
recently left Branham's cult, this is a shocking and
uncomfortable realization -- most followers of William
Branham are programmed to believe that the cult leader
came with a "Message," and that message was consistent
throughout the years of his known ministry from 1933 to
1965.
To be fair, there are those in the cult following who have

noticed differences, and at some point in time claimed that
his true message came during and after 1963. Followers in
this camp are led to believe that anything before 1963 can be
easily excused and forgiven, because it was not "The
Message." But the vast majority of followers mistakenly
assume that his stance on doctrinal issues and strategy in
general remained the same throughout his life. "Man can
change," they claim with regards to Branham, "but God
cannot change."
I would argue in favor of those in the Jeffersonville (Mecca)

church in response to the separation of those specific years,
however. If you truly believe any portion of William
Branham's conflicting life stories, you must assume that all
sermons from all years are required for preparing your soul
532
for the impending destruction of the earth and the time when
you will victoriously walk across the ashes of the current
inhabitants of this earth -- Christians and non-Christians
alike. Even the very first "supernatural event" Branham
describes must remove all doubt on the entire series. If God
spoke from the heavens to announce His "prophet," would
you not listen to EVERY WORD?
This poses multiple problems for the cult. It appears that

even Voice of God Recordings is aware of this problem, and
has taken action (or rather, has NOT taken action) by leaving
huge portions of the sermons untranslated to foreign
languages. Those in foreign lands struggle to compare
sermons chronologically, because not all sermons are
available in their own tongue.
It is very evident that William Branham was focused and

intent upon creating a cult following from the very
beginning. When those most deeply programmed leave the
cult, they mistakenly assume that Branham was a humble
minister with good intentions who somehow went astray
later in life due to either mental illness or bad company. It
isn't until they examine the sermons early in his ministry that
they realize his true ambition.
We don't have recordings from 1933 to 1946, but we can

assume they are less polished that the 1947 recordings. When
you compare Branham's strategy in 1947 to the later
sermons, it is almost as if two different men are speaking. A
1947 William Branham will blatantly point to himself as the
healer, while a 1963 Branham will claim that he looks to
God for the healing. Ironically, when you examine his "Luke
17:30" doctrine that started in 1964, it could be argued that
he pointed to himself as the God, since he applied this verse
533
of scripture to his own ministry.
But in 1947, it is evident that he had not yet mastered the art
of disguising his intentions. Making statements that he could
heal the sick without even asking God, or describing
followers who might be healed simply because Branham
noticed them, his motive was clear. His "God complex"
started long before it exposed itself in 1964. Through the
help of F. F. Bosworth and the constraint of Ern Baxter, a
large portion of the recordings were masked with the
appearance of humility.
What if the years 1948 through 1963 were removed? What if

you took the chronological sections of Branham's sermons
that included pointing to himself as the healer, and then
pointing to himself as God among men? How much different
would these sermons look if you removed the section where
other men helped constrain and disguise his "God
complex?"
We'd be left with a man who referred to himself in the same

way many Christians think of the woman who touched the
hem of Christ's garment. A man whose "hem" was his eyes
from the stage:
"I wonder if the little Spanish girl from Sacramento that was
setting in that building that night, and set there; and she was
setting way back in the building, and she had said within her
heart... She was Catholic. She said, 'I can't get to where
Brother Branham is. But if he will only look at me in the eye,
I'll be healed.'"
- Branham, 47-1102 - The Angel Of God
We'd be left with a man who did not need to contact God for
534
healing, not even to pray:
"I'll take any cross-eyed child you've got in this meeting, you
bring it up here without even praying for it, and just let me
look at it straight in the eyes like that, I'll make its eyes come
straight."
- Branham, 47-0412 - Faith Is The Substance
We'd be left with a Branham who used cheap magician's

tricks one can see in a grade-school auditorium talent show, a
Branham who challenged his congregation to move
inanimate objects:
Now, you look right directly at that bracelet," and it hanging

there in mid-air, "and you make that bracelet swing around
and around in the room. Then you make it swing back and
forth in the room, and then stop it, and I'll believe you have
faith."
Branham, 47-0412 - Faith Is The Substance
We'd be left with a Branham who convinced his following

that he was "Elijah," one who repeated the words, "Thus
Saith The Lord" to almost any situation or doctrine whether
godlike or unscriptural. A man who called "The Message"
itself the return of Jesus Christ, and then convinced his
following that the message and the messenger were one and
the same:
Then when a man comes with THUS SAITH THE LORD, he

and the Message is one. And when Elijah come with THUS
SAITH THE LORD, he and his message became one. Just as
Jesus, when He come, He was the Word, Saint John 1. So the
Word of God and the messenger of the age was the selfsame
thing, all the time. That's right.
535
Branham, 65-0718E - Spiritual Food In Due Season
If you took away the staged humility of the sermons from

1948 through 1963, you'd be left with a man who thought
himself to be God:
"But the Elijah of this day is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is to

come according to Matthew the seventeen-... Luke 17:30,
says the Son of man is to reveal Himself among His people.
Not a man, God! But it'll come through a prophet."
Branham, 65-1127B - Trying To Do God A Service
536
Tailoring To The Crowd:
During the Healing Revival of the 40's and 50's, ministers
and evangelists brought forth an onslaught of different
doctrines all bundled under the same "Gospel of Divine
Healing." Looking back at some of the ministers in the
movement, several today realize that many of them were not
so familiar with their Bibles as they were the specific
passages of scripture often repeated in the campaigns.
Towards the end of the Revival, however, the crowds began

to thin. Familiar with the deceptive tactics used in the
meetings, many started avoiding the gatherings and chose to
join mainstream churches unaffiliated by the movement.
Evangelists began pushing the crowds even further, trying to
draw crowds by condemning their denominations --
especially those who warned their churches of the dangers in
this new gospel. During this period, William Branham was
no exception.
"The Protestant denominational churches is the image of the

beast, because its denominated just exactly like Catholicism
is. And God never did order His Church to be organized in
any age, but has always bitterly condemned it."
- Branham, 1954, 54-0515
But as Ern Baxter pulled away from William Branham and

the crowds began to thin even further, Branham realized that
he could not continue with the same condemnation. To speak
in a meeting hosted by a denominational church or those
affiliated with mainstream Christianity would be to sever the
hand that feeds. His statements must be reversed in those
crowds, essentially tailoring his doctrine to the audience in
537
front of him. By 1964, when many were distancing
themselves from William Branham, Branham began to make
his appeal to those he once condemned.
"It's alright to have denominations. I ain't against that. But

see, that's what the people are. People say I tear down
denominations, I kick them. I DO NOT. NO sir. The
denominations, they're all right. That's just like working
agreements, or anything like that."
- Branham, 1964, 64-1205 (To the Full Gospel
Businessman's Association)
But ministers in the cult today divide themselves on the

stance Branham preached from both sides of his mouth.
Truly following an uncertain sound, one group of cult
ministers continues Branham's condemnation of
denominational churches while another group "draws their
circle bigger" to include them. Then, because they both are in
disagreement, they ostracize themselves from each other --
even though they are both of the same foundation.
The problem with this is far greater than the disagreement,

however. This trumpet of uncertain sound was based on
"revelation", revelation that Branham himself denied in an
attempt to light an already dying flame. Cult pastors who still
teach Branham's condemnation of denominational churches
claim that this was a "purposeful uncertain sound," placing
fancy words in the ears of their congregations to describe
Branham's deceptive tactics when he preached away from his
home churches.
This is not a practice that the Bible condones. The true

Gospel of Jesus Christ needs no deception to attract a
following -- God's sheep hear His voice. Scriptures are filled
538
with passages warning of false prophets and teachers who
would rise with deception in their words, with sole intent to
separate the Body of Christ.
"Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you

speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of
another."
- Ephesians 4:25
539
Three High Words
Those who study Branham's sermons chronologically for any
length of time have no trouble recognizing that the earliest
sermons sound very strange as compared to those recorded
later in his ministry. Very few sermons from 1947 and 1948
are still available to the public, and those that remain sound
like a completely different ministry from a much different
minister.
One can easily find examples of Branham claiming that he

had the power to heal without even praying to God, using
cheap magician's tricks such as moving bracelets, elements
of Wicca, Gnosticism, and the Occult. When an ex-cult
member comes to this conclusion, and having been
unfamiliar with the pagan teachings themselves, dive into a
quick study on these demonic religions to better understand
what, exactly, created William Branham and his ministry. At
the end of this study, they quickly realize that Gnosticism
seems to be the most dominant throughout the early ministry,
and that trace elements of his Gnostic faith appear
throughout the later recordings.
Very few are aware of Branham's statements describing the

"three high words" that he spoke during prayer for the sick.
Cult pastors do not describe this practice in their churches --
most of them aware that this is clearly pagan practice, and
many of them unaware that Branham used any sort of
enchantment over his victims.
"I want to tell you something now. Watch. Here's what takes
place. See, it's... I want to know if you all noticed this. We're
fixing to close, you know, fixing to go into the meetings.
540
Have you noticed, always, after I ask or rebuke over a spirit,
I'm always perfectly silent for a few moments? Who's
noticed that in the meetings, let's see your hands. Have you
noticed that? Now, here's what it is. There's three words that
I have to repeat at that time. See? And it's the three high
words of the Bible. No mortal on earth know it. See? And
when I ask that, and then I feel that drop, then it comes
shakes back to a place in return of that spirit. Then the...?...
healed. That's the reason you hear me say that. See? That's
what takes place."
- Branham, 48-0302
Those who are brave enough to study the Gnostic texts find
similar teachings among the early Gnostic cults that arose to
threaten Christianity. Irenaeus devoted his life to defending
the faith against these heretical groups, but it is easily
apparent that Gnosticism long outlasted his words of
warning. Branham's "three high words" appear to come from
the Gnostic text entitled "The Gospel of Thomas."
Jesus said to his disciples: “Compare me and tell me whom I

am like.” Simon Peter said to him: “You are like a just
messenger.” Matthew said to him: “You are like an
(especially) wise philosopher.” Thomas said to him:
“Teacher, my mouth cannot bear at all to say whom you are
like.” Jesus said: “I am not your teacher. For you have drunk,
you have become intoxicated at the bubbling spring that I
have measured out.” And he took him, (and) withdrew, (and)
he said three words to him. But when Thomas came back to
his companions, they asked him: “What did Jesus say to
you?” Thomas said to them: “If I tell you one of the words he
said to me, you will pick up stones and throw them at me,
and fire will come out of the stones (and) burn you up.”
- Gospel of Thomas
541
Questions About The Branham
Tabernacle Split:
We continue to receive phone calls, emails, and messages
about the recent resignation of the pastor, song leader, and
entire staff of deacons at the Branham Tabernacle of
Jeffersonville, Indiana. We are trying to answer all of the
emails, and I personally am answering all of the telephone
calls. Please be patient for response. If you have sent
something and we have not gotten to you yet, it is not
because we are avoiding you.
Here are some answers to the questions others are asking:
Who resigned?
When we first published the video exposing what appears to

be unethical misuse of church funds, William Branham's
false statements about his "1933" tabernacle, and questions
about Joseph Branham's public address, two deacons
resigned the following Sunday. As I understand it, after
publishing the latest video, and within approximately two
weeks after their resignation, the entire staff of the deacons,
the former pastor, and the song leader resigned. In sensitivity
to their families and respect for the emotional journey they
are beginning, the names will not be listed here. Most people
in the "Message" know the name of the former pastor who
resigned, and that he was my grandfather.
Where can I see the videos?
The first two videos are no longer online, and will be offline
542
until further notice.
What did the first two videos contain?
We are not able to discuss the content at this time. What we

can tell you is that most of the relevant information is in the
recent video.
What did they say in their resignations?
We will soon be publishing audio along with transcripts.

Please be patient.
Is the portion of the video containing the concrete

engraving "Dedicated In 1933" on the side of the
Branham Tabernacle?
Yes. That concrete engraving is on the side of the building

facing 8th street, near the entrance of the building.
Who put it there?
I am not certain. I am told that my grandfather was involved

when that corner of the building was restructured after an
automobile accident, and that the cornerstone was opened
and found to be empty. I can neither confirm or deny this.
Would my grandfather and the Branhams have been

aware that the deed to the tabernacle was 1936?
I am not certain that my grandfather would have had access

to the deed. Billy Paul, Joseph Branham, and Roy Roberson
are listed as official church trustees according to the court
documents I find registered at the Jeffersonville courthouse.
543
Does this mean that the current trustees have no
authority?
I cannot speak on behalf of the church. All I can say is that it

would appear the current trustees were unaware of the
transaction, while those listed on the court documents were
fully aware.
Who owned the tabernacle before it was recently deeded

to Joseph?
The church was deeded to the trustees of the tabernacle, as a

mediator between the government and the people. I cannot
find court records of the original trustees, which means that it
would be the elected trustees at that time. In the 1980's, a
portion of the building was transferred to the "William
Branham Evangelistic Association," and it appears that
transfer of land was executed by Billy Paul, Joseph, and Roy
Roberson.
Isn't the William Branham Evangelistic Association the

missionary organization that was listed as an expense on
the statements posted on the bulletin board of the
Tabernacle?
If memory serves, it was the WBEA of Indiana, a non-profit

organization, that was posted. I do not recall a for-profit
Arizona company listed.
Was Joseph Branham aware of these transfers of land?
I cannot speak as to what Joseph Branham knew or did not

know. I can only say that his signature is on the documents.
544
Was Billy Paul Branham aware of these transfers of
land?
I cannot speak as to what Billy Paul Branham knew or did

not know. I can only say that his signature is on the
documents.
Was Billy Paul Branham signing documents as "William

Branham?"
The 1984 transfer is signed, "William Paul Branham." There

appear to be other documents concerning properties both
surrounding the Branham Tabernacle and beyond those
boundaries. We are not yet ready to discuss the extent of the
property owned or its impact on the church.
Did the deacons or the former pastor mention the reason

why they resigned?
We will soon be publishing audio along with transcripts.

Please be patient.
Will the former pastor continue to attend services at the

Branham Tabernacle?
I cannot answer for the former pastor. Based on our

understanding of his statements during his resignation, we
can only assume that he will not.
Will the former pastor start a new church?
I cannot answer for the former pastor. Based on his age, we

can only assume that he will not.
545
Was there a split between the former pastor and the
Branhams?
I cannot speak to the personal relations between the former

pastor or the Branham family.
Who is the new pastor of the Branham Tabernacle?
In similar circumstances in other churches, the assistant

pastor assumes that role until a new pastor is chosen or he
himself is chosen. It is my personal opinion that he is a
"puppet pastor" chosen specifically for the purpose of this
current phase of the bigger plan, and that he was chosen
specifically for his devotion and allegiance to Voice of God
Recordings.
Was there a scandal surrounding the family of the

current assistant pastor of the Branham Tabernacle?
We will refrain from answering that question at this time. I

believe it has already been answered in the discussion
threads by former members of that church.
Is there evidence of misuse of funds?
We have not finished our investigation, and are not yet ready
to give details of our current progress. What we can say is
that court records show parsonages for members of the
church other than the pastor.
Did the people of the church vote on the sale of church

property prior to the transaction?
Not to my knowledge. I believe a vote was taken within the
546
last few weeks.
Is the tithe collected being used for the betterment of the

church, it's people, the community, or missionary work?
I will defer to the audio of the resignations.
Has this recent event helped people be set free from the
Message?
Yes.
Is the former pastor or the Branham family aware that

the church was originally established as the "Billie
Branham Pentecostal Tabernacle?"
I cannot speak for the former pastor or the Branham family. I

can only speak for what William Branham himself knew at
the time of the deed. He knew.
What portions of William Branham's ministry does the

1936 date on the Tabernacle deed place into question?
All of it. Those who actually study the Message are aware
that the 1933 date was fundamental to both the "prophecies
of 1933 and the "1933 Commission" fables.
I have members of my family trapped in this cult in

______ city(ies). Are they aware of the Tabernacle split
or the 1936 date on the deed?
If there is one thing we can count on in the Message, it

would be the "rumor mill."
547
Does this affect other churches outside of Jeffersonville?
Yes. Some cult churches pledge their allegiance to Voice of

God Recordings, and send their excess funds to VOGR. This
will (and has already) helped people begin seeking answers.
Can the Message itself survive after this information

spreads?
Yes. Using examples of similar cults, such as the Mormons,

Jehovah's Witnesses, and more, exposing the cult leader only
seems to have a short-term impact. Those with footholds in
developing nations continue to thrive offshore until the
information is forgotten. We already see a push for
Branhamism in developing nations.
Has your website traffic increased after this event?
Yes. Exponentially. Please pray for our servers :)
Are you getting much feedback and/or questions about

this event?
Yes. Hence this public statement.
Are others helping you with your investigation?
Yes. We have been receiving tips from people both in and

out of the message for some time now.
How do you have time for all of this?
It is not easy. I have a "day job" to provide for my family. :)
548
How can I help?
Tell others. Point them to the Bible. Share the Gospel with
them.
Has your grandfather contacted you after this event?
No. Myself and my family were "shunned." I have no reason

to believe we have been "un-shunned."
Was the former pastor aware of church finances, and

does he know where the money is going?
I cannot speak to what the former pastor knew or did not

know. His resignation after these things were made public
can speak for itself.
Where does all the money go?
Stay tuned.
549
William Branham and the Zodiac
of Healing
In 1933, H.L. Cornell published the "Encyclopaedia of
Medial Astrology, a modern-day reference book to the
medieval practice of using the sun, moon, and stars to help
predict and diagnose various diseases. Those familiar with
this practice are well aware that it long predates medieval
times, dating back far before known history in many ancient
cults. The Asclepius cult, for instance, was the ancient Greek
god of medicine was also credited with powers of prophecy.
Many are familiar with the symbol displayed on the

entrances of medical practices and hospitals with a brass
serpent winding up a winged staff, mistakenly believing that
this sign is a representation of the brass serpent that God
asked Moses to erect for healing. But the disc and the wings
are symbolic of ancient Egypt, whose healing god Ophiuchus
was known as the "Serpent Bearer." Ophiuchus is one of
thirteen constellations that cross the ecliptic, located within
the twelve divisions of the Zodiac.
Ophiuchus is the oldest known usage of this constellation,

though some scholars believe it may be linked to Babylonian
mythology. But this ancient Egyptian god is believed to be
linked to later healing cults throughout the ancient world. To
the ancient Greeks, the constellation represented the god
Apollo struggling with a huge snake that guarded the Oracle
of Delphi. Later, it was identified with the Ophiuchus cult. In
Roman mythology, the figure represents the healer
Asclepius, who learned the secrets of keeping death at bay
after observing one serpent bringing another healing herbs.
550
In medieval Islamic astronomy (Azophi's Uranometry, 10th
century), the constellation was known as "the snake-
charmer". This was likely the origin of Cornell's
"Encyclopaedia of Medical Astrology."
In Branham's mythology, Ophiuchus returned back to his

Egyptian origins. Branham claimed that our "age" had
returned back to the very tip of the capstone of the pyramid,
which the Egyptians believed to be the time when the sun
god Ra was at his greatest power. The capstone pointed to
noonday.
Some researchers mistakenly believe that Branham was

unfamiliar with the art of Astrology, simply because he lists
Leo the Lion as the first and last sign of the Zodiac. Modern
interpretations understand Aries, the Ram, to be the first sign
in the figures that ancient cults believed to be deities. But
closer examination of ancient mythologies gives a much
different understanding of the signs and constellations.
Beside the Great Pyramid of Giza sits the Sphinx, a gigantic
statue of Leo the Lion. The Egyptian cults built the Sphinx's
lion-shape to reference to the constellation of Leo. And that
the layout and orientation of the Sphinx, the pyramids at
Giza pyramid and the Nile River are an accurate reflection or
"map" of the constellations of Leo, Orion's Belt within
Orion, and the Milky Way.
Also, Branham understood that the twelve "houses" of the

Zodiac were interpreted as twelve "ages" by the ancients.
Like the Egyptians, he placed significant importance on Leo,
telling his congregation that we are living in the "Leo age."
What is comical about his healing cult mythology is that he
uses the name "Cancer" as a play on words to confuse the
people. While the Zodiac sign had nothing to do with the
551
deadly disease that gripped the hearts of his congregation in
fear, Branham stresses the similarities for no reason other
than its name.
"God wrote three Bibles. One of them was the Zodiac in the
skies. That's the first Bible. Man was to look up to realize
that God is from above. Follow the Zodiac; did you ever
study it? It even gives every age, even the cancer age. It
gives the beginning, the birth the birth of Christ. What is the
first figure in the Zodiac? The virgin. What's the last figure?
Leo the lion. The first coming and the second coming of
Christ, all of it is written in there. Then the next Bible was
written, was in stone, called pyramids. God wrote in the
pyramids. If you study them, watch the ancient histories and
wars, how they were built before the antediluvian
destruction. The third was wrote on paper, the Bible, for the
great, smart intellectual world to come. Now, as God has
moved down through the age, we're at Leo the lion. We're at
the capping of the pyramid."
Branham, 60-0522E - Adoption #4
"You observe days and months and seasons and years! I am

afraid I may have labored over you in vain."
Galatians 4:10-11
552
William Branham and Snake
Handling
In the few years that we have been writing articles and
publishing research information for Seek The Truth, we have
seen several conversations describing a side William
Branham that cannot be noticed from his stage persona on
recorded tape. Many of you who have researched William
Branham in the discussion forums online have stumbled
across the same. From the men claiming that William
Branham sexually molested their father or grandfather, to the
men or women claiming Branham's missions to Africa had a
much darker history than his hunting or evangelistic
campaigns. If you are willing to take the time, there are
numerous questions raised, some of which seem to have
some legitimate cause for concern.
One claim that has caught our eye multiple times is the claim
that William Branham taught churches in Kentucky and Ohio
to handle snakes during the early days of his ministry. From
testimony of multiple witnesses, they describe their parents'
statements about the history of their churches that included
William Branham and snakes. But as third-hand information,
even their witness testimony would not benefit our research.
For us to publish this claim, we need a stronger tie between
William Branham and the snake handling church. We have
William Branham's use of the "snake handling passage" in
scripture recorded several times, but we have no recordings
that describe what transpired after his preaching. But even
those require a closer examination.
William Branham quoted the snake handling passage almost
553
one hundred and forty times on recorded tape. He referenced
it 1163 times using the shortened version, "these signs." And
it was not uncommon for Pentecostal holiness ministers in
his time, especially those from this region of the United
States to have handled snakes in their churches. Upon closer
examination of these statements, we find that some of those
recordings include a conveniently placed
"[Blank.spot.in.tape-ed]" immediately after the "Snake
Handling" passage is referenced:
"Lived in the hearts of the apostles and opened the eyes of

the blind, shall be saved. And he that believeth not shall be
damned. These signs shall follow them that believe: in My
Name shall they cast out devils. They shall speak with new
tongues. If they take up serpents or deadly things it shall not
harm them. [Blank.spot.on.tape Ed.] ...?... ... If there's any of
you...?... [Blank.spot.on.tape Ed.]
Branham, 50-0409 - Baptismal Service
"Jesus said, "These signs shall follow them that believe: In

My Name they shall cast out devils, speak with new tongues;
take up serpents; drink deadly things; lay hands on the sick,
and they shall recover." [Blank.spot.on.tape Ed.]
Branham, 51-0718 - The Angel Of The Lord
"He said, "These signs shall follow them that believe. In My

Name they shall cast out devils, speak with new tongues,
take up serpents or drink deadly things, it'll not harm them.
And if they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover."
God, grant it to our brother, in Jesus Christ's Name. Amen.
God be with you, brother. Go rejoicing and happy."
[Blank.spot.on.tape Ed.]
Branham, 53-0602 - The Authority Of The Word
554
. If they were believers, "These signs shall follow them that
believe," says Jesus. "In My Name they shall cast out devils,
and speak with new tongues, and take up serpents, or have
drunken deadly things, and they'll lay hands on the sick and
they shall recover." God, grant tonight, that each person, no
matter how what level we have to come to, Lord... If the new
birth is just like the natural birth, a mess, I don't care, Lord, e
what I have to be a outcast, if I'd have to be called holy-
roller, or any kind of a vulgared name that the devil has
given the Church [Blank.spot.on.tape Ed.]
59-0707 - Balm In Gilead
While William Branham made no claim that Snake Handling

was necessary for one's salvation, he did offer his defense of
the practice. This is the case with many of the Snake
Handling churches -- they don't tempt fate under any sort of
obligation; they handle snakes as an attempt to prove that
God is with their church.
"These signs follow the believer. In My Name they cast out

devils; they speak with new tongues; they take up serpents;
and they drink deadly things will not harm them. If they lay
their heads on hands on the sick, they shall recover." And
today you do it, they'll laugh at you. They got a form of
godliness but denying the power thereof.
Branham, 53-0614A - Earnestly Contending For The Faith
But again, this is still not a link between William Branham

and a snake handling church. We cannot make assumptions
simply because a portion of the tape was edited or because
supporting statements were made. We need more. We need a
direct link between William Branham and a snake handling
church. We need to see ministers involved with the Branham
campaigns who were snake handlers. And this is found with
555
a minister named Kash Amburgy.
"And I think I have one night of the convention, maybe a

breakfast also. It depends on how things come out. There is
some, one of the speakers that never showed up; hasn't as
yet, I don't think. Brother Humburg, or is that... [A brother
says, "Amburgy."Ed.] Amburgy, Amburgy, Kash
Amburgy."
Branham, 65-0119 - The God Who Is Rich In Mercy
Kash Amburgy is first mentioned on recorded tape at a

conference at the Western Home Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona.
Though he was a southern Ohio preacher who hailed from
Owsley, Kentucky, Amburgy had planned to travel all the
way to Phoenix to speak with William Branham. And
Branham mistakenly thinks that a "Brother Humburg" was
the absentee he was to "pinch hit" for. A man corrects
Branham, giving him the last name "Amburgy," and
immediately, William Branham recognizes the name.
Branham places the first name with the last, and announces
that Kash Amburgy will be speaking next.
Amburgy became a household name in Cincinnati through

several television commercials promoting his "Big Bargain
Barn" - a furniture and appliance store in South Lebanon. He
would often end the commercial with the slogan, "Follow the
signs, follow the arrows to Kash's Big Bargain Barn in South
Lebanon, Ohio, where you save cash with Kash."
But he was known for more than just furniture and

appliances. Amburgy started his career as a door-to-door
bible salesman, often bragging that he had sold as many as
170 Bibles in one single day. He was a minister for over
sixty years of his life, gaining popularity through a Bible
556
Church of God Radio Broadcast on WPFB-AM (910) in
Middletown, Ohio. But he always displayed pride in his
Kentucky roots, calling himself the "Ole Country Boy from
South Lebanon, Ohio." with a southern accent.
This was the public view of Amburgy, however, not the view
hidden from the public eye. Amburgy was known in the
Pentecostal circles as a great snake handler. One nostalgic
person memorialized Amburgy with this statement:
"A funny story about Kash Amburgy, ( yes he really did lose
some fingers on one hand while handling snakes. The snake
bit him and having faith (evidently not enough faith) he kept
right on preaching. By the end on his sermon his fingers had
become so swollen and discolored he had to have a couple of
them amputated."
Another remembers Amburgy's snake handling days as a bit

more trickery than godly:
"We had a local celebrity, Kash Amburgy, who apparently

was a snake-handler early on. A story circulated about a
couple of boys at one of his backwoods churches deciding to
get some rattlesnakes or copperheads who weren't de-fanged
(as "de-fanged" was the rumored practice for ol' Kash) for
Kash to handle up at the pulpit, because they wanted to see if
he really believed God would protect him. Kash was
apparently rather surprised when he was bit by one! :D
Anyway, I was told he lost part of a finger, but survived the
bite. I guess the boys believed him after that."
But still, this is not enough to confirm the testimonies

describing a young William Branham starting snake handling
churches. It is nothing more than one small piece of the
557
much larger puzzle. Here is what we can now confirm:
* William Branham referenced the snake handling passage

from the book of Mark 139 times.
* William Branham did not dissuade men from practicing

snake handling, but instead promoted the scripture describing
the practice
* After promoting the snake handling scripture, there are

numerous sections of tape edited out of the reel
* Known snake handlers were deeply involved with

Branham's ministry, insomuch that they made the journey
from Ohio to Phoenix Arizona to speak in his meetings.
* William Branham knew at least one snake handler by first

name.
* Snake handling is a Pentecostal tradition, one that is not

practiced in denominational churches Branham condemned.
* Snake handling churches in the United States started with

the Pentecostal movement in 1906, a movement Branham
claimed to be created by God.
* In most states, snake handling is illegal. Therefore, it must

be practiced underground.
When Christians outside of the United States hear of this

usage of Mark 16, the "snake handling" passage, they
shudder in disbelief. With the exception of the early
influence of Pentecostal-style cults into developing nations,
there are very few Christian churches outside the States that
558
practice snake handling. This is a practice better viewed in a
pagan temple. But for the many Holiness Christians inside
the States -- especially the Southern United States, it is a
different story. One must fully explain why this is a bad
idea.
Though the Bible does give examples of God's protection for

His people, there are many passages of Scripture
condemning the act of "tempting fate." Deuteronomy 6
specifically states, “You shall not put the Lord your God to
the test," and even the Temptation of Christ is an example for
us not to do so.
The irony in this situation is the ending of the book of Mark

itself. William Branham claimed to have brought back the
"original truth." And in his version of truth, uplifting Mark
16 was considered "restoration."
"I read that Mark 16. If that isn't the truth, I don't believe the
Bible."
Branham, 50-0815 - Who Is God?
"Said, 'Do you believe Mark 16 inspired?' I said, "Yes, sir.

Every...' 'All from 9th verse on?' I said, 'Yes, sir. 'They take
up serpents, and drink deadly things.'"
Branham, 53-0513 - God's Provided Way
While his cult followers are not aware of the significance of

that his quote in 53-0513 "God's Provided Way," Branham is
describing a conversation with a person who is trying to tell
him that the ending of Mark 16 is not in the earliest
manuscripts. And he specifically pointed to the snake
handling and drinking of venom or poison.
559
At the time of the King James Version being translated, there
were very few manuscripts and a limited number of
translations. Yet, these translators were describing the issue
with continuing to use older translations, which had even
fewer manuscripts. Devious minds were adding scriptures,
and King James translators were doing their best to only
transcribe what they could prove to be the earliest and most
accurate passages of text. They wanted the most accurate
translation possible. This, they explain in the preface:
This same argument was made when the newer translations

were produced. Most newer versions of the Bible include a
footnote at the bottom of the page to describe the question of
authenticity of Mark 16. One such footnote reads as follows:
Mark 16:9 Some manuscripts end the book with 16:8; others
include verses 9â€“20 immediately after verse 8. At least
one manuscript inserts additional material after verse 14;
some manuscripts include after verse 8 the following: But
they reported briefly to Peter and those with him all that they
had been told. And after this, Jesus himself sent out by
means of them, from east to west, the sacred and
imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. These
manuscripts then continue with verses 9â€“20
Most scholars today agree that this addition to the ending of

the book of Mark was written approximately 2nd century A.
D. But the question today isn't whether or not the ending of
Mark is authentic. The question isn't even whether or not to
practice snake handling, as the passage describes as a "sign
to follow them who believe." The question is about original
truth!
William Branham claimed to have been the "restoration
560
prophet," one leading us back into original truth. He also
referenced the "snake handling passage," claiming that if he
doesn't believe in snake handling, he doesn't believe in the
Bible. And 1163 times in his recorded ministry, he
referenced this passage of scripture, including it as "original
truth."
If he did NOT practice snake handling, did he not believe

Mark 16? Was it only partial truth for William Branham?
Did he think that his followers should NOT believe that God
would protect them from handling snakes? Did he think the
Bible was mistaken, and that this particular "sign" would
NOT follow his group of people?
Or is there more behind these "blank spots" than meets the

eye?
561
William Branham - I Was
Standing Just Below This
Why are cult pastors now claiming that William Branham
never said that he was standing underneath the "mystery
cloud" of 1963? Are they tailoring their sermons to an
audience that is now aware that the cloud was not so much of
a "mystery" as it was an explainable phenomenon detailed in
James MacDonald's second report?
Our only explanation is that George Smith's timeline given in

an interview with Gospelcross made more sense than
William Branham's timeline -- since Branham was in
Houston, Texas when the cloud formed.
But why, after the last fifty years of proclaiming Branham's

natural experience under the cloud, do they deny their own
teaching? And why do they disagree with William Branham
himself, who claimed that the cloud was there "the same time
[he] was there?" and claimed that he was "standing just
below [the cloud]?"
Cult pastors have known these things for years. The real
question is why they taught what they knew to be false.
562
The Baxter - Branham
Campaigns
When the cult follower of William Branham's religious
movement hears the name "Ern Baxter," a warm feeling of
respect begins to come over their body as they start listening
to the recording. Repeatedly, their ears have heard the
phrase, "Thank you, brother Baxter," before Branham started
a number of sermons, and have heard the many kinds words
Branham used in respect for the man who was named first in
the "Baxter-Branham Campaigns."
As one repeatedly listens to these recordings, the brain

begins to be wired such that critical thinking and even basic
cognitive function ceases to exist. In almost a state of
slumber, every word Branham speaks is assumed to be
correct -- not only at the time the recording was made, but
forever until the eternity to come. Branham's words suddenly
reach immortality for the programmed mind.
Very few in the cult following of William Branham pause to

examine the history of the Post WWII Healing Revival. Its
rise and tragic fall, though directly related to William
Branham, contradict the altered reality created by allowing
only the history according to the tapes. Remembered only by
William Branham's welcoming praise of Ern Baxter, most
cult followers do not realize that Baxter abandoned the
Branham movement for its deceptive practices. While the
cult's only response to failed prophecy is the false impression
that the healing ministry was successful, Baxter's only
response as to why he left Branham was just the opposite.
563
"I remember in the beginning of the healing movement,
simply to report a healing would produce great jubilation and
praise from congregations. However, the cynicism became so
deep that the people’s confidence was diminished. Even to
this day, people are
affected. People began to circulate healing testimonies
which, when they were checked out by reputable journalists
and reporters, even those who were friendly to the
movement, were found to be false. The percentage of
healings that stood up after investigation was embarrassingly
low. As a result, disillusionment set in, and the healing
movement as it was known in the beginning declined in
momentum until today you can’t say it really amounts to
anything as a movement."
- Ern Baxter, New Wine, 1978
Ern Baxter was a Canadian Pentecostal evangelist that rose

to fame in the 1930's and 1940's through his missionary work
as a musician and eventually speaker. Around 1950,
Branham asked Baxter to join with him, and the Baxter-
Branham campaigns toured the nation attracting large
audiences. But it only took Baxter less than seven years to
realize that the Divine Healing movement itself was not of
God.
Baxter's testimony puts balance to some of William

Branham's more incredible stories. Many who have fled the
cult of William Branham are familiar with the esoteric
"mysteries" and their thematic conflicts with scripture.
Interestingly, while it takes the average person a good bit of
time to come to this conclusion, Baxter claims to have
noticed it almost immediately. In fact, he claims to have
begged Branham to hold his tongue when straying from
564
Scripture. While the cult would have their followers believe
Baxter left Branham for "differences in opinion," Ern Baxter
is quite clear that Branham's teaching was seriously wrong.
Branham saw himself as a teacher of some kind of “in” truth.

To me, some of it was quite esoteric. I became aware early in
his ministry that there was a mixture. I urged him not to say
some things in public. As long as we worked together he
refrained. One of the reasons for my leaving him was that he
was starting to say some seriously wrong things. When that,
coupled with other circumstances, eventually became
unbearable, I resigned. I think there can be a lesson in this.
Branham, as a miracle worker, had a real place. Branham as
a teacher was outside of his calling. The fruits of his teaching
ministry are not good.
- Ern Baxter, New Wine, 1978
Unfortunately, there was a period of time in our history when

Branham's failed prophecies, fictional and conflicting life
stories, and twisting of scripture was virtually unknown.
Even Baxter references the failed bridge prophecy, and takes
William Branham at his word that Branham started as a
Baptist minister rather than the pastor of the "Billie Branham
Pentecostal Tabernacle." The cult proudly references
uninformed documentaries such as the "God's Generals"
series on television when they pay tribute to Branham and
his mythology. This has since been corrected through the
work of several apologetics. All who fully examine William
Branham and his ministry agree with Ern Baxter -- the fruits
of Branham's teaching ministry are not good.
565
Edgar Cayce and William
Branham
A little over two hours south of Jeffersonville, Indiana and
about the same distance from Burkesville, Kentucky sits a
small town called Hopkinsville. And though this city holds
very little historical recognition for it, Hopkinsville
Kentucky is the birthplace of Edgar Cayce. Edgar Cayce was
born on March 18, 1877. Heavily influenced by the Christian
Revivalist meetings of the time, Cayce developed a lifelong
passion for studying the Bible and the Church. This interest
started at an early age.
As we walk through the story of Cayce's life, you will find

many elements familiar to the fictional life story of William
Branham. When you hear that Cayce claimed to have been
alone in the woods at the age of eight for his first angelic
visitation, it will give you pause.
"You seen in my little book there how the Angel of the Lord
appeared back in those days when I set right on a keg, when I
was only about eight years old"
Cayce's fame was not due to his public speaking. A school

dropout, Cayce left school in Hopkinsville after the seventh
grade to find work.
"I'm not much of a scholar, because I never got but just a

grammar school education, seventh grade at that."
Branham, 50-0821 - The Angel And The Commission
566
Cayce had the power of what Branham would call
"discernment." (Most non-programmed Christians correctly
use the word "clairvoyance.") When the spirit hit him, Cayce
claimed to see a bright light. Then, with considerable
accuracy, Cayce would tell the patient their disease or
affliction. But instead of collecting names and addresses on
hand-written prayer cards or through the whispers of others
working a campaign, Cayce had his wife describe the name
and location prior to the "discernment."
"Why, the very Holy Ghost Himself, the Word that's been
made power, is right here now, the very power of
discernment looking out upon this audience here now and
seeing that Light whirling around like a glow."
Branham, 62-0211 - Oneness
Over time, physicians began to take notice of Cayce. His

"discernment" had proven to be helpful in identifying some
of the more difficult conditions, and doctors began seeking
his help on tough cases. Like Branham, Cayce started
collecting doctors’ statements to confirm his "discernment."
One such doctor wrote:
"His psychological terms and description of the nervous

anatomy would do credit to any professor of nervous
anatomy. There is no faltering in his speech and all his
statements are clear and concise. He handles the most
complex jawbreakers with as much ease as any Boston
physician, which to me is quite wonderful in view of the fact
that while in his normal state he is an illiterate man,
especially along the lines of medicine, surgery and
pharmacy, of which he knows nothing... in six important
cases which had been diagnosed as strictly surgical he stated
that no such condition existed, and outlined treatment which
567
was followed with gratifying results in every case."
- Doctor Wesley Ketchum of Hopkinsville, Kentucky
"And all those testimonies in those books, they're of doctor's

bona fide statements. Don't be afraid to write in and see if
they're right. Trace them down, see if they're right.
- Branham, 53-0604 - The Angel Of The Lord
In the late twenties and early thirties, Cayce began having

visions of the future, many of which seem to have been
accurate. Some claim that he successfully predicted WWII
which his prophecy describing an "ism" that would rise
against Nazism.
"Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I said, "Now,

there's going to be three great isms. Which is now in
existence. One of them is in Rome, which is is Fascism, and
one of them is in Germany which is Nazi Nazism."
- Branham, 55-0501E - The Faith That Was Once Delivered
Two of Cayce's major predictions concerned the futures of

China and the Soviet Union, which at the time were the
world's great Communist giants. In 1944, he prophesied that
China would one day be "the cradle of Christianity as applied
in the lives of men." Through Russia, he said "comes the
hope of the world.
"What Communism needs over there is the Voice of God rise

up among them, and It would put it to a shame. ... What
Russia needs is a prophet to rise on the scene with the Word
of the Lord, that can can shut the mouth. Then that ninety
percent will take over.
Branham, 63-0120M - The Voice Of God In This Last Days
568
Like Branham, Cayce did not believe that stabling the
world's economy after the second World War would not be
successful. When asked in June 1943 whether it would be
feasible to work towards an international currency or a
stabilization of international exchange levels when the war
had ended, Cayce replied that "there may be another war
over just such conditions."
"But she is now rottening, and crumbling, and shaking, and

giving away. And trying to tax people, to get money to send
over yonder, to buy friendship with their enemies; they're
throwing it back in our face. One world war, two world war,
and still moving on to a third one. Certainly."
- Branham, 65-0219 - This Day This Scripture Is Fulfilled
In the early forties, Cayce began predicting Apocalyptic

events that would impact not only this nation, but the entire
earth. Like William Branham, Cayce believed that this
"judgment" would strike the west coast first. In his prophetic
voice, Cayce stated, "Los Angeles, San Francisco, most of all
these will be among those that will be destroyed before New
York, or New York City itself, will in the main disappear."
"And you watch, the water will come plumb back into the
Salton Sea. Los Angeles is doomed for judgment. I tell you
before it happens, that you might know when it does happen.
I never spoke that by myself. And I've never had Him to tell
me one thing but what happened. And you can bear record of
that. That's right. When? I don't know."
- Branham, 65-1126 - Works Is Faith Expressed
In both Cayce and Branham's predictions of the unfolding of

regeneration, earthquake activity along the West Coast fault
line would initiate the
569
In these doomsday predictions, Cayce predicted that the earth
would shift on its axis, creating a new Eden on earth. This
new cycle would be the new age, and climate would change
such "that where there has been a frigid or semi-tropical
climate, there will be a more tropical one, and moss and fern
will grow."
"For this season the sun has rocked away, or the earth has
rocked away from the sun, and it's following the the orbit as
it goes around; and it's way away, and cold weather is headed
for the earth. Therefore, the root holds the life of that leaf
until the earth rocks back around again, and then there is no
way to ever hide that leaf from coming back again. It'll come
back just as sure as the sun comes back. It'll come back. But
it has to wait for another season before it comes back."
- Branham, 61-1105 - The Testimony Of A True Witness
Cayce believed that this world came from another

civilization, and that civilization -- through the Spirit -- wrote
their records onto the Pyramid.
"A record of Atlantis from the beginning of those periods

when the Spirit took form, or began the encasements in that
land; and the developments of the peoples throughout their
sojourn; together with the record of the first destruction, and
the changes that took place in the land; with the record of the
sojournings of the peoples and their varied activities in other
lands, and a record of the meetings of all the nations or lands,
for the activities in the destruction of Atlantis; and the
building of the pyramid of initiation, together with whom,
what, and where the opening of the records would come, that
are as copies from the sunken Atlantis."
- Cayce
570
"I believe every seed was laying right there from some other
civilization or something, and as soon as the water lifted off
and the light struck it, up come the trees and everything."
The same thing with the human being; it's a type."
- Branham, 63-0321 THE.FOURTH.SEAL
"What's He doing? He's writing His first Bible. The first

Bible was ever written, was written in the skies, the zodiac. It
starts out with the virgin; that's how He come first. It ends up
with Leo the lion, the second coming. And He's writing His
first Bible. The second Bible was written, was written by
Enoch, and put in the pyramid.
- Branham, 53-0403 - The Cruelty Of Sin
571
Tabernacle Split - Part 2
The past several days have been hectic. We apologize for
those of you getting slow responses -- my phone has been
ringing night and day with questions or comments about the
Branham Tabernacle splitting up and statements made during
the resignation of the pastor, song leader, and entire staff of
deacons. It certainly makes for some short nights when so
many of you are in different time zones.
After publishing the questions last week, it was immediately

evident that many people are interested. It is the most active
page on our website, and traffic has increased exponentially.
There are a few common questions being asked, and we
thought it helpful to publish answers to questions beyond the
first set on our blog last week.
My pastor seems sincere. Do you think he is aware of the

failed prophecies and the 1936 date on the Branham
Tabernacle?
In our opinion, there are certain men that have tried to

answer these questions for years. But we cannot speak for
them. We hope, like you, that they are simply misguided and
will find Christ.
I am looking for examples of failed prophecies, but there

is an overwhelming amount of information to wade
through. Where do I start?
I recommend that you start with the prophecy that William
572
Branham himself admitted to have failed. Shouldn't we "say
what the tapes say?" :)
The Prophecy:
Mark my word; write it in the pages of your

Bible, for it's THUS SAITH THE LORD,
"Remember, when we land in India, you're going
to hear of tens of thousands times thousands
being saved." The Holy Spirit has said it; I've
wrote it here in my Bible; it's wrote in tens of
thousands of Bibles right here, like the
resurrection of the little boy. By a vision that He
said, "There's three hundred thousand of them in
there." And you see if that isn't right. There's
how the Gospel's going to be preached just
overnight. She'll just sweep like that from place
to place.
54-0515 QUESTIONS.AND.ANSWERS
Admitted Failure:
And when... I had been very much constrained to go

to--to India. And yet, as many of you might know, the
Indian trip wasn't the success that it should've been,
because I failed to follow the leading of the Holy
Spirit, and never recognized it after He give me a
vision to go to Africa first and then to India.
Branham, 57-0126B, India Trip Report
You can find more examples on our "Resources page"
I have heard mention that not all of William Branham's

life story is true. Do you know which parts are true and
573
which parts are false?
To date, the best examination of William Branham's life

story can be found in the book "Legend of the Fall."
Are the family of William Branham breaking any laws by

using parsonages and other tax-free benefits from the
church?
At this time, we are refraining from discussing the legalities

of what we see in court documents.
Are there other properties owned by the family of

William Branham that are listed as parsonages?
We are still sorting through all of the land owned by the

Branham family in multiple states throughout the US. It
would be better to wait for all the facts to surface before
making calculated guesses. Please wait for a more accurate
response.
Will the church lose their tax exempt status?
We are not experts of the tax code, nor do we claim to be. In

our opinion based on a limited understanding of tax law,
there appear to be two rules broken that place the church in
violation of the law.
Are there properties listed in other family members

besides the two sons?
At this time, we want to refrain from response. There is

nothing unusual with some of the properties we find listed.
574
Why would the sons of William Branham even care about
lot 15? Isn't just a parking lot?
Hrmm. That is the question, isn't it. :) Makes one wonder

what's under that pavement, doesn't it? Recently, a new
building was constructed on that lot, so technically they own
a parking lot and a building. But this was not the case when
Billy Paul, Joseph Branham, and Roy Roberson deeded the
parking lot away from the people of the Branham
Tabernacle.
Shouldn't the church have been required to have voted

on selling church property prior to deeding it away to an
Arizona for-profit company?
We are not experts on tax law, nor do we claim to be. But

our understanding of the law is that a vote by the trustees
would have been required. Since the only official document
we find at the courthouse states that Billy Paul, Joseph
Branham, and Roy Roberson are the trustees, it would appear
that the law was followed. In our opinion, it appears to be
legal but unethical.
Joseph Branham claimed that a mistake was made by an

attorney. Shouldn't the attorney be required to correct
that mistake before the transfer of ownership is legal?
We are not experts on title law, nor do we claim to be. But it

appears that something is a little fishy.
Am I correct in understanding that this transfer of

ownership for lot 15 effectively splits the building in
half?
575
We do not have the exact measurements. According to
Joseph Branham's statement, a portion of the building was
deeded to him, while the other portion was owned by the
people.
Where can I find Joseph Branham's statements on the

transfer of half the building?
On branham.org
What was in the "vault"?
Joseph Branham claims that the original master recordings

were stored in the vault. There are some legitimate questions
as to whether these were masters or copies of the masters,
however there is very little reason to doubt what was stored
in the vault.
Is it illegal to have "Dedicated in 1933" on the side of a

1936 building?
We are not experts in criminal law, nor do we claim to be. In

our understanding of the law, a person can write whatever he
or she pleases on the side of a building, so long as he or she
owns it.
Why does William Branham claim to be a "Baptist

minister" when he ministered from a "Pentecostal
Tabernacle?"
It is difficult to say why William Branham would be

untruthful. Our research shows that Pentecostalism was not
so popular until the mid to late forties, and some Pentecostal
ministers were ran out of town. It is quite possible that he
576
claimed to be Baptist simply to gain an audience that would
receive his sermons.
Why would God kill Hope and Sharon Rose in a 1937

flood because William Branham refused to join the
Pentecostals -- all while he preached in a Pentecostal
church?
There are multiple problems with Branham's descriptions of

"God's Wrath" and the events leading up to it. The bigger
question is why Branham's "god" would ignore the Eternal
Covenant of Grace to smite people over doctrinal issues. The
God of my bible loved Hope and Sharon Rose enough to
send His only Son to die for -- not for them to die unjustly.
Where can I find the deeds to the Branham Tabernacle

and the plots of land in question? I'd like to show my
family the 1936 date on the deed to the "Billie Branham
Pentecostal Tabernacle"
Those of you in the surrounding area of Jeffersonville are

able to examine all of this information for free at the
courthouse during operating business hours (9-4:30). Simply
walk in the front door, go through security, turn left, enter
the second door on your left, and walk into the room filled
with big, red books. There are four computers, and you can
easily search for "Branham" or "Branham Tabernacle" to see
all of the properties in Indiana. (You would need to do the
same in the other states where land is owned). The original
deed is in one of the big red books, and you can ask an
assistant for help. You are looking for Lot no 16, Block No 4
of Ingram & Reads subdivision of Part or Letter A in Grant
No. 2 of Clark County, State of Indiana. The deed is dated
November 9, 1936. We have attached a photo copy of the
577
deed, which will help you in locating the original.
Those of you outside of this area will have access to these

documents as well. We intend on publishing the findings to
our website when all of the records are collected.
Is there an IRS investigation?
We do not want to comment at this time.
Did the Branham Tabernacle hold church on Sunday?
According those still in contact and still attending the church,

yes. And it was a very packed church, from what we
understand.
Is Joseph Branham taking control of the church?
We cannot speak to his intentions, only to what we see

happening.
I have family trapped in this cult. Where can I find more

information?
We have the fundamental beliefs required by cult followers,

along with a quick examination of those beliefs, broken
down to five easy steps.
578
Tabernacle Split - Part 3:
We are still getting a lot of questions about the 1936 deed. I
realized after answering the last one that this is my fault; not
everyone is aware of the full extent of damage this deed does
to the very core foundation of the message, and I did not
fully address it in the last two posts. I will try my best to
explain the two most common questions:
1) Couldn't Branham have received the deed AFTER paying

off a mortgage?
2) Couldn't Branham have become Pentecostal BEFORE

1937?
These are very valid questions. But when one makes the
assumption that William Branham was being honest in his
life stories, several facts must be denied.
The first time I heard of the name and date problem, I

decided not to say anything about it on this website. In the
grand scheme of things, there are so many larger and more
obvious issues -- such as every single aspect of the bridge
prophecy's failure. And to be quite frank, it took me several
months to realize that it really did matter if one single
prophecy failed -- I honestly felt that William Branham was
still a prophet of God until I fully understood what Scripture
said about false prophets.
It wasn't until I started reviewing all of the information we

have from 1931-1937 that the name and date issue with the
579
deed was actually a real problem for Voice of God
Recordings. I have seen people in the message defend this
issue (and I myself defended it until I reviewed all the facts),
but with one very dangerous defense: Pick one single quote
that is vague enough to support some of the conflicting
information.
It wasn't until www.searchingforvindication.com started

publishing city directories and newspaper articles that I
realized the problem was bigger than I first thought. The
biggest problem is the name.
MORTGAGE.
The first time I noticed the dollar amount, I thought there

was some sort of foul play, so I had to ask a title attorney.
The 1936 deed was sold for the sum of $1.00 and "other
considerations. Since the building was not likely purchased
for one dollar, and since this usually implies an outside
financial situation, we assume that some money was
borrowed. In all cases, the deed is signed over to the new
owner. A mortgage is handled through a lien on the property.
Branham alludes to this when he mentions only having a
"dollar and eighty cents":
And, God in Heaven knows, that lays right there in the

corner of that Tabernacle stone since 1933, wrote on a page
of a Bible, laying right there. Look how they've done it. Look
what's come to pass. Impersonations, just exact. Said, "Let
them alone, their folly will be made known in the same
manner as Jambres and Jannes was." Here we are in that day.
I seen the church then when we was just laying the
cornerstone, people hanging in the sills and all around,
standing around the walls of the Tabernacle. There you are.
580
And they said, when it come up, the people of the city here,
said, "Within the space of six months..." Us with one dollar
and eighty cents to build a Tabernacle, a lot of the garage
people done decided it was going to be their garage. But it's
still a sheep pen for God's Sheep.
65-0718E - Spiritual Food In Due Season
Notice the "within the space of six months" and the date
1933.
Many of you are familiar with the photograph of Branham

laying the cornerstone. Snelling was directly behind
Branham, and beside him was his son who was between 4-6
years of age. That places the photograph between 1935-37,
which is our date range.
BILLIE BRANHAM PENTECOSTAL TABERNACLE.
The "Pentecostal" in the name is problematic. As early as

1933, William Branham was involved with Davis'
Pentecostal church with sermons advertised in the newspaper
such as "What is the Pentecostal Religion, and Why Have
it?"
581
Davis' church was established between 1929 and 1931, based
on city directories. And it initially was called the
"Pentecostal Baptist Church." Hope was involved in that
church, in the youth ministry, before she and William
Branham wed. All of this places into question portions of the
life story suggesting Branham's mother-in-law did not want
her to become Pentecostal; she was already Pentecostal prior
to their marriage.
Davis' church was not in the city directory as late as 1935.

According to newspapers, Branham was having tent revivals
after Davis' church closed, and then we begin seeing the
Billie Branham Pentecostal Tabernacle.
But again, in my initial opinion over two years ago, this was
a very minor issue. We have several other huge issues
placing much larger topics into question. If there were only
one or two issues, and they were questionable (and not
having studied Scripture), I'd still be attending my
grandfather's church. But some of the more fundamental
issues cannot be reconciled. It wasn't until I realized that the
1936 date also places into question the 1933 commission --
and that Branham's details do not match recorded history.
That was the turning point. It was at that moment that I
realized almost none of William Branham's life story had any
truth in it.
582
William Branham and Jack Moore
In the cult following of William Branham, there are a
handful of names that have become immortalized. An
unusual emotional response follows hearing their names, for
no other reason than a continual process of repeatedly
hearing them on recorded tape. Over time, and as their names
enter the mythology, listeners assume that these men who
helped create William Branham actually believed the cult
doctrine that William Branham taught.
One such name is Jack Moore.
Jack Moore was born on June 24, 1905 to Lucille Sammons

and her first husband. Abandoned by his father at age five,
Lucille married James Moore and young Jack took the
surname. The early years of his family were not very
religious, though they claimed the Methodist faith.
At age twelve, a tent revival in Mansfield Louisiana brought

a Pentecostal Reverend Bohannon into town, and Jack
walked a mile every night of the revival to hear the
preaching. Eager to hear about the baptism of the Holy
Spirit, Jack and his sister made their journey and took their
seats in the revival. It is claimed that in one of the meetings
Jack received the gift of speaking in tongues, and that his
first experience lasted over four hours.
But the Pentecostal movement was not nearly so popular

during the early years. While a Pentecostal revival of the
1950's would fill a tent with people of many Christian
denominations of faith, the early years of Pentecostalism was
583
often received as a threat to the community. After three
weeks of revival, the people of Mansfield ran Reverend
Bohannon out of town. And Jacks mother was just as upset
with her son as the townspeople were with the evangelist.
It was not until 1933 that Jack Moore's Pentecostal roots

began to take hold into solid ground. At the last minute, a
church in Houston Texas decided not to entertain guest
speaker Gordon Lindsay, and Lindsay started seeking
Pentecostal churches who would allow him to use their
pulpit. By pure happenstance, Lindsay pulled into a church
led by Moore's father-in-law. They allowed Lindsay to speak
for two weeks, during which time Jack Moore and Gordon
Lindsay become acquainted. Lindsay would return several
times during the next several years, staying with Moore and
speaking in the small church.
By 1940, Moore began his own ministry. Together with three

families in Shreveport Louisiana, they started a church he
would call "Life Tabernacle," an independent Pentecostal
church. It is said that there were only 18 people in the first
meeting, most of which were from the three families.
But by the mid-forties, Jack Moore was well connected in the

Pentecostal circles. Through Lindsay and a great deal of
work of his own, Jack was familiar with organizing events
and bringing people together. In 1947, Moore went to see a
meeting in Pine Bluffs, Arkansas held by William Branham,
and the two decided to work together.
Using Moore's connections and organization skills, Branham

and Moore were very successful. Moore left his church for
several months, touring several states with William
Branham. The largest meetings were in Texas, Arizona, New
584
Mexico, and California. Moore and Branham split the work,
both preaching and teaching in separate times during the day.
But by the time their tour had reached California, and before
it had ended, Moore decided that he wanted to leave and
return to Shreveport. When he left, Gordon Lindsay took his
place.
After that tour came to its completion, Lindsay travelled into

Shreveport to stay with the Moores. It was then that the two
decided to start a magazine to promote the ministries of the
big names of the Pentecostal movement, men that they had
been affiliated with long before helping William Branham
rise to fame. The magazine was first announced in a revival
February 1948 in Pensacola Florida, and it is said that 700
people signed up during that meeting. Within the first two
years of its publication, the magazine had over 250,000
subscribers. While Jack Moore financed the operation and
managed the production, Lindsay managed the articles and
photography.
In 1949, Moore's church had grown considerably. Starting

the New Life Tabernacle, Moore invited prophetess and
preacher Anna Moorehead Schrader to preach. The "woman
preacher" Anna, according to Moore's Voice of Healing
Magazine, was instrumental in William Branham's
campaigns. And Anna Schrader initiated the campaign at
New Life Tabernacle, after which William Branham
finished. Branham's portion of the meeting lasted from
November 25 to December 4, 1949.
As it relates to these two men and their business entities, the

cult following of William Branham have limited, partial
information. When one falsely assumes that the only
valuable history comes from the recorded statements of
585
William Branham, one might mistakenly assume that these
men supported the doomsday cult that Branham would later
create. But these two men, Jack Moore and Gordon Lindsay,
had no reservations as to which evangelist they promoted --
to the extent that they took no issue promoting non-
Pentecostal ministers. Jack Moore supported the local Billy
Graham Crusades, often inviting Baptist minister Billy
Graham into his church to use his pulpit. They were more
concerned with the Voice of Healing production than they
were William Branham. And their publication promoted the
ministries of several evangelists and promoted their
products.
Since the name "Voice of Healing" is no longer in use, many

in the cult of William Branham also falsely assume that
Branham's death halted their production. Never having
actually ... read ... the magazine, many mistakenly assume
that William Branham was front-and-center of their
attention. But in 1968, the Voice of Healing magazine
changed names briefly to World-Wide Revival, dropping the
name "healing" as the Healing Revival came to a definite
close. Later in 1971, it changed to Christ for the Nations
International (CFNI)
It does not take very long for one to examine the CFNI
website to see that the doctrine promoted by Moore's and
Lindsay's organization is absolutely nothing like what the
doomsday cult has become. If this website were to be sent to
a cult follower without mention of the two names in
Branham mythology, words of condemnation would
immediately pour from their mouth, words that have been
programmed into their minds by William Branham.
Ironically, should we include the names, "Gordon Lindsay"
and "Jack Moore," it would be much the opposite.
586
But when we examine the lives of these men who have
become immortalized in cult mythology, we have to ask the
question: why? Why did we place such reverence on men
who did not agree with William Branham's doctrine? "Voice
of Healing" was nothing more than a publishing company,
just as "Spoken Word" and later "Voice of God Recordings"
was and is publishing companies. What if they started
promoting other men in the health-and-wealth gospels?
Wouldn't we raise a few eyebrows if products from Creflo
Dollar's ministry were offered for sale on branham.org? Or if
Kenneth Copeland and Benny Hinn books and videos were
available for purchase on the website?
Jack Moore had absolutely no idea that William Branham's

following would one day turn into a religious cult that
condemned all other ministries in the prosperity gospel and
word-faith movements. He had no idea that Branham would
later condemn women preachers after being so attached to
Anna Shrader, whom he knew and respected. When we learn
that even the Full Gospel Businessman's Association cut ties
with William Branham -- an organization of which Moore
was a Director, we must ask ourselves this question:
If Jack Moore knew that William Branham would turn to

self-promotion during the later years of his ministry, fully
establishing himself as a doomsday-cult leader, would Jack
Moore have even supported his ministry in the Voice of
Healing Magazine?
587
Tabernacle Split - Part 4
Thank you all for your patience with any delay in response.
We do respond to every email with the exception of those
wishing to start a private debate. So if your email has not
been answered, please do not think we are ignoring your
questions. Also, do not feel that your question was not
important to us if your question does not make the list “we
are not ready to answer some questions in public. Some of
these may be repeated from earlier questions, as they are
slightly more or better-explained information included in the
response:
You mentioned the "1933 commission" in one of your

statements. Are you referring to Branham's baptismal
service in 1933 on the Ohio River? And if so, does the
1936 deed to the Branham Tabernacle affect this in any
way?
Yes, I was referring to the 1933 Baptism. I do not recall any

statements made by William Branham binding this event to
his alleged 1933 tabernacle with a 1936 deed.
In a broad sense, however, these were all linked together.

Branham seemed to have placed a great deal of significance
on the year 1933.
Why do you say that the 1933 Baptism is in question?

Wasn't this event published in newspapers in multiple
countries?
588
There are multiple problems with his 1933 baptismal claim,
the biggest of which is the claim to newspaper publications.
Branham claimed that as the 17th person was baptized, God
spoke from the heavens, and newspaper reporters published
articles describing the "Mystic Light over a Baptist
Minister." At the time he made these claims, Branham had
no idea that an "internet" would allow people to search old
newspapers from their recliner on a hand-held computer.
Now, any person can review the historical publication of
practically any newspaper in the United States on sites like
www.newspapers.com. His description of the article being
"packed plumb up into Canada" would imply that the
Associated Press had picked up the story, and it is very
evident that this is not the case. Regardless, even the local
newspaper ran a very small article describing 14 persons
being baptized.
Here are the main issues:

* Branham was not a "Baptist Minister." He was associate
pastor of a Pentecostal church that taught sermons about
Pentecostalism according to their newspaper advertisements
* The Associated Press did not mention such event
* The local newspapers have a completely different account
* Branham's descriptions of the event have internal conflicts,
such as the number of people watching from the shore.
* The story sounds strangely familiar to cult leader William
Sowders of Shepherdsville KY.
Isn't it illegal for Voice of God Recordings to publish

information that is not true?
In our opinion, it should be illegal and subject to criminal

punishment. If their online store were "Amazon," it would
589
fall under the category of "false advertisement." But under
the name of religion, however, the US Government has no
authority to intervene in fictional stories. One can worship
the "Flying Spaghetti Monster" if they want to.
I read a sermon where Brother Branham mentions

buying a new car in 1933. Why does he mention having
only a dollar to buy a church?
In the book, "Legend of the Fall," you can find several of

William Branham's poverty claims examined. When one
realizes that Branham lived a very comfortable lifestyle
compared to other people in the town, it places many of his
claims into question.
Who did William Branham buy the church from?
According to the deed, the Tabernacle was purchased from a

widower by the name of William T. Ingram. But the deed
itself is conveyed and warranted to the people, through three
trustees: E. A. Seward, George DeArk, and Frank Weber.
These were the trustees of the Billie Branham Pentecostal
Tabernacle in 1936, according to this document.
Why does Brother Branham say that he preached in a

"Missionary Baptist Church?" Was he referring to Roy
E. Davis' church?
We cannot say why Branham was untruthful, only what we

see. Davis' church was well advertised in Jeffersonville, and
never advertised or named "Missionary Baptist."
Davis himself says that he introduced Branham into the

Pentecostal assembly.
590
Branham's statement:
The 1937 flood come up. Sorrows begin to break in. Things
went wrong at the church. My congregation begin to drop.
Just get out of the harmony with God one time. And friends,
I'll always regret it as long as I live. Right then, my church
thought I was a fanatic. They still do. Not my church body at
Jeffersonville, no, no, I mean the BAPTIST CHURCH that I
belonged to.
Why did Brother Branham and Roy E. Davis separate?
We cannot speak to the opinions of Branham or Davis, only

the facts. There was a fire at Davis' publication company,
and after the fire he decided to leave for Texas. There is
evidence, including a senate testimony, that suggests that
Davis was involved with the Ku Klux Klan, which was very
active in Southern Indiana. Davis'
591
Was this whole "Message" created as a business to begin
with? Or was it really a new religion?
We cannot speak towards Branham's intentions. We can only

examine the facts. Facts suggest that it was initially started as
a business, owned and operated as a business, and has
produced an estimated billions of dollars during the course of
the last several decades. When one examines Gordon
Lindsay and Jack Moore's lifestyles versus promotion of
Branham's campaigns, it is evident that they were not fully
believers of Branham's ascetic message.
Why does Voice of God Recordings operate their printing

presses in Jeffersonville? Isn't it cheaper to print the
material overseas, and have it shipped locally rather than
internationally?
We cannot speak to Voice of God Recordings' intentions. At

first glance, it appears that a lot of money is wasted in
operating as they do.
I have donated several thousands of dollars to Voice of

God Recordings over the last several years. Will I be
getting my money back?
I cannot speak on behalf of Voice of God Recordings as to

their intentions, should a large number of people suddenly
demand their money back. In my opinion, I cannot imagine
them refunding even a single penny.
Will there be a class action lawsuit filed against Voice of

God Recordings?
592
I will refrain from this question at the present time.
Has Voice of God Recordings contacted you to answer

any of your questions?
No. The closest VOGR has came was a letter claiming that I
had a personal issue with my grandfather.
Has Voice of God Recordings approached the former

pastor of the Tabernacle to persuade him to come back to
the Tabernacle? Is he not worried about his salvation?
Any information I have about a meeting between Joseph

Branham and my grandfather is second-hand. I cannot speak
as to Joseph Branham's concerns.
I was recently cut off from fellowship for asking a

question about William Branham. Is this a common
experience?
Yes. We are working with hundreds of people around the

world, many of which share the same experience.
I thought Branham's prophecies were given to him in

1932. Why did you call them the "Prophecies of 1933?"
William Branham gave multiple dates for his "vision from

God." One of them is 1932, but in most instances of his
description of the vision, he claims that it was 1933.
Where are the prophecies now?
This question would imply that they actually exist. Branham

claimed to have:
593
* buried them in the cornerstone
* kept them in the flyleaf of his bible
* kept them in a desk drawer
* kept them at home
* given them to Leo Mercier to "revise" so that they were
"up to date"
Has anyone ever seen Brother Branham's list of

prophecies that he wrote in the flyleaf of his Bible?
Not to my knowledge. If this list existed, we can assume that

Voice of God Recordings would proudly display them with
the other memorabilia.
Has anyone ever asked to see the "Prophecies of 1933?"

What was the response?
Any response given is second-hand information. I am told by

others that they have asked to see this list, but with varying
responses. I recommend that you write into VOGR to get
your own response, and then compare with the responses
others will share with you. Whose response will be the best?
Why does Joseph Branham want ownership of the

Branham Tabernacle?
We cannot speak to Joseph Branham's intentions.
594
The 1936 Deed vs. William
Branham's Life Story
For those of you asking about the 1936 deed, there is one
quote that is critical. One person in the Message was asking
about it last night, and I tried to find this quote but without
succeeding. As you are aware, the 1936 Deed describes
Branham's church as the "Billie Branham Pentecostal
Tabernacle," which is critical in understanding the huge
underlying problem. Compare this name to Branham's
statement:
The 1937 flood come up. Sorrows begin to break in. Things
went wrong at the church. My congregation begin to drop.
Just get out of the harmony with God one time. And friends,
I'll always regret it as long as I live. Right then, my church
thought I was a fanatic. They still do. Not my church body at
Jeffersonville, no, no, I mean the BAPTIST CHURCH that I
belonged to.
Branham 53-1108A - Life Story
595

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The 2015 Articles

Copyright 2015. Seek The Truth, Inc

ABOUT THIS BOOK 10

THE BRIDGE GRACE BUILT 11

VOICE OF GOD RECORDINGS CONTRADICTIONS 103

VOICE OF GOD RECORDINGS CONTRADICTIONS (CONTINUED): 105

FROM THE FAQS PAGE ON THEMESSAGE.COM 107

LOGICALLY FLAWED ARGUMENTS ON THEMESSAGE.COM 110

LETTER TO JOSEPH BRANHAM: 114

POSTED TO THE USER POSTS ON THIS PAGE: 120

TORTURING TURTLES FOR FUN: 129

HOPE'S NURSE: 130

BIBLE VERSES ABOUT PRIDE: 132

SCRIPTURE WARNS OF FALSE PROPHETS: 133

THE INTERSECTION OF WILLIAM BRANHAM AND JIM JONES 134

HEBREWS 4 — REST, THROUGH SALVATION 137

WILLIAM BRANHAM - BEFORE I DIE 149

JOHN 12:17-28: 151

JOHN 12:28-36 156

THE 1933 PROPHECY OF THE 1977 DOOMSDAY: 160

THE MESSAGE AND CHRISTIAN PATRIARCHY--INTRODUCTION TO A SERIES:

THE DUGGARS (CHRISTIAN PATRIARCHY) VS. THE MESSAGE OF WILLIAM

LEE VAYLE ON THE BRIDGE PROPHESY 175

SEX SCANDALS AND CHRISTIAN PATRIARCHY (PART 3) 177

WILLIAM BRANHAM'S "FUTURE HOME" PLAGIARISM 193

BRANHAM'S BIBLE BASHING BONANZA: 218

"DON'T THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATHWATER" 220

WILLIAM BRANHAM'S TRUMPET OF UNCERTAINTY 223

SUCH AN UNCERTAIN SOUND 230

THE TESTIMONY OF ALFRED POHL 232

BIBLICAL EXEGESIS: 233

PASTORS LEADING THEIR CONGREGATIONS FROM WILLIAM BRANHAM

LOGICAL FALLACIES-THE AD HOMINEM 238

LOGICAL FALLACIES--COMPARING APPLES TO ORANGES: 239

DID WILLIAM BRANHAM BAN SOCCER? 242

LOGICAL FALLACIES--THE STRAWMAN 244

WILLIAM BRANHAM AND THE DYLANN ROOF MASSACRE 246

THE PARK - WILLIAM BRANHAM AND HOMOSEXUAL PREDATORS 248

UNENDING QUESTIONS 250

THE ROMANS ROAD 254

A LOOK INSIDE THE COVER OF LARKIN'S DISPENSATIONAL TRUTH: 256

THINGS WE CAN AGREE ON 258

AN IN-DEPTH COMPARISON BETWEEN LARKIN AND BRANHAM: 262

WILLIAM BRANHAM ON SALVATION 268

TO THE MANY WHO ARE CONTACTING US ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY 273

CAN YOU CATCH THE "REVELATION" ABOUT 1977? 279

LET’S TALK DISEASES 282

DID YOU KNOW - FOURTH OF JULY 286

THE CHICKEN OR THE WOMAN'S EGG 289

WILLIAM BRANHAM'S RACIAL SLURS IN THE SERMONS 293

HOUSTON DURING CLOUD, BACK TO ARIZONA, LATER ADD A FACE 312

SEEKING GOD 315

THE PENTAGRAM TABERNACLE EMBARRASSMENT 318

DEDICATED IN 1933. OR 1934. OR 1935. OR 1936 321

LET'S TALK NUMBERS 322

HOW 'BOUT THEM SECOND BROWN BEARS 324

A MATTER OF FACTS 327

WILLIAM BRANHAM IS NOT FALSE 329

WILLIAM BRANHAM AND HOMOSEXUAL PIGALLE 335

WILLIAM BRANHAM'S HOLY GHOST EXPERIENCE 349

WILLIAM BRANHAM'S PROPHECY HUMBLE PIE 351

BECAUSE HE SAID SO 353