An Interview with John Collins on the Theology of “The Message” and William Marrion Branham (Part Three)

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2019/04/01

Abstract 

John Collins is an Author, and the Webmaster of Seek The Truth. He discusses: false claims and lies of William Marrion Branham; central false claims by Branham about Christianity; the central false claims by Branham about the role of men and women within the church; the central false claims about the nature of the world and the nature of Christ by Branham (compared to mainstream interpretations of the Bible and the narrative of the life of Christ); the main lies by Branham to the followers of The Message; the peripheral but noteworthy false claims by Branham made about the Bible; the peripheral but noteworthy false claims by Branham made about Christianity; the peripheral but noteworthy false claims by Branham made about the nature of the world and the nature of Christ by Branham (compared to mainstream interpretations of the Bible and the narrative of the life of Christ); the peripheral but noteworthy lies by Branham to the followers of The Message; and the single false claim or lie that tends to be the most powerful in deconverting members from the cult or cult-like community.

Keywords: Christianity, faith healing, John Collins, Seek The Truth, The Message, webmaster, William Marrion Branham.

An Interview with John Collins on the Theology of “The Message” and William Marrion Branham (Part Three)[1]^,[2]

*Please see the footnotes, bibliography, and citation style listing after the interview.*

1. Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Let’s talk about specific instances of false claims and lies by the late William Marrion Branham. What have been the central false claims by Branham about the Bible?

John Collins: For any who have never spent any significant time learning or indoctrinated in the theology of William Branham’s “Message” cult theology, it would sound very strange to review Branham’s false claims about the Bible. To the casual listeners of his sermons, those who are familiar with the Bible and its teachings, William Branham’s theology is only slightly off in many cases. The casual listener might recognize erroneous statements but would be unfamiliar with the doctrinal positions built upon those same errors.

I differ with some of my colleagues in their opinion of the nature of these errors. Some who are both familiar with Christian theology and Branham’s errors are of the opinion that Branham was simply an uneducated man who did not understand the Biblical text and made some false claims that are in three categories: trivial mistakes, unorthodox doctrine based solely upon his religious affiliation, and in later years, destructive doctrine. My research has painted a much different picture. His early communication skills, as both a speaker and a writer, suggest that he was educated much more than his latest iteration of stage persona described. His religious doctrine and affiliation are far more fluid than most are aware, as are his doctrinal positions. And the errors that some might consider trivial are the building blocks that were used to eventually lift himself into position as the central figure of a destructive cult that has been the tree from which several other destructive cult branches were created. There definitely appears to have been strategy and purpose behind even these false claims.

For example, William Branham falsely claimed that the Biblical stories of Enoch and Noah intersected[i], and that Enoch lived five hundred years until the days of Noah[ii]. To the casual listener, this is a simple mistake. The Bible states that Enoch was taken by God after 365 years and is very clear on the timeline from Enoch to Noah. According to Genesis chapter 5, Enoch fathered Methuselah at age 252, Methuselah fathered Lamech at age 187, and Lamech fathered Noah at age 182 – placing Noah’s birth approximately seventy years after Enoch left the earth.

Those who are familiar with Branham’s indoctrination strategy, however, recognize this “simple mistake” as one of the primary building blocks for a destructive cult. Branham used this “mistake” to claim that Noah symbolically represented mainstream Christianity, while Enoch symbolically represented the “Bride”, which he considered to be his “Message” cult.[iii] This parallel was used by Branham to later claim that mainstream Christianity must suffer while his cult would escape unharmed before the End of Days.

2. Jacobsen: What have been the central false claims by Branham about Christianity?

Collins: During the formation of the “Message” cult, as William Branham was establishing a group of followers from which to recruit, most of Branham’s claims about Christianity were general observations that could seemingly be verified by a large population of the Christian community. His claims against mainstream Christianity were mostly limited to statements against cold, formal religion[iv], hypocrisy[v], and complacency[vi]; claims that many of his listeners could easily recognize. He rarely spoke against the Christian denominations of faith, as many attendees to his highly advertised revival meetings were from mainstream Christianity. Instead, he promoted his campaigns as “inter-evangelical”[vii] and “inter-denominational”[viii], showing support for the overall non-Catholic Christian community. His sermons contained an inviting, all-are-welcome theme of unity.[ix]

During this time, Branham tailored the theology in his sermons to match the beliefs of the majority of people in his revivals and appeared to have understood what he preached. In a prayer while standing before a Trinitarian crowd in Erie, PA, Branham asked the “Third Person of the Trinity”, the “Holy Spirit” to come.[x] In New York, NY, he announced that he had accepted the Trinity.[xi] In Saskatoon, SK, he attempted to unite Oneness Pentecostalism with Trinitarianism, explaining that Trinitarians believed in One God, and that Oneness theology was mistakenly missing the distinction between the Father and the Son.[xii] Yet Branham is mistakenly remembered by most religious historians as a Oneness Pentecostal.[xiii]

When speaking before non-Trinitarian crowds, however, Branham would reject Trinitarianism, claiming that he believed in three “dispensations” of God instead of three “Persons”.[xiv] While doing so, he often implied that Trinitarian Christians believed in “three gods”.[xv] Over the years, Branham’s doctrine continued to display signs of destructive theology, causing even his closest affiliations to sever ties.[xvi] Invitations to speak before Trinitarian churches would decrease, leaving his anti-Trinitarian statements the more popular doctrine among his diminishing population of listeners. As a result, his false claims comparing Trinitarianism to polytheism would eventually become a fundamental part of “Message” theology.

Branham’s false claim that denominational Trinitarians believe in “three gods” is the central core to several trails of very destructive theology, each trail another false claim that is built upon that false idea. From this claim, he linked mainstream Christianity to the Serpent in the Garden of Eden[xvii]. He claimed that the Bible prohibited baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which was common among his Oneness Pentecostal peers, but took it a step further by claiming Protestantism would eventually merge with the Catholic Church[xviii] to begin the battle of Armageddon[xix].

3. Jacobsen: What have been the central false claims by Branham about the role of men and women within the church?

Collins: William Branham’s church organization theology, commonly referred to as “Church Order Doctrine”, was the basis for the organization, structure, and governance of his religious cult. Within this theology Branham established the hierarchy and rank of his cult pyramid, placing himself as the central figure while positioning key individuals as watchers over the ranks as is commonly done among many destructive cults. This hierarchy had no position for women, which was common among Christian Fundamentalism at the time. Branham’s Creation theology was uncommon, however, as he claimed that women were designed by Satan to deceive men.[xx] Therefore, instead of placing women at the bottom of the pyramid in the cult structure, he appears to have demoted women to a lesser position than even the rank-and-file cult member.

The Bible describes multiple women in leadership positions. Deborah, a female prophetess, was the fourth judge and leader of Israel.[xxi] Junia was an apostle, praised by the Apostle Paul.[xxii] Paul describes Phoebe’s role as a deacon[xxiii], and evidence suggests that Pheobe may have also done the work of an evangelist.[xxiv] [xxv] Priscilla[xxvi] [xxvii], Mary,[xxviii] Chloe[xxix], and others[xxx] ministered or served from their homes. William Branham falsely claimed that the Bible forbade women from participating in these roles, carefully avoiding these particular passages when describing his church organization.[xxxi]

Branham claimed governance of the church body was authoritative rather than servant leadership. According to Branham, even the deacons of the cult churches had roles of authority, and he described their role as that of “police officers”.[xxxii] This is vastly different from the role of the deacon in mainstream Christianity. The word “deacon” is derived from the Greek word diákonos (διάκονος)[xxxiii], which meant “servant”.

4. Jacobsen: What have been the central false claims about the nature of the world and the nature of Christ by Branham (compared to mainstream interpretations of the Bible and the narrative of the life of Christ)?

Collins: William Branham made several extra-biblical claims about Jesus Christ as he compared Christ’s days on earth to his own. According to Branham, eighty-six percent of Christ’s ministry was focused upon “divine healing”.[xxxiv] Rather than an eternally-existing Person of the Godhead, Branham taught that Christ was the archangel Michael from Jude 1:9 in the Bible.[xxxv] Similar to many ancient mythologies, Branham taught a version of Christianity wherein both the good deity and evil deity were equal. According to Branham, Satan was once equal in power to God.[xxxvi]

As a result, Branham’s doctrine over-emphasized the forces of evil, under-emphasized the forces of good, and drew attention to himself as the rising “spiritual” champion. The worldview his extra-biblical claims created was very disturbing, one he considered to be “Satan’s Eden”.[xxxvii] As the cult’s destructive nature began to progress towards doomsday predictions,[xxxviii] Branham’s opinion of the world further declined while his claims about himself grew more egotistical. After convincing his followers that he was the return of “Elijah the prophet”, Branham began to claim that the “Elijah” of today was “Jesus Christ” in the form of a prophet.[xxxix] Branham’s central false claim about the nature of Christ was that he, himself, was the Christ. He was very strategic in how these claims were made; building blocks of doctrine were spread across several sermons, and one must be fully indoctrinated to understand or believe all of his claims about himself.

Mainstream interpretations of the world and nature of Christ are literally reversed. Most people in mainstream Christianity believe Jesus to be eternally God,[xl] and believe any person claiming to be Jesus Christ to be an inspired voice of Satan.[xli] If you examine the core, fundamental elements of mainstream Christianity and Branham’s “Message” cult doctrine, the two appear to be direct opposites.

5. Jacobsen: What have been the main lies by Branham to the followers of The Message?

Collins: Similar to the strategy of introducing a biblical error into the doctrine, growing acceptance, and building tiers of other doctrinal errors upon it, Branham’s stage persona was created by introducing a series of factual errors. Each error appears to be minor when examined alone, but when examined as a collection, one factual error is fully dependent upon another. Yet they are equally as important. All factual errors appear to serve the purpose of giving his stage persona “supernatural” and authoritative characteristics.

At its core, the “Message” belief system has been based upon the idea that William Branham was the reincarnation of the “spirit” of the prophet Elijah from the Old Testament[xlii], and that a series of life-changing “supernatural” events were all part of “God’s plan” to lift William Branham into power as the “prophet messenger” sent to condemn the world and announce the return of Jesus Christ. The factual errors surrounding these events, however, are significant when considering their importance to the “Message”. If these elements of Branham’s stage persona are not true, then Branham’s importance in Church history is diminished to nothing more than a religious grifter.

Branham claimed to have been a Baptist minister[xliii] who ignored the “Pentecostal calling”[xliv], and claimed that as a result, God killed his father, brother, first wife, and daughter during the time of the 1937 flood of the Ohio River.[xlv] He also claimed that as a result of these two events, several “supernatural” events took place redirecting him back into “God’s plan”, which his cult believes (based upon his doctrine) was to become the final “messenger” before the destruction of the world.

Many people influenced by Branham’s “Message” cult theology are surprised to learn that many of the details in these claims are either inaccurate or fabricated for the sake of molding his stage persona. When Branham first started his church in Jeffersonville, Indiana, he inherited a Pentecostal congregation from his mentor: Pentecostal minister and Ku Klux Klan leader Rev. Roy E. Davis.[xlvi] [xlvii] [xlviii] The 1936 deed, plat map, and newspaper advertisements were for the “Billie Branham Pentecostal Tabernacle”[xlix] instead of “Baptist Church”, and he had been affiliated with the Pentecostal faith as early as 1928.[l] [li] His wife was diagnosed with the disease that led to her death in January 1936[lii], and she died long after the 1937 flood subsided. When one takes the time to examine the historical data concerning each claim, it is evident a majority of claims regarding himself and the events surrounding his ministry were both creations of his own imagination and accounts containing many incorrect details.

6. Jacobsen: What have been the peripheral but noteworthy false claims by Branham made about the Bible?

Collins: There are too many peripheral claims to examine in one conversation, however there is one peripheral claim that is significant when considering the creation of the cult structure. William Branham claimed that the Bible text describes a timeline of succession of prophets, one “major prophet” per “age”[liii], each described as the human through which came salvation, and without which came destruction.[liv] He often used symbology to compare this scenario to present times, suggesting that he was the “prophet” for this “age” while other evangelists of the era who were claiming prophecy would lead “their people” to destruction.[lv] In doing so, Branham changes the Biblical narrative such that it makes the role of Biblical prophets authoritative rather than supportive and creates dependencies on human leadership rather than divine. Branham’s theology concerning Biblical prophets described that of the central figure of a cult, and once indoctrinated with these false claims, his followers use these them to defend Branham’s authoritative leadership.

If one simply searches for ‘Cyrus’ and ‘Darius’ in the Old Testament, it is evident that the Biblical narrative describes multiple major and minor prophets that were alive and active at the same time. Major prophets Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel were prophesying at the same time minor prophets Obediah, Habbakuk were prophesying, and the only theological distinction between a “major” and a “minor” prophet is the number of pages available to us in the Bible canon.[lvi]

So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian

Daniel 6:28

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:

2 Chronicles 36:22

Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you?

Ezekiel 28:3

7. Jacobsen: What have been the peripheral but noteworthy false claims by Branham made about Christianity?

Collins: Branham’s peripheral claims about Christianity were typically statements that appear to have been made in an attempt to create a distaste in mainstream Christianity. Inaccurate statements can be found through Branham’s recorded sermons ranging from modern theology to ancient Church history. When examined as a whole, the combination of false claims promotes his notion that Protestantism would eventually merge into Catholicism leaving only his “Message” cult as the single body of “Christians” that will stand against the Roman Catholic Church – which he claimed to be inspired by Satan.[lvii] Chronologically speaking, this trail of reasoning begins with his inaccurate description of the First Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.)

In Branham’s version of history, the Council gathered to force Trinitarianism upon the body of Christians, introducing the notion of Pagan polytheism into Church doctrine.[lviii] This, he claimed, was Satan’s disguising himself in the form of Christian religion to later deceive those who did not accept “their prophet for the age” (himself). Many people influenced with Branham’s theology are surprised to learn that the intentions of the Nicene Council were almost the exact opposite; they organized to prevent the influence of Arianism, which many claimed to be the influence of Greek mythology (polytheism) into Christianity.[lix]

Arius, from which the Arianism doctrine originated, believed Jesus Christ to be a creature distinct from God the Father, and therefore subordinate to Him. He believed that God the Father existed eternally, but that the Son did not. According to Arius, John 3:16’s description of “God’s only begotten Son” was to be interpreted literally; that God literally fathered a subordinate Son. He believed that the Holy Spirit was not part of the Godhead, rejecting the Trinitarian views for a form of Dualism, or two gods. According to Christian historians, Arius’ theology was quite popular. So much so that the notion of a “God of our God”[lx] was seen as a threat to the existence of Christianity. A council of Christian bishops met in the Bithynian city of Nicaea to squash the quickly growing sect. After much debate, they declared that there was only One God, and that Arius’ notion of two Gods was heretical. This resulted in the Niceno-Constinopolitan Creed, and ultimately the preservation of Christian monotheism in the form of Trinitarianism.[lxi]

It is interesting that William Branham used false claims about the Nicene Council and Nicene Creed to support the Oneness Pentecostalism theology he is remembered for preaching, because Branham himself was not beholden to any specific belief concerning the Christian Godhead. Depending upon his audience, Branham preached Modalism[lxii], Arianism[lxiii], and Trinitarianism.[lxiv]

8. Jacobsen: What have been the peripheral but noteworthy false claims by Branham made about the nature of the world and the nature of Christ by Branham (compared to mainstream interpretations of the Bible and the narrative of the life of Christ)?

Collins: The “Gospel”, in its simplest form, is the idea that God walked among man, in human flesh, to offer Himself as a sacrifice to take the place of the sins of the world.[lxv] In Oneness Pentecostalism William Branham is almost universally remembered as preaching, there is no distinction between God the Father or God the Son; Oneness theology believes simply that “God” died on the cross for the transgression.[lxvi] Trinitarian theologians also believe that “God” died on the cross for the transgression, but that Jesus Christ is one third, or one Person, in a triune Godhead.[lxvii]

In most cases, William Branham agreed with either the Oneness[lxviii] or the Trinitarian[lxix] theological view. To specific crowds however, Branham deviated from both of these theological views to claim that God left Jesus shortly before the crucifixion, and that Jesus was a mortal human at the time of his death.[lxx] Most ministers in mainstream Christianity would argue that the death of a mortal on a cross would be simply that: the death of a mortal on a cross. God offering Himself as a sacrifice in human flesh has significant meaning to most Christians.[lxxi]

9. Jacobsen: What have been the peripheral but noteworthy lies by Branham to the followers of The Message?

Collins: When I first started my research, a minister who had recently left the “Message” presented me with a list of questions that he had accumulated during his years promoting William Branham and his ministry. The list was several pages long. When I first examined the list, I discounted a majority of the issues raised because they seemed insignificant. “Is it true that John the Baptist only had – six converts?” “Are UFO’s really investigating angels of judgment?” “Is Capernaum, today at the bottom of the sea?” The full list, including many of William Branham’s quotes raising the questions, can be viewed on my website at seekyethetruth.com/Branham/resources-deep-questions.aspx.

Over time, and as my understanding of the research material increased, I realized that these were not insignificant questions. Yes, they were peripheral to Branham’s fundamental doctrine, but each question about each false statement made by William Branham was detrimental to the structural integrity of the cult’s theology. Some of the points listed were not even specifically questioning William Branham; they were questioning statements made by William Branham during times Branham claimed that God was speaking through him – they were allegedly statements made by God Himself!

Branham’s claim that the city of Capernaum lies beneath the sea, for instance, seems to be a simple error in geographical and historical knowledge when taken at face value. This statement was made, however, as Branham claimed to be “prophesying” condemnation for the city of Los Angeles.[lxxii] [lxxiii] The “Voice” claimed that the cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, and Capernaum lie at the bottom of the sea, and that Los Angeles would suffer the same fate unless the people of the city repented.

This is significant, because the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah have yet to be discovered. Only a divine voice could know that the cities were in the depths of the sea, if this is actually the case. Capernaum, on the other hand, has never been submerged, and is a famous site for tourists to visit locations where the Apostles held meetings. The city lay in ruins from about the third century to 1839 when it was discovered by a visiting scholar. Recent excavations have identified St. Peter’s home, where Jesus would have visited.[lxxiv]

10. Jacobsen: Of all the false claims and lies by Branham, what single false claim or lie tends to be the most powerful in deconverting members from the cult or cult-like community?

Collins: I wish that I could say that one single area of research could lead to the awakening of those under the undue influence of this or any destructive cult. I wish that I could create one single document or brochure describing the issue and why it is false, providing all of the many resources available to allow members to examine the false claim for themselves. The sad truth is that this is not how it works. There is a reason why the term “brainwashing” is used by some people to describe this process; those subjected to this type of manipulation over long periods of time are unable to follow logic or reason concerning the cult, its leader, or its history.

Of the hundreds of issues identified with William Branham’s claims, there are several undeniable, critical flaws. Each false claim is either related to, supported by, or supporting another false claim, opening the door to circular reasoning. Members cannot reject one claim while supporting another, because each claim has been inter-connected in their mind. Should any single issue be identified to the programmed mind, it is quickly absorbed, devalued, and forgotten through cognitive dissonance.

A member who has fully immersed themselves into a cult has formed a new identity, and that identity is constructed from a blend of both cult doctrine and personal experience. The de-conversion of any victim of this type of mind control requires great effort and much patience. The cult identity that has formed must be separated from the true, authentic self, and this process is an appeal to the human buried deep inside the identity – not a debate with the outer shell of the cult identity over false claims. Sure, the claims must be examined, but it is unlikely that a single claim will unravel the cocoon spun by cult indoctrination. The authentic self must first be seeking for answers, and that authentic self must still retain enough sanity to comprehend the questions.

Appendix I: Footnotes

[1] Author; Webmaster, Seek The Truth.

[2] Individual Publication Date: April 1, 2019: http://www.in-sightjournal.com/collins-three; Full Issue Publication Date: May 1, 2019: https://in-sightjournal.com/insight-issues/.

[i] Branham, William. 1956, Jan 15. The Junction of Time. “There was Noah and Enoch, preaching, at the same time.”

[ii] Branham, William. 1963, March 18. The First Seal. “Enoch typed the Bride. Enoch! Noah went over, through the Bride…went over, through the tribulation period, and suffered, and become a drunk, and died. But Enoch walked before God, for five hundred years, and had a testimony, “he pleased God,” with rapturing faith; and just started walking right out, and went up through the skies, and went Home without even tasting death; never died, at all.”

[iii] Branham, William. 1964, Aug 2. The Future Home of the Heavenly Bridegroom and the Earthly Bride. “Yet, Noah was a type of the remnant that’s carried over, not the translated bunch. Enoch, one man, went in the Rapture before the flood came, showing that the Church does not go into the tribulation or anything around it. Enoch was translated, one man. Oh, the church may be a number; but the Bride is going to be a very small group that’ll make up the Bride. Now, the church may be a great number; but, the Bride, you see, compare eight with one. Eight times less, will be the Bride, than the church.”

[iv] Branham, William. 1950, Jan 15. Believest Thou This? “That’s what’s the matter with down in these countries now, and all around over the world. We got too many old cold formal churches, having a form of godliness and denying the power thereof.”

[v] Branham, William. 1954, Oct 3. The Word Became Flesh. “And I said, “That’s not true representation of Christianity.” I said, “That’s a form of hypocrisy.”

[vi] Branham, William. An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages. Ch9. “You can express this any way you want, and it all adds up to the fact that the church is complacent.”

[vii] Branham, William. 1948, Apr. The Voice of Healing: An Inter-Evangelical Publication of the Branham Healing Campaigns.

[viii] Branham, William. 1951, May 5. My Commission. “But coming into Divine healing services, I make it a inter-evangelical, just a interdenominational for everybody.”

[ix] Example: Branham, William. 1961, Apr 25. The Godhead Explained. “He said, ‘You know what we’re going to do?’ Said, “We’re drawing a little ring, and drawing you right out of our circle.’ ‘Then,’ I said, ‘I’m going to draw another one, and draw you right back in again.’ I said, “You can’t draw me out, ’cause I love you. See, you just can’t do it.’

[x] Branham, William. 1951, July 29. The Resurrection of Lazarus. “And may the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, come in now, the Promise, the Comforter, that You said You would send. “

[xi] Branham, William. 1951, Sept 29. Our Hope is in God. “Then suffered under Pontius Pilate, crucified, died, buried, rose the third day, setting at the right hand of God the Father, making intercessions now for we who’ve accepted the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity”

[xii] Branham, William. 1957, May 19. Hear Ye Him. “Trinity, they don’t believe there’s three Gods. That is heathenism. And the Oneness don’t believe that Christ was His Own daddy. So, what would that be? See? But you both believe the same thing.”

[xiii] What Is Branhamism. Accessed 2019, Mar 1 from https://www.gotquestions.org/Branhamism.html

[xiv] Branham, William. 1959, Aug 23. Palmerworm, Locust, Cankerworm, Caterpillar. “You say, ‘The blessed holy trinity.’ Find me the word ‘trinity’ anywhere in the pages of God’s Bible. It’s a man-made scheme, an old dirty church rag wrapped around, to take the place of the sap Line of God’s Holy Spirit. No such a thing. There’s no such a thing. You find it and come to me. You’re duty bound to do it, as a Christian, if you find it. It’s not in God’s Holy Writings. And the “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost” is hatched out of hell, there’s no such a thing as three Gods. Now, I believe in the Fatherhood of God. I believe in the Sonship of God. I believe in the Holy Ghost dispensation of God. But It’s the same God in every dispensation, not three Gods.”

[xv] Branham, William. 1958, May 8. The Expectations. “There’s no three Gods. There’s only one God, three offices of the same God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit don’t mean three Gods. If we’ve got three Gods, we’re heathens. See? Like the Jew says, “Which one of them is your God?” There’s no three Gods. There’s one God in three offices of the same God: the Fatherhood, and the Sonship. This is the Holy Spirit dispensation.”

[xvi] Example: Barnes III, Roscoe. Why Ern Baxter Left the Ministry of William Branham. Accessed from http://ffbosworth.strikingly.com/blog/why-ern-baxter-left-the-ministry-of-william-branham. “Baxter said that in Branham’s case, faith was “becoming a metaphysical thing – it was becoming a form of Couism.” In other words, he seemed to teach, “If I keep repeating day by day that I’m getting better and better” – it was a kind of metaphysical positivism,” Baxter explained. He noted: “This bothered me and I saw it was an ‘out’ to accommodate people who weren’t getting healed. ‘There must have been something wrong with their faith.’ And so that disturbed me.”

[xvii] Branham, William. 1958, Sept 28. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit. “Then, then, in here they lost it, went into a Catholic denomination; come out in a Lutheran denomination, come out in a Wesley denomination, then they’re going right into the Pentecostal then. But, just before the end time, the Seed is almost gone from the earth. It’s waded out, the Seed of the righteous. The seed of the serpent is just accumulating faster and faster and faster, getting ready for this atomic age, to be destroyed.”

[xviii] Branham, William. 1962, Dec 16. The Falling Apart of the World. “It’s another Babylon that must fall. Peace on earth? A false messiah! An anti-christ in its teaching. How you going to throw these denominations together when they won’t even…They can’t even agree with one another now when they broke up in little systems like that, how about all joining together and getting over there? Yes. See, it’s a false setup. It’s all done to throw Protestantism into Romanism. A false, anti-christ teaching.”

[xix] Branham, William. 1961, Aug 8. Thy House. “Now, the Bible predicts that in the last days that He will trap Catholicism, Romanism, and all those things, and them—communism, and all of them together in the valleys of Megiddo there, until there will be such a slaughter amongst them, until the blood will flow to a horse’s bit”

[xx] Branham, William. 1965, Feb 21. Marriage and Divorce. “But in the human race, it’s the woman that’s pretty, not the man; if he is, there is something wrong, there is crossed-up seed somewhere. Originally it’s that way. Why, why was it done? To deceive by. Her designer, Satan, is still working on her, too, in these last days.”

[xxi] Judges 4:4. “And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.”

[xxii] Romans 16:7. “Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.”

[xxiii] Romans 16:1-2. “commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a servant of the church which is at Cenchrea;

that you receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and that you help her in whatever matter she may have need of you; for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well.”

[xxiv] Phoebe: Deacon of the Church in Cenchrea. Accessed 2019, Mar 10 from https://margmowczko.com/was-phoebe-a-deacon-of-the-church-in-cenchrea-part-1/

[xxv] Women Church Leaders in the New Testament. Accessed 2019, Mar 10 from https://margmowczko.com/new-testament-women-church-leaders/

[xxvi] 1 Corinthians 16:19. “The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.”

[xxvii] Romans 16:3-5. “Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who for my life risked their own necks, to whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles; also greet the church that is in their house.”

[xxviii] Acts 12:12. “And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.”

[xxix] 1 Corinthians 1:1. “For I have been informed concerning you, my brethren, by Chloe’s people, that there are quarrels among you.”

[xxx] Women Church Leaders in the New Testament. Accessed 2019, Mar 10 from https://margmowczko.com/new-testament-women-church-leaders/

[xxxi] Example: Branham, 1965. Feb 21. “Marriage and Divorce”. “They make her pastors, evangelists, when the Bible completely forbids it. And the Bible said, “as also saith the Law,” making it run in continuity, the whole thing.”

[xxxii] Branham, William. 1963, Dec 26. Church Order. “A policeman (or the deacon) is a military police to the army, courtesy, but yet with authority. See? You know what a military police is, is actually, if he carries out his rights, I think he’s just like a chaplain. You see? It’s courtesy and everything, but yet he has an authority. See, you must mind him. See, he puts…These rookies get out there and get drunk, why, he puts them in their place. And so is the deacon to put them in their place. 133 Now, remember, the deacon is a policeman, and a deacon’s office is actually more strict than most any office in the church.”

[xxxiii] “deacon”. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th ed.). Bartleby. 2000.

[xxxiv] Branham, William. 1964, March 18. “Jesus used about eighty-six percent of His ministry was upon Divine healing, that He might attract the attention of the people, then explain what His purpose was there. And, that’s the same thing, we’re trying to continue His ministry in the best way that we know how, believing that He still remains the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

[xxxv] Branham, William. 1955, July 9. Beginning And Ending Of The Gentile Dispensation. ““And at that time, Michael shall stand, the great prince.” Michael was Christ, of course, Who fought the Angelic wars in Heaven, with the devil. Satan and Michael fought together, or fought against each other, rather.”

[xxxvi] Branham, William. 1965, Feb 21. Marriage and Divorce. “Did you know Satan was co-equal with God one day? Sure was, all but a creator; he was everything, stood at the right hand of God, in the Heavens, the great leading Cherubim.”

[xxxvii] Branham, William. 1965, August 29. “Satan’s Eden”.

[xxxviii] The Basics: William Branham’s Doomsday Predictions. Accessed Mar 10 from http://seekyethetruth.com/Branham/resources-basics-doomsday.aspx

[xxxix] Branham, William. 1965, Nov 27. Trying to Do God A Service Without it Being God’s Will. “But the Elijah of this day is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is to come according to Matthew the seventeen-…Luke 17:30, is, the Son of man is to reveal Himself among His people. Not a man, God! But it’ll come through a prophet.”

[xl] Ham, Jeremy. Is Jesus All-Powerful and Eternal. Accessed 2019, Mar 10 from https://answersingenesis.org/answers/biblical-authority-devotional/is-jesus-all-powerful-and-eternal/

[xli] How can one recognize a false Christ?. Accessed 2019, Mar 10 from https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/how-can-one-recognize-false-christ

[xlii] Elijah Has Already Come. Accessed 2019, Mar 14 from https://branham.org/articles/20130520_ElijahHasAlreadyCome. “God does not play with words, as we are rightly taught by the Prophet Elijah for our day, Brother William Marrion Branham.”

[xliii] Branham, William. 1949, July 18. I Was Not Disobedient to the Heavenly Vision. “When I was a minister, a Baptist preacher in my church for twelve years, I never even received one red penny of salary.”

[xliv] Branham, William. 1951, April 15. Life Story. “She said, “Today she might have something to eat, and tomorrow she might not have nothing to eat.” But brother, I come to find out what she called “trash” was “the cream of the crop.” And bless my heart…?… And said, “You mean to tell me that you’d take…” Said… And Hope started crying. And she said, “Mother…” She said, “I—I—I want to go with him.” And she said, “Very well, Hope. If you go, your mother will go in a grave heartbroken. That’s all.” And then Hope started crying. 80 And—and there, friends, is where my sorrows started. I listened to my mother-in-law in the stead of God. He was giving me the opportunity. And there this gift would’ve been manifested long time ago, if I’d just went ahead and done what God told me to do.”

[xlv] Branham, William. 1955, June 26. My Life Story. “Now, from here, listen. I listened to my mother-in-law instead of God, and forsaken the church, and went on back with the Baptist people. Right away, plagues hit my home. My wife took sick; my father died on my arm; my brother was killed. And everything happened just in a few days. A great flood hit the country and washed away the homes. My wife was in the hospital. And I was out on a rescue with my boat.”

[xlvi] Davis, Roy. 1950, Oct. Wm. Branham’s First Pastor. Voice of Healing. “”I am the minister who received Brother Branham into the first Pentecostal assembly he ever frequented. I baptized him, and was his pastor for some two years. I also preached his ordination sermon, and signed his ordination certificate, and heard him preach his first sermon.”

[xlvii] Being Fingerprinted. 1961, Apr 7. Shreveport Times. “Being fingerprinted at the city police station is R. E. Davis (center), self-described leader of the Ku Klux Klan who was arrested by city police and questioned here today.

[xlviii] Deep Study: Roy E. Davis, Imperial Wizard of the Original Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Accessed 2019, Mar 14 from http://seekyethetruth.com/branham/resources-deep-davis.aspx

[xlix] 1936, Nov 9. Warranty Deed, Lot 16, Block 4, Ingram & Reads Subdivision to E.A. Seward, George DeArk, Frank Weber, Trustees of the Billie Branham Pentecostal Tabernacle Church

[l] Davis Revival in North Nashville Not Union Affair. 1928, Sept 9. The Tennessean.

[li] Branham describes Nashville Parthenon where Davis’ Revival was held: Branham, William. 1962, Sept 9. In His Presence. “One day down in Memphis, Tennessee, or one…I don’t think it was in Memphis. It was one of the places there. I was with Brother Davis and was having a—a revival. It might have been Memphis. And we was, went to a coliseum, and they had in there, not a coliseum, it was kind of an art gallery, and they had the—the great statues that they had got from different parts of the earth, of different, Hercules and so forth, and great artists had painted.”

[lii] Certificate of Death: Hope Branham. 1937, July 21. “Date of onset: 1-1936”

[liii] Example: Branham, William. 1951, Sept 29. Our Hope is in God. “There never was in the age, any two major prophets on the earth at one time. There were many minor prophets, but there were one major prophet.”

[liv] Branham, William. 1963, Jun 28. A Greater Than Solomon Is Here. “God always in every age dealt with man through signs, because He is supernatural. And where supernatural God is, there is bound to be supernatural things going on. Then we find, in the days of Noah, those who believed his message and come in, was saved, and those that rejected his message perished. He give them a sign of building an ark. In the days of Moses, God’s speaking through human lips could call flies, fleas, frogs, close the heavens, make it dark, by a prophet that was thoroughly a vindicated. Those who believed and come out of Egypt, across the dividing line of the Red Sea, was saved. Those who was on the other side, perished.”

[lv] Example: Branham, William. An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages. “And people will go to them, and bear with them, and support them, and believe them, not knowing it is the way of death. Yes, the land is full of carnal impersonators. In that last day they will try to imitate that prophet-messenger.”

[lvi] Austin-Lett. Major and Minor Prophets. Accessed 2019, Mar 14 from https://www.biblewise.com/bible_study/questions/major-minor-prophets.php

[lvii] Branham, William. An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages. Ch 6. “This chapter shows the power of the Roman Catholic Church and what she will do through organization. Remember this is the false vine. Let it name the Name of the Lord, it does so only in a lie. Its headship is not of the Lord but of Satan.”

[lviii] Branham, William. 1961, Jan 8. Revelation, Chapter Four #3. ““Trinitarianism is of the devil!” I say that THUS SAITH THE LORD! Look where it come from. It come from the Nicene Council when the Catholic church become in rulership. The word “trinity” is not even mentioned in the entire Book of the Bible. And as far as three Gods, that’s from hell.”

[lix] Nelson, Ryan. 2018, Sept 14. What Was the Council of Nicaea?. Accessed 2019, Mar 14 from https://overviewbible.com/council-of-nicaea/

[lx] Heather and Matthews. Goths in the Fourth Century. p. 143.

[lxi] Arius. New World Encyclopedia. Accessed 2019, Mar 14 from http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Arius

[lxii] Branham, William. 1956, April 20. When Their Eyes Were Opened. “The same was God the Father, leading Moses, called God the Father, the three dispensations, Fatherhood, Sonship, and Holy Ghost. See? It’s just three offices of the same self God.”

[lxiii] Branham, William. 1957, June 30. Thirsting For Life. “And they use the word of eternal sonship of God. The word don’t even make sense to me. The word “eternal” means “eternity, which had no begin or has no end.” And “son” means “had a beginning.” So how could it… It could be a eternal Godship, but never an eternal sonship. A son is one that’s begotten of. So it had a beginning.”

[lxiv] Branham, William. 1952, July 13. God Testifying of His Gifts. “Then Jesus Christ comes into His Church, to His people, to manifest Himself out through the people, while He, Himself, is setting at the right hand of the Father, sending back the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the trinity, to live in human beings, to work through them, to show the same works that He did in the beginning, making Him, “the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

[lxv] What is the Gospel. Accessed from https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/what-is-the-gospel/

[lxvi] Slick, Matt. What is Oneness Pentecostal Theology. Accessed 2019, Mar 14 from https://carm.org/oneness-pentecostal-theology

[lxvii] Our Triune God. Accessed 2019, Mar 14 from https://www.gty.org/library/articles/A215/our-triune-god

[lxviii] Example: Branham, William. 1965, August 1. God of This Evil Age. “And then, if that be so, the whole Godhead bodily shaped up in the Person of Jesus Christ. And then when Jesus died at the cross, I died with Him, for I was in Him then; for He was the fullness of the Word, manifested, knowing that we would be manifested later.”

[lxix] Example: Branham, William. 1950, July 16. Believest Thou This. “I believe He was a God-man. He was more than a man. He was the Divine One that God sent from out of heaven. Yes, sir. I know He cried like a man when He was dying at the cross, mid rendering rocks and darkening skies, my Saviour bowed His head and died. That’s right. He was a man when He was dying. But when He rose on the third day, He proved He was God. That’s right. God was in His Son. He raised Him up. He was Divine.”

[lxx] Branham, William. 1965, April 18. It Is the Rising of the Sun. “The Spirit left Him, in the Garden of Gethsemane. He had to die, a man.”

[lxxi] Example: Graham, Billy. 2016, March 24. Did God Abandon Jesus on the Cross? Billy Graham Answers. Accessed 2019, Feb 13 from https://billygraham.org/story/did-god-abandon-jesus-on-the-cross-billy-graham-answers

[lxxii] Branham, William. 1965, April 29. The Choosing of a Bride. “Oh, Capernaum,” said Jesus, “thou who exalted into heaven, will be brought down into hell. For, if the mighty works had been done in Sodom and Gomorrah, it’d have been standing to this day.” And Sodom, Gomorrah lays in the bottom of the Dead Sea. And Capernaum is in the bottom of the sea. 231 Thou city, who claims to be the city of the Angels, who has exalted yourself into heaven, and sent all the dirty, filthy things of fashions and things, till even the foreign countries come here to pick up our filth and send it away, to your fine churches and steeples, and so forth, the way you do. Remember, one day you’ll be laying in the bottom of the sea, your great honeycomb under you right now. The wrath of God is belching right beneath you. How much longer He will hold this sandbar hanging out over that? When, that ocean out yonder, a mile deep, will slide in there, plumb back to the Salton Sea. It’ll be worse than the last day of Pompeii. Repent, Los Angeles.”

[lxxiii] Branham, William. 1965, July 11. Ashamed. “And while in there, Something struck me, and I didn’t know nothing for about thirty minutes. There was a prophecy went out. First thing I remember, Brother Mosley and Billy, I was out on the street, walking. And It said, “Thou Capernaum, which calls yourself by the name of the Angels,” that’s Los Angeles, city of angels, see, the angels, “which are exalted into heaven, will be brought down into hell. For, if the mighty works had been done in Sodom, that’s been done in you, it would have been standing till this day.” And that was all unconsciously, to me. See?”

[lxxiv] Capernaum. Accessed 2019, March 13 from https://www.seetheholyland.net/capernaum

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