MOV:A Prophet sent from God?  by Stephen F. Cannon

           Examining the Life and Claims of William M. Branham

                           by Stephen F. Cannon

   At PFO we get many requests for information on different religious 
groups and personalities.  One request that arises periodically is for 
information on William M. Branham.

   Even though Branham died in an automobile accident in 1965, there are 
still small groups of his followers around the country that propagate his 
teachings, and occasionally his name will be spoken with awe by Christians 
in the Pentecostal/Charismatic tradition.  Usually these will recount 
Branham's miraculous ability to heal the sick and obtain special "words of 
knowledge" from the Lord.  Very few of these, however, seem to know much 
about his back ground, claims or teachings.

                                Early Life

   Born to Charles and Ella Branham in April 1906, as the first of nine 
children, William's early life was said to have been marked by many 
supernatural signs and angelic visitations: a visible light or halo over 
his crib at birth (Footprints on the Sands of Time, William Marrion 
Branham, Spoken Word Publications, Jeffersonville, Ind., 1975, pp. 
2,21,93); an angelic voice at seven years of age cautioning him to "never 
drink, smoke, or defile your body in any way, for I have a work for you to 
do when you get older" (William Branham: A Man Sent from God, Gordon 
Lindsey, William Branham Publisher, Jeffersonville, Ind., 1950, pg.30); and 
shortly thereafter a vision wherein he foresaw a bridge built over the Ohio 
River where 16 men would be killed in a construction accident.  (William 
Branham: A Prophet Visits South Africa, Julius Stadsklev, Julius Stadsklev 
Publisher, Minneapolis, Minn., 1952, pp. 3-4).

   Branham was raised in abject poverty in rural Indiana.  Even though he 
many times heard the mysterious voice of the angel, Branham's upbringing 
"was not religious."  He did, however, manage to follow the angel's advice 
from his "first visitation" and never did smoke nor drink.  This led the 
young Branham to always feel different from the people around him.

   "There was always that peculiar feeling, like someone standing near me, 
trying to say something to me, and especially when I was alone.  No one 
seemed to understand me at all.  The boys I associated with would have 
nothing to do with me, because I wouldn't drink or smoke, and all the girls 
went to dances of which I wouldn't partake either, so it seemed that all 
through my life I was just a black sheep knowing no one who understood me 
and not even understanding myself."  (A Man Sent From God, pg. 31).

   When he was about 20 years old, Branham was overcome by toxic gas while 
working for the Public Service Company of Indiana.  He was hospitalized.  
Upon hearing that he needed surgery, Branham feared he might die and 
realized that he was not ready to meet God.

   During and just after the operation Branham said he had a series of 
visions that ultimately drove him to the woodshed behind his house crying 
out to God:

   Suddenly there appeared a light in the form of a cross and a voice 
   spoke to him in a language he did not understand.  Then it went away.  
   He became frightened and wondered as he said, "Lord, if this is you, 
   please come back and talk to me again."  The light re-entered the shed.  
   As he prayed, it appeared again the third time.  Now he realized that 
   he had met God.  He was happy, he was thankful.  ( A Prophet Visits, 
   pp. 9-11).

   Branham immediately sensed a calling from God to preach.  His early 
association was with the Missionary Baptist Church, but he also had contact 
with some Pentecostal Holiness groups.  Because of his mystical leanings it 
was with these "oneness" Pentecostal people that Branham felt most 
comfortable and accepted.  Ultimately, it was through them that he was 
catapulted into worldwide recognition as a great miracle worker.  (All 
Things are Possible, David Edwin Harrell, Indiana University Press, 
Bloomington, Ind., 1975, pp. 27-40).

   In May 1946, Branham received yet another angelic visitation.  He was 
informed that if he would be sincere and persuade the people to believe in 
him, nothing would be able to stand before his prayers, not even cancer.  
(A Man Sent From God, pp. 76-77).  It was after this visitation that 
Branham's healing and deliverance ministry grew to worldwide proportions 
and touched thousands of lives. (All Things, pp. 27-40, 159-164).

   During the late 1950's, the healing and deliverance rallies of the 
previous decade began to decline.  Branham began to devote more time to his 
home church, Branham Tabernacle of Jeffersonville, Ind.  Away from the 
influence of the more orthodox leaders of the Pentecostal/Charismatic 
movement, Branham soared to new heights of heterodoxy.  He was idolized and 
even worshiped by most of his followers, who thought he could teach no 
error.

   His teachings included that claim that he was Elijah the prophet, that 
he was the seventh angelic messenger to the Laodicean Church Age 
(Footprints, pp. 620), that anyone belonging to any denomination had taken 
"the mark of the beast" (Footprints, pp. 627, 629,643, 648) and that he 
received divinely inspired revelations (The Revelation of the Seven Seals, 
Branham, Spoken Word Publication, Tucson, Ariz., n.d., pg. 19; Questions 
and Answers, Book 1, Branham, Spoken Word Publishers, Tucson, Ariz., 1964, 
pg. 60).

   These revelations included: an elaborate but unscriptural 
eschatological system known as the Revelation of the Seven Seals, the idea 
that the fall of man happened when Eve had sexual relations with Satan, 
that this sexual union produce Cain and in so doing begat a fallen race 
with Satan's nature.  (An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages, Branham, 
Branham Publisher, n.d., pp. 98-99,101).  As a corollary to this, Branham 
said that "every sin that ever was on the Earth was caused by a 
woman....the very lowest creature on earth."  (The Spoken Word, Vol. III, 
Nos. 12, 13, 14; Branham, Spoken Word Publications, Jefferson, Ind., 1976, 
pp. 81-82 wouted in The Man and His Message, Pg. 41).

                         Evaluation of a Ministry

   That there were healings and supernatural occurrences at Branham's 
rallies is historically verifiable.  That Branham was a "man sent from 
God," a "prophet to bring the Christian church into final truth, is highly 
questionable because of Branham's bizarre and unscriptural doctrines.

   Branham's acceptance as a great "man of God" by ministers such as Oral 
Roberts, Ern Baxter, Gordon Lindsey and T.L. Osborn, and the public seems 
to rest on two factors: his humble spirit and his power to work miracles.  
It is the opinion of this writer that there is no clear scriptural 
justification for using either of these to authenticate spiritual 
orthodoxy.

   There have been many well outside the ranks of orthodox Christianity 
who have clearly demonstrated a meek and humble demeanor.  Certain 
Buddhist and Hindu holy men are noted for these traits.  Kindness, 
humility, and a meek character in and of themselves means absolutely 
nothing apart from the indwelling Lord Jesus Christ.

   The Bible is very clear that even miracles are by themselves not true 
indicators of doctrinal orthodoxy.  the magicians of Pharaoh's court were 
able to duplicate many of God's miracles performed through Moses (Exodus 
7:10-13;8:6-7).  And in the New Testament, Paul speaks of Lying signs and 
wonders ascribed to the power of the evil one.  (2 Thessalonians 2:8-9).

   How then is one to come to a conclusion about whether or not Branham 
was indeed a "man sent from God?"  As with Joseph Smith Jr., Ellen G. 
White, Mary Baker Eddy or anyone claiming to be a prophet; Branham's 
teachings about God must be measured against the Bible.

   The role of a prophet is nothing more than being a "mouthpiece" for 
God.  He merely relays what God tells him to say.  Jesus, in Matthew 7:15 - 
24, tells how to recognize a false prophet.  The fruit that we are to 
examine is not the fruit of life, as many would have us believe, but what 
he says God says.  Deuteronomy 13:1-3 and 18:20-22 give us other criteria 
for testing a prophet: He will work signs and wonders, but even if he does 
and then teaches us to follow after strange gods, he is to be rejected; he 
will predict future events, but every one of those predictions must come 
true, or the prophet is to be rejected.  Branham fails both the Matthew and 
Deuteronomy tests.

   Evidence exists that Branham was doctrinally aberrant from the 
inception of his popular healing campaigns.  Charismatic evangelist Ern 
Baxter was with Branham at the height of his popularity from 1947 to 1954.  
In an article in the December 1978 New Wine magazine, Baxter wrote: "when 
he would speak, especially in those early days, he would say some things 
that were terribly provocative.  To me, (they were) unnecessarily so.  So 
when we talked together, we agreed that apart from his giving testimonies 
and relating his life story, I would do all the speaking and he would do 
all the ministry to the sick.  That was the way it was when we were 
together." (pg. 56)  As time progressed, Branham's doctrine deviated 
further and further from the standard.

   As mentioned above, there is evidence that supernatural signs did occur 
at Branham's meetings (A Prophet Visits, pp. 48-195).  the healings and 
prophecies purportedly came through an angel that was always with Branham 
on stage and continually gave him counsel and revelations. (William 
Branham: His Life and Teachings, Kathie Adler, Narrow Way Ministries, 
Holbrook, N.Y., 1986, pp. 3-5)  This has given rise to the charges by some 
researchers that Branham practiced occult healing. (Between Christ and 
Satan, Kurt E. Koch, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1971, pp. 
149-150)  But it is equally evident that Branham taught an unscriptural 
view of God that would put him under the "strange god" clause of 
Deuteronomy 13:1-3:

   What is God?  God is a great Eternal.  At the beginning, way back 
   before there was a beginning, he wasn't even God.  Did you know that?  
   A god is an object of worship, and there wasn't nothing to worship him;  
   He lived alone.  And in him was attributes.  What is an attribute?  A 
   thought.  (The Spoken Word, Vol. III, pg. 79)

   Moreover, true to his early oneness Pentecostal teachings, Branham 
denied the biblical triune Godhead.  He pronounced it a "gross error" (The 
Spoken Word, pg. 79) and as a prophet with the authority of a "Thus saith 
the Lord," revealed that "Trinitarianism is of the devil." (Footprints, pg. 
606)

   Signs and wonders?  Yes.  Strange Gods?  Yes.  False prophet?  
Absolutely!

   Branham also failed the test of a true prophet in that his predictions 
did not come true with 100 percent accuracy:

   Base on these seven visions, along with the rapid changes which swept 
   the world in the last 50 years, I predict (I do not prophesy) that 
   these visions will have all come to pass by 1977.  And though many may 
   feel that this is an irresponsible statement in view of the fact that 
   Jesus said that "no man knoweth the day nor the hour," I still maintain 
   this prediction after 30 years because, Jesus did not say no man could 
   know the year, month, or week in which His coming was to be completed.  
   So I repeat, I sincerely believe and maintain as a private student of 
   the word, along with divine inspiration that 1977 ought to terminate 
   the world system and usher in the Millennium." (Seven Church Ages, pg. 
   322)

   Despite the fact that Branham tried to qualify his statement by saying 
he "predicted" rather than "prophesied" certain events, any time a prophet 
of God speaks under "divine inspiration," it is a prophesy.

   It is now 1988.  The United States has not been destroyed, the world's 
systems have not been terminated, and the Millennium has not begun.  
Therefore we can conclude that Branham was not a true prophet of God.

   It is fortunate for researchers that almost every word Branham uttered 
from the pulpit in Branham Tabernacle was recorded and transcribed.  To the 
Branham follower, it is the "spoken word," on an equal footing with the 
Bible.  To the investigator, it is confirmation that Branham's teachings 
were definitely not from God.

   The ready acceptance of Branham by a large portion of those in the 
Pentecostal/Charismatic tradition points to a serious flaw in that way of 
thinking.

   Instead of a clearly articulated theology based on inductive bible 
study, the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement has by and large derived its 
teachings from personal experience and then tried to find Scripture to 
authenticate the experiences.  Where no scriptural authentication can be 
found, "special revelation knowledge" is often appealed to.  This has led 
to a superstar mentality that unfortunately prevades that movement.

   "Apostles" and "prophets" abound in this milieu and like Branham 
receive extra-biblical revelations.  Also, like Branham, they point to 
miraculous signs and wonders as proof that their aberrant teachings are 
from God.

   Christians can learn a valuable lesson from the life and teachings of 
men such as Branham: In God's economy there are no superstars.  All are 
subject to the same scriptural scrutiny.  Anyone who stands to proclaim the 
Word of God must "speak according to the law and the testimony."  by 
speaking he is automatically subjecting himself to a close "fruit 
inspection" by the household of faith.  This is true whether his name is 
Joseph Smith Jr., Charles T. Russell or William Branham.
