William
Marrion Branham: His Life, Teachings, and Demonic Spirit-Guide
By Harry A. Peyton
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
DEDICATION; A WORD OF ADMONISHMENT (3)
PREFACE (10)
INTRODUCTION (13)
CHAPTER 1 BRANHAM’S LIFE STORY WAS COMPLETELY
ENTWINED WITH THAT OF HIS
SPIRIT-GUIDE (17)
Branham Did Not Know the Name of His Spirit-Guide and
Contradicted Himself Concerning His Identity (18)
Branham’s Spirit Guide Appeared as A Halo of Light
Over His Head at His Birth (19)
Age One and A Half: Branham’s Spirit Guide Gave Him
His First Vision (20)
Age Three and A Half: Branham’s Spirit-Guide Spoke
to Him Audibly for the First Time (20)
Age Seven: Branham’s Spirit
Guide Supposedly Kept Him from Sinning (21)
Age Fourteen: Branham’s Spirit
Guide Miraculously Preserved His Life from Death (22)
Age Twenty: Branham’s
Spirit-Guide Supposedly Gave Him A Vision of Light in the Form of A Cross (22)
Age Twenty-Two: Branham’s
Spirit Guide Called Him to Become His Minister (24)
Age Twenty-Four: Branham’s Spirit Guide Commissioned or Ordained Him
to Be His Minister (26)
Age Twenty-Eight: Branham Attempted Suicide (26)
Age Thirty-Seven: the Beginning
of the Healing Ministry of Branham’s Spirit-Guide (27)
CHAPTER 2 BRANHAM’S PROPHETIC BLUNDERS (34)
Branham’s Prophetic Blunder Concerning the End of
the World (34)
Branham’s Prophetic Blunder Concerning Los Angeles
Sinking into the Ocean (35)
CHAPTER 3
BRANHAM,
THE VERY FALLIBLE PROPHET, CHANGED
AND CONTRADICTED THE TEACHINGS OF HIS SPIRIT-GUIDE (35)
Branham’s Teachings on His Own Infallibility (36)
Branham’s Contradictory Teaching on the Riders of
the Seals (37)
Branham’s Contradictory Teaching on Salvation (38)
Branham’s Contradictory Teaching on the Salvation of the
Sleeping Virgins or Denominational Christians (41)
Branham’s Contradictory Teaching on Predestination (43)
Branham’s Contradictory Teaching on Eternal Security (44)
Branham’s Contradictory Teaching on Eternal Punishment (45)
Branham’s Contradictory Teaching on the Soul of Man (48)
Branham’s Contradictory Teaching on the Serpent’s Seed (49)
Branham’s Contradictory Teaching on the Seventieth or Last
Week of Daniel (49)
CHAPTER 4 BRANHAM’S ERRONEOUS DOCTRINAL TEACHINGS (50)
Branham’s Erroneous Teaching on the Seven Church Age
Messengers (50)
Historical Proof that God Had Many One God Jesus’
Name Messengers in Every Age (62)
Branham’s Erroneous
Occultic Teaching on the Serpent’s Seed (68)
The Biblical Refutation of the Doctrine of the
Serpent’s Seed (72)
CHAPTER 5 THE BIBLICAL NEW BIRTH (92)
True Faith Vs Easy Believeism (92)
The Importance of Water Baptism Toward Salvation in
the New Birth (105)
Baptism into the Name of Jesus
(126)
Baptism into the Holy Spirit (143)
CONCLUSION
(166)
ENDNOTES (169)
Copyright May 30, 1996 by
Harry A. Peyton under the title of “The Doctrines Of Christ.”
A Challenge to
Branhamite Pastors for a Public Debate: This book on Branhamism is
designed to help those who follow the teachings of William Branham, and those
who are thinking about becoming a Branhamite, to discover the real truth about
Branham’s life, teachings, and demonic spirit-guide, and
also to help them find true salvation by believing into our Savior’s death,
burial, and resurrection through the biblical New Birth of “water and
Spirit;” that is, by being baptized in
the precious holy sin cleansing name of the Lord Jesus Christ and receiving the
Holy Ghost with the biblical initial evidence of Speaking in Tongues as
Christ’s Holy Spirit gives you the words to speak.
Let me say
right up front, I love the Branhamite people, and in this book, I will do my
best to help them recover from Satan’s deception. I am not trying to be
unkind or harsh, but I must be honest, if I truly love you! My prayer for
the Branhamite people has always been that our Savior would open the hearts of
these good people to know and understand the truth! The author of this book is a one
God, Jesus Name, Apostolic Pentecostal Holiness retired Pastor, and he is
willing to meet with any Branhamite pastor in a public debate. If they truly
believe that Branham is the Laodicean
Age Prophet
of Revelation 3:14 and 10:7, then let them defend his
teachings!
A Note from the
Author: Since Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, gives His Salvation
and His Word to all freely (Rev 22:17, Mt 10:7-8), this book, and all other books, written by
Harry A. Peyton are given without charge, and can be accessed through the
Internet at the following address: http://www.DoctrinesOfChrist.com. Therefore,
fell free to copy it in digital or written form, and share it with others.
Since this book is copyrighted, the author forbids any alteration of its
contents, and the reproduction of it in any form for Marketing Purposes. This
book may be placed on anyone’s web page, as long as my website address is
attached to it.
The author believes that the Word of God is infallible in
the ORIGINAL LANGUAGE it was written in, and all translations of the Bible
regardless of how good they may be are NOT. Since the author has implicit faith
in the infallibility of the Word of God, the author has formed his
beliefs firmly on the truth of the Bible. This author uses the ancient
ANTIOCHIAN LITERAL-HISTORICAL METHOD OF INTERPRETING THE BIBLE, which was used
by early Christian Prophets and Apostles of the Bible.
I definitely believe that the ancient Alexandrian Allegorical Method
of spiritualizing scripture, which was made popular by the ancient Jewish
philosopher Philo Judaeus (13 BC – 50 AD) and later used by the Ante-Nicene
Catholic Priests, especially Origen and his student Clement of Alexandria (200
AD), is an abomination to our Lord. Therefore, all scriptures will be
interpreted in a literal exegetical fashion, unless the language used and the
context demands a spiritual interpretation.
All CAPITALIZATION and
ITALICIZATION in QUOTES used in this book is always MINE. All Biblical
quotes used in this book will be in dark red, and from the New King James version of the Bible,
unless another version is stated as the reference. The vast majority of all
translations of the Bible, as well as Hebrew and Greek Lexical definitions and
grammar, will come from BibleWorks
computer software program version 7.0. The author in
most places will quote verses from the Bible instead of commenting on a verse
and giving a reference; for He believes that the written Word of God’s has
greater power to inspire and enlighten a heart to understand and act upon
truth, than the elegant oratory or writings of any man.
If this book has been a blessing to my beloved
readers, and they would like to send an offering to the author, feel free to do
so. If anyone wishes to send any biblical or historical materials to the
author, my address is: 148 Little Creek Hills Rd.: Alto, NM 88312: Phone #
575-336-2800: Email address: DoctrineOfChrist@Hotmail.com.
This book is
dedicated to Reverend David F. Gray, an Apostolic Pentecostal pastor and
teacher, who asked me to write this book in 1985, after reading a small booklet
that I wrote on the teachings of William Branham. Brother Gray, like myself,
was deeply concerned that some of God’s children would fall into this cultic
trap. Therefore, after eighteen years of gathering materials on Branham’s
teachings, I finally finished the task Brother Gray asked me to undertake.
This
admonishment is given to encourage all of God’s children to become students of
the Bible. Beloved, permit me to ask you, why did some of God’s children in
Jesus’ day reject their Messiah and the truths He taught them?
Did they not have God Himself as their preacher or teacher? Did they not
believe in the one true God? Did they not believe that the Bible was God’s
Word? Did they not attend church every Sabbath Day? The answer is obviously yes
to all these questions, so why did they reject their Savior and His teachings?
The answer can be found in second Corinthians 4:4; this verse reveals that Satan blinds the
minds of those who do not believe the truth. There are thousands of truths that
can be found in God’s Holy Word, but the truths concerning Salvation in Christ
through the New Birth, and the Godhead in Christ are the two truths that Satan
blinds the minds of believers the most.
How did Satan
blind the minds of the believers in Jesus’ day, and in our day? He accomplished
this by using false prophets, who filled their minds with false beliefs. It was
for this reason, Jesus warned all believers to: “beware of the
leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (Mt 16:6). What did
Jesus mean by the term leaven? In verse 12, the Bible gives us the answer: “Then
they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of
bread, but of the [false] doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Even though
some of these false prophets may have dazzled and mesmerized God’s Jewish
children with their oratory and teaching skills, their doctrines were still false.
Our Savior spoke of these deceived prophets when He said: “in
vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines
the commandments of men…. Making the Word of God of no effect” (Mk 7:7, 13). It is quite evident that these
men followed some the false traditional
teachings of their forefathers in their organization, and as a result, they
became deceived and went about deceiving others.
Therefore
beloved take heed, for even though a teacher may be able to paint beautiful
spellbinding word pictures, or a preacher may be able to speak very fast and
give fiery orations, this does not
necessarily mean what they are preaching or teaching is the truth! Evidently,
not everything these Doctors of the Law and pastors taught was a lie, for Jesus
told them: you “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good
things” (Mt 12:34)?
Since Jesus
was the new and unknown preacher in town, who resoundingly taught the Bible
antithetically or contrary to the accepted theologians, pastors, and preachers
of His day, therefore many of the God’s people chose to believe the teachings
of their pastors and religious organizations instead of His teachings. It must
have broken our Lord’s heart! It saddens me to say that this is exactly what
many sincere Christians do today, when they hear or read God’s Messages on the
New Birth and the Godhead in Christ that were taught by Jesus and His apostles.
When I
understood how Satan blinds the minds of believers, I soon developed a healthy
fear that maybe I was not studying the Bible with an open and unprejudiced
mind. I therefore reexamined all my beliefs. As a result, I discovered that
several of my beliefs were incorrect, and I needed to repent and change them.
Even though I was afraid to change my beliefs, being an Apostolic Pentecostal
minister with a BA in Theology, I made up my heart and mind to walk in the
Light as He is in the Light. I also came to the realization that I am not
married to the doctrines of any preacher, church, Bible College, or
denomination, but to the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the infallible Word of God
and the Truth (Jn
1:1; 14:6).
Beloved, if
you and I expect to hear Jesus say to us “Well done good and
faithful servant” (Mt 25:21), then we must not be afraid to
change our beliefs, when we perceive that they are not in agreement with the
written Word of God; for the Bible, not men or organizations, is the only
source of absolute truth. Let us not forget, the people who hated the teachings
of Jesus and His apostles were not the sinners among the Gentiles, or the
Jewish people as a whole, but the Church Officials such as: the High Priest,
Doctors of the Law, elders (pastors), and priests, who were entrusted with
leadership positions. These church officials were more dedicated to the
traditions of their organization, than they were to almighty God and His holy
infallible Word.
Therefore, it
becomes very evident that none of these church officials was an infallible
teacher of the Bible, even though their followers thought they were. Because
many of God’s Jewish people blindly followed the teachings of the
officials of their church, they rejected their Savior and His teachings and die
lost. This cold but sobering fact should be a warning to all believers in
Christ today!
Therefore, it
is extremely dangerous for us to deify any man or organization by esteeming
them as our infallible teacher, regardless if they call themselves: the
Apostle, the Prophet, the Prophetess, the Pope, the Seventh Church Age
Messenger of the Branhamites, the Little Flock of the Watchtower, the Doctor of
Divinity, or the Pastor. Now, since my name, your name, your pastor’s name,
your church’s name, and the name of your denomination are not written in the
Word of God, none of us are infallible teachers.
Every
believer needs to love and respect their teachers, but they should never place
them on a pedestal and worship them as their infallible Pope, whereby
everything that comes out of their mouth is “thus says the Lord.” Most believers are not
aware that this is idolatry and God hates it. Beloved, when God saved me and
delivered me from this kind of idolatry I made a vow to God, i.e. after I came
out of Catholicism, that I would never again place my faith in any priest,
preacher, or religious organization, but only in the Lord Jesus Christ and His
holy infallible Word. I promised my God that I would not believe anything about
the Bible, until I could personally pray about it and search it out for myself!
Now God has
blessed me with some great pastors and teachers, whom I love and respect even
to this day, but I can honestly say that I never worshipped any of them by
making anyone of them my infallible preacher. Please do not take what I am
saying in the wrong way; I am not condemning or belittling the biblical and
holy office of a bishop, but I am placing it in a biblical and historical
context. Beloved, you may have a pastor who is a good teacher, or even a great
preacher, but I promise you he is not infallible, and I am happy to tell you
that neither am I.
Now someone
might ask me why I am happy about not being infallible. The answer is simple,
if I lead anyone to think my teachings or books are infallible, I cannot change
or correct them, if I later discover that any part of my teachings are
incorrect. Therefore, I do not want to place myself in a position, where I
cannot say: “I
am wrong, please forgive me. I make an honest and sincere mistake, and I will
correct it and teach it correctly.”
For the last 34 years, as an
author, pastor, an assistant to a pastor, an evangelist, and a student of the
Word of God, I have always admonished God’s people to become students of the
Bible. I challenged them to prove what I taught them was the truth. I did this
for two reasons: FIRST, I wanted their faith to be in the infallible Word of
God and not in fallible man. I knew that they could parrot what I taught them,
but I also knew that the Word of God could not get down deep into their hearts,
unless each of them prove to themselves by their own prayer and research, what
is truth and what is error. Every child of God needs to take their salvation
seriously, for it is too precious to place it in the hands of any man,
regardless of what title he may be called by.
SECOND, I
knew from the Word of God that I was not the only mouthpiece God
had in the Church. I knew every humble Holy Ghost filled child of God
was a Priest of God, and as such could receive revelation of truth from God (1Co 14:26).
Therefore, I knew that God placed them there not only for me, as their pastor,
to equip them “for
the work of the ministry,” i.e. to “become able preachers and teachers of the gospel”
(Eph 4:11-12), but also for me to learn from them (1Co 14:31).
Because some
of God’s Jewish children, in the days of the Lord Jesus, did not take their God
given responsibility of studying the Word of God for themselves seriously, they
rejected the truths He preached and died lost. They chose instead to follow the
teachings of their misguided Pastors and leaders, who may have been sincere or
insincere in their walk with God. Our Savior warned all believers in Him not to
follow their example. Jesus said it this way: “Many will say to
Me in that day [i.e. the Day of Judgment], ‘Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done
many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never [oudepote] knew
you” (Mt
7:22-23). Drs. Timothy and Barbara Friberg in their Analytical
Lexicon to the Greek New Testament defined the Greek word “oudepote” as: an adverb negating a
point of time never, not at any time (#20053).
Jesus did not
deny that these believers in Him, who acknowledge Him as their Lord, did
not do these miraculous works by faith in His holy Name, but He did
declare that these believers were never in a covenant relationship
with Him, whereby they became His children. In other words, false prophets
deceived them concerning the “strait and narrow way that led to the Eternal Life in Christ” (Mt
7:13-15). These believers in Christ evidently did not believe in or know
the biblical New Birth message (Jn 3:5 & Tit 3:5 cp with Acts 2:38; 10:44-48; 19:1-5),
which would
have placed them in the death, the burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus
Christ, who is the solid rock foundation all believers must build their
spiritual house on (vers 24-27). Therefore, if believers in Christ do not want to
die lost, they must get their nose in God’s Book and keep it there.
Let us always
remember, the Word of the living God commanded all of His Pastors and saintly
Priests to evangelize the world for our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible declared: “It
please God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe….
The preaching of the cross to them that perish is foolishness; but unto
us which are saved it is the power of God” (1Co 1:18, 21, KJV).
Jesus told His Church: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8); and “Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations” (Mt 28:19).
God commanded
all of His children to preach: “The truths found in His Holy Word not the lies of the Babylonian
Religion, i.e. Mystery Babylon (Rev 17:5); Jesus Christ and Him crucified not
the death of Zoroaster (one of several names for Nimrod); Eternal Life through
Christ not Lucifer’s doctrine of the eternality or godhood of man; the New
Birth not reincarnation; Water Baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ not
baptism in the titles of the Babylonian Trinity; Spirit Baptism of the Holy
Spirit not spiritualism. God’s people are ambassadors not diplomats, preachers
not philosophical puppets, prophets not greedy blind watchmen who are dumb dogs
that cannot bark (Isa 56:10-12).”
If any of my
beloved readers, would like to know more about the biblical and historical
truth concerning the Nicolaitan Doctrine, i.e. the Priesthood Ministry of all
Believers and how God set up the Ministerial structure of the Church, I invite
them to read my book entitled, “The Heresy of the Nicolaitans,” which is
given without charge on my website, along with other books on subjects such as:
the New Birth, the godhead in Christ, hell, the mysteries of the spirit and
soul of man, prophecy, and etc.
Biblical Rules for Interpreting the Bible: Since Pastors in the same denomination, and saints in the same church, differ from one another in their understanding of certain doctrinal teachings of the Bible, is not time for all of them to use the same rules for interpreting the Bible. This is the only way Pastors and saints can come to a real harmony or agreement on what is truth! This can only happen if all of God’s children are willing to love, respect, and submit to one another (Eph 5:21; 1Pe 5:3). Therefore, all of God’s children should lovingly admonish one another to walk in truth, and to repent of all false doctrines. This requires humility, this is why God commanded Pastors to be: “examples to the flock,” and for Pastors and Saints to: “submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble” (1Pe 5:3, 5).
Beloved, we
must beware that our hatred of false doctrine does not turn into hatred for
misinformed Pastors or individuals in and out of the church! If this ever
happens, we have turned our back on God’s way of love and have entered into
Satan’s ballpark, for he is the author of hate. If we venture to play Satan’s
deadly game of hate, we will find ourselves the losers when we stand before God
at the end of our life. Let us remember that God hates the sins that sinners
commit, but He loves sinners and pleads with them to repent. Let us also never
forget, that God
has appointed many Pastors, not one, in each church assembly to be the Judges
of Truth (Eph 4:11-15; 1Ti 1:2-4; 3:2-5; 4:16; 5:17-22; 6:3-11; 2Ti 2:24-26;
3:16-17; 4:2-5; Heb 13:17). Therefore, I humbly submit to you, for your
approval, some
biblical rules for interpreting the Bible that God has given me:
FIRST, God
gives revelations to us as we pray, love, keep, hunger,
and search for truth (Jn 14:15, 23; Psa 119:33-34; Pro 2:4; Mt 5:6; 1Jn 5:2-3)!
Beloved, we do not understand the teachings of the Bible by our intelligence,
regardless how much or little we may possess, but it comes by inspiration from
God’s Holy Spirit (Jn
16:13; 14:26; 1Jn 2:27). Either we will believe Satan’s lie that we can
not understand the Bible because of our lack of education in theology, or we
will believe what Jesus said: “If any man will do His [God’s] will, he shall know the doctrine, whether it
be of God” (Jn 7:17).
Therefore, we
must have our mind made up that we will settle for nothing less than truth in
our walk with our Creator and Savior. God never intended His Word to be
interpreted by the imaginations of the mind of mankind; it makes no difference
if they are called the Apostle, the Prophet, the Prophetess, the Pope, the
Seventh Church Age Messenger of the Branhamites, the Little Flock of the
Watchtower, the Doctor of Divinity, or the Pastor. I have discovered through my
own experiences that we are beings, who love to follow the traditions of our
elders, church, and organization. This is good as long as they are teaching
true, but if not, God told us to: “Buy the truth, and do not sell it” (Pro 23:23).
If we do not buy the truth because it is not
popular, or because it offends our parents, relatives, friends, church,
organization, and so on, then we are selling our salvation for the favor and
praises of men. We become men-pleasers instead of God-pleasers. We will esteem
men much more highly than we esteem God. Pastors and saintly Priests, who
preach this great gospel, should always remember that there is a price to pay
to walk in truth! Rejection, loneliness, and heartache are often a part of this
great price; nevertheless, everyone who truly loves our dear Lord will always
be willing to pay any price to walk with Him in truth. If we claim to be
children of the Light: we must walk in the Light or darkness will overtake us (Jn 12:35-36,
46). Therefore, I encourage my beloved readers to open their hearts and
minds as they open their Bibles in search for the truth.
SECOND, we
must be willing to do our homework
and study the Word of God with an open, unbiased, honest, and humble spirit! The Bible is a
Book inspired with all of God’s children
in mind, and God intended that His
children should read, study, and understand it, for it is one of our
Heavenly Father’s great and precious gifts to us. Therefore, let each of us
become students of the Bible, and eat “our daily bread.”
Let us not be lazy; let us study the Word of God for ourselves every day.
A brother
whom I lead to God’s New Birth once told me that his dad, who was a Protestant
denominational minister, told him that he spent four years in Seminary School
so he could learn the Bible, and twenty years unlearning what he had learned.
In other words, because he was so thoroughly indoctrinated with the beliefs of
his denomination: it
was a real struggle for him to lay aside his biases and to study the Bible with
an open mind. This can happen to pastors who place their faith in their
denomination, and to saints of God who place their faith in the teachings of
their pastor. This can happen to both if they fail to study God’s Word with an
unbiased mind.
Because God
does not want His children to be deceived by Nicolaitan pastors, teachers, and
organizations, He commanded them to: “Prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God;” and “Prove all things, hold fast that which is
good;”
and “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
Word of truth” (Rom 12:2, 1Th 5:21, 2Ti 2:15, KJV). According
to the great apostle Paul, the Berean saints explicitly followed these God
given commands, for he wrote: “Now the Bereans were of more noble
character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great
eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if
what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11, NIB). In other words, these
believers did not allow their love and respect for Paul, or any other teacher,
to prevent them from examining their teachings with the written Word of God.
THIRD, we
must be willing to lay aside our pride, fears, and bias beliefs, whereby we can search for all the
scriptures on any given subject of the Bible. After we find them, we must meticulously examine
all of them and look for an interpretation
that will harmonize with all
of the evidence; for all scriptures in the Bible come from God
and not one can contradict another in the original language it was
written in (2Ti
3:16). After we have done this, then God will be able to open our
spiritual eyes and give us enlightenment.
Another way
of saying the above is: we must first find all the pieces to the
jigsaw puzzle, which is the hardest part of studying the Bible, but this is
where the real men and women of God become separated from the false prophets.
We must then put all the pieces together until we can see that one
and only perfect picture, which is the absolute truth. If we fail to
find most of the scriptures, we will see a picture using the scriptures we have
found, but it will probably be a distorted picture, even though we may think it
is the truth.
When one is
looking for a harmony in scriptures, and not for a debate, knowing that the Bible is
the infallible Word of God in the original language that it was written in,
it is not that hard for two people with opposing perspectives to come to an
agreement, if their true motive is to find truth. The Bible declares: “Only
by pride cometh contention” (Pro 13:10). Since none of us enjoys
change when it comes to our beliefs, we react very negatively when someone
disturbs our feelings of security. If we truly love our fellow man, then
we will not be afraid to humbly tell each other the truth, even if we
momentarily become offended. No surgery is pleasant while the doctor is cutting
us open, but after the tumor, cancer, or disease is removed, and our health is
restored, what joy good health brings.
FOUTH, I
furthermore admonish my beloved readers to believe that God said what He meant
and meant what He said; in other words, God intended that we believe and understand
“every word” in the Bible He used to express
His infallible thoughts or teachings (Psa 12:6-7; Pro 30:5; Mt 4:4). This means we must make use of Greek
and Hebrew lexicons (dictionaries). The reason for this is: Greek and
Hebrew words, like words in the English or any other language, have more than
one meaning. There is a literal meaning and there is also a figurative meaning.
Each Bible translator must choose the word that fits the context of the
scriptures surrounding the word. Hopefully, they can do this without allowing
their own religious beliefs to hinder them from choosing the correct word.
A good
example of translators missing the truth by using the figurative
meaning over the literal meaning of Greek words, and totally ignoring
the context, can be found in John 3:8, were most translators translated it
as: “The wind [Pneuma] blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound [phone] of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it
goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit
[Pneuma]” (NKJ; also see the KJV,
NIV, ASV, RSV, etc).
The true
translation, that is the literal translation, which is in perfect
agreement with the context is: “The Spirit [Pneuma] breathes where He desires, and the voice [phone also means language] of Him you
hear, but you know not where He comes, and where He goes, so is everyone having
received birth from the Spirit [Pneuma]” (Morris’ Literal
Translation of the Bible; also see The Interlinear Bible by J. P.
Green, and Young’s Literal Translation of the Holy Bible, etc).
In the following verse, the Greek word phone is translated language, and from
the context can only mean language: “if I do not know
the meaning of the language [phone], I shall be a foreigner to him who speaks, and he who speaks will be a foreigner to me” (1Co
14:11, NKJ; also see NAS, NAB, NLT, ESV, RSV).
Therefore, we must interpret the
Bible in a literal fashion. This is only way we can fulfill the
Bible command that we should not ‘wrest’ or ‘twist’ or ‘pervert’ the scriptures
to our “own destruction” (2Pe 3:16). All scriptures
must be taken literally, unless it is
a Jewish idiom, or the language and context demands a spiritual interpretation.
If a symbolic interpretation is what God intended, then God will interpret the
symbolic word or phrase somewhere in His Holy Word. God ordained that each scripture should be
interpreted in the light of other scriptures (1Co 2:11-13). Jesus taught
us that we would know false prophets by their fruits. The major fruit of
all false prophets in all ages is their frequent use of the allegorical method to
interpret the Bible.
A favorite
saying among those who have already been deceived by false prophets is: “I know this teaching is not
of God because it brings in confusion.” Therefore, many believers will
follow the example of their deceived teachers and place a literal meaning on
the scriptures they want to believe in, and a figurative meaning on the
scriptures that seem to bring confusion to them. Because they are not willing
to change their beliefs, they will not look for an interpretation that
will harmonize with all the scriptures on that subject, i.e. of course using
the literal method. Therefore, they would rather believe a lie and spiritualize away the scriptures that
seem to bring confusion to them. Beloved, if you are guilt of this sin, God is
calling you right now to repent.
Beloved, we
must learn patience, and wait upon our Savior with faith in our hearts,
expecting Him to give us enlightenment as we pray and study His Word. Let us
always remember that it is our God given responsibility to seek for truth, and
it is our Heavenly Father’s responsibility to reveal truth (Mt 7:7-8). Beloved,
do not be afraid to test or thoroughly examine your beliefs, for truth can be
placed under a microscope and thoroughly dissected and it will shine brighter
than ever; as long as we follow the biblical guidelines that are given in the
Bible for studying the Word of God. These are some of the biblical rules
that can be found in my book entitled How to Study the Bible, which is
also given away on my website.
Conclusion:
Therefore, the author of this book is asking his beloved readers to prayerfully
read this book to the end, so that they may comprehend the entire teaching.
After doing this, then dissect and examine this book by looking for a harmony
in all the scriptures that I use, and the scriptures you know of that pertain
to this subject, as both of us interpret them in a literal fashion. After you
have done these things, then judge for yourself the validity of this teaching.
As my beloved readers read the following study, I
challenge them to love God enough to prove this message either true or false;
for many, like myself, have discovered truth by trying to prove it wrong! I
rather you read this book and become either angry or glad, but please do not
become indifferent; for if you are angry you will try to prove it wrong, but if
you are glad, that means God has given you the revelation of this truth. If you
are unresponsive that means you do not take your salvation seriously!
I would much rather see someone fight against the
truth, as the apostle Paul did before God gave him understanding, than for that
person to be indifferent toward truth and die lost! I do not say this in
the spirit of pride or in claiming infallibility, but I put forth this
challenge in hopes that they will earnestly and thoroughly examine this truth.
If anyone believes he or she has found an error in any portion of the above
teachings, or in the following teachings, I admonish him or her to love me
enough to correct me, and to show me how their belief is in perfect harmony with all of
God’s reveal will on this subject. Please email your response to: DoctrinesOfChrist@hotmail.com
Beloved,
truth is the greatest gift of love that any preacher can give to those who
listen to their spoken message, or reads what he or she has written. The more
truth any child of God places in their heart, the more of Jesus they have, for
He is the Truth (Jn
14:6). Beloved, it is impossible for you to say you love Jesus and not
love the Bible, for Jesus is the Living Word (Jn 1:1), and every word in the Bible are
His Words. My prayer for you is that the Lord Jesus Christ, who is both
the Son of God and the Almighty God, will open your heart and mind to
understand His message of truth. With all the above truths in mind, let us
begin our SEARCH FOR TRUTH!
Your Loving
Servant In Christ,
Harry A. Peyton
William Marrion Branham was without a doubt a self-proclaimed
prophet, who was injured in a head-on collision with a drunk driver on December
18, 1965, and died on December 24. Some of those who worshipped him actually
believed that he was an incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and others
believed that he would actually rise for the dead. All Branhamites believe
Branham was the Seventh Messenger to the Laodicean Church Period, and as such,
if a Christian did not believe he was God’s last day Prophet and follow his
teaching, then he or she would be lost.
This book will cover Branham’s life, prophecies, and
doctrinal teachings. Because Branhamites believe that every word
William Branham uttered was divinely inspired of God, they even wrote down his
stuttering. In this book the author will be
quoting directly from Branham’s own words, i.e. form the sermons he gave. Our
Savior once said: “By your words you will be justified, and by your words you
will be condemned” (Mt 12:37). Therefore, the author
will let Branham’s own words condemn him as a false prophet. There is old
saying: “a person who is a liar will be trapped by his own lies,” or “give a liar enough rope and he will hang himself with it.” In the case of Branham, this is especially true; for this
so-called infallible prophet of God definitely changed and contradicts
his own teachings from one year to another, and sometime from one sermon to
another! How can this be if he is a true prophet of God?
On September 25 of 1957, Branham defended his so-called
infallible teachings by declaring: I-I-I-I’ve twenty-six years in the ministry…. I had no
education, no ability…. I have never tried to present anything in my life
without first it being revealed. And I am so thankful that the angel of the Lord, which I had no education, no ability, and this angel
[has] come down and has been my help sent from God.
And he has never told [meaning taught] me one thing, but what
absolutely dovetailed from Genesis to Revelation. [1]
In fact, in one place Branham declared that he wrote down the things the angel
taught him! In another place Branham declared: I am God’s Voice to you... Now, see, I can say nothing in
myself. But what he [my spirit-guide] shows [or teaches] me. [2]
There you have it, Branham
clearly boasted that he taught nothing in 26 years of ministry, which was
not first revealed to him by his angel! Branham not only claimed
that he received divine revelation from this so-called angel of God, but also
brazenly placed his teachings on the same level as the great apostle Paul and all the other
apostles and prophets of the Bible. This can only mean that
he claims infallibility for himself! The pride of this man is unsurpassed by
any other being, excluding Lucifer and his son the Antichrist.
Therefore, Branham by his braggadocios exalted claims has
removed himself out the realm of a Pastor, who may change some of his
teachings, after he discovers he was wrong. Since this man
claims infallibility, he is denied the privilege to change his
teachings! Where in the Bible, can any
Branhamite Pastor find where the apostle Paul, or any other apostle or prophet
of God, change their teachings or made a mistake in their teachings. If these
Men of God made mistakes in their doctrinal teachings, then we would not have
an infallible Bible today; but thank God, these men were real Men of God, who
only spoke what God gave them.
Beloved, as we examine Branham teachings on different
doctrines, you will clearly see that he change and contradict the doctrines he
taught earlier in his ministry. This can own mean that he either backslid and
changed the teachings of his angel, or he did not believe his angel’s teachings
were from God so he changed them, or he lied and his angel never taught him
anything. No matter which of these statements are correct, they all declare
William Branham to be a false prophet!
In 1983, I attended a
Branhamite church for the first time, which was located in Arenas Valley, which
was on the outskirts of Silver City, NM. It was there that I was confronted
with those who proclaimed Branham to be a prophet of God. I was asked to come
back and preach for them, which I did. After that service these people told me
about the miracles Branham did, and wanted me to believe in him and confess him
to be God’s prophet for this church age.
Being a one God Jesus Name Pentecostal preacher, I
was deeply impressed by the fact that they baptism in the name of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and believed in the Oneness of God.
Therefore, I told them that I did not know anything about what Branham
taught, and how it agrees with the revealed will of God, which is written in
the Bible. They then loaned me a two-volume set of books entitled, Conduct, Order and Doctrine, which were transcribed from tapes of his
teachings over the years.
After much prayer
and study of these books, for about two
months, I was totally convinced Branham was a False Prophet. I carefully
studied these books, I wrote down each of his teaching in a topical
arrangement, along with the date of the teaching and the page number. After I
did this, I compared his teachings on a given topic in one sermon with his
other messages; it was then that I discovered that this man was a False
Prophet. I knew this because his teachings not only contradicted the Word of
God, but also each other.
I thought to myself: “Branhamite pastors and preachers
must have a hard time choosing, which of Branham’s so-called infallible
messages of God, they are going to believe, for this man has definitely
changed and contradicted his own teaching over the years.” This is why Branhamite pastors and preacher are confused
about what Branham taught, some say he taught one thing and others says he
taught some different, and both will use his sermons as proof that their
doctrine is the doctrine that Branham actually taught!
I would hate to be a Branhamite pastor, and try to find a
harmony in what Branham taught on different subjects of the Bible, because
there is none, unless you are mystical allegorists, who can find harmony in the
teachings of God’s Word with the teachings of the Satanic Bible. However, like
all mystic religions, Branhamite Pastors look for some deep spiritual meaning
in the words their prophet uses in his teachings. Therefore, each pastor and
preacher interprets Branham’s teaching with his own mystical enlightenment.
Branhamites blindly believes Branham’s teachings because of
the miracles he performed. They usually read or listen to his sermons, but very
few have taken the time to compare his teachings on different subjects. As a
result, they do not know that Branham did in fact change and
contradict several of his own teachings, such as, his teachings on salvation,
predestination, eternal security, eternal torment, and so on. In addition, very few Branhamites have take the time to
examine Branham’s prophecies, such as: His prophecy that by 1977: all
denominations would be consumed by the World Council of Churches; or his prophesy that: the Rapture would take place
at this time, and that the world would be destroyed in that same year. [3]
Since these prophecies did not take place in 1977 or any year after, William Marrion Branham’s
own prophecies declared him to be a false prophet! These prophecies will be
examined in detailed in this book.
After I was convinced that Branham was a
false prophet, I went to pastor Perez whose church, as I stated before, was in
the Silver City area, and showed him these contradictions. Even though he had
no answer for these contradictions, this did not seem to disturb him, for he
was obsessed with the miracles that Branham performed, and this was all the
proof he needed. I told him the Word of God, not miracles, must be our final
authority in deciding who is a prophet or an apostle of God! He looked at me as
if to say: “If
you were spiritual you would know this man is a prophet of God.”
Shortly after this confrontation, I decided
to write a small booklet exposing Branham’s errors and contradictory
statements, which I did in 1983. In fact, this book is a direct result of that booklet. I then placed
an ad in the local newspaper challenging the Branhamite and other pastors in my
city to a public debate on the New Birth. After placing the challenge in the
newspaper, I went to this pastor and challenge him to meet me in a public
debate to debate the teachings of Branham. He still refused to accept my
challenge.
It was at that time Joe, one of they own
prophets, prophesied in one of their church services that they would meet me in
a public debate. Two years later, I saw Joe in the supermarket that I was in,
and I said: “Joe I heard you prophesied that someone in your church would meet me
in a public debate, do you know when this will happen?” Joe replied: “Peyton, Abraham had to wait
25 years before God’s prophetic Word was fulfilled in his life.” I told him: “Joe, if my sweet Lord does
not come for me in the Rapture by that time, I will probably be laying in a
coffin six feet under the ground, so if this debate is going to take place, it
need to happen quickly. Joe, if I am wrong in calling Branham a False Prophet,
then I need and want a Branhamite to rebuke me and prove me wrong publicly. Why
are Branhamites so afraid to inspect and compare the teaching of Branham, if he
is infallible, then you should be able to show a perfect harmony in all of his
teachings? Now if you cannot, then why do you believe he is infallible!”
It is now 2005, and 22 years have past since Joe gave his prophecy, and I am still waiting, and my
challenge for a public debate still holds! If William Branham was a true
prophet of God as he claimed, then let his son, grandsons, or a Branhamite
pastor accept this challenge! When a child of God knows he or she has the
truth, they are not afraid to face anyone and defend God’s Word; for you can
put truth under a microscope and the more minutely you inspect it, the brighter
it shines. King Solomon said: “The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Pro 28:1).
I say these
things in love, because I would rather have someone angry with me, in hopes that they will try
to prove this message wrong, and in so doing they will discover that I
have spoken the truth. Every honest hearted Branhamite, who truly believes
Branham is the Seventh Messenger to the Laodicean Church Period, should read this message and see if
I lied or misquoted what Branham said. I say unto all my beloved Branhamite
readers: “either
prove to yourself that this love message is false, or prove to yourself that it
is true, but I beg you do not be unresponsive like the Laodicean
Christians.” For God told these Christians: “because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of
My mouth.”
Since Branhamite Pastors claim that William
Marrion Branham was God’s messenger to the Laodicean Church Age, and that he
would usher in the millennial reign of Christ, it would behoove all Branhamites,
and those who are thinking about joining them, to thoroughly examine Branham’s
teachings. Branhamites believe Branham to be the Seventh Church Age Messenger
because Branham cunningly led them to believe that he was. Branham
declared that a so-called angel of God commissioned him to be the forerunner of
Christ’s return; in 1963, Branham
claimed that he was endowed with the spirit of Elijah. Everything Branham
taught about the Seventh Messenger fitted his own life and ministry perfectly;
therefore he willfully deceived and misled his followers to believe that
he was this suppose messenger to the Laodicean Church Age!
Branham deviously speaking of himself
stated: We are promised a return of that Spirit [Elijah] just
before the end-time. He won’t start another church, because there is no
more church ages to come, ...because the Laodicean Church Age is the last age,
and the messenger of the Seventh Angel… is not a reformer, he is a prophet! [4]
Branham then declared that the 7th angel of the Laodicean Church Age
was in fact the same angel as the 7th Trumpet angel of
Revelation 10. Branham supposedly prophesying and speaking as Jesus
said: I am here in the midst of the Church. The Amen of God,
faithful and true, will reveal Himself and it will be by my prophet.’ Oh
yes, that is so. Rev. 10:7 ‘And in the days of the voice of the seventh
messenger, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should
be finished as He hath declared to His servants the prophets….’ He is sending a
vindicated prophet. He is sending a prophet after almost two thousand
years.
Branham did not stop here, he then taught
that the 7th angel to the Laodicean Church Age, and the 7th
Trumpet angel, and the angel or messenger who would come in the spirit of
Elijah, which the prophet Malachi prophesied would come, was in fact the same
angel or messenger. Branham declared: He [God] is
sending someone who is so far from organization, education, and the world of
religion that as John the Baptist and Elijah of old, He will hear only from God
and he will have ‘thus saith the Lord’ and speak for God. He will be God’s
mouthpiece and he, as it is declared in Mal. 4:6, will turn the hearts of
the children back to the fathers. [5]
Without
doubt, in the above and following passages, Branham in a very deceptive and subtle
way declared himself to be the 7th messenger of the Laodicean Church
Age. Branham speaking about himself declared: This is the Laodicean Age and according to
the Word of God, this Age has [meaning right now as I speak] received a vindicated
Messenger and Message, forerunning the Second Coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Now I wonder
who this vindicated messenger can be, who will be a forerunner to Christ’s
return? Now you Branhamites do not have to worry, your prophet’s outlandish
pride will not leave you in doubt as to whom he is referring to! For Branham declared that his angel appeared to him just above
the waters of the Ohio River on June 11th of 1933, and vindicated and commissioned
him to be his prophet, and the forerunner to
Christ’s second coming. Branham said it this way: I was baptizing down on the
river my first converts, at the Ohio River…. As I started to baptize… ‘A voice
spoke from there [heaven], and said, ‘As John the Baptist was sent for the forerunner of the
first coming of Christ, you’ve got a--have a Message that will bring
forth the forerunning of the second coming of Christ.
[6]
It was at
this time that Branham claimed that his angel not only called him to be a
prophet, but also vindicated him as a prophet. Branham declared: I was getting too critical
on speaking with tongues. You see? But one day then,
how God vindicated that to me. In other words, Branham claimed that it was on this day, as he was
baptizing on the Ohio River, that his angel vindicated his teachings against
speaking in tongues as being the initial evidence of being born of the Spirit. Branham and his angel evidently did not
understand or rejected this great biblical truth (Jn 3:5, 8; Acts 2:38;
10:44-48; Isa 28:8-12).
Therefore, Branham in a very demonic and crafty way was claiming to be the vindicated
messenger to the Laodicean Church Age, who would be the forerunner
of Christ’s return.
Branham
evidently did not want to take a chance, that some of his simple-minded
followers would not be able to put the above passages together, and realize
that he was speaking about himself. Therefore, he declared that the 7th
Trumpet angel was the one designed by God, to open up and reveals the
mystery of the Seven Seals in Revelation the 6th chapter.
Branham said it this way: But in the last days, it will have to be a prophet to take up
the mysteries of God…. Do you see what I mean now? He can’t be a
reformer; it has got to be a prophet, because it has got to be somebody that is
gifted…. The original Bible faith is to be restored by the 7th
angel oh, how I love this! All of the mysteries of the Seals that the
reformers never understood fully. [7]
Branham also
declared: Now
this [7th] messenger of Mal. 4 and Rev
10:7 is going to do two things. One: According to Mal. 4 he will turn the
hearts of the children to the fathers. Two: He will reveal the mysteries of the
seven thunders in Rev. 10, which are the revelations contained in the seven
seals. It will be these Divinely revealed ‘mystery-truths’ that literally
turn the hearts of the children to the Pentecostal fathers. [8]
Now, do you
Branhamite Pastors know any so-called prophet of God, who has supposedly
restored the true doctrines of God, and claim to have a true revelation on the
seven seals? Gee, I wonder whom this supposedly modest and humble man
could be talking about. Well do not worry, for Branham’s pride will not leave
you in doubt! After all, his demonic spirit-guide would not want you to worship
the wrong prophet. After declaring that only the 7th trumpet angel could open the
Seven Seals, he then brazenly declared that God had commissioned him to
open the Seals; thereby boldly proclaiming to all of his worshippers that he
was the Seventh Messenger to the Laodicean Church Age, and the 7th
trumpet angel, and the Elijah to come.
Branham’s son, Billy
Paul Branham, spoke of this in the introduction of the book entitled, The
Revelation of the Seven Seals. Bill Paul wrote: Brother Branham was caught up in a constellation
of seven angels and was told to return to his church [Branham
Tabernacle] in Jeffersonville, Indiana, where the mysteries of
the Seven Seals would be revealed to him. Branham spoke of it this way: The angels
took me into that pyramid of themselves-the mysteries of God known only to them.
And now, they were the messengers that come to interpret that pyramid
or that Message of the secret of these Seven Seals, which lays with
inside the pyramid…. So, I could truly say that to the best of my
understanding and according to the word of God and the vision and the
revelation, the interpretation thereof is THUS SAITH THE LORD! [9]
Branham from that time on began teaching a message
entitled, The Revelation of the Seven Seals, also An
Exposition of the Seven Church Ages. Thus proving to all who worshipped him
that he had to be the 7th messenger to the Laodicean Church Age and the Elijah to come. One of Branham’s blind worshippers speaking of the three pulls
that Branham taught stated: In one of Brother Branham's sermons entitled,
‘The Anointed Ones at the End Time,’ he was endeavoring to explain the
significance of this latter part of his ministry…. The First Pull, healing:
Second Pull, prophesying: Third Pull, the opening of the Word, the
mysteries revealed… [that is] the opening of them Seven
Seals, to reveal the hidden Truth that’s been sealed in the Word.
Since Branham wanted all his worshippers to
know that he was the 7th angel or messenger, he told them about a so-called
vision he claimed to have. When he was teaching on the Pergamos Church Age,
he said: Now
each of these messages is directed to the ‘angel’ – (human messengers), a very
great responsibility as well as a wonderful privilege is his lot. To these men
God makes special promises…. One morning as I lay in bed and suddenly I was
caught up in a most peculiar vision. I say it was peculiar for I have
had thousands of visions and not once did I seem to leave my body. But
there I was caught up; and I looked back to see my wife, and I saw my body
lying there beside her. Then I found myself in the most beautiful place I have
ever seen. It was paradise….
As I wonder who all those
folks were, one beside me said, ‘They are your people.’ I was astonished I
asked, ‘Are all these Branhams?’ He said, ‘No, they are your converts….’
The man said, ‘We are resting here while waiting for the coming of the Lord…’
and you will be judged according to the Gospel you have preached, and we
will be your subjects. I said, ‘Do you mean I am responsible for all
these?’ He said, ‘Every one. You were born a leader.’ I asked him, ‘Will every
one be responsible? What about Saint Paul?’ He answered me, ‘He will be
responsible for his day [referring to Paul being the messenger to the Ephesian Church Age].’ ‘Well’ I said, ‘I’ve
preached the same Gospel that Paul preached.’ And the multitude cried, ‘We’re
resting on that.’ Yes, I can see that God is going to give a special reward to
His messengers. [10]
The devil must have been
filled with glee to see his deception working among the Branhamites, and
knowing now that he could keep all of Branham’s deceived followers in false
doctrine; for he had now vindicated his false prophet in the eyes of all
of them, who blindly placed all their faith in him. The devil must be rolling
over with laughter. Is it not a shame that these good, sincere, and holy people
are so willing to blindly place their faith in Branham because he could do
miracles, instead of placing their faith in Jesus and in His Holy Infallible
Word! It is enough to break your heart, and I am sure it must break our Lord’s
heart, especially when He has to judge them on the Day of Judgment!
Because Branhamite Pastors truly believe
Branham to be this supposed messenger to this Church Age, and an
infallible prophet of God, they have deified him to such a degree, far
above all apostles and prophets of the Bible, that they teach no one can be
saved unless they confess Branham to be God’s last day prophet and following
his teachings. It is for this reason why many Branhamites proclaim Branham to
be the prophet mention in Acts 3:22-23. Anyone who has an ounce of sense, and the
Holy Spirit of God in them knows this passage of Scripture is referring to our
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Prophet, Priest, and King (Jn 6:14, Lk
24:19).
The Bible called our Lord by this
title in several places, and acknowledged that He is the Christ, the prophet
Moses prophesied of. Philip indisputably declared: “We
have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote
-- Jesus of Nazareth” (Jn 1:45). Take note, Philip said Jesus
was the fulfillment of Moses’ prophecy not Branham! The woman at the well not only
told Jesus: “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet,” but also said: “I
know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). When He comes, He will
tell us all things” (Jn 4:16-19, 25); therefore she also must have
known the prophecy of Moses. Jesus speaking of himself said: “a prophet
has no honor in his own country” (Jn 4:44). Jesus told the Jews: “the Son of Man
be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him [not Branham] should not
perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:14-15).
If Branhamite Pastors refuse to
believe the Word of God concerning Jesus being the fulfillment of Moses’
Prophecy, than perhaps they will believe there own prophet; for even Branham
himself referred this passage in Acts to the Savior and
not to himself! Branham said: That is Jesus the Prophet…. On earth he
was the Word – the Prophet. Moses said of Him, ‘The Lord
your God will raise up a Prophet like unto Me, and it will come to pass if
they don’t hear the words of that Prophet they will be cut off. [11]
I am amazed that Branhamite Pastors missed this passage in their
infallible prophet’s teachings. Was this a sincere or willful oversight on
their part? It makes me wonder, if they even read or listen to Branham’s
sermons?
CHAPTER 1
BRANHAM’S LIFE STORY WAS COMPLETELY
ENTWINED WITH THAT OF HIS SPIRIT-GUIDE
As we examine
Branham’s life, which according to his own testimony was entwined with the
so-called angel of God, the author definitely believes from all the information
Branham gives concerning this spirit being, that Branham at some point in his
life became demon possessed, probably in his manhood. Branham claimed that his
angel was with him from birth, and continually manifested himself to him
throughout his life in dreams and visions, long before he even claimed to be
saved.
In the occult, a demon that was with a
person from childhood would be called a spirit-guide. Historians speak of others who
had demonic guardian angels with them throughout their life. Lactantius (AD 260-330), speaking of these spirit-guides
wrote: These
are the demons, of whom the poets often speak in their poems, whom
Hesiod [800
BC]
calls them guardians of men, for they so persuaded men by their enticements
and deceits…. Socrates [470-399 BC] used to give out that he
had a demon as the guardian and director of his life from
his first childhood and that he could do nothing without his assent
and command. [12]
Branham made
the very same confession as Socrates: While conducting healing
services, Branham would often fall into a trance, during which his angel would
work through him. Asked once if the healings were done by the Holy Spirit,
Branham replied, ‘No, my angel does it. [13]
Our sweet Savior warned all believers to be ware of false prophets, whose
demons would use them to do miracles and perform lying wonders.
Jesus said: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will
come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many…. For
false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and
wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told
you beforehand” (Mt 4-5, 24-25). Our dear Redeemer declared that
false prophets would deceived many to believe in a perverted
gospel of Christ, which would result in them being lost (Mt 7:13-15, 22-23).
The apostle Paul forewarned God’s Church
about false prophets, who would teach them a perverted gospel. The God’s
apostle wrote: “I marvel that you are turning away so soon
from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
which is not another; but there are some
who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any
other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed….
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the
truth” (Ga 1:6-8, 3:1).
This great apostle also told the Church that
these false prophets or ministers of Satan would preach holiness, in
order to deceive believers into thinking that they were true prophets of God.
Paul wrote: “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles [or the prophet] of Christ. And
no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of
light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform
themselves into ministers of righteousness” or holiness (2Co 11:13-15). Therefore, before we examine Branham
intimate relationship with this spirit creature that dominated his life so
completely, let us find out who this angel was.
Branham Did
Not Know the Name of His Spirit-Guide
and
Contradicted Himself Concerning His Identity
Branham in his usual contradictory manner
declared in one sermon that his spirit-guide was the Lord Jesus Christ, and
this is what most Branhamites believe today, but in several other sermons he
definitely, positively declared that his spirit-guide was not Jesus, but
someone who would not identify himself! When Branham was asked by one of his worshippers
who this angel was, he replied: I believe it’s the same
Angel of Light that come in the - in the jail and come in to Saint Peter and
touched him, and went forward and opened the door and put him out into the
light. And I believe that it’s Jesus Christ the same yesterday,
today, and forever! [14]
In a sermon
entitled “How the Angel Came To
Me, And His Commission,” Branham
clearly and unmistakably declared that his spirit-guide was not Jesus.
Branham speaking of the above event said: “The angel of the Lord that comes [to me] is not the Lord
Jesus. It doesn’t look like Him in the same vision. For the vision I
saw of the Lord Jesus, He was a little Man…. [A] little Fellow [who] had His arms folded like
this, a beard kind of short, hair down to His shoulders. [15]
In his sermon on “The
Angel And The Three Pulls,” Branham still speaking of same event described
his spirit-guide as a large man who: weighed about two hundred
pounds, and kinda dark complected, kinda more like a--a Mexican’s
complexion, you know, like the Spanish, or some dark complected person,
smooth face, no beard, had dark hair down to His shoulders, [and] had a white robe on…. And He looks to be a man in
his thirties, I’d say, a strong looking man. [16]
The above quotes prove beyond all
doubt that Branham’s spirit-guide was not
the Lord Jesus Christ, for Branham unquestionably declared that he was not, and
dogmatically proclaimed that Jesus and his spirit-guide did not look anything
like each other. Therefore, what are you Branhamite Pastors gone to do with
your infallible prophet’s obvious contradiction? Will you take it out of your
books or change it, as the occultic Jehovah Witnesses do when they
discover their infallible Little Flock made a mistake?
In a book
entitled “William Branham, A Man Sent By God,” Branham declared: I do
not know who he [meaning his spirit-guide] is.
I only know that he is the messenger of God to me. [17]
This is impossible to believe, if this was God or even an angel of God. I could
believe that an angel might not identify himself if he appeared once or even
several times to an individual, but not hundredths of times, [18] that would be ludicrous.
Who could believe such a thing? One would naturally have to ask himself, why
did this angel not identify himself, if he was from God?
You certainly do not
find this so-called angelic behavior in the Bible! For when God sent His angel
to the lowly Jewish priest Zacharias, the angel introduced himself and said: “I am Gabriel,
that stand in the presence of God;” and in the “sixth month the
angel Gabriel was sent from God unto… Mary… and said, Hail, thou
that art highly favoured of the Lord” (Lk 1:19, 26-28, KJV).
God also sent Gabriel to the great prophet Daniel, whom Daniel knew for
he said, “while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel,
whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning” (Dan 9:21, KJV).
If Branham
was really a great prophet of God like Daniel, or holy like the lowly priest
Zacharias, or even highly esteem as Mary, he should have rated some important
angel like Gabriel to be his messenger, instead of some spirit who refused to
tell him his name! If Branham’s spirit-guide was God, the Lord Jesus Christ, as he
once claimed, and then denied, why did the Lord not identify Himself to
Branham? When Jesus appeared in a vision to the great apostle Paul, He
definitely identified Himself, for when Paul asked: “Who are You,
Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus” (Acts 9:5). If Branham was equal
to Paul, as Branham and Branhamite Pastors claim, then why did Jesus refuse to
give him His name? This does not make any sense at all, if Branham spirit-guide was
God or even a holy angel of God.
Branham’s
Spirit Guide Appeared
as A Halo of
Light over His Head at His Birth
The author
believes that all the stories Branham gives concerning his childhood were
fabricated after he became demon possessed. These stories were given in order
that Branham could lead his followers to believe that he, like Moses, was
called by God to be a prophet from birth. Not only this, but he wanted his
followers to believe God was with him and protected him all through his
childhood. With these truths in mind, let us examine Branham’s birth.
On April
16, 1909, William Marrion Branham was born, on a farm near Birksville, Kentucky. He
was the firstborn of nine children. Branham claimed that God gave a
supernatural sign to his parents at his birth; for he declared in a sermon
entitled “My Life Story” that a: light in the
form of a circular halo, about a foot in diameter, came whirling in
through the window and was seen above the bed where he laid in his mother’s arms.
[19]
I believe Branham must have seen to many Catholic manger scenes, whereby
the baby Jesus is in a crib or in the arms of his mother with a halo around
His head; evidently, Branham believed this Catholic fairytale and
was trying to identify himself with Jesus.
Branham later identified this light in one
place as God, but in another place, he contradicts himself and
definitely declared it to be a manifestation of his spirit-guide, who
protected him throughout his life. He said: Now, I’d seen it in a whirlwind;
I’d heard it talk to me, and seen it in the form of a light, but
the first time I ever seen the image of it…. It walked up to me, real
close. Well, honest friends, I--I thought my heart would fail me… cause
after hundreds and hundreds of times of visitation,
it paralyzes me when he comes near…. So I was setting there and looking at Him…. And when He spoke, that
voice, that was the same voice that spoke to me when I was two years
old, all the way up…. [He said to me] I’m sent from the presence
of Almighty God to tell you that your peculiar birth….’ That same
light hung over me when I was first born. [20] Therefore, Branham identified
the light that came from this spirit being with the light that appeared at his
birth. He said it was the same light.
Branham’s own words declare that
his spirit-guide was either Lucifer or a demon; for if it was the Lord
Jesus Christ, or one of His holy angels, why would anyone be terrorized
from a visitation from Him or His angel, especially after hundreds of visitations.
Where in the Word of God can you find any angel of God manifesting himself as a
halo of light over a baby’s head? The answer is obviously nowhere! Now, I do
not know about you, but to any Bible believing Christian, the very fact
that this never happen to Jesus, or to His apostles, or to His OT prophets,
would frighten me to death, i.e. if I was a Branhamite Pastor who believed
Branham was a prophet of God.
Branham
speaking of his parents said: Now, look, my people was not religious. My father and mother did
not go to church…. My father’s Irish and my mother was Irish…. But myself, we
had no religious training or teaching at all as children. But those gifts,
that visions, I saw visions right then just the same as I do now.
[21]
According to Branham,
his father drank alcohol constantly! Therefore, this supposed miraculous sign and all of his childhood
visions evidently had no effect on his parents at all, for they remained
unsaved as he was growing up. This definitely would be considered unnatural! If
Branham really had a halo of light above his head at birth, and constantly had
visions and dreams as a child, this would lead any normal parent to seek for
God, if these stories are true, unless one or both of his parents were in the
occult, such as an astrologer or fortuneteller. The reason why I say this is
that Branham, by his own testimony claims, that he had many encounters with
astrologers and fortune-tellers, who were always prophesying to him. [22]
Gave Him His
First Vision
Branham declared that God, supposedly
using his spirit-guide, gave him his first vision when he was a year and a half
old or in 1910. He stated: Now, in the beginning, the
first thing that I can ever remember is a vision. The first thing that I can
recall to my mind is a vision that the Lord gave me. And that was many, many
years ago, I was a little bitty boy. [23]
Where in the Bible does
God give visions, not dreams, to anyone who has not experienced His saving
grace? Now, I believe that God can save children at an early age, but Branham
did not claim to be saved until he was twenty years old. If Branham truly had a
vision at 18 months old, it must have given him a terrible fright for
him to remember it all of life. However this vision was about, it did not cause
him to repent of give his life to God as a child.
Age Three and
A Half: Branham’s Spirit-Guide
Spoke to Him
Audibly for the First Time
Branham continuing his discourse on his supposed
supernatural childhood said: And then the next thing I remember must have been
about two years later…. And that would make me about three years old. He went on to say that it was at that time,
in 1912 he heard the voice of his spirit-guide as it told him: You're going to spend a big
part of your life near a city called New Albany. Branham then stated: That's three miles from
where I was raised. [24]
According to Branham, it was not long after that his parents moved to
Jeffersonville, IN, which was a few miles from New Albany.
Of all the good and bad things that must have
happen to Branham in his childhood, why would he remember his so-called vision
and this voice telling him his family was going to move. What would be so
frightening about moving to a different city, that he would remember a voice
telling him this? I must say, Branham for being an illiterate man with no
education, sure had an outstanding memory of his childhood, or a great
imagination, one of two.
Age Seven: Branham’s Spirit Guide
Supposedly Kept Him from Sinning
In 1916, Branham claimed that
his spirit-guide spoke to him again. He said that he was passing: under a
great white popular tree…. I was crying, and all at once I heard something
making a noise like a whirlwind, something like this going ‘whoooosssh,
whooooossssh. Branham then stated that he moved away from the tree, and turned to look
at this sight again; when he did, he claimed he heard his spirit-guide
speaking to him again saying: Don’t you never drink,
smoke, or defile your body in any way. There’ll be a work for you to do
when you get older. [25]
One can not help
observing, as they read Branham’s sermons or listen to them on tape, that this
so-called angel of God uses the same illiterate way of speaking as Branham,
ever time he supposedly spoke to him. Now is that not strange? According
to Branham, he was a sinner at this time, whose supposed visions
and miraculous manifestations of his spirit-guide did not lead him to a
personal faith in Christ. Now is that not also strange? Nowhere can you
find Branham’s spirit-guide ever leading him to a knowledge of Christ, or of
the Bible in his childhood, or even as a teenager! Now this is unbelievable.
Branham’s fabrications did not stop here,
for he also declared that his spirit-guide supposedly supernaturally
intervened when he tried to disobey these instructions by smoking a
cigarette or taking a drink of alcohol. It definitely seems odd that an angel
of God would prevent Branham from smoking or drinking, when he was an unbeliever
in Christ. No angel of God ever stopped Samson, or the prophet David, from
drinking alcohol or committing sin. In fact, no angel of God ever stopped David
from committing adultery and murder. No angel of God ever stopped Paul
from killing Christians before he was saved.
Therefore, I would like to ask Branhamite Pastors,
if God uses angels to stop men from sinning, then why did He not use His angels
to stop the above prophets and the apostle Paul? Makes you wonder, does it not?
Now I know Branhamite Pastors will probably say: “the
answer is simple, Branham was greater than Samson, David, or even Paul.” Where in the Bible, can any Branhamite Pastor
find Branham’s name ever mention? You do not, do you! The truth is that God
will not rob anyone of their freewill, if anyone wants to commit sin, God will
not stop them. God will rob no angel or man of his power of self-determination.
This is why He did not stop Lucifer and the angels of God that fell with him
from sinning, and Adam and Eve from sinning in the Garden of Eden, and even the
prophet David from sinning. If any man or woman, sinner or saint, wants to
smoke, drink alcohol, steal, commit adultery, or even murder someone, God will
not stop him or her.
Age Fourteen: Branham’s Spirit Guide
Miraculously Preserved His Life from Death
According to Branham, he almost died in 1923. He said: I was shot, down in the
field, when I was 14 years old, And I was laying there. And my legs blowed over
me, like hamburger, from a twelve-gauge shotgun. And I screamed for water; Oh,
give me a drink! I numb; my lips was numb. [26] One of Branham’s followers speaking of
Branham’s accident said: Brother Branham almost died for the second time at
the age of fourteen. Accidentally shot, lying in his own blood with part of his
leg shot away where the blast of a shotgun had struck him, he had a vision,
or experience, where he himself faded away and he saw people in hell. He
saw things that were to take place among the women of the world in the 1960’s,
the grotesque use of makeup and the like. These women were in hell and
it shocked him to realize that there was such a place, yet
he resisted the call of God upon his life.
As one reads Branham’s
life story, one must logically conclude that all these fairytales
Branham told of the visions his spirit-guide, not the Holy Spirit, gave him before
he even claimed to be saved, were nothing but fabrications. For as I stated
before, I cannot find one place where Branham’s spirit-guide ever encouraged
him as a child, teenager, or as a man to seek God in prayer, read and study the
Word of God, or even led him to a saving knowledge of Christ as he was growing
up.
Not only this but after
hundreds of suppose visions, including his so-called vision of the horrible,
frightening torments of hell as he was laying in the field on the verge of
death, and none of this moved him to give his life to Christ, this is completely
unbelievable! It appears
that God must have been wasting His time by giving this sinner boy all
these visions, for they evidently did not lead him to repent or love Him. One would have to
conclude that this boy was either demon possessed and hated God, or he was
retarded and did not have a sound mind, or the whole story was a complete
fabrication.
I challenge any Branhamite Pastor to show me one
scripture where God gave a multitude of visions to anyone who was not saved, as
this man claimed to have! Where in the Bible can anyone find
these things happening to any of God’s prophets or apostles before they were
saved? You cannot, can you! This is just one of the reasons why I believe that William
Branham fabricated these stories, after he became possessed by
his demonic spirit-guide; just as the occultic leader Joseph Smith
fabricated his stories.
Age Twenty: Branham’s Spirit-Guide Supposedly
Gave Him A Vision of Light in the Form of A Cross
When
Branham’s brother Edward died, he attended his funeral in Jeffersonville, IN.
It was at this time, according to Branham that he started thinking about hell.
It is evident that someone must have told him that Edward went to hell, or he
would go to hell, if he did not believe in Christ, or it could have been both.
Sometime after this, Branham was working for a public service company in which
he nearly died from gas poisoning. Even though he did not die, he had stomach
problems thereafter. Therefore, it could have been a combination of all
these events that supposedly led him to seek God in prayer!
In 1929 at the age of
20,
Branham stated that he went to a wood shed to pray and seek for God. According
to the book entitled “Acts Of The Prophet,” Branham did not have
faith in Christ at that time. Instead of reading the Word of God, or going
to church and hearing the preaching of the Word of God, as any unbelievers
would do who wanted to know God, he prayed and asked God to give him a
miraculous sign, so he could know that He really existed. This was very similar
to the unbelieving Jews in Jesus day, who asked Him to give them a sign
so that they could believe in Him. However, what did Jesus tell them: “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign” (Mt
12:39).
According to Branham, as
he was supposedly praying and asking God to reveal Himself to him
by giving him a sign of His presence, a light appeared to
him in form of a cross, and a voice spoke to him in a language
that he did not understand, and then left him. He then prayed: Lord,
if this is you, please, come back and talk to me again. [27]
The light re-entered the shed three times. Gee, does this not remind you of the
Catholic fairytale of the pagan Roman emperor Constantine’s
vision of a cross.
Eusebius, the ancient Catholic
historian, recorded Constantine’s supposed vision this way: Accordingly he called on him [God] with earnest prayer
and supplications that he would reveal to him who he was…. And while he
was thus praying with fervent entreaty, a most marvelous sign appeared
to him… a cross of light in the heavens, above the sun, and bearing the
inscription, Conquer By This. [28]
This supposedly vision led
Constantine to become a Christian, and to unite the Roman Empire with the
Catholic Church, which fulfilled Satan’s plan to attack God’s true
Church as heretics! According to history, any Christian who did not join
Constantine’s Roman Catholic Church could suffer: loss of citizenship, loss of
property, loss of employment, prison, and enslavement.
Now like Constantine, Branham’s supposed
vision led him to give his life to Christ! Therefore, it was not the preaching
of the gospel (the death, burial, and resurrection of our great
Savior) that brought him to
become a Christian, but this vision! The Word of God declared: “it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching [not
visions] to save them that believe” (1Co
1:21, KJV). If I were a
Branhamite Pastor, I would have to say that this scripture applies to every
believer in Christ, except William Branham.
The question we now to
ask is: “if Branham’s spirit-guide really did give him
this vision of light in the form of a cross, than why did he?” It could have been that
his spirit-guide was planning on to use him to spread a perverted
gospel to the world, just as Satan used Constantine, and Joseph
Smith’s spirit-guide used him to preach a perverted gospel. It is
obvious that Branham was a Mystic and a Pharisee, for he was not
seeking God through His Word, but through signs and miraculous manifestations.
Therefore, it was not the Word of God that sparked Branham’s faith in Christ,
but these demonic signs!
Called Him to Become His Minister
In 1931 at the age of 22, Branham became a minister in the Baptist Church.
It was in this church that Branham was taught the doctrine of
predestination, and his mind was filled with demonic poison against
speaking in tongues. Every Branhamite, who believes in baptism in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ and in Jesus’ supreme Deity as God the Father, should
ask why would God lead him to a Trinitarian church, if this was God? Was God
confused? We both know that God did not lead him into a Trinitarian Church, for
God is not a deceiver, and He does not led honest hearted believers to go to a
Church that preaches false doctrine.
If it was not God who led Branham to a Trinitarian
church, was it Branham’s spirit-guide? If it was Branham’s spirit-guide, why
would his spirit-guide, his life long bosom buddy, lead him to become a
minister in a church that did not believe or stand for the truth on baptism in
Jesus’ Name, the power of the Holy Ghost, and the oneness of God? It makes one
wonder, does it not? It definitely makes one wonder if Branham’s spirit-guide
was really from God, does it not!
Did Branham do this on his own, when his
spirit-guide was sleeping or on vacation? If so, Branham’s
spirit-guide must not have taught him much about God or His Word. If
Branham was so close to God all of his life, and God had His hand on him throughout
his life, and God really gave him all those visions and dreams as an unsaved
child and man as he claimed, then why did God not show him the truth
right away in a dream or vision, or have Branham’s spirit-guide teach him the
truth? It definitely makes one wonder if Branham was really a prophet of God,
does it not!
It definitely leads one to believe that Branham’s
spirit-guide was of the devil, for according Branham, his spirit-guide took it
active interest in teaching him the Bible at this time. [29] If Branham’s spirit-guide was of God, why did he
wait for Branham to become deceived by Trinitarians Pastors before he started
teaching him the Bible? In other words, in twenty-two years of Branham’s life,
his spirit-guide told him absolutely nothing about the Lord Jesus Christ or His
Holy infallible Word, and now that he is a Trinitarian Preacher, he starts
teaching him different doctrines of the Bible, which Branham denounces as
heresy years later in his ministry, which I will prove later in chapter three.
Some time after this, Branham, the Trinitarian
Baptist Minister, encountered the true one God Apostolic Pentecostal believers.
I believe God probably started drawing Branham to the true gospel of
Christ at this time, and away from the false teaching of his spirit-guide. God
was leading Branham to believe His New Birth message of baptism in His holy and
sin cleansing name and the infilling of the Holy Ghost with the initial
evidence of speaking in tongues. Branham’s spirit-guide evidently was not very happy
with God’s drawing of Branham to the truth, for it did not last very long.
Branham’s spirit-guide, as a pit bull, had his deceptive teeth deeply buried
into him, and was not going to let him go; for he was going to use Branham to
pervert the true gospel of Christ.
Branham speaking of his brief encounter with God’s
Oneness Pentecostals people, said he was driving home from a short vacation,
when he saw many cars with large signs that had a logo that stated: Jesus Only’ on it, I
thought, ‘Well, wonder what that is?’ So I followed it around; come to find
out, it was a religious meeting, fifteen hundred to two thousand people
there…. So
I pulled it [my
car]
over to one side…. [I]
walked in, looked around, and everybody standing that could stand. I had to look
over their heads…. I thought, ‘Whew, uhm, what a people that is.’ But the
longer I stood there, the better I felt. I thought, ‘That seems pretty good.
Well, there ain't nothing wrong with them people. They ain't crazy.’
I got to talking to some of them, so they--they were fine people. [30]
Branham went on to say: So you’ve heard my life
story on those things, so I’ll stop here and tell you something that ‘I’ve
never told before…. Setting in the meeting that night, when they’d sing
their songs they’d clapped their hands…. And they would run up and down the
aisles, and everything, and just shouting and praising the Lord. I thought,
‘That sounds awful good to me. Branham then confessed that the Holy Spirit of God at
that time convicted him of his lost condition. Branham said it
this way: in their preaching, they was referring all the time to Acts, Acts 2:4,
Acts 2:38, Acts 10:49, all that. I thought, ‘Say, that’s Scripture. I just
never seen it like that before.’ But, oh, my heart was a-burning, [I] thought, ‘This is wonderful.’
I thought they was a bunch of holy-rollers when I first met them, and I
thought, ‘oh my now, they’re a bunch of angels.’ See? I changed my
mind right quick. [31]
Somewhere in that meeting, a one God,
Jesus’ Name minister prayed for Branham’s stomach problem and
he was instantly healed. Using Branham’s vernacular expressions, God was
confirming or vindicating the truth to him with signs and
miracles. Branham being ignorant of the baptism of the Holy Ghost said: One thing I couldn’t
understand was that speaking in tongues; that got me. Branham then confessed that he did not have
the Holy Ghost or was born of the Spirit. He said: After the service was over,
I looked around [and] I found one of them [meaning one of the leaders who gave messages in
tongues and interpretation], I said… ‘You people have something here that I
don’t have.’ He [the oneness preacher] said, ‘Have you got the Holy Ghost since you
believed?’ I said, ‘Well, I’m a Baptist.’ He said, ‘But have you received the
Holy Ghost since you believed?
And I said, ‘Well, brother,
what do you mean?’ I said, ‘I--I haven’t got what you all got, I know that.’
I said, ‘Because you’ve got something that seems to be powerful….’ [The Jesus’ Name minister] Said, ‘Have you ever spoke
with tongues?’ And I said, ‘No, sir.’ [He then] Said, ‘I’ll tell you right quick; you
haven’t got the Holy Ghost.’ And I said… ‘If that what it takes to get the Holy
Ghost, I haven’t got It.’ And so he said, ‘Well, if you haven’t spoke
with tongues, you haven’t got It. [32] Almighty
God must have brought deep conviction upon Branham for he asked: Well, where can I get It?’ [The oneness preacher] Said, ‘Get on in the room
there and start seeking the Holy Ghost. Branham said he had some doubts, but he knew that oneness Jesus Name
Preacher
was really a Christian. He was absolutely, rung out one hundred percent,
a Christian. That’s right. Well, I thought, ‘Praise God, here it is.
I—I’ve—I’ve got to get to that altar. [33][1]
According to Branham after he talked with
this one God, Jesus’ Name Christian gentleman, he talked to someone who he
thought was a hypocrite, because his demonic spirit-guide supposedly
gave him a vision while he was talking to this man. Therefore, he became
confused and when home without going to the altar and receiving the Holy Ghost.
God no doubt was calling him to salvation at this time, but his spirit-guide
used this vision to keep him in fear and in deception!
Evidently, Holy Spirit of God was trying to
reveal the truth to Branham by drawing him to that meeting, and by opening up
his heart, and placing him under great conviction by the anointing preaching of
His Word, and the pure, sweet, holy worship of God’s children, and even by
healing him of his stomach problems. According to Branham when he was 28
years old, he truly regretted not staying with God’s people at that
meeting, but this still did not lead him to repent of this awful mistake. I
will speak of this later.
Age
Twenty-Four: Branham’s Spirit Guide
Commissioned
or Ordained Him to Be His Minister
It is evident that Branham never received the
Holy Ghost, and from that time on, he rejected the teaching that speaking in a
tongue was the initial evidence of being born of Spirit. Two years later or in 1933, when he was 24 years old he declared: I was getting too critical
on speaking with tongues. You see? But one day then, how God vindicated that to
me. The day
Branham was referring to in which his spirit-guide, not God, confirmed
his teaching against speaking in tongues, was June 11, 1933. It was on this day that his spirit-guide
appeared to him and ordained him to be his minister.
Branham said it this way: I was baptizing down on the
river my first converts, at the Ohio River, and the seventeenth person I was
baptizing, as I started to baptize… ‘A voice spoke from there [heaven], and said, ‘As John the
Baptist was sent for the forerunner of the first coming of Christ, you’ve got
a--have a Message that will bring forth the forerunning of the second coming of
Christ. [34]
Gee, the voice from heaven, does it not remind you of our Saviors baptism (Mt 3:16-17); and by Savior I do not mean Branham, but
the only man and God any Christians should ever worship, i.e. the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Branham
speaking of this even in 1966 stated: When that angel, that you see in that picture over there,
come down on the river down there that day… thirty-three years
ago, rather, this June, and said, ‘As John the Baptist was
sent forth, the hour has come when your Message will stray the world.
[35]
There are two points that my
beloved readers should take note of in the above fairytale. First, Branham
justified his critical teaching against tongues by this light and voice from
heaven, which supposedly confirmed his ministry and teachings. He later claimed
that this light and voice was not God, but a
manifestation of his demon spirit-guide. Second point, according to
Branham, his spirit-guide was proclaiming him to be the prophet, who would
prepare the way for Christ’s second coming.
In 1937, Branham's wife and baby girl died. His baby died
from Tubercular Meningitis. In the book entitled “The Acts Of The Prophet,”
Branham believed that his wife and daughter died because he missed
God’s will by not believing God’s entire message of salvation, which
the One God Jesus’ Name Pentecostals preached. [36] He evidently believed in their message of the
godhead in Christ and baptism in Jesus’ name, but he totally rejected their
teaching on the baptism of the Holy Ghost with the biblical evidence of
speaking in tongues.
I believe Branham never
spoke in tongues through the Holy Spirit, even though he claimed he did,
for no one could preach and teach against this beautiful and glorious
manifestation of the Holy Spirit, as he did and actually have it. If he
actually did speak in tongues, it surely was not from the Holy Spirit of God,
but from his demonic spirit-guide. Branham often mocked speaking in tongues and
compared it to demonic manifestations. In one such denunciation, he claimed he
heard witches speaking in tongues in their rituals. In fact in one of his false prophecies Branham
said: The revival is over. America had her last chance
in 1957. Now the tongues are God’s sign of impending
disaster, even as they were when they appeared upon the wall at
Belshazzar’s feast. [37]
It was no
doubt this kind of satanic preaching that caused God to turn His back on
Branham, and turn him over to a rebate mind. Therefore, I definitely believe,
if Branham did speak in tongues, it was through his demonic spirit-guide. I can
remember a homosexual who was a female impersonator in a nightclub on Bourbon
Street in New Orleans, who came into our church in 1971. This man had ten lust demons in him.
After nine demons came out of him, the tenth started speaking in some language.
After the tenth spirit was cast out of him, Jesus immediately came into him,
and he began to speaking in tongues through the power of the Holy Ghost. It was
beautiful to watch the change that came over him, as the peace of God filled
his spirit and soul.
Therefore, I know that demons can speak in
tongues through sinners, and even imitate all the gifts of
the Holy Spirit, but I am very happy to know that God’s Spirit still
speaking in tongues today through His holy people in prayer and worship.
I have had this glorious experience for 34 years, and I can honestly say, I
would not trade it for all the money in the world, or anything else Satan has!
This is a real biblical experience with almighty God, and anyone who would
speak a word against it is on dangerous grounds, for they are probably blaspheming
the Holy Ghost (Mt 12:31)!
After the death of
Branham’s wife and baby, Branham became very depress and attempted suicide.
He claimed he put a loaded gun to his head and pulled the trigger, but it did not
go off. In anger, he threw the gun down and it fired. [38]
After this, he went to sleep and in a dream, he supposedly woke up in
heaven. There he saw his wife and daughter in a mansion. This according to him
gave him the assurance that they were saved. Therefore, he received assurance, not
from the Word of God, but from a dream that they were saved.
According to Branham, it was also this dream that gave him the assurance that the
Baptist teaching on believeism for salvation was a correct one. Can any
Branhamite pastor show me in the Bible, where it tells God’s children to judge
truth by dreams?
Age Thirty-Seven: the Beginning of the Healing Ministry
of Branham’s Spirit-Guide
On May 7, 1946 at age 37, Branham met his spirit-guide for
the first time. Branham declared that it all started when he walked beneath
a maple tree in his front yard, when his spirit-guide gave him another sign of
his presence. It was a whirlwind at
the top of the maple tree. This was the same manifestation that his
spirit-guide gave him when he was seven years old. According to
Branham, he went into his home and told his wife Meda, whom he married after
his first wife died: I can’t go on like this; I’m a prisoner.’ I said, ‘All the time,
when this thing keeps happening, and things like that, and these visions
a-coming, and so forth like that, or whatever it is….’ I said, ‘Them trances
like,’ I said, ‘I don’t know what that is. And, honey, I--I--I--I don’t want to
fool with it; they—they [the Baptist preachers he fellowshipped with] tell me it’s the Devil….
I said, ‘I’m going to my place in the woods. [39]
In one of Mr. Branham’s sermons, he described his
place in the woods as “a cave” and in another sermon, he contradicts himself by saying it was: “a
little old dilapidated cabin.” One of Branham’s
worshippers said that Branham declared it was a cave and he
described it this way: The cave is furnished by nature as though for
his [Branham’s] very own use. Inside there is a round rock shaped
like a table, another, shaped like a chair, and also a place for a man to lie
down and sleep. He [Branham] put none of this there - it
simply was there. It was to that secret cave he
went that eventful night.”
Branham in one of his moments of confusion called
it a cabin, he stated: And I went up there that
night, went back in a little old cabin… [and] prayed saying, ‘I don’t want
to be possessed with the Devil. I don’t want them things
to happen to me. Please, God, don’t never let it happen no
more….’ And all at once I seen a light flicker in the room…. I looked
around…. And I seen the foot of a man come in.” Branham in his
heart knew this was the devil, but somehow he did not want to believe it!
He had already rejected the truth about the Holy Spirit, and God turned him
over to his demonic spirit-guide.
Branham continued: It was dark in the room, all
but right here where it was shining right down. I seen the foot of a Man coming
in. And when He come into the room, walked on up, He was a Man about, looked to
weigh about two hundred pounds. He had His hands folded like this. Now, I’d
seen it in a whirlwind; I’d heard it talk to me, and seen it in the form
of a light, but the first time I ever seen the image of it….
It walked
up to me, real close. Well, honest friends, I--I thought my heart would
fail me…. Cause after hundreds and hundreds of times of
visitation, it paralyzes me when he comes near. [40]
It appears to me that Branham lived in fear
of his spirit-guide! Why would any Christian, who loves the Lord Jesus Christ,
and is living in holiness, be fearful of Him or one of His holy angels,
especially after Jesus or His angel was suppose to appear to him hundreds of
times? This is unbelievable, unless, Branham’s spirit-guide was not Jesus or one
of His angels, but Lucifer or one of his chief demons!
I know though experience that Lucifer can have a fearful
paralyzing effect on the body of man. In 1977, I can remember being in the upper room of our church in
Stockton, CA. As I was on my knees in prayer, a horrible, almost paralyzing,
icy cold feeling came over me, and then a voice spoke to me and said: “If you open
your eyes you will see Lucifer.” A great fear
then came over me as I felt the icy cold presence of Lucifer standing over me.
I was afraid to open my eyes. I then proceeded, for about 30 minutes, to tell
Lucifer how much hated him. As I was verbally pouring out my hate for him, I
could actually hear him laughing at me, which enraged me even more.
Then I said something, which I do not fully understand,
even to this day. I said: “Satan, even though you have brought
much misery in my life, I would not want to see anyone tormented in the Lake of
Fire forever.” As soon as I said this, Lucifer
immediately departed. It seems to me that he enjoyed me hating him, but he
could not bear me having compassion on him. I later realized, as long as I was
hating him, I was playing the game of life in his ballpark, and by his rules.
Thank God, I have never had another dreadful experience as this. Therefore, I
know the presence of Lucifer can definitely have a fearful paralyzing
effect on the body of a man.
After Branham described his spirit-guide
and the great horrifying fear that came over him when this demon
appeared to him, he then reveal the gifts this spirit gave to him. As I beloved
readers read the following passage, let them take note: this demon has the very same
illiterate way of speaking as Branham. Branham went on to say: So I was setting there and looking at Him…. He had a
real deep voice, and He said, ‘Do not fear; I am sent from the presence of
Almighty God…. Your peculiar birth and misunderstood life has been to indicate
that you’re to go to all the world and pray for the sick people…. If
you get the people to believe you, and be sincere when you pray, nothing
shall stand before your prayers, not even cancer. [41]
His demon then went on to say: As the prophet Moses was
given two gifts, signs (rather) to vindicate his ministry,
so will you be given two, so are you given two gifts to
vindicate your ministry.’ He then said: ‘One of them will be that you’ll take the person that you’re
praying for by the hand, with your left hand and their right…. Then
just stand quiet, and it’ll have, there’ll be a physical effect
that’ll happen on your body. Branham’s demon then told him that this “physical effect,” which was a “vibration” or a “discoloration” or “something like that” on his left hand, depending on what
infallible sermon you want to believe, would be a sign to him of the person’s
healing or lack of it. This demon said it this way: Then you pray. And if it [the physical effect on
Branham’s left hand] leaves, the disease is gone from the people. If it doesn’t
leave, just ask a blessing and walk away.
Branham’s demon then told him that the
second gift he would give him would be the gift of fortune-telling,
whereby he would help him to: know the very secrets of their heart. [42]
In other words, Branham’s demon would not only reveal the sickness to
him, but also personal things about that person. I challenge any Branhamite
Pastor to show me one scripture, whereby God healed anyone by the hands of an
apostle or prophet that way! You cannot, can you! This is nothing but the devil’s
perverted imitation of God’s gifts of knowledge and discernment.
One of Branham’s devoted worshippers
speaking of the above event stated: The angel told him that
under the anointing he would be able to take people by the hand, and the spirit
of disease in that person would cause such a commotion and a reaction when it
made contact with his spirit, that he would be able to feel this vibration
physically in his hand. By telling people what the disease was,
it would inspire the faith of the audience, and they
too, would believe…. When praying for the sick, he would
watch the Pillar of fire [meaning his demonic
spirit-guide] move around the building from one person to
another, revealing the thoughts and intents of the
heart [to him], the past, the
present and future. Fortunetellers do the very same thing using the same demonic powers
of their spirit-guides!
In 1972, I can remember casting demons out of a Catholic man who had the power
to heal, or curse someone with a disease. He, probably like Branham, really
though this power came from God. After a time, the demons in him spoke and
said: “I
love Rick, and Rick loves me, and Rick does not want me out.” These demons then promised to give Rick
anything in life he wanted, if he would let them stay. As a result, Rick sold
his soul to these devils and departed out of the church. Branham, like Rick,
no doubt loved the power and fame this demon gave him, even though he greatly
feared this demon.
In
the same year, there was a woman, who was in her later sixties, which claim to
be a prophetess. Sister Ryan and some of the elderly sisters in our church told
me about her, who heard her prophesying and saw her healing powers.
I told sister Ryan that I would like to meet this woman and hear her prophesy.
She evidently told this woman I want to meet her. Well one afternoon as I was
out in the field selling Family Bibles, I was inspired to called sister Ryan’s
home. As it so happen, this woman and some other sisters in our church was
there. As I was talking to sister Ryan, I could hear this woman say: “That is the young man you
told me about and he is coming over here.” I told sister Ryan: “That is right, I will be there in about twenty
minutes.”
When I arrived, this woman was prophesying
about events that would take place, and general things about the Bible. She
spoke for more than an hour, and all could tell she was speaking under some
kind of anointing. I could not tell by what she said if she was of God or the
devil. Therefore, after she finished, I walked up to her and said: “Mama, I am told that you
claim to be a prophetess of God. The Bible commands God’s children to ‘tested those who say they are apostles’ (Rev 2:2), which also
applies to those who claim to be prophetess. Now, the only way I know to test
anyone is by the Word of God. So, can you tell us how a person becomes saved,
and, is Jesus Christ God? If He is God, in which way is He God?” Immediately this woman began to cry, and
say: “You
are against me.” I said: “No mama I am not. I
sincerely want to know what you believe.” As she continued to cry, I said to all present: “Let us form a circle and
hold hands and worship our Savior.”
This woman refused to hold hands with us, or
worship the Lord Jesus Christ, but ran out of the house screaming as though she
was in great pain. Sister Ryan then informed me that this woman was afraid of
another woman down the block from her, whom she claimed had more power
than her, for this woman also could heal and prophesy. I
asked sister Ryan why this woman was afraid of her, and she replied: “She is afraid that she will
take her powers away from her.” I told sister Ryan: “If God gave her these powers no one can take it from
her; but if these powers came from the devil, than a stronger demon might be
able to usurp them.”
Let this be a warning to all Branhamites,
just because someone has the power of healing, prophecy, or whatever other
power, this does not mean it is coming from God. Now, I believe in all
of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and I believe they are all in operation in
God’s church today. However, when it comes to knowing what is truth and what is
a lie, our faith must be totally in the Word of God, and not in some divine
healer, even if he has a halo of light hanging over his head.
Even after Branham’s spirit-guide promised to
give him all this power, Branham still had fears that his angel was
from the devil. Branham expressed his fears this way: Well, I said, ‘Sir [not LORD]… I have been told by my
clergymen that those things that’s been coming to me was wrong….’
What made me more scared than ever, every time I met a
fortune-teller, they would recognize [me]…. [They would] ‘Say, did you know
there’s a--a light that follows you? You were born under
a certain sign, [43]
which according to Branham was a halo of light above his head. Is it not strange that even these demonic
fortune-tellers had the same illiterate way of speaking as Branham?
Branham then went on to speak of an
astrologer he met. He said: One day while I was a game warden, I was going up on
the bus. And I got on the bus…. She [the astrologist] said, ‘I’d like to
talk to you a minute.’ I said, ‘Yes, ma’am?’ And I turned around. She said,
‘Did you know you were born under a sign
[a
halo of light]?’ I thought, ‘Another one of them funny women…. She said, ‘Maybe I’d
better explain myself.’ She said, ‘I’m an astrologist….’ And she said,
‘You were born on April the 6th, 1909, at
five o’clock in the morning.’ I said, ‘That's right.’
[44]
It appears from Branham’s own testimony that
the devil’s children recognized the presence of Branham’s
demonic spirit-guide, i.e. of course, if these stories or true. Some of
those who worshipped and followed Branham also claimed that they seen a halo
of light above his head. These Branhamite Pastors or worshippers of
men claimed that this halo proves that Branham was a true prophet of God.
I would like any
Branhamite Pastor show me one scripture, in which any of God’s holy prophets or
apostles had a halo of light
over their head, so that all may know that they were men of God. If any man
should have had a halo of light over his head or surrounding his body, surely
it should have been our holy Savior, and I do not mean Branham. Now, if our
Lord had a halo of light over His head, the Jews no doubt would not have
rejected Him or crucified Him. Well, so much for Catholic idolatry,
which shows images of our Lord and His apostles with a halo
of light over their heads.
Therefore, it is very evident that these demon-possessed
fortune-tellers not only recognize Branham’s spirit-guide, but also they
did not fear him. In fact, these fortunetellers were attracted to Branham’s
demon and even glorified him. These fortunetellers had the very same demonic
spirit of divination in them, as the woman in Philippi did who was delivered
and set free by Paul (Acts 16:16-18).
I do not find any place in Branham’s sermons,
whereby he cast the demons out of these fortunetellers or even tried to. In
fact, I have not found one place where he cast demons out of anyone. All he did
was run from these fortune-tellers like a scared rabbit. If Branham was as great as the apostle Paul,
as he claimed, or even had the same amount of
power in him as Paul did,
then why did he not cast the demons out of these fortune-tellers, who were
plaguing him? Something to think about, is it not?
Branham then went on to express his fears
that the demon spirits of these fortunetellers seem to be attracted to him for some
reason. Branham said: And every time any, I’d get around one of
them [fortunetellers
and astrologists], that’s the way it would be. And I thought, ‘Why does them devils
do that?’ Then the preachers, saying, ‘That’s the Devil. That’s
the Devil. It
appears to me that God is using Branham’s own testimony to help sincere
Branhamite to know that the spirit that followed Branham throughout his
life was an evil spirit!
Branham continued: And then that night up there
[meaning
at the cabin or cave, depending on what version of this fairytale you prefer]…. I asked him [meaning his demonic
spirit-guide], I said, ‘Well, why is it all them mediums and things like
that, and them devil-possessed people, that always tell me
about it [meaning my halo of light]; and the clergy that, my brethren, tell
me that it’s of the evil spirit? [45] Branham’s demon
then proceeded to take certain scriptures out of context, like Satan did to Eve
in the garden (Gen 3:1,4), and
to our Lord in the wilderness (Mt 4:6), and persuaded him that God’s sometimes uses demon-possessed people to
perform His will. According to this demon, God was just trying to
show Branham that He called him to be His end time prophet.
I
would like any Branhamite Pastor to show me one place in the Bible where God
sent a demon possessed astrologer or fortuneteller to any OT prophet or NT
apostle to tell them God had called, chosen, and ordained them to be a prophet
of God, or an apostle of God? It is not there, is it? I do find in the Bible
where God said: “Do not let your people practice fortune-telling
or sorcery, or allow them to interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft,
or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits
of the dead. Anyone who does these things is an object of horror
and disgust [i.e. an abomination] to the LORD” (Deu 18:10-12).
Does any Branhamite Pastor really believe for one
moment that God changed His mind on these sinful demonic practices? Is there a
Branhamite Pastor anywhere that will tell his people it is all right for them
to be a fortune-teller, astrologer, a witch, a medium, or a sorcerer, because
God supposedly use them to call Branham to be His prophet. Gee, I wonder
why God did not use one of His millions of angels? Could it be they were all
only strike at that time? If anyone is naive enough to believe Branham’s
testimony, then they are naïve enough to believe angels of God in heaven go on
strike.
What were the results of this demon’s lies?
Branham said: he went home a new person…. [That is] when I accepted it. [46]
I assume it was at this time that Branham finally surrendered his mind and will
to this demon, which resulted in this demon coming into him and possessing him.
I assume Branham was tired of resisting this demon’s obsessive power
over his mind and life, and it also appeared to him that God had
abandoned him; and besides all of this, this demon promised to give him fame,
power, and who knows what else. If this assessment of Branham’s story is not
true, then will some Branhamite Pastor please tell me why Branham would panic
with fear every time his spirit-guide appeared to him, i.e. if
Branham truly believed he was Jesus or one of His sweet Holy
angels!
In the booklet, Twentieth Century Prophet,
the William Branham Evangelistic Association told of a vision Branham claimed
to have. It stated: It seemed that he [Branham]
appeared upon a green grassy hill, and just in front of him lay an
old-fashioned four-cornered candy jar. Inside the jar was a large tobacco moth
or fly trying to free itself…. Then out of the moth came swarms of flies, and one
of the flies flew in Brother Branham’s ear. The angel said
unto him ‘The flies which you have seen represent evil
spirits, such as spirits of divination and fortune-telling. [47] Who knows if God was warning Branham concerning his
spirit-guide being an evil spirit? One thing is for sure; I cannot find
any place where Branham ever declared that this evil spirit ever flew out of
his ear! Once this evil spirit came in, it evidently made his abode with
Branham, and no doubt gave him all of his power to become a fortune-teller and
a healer.
In a sermon
Branham entitled “The Angel And Three Pulls,” Branham described the
gifts his spirit-guide gave him as the three pulls. One of his worshippers
described these pulls this way: When I first saw Brother Branham, this was the phase
of his ministry, the [first] ‘pull, being manifested.
When people came before him, unless he could visibly see their ailment, like
blindness, being crippled, or paralysis, he would take them by the hand, and if
they had sin in their life, he told them first of their sin. The second sign,
or ‘pull,’ was to be his knowing the secrets of the heart. He would be able to
just talk to people and he would know their name and other facts about them….
Notice the very day when
this Messenger begins to declare his Message. See? The First Pull, healing:
Second Pull, prophesying: Third Pull, the opening of the Word, the mysteries
revealed…. And remember, the Third Pull was the opening of them Seven Seals to
reveal the hidden Truth that’s been sealed in the Word. Brother Branham’s third
pull was the teaching segment of his ministry. The first two pulls drew
attention to his prophetic ministry by the constant exercise of the
supernatural, but this generation needed more than a demonstration of miracles.
God's purpose was to send this Elijah with a Message of restoration.
Branham clearly and
distinctly gave the credit for his power to his spirit-guide, not to the Holy
Spirit of God; for Branham claimed that he
could do no miracles unless his spirit-guide was present. Kurt Koch in his book
entitled Occult Bondage and Deliverance confirmed this when he wrote: While
conducting healing services, Branham would often fall into a trance, during
which his angel would work through him. Asked once if the healings were done by
the Holy Spirit, Branham replied, ‘No, my angel does it. [48]
According to Kurt Koch,
Branham: told
his interpreter, Pastor Ruff, ‘If my angel does not give the sign, I cannot
heal.’ Ruff noticed several features of spiritism in the work of
Branham, and therefore stopped working with him. [49]
One thing that
characterized all of Branham’s meetings was his total dependence upon his
spirit-guide. Permit me to quote Lactantius’ (AD 260-330) statement again concerning Socrates’ total dependence upon his
spirit-guide for his anointing and power throughout his life. Lactantius
stated: Socrates [470-399 BC] used to give out that he
had a demon as the guardian and director of his life from his
first childhood and that he could do nothing without his assent and command.
[50]
In other words, Branham
was not relying on the Holy Spirit, or Its gifts, to heal those who attending
his meetings, but his spirit-guide. Where in the Bible do we see any of the
prophets in the OT, or apostles in the NT, telling those whom they prayed for
what sickness they had? You cannot, can you! Every Branhamite Pastor should
spend a very long time praying and meditating about this, for maybe God would
peradventure open their eyes to the truth. As I stated before, I love the
Branhamite people, and I am doing my best to help them recover from their
fallen state. I am definitely not trying to be unkind or harsh, but if I truly
love you, I must speak the truth!
When ministering to people, Branham would ask them
if they believed he was God’s prophet. When they answered yes, he would begin
to tell them what was wrong with them. It no doubt became evident to those who
followed Branham, that they had to believe he was God’s messenger to the
Laodicean Church Age, before his demon would reveal to him what their sickness
was, or something about their past, or something about their life. The Word of
God in no place reveals that any of Jesus’ apostles or prophets ever did any
miracle by the power of some angel. The Bible clearly reveals that they did all
miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit. Because
of the signs and wonders performed in Branham’s meetings, Branham demanded that
his followers accept all of his teaching as the Word of God.
What does the Bible teach about those who claim to
be a prophet of God? “If there arises
among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he
spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’ [meaning false doctrines], which you
have not known – ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not
listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer
of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love
the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deu
13:1-3). God gave this passage
of scripture no doubt, so His people would not follow after signs and
wonders, to determine whether or not someone was a prophet of God. Miracles are
no guarantee that a man is a prophet or his doctrinal teachings are from God.
If signs and
wonders were the supreme test of infallibility, or that a man is a prophet of
God, then one would have to declare the future Man of Sin to be a prophet of
God, for the Bible definitely teaches that he, and his false prophet, will both
be able to do miracles that will deceive many. The Bible says it this way: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working
of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous
deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the
truth, that they might be saved” (2Th 2:9-10; also Rev 13:11-14).
Now I ask
Branhamite Pastors, does this mean God has put His stamp of approval on the
Antichrist or his doctrinal teachings, because he and his false prophet will be
able to do miracles? The obvious answer is no, for we all know the devil can
also do miracles. Now, please do not misunderstand what I am saying, I am not
saying God does not do miracles today, for He certainly does; but Lucifer also
does miracles through his prophets.
CHAPTER 2
Branham’s
Prophetic Blunder on the End of the World
Branham speaking of himself, in a very
subtle, devious, and indirect way as the seventh messenger of Revelation 10:7 declared: He will have the office of a
prophet. He will have the prophetic ministry…. When he prophesies or has a
vision, it will always be Word oriented, and it will always come to pass. Branham continued by giving a prophecy
concerning the end of this age. He proclaimed: 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…. This age will end around 1977.
I base this
prediction on seven major continuous visions that came to me one Sunday
morning in June in 1933. The Lord Jesus spoke to me and said that the
coming of the Lord was drawing nigh…. Based on these visions… I still
maintain this prediction after thirty years…. So I repeat, I
sincerely believe… along with Divine inspiration that 1977 ought
to terminate the world systems and usher in the
millennium. [51]
I wonder if Branham ever read Jean Dixon’s book, I Predict; for
one thing is for sure, the spirit-guides of this well known astrologist
and this false prophet have made many false predictions.
Branham confirmed his
teaching that the world would end in 1977 by deceiving his worshippers
in thinking that he was Elijah. He declared: Elijah [meaning
himself] must come back for a work of restoration in the
church…. Now once again that Spirit [of
Elijah] will come back upon another man just before Jesus
comes. He will be a prophet. He will be vindicated as such by
God…. As a prophet, every revelation will be vindicated, for every
revelation will come to pass…. Immediately after the coming of
this Elijah [meaning himself], the earth will be cleansed of hate
and the wicked [will be] burned to ashes.” [52]
After
that Branham implied that Elijah has already come and the work of
restoration has already started. He stated: I’ve sowed the Seed everywhere,
my tapes – my message has going around the world. [53]
Branham
never mentioned these suppose visions in any of his sermons, as far
as I know, before the year of 1953. Therefore,
if he is telling the truth, which I definitely do not believe he is, he intentionally
hid them for 20 years. Now why did he do that, if these visions really came
from God? Let my beloved readers
take note: Branham based his false prophecies on his supposed visions
from God. He then prepared his followers to believe his prophecy by claiming
that all of his visions have always been fulfilled. Therefore, out of Branham’s
own mouth comes his own condemnation. Since world governments did not ended in 1977, and the millennial kingdom of Christ did
not start at that time, and the wicked did not burn to ashes that year
or any year after, every honest
hearted student of the Word of God must proclaim Branham to be a false
prophet.
Branham’s
Prophetic Blunder Concerning Los Angeles
Sinking into
the Ocean
William Branham told his
son Billy Paul, as they walked the streets of Los Angeles, “Billy,
I may not be here but you won’t be an old man until sharks will swim
right where we are standing. [54]
Well Billy Paul became 70 years old on September 13, 2005; he was born
in 1935. It appears that this prophecy also was another of Branham’s prophetic
blunders, for 70 is definitely in the over the hill category and
Billy Paul would definitely be classified as a senior citizen. When
Branham made this prophecy to Billy Paul, he no doubt was thinking about his
prophecy that California would one day sink into the ocean because of an
earthquake. Branham said it this way: And you don’t know what
time that this city [Los Angeles] one day is going to be
laying out here in the bottom of this ocean. ‘O, 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 till this day.’
And Sodom and Gomorrah lays at the bottom of the Dead Sea, and Capernaum’s in
the bottom of the sea. [55]
There is not one
Scripture in the Word of God that reveals that Capernaum was ever destroyed,
especially by a flood, and is now lying at the bottom of the sea. A few months
later, Branham preaching about Capernaum declared: it lays
in the bottom of the sea. A earthquake sunk it into the sea. [56]
According to historians, Capernaum did not sink into the sea; there is no
historian that ever claimed it did. Most historians believe that Capernaum can
be seen in the ruins of Tell Hum today. Under the heading
of “Capernaum,”
Easton’s Bible Dictionary stated: This city lay on the great highway from Damascus to
Acco and Tyre. It has been identified with Tell Hum, about two miles
south-west of where the Jordan flows into the lake. Therefore, this is just
another example of Branham’s prophetic blunders.
CHAPTER 3
BRANHAM, THE
VERY FALLIBLE PROPHET,
THE TEACHINGS
OF HIS SPIRIT-GUIDE
If William
Branham was truly a prophet of God, and he spoke under the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, he could never contradict not only the prophets and apostles of
the Bible, but he could never contradict any of his own teachings. If he had
the same Holy Spirit that God’s apostles and prophets had, then his doctrinal
teachings would be infallible and he could never changed or
contradict any of them!
Branham claimed to be instructed
or taught the Bible, not by the Holy Spirit of God, but by his fortune
telling bosom buddy, the spirit-guide. In fact, he claimed that he never taught
anything that was not revealed to him first by his demon. On September 25th of
1957 Branham
declared: I-I-I-I’ve twenty-six years in the ministry…. I had no
education, no ability…. I have NEVER tried to present anything in my life
WITHOUT FIRST IT BEING REVEALED. And I am so thankful that the ANGEL of the
Lord… [has] come down and has been MY HELP sent from God.
And HE
has NEVER
TOLD ME ONE THING, but what absolutely dovetailed from
Genesis to Revelation. [57]
According to Branham’s own
testimony, his ministry
began as a Baptist
preacher in 1931 at the age of 22.
Since Branham never seen his spirit-guide face to face until he was 37 years old,
i.e. in 1946, this must mean that this spirit being, who he called the
angel of the Lord, must have audible spoken to him in an unseen state.
Therefore, if Branham is telling the truth, this unseen spirit must
have began to verbally teach the Bible to this illiterate
young man of 22 in 1931. I do not know about you, but to me this entire
scenario seems very strange, even spooky!
In another sermon, the infallible one
spoke of the anointing that his spirit-guide gave him to teach. He declared: When the angel [not the Holy Spirit] of the Lord moves down [in me], it becomes then a Voice of God to you…. I am
God’s Voice to you... Now, see, I can say nothing in myself. But what he
[my
spirit-guide] shows [or teaches] me. [58] Branham was
not the voice of God, but the voice of his demonic spirit-guide; for if he was
the voice of God, he would not have taught false doctrine or changed his
teachings. God does not make mistakes.
Branham speaking about the difference between
a prophet and someone who has the gift of prophecy said: A prophet is born
from the cradle a prophet. They have Thus Saith The Lord! No judging
of them. [59]
In other words, you cannot judge a prophet because he is
infallible. Now, do you Branhamites know anyone who claimed to be born a
prophet with a hallo around his head? Gee, I wonder whom Branham
could be talking about. Therefore, Branham definitely claimed to be infallible
or the voice of God!
In March of 1963, Branham claimed to be an infallible prophet of God, who has restored
all of God’s truths back to the church. Branham proclaimed: Who then will have the power
of infallibility which is to be restored in this last [Church] Age, for this age is going
to go back to manifesting the Pure Word Bride? That means we will have
the Word once again as it was perfectly given, and perfectly
understood in the days of Paul. I will tell you who will have it. It will
be a prophet… thoroughly vindicated. [60]
Do you Branhamites know any infallible prophet who claims to be
thoroughly vindicated by God? I wonder whom Branham could be talking
about.
Listen to the so-called infallible prophet as
he admonishes his blind Pastoral worshippers not to teach anything but what his
demonic spirit-guide taught through him. Branham speaking as the 7th
messenger to the Laodicean Church Age shouts out to his followers: All those who go out don’t
always learn how necessary it is to speak only what the messenger
has spoken…. Oh, how important it is to hear the voice of God by way of His
messengers, and then say what has been given them to say to
the churches…. The proof of the indwelling Spirit was to
acknowledge and follow what GOD’S PROPHET gave for HIS AGE as he set the
church in order.
[61]
My beloved readers should be able to understand by now why Branham’s
Ministerial worshippers wrote down every word he spoke, even his stuttering
and illiterate form of speech!
If Branham’s statement of God’ Prophet for
each of the Church Ages had God’s message for God’s people in that age is true,
then Branham’s god must be very confused in the messages he gave to these
supposedly Church Age Messengers; because five of the messengers Branham names
were Trinitarians. The only messengers, who were ONENESS were the
apostle Paul and Branham. Not only this, but why does Branham need to restore
the truth back to the church, like the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith claimed to
do, if these Trinitarians Messengers were from God? This is something
Branhamites Pastors need to think and pray about! We will examine the teaching
of Branham’s Church Age Messengers later.
Since Branham claimed that he was
born from the cradle a prophet of God, and that he was taught the Word of God
by a so-called angel of God, this can only mean that he is claiming his
teachings to be infallible, or in other words, he claimed infallibility
for himself. Therefore, if Branham really were a prophet of God, he
could never change any of his teaching in any way; for if he did,
this would mean that God did not inspire his teachings, and he really was a
prophet of the Devil.
I plead with Branhamite Pastors
again to remember that none of the apostles of the Lamb ever claimed to be
taught by an angel or perform miracles by their power. Even the great apostles
Peter and Paul could not make this claim. Paul, through the Holy Spirit of God,
did warn God’s children to be ware of Satan’s angels, who would do signs and
wonders that they might deceive believers (Gal 1:6-8; 2Co
11:13-15). As
my beloved readers examines Branham’s teachings, he or she will definitely
notice that William Marrion Branham did in fact change and contradict his or
his angel’s teachings! Therefore, out of his own mouth comes his own
condemnation and judgment! Remember the words of our Savior: “For by your words you will be justified, and by your words
you will be condemned” (Mt 12:37).
on the Riders
of the Seals
Branham teaching in 1963 stated: About 30 years ago [i.e. in 1933]… I got Smith’s book on
Daniel’s Revelation…. He said, ‘That man that sat on that white horse was
the Holy Spirit…. So I thought, ‘Well, if I don’t know, I’ll just
say what they said, try to teach their way, meaning the way the Adventists taught
Revelations. The infallible Prophet then went on in this same sermon to reveal
that his teacher, the spirit-guide, must have been a little confused
in 1933, for he now teaching him: The white horse rider went
out…. It’s the antichrist spirit. [62]
Some Branhamite Pastor might say: “Branham was young, only 24
years old, when he taught the white horse rider was the Holy Spirit.” I say Mr. Branham lied when you said in: twenty-six
years in the ministry… I have NEVER tried to present anything in my life WITHOUT FIRST IT
BEING REVEALED. And… the ANGEL of the Lord… has NEVER TOLD ME
ONE THING, but what absolutely dovetailed from Genesis to
Revelation.
[63]
I say: “Mr. Branham you lied.”
Mr. Branham how do you explain this apparent
contradiction? Did you teach something without your spirit-guide revealing it
to you first? Did your spirit-guide change his mind about his teaching because
he realized that he was wrong, so he gave you a new revelation? Did you
backslide and starting teaching something contrary to what your spirit-guide
first revealed to you, or did you come to the realization that your
spirit-guide was a lying demon? Mr. Branham, do you not know that your
followers will lose their faith in you as God’s infallible prophet, when you
contradict yourself and change your teaching?
Branham’s Contradictory
Teaching on Salvation
Branham’s Teaching on the New Birth: On May 15 of 1954, age 45, the infallible Prophet teaching
on salvation made this statement: There’s only one way to be a Christian…. ‘Except a
man be born of Spirit and water he will in nowise enter the
kingdom,’ whether he’s a Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, or whatever. You’ll have
to be baptized in water for the remission of your
sins and receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, or
you’re lost. [64]
Let my beloved readers take note,
Branham emphatically, implicitly, indisputably connected water baptism and the
Baptism of the Holy Ghost with the New Birth for salvation. He declared that a
believer is lost if he or she is not born of both. Now I do not know what the
word “lost” means to a Branhamite Pastor, but to me it means: a person is not
saved and cannot enter into heaven. If Branham had cherished and continued in
this blessed truth, I probably would not be writing this book. I believe
the only reason why his spirit-guide allowed him to preach this truth is: Lucifer hoped to
draw some of God’s naive children into the Branhamite movement.
Seven months later on the December 31 of 1954, Branham’s spirit-guide
must have thought it was time to change his teaching on the New Birth, or maybe
it was the infallible Prophet who changed his spirit-guide’s teaching. Anyway,
the infallible one completely denounced and contradicted everything he taught
on the New Birth. He apostatized and reverted to his Baptist
teachings; for Branham definitely denied the essentiality of both water and
Spirit baptism in salvation. Branham speaking on salvation asked the
congregation, when is a person saved and filled with the Holy Ghost? The
fickle, erratic, infallible Prophet declared: When you believed. We
baptize so many that don’t believe. We hear so many speak in tongues, that
don’t believe…. When you believe, you receive Everlasting
Life…. When did you get saved? When did you get sanctified? When
did you get filled with the Holy Ghost? When you believed
on the Lord Jesus Christ. For you received there, Everlasting Life. [65]
On October 2 of 1957, age 48, one of his confused followers
ask him: when we receive the New Birth… is this the Baptism of the
Holy Spirit, or there a later baptism, or is it a filling? Branham answered: When you believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, you then have the new birth. When you believe on
the Lord, you receive a new thought, a new life, but it isn’t
the baptism of the Holy Ghost. See? You’ve got the new
birth when you believe, you’ve got Eternal Life…. The Baptism of the Holy Ghost is a
different act from the New Birth. One is a birth, one is a
baptism. One brings you Eternal Life, the other one
gives you power. [66]
The infallible Prophet without a
doubt changed his former teaching on salvation, and he now taught the Baptist
doctrine that a person had the New Birth, Eternal Life, and the Holy Spirit the
moment he or she believes on Christ. He
then stated that a person does not become Baptized with the Holy Spirit until
sometime after; thereby making a difference between being born of the Spirit
and the Baptism of the Spirit. He claimed that these are two different and
separate experiences.
In March of 1963, age 54, the infallible Prophet changed
his teachings on the New Birth again! He denied the Baptist doctrine that a
person has the Holy Spirit, i.e. the New Birth, the moment he or she believes
in Christ. He also denied that the Birth of the Spirit and the Baptism of the
Sprit are not two separate experiences. Let hear what Branham has to say about
these things. The infallible Prophet proclaimed: To be born of the
Spirit is to be truly Baptized with the Holy Ghost. It is one and the same…. I have steadfastly
declared that the Baptists have missed it for saying you
receive the Holy Ghost when you believe, for
that is not so. You receive Him ‘since you believe.’
Acts 19:2-6… ‘Have
you received since not when you believe.’ And there is a great
difference there, for it is after we believe that we
receive. Eph. 1:13… ‘After that ye believed (not when ye believed) ye were
sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise…. What is the Baptism with the Holy
Ghost? It is the Spirit Baptizing you into the body of Christ. It is the new birth. It is the Spirit of God coming in and filling you after you have repented, (having heard His Word) and been
baptized in water as an answer of a good conscience toward
God…. Thus we are not born again by the Spirit of Life of Jesus
coming in, and then subsequent to that the Holy Spirit coming in to give us
power…. There aren’t two comings of the Spirit, just one. [67]
As one reads or listens to
Branham’s teachings, and answers to questions, it is very easy for them to
become confused. For this man changed his teachings like the wind, and
sometimes in the same questioning and answering period, as though he was in one
of his trances, or he had mental problems and forgot
what he taught previously. It is hard to believe that any man could be so
confused that he would contradict his own teachings as often as this man does.
In March of 1963 Branham’s demonic spirit-guide
must have shocked all of his worshippers by proclaiming through Branham, that a
multitude of Jews in the Tribulation Period will be saved, whom he claimed did not believed in
the Lord Jesus Christ, and were not born of God’s Spirit. The
infallible one says they will receive Eternal Life, just because they were martyred for their faith in
the Mosaic Law. The infallible Prophet
speaking of the martyrs mention in the six chapter of the Book of Revelations
stated: Multitudes who were not even born again will go into Eternal Life.
As strange as this may sound, it is certainly true…. These are Jews…. These
Jews aren’t born of His [God’s] Spirit. They don’t even believe
that Jesus is the Messiah. But as they were blinded by God for the
gentile’s sake, God gave them Eternal Life on the grounds that though they could
not come to Him.
[68]
This contradicted everything the
infallible one taught about salvation or Eternal Life being impossible for
anyone, who does not believe in Christ or receive the Holy Spirit, or is born
again of water and Spirit. Not only does Branham contradict his own teachings,
but also the teaching of the apostles of Christ. Branham lied when he claimed: ‘I’ve preached the same
Gospel that Paul preached.’[69] The great apostle
Paul did not teach the above lie concerning Jews could be saved without faith
in Christ or God’s New Birth.
God’s apostle wrote: “If our gospel
be hid, it is hid to them that are lost;” (2Co 4:3); and “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel
is that they may be saved…. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness,
and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted
to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to everyone who believes” (Rom 10:1-4). Paul also declared that the Lord Jesus
will come back to earth “with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking
vengeance on those who do not know God [i.e. Jesus], and on those
who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
These shall be punished with everlasting destruction” not rewarded by
being given everlasting life (2Th 1:7-9).
Jesus told
the Jews: “if you do not believe that I am He, you
will die in your sins” (Jn 8:24). Let my beloved
readers take not, Jesus did not tell these Jews He would give them: “Eternal Life on the grounds
that though they could not come to Him.” The apostle John said: “God
so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes
in Him should not perish but have everlasting life…. But he who does
not believe is condemned already” (2Co 4:3; Jn 3:16, 18).
Branham’s backslid
from the message of Paul on the New Birth, for God’s apostle
declared: “not by works of
righteousness [i.e. the Law of Moses] which we have done, but according to
His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Tit 3:5; cp with Jn 3:5); also “He
saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the
Holy Spirit” (NIV). Paul reminded the Corinthian saints of
their New Birth when he said: “you
were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified
[how] in the name
of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1Co
6:11; cp with Acts 2:38). Paul
declared God’s people were washed, sanctified, and justified when they were
baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and received God’s Holy Spirit.
Paul revealed in Titus, and Peter revealed in Acts, that this is the New Birth.
I believe that both Jews and Gentiles: will be
saved throughout the Tribulation Period by believing the Gospel of Christ and
receiving His New Birth. In
other words, after the Philadelphian Church Period closes with the Rapture of
the Church, the Laodicean Church Period will begin. Immediately after
the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of God’s Philadelphian Church: all of
Christendom will know the truth concerning the New Birth and the Godhead in
Christ, and will be given the opportunity to believe them and be saved. The Laodicean Church Period will last 7 years or
during the entire Tribulation Period. If Branhamites would like to know more
about this great truth, I invite them to read my book, The Mysteries of
Prophecy Revealed, which is given away on my website.
On August 23 of 1964, age 55, the infallible Prophet
completely denounced everything he taught on the New Birth in 1954. One of those who placed all their
faith and trust in him for their salvation asked: Dear brother
Branham, my question is on baptism. When is a person saved? Branham answered: I do not believe in
being baptized in water to regeneration, because when you
do that omits the blood. You are baptized in water to show the
regeneration has taken place…. There’s many people that are – say
they’re saved; many are baptized in Jesus’ Name; many speak in tongues, and
have all kinds of signs of the Holy Ghost, and still not even saved.
That’s right.
[70]
The apostle John contradicted
Branham’s erroneous teachings when declared there are three, which testifies on
the earth concerning salvation: the Spirit, water, and blood, and they all
agree perfectly in God’s New Birth Message. God’s apostle said it this way: “there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the
water, and the blood; and these three agree as one” (1Jn 5:8). In other
words, no one can separate Jesus’ blood from water baptism in His holy Name, or
His blood from His Spirit; it takes all three to be saved. The reason for this
is that the New Birth is how: a believer in Christ enters into the death, burial, and resurrection of
our Savior. The blood of Jesus is applied to a believer’s heart when
the New Birth is completed! This is why God gave us the symbolism: of the blood of the
Passover Lamb being applied in three places on every
Jewish door in Egypt, which was how they were saved from death; and the blood
being applied in three places in the tabernacle on the Day of
Atonement, for the remission of their sins.
Just 7 days later or on August 30 of 1964, either the infallible one could
not remember what he taught a few days earlier, or he answered the question the
way he thought his follower believed. Someone asked him a well phrase
and leading question: If the natural birth requires water, blood, and
spirit, does not the Spiritual Birth require all three stages
of grace before the person is truly born again? This was probably a Pastor, whom the
infallible Prophet must have recognized, for Branham definitely shocked most of
his followers with his answered: “Absolutely…. You’ve got to have
all stages.
[71]
Branham definitely lied for this
is not what he believed throughout his ministry, as the above quotes prove. Let
us not forget what the infallible Prophet declared concerning his ministry: I have NEVER tried to
present anything in my life WITHOUT FIRST IT BEING REVEALED. And… the ANGEL of
the Lord… has NEVER TOLD ME ONE THING, but what absolutely
dovetailed from Genesis to Revelation. [72]
I say: “Mr. Branham you lied to all those who put their faith and
salvation into your hands, when you deceived them concerning the New Birth. You
are not the infallible Messenger of God, but Lucifer’s Prophet, who has lead
many good, holy, and sincere Branhamites to hell. Their blood will be on
your hands on the Day of Judgment. God made hell for Lucifer, his angels, and
False Prophets like you.”
I would like
to ask every Branhamite Pastor, how can Branham be an infallible prophet of God
and be so confused about God’s plan of salvation? Can any Branhamite Pastor
harmonize and make any sense out of all the above teachings of Branham on the
New Birth? By harmonize, I mean take everything he taught, and not certain
things he taught, about Eternal Life, and show how they do not contradict each
other. Even though Branham taught that there are two classes of the saved, the Bride
and Denominational Christians, there is only one New Birth, and both groups need it to be
saved! I will continue this topic in the section entitled: “Branham’s
False Doctrine of Salvation.” In this section, I will compare the false
teaching of Branham on the New Birth to what the Word of God actually teaches.
Branham’s Contradictory
Teaching on the Salvation
of the
Sleeping Virgins or Denominational Christians
On July 23 of 1961 and October 15 of 1961, age 52, one of Branham’s followers asked the infallible one: What happens to the people
that are considered the sleeping virgins when they are judged at the judgment? The infallible Prophet answered: Well, the sleeping
virgins will be saved of course. She’ll never be the Bride, but she
is a saved group of people. [73] Branham in
other places called the sleeping virgins denominational Christians. I would
like any Branhamite Pastor to show me in the Bible where Jesus or His apostles
taught that there will be two different classes of saved Christians, and that
one or both are saved without the New Birth!
On March 24 of 1963, age 54, infallible one obviously could not remember what his lying
spirit-guide spoke through him about the sleeping denominational Christians
just a year
and 5 months earlier. One
of Branham’s worshippers asked him: After the Rapture has been taken place, will any of
the church be saved in the end who was not taken in the rapture? The infallible Prophet answered: NO. Huh-uh, because the Blood
has done left. You see, there will be no intercession-the Gentile age is
finished. [74]
Branham also
declare in the same
year, that all the people
in denominational churches are hybrid Christians and they will be lost, because these
churches are not pure Word churches, therefore they could never produce pure
Word Christians. The infallible one said it this way: When the church becomes
hybridized, will it produce pure Christians? It can’t. The life or seed that
brings Christians to birth is not in them. Like brings forth like…. It
hasn’t the seed of life. It is dead. It can talk about truth, but it
can’t produce it. It doesn’t have God in its midst…. You don’t redeem the mule [meaning denominational Christians]. There is no redemption
for him. [75]
In the same year again, the infallible one contradicted
himself again and taught that the sleeping denominational Christians will be
saved or had Eternal Life. He proclaimed: It is the second resurrection wherein
the five foolish virgins come up. Notice that they were virgins. They did
not have the Holy Spirit so they missed being in the bride….
All these people had their names in the Book of Life and their names
remained. The foolish virgins, and the righteous as are spoken of in Matt. 25… [and] those who do not worship
the beast or become involved in the antichrist system, but die for their
faith even though they are not in the bride, not
having been born again… they will come up in the SECOND Resurrection
and go into Eternal Life. [76]
Branhamite Pastors have a real resurrection
dilemma, for who are they going to believe, their infallible Prophet or God’s
infallible Apostle John. The Holy infallible Word of God declared that all
Tribulation Martyrs will come up in the First Resurrection and reign with Jesus
a thousand years. God’s true Apostle said it this way: “I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded
for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not
worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their
hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years….
This is the FIRST Resurrection” (Rev
20:4-5), not the Second
Resurrection.
A year later, on August 23 of 1964, age 55, the infallible one totally contradicted his
own teaching again, for he was asked: After the Bride is rapture will any of the foolish
virgins be saved, or will they all be lost? The infallible Prophet answered: Will the foolish virgins
be saved? NO…! And the reason of it is, is because she has rejected
the atonement in its fullness. [77]
It must be very evident to my beloved readers
that the infallible Prophet obviously could not make up his mind, as to whether
the foolish virgins were save or lost. For a man who claimed to have the same
inspiration and equal authority with the great apostle Paul, this man constantly
change and contradicted his own teachings. If any of the apostles or prophets
of the Bible changed their teachings as this man, would we have a Bible that we
could believe? Would we be able to claim that the Bible is the infallible Word
of God? I do not think so! As my beloved readers should clearly perceive by
now, this man was not infallible, but he was extremely fallible!
I am so happy I am not a Branhamite Pastor, because they must live in a world
of confusion concerning what their infallible Prophet taught!
Branham’s Contradictory
Teaching on Predestination
On July 29, 1953, age 44, Branham
taught that mankind existed as angels or spirit beings before they became flesh
and blood. The infallible one declared: When God created me, William Branham, I was before
the foundation of the world. He made my being, my
spirit…. Now, there was some part of me, Ornan Neville, and the rest
of you all here [meaning their spirit] that’s in Christ Jesus before the world ever
began…. [We] are possessed with this
spirit, or the spirit, [and we were] a part of these angelic beings, spirits which rotated
off God, that never fell in the beginning and resisted the
Devil’s lie in heaven. [78]
Did the Branhamite infallible Prophet learn this from the Mormon’s infallible
Prophet, for this doctrine is an essential teaching in the Mormon Church for
their Doctrine of Eternal Progression, i.e. the Godhood of Man.
Six years later or on
June 28, 1959,
age 50,
the infallible one changed his predestination doctrine, which completely
contradicted everything he taught before. Branham was asked: If we were save before the
foundation of the world… were we spirits then? The infallible Prophet
answered: NO,
we were not even nothing then, but in God’s mind… only
figurative in His mind. [79]
Branham must have repented of his previous heretical Mormon teachings on
pre-existence of the soul, and decided to trash Joseph Smith’s books.
In March of 1963, age 54, the
infallible Prophet declared: These who are of the Royal Seed are the elect of
God; are the predestinated, foreknown of God, and were in the mind of
God and His thoughts…. I know there is a question in your minds. You
will want to know if I believe in the doctrine of pre-existence. I
DON’T believe in that Mormon doctrine of the pre-existence of
souls any more than I believe in reincarnation or the transmigration of
souls. [80]
Branham should have said: You will want to know if I STILL believe
in the doctrine of pre-existence.
It appears that Branham’s pride as the
infallible Prophet, i.e. the Seventh Church Age Messenger, prevented him
from humbling himself and telling his worshippers: “I am sorry for teaching you
the false Mormon doctrine of pre-existence. Please forgive me. I am only human.
Please do not put your faith in me, for I do make mistakes every now and then.
Please put all of your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His infallible Word.” If Branham had a humble spirit, I probably
would not be writing this book.
I would like to ask Branhamite
Pastors, did Branham’s spirit-guide change his teaching on predestination, or
did Branham change his spirit-guide’s teaching? Before you answer, remember
what your infallible Prophet declared: I have NEVER tried to
present anything in my life WITHOUT FIRST IT BEING REVEALED. And… the ANGEL of
the Lord… has NEVER TOLD ME ONE THING, but what absolutely
dovetailed from Genesis to Revelation. [81]
Therefore, whichever of the above
two statements are true, one thing is for sure, the infallible Prophet
definitely changed and contradicted his teaching on predestination. Which
teachings will Branhamite Pastors believe and teach as the truth, his earlier
or later teaching? I ask again, how can Branham be an infallible prophet of
God, equal to the prophets and apostles of the Bible, since he keeps changing
and contradicting his own teachings, or the supposed teaching of his
spirit-guide?
Branham’s Contradictory
Teaching on Eternal Security
On September 8 of 1957, age 48, the infallible Prophet declare: If God ever saved a man, he’s saved for
time and Eternity…. Now, if you’re saved, you’re saved! If God saves you
tonight, knowing He’s going to lose you ten years from today, He’s defeating
His Own purpose…. It’s absolutely impossible, for a man that has
received the Holy Spirit, to ever fall away. [82]
Branham is evidently twisted the meaning of Hebrews 6:4-6, for the apostle Paul never taught that lie.
Branham continued his teaching on Eternal Security by saying: If God foreordained you to
Eternal Life, ‘All the Father has given Me, will come to Me.’ There you
are, can’t be lost. You’re secured forever…. ‘By one sacrifice
He’s perfected forever.’ There you are. There’s no way for us to lose. [83]
On December 19 of 1959, age 50, the infallible one confirmed his teaching on eternal security when he
was asked: Please
explain Hebrew 6:4 to 6?
The infallible Prophet responded: If God has give you Eternal Life, you’ve
got it forever. Because look. If it didn’t, Jesus is a –found a
false teacher. In St John 5:24 He said, ‘He that heareth My words and believe
on Him that sent Me has Everlasting Life, and shall never come to the judgment,
but has passed from death unto Life.’ Now argue with Him. [84]
On March
3 of 1963, age 54, Branham declared: But look, when God put a
name on the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation
of the world, there’s NOT NOTHING in the world can RUB IT OUT,
because it’s wrote with the ink of the blood of Christ…. The Lamb was slain to
redeem what was in the Book.
[85]
Seventeen months later, the infallible one must have had another
memory relapse, or maybe he was in another trance from a seance
with His spirit-guided, for he obviously forgot what he taught on eternal
security. On August 23rd of 1964, age 55, one of
Branham’s very confused devotees ask him: Was Judas Iscariot’s name
blotted out of the Lamb’s Book of Life, or was it on the Lamb’s Book of Life?
The infallible Prophet responded: YES, it was on it and was BLOTTED OUT…. Judas
had Eternal Life his name was written in the Book of Life,
but he sold his birthrights and his name was blotted out of
the Book of Life. So he lost his salvation. [86]
When Branham said this, it must have thrown
all of his worshipping Pastors into pandemonium and confusion. Someone asked
their Golden Calf: How can a person have their name on the Book of Life and
still be lost? Or why does God put persons’ names on the Book of Life when He
knows that they will be lost?” Their infallible Prophet answered: Because your name is
on the Book of Life (because it is in Heaven, your name has been
recognized), that still doesn’t means that you are Saved….
He [Judas
Iscariot]
has to stand the judgment. The Sleeping Virgins will stand there
under the same-same things. [87] Branham taught that the Lamb’s Book of Life
and the Book of Life is the same book. [88]
My beloved readers should be able to perceive
by now, why Branhamite Pastors are so confused about what their infallible
Prophet taught. As I stated before, one Branhamite Pastor will say Branham taught
one thing, while another will say he taught something different, and both will
use his tapes as evidence. Before
I state Branham’s teachings on hell, permit me to ask all Branhamites, has your
Pastor ever tried to explain or harmonize these apparent contradictions in the
teachings of Branham to you? Has he even mentioned them to you? I did not think
so!
My, my, what webs of confusion one weaves,
when one goes out to deceive. I thank God, I am not looking for some super star
or infallible Prophet to come and heal, deliver, or induce me to put my faith
in him, if I wish to be saved or stay saved. I am so happy that my faith is not
in Branham to save me, but it is totally, unequivocally in the Lord Jesus
Christ, and in His holy infallible Word and nothing else. My prayer for all my
beloved readers is that they will love our Savior enough to study
His holy and infallible Word with an open and unbiased mind.
Branham’s Contradictory
Teaching on Eternal Punishment
Before we begin our study of Branham’s teachings
on hell, I must give a declaration of my belief, so my beloved readers will
understand some on the comments I will make in this section: “I believe at the Judgment,
the soul of every lost sinner will be raised out of their sleep in Hades\Sheol,
and they will be united with their spirit and body at this time. Therefore, all
three natures of man as one person will stand before Jesus to be judge by Him.
After Jesus pronounce a just sentence on each them, the angels of God
will violently cast each of them into a real Lake of Fire. The time they will
be tormented in the Lake of Fire will depend on the sins they committed in the
body, for Jesus is a God of justice. After they have been punished for every
sin, they have ever committed, they will be annilhilated.” The Bible does not teach Lucifer’s doctrine
of Eternal Torment!
On January 3 of 1954, age 44, the infallible one was asked: Does man at death go to heaven or – or to
hell immediately, or do they wait for the judgment? Infallible Prophet answered: If you’re a sinner
and your soul slips out, it’ll go yonder into judgment and will be
condemned. And then, you’ll be cast away, and you’ll be in torment until
the day you are brought back to this earth again. And you will receive
an immortal body, a immortal body that cannot die, and
will be cast away into outer darkness where there’ll be weeping a, wailing, and
gnashing of teeth…. You’ll be tormented through all ages there is
to come. [89]
Branham
probably received the above teaching on the immediate torment of the lost in
Hades\Sheol after death, and later Eternal Torment in the Lake of Fire, from
the Baptist Church, which received it from the Catholic Church, which received
it from Jewish Mysticism, which received it from the ancient Babylonian
Religion, i.e. when the Jews went into Babylonian Captivity in 606 BC. All false
religious doctrines come out of Mystery Babylon, which is the mother of all
false religious systems!
The Zohor,
which is a demonic book of Jewish Mysticism, which came into written form in
the thirteenth century, stated the above doctrine this way. As soon as sinner
dies: Demons
are at hand to drag him [the
sinner’s soul] to Gehenna and to deliver him into the hands of Druma, who
has been made chief of demons.... In Gehenna there are certain places and
grades called ‘Boiling Filth,’ where the filth of the souls that have
been polluted by filth of this world accumulates. There these souls are purified by
fire and made white…. Thus fire alone has the virtue of consuming every
pollution in the soul, and making it emerge pure and white [so it can be reincarnated]…. There are [however] certain sinners who pollute
themselves over and over again by their own sins and are never purified….
These are they who are condemned to remain forever in this place of boiling
filth. [90]
There is not
a lot of difference between Lucifer’s Babylonian doctrine of immediate torment
of the soul, and eternal torment of the soul in Gehenna fire, and Branham’s
doctrine. In 230 AD, a Pagan
Priest by the name of Celsus mocked Catholic Priests for stealing
their doctrine of eternal torment. Origen, a Catholic Priest, declared: Celsus
asserts that “our doctrines are similar to those
delivered by the [Pagan] Priests at the celebration
of the heathen
Mysteries [of Babylon].” Celsus told Origen: Just as you, good sir, believe in eternal punishments, so also do the Priests who interpret and initiate into the sacred
Mysteries [of Babylon]. The same punishments with which you
threaten others, they threaten you. [91]
On September 22 of 1957,
age 47, three years later,
Branham must have repented of Lucifer’s Eternal Torment doctrine, for he
definitely changed his teaching and taught annihilation. The infallible Prophet declared: And
there’s only one type of Eternal Life, we found. Is that right? God has that
Eternal Life alone. Is that right? Only one type of Eternal Life. There is
no such a word as ‘eternal punishment,’ cause if you’re to be
punished for eternity, you've got to have Eternal Life to be punished
eternally; you’d have to have Eternal [Life]. And
if you got Eternal Life, you can’t be punished…. So then, IF you’re going to
suffer in hell forever and forever, you got to have Eternal Life. But now, I
do believe that the Bible teaches of a literal burning hell. The
Bible teaches that, that the sins and wickedness will be punished, forever
and forever. That’s not Eternity now. [92]
The infallible Prophet intentionally or unintentionally stated a lie when he
stated: There is no such a word as
‘eternal punishment. I
will prove this following Branham’s next statement.
After Branham taught this, confusion must
have set in again among his worshipping Pastors, for three days later or September 25, one of his worshippers asked him: Explain what it means by
‘everlasting punishment’ in Matthew 25:46? The infallible Prophet responded by saying: Now I wanted to get this out
of the Greek lexicon also, so you get the – original of it…. You’ll never
find Eternal punishment, couldn’t be. See, if they got Eternal
punishment, they got Eternal Life; they got Eternal Life, they’re saved…. Now
if you’ll take it in the [Greek] lexicon, ‘And these shall go forth into ainion, cutting off…. Now, the word a-i-n-i-o-n means ‘a space of
punishment.’ In the Greek lexicon, right here, ‘space of punishment,’ or,
‘time of punishment….’ But then read the others, ‘But these shall go into eternal.’
That’s a different. See, Eternal Life. Eternal comes from the word
eternity, and eternity had neither beginning nor end. It is forever and forever. [93]
This
answer obviously did not remove the confusion, so another of his worshippers
asked him on that same day: When you say the wicked will
not burn Eternally, do you mean in hell or in the lake of fire…? If they [the lost] do not burn eternally, then
what becomes of them?
Branham responded: If you’ll just get here in the [Greek] lexicon, look up the Greek word Zoe. Zoe is
‘Eternal Life.’ Eternal Life is ‘God….’ They [the wicked] become extinct, there’s
no more to them; the soul goes, the spirit goes, the life goes, the body goes,
the thought goes, [and] the memory goes.
[94]
My beloved readers, I personally believe in
and teach torment for a period of time in the Lake of Fire and then
annihilation as I stated above, but I feel that I should say something about
Mr. Branham’s statement about the difference between the words “everlasting” and “eternal” used in Matthew 25:46 is an outright lie.
I challenge any Branhamite Pastor to examine any Greek Interlinear Bible or
Greek lexicon, and they will quickly discover that the words “everlasting” and “eternal” used in this verse is the very same Greek
word, which is “aionion!”
In the Greek Scriptures this verse reads this
way, “kai. avpeleu,sontai ou-toi eivj ko,lasin aivw,nion( oi` de. di,kaioi eivj zwh.n aivw,nion” (Mt 25:46). In this verse “aionion” in both places is use as an adjective, and in both
places it is in the accusative case, which in English is a direct object. Because the same Greek adjective “aionion” is used in this verse to describe both “punishment” and “life,” the NAS, NIV, ASV, and RSV translations of the Bible, all translated
this verse this way: “And these shall go away into eternal
punishment: but the righteous into eternal life.” I should also add that the Greek noun “zoe” or “zwh.n” does not mean eternal life but life; but
when the Greek adjective “aionion” or “aivw,nion”
modifies it, it then takes on the meaning of “Eternal Life.”
Evidently Branham did not realize that “aionion” was translated by the King James translators as: “eternal
(42 times)” and “everlasting
(25 times).” “Aionios” is the adjective form of the noun “aion.” Aionion could mean “a
space of time,” or “unending
time,” depending of the
subject it modifies; for example, who among the Branhamite Pastors would
dare say the words “everlasting [aionion] life,”
used in John
3:16, 4:14, 5:24, 6:40, & 12:50, means God’s children will “live for a space of time”
and then cease to exist? This would be preposterous.
I would like
to add that Matthew in the above
verse does not tell us what “eternal punishment” or “eternal penalty” God will inflict on lost sinners. Just as “eternal
torment” can be considered as
a punishment or penalty, SO IS “eternal annihilation.” For God to deny anyone of Eternal Life or an
Eternal Existence is definitely a real punishment, just as much as “torment
in the Lake of Fire for a short or long period of time,” or “eternal torment.”
One can surmise, if the Holy Spirit in Matthew
wanted him to teach “eternal torment” then why did Matthew not write “basanismo.n aivw,nion” instead
of “ko,lasin aivw,nion.” Matthew evidently knew the
Greek word “basanismo.n” means “torment,” for he used it in Matthew
8:29. Therefore, if
Matthew actually wanted his readers to understand that he meant “eternal torment,” he
would have used the Greek word that meant “torment,” but since he use the Greek word
that meant “punishment,”
he wanted his readers to know that God would pronounce on all sinners an “eternal punishment” not
“eternal
torment.”
Let us examine Matthew
8:29: “suddenly
they [the
demons in the man] cried out, saying, ‘What have we to do with You, Jesus,
You Son of God? Have You come here to torment [basani,sai] us before the time?” Let my beloved readers take note,
these demons expected to suffer torment at the hands of God later. This can
only mean when they are Judge by Christ at the Judgment and sentence to the
Lake of Fire. Now these demons did not say they expected to be tormented
throughout eternity. Any preacher who would interpret this verse this way would
be interpreting it by his biases. For at a different time, one of the demons in
another man cried out: “Let us
alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy
[avpole,sai] us? I know who You are; the Holy One of God” (Lk 4:34)! New
Testament, the Greek word “avpole,sai” means: to destroy i. e. to put out of the way entirely,
abolish, put an
end to, ruin: Mark 1:24;
Luke 4:34 (# 646).
As we examine both passages of scripture, we
encounter one group of demons pleading with our Lord not to “torment” them before time, and the other group begging Him not to “destroy” them before time. Now, what “sentence” will our Lord pronounce on these demons at the
Judgment: “torment,” “annihilation,” or “both.” If we are earnestly searching for
a harmony between scriptures, and determined not allow our biases to
blind us to the truth, we will have to declare that the “eternal punishment”
God will impose on all sinners will be “torment for a period of time” and then “annihilation.” For
this reason, it
cannot be
“eternal torment,” for then these two scriptures will contradict one
another, as well as many other scriptures on this subject will contradict each
other.
The word “destroy” or “avpole,sai” is translated as “perish” in John 3:15-16, and is used in “contrast” or as an “antonym” to “Eternal Life.” Paul used “avpole,sai” in his argument on the resurrection. Paul
declared: if there is no resurrection of the dead: “Then also those
who have fallen asleep [i.e.
died] in Christ have perished,” that is, “they have no more
existence” or “they no long exist” (1Co 15:18). No one can interpret
Paul’s argument to mean that God’s loving and saved children will “continue to be tormented or
punished.” The only interpretation that will harmonize with this
passage, and all other passages, is that they “have cease to exist.” This is why
Paul declared that sinners will: “be punished,
with everlasting [aivw,nion – eternal] destruction, from the presence of
the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2Th 1:9). In other words, Paul declared that one
of the punishments, God would impose on sinners at the Judgment,
would be “eternal
destruction” or “eternal annihilation.”
This is only a short exegesis of this subject! If my beloved readers would like to know more
about this subject, I invite them to read my book, What Is Lost Man’s
Eternal Destiny, which can be found on my website.
Branham’s Contradictory
Teaching on the Soul of Man
On August 28 of 1957, age 48, the infallible
Prophet defined soul this way: God put a soul in a man and He
didn’t put it in the animal, because the soul that was in the man
is that theophany…. Theophany is a
human body that’s glorified. Not exactly with flesh and blood like it will
be in it’s glorified stage, but it is of a form of a human body that doesn’t eat,
neither does it drink, but it’s-it’s a body. A body that’s waiting for us, as
soon as we leave this one. [95]
On October
2 of 1957 Branham taught
the Soul of Jesus: went and preached to the souls that were in prison, that
repented not in the long-suffering of the days of Noah…. Here His body was, in
the grave; and His Soul was in hell, preaching alive! What about that? He
was in His theophany again. His Soul was down there with those people that
were in theophany also. And was witnessing to them, that they ‘repented
not in the long-suffering.
[96]
On October 15 of 1961, age 52, the infallible one changed his teaching on the soul being a real
personal glorified body to an impersonal attribute of man’s spirit, that is,
the nature or character of man’s spirit. Branham was asked: Please explain the
difference between the spirit and the soul? The infallible Prophet answered: You’re soul, body, and
spirit. But it takes those three to make you…. My body could be here, but me
could be gone, what I am. What-whoever I am inside of me has gone
on. That’s-that’s the part-part that is the spirit. The soul is the
nature [meaning
the character] of that spirit, that when the Holy Spirit [comes into a believer and]… changes or
converts your spirit to a different soul. First you were
mean, and evil, an hatred, and malice, and strife; now you’re loving, sweet,
kind, and-and see the difference. It’s your nature…. It’s your soul
that’s been changed. The old soul died, and the new soul which is the new
nature was borned into you…. And your soul is the nature of that spirit. That’s
the soul of the spirit that controls – the spirit that controls the body. [97]
How will Branhamite Pastors harmonize these
apparent contradictions? What is man’s soul? Is it a so-called theophany or a
glorified body that is in man’s flesh and blood body, or is it nothing but an
impersonal attribute of man’s spirit, that is, the nature or character of the
spirit in man? If I was a Branhamite Pastor, and thank God I am not, for I
would be afraid to preach any of the above Bible doctrines, in fear that I
would be sinning by taking the teachings of the infallible Prophet out of
context!
On September 27 of 1957, age 48, the infallible one was asked: Was
Cain an offspring of the Serpent? Is so, why did Eve not conceive until after
Adam [knew] her? Was it a – a literal tree
from which Eve ate the fruit? She saw that it was good for food. The infallible Prophet answered: This
first question first…. The tree was the woman [Eve]…. If
eating apples caused women to realize they’re naked… we better pass the apples
again…. It wasn’t a tree, a apple they eat, it was sexually…. Now
to prove to you that she was the tree, every woman is
a fruit tree. How many know that? Aren’t you the fruit of your mother? [98]
In March of 1963 or six years later, age 54, the
infallible one change and contradicted his former teaching, and now declared
the tree to be Lucifer. In a series of messages on An
Exposition of the Seven Church Ages, Branham declared: In the Garden
of Eden there were two trees. One was good; one was evil…. The Tree [of
Life] in the garden has to be Jesus. Alright. If the Tree
of Life is a person, then the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and
Evil is a person also. It can’t be otherwise. Thus the Righteous
One and the Wicked One [meaning Satan] stood
side by side there in the midst of the Garden of Eden. Ezek. 28:13 ‘Thou (Satan)
has been in Eden, the garden of God… We start with the fact that there
were two trees in the midst of the garden. The Tree of Life was Jesus.
The other tree is definitely Satan because of what came forth of
the fruit of that tree. Now then, we know that both of those trees had a
relationship to man or they would never have been placed there. [99]
Two years later or on August 29t of 1965, age 56, the infallible one, like a man with schizophrenia or multiple
personalities, changed his message again. This time he went back to his first
teaching that the woman Eve was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and the fruit was sex.
Evidently Branham could not get his revelation from his spirit-guide straight;
for the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil cannot be Satan and the woman Eve at the same time, unless the
woman or Eve was Satan! If this is so, then Adam was married to the Devil, and
Lucifer can from Adam’s rib. This would mean that Lucifer had no prior
existence to the creation of Adam. O’ what webs of confusion Branham weaved,
when he and his spirit-guide went out to deceive!
The infallible Prophet proclaimed: Notice, now, the Holy Spirit
of God’s holy Word had a man and woman naked, and they didn’t know it…. God
said, ‘There is a tree in the midst of the garden the woman.
And in the midst of the garden is this tree [i.e. Eve]. Don’t even touch it, for
the day you eat thereof, that day you die.’ They were holy veiled from
it—didn’t know nothing about it…. Notice, she [Eve] pulled off the holy Veil to see
what sex really was, what lust really would do. She pulled the veil
from off her eyes. The holy thing that God had put over her eyes, she wanted
knowledge to know what it was all about. So she pulled the veil off to see
what it was all about. [100]
Some Branhamite might ask, whom did Eve have sex with? This will be discussed
in the section entitled: Branham’s Erroneous Occultic Doctrine on the Serpent’s
Seed.
Branham’s Contradictory
Teaching
on the
Seventieth or Last Week of Daniel
In March
of 1963, age 54, one of the infallible Prophet’s devoted worshippers
noticed that he changed his teaching on Daniel’s seventieth or last
week, and he asked this question: Brother Branham, I
noticed your referring to Daniel’s seventy weeks on the First Seal Message. I
understand on Daniel, on the tape of Daniel
[referring to what he taught in 1961], when the Gospel
returns to the Jews, the seventy week will begin. Is is
there one week, seven years, left for the Jews, or yet is there only
one-half week, one three and one-half years, left for them? [101]
The infallible Prophet
answered: Only one-half week. Branham evidently had another memory relapse,
for he could not remember what his spirit-guide taught through him just two
years before or in 1961. Branham’s devotee was
referring to a series of taped messages that Branham preached in 1961 on the “seventy
weeks of Daniel;” in which Branham definitely proclaimed that Daniel’s
seventieth week begins immediately after the Rapture of the Church, and this last
week consisted of a full seven-year period!
One
year later or in August of 1964, age 55, another very confused
worshipper, probably a Branhamite Pastor, asked: Brother
Branham, when you gave the message on the seventy church weeks—seventy weeks
(pardon me) of Daniel, I believe that you mentioned that the
full--the full last week or last seven years will begin when the Bride
was taken in the rapture. The infallible Prophet immediately realized that his
devotee caught him in a lie, and it shook him! Well, what did this
so-called humble man of God do? Did he confess to all of his worshippers that
he made mistakes?
The answer is NO! This
can be seen in his response to this question. The infallible Prophet nervously
responded, like a child caught with his hand in a cookie jar: No, no,
no, no, no, nah, nah, nah. You got that wrong (see?), not the
full seven weeks [i.e. 7 years].
The--the week started when Jesus came on earth. He [Daniel] said,
‘The Messiah, Prince, shall come and prophesy, and in the midst of the
seven weeks [meaning 7 years], He’ll
be cut off.’ And Jesus preached exactly three and one half years, which is half
of the seventy weeks [i.e. the seventieth week], the
seven days, week--weekdays. See? And there’s three and one half years
left…. Never did I believe that the whole seventy
weeks [i.e. seventieth week] would
be over here. [102]
I would like to ask all Branhamite Pastors: why did
your infallible Prophet lie and deny what he taught about Daniel’s seventieth
week in 1961, especially since it was on tape? If Branham really was a humble and honest man,
he would have told his followers: “Yes I did teach Daniel’s
seventieth week begins immediately after the rapture, and it would last a full
seven years, but I was wrong so I have changed my teaching.” Branham evidently knew if he made this confession
of truth, he would not be able to deceive his worshippers any
longer into thinking he was God’s infallible Prophet, the Messenger
to the last church age. For the infallible one had already declared: I am God’s Voice to you... Now, see, I can say nothing in myself.
But what he [my spirit-guide] shows
[or
teaches] me. [103]
The infallible Voice of God also said: Oh, how important it is to hear the Voice
of God by way of His Messengers, and then say what has been
given them to say to the churches. [104] As I stated at the beginning of this book: give a liar
enough rope and he will hang himself with his own lies!
CHAPTER 4
BRANHAM’S
ERRONEOUS DOCTRINAL TEACHINGS
Branham’s
Erroneous Teaching
on the Seven
Church Age Messengers
Branham
speaking of the seven messengers to each of the church period stated: These seven stars are
the messengers to the seven successive church ages…. From the
Ephesian Age on down to this Laodicean Age, EACH MESSENGER brought the MESSAGE
OF TRUTH to the people, never failing to keep it the Word of
God to that particular church age. Each one held to it, they were
steadfast in their loyalty to the original light. As each age pulled
away from God, His faithful Messenger turned that age back to the Word.
[105]
This is nothing but a pure lie, for Branham KNEW that five of the messengers,
that is, Irenaeus, Martin, Columba, Martin Luther, and John Wesley were Trinitarians, and none of
them taught baptism in Jesus’ name. Therefore, according to Branham’s
teachings, none of these men or their followers were in the Bride of Christ. [106]
Branham
continued: The
key given me of the Lord whereby I was able to determine the Messenger for each
age is a most Scriptural one. In fact, it might be called the Keystone of the
Bible. It is the revelation that God never changes, and that His ways
are as unchangeable as He is…. What he did at the first he will have
to keep on doing until it is done for the last time. There will never
be a change. Apply that to the Church ages. The kind of man that God chose for
the first age, and how God manifested in that man’s ministry,
would be the example for all other ages…. Now we know exactly
from the Word which was recorded by the Holy Spirit how the first, or original
church, was founded…. Thus, what the church was at Pentecost is the
standard. That is the pattern. There is no other pattern. No matter
what the scholars say, God has not changed the pattern…. What the church had at
Pentecost is her inalienable right. Originally, she had the pure Word of God.
[107]
According to
Branham, the true Church of the Lord Jesus Christ would never be destroyed by Satan’s
false church or Catholicism, but both of these would exist side by side
throughout the ages until the end. Branham said it this way: We learn that the church is
made up of two vines, the true and the false. The two
vines are motivated by two kinds of spirits; one has the Holy Spirit while
the other is endued with the spirit of the antichrist. Both claim
to know and be known of God…. We further learn that these two vines would grow
side by side until the end of the ages when both would come to maturity and
both be harvested. The false vine would not overcome and destroy the true
vine, but then, neither would the true vine be able to bring the false vine
into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. [108]
This teaching is one of the few truths Branham ever taught.
Branham
declared: The Messenger
(angel) to the church of Ephesus was the apostle Paul. That he was the
Messenger to the first age of the Gentiles era cannot be denied…. The Ephesian
Age… ran out in about 170 AD. [109]
Branham
declared that he was anointed and directed by the Holy Spirit to know the dates
of each Church Ages, and the Messenger that God chose to be over the Church in
that Age. This is impossible to believe for of several reasons: First, the
apostle Paul was dead long before the Ephesian Church Age began. The Word of God declared that this age began
in AD 96 when God gave the apostle John his visions;
for the Bible stated: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His
servants -- things which must shortly take
place”
(Rev 1:1).
After God
gave John all his visions, He declared: “The Lord God of the holy
prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place”
(Rev 22:6). Since John wrote the Book of Revelations in AD 96, long after the
apostle Paul died in AD 65,
there is no way Paul could be the messenger to the Ephesian Church Age;
therefore this passage of Scripture declared William Branham to be a false
prophet!
Second, according to the Bible, God’s
one and only messenger in every Church Age is not a single person but the
entire body of Christ or God’s holy priesthood of all believers. This is
why our Savior had John to begin His prophetic message to each Church Age the
same way: “Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write” (Rev
2:1). Since the verb “write” is in the imperative mood or the mood of command,
and the word “church”
is in the genitive or possessive case, and the words “messenger” and “Ephesus” are indirect
objects, this verse should read: “Write of the Church, the
messenger in Ephesus, say these things.” In some Greek Text, the
word Ephesus is in the genitive case, therefore this verse could read: “Write
of the Ephesian Church, the messenger, say these things.”
Because the
verb “write”
is in the aorist tense and active voice, which usually refers to action
in the past that is still continuing in the present, and the words “messenger” and is an
indirect object, which comes after the verb and not before it, Jesus is not
only referring to the church that existed in Ephesus in that day, but
also of the Church that existed in that period of time. Therefore, let my
beloved readers take note, Jesus called the Church His
messenger for the Ephesus’ Church Period. I do not believe that any
preacher would argue against the fact: the Christian Church from the time of its birth has
been, is, and will continue to be God’s one and only messenger to the world;
for the Church is the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s holy Priesthood.
The apostle
Peter said it this way: “As newborn babes, desire the pure
milk of the word, that you may grow thereby…. You also, as living
stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood,
to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…. But you
are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His
own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called
you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people
but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have
obtained mercy” (1Pe 2:2, 5, 9-10; Rev 5:8-10 cp with 1:6; 20:6)!
Because God’s
priests are His messengers, the Bible declared: “For the lips of a Priest should keep knowledge, and
people should seek the law from his mouth; for he is the Messenger of
the LORD of hosts” (Mal 2:7). Therefore, all of God’s
Priests are His messengers. God will not use angels to preach or teach the
gospel to Mr. Branham or anyone else, for He commissioned His children to do
that! Because the grammar construction in Jesus’ address to the other
Churches is the same, Rev. 2:8, 12, 18, 3:1, 7 & 14 should be translated the same way as
verse one; in other words: “Write of the Church, the messenger in
[Smyrna,
Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicean].” For this reason,
it is useless for the Church today to look for God to send some super star,
some apostle, some prophet that they can deify, and place all of their
faith in. It is time for: the Church to be the Church, God’s one and only messenger, God’s
prophet, God’s mouthpiece to this lost and dying world!
Branham also
declared: Paul
had baptized in Jesus name and rebaptized where people had not been so
immersed. He set the church in order and taught the proper use of the
gifts of the Spirit and confirmed that they were to remain in the church till
Jesus came. Thus the next messengers, all the remaining six,
would by the same Holy Ghost, burn with the same fire and give the
same light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ…. Paul pronounced a curse
on anyone who said he was a Messenger but had a different
gospel and lived in a different light. [110]
By the above
statement, the Infallible Prophet declared himself to be a False Prophet, for
history clearly declares that Irenaeus, Martin, Columba, Martin Luther, and John Wesley did not
baptize in Jesus Name as Paul did, or believed the entire godhead dwelt in
Christ. Therefore, they preached a perverted Gospel. None of these men
were in the Bride of Christ themselves, or produced the true bride? In fact,
all of five of these so-called messengers, as I stated before, were
Trinitarians, and fought against God’s message of salvation, and the truth of
the godhead in Christ Jesus! It is now time for me to prove these statements!
Branham Taught: This Age lasted from 170
to 312 A.D…. Using our God given rule of choosing the Messenger for each age, we
unhesitatingly declare that Irenaeus was exalted by the Lord to that
position…. While many apostatized and embraced a trinity and
baptized using the titles of Godhead, the Little Flock still
baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ and so held to the truth. [111]
Branham or his spirit-guide told another lie.
Irenaeus taught the early Catholic doctrine of two-unequal-gods and baptism in
the titles. The Catholic Church did not teach the Trinitarian doctrine of the
godhead in this age, for that was a teaching of the next age. Branham also lied
about God’s churches being a “little flock” or small in number. According to history, most of the churches in the
Roman Empire were one God, Jesus Name Churches! The Catholic Church was the “little flock,” which had a small number of churches.
In the Ante Nicene Fathers, Tertullian,
writing in AD 200, said
it this way: The older [so-called]
heretics, much more before Praxeas, a
pretender of
yesterday…. which supposes itself to possess the pure truth, in thinking
that one cannot believe in One Only God in any other way than by saying that
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are the very
selfsame Person…. The simple, indeed, (I will not call them unwise and
unlearned,) WHO ALWAYS CONSTITUTE THE MAJORITY OF BELEIVERS, are startled at
the Dispensation, on the ground that their very rule of faith
withdraws them from the world’s plurality of gods to the
one only true God…. They are constantly throwing out against us
that we are preachers of two gods and three gods,
while they take to themselves pre-eminently the credit of being
worshippers of the One God. [112]
Professor Adolph Harnack in his History of Dogma said it this way: The
real dangerous opponent of the [Catholic] Logos
Christology in the period between AD 180 and 300 was not Adoptianism,
but the doctrine which saw the Deity Himself incarnate in Christ,
and conceived Christ to be God in a human body, the Father becoming
flesh.... Modalism, as we now know from the Philosophumena, was… the official
theory in Rome... The Modalistic doctrine which sought to exclude
every other... was embraced by the GREAT MAJORITY OF ALL CHRISTIANS. [113]
Even Catholic Cardinal John Henry Newman had to
make the above confession in his books entitled Essays and Sketches,
which were a defense of the teachings of the Catholic Church. Professor Newman
said: Praxeas, Noetus, and Sabellius, in the third century
protested against the Catholic or Athanasian doctrine.... Noetus was in Asia
Minor, Praxeas taught in Rome, Sabellius in Africa. Nay we read...their
doctrine prevailed among the common people, then and at an earlier
date, to a very great extent, and the true faith [Catholicism] was hardly
preached in the churches. [114]
Irenaeus Taught Baptism for Regeneration Using the Trinitarian
Formula: Irenaeus AD 180 wrote a book
entitled “Irenaeus Against the Heresies.” Irenaeus speaking water
baptism essential for salvation wrote: For as we are lepers in sin, we
are made clean, by means of the SACRED WATER… being spiritually regenerated as new-born babes, even as the
Lord has declared: ‘Except a man be born again through water and the
Spirit, he shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.’ [115] If Branham would have
been alive in Irenaeus’ day, this Catholic Bishop would have pronounce Branham
to be a heretic, since Branham did not believe in the doctrine of water baptism
for regeneration.
Irenaeus definitely did not teach the same
doctrine as Paul. He baptized using the Catholic mode and formula for baptism,
which was three immersions in the titles of the godhead. Irenaeus
wrote: Our Lord gave: The disciples the power of
REGENERATION into God, He [Jesus] said to them, ‘Go and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost….’ For our bodies have received unity
among themselves by means of that layer which leads to incorruption;
but our souls, by means of the Spirit. Wherefore both are necessary,
since both contribute towards the life of God. [116]
Therefore, Branham lied when he said Irenaeus preached the same gospel as the
apostle Paul on the New Birth.
Branham Taught Irenaeus
Remained Faithful to the Apostle Paul’s Teaching of One God: He declared: Thou Holdest Fast My Name.’
Already in the second century those words ‘Father, Son and Holy
Ghost’ had spelled out ‘Trinity’ to many, and the polytheistic idea
of three Gods had become a doctrine in the false church [meaning Catholic]…. The Word was taught [by Irenaeus] with unusual clarity and
conformity to its original precepts…. He [Irenaeus] was also clear on
his understanding of the godhead. [117]
Irenaeus’ Taught the Early Catholic Doctrine of
Two-Unequal-gods: Irenaeus
was Catholic and he definitely did not teach the same doctrine of the godhead
as Paul. He taught that the Father was the supreme God and the Son was a lesser
God. This was the standard teaching in the Catholic Church from the time it
started in or after AD 70 until 325.
Irenaeus taught that Christ was begotten
or created by God the Father, before time began, and was a different person
from the Father, and was a lower or second god. He wrote: If any one, therefore, says
to us, ‘How then was the Son produced by the Father?’ We reply to him, that no
man understands that production or generation… but the Father only who
begat, and the Son who was begotten. Irenaeus continued by
tell us the Logos was created by God the Father. He says: John relates His original,
effectual, and glorious generation from the Father, thus declaring, ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. [118]
Irenaeus then state the Catholic doctrine, that is, Christ was known as
the Son of God when He was created by the Father in eternal past: “For it was for this end
that the Word of God was made man, and He who was the Son of God became
the Son of man. [119]
Irenaeus also wrote:
I
have also largely demonstrated, that the Word, namely the Son, was
always with the Father; and that Wisdom also, which is the Spirit, was
present with Him, anterior to all creation, He declares by Solomon: ‘God by Wisdom founded the earth, and by understanding hath
He established the heaven….’ And again: ‘The
Lord created me the beginning of His ways in His work: He set me up from
everlasting, in the beginning, before He made the earth….’ And again: ‘When He prepared the heaven, I was with Him and
when He established the fountains of the deep; when He made the foundations of
the earth strong, I was with Him preparing [them]. I was He in
whom He rejoiced, and throughout all time I was daily glad before His face,
when He rejoiced at the completion of the world, and was delighted in the sons
of men….’
Now this is His [the Father’s] Word, our Lord Jesus Christ. [120]
Irenaeus
continued: His Word…
did show the Father’s brightness, and explained His purposes (as also the Lord
said: ‘The only-begotten God, which is in the bosom
of the Father, He hath declared [Him];” and He does Himself also interpret the
Word of the Father…. For there is the one Son, who accomplished His
Father’s will… His offspring, the First-begotten Word, should
descend to the creature (facturam – meaning man), that is, to what had been
molded (plasma), and that it should be contained by Him. [121]
From the Fragments
of the Lost Writings Of Irenaeus we read: He is the perfect Intelligence, the Word of
God, who was begotten before the light; that He was the Founder of the
universe, along with it (light), and the Maker of man… He is the First-begotten,
after a transcendent manner, the Creator of man. [122]
Therefore, Branham lied when he said Irenaeus preached the same gospel as the
apostle Paul on the godhead.
Irenaeus’ Taught The Catholic Eucharist Doctrine: Irenaeus wrote: But our opinion is in accordance with the Eucharist,
and the Eucharist in turn establishes our opinion. For we offer to Him
His own, announcing consistently the fellowship and union of the flesh and
Spirit. For as the bread, which is produced from the earth, when it receives
the invocation of God, is no longer common bread. [123] Irenaeus also declared: When, therefore, the mingled
cup and the manufactured bread receives the Word of God, and the Eucharist
of the blood and the body of Christ is made, from which things the substance of
our flesh is increased and supported…. The Eucharist, which is the
body and blood of Christ. [124]
Irenaeus
continued: And
therefore, the oblation [meaning offering or the sacrifice of the mass] of the Eucharist is
not a carnal one, but a spiritual; and in this respect it is pure…. And then… we
invoke the Holy Spirit, that He may exhibit this sacrifice,
both the bread the body of Christ, and the cup the blood
of Christ, in order that the receivers of these antitypes may obtain
remission of sins and life eternal. [125]
The apostle
Paul in his teaching on the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians the Eleventh
Chapter, never taught the bread and grape juice could be transformed into the actual
body and blood of our Savior through the oblation of the mass by crucifying
Christ again. This is satanic heresy. Now if this Catholic heresy is true, and
Branham did not teach his Pastors this heresy, then they will have to confess
that either Irenaeus is a heretic, or Branham is a heretic for not teaching it
to them!
Branham Lied When He Declared
that Irenaeus Taught Against the Doctrine of an Organized Brotherhood of
Catholic Priests: Branham
wrote: He
[Irenaeus] was militant against any
form of organization…. He saw the danger of any kind of organized
brotherhood among the elders, pastors, etc. [126]
Irenaeus certainly did not teach against the Catholic ministerial
doctrine of an organized priesthood; but the truth was: Irenaeus believed in and
taught this Catholic system. In fact, if Irenaeus lived in Branham’s
day, he would have declared him a heretic, if he were not a priest in the
Catholic Church Organization.
This can be
seen in what he told the Gnostics; Irenaeus
reproved Gnostic preachers who taught against the teachings of the Roman
Catholic Church. Irenaeus wrote: These teachers… are destitute of truly divine wisdom;
while the Catholic Church possesses one and the same faith throughout
the whole world. [127]
Irenaeus defended the teaching of Roman Catholicism by revealing that his
church organization was older than the Gnostic church organization. Irenaeus
declared: We
are in a position to reckon up those… bishops in the Churches [meaning the Catholic
Churches],
and (to demonstrate) the succession of these men to our own
times…. Since, however, it would be very tedious, in such a volume as this, to
reckon up the successions of all the Churches…. We do put… the very
ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome….
For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this
Church, on account of its pre- eminent authority. [128]
Irenaeus
continued his glorification of the Roman Catholic ministerial organization by
saying: Take
that Church… the great and glorious Church at Rome…. In her have
been preserved the traditions of all the Churches, because everybody
is forced to go to the seat of empire. [129]
Now, how can any Branhamite Pastor read this and then say that Branham told the
truth when he declared, Irenaeus was a one God, Jesus Name Apostolic preacher,
who taught against the Roman Catholic organization or their ministerial
hierarchy structure. The only time he ever disputed with any Catholic Bishop
was when he disagreed with Victor over what day the celebration of Easter
should take place. [130]
Branham did
not quoted church history sources in most of his teaching on the church
ages, especially for the so-called church age messengers! The reason for this
is because Irenaeus was a two-god preacher and the rest were Trinitarians. The
only reason why Branham’s demonic spirit-guide taught the doctrine of church
age messengers was so he could make Branham the Laodicean Church Age Messenger.
If Branhamite Pastors claim infallibility for Branham, then they best claim infallibility
for the other so-called Catholic and Protestant Messengers of God.
Since Irenaeus was a Trinitarian and preached
a perverted gospel of salvation, Branham lied when he declared: The proof of the indwelling
Spirit was to acknowledge and follow what God’s prophet gave
for his age as he set the church in
order. [131]
Let Branhamite Pastors ask themselves this question, why would Branham choose a
Catholic Trinitarian Bishop to be his Church Age Messenger, when God had great
renowned oneness preachers in this age like: Praxeas, Noetus, Epigonus,
Cleomenes, Aeschines, Sabellius, Commodian, and many others who baptized in
Jesus’ Name and preached the same gospel as Paul? The history of these men will
be given in the next section of the book.
Branham
claimed: The
Pergamean Age lasted about three hundred years, from 312 to 606 A.D…. Using our
God-given rule for choosing the messenger to each age, …we unhesitatingly
declare the Pergamean messenger to be Martin…. He himself was forever
true to the Word of God. He fought organization. [132]
Martin of
Tours (AD
316-397) was a Catholic Bishop who was the patron saint of
France. He founded the first Catholic monastery in Gaul. He, like
all the rest of Branham’s so-called messengers taught: the Catholic
Eucharist doctrine, baptism for regeneration, baptized in
the titles of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The only
difference between him and Irenaeus was he taught the Trinitarian doctrine
of the godhead.
In the The Nicene & Post Nicene
Fathers, professors Philip Schaff and Henry Wace made the following
comment on Catholic Bishop Martin’s devotion to his patron saint, that is,
Catholic Bishop Hilary of Poitiers. These professors spoke of Martin’s intimate
relationship with his PASTOR and MENTOR this way: But though we have reached the term of
Hilary’s life, there remains one topic on which something must be said, his relation
to St. Martin of Tours. Martin, born in Pannonia, the country of Valens and
Ursacius, but converted from paganism under Catholic influences,
was attracted by Hilary, already a [Catholic] bishop, and spent some
years in his society before the outbreak of the Arian strife in Gaul…. At
an uncertain date, which cannot have long preceded Hilary’s exile, he [Martin] felt himself moved to
return to his native province in order to convert his parents [to Catholicism], who were still pagans.
He succeeded in the case of his mother and of many of his countrymen.
But he was soon compelled to
abandon his labors, for he had, as a true disciple of
Hilary, regarded it as his duty to oppose the Arianism [who opposed the Trinitarian
doctrine of Hilary and Catholicism]…. He [Martin] next retired to a small island off the Italian
coast, where he lived in seclusion till he heard of Hilary’s return.
He hastened to Rome, so Fortunatus tells us, to meet his friend,
but missed him on the way; and followed him at once to Poitiers.
There Hilary gave him a site near the city, on which he founded the
first monastery in that region, over which he presided for the
rest of Hilary’s life and for four years after his death. In the
year 371 he was consecrated [by Catholic Ministerial hierarchy] bishop of Tours, and so
continued till his death twenty-five years later…. The courage and tenacity
with which Martin held and preached the [Catholic] Faith was certainly
inspired to some considerable extent by admiration of Hilary and confidence
in his teaching….
The two men were formed
each to be the complement of the other. It was the work of Hilary to
prove with cogent clearness to educated Christians, that reason as well as
piety dictated an acceptance of the Catholic Faith; the mission of Martin
was to those who were neither educated nor Christian, and his success in
bringing the [Catholic] Faith home to the lives and consciences of the pagan…. Their
true glory is that they were fellow-laborers equally successful
in widely separate parts of the same field; and Hilary in entitled, beyond the
honor die to his own achievements, to a share in that of St. Martin, whose merits
he [Hilary] discovered and fostered.
[133]
If any
Branhamite Pastor declares, Hilary to be a oneness Bishop, as they do with Martin,
let them read the following, which reveals that Hilary was a true Trinitarian
and baptized in the titles of the Trinity, and he definite fought against
God’s Oneness Apostolic Pentecostal Churches. In AD 360, Hilary in his book entitled, On
The Trinity, wrote: BELIEVERS
have
always found their satisfaction in that Divine utterance, which our ears heard
recited from the Gospel at the moment when that Power [i.e. the Holy Spirit], which is its attestation,
was bestowed upon us: — ‘Go now and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I command you; and,
lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.’ What element
in the mystery of man’s salvation is not included in those words…?
The passage contains the exact words
to be used, the essential acts, the sequence of processes, an
insight into the Divine nature. He bade them baptize in the Name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. [134]
Hilary wrote
against Sabellius’ One God Teaching. He says: Sabellius, for instance, makes the
Son an extension of the Father, and the faith in this regard a matter of words
rather than of reality, for he makes one and the same Person, Son to
Himself and also Father…. Let heresy muster its forces and every sect
come forth to battle. Let our answer to their challenge be that there is
One Unbegotten God the Father, and One Only-begotten Son of God, perfect
Offspring of perfect Parent; that the Son was begotten by no lessening
of the Father or subtraction from His Substance…. Such is the Catholic
and Apostolic Faith which the Gospel has taught us and we avow. Let
Sabellius, if he dare, confound Father and Son as two names with
one meaning, making of them not Unity but One Person. [135]
Therefore, Martin, who was a devoted follower of Hilary, not only taught
contrary to the apostle Paul but Branham himself! It is very evident that
Martin was in the false vine of Catholicism, who Satan used to fight against
the true vine, that is, God’s Apostolic Oneness Churches. Now Branhamite
Pastors will have to decide, which of these so-called infallible Messengers of
God they are going to believe in, the Catholic Bishops Irenaeus and Martin of
Tours or William Branham. There can be no doubt, Catholic Bishops Irenaeus and
Martin would have classified Branham as a heretic, if he lived in their day!
Let
Branhamite Pastors ask themselves this question, why would Branham choose a
Catholic Trinitarian Bishop to be his Church Age Messenger, when God had renowned
oneness preachers and movements in this age like: Marcellus of Ancyra,
Photinus, and many Noetians, Sabellians, oneness Montanists, Triscilidaes,
Priscillians who baptized in Jesus’ Name and preached the same gospel as Paul? The
history of these men will be given in the next section of the book. Since Martin was a Trinitarian and preached a
perverted gospel of salvation, Branham lied when he declared: The proof of the indwelling
Spirit was to acknowledge and follow what God’s prophet gave
for his age as he set the church in
order. [136]
Branham
declared: The
Thyatira Church Age lasted the longest of them all, about 900 years from 606 to
1520…. The church [meaning the Catholic Church not the true Church] had long been split into
two groups, Western and Eastern…. It was to St. Columba that the lot of
being the messenger fell…. St Columba was the founder of a great Bible school
on the island of Hy (off the S.W. coast of Scotland). [137]
Since Columba died in 596 or 597 AD, and Branham declared that the Thyatira Church
Age did not begin until 606 AD, which is 9 or 10 years after Columba was
dead, this can only mean that history declares William Branham to be
a false prophet. How can Branhamite Pastors continually proclaim Branham to be
inspired of God, and a historian, when he did not even know that his so-called
Messenger of this Church Age was dead before this age even began? Maybe he was
in one of is known trances when he gave this teachings, or maybe his spirit-guide
lied to him when he was in one of his intimate seances with this demon.
According
Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, Columba was born in AD 521 and died
in 597. It stated: Columba 521-597, [a Catholic] Irish missionary in Scotland; [he] with 12 disciples established monastery on island
of Iona.
The Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99 under the heading of “Columba, Saint” we read: he was also called Colum or Columcille (circa
521-97), [a Catholic] Irish missionary, known as the apostle
of Caledonia…. He studied under [Catholic] St. Finnian at
Clonard…. Setting out in 563, at the age of 42, and accompanied by 12
disciples, St. Columba established a community on the island of Iona on the
west coast of Scotland. He then attempted to convert to [Catholic] Christianity
the Pictish tribes that inhabited the area beyond the Grampian Mountains…. The
parent house of Iona exercised supremacy over all the monasteries that St.
Columba had built, as well as over those founded by his disciples in
northern England. He spent about 34 years organizing his [Catholic] ecclesiastical
system in Scotland. His [Catholic] feast day is
June 9.
If Branham
had taught the three gods of the Trinity and baptized in the titles of the
Trinity, and taught the Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist, he would then have
had something in common with Irenaeus, Martin, and Columba, but since he taught
contrary to them, how can these Catholics be God’s infallible Messengers to the
age in which they lived? How could they produce the bride of Christ? There is
no similarity between what the Apostle Paul taught and these Catholic priests?
What are you Branhamite Pastors going to do with these historical truths? Will
you continue to give your worship and devotion to a false prophet?
Let Branhamite
Pastors ask themselves this question, why would Branham choose a Catholic
Trinitarian Bishop to be his Church Age Messenger, when God had preachers
in noted movements in this age like: the Noetians, Sabellians, oneness
Montanists, oneness Anabaptist, who baptized in Jesus’ Name and preached the
same gospel as Paul? The history of these men will be given in the next section
of the book
Branham
taught: The
Sardisean or fifth church age lasted from 1520 to 1750. It is usually
called the Age of the Reformation…. The Messenger to this age is the best known
Messenger of all the ages. He was Martin Luther… [and he] was against works as
a means of salvation and baptism as a means or regeneration. [138]
Martin Luther taught baptism was for the forgiveness of sins, and the
Trinitarian doctrine of the godhead. Therefore, this is just another lie of
Branham or his spirit-guide.
Luther Taught the Trinitarian Formula for Baptism, and it
Was Absolutely Necessary for Regeneration or Salvation: In The Larger
Catechism, Luther defended
the essentiality of water baptism in the triune formula for salvation, and also
defended it as a doctrine of grace and not of works towards salvation. He wrote: In the first place, we must
above all things know well the words upon which Baptism is founded, and
to which everything refers that is to be said on the subject, namely, where the
Lord Christ speaks in the last chapter of Matthew, 28:19: ‘Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’ Likewise
in St. Mark, the last chapter, 16:16: ‘He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned….’
Baptism is no human trifle,
but instituted by God Himself, moreover, that it is most solemnly and
strictly command that we must be baptized or we cannot be
saved, lest any one regard it as a trifling matter…. For by the Word such
power is imparted to Baptism that it is a laver of regeneration,
as St. Paul also calls it, Titus 3:5….. But if they say, as they are
accustomed: Still Baptism is itself a work, and you say works are of no
avail for salvation; what then, becomes of faith? Answer: Yes, our
works, indeed, avail nothing for salvation; Baptism, however, is not our work,
but God’s (for, as was stated, you must put Christ-baptism far away from a
bath-keeper’s baptism). God’s works [meaning water baptism], however, are saving and
necessary for salvation, and do not exclude, but demand, faith; for
without faith they could not be apprehended. [139]
In The
Small Catechism, Luther wrote: Question: What does Baptism give? What good is it? Answer: It gives the forgiveness of sins, redeems from death and the Devil, gives eternal
salvation to all who believe this, just as God’s words and promises declare. [140]
Luther Knew about Baptism in Jesus’ Name But Rejected It:
Vinson Synan, in his book Aspects of Pentecostal-Charismatic Origins,
quotes David Reed as saying: The practice of baptism in the name of Jesus Christ is no new
phenomenon in the history of the Church. Martin Luther encountered a
dispute over the formula in his day. [141]
According to
Reverend Marvin Arnold, in his book History of the Christian Church,
Andreas Carlstadt (AD
1529), a professor of theology at the university of Wittenberg, and the
well know Greek scholar Erasmus (AD 1529), had a lengthy scriptural
discussion with Luther on restoring God’s true New Birth message, with its
monotheistic godhead message. They tried to persuade: Luther to inject monotheistic
Christian Pentecostalism into his Lutheranism! They pleaded, ‘Restore
the pattern and even the constitution of the Primitive Church.’ [142]
Luther Taught the Catholic Doctrine of the Trinity:
Luther declared in The Larger Catechism: We shall briefly sum up the entire Creed in
three chief articles, according to the three persons in the Godhead, to
whom everything that we believe is related, So that the First Article, of God
the Father, explains Creation, the Second Article, of the Son, Redemption, and
the Third, of the Holy Ghost, Sanctification. Just as though the Creed were
briefly comprehended in so many words: I believe in God the Father, who has
created me; I believe in God the Son, who has redeemed me; I believe in the
Holy Ghost, who sanctifies me. One God and one faith, but three
persons. [143]
Since Luther without a doubt was a
Trinitarian and preached a perverted message on salvation, how can any
Branhamite Pastor claim that Branham spoke the truth when he stated: The proof of the indwelling
Spirit was to acknowledge and follow what God’s prophet gave for his age as he set the church in order. [144]
If Luther was the Messenger to this church age, then all those who followed his
teaching are lost. If Branham is telling the truth than every Branhamite pastor
will have to declare that it was God’s will for all the above Catholic
Messengers to teaching Satan’s doctrines of the Trinity and baptism in the
titles of the Trinity. They will also have to declare that God’s ordained
Luther to teach the Trinitarian doctrine and other false doctrines. Now if they
refuse to do this, than they should denounce Branham as a false prophet!
Branham Chose Luther as the
Messenger to this Church Age Knowing that He Established the Lutheran
Inquisition Against God’s True Jesus Name Churches: Branham speaking about Luther’s persecution,
as well as other protestant reformers’ persecution, of God holy and innocent
people stated: God raised up might men of which Luther was but one. Calvin and
Zwingli were two other luminaries…. However, though all this was not in vain,
the might work of God was actually hindered by these very men.
For one thing, they did not oppose the Church-State marriage of
the Nicene Council but actually fostered [or promoted] that union…. Luther through poor judgment, incited
to battle, and thereby cause the death of multitudes…. They
were living a name but were dead. Certainly, they were dead [meaning Luther and all the
other Protestant reformers]. They died the minute they organized. The great
groups organized and tied themselves in matrimony to the state. [145]
Luther
rejected baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the oneness of God.
As a result, he became God’s enemy and persecuted His Apostolic
Pentecostal Anabaptist Churches. The Encyclopedia Americana speaking
of the Luther’s Inquisition says: The Reformation provided the [Catholic] Inquisition with new
opportunity for the extirpation of heresy, and the Protestants paid it
tribute by adopting many of its attitudes and procedures.
LUTHER… was as severe as any INQUISITOR in his attitude toward religious
radicals. [146]
Luther and
his followers set up a Lutheran Inquisition to exterminate God’s holy and
innocent children. Professor Roland H. Bainton in his great work Hunted
Heretic stated: The dissemination of Anabaptism was so broad that both
Catholics and Lutherans feared the established churches would be
displaced.... At the Diet of Speyer in 1529 both
Catholics and Lutherans agreed to subject them to the
death penalty throughout the Holy Roman Empire.... They did not burn
Catholics, but they drowned [Trinitarian] Anabaptist and they beheaded and
burned Anti-Trinitarians [oneness Anabaptist] whose beliefs were
repugnant to most Protestants as well as to Catholics. [147]
Why would
Catholics and Lutherans, who hated each other as heretics, join together and
form a satanic union to burn God’s Children? It is evident they were not
only scared of God’s people evangelistic revival spirit, but they must have
hated them more then they hated each other. I smell a putrefied rat and smell
of it is coming from Rome. I truly believe that the Catholic Church, through
Lucifer’s inspiration, sent these Reformers to start their denominations, so
that the angry dissenting people of Europe who hated Catholicism would not join
God’s Oneness Anabaptist Churches, but join the churches of the Reformers.
If this
belief is incorrect, then why did the Pope of Rome not order a crusade against
these Reformers, or if he did not want war, why did he not send out secret
squads of killers to kill these Reformers? Let us remember that the kings of
Europe were under the control of the Pope at this time. Let my beloved readers
take note to the fact that Oneness Anabaptists were in existence centuries
before the Reformation began. Blunt wrote: ANTITRINITARIANIS then appears to be, not the
genuine product of the Reformation, but the offspring of a school [of belief] which had EXISTED IN THE
CHURCH FOR CENTURIES BEFORE THE REFORMATION was dreamt of.... The Antitrinitarian
principle in early times expended itself in producing the SABELLIAN and Arian
heresies. [148]
Let
Branhamite Pastors ask themselves this question, why would Branham choose a
Protestant Trinitarian Bishop to be his Church Age Messenger, when God had great
renowned oneness preachers in this age like: Bernhard Rothmann, Jan van
Leyden, Miguel Servetus, William Pen, and many other Sabellians, oneness Anabaptists, early oneness Quakers,
who baptized in Jesus’ Name and preached the same gospel as Paul? The history
of these men will be given in the next section of the book.
Branham taught: The Philadelphian Church Age
lasted from 1750 to about 1906…. The messenger to this age was without
doubt John Wesley…. Back in London he again met the Moravians. It was
Peter Boehler who showed him the way of salvation. He was truly born again. [149]
Wesley Used the Trinitarian Formula for Baptism:
In a set of books entitled “Wesley’s Works,” one can find the writings
and teachings of John Wesley. In it Wesley wrote: Baptism is a sacrament, wherein
Christ hath ordained the washing with water… wherein the person is
baptized, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
[150] In A Treaties on Baptism
Wesley wrote: Concerning baptism I shall inquire,
what it is; what benefits we receive by it; whether our Savior designed it to
remain always in his Church; and who are the proper subjects of it. That it is.
It is the initiatory sacrament, which enters us into covenant with God. It was
instituted by Christ…. Baptism is performed by washing, dipping, or
sprinkling the person, in the name of the Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost, who is hereby devoted to the ever-blessed Trinity.
[151]
This is not what the apostle Paul taught!
Wesley Taught The Catholic Doctrine Of The Trinity:
In the same set of books, Wesley
promoted the Trinitarian doctrine as the truth. He wrote: A man may be orthodox in every point; he may not
only espouse right opinions, but zealously defend them against all opposers; he
may think justly concerning the incarnation of our Lord, concerning the ever-blessed
Trinity, and every other doctrine contained in the oracles of God; he may
assent to all the three Creeds, — that called the Apostles’, the Nicene,
and the Athanasian and still die lost. [152]
He also wrote: Trinity in Unity, and Unity
in Trinity, discovered to us in the very first line of His written
word: Barah Elohim — literally, the GODS created, a plural noun joined
with a verb of the singular number; as well as in every part of His subsequent
revelations, given by the mouth of all His holy Prophets and Apostles. [153]
This is not the gospel the apostle Paul taught, but a false gospel!
Since Wesley was a Trinitarian and preached a
perverted gospel of salvation, Branham lied when he declared: The proof of the indwelling
Spirit was to acknowledge and follow what God’s prophet gave
for his age as he set the church in
order. [154]
Let Branhamite Pastors ask themselves this question, why would Branham choose a
Protestant Trinitarian Reformer to be his Church Age Messenger, when God had great
renowned oneness preachers in this age like: Nathaniel Emmons, Moses
Stuart, Henry Ward Beecher, John Cook, and many other Sabellians, oneness Anabaptists, Convulsionists who
baptized in Jesus’ Name and preached the same gospel as Paul. The history of
these men will be given in the next section of the book.
Conclusion:
Branham declared: Only
one Messenger for each age receives what the Spirit has to say to that age, and
that one Messenger is the Messenger to the true church…. Those who hear
are not getting their own private revelation, nor is a group getting their
collective revelation, but each person is hearing and receiving what the
Messenger has already received from God. [155]
Therefore, Branham emphatically declared that God only sent one Messenger for each
Church Age, and the people must listen and obey the message of the
Messenger or be lost. If this is true, then all I can say is that
Branham’s god must be a very confused god, for all these messengers preached a
message contrary to the apostle Paul concerning the New Birth and on the
godhead, for they all were Trinitarians, except for Irenaeus who taught
two-unequal-gods.
Since these
men believed in and taught the Trinity and baptized in the titles of the
Trinity, according to Branham’s own teachings, none of them and their followers
could possible be in the Bride of Christ. Also, since he taught that all those
in the Catholic and Protestant denominations were not in the true church of the
Lord Jesus Christ, but were in hybrids religions, they could not be saved, for
hybrids cannot be redeemed according to Branham’s own teachings! [156]
Therefore, the very teachings of Branham’s so-called church age messengers
prove William Marrion Branham to a false prophet; for all of these men taught
contrary to the great apostle Paul, not to mention Branham’s own teachings. Now
if any Branhamite Pastor believes that any of the above Catholic preachers were
God’s messengers to their church age period, than they would have to condemn
the apostle Paul and Branham as false prophets, because they definitely taught
a different gospel from them!
Historical
Proof that God Had Many
Before we
begin our study, permit me to say that the seven churches mention in the Book
of Revelation are not Seven Church Ages, but Seven Church Periods, for there is
only one Church Age. Even though God’s Oneness, Jesus’ Name, Tongue Talking
Church began in AD
33, the Seven Church Periods did not begin until AD 96 (Rev 1:1; 22:6).
The reason being is: God had already given us a history of the Church in the Book of Acts,
and all the apostle were dead, except for John. This is why in the
Ephesian Church Period, God’s children: “tested those who
say they are apostles” (Rev 2:2).
Therefore, I
believe the Seven Church Periods began with the Ephesian Church Period (AD 96-161), and it
will continue through the Tribulation Period, that is, the Laodicean Church
Period or the last Church Period of the Church Age. The Church Age will end
with the Post-Tribulation Resurrection, which is the last part of the First
Resurrection. The Pre, Mid, and Post-Tribulation Resurrections are all part of
the First Resurrection.
The Smyrna
Church Period 161-313 AD: If God had chosen one man to be his Messenger
in each of the Church Periods, it would have been a One God, Jesus’ Name
Preacher not a Catholic Trinitarian Bishop like Irenaeus. The following history
definitely reveals that God had many Oneness preachers and Church movements
during this period. Professor Williston Walker boldly declared in his book History
of the Christian Church: Trinitarianism was replacing one-God-ism, this appears in the
Trinitarian baptismal formula, which was displacing the older Baptism in the
name of Christ. [157]
165 AD, Praxeas’ A One God Preacher in Rome: According to Tertullian (AD
200), Praxeas taught: The
Father and the Son are the same... [They]
understand the Son to be the flesh that is man that is Jesus, and the Father to
be Spirit that is God that is Christ.... The Word of God or the Spirit of God
is also called the power of the Highest, whom they make the Father.... [158]
During this Church Period four Catholic Bishops of Rome converted to the
Oneness doctrine. According to Professor Harnack there were: four
Roman Bishops in succession who declared themselves in favor
of the Modalistic Christology, viz., Eleutherus, Victor, Zephyrinus, and
Callistus. [159]
185 AD, Noetus A One God
Preacher in Smyrna: Hippolytus (AD 225) declared: Noetus affirms that the
Son and Father are the same [person], no one is ignorant. For he makes his
statement thus: `When indeed then, the Father had not been born, He yet was
justly styled Father: and when it pleased Him to undergo generation, having
been begotten, He Himself became His own Son, not another's…. He is styled by
the name of Father and Son, according to the vicissitude of times, [or at
different time periods]. He confessed Himself to those beholding Him a Son no
doubt; yet He made no secret to those who could comprehend Him of being the
Father. [160]
192 AD, Cleomenes A One God Preacher
in Rome: Cleomenes was a disciple of Epigonus, who was a disciple of
Noetus. Hippolytus stated that Cleomenes
started a one God, Jesus’ Name Theology School in Rome. He wrote: The
school of these heretics during the succession of such Bishops, continued to
acquire strength and augmentation from the fact that Zephyrinus and Callistus
helped them to prevail. [161]
Harnack declared that Cleomenes remained the head of this school until c. 215, when Sabellius succeeded him.
200 AD, Aeschines A One God Montanist’s Preacher in
Rome: According to Harnack,
Aeschines also started a Oneness Theology School in Rome. Harnack says: Among
the Montanists at Rome there were, about AD 200, a Modalistic party and… at the
head of the former stood Aeschines, Hippolytus says (Philo. X. 26) that their
doctrine was that of Noetus. [162]
210 AD, Sabellius A One God Preacher in Africa: According to Blunt: The
only Divine Sonship allowed by Sabellian doctrine being then that which
took place in time at the Incarnation.” [163]
The Catholic Encyclopedia
stated: “Saint Athanasius tells us that he said ‘the Father is
the Son and the Son is the Father, one in hypostasis, but two
in name. [164]
The writers of the above encyclopedia also declared: in the
west they [the Modalist Monarchians] were
called Patripassians, whereas in the East they are called Sabellians. It went on to say: Sabellius or at least his
followers may have considerably amplified the original Noetianism. [165]
250 AD,
Commodian A One God Pentecostal Bishop in Africa: According to Professor Wolfson, Commodian taught in verse 91 of his Carmen
Apologeticum: The Father went into the Son [at
Bethlehem] representing the views of Praxeas and Noetus. [166]
Professor Schaff says: Commodian was a Patripassian in
Christology and a Chiliast in eschatology. [167]
The Pergamos
Church Period 313-1198 AD: Why would God chose Martin of Tours, a
Catholic Trinitarian Bishop as His Messenger, when He had many Oneness
Preachers and Church movements during this period, as history clearly reveals?
326 AD,
Bishop Marcellus Was A One God Preacher: Before Marcellus was converted to oneness, he with Athanasius defended
the Catholic doctrine of two-equal-gods at the Council of Nice. Gibbon declared
Athanasius: defended above twenty years the Sabellianism
of Marcellus of Ancyra; and when at last he was compelled to withdraw himself
from his communion, he continued to mention with an ambiguous smile the venial
errors of his respectable friend. [168]
327 AD,
Photinus Was A One God Preacher:
Photinus was a disciple of Marcellus. Blunt speaking of Photinus and those who
followed him said: Theodoret says that Photinus differs from
Sabellius only in phraseology.[169]
400 AD,
The Triscilidae Were Oneness Preachers:
Blunt mentions a group of Sabellians that existed around AD 400. He stated that the Triscilidae were: A
sect of Sabellian heretics mentioned by Philaster (Haer. xciii),
Augustine (Haer. lxxiv.), and Praedestinatus (Har. lxxiv.), as maintaining the
opinion that the Divine Nature is compose of three parts, one of
which is named the Father, the second part the Son, and the third the Holy
Ghost. [170] It appears to me they taught: God’s
substance or essence is composed of three natures, one called the Spirit,
another called the Soul and the third called the Body.
561 AD, The Priscillians Were Sabellian Oneness
Preachers: Dr. Hasting wrote: By the time of the provincial Council of Braga 561
we see how these Monarchia principles have verged into Priscillianism....
[171]
J. F. Bethune-Baker, in his book entitled An Introduction to the Early
History of Christian Doctrine, mentioned that Martin Damiun, the Catholic
Bishop of Braga, condemned the baptism of the Sabellians for: retaining single immersion
under a single name. [172]
649-692 AD, Catholic Councils
Cursed God’s Holy Apostolic Churches: Dr. Hastings revealed that the One
God Jesus’ Name Modalist Monarchians doctrines continued to exist throughout
the centuries. He declared that Catholic Popes and Catholic Councils were
always condemning them. He says: this can be seen by the frequent condemnations of them in
the shape of Sabellianism.... The same comprehensive condemnation was
repeated in the Lateran Council of 649, (canon 18). [173]
900-1198 AD, God’s Apostolic Churches Multiply throughout Spain and
Many of them Were Called Anabaptist: Weisser
spoke of Robinson’s fourth period that covered eight hundred years
or from AD
714-1514. Weisser mentions Oneness Movements that were: deemed heretical by the
Catholics. Robinson speaking of these Oneness Churches wrote: they were called in general Anabaptists.
In a council held at Lerida, in the archbishopric of Tarragon, it was
decreed... that such as came from Antitrinitarians, who had been
baptized in the name of Christ, should be rebaptized. [174]
The Thyatira
Church Period 1198-1529 AD: Why would God chose Columba, a Catholic
Trinitarian Priest as His messenger, when He had many Oneness Preachers and
Church movements during this period, as history clearly reveals?
1215 AD, The Fourth Catholic
Lateran Council Condemned God’s Apostolic Churches: Blunt wrote: ANTITRINITARIANIS then
appears to be, not the genuine product of the Reformation, but the
offspring of a school [of belief] which had EXISTED IN THE CHURCH FOR CENTURIES BEFORE THE REFORMATION
was dreamt of.... The Antitrinitarian principle in early times expended
itself in producing the SABELLIAN and Arian heresies.... But the former
class, such as the heresies of Gilbert de la Porree, and Joachim, abbot of
Flora, which were met in the fourth Lateran Council AD 1215. [175]
Therefore, history definitely declares that the Oneness Anabaptists existed
centuries before the Reformation began. Evidently, these Catholics Priests were
converted to the apostolic Jesus’ Name message, and as usual, the Catholic
Councils of their day cursed them for it.
The Sardis
Church Period 1529-1800: Why
would God chose Martin Luther, a Trinitarian Protestant Reformer and murderer
as His messenger, when He had many Oneness Preachers and Church movements
during this period, as history clearly reveals? As stated above, Luther knew
about baptism in Jesus’ Name but rejected it. Vinson Synan, in his book Aspects
Of Pentecostal-Charismatic Origins, quotes David Reed as saying: The practice of baptism in
the name of Jesus Christ is no new phenomenon in the history of the Church.
Martin Luther encountered a dispute over the formula in his day. [176]
1525- 1532 AD, Bernhard
Rothmann A Oneness Anabaptist Preacher:
Arnold, referring to F. H. Little work entitled Reformation Studies, Essays
in Honor of R. H. Bainton, spoke of Rothmann as a Jesus’ Name Anabaptist.
He says: The
great preachers, writers, scholars - Bernhard Rothmann and Jan van Leyden [in
c. 1525] - burst into the medieval theistic scene.… They were monotheistic
and pious partakers of the Holy Ghost, and knew Pentecostal
glossolalia. Rothmann preached: ‘True baptism is the entrance to the Church and there
is no other gate to Eternal Life.... Let yourself be baptized in Christ’s
Name….’ [He] was one of the greatest
medieval Protestant preachers, and learned writer: Bekentnisse, and
Restitution. He definitely used Peter’s Acts 2:1-4; 2:38 in baptismal
services.... He refuted both Catholicism and Lutheranism, and tirelessly
researched until he found ninth century Oneness Pentecostalism and continued
in it. [177]
AD 1531-1553 AD, Miguel Servetus A Great Oneness Preacher
and Martyr: The Encyclopedia Americana speaking of the Calvin’s
Inquisition says: Calvin
introduced inquisitorial procedures into Geneva… [in] 1541. There were many
victims, the most notable being Michael Servetus, who was burned in 1553.
[178]
The greatest Antitrinitarian, Anabaptist, One God, Jesus’ Name Preacher in the
sixteenth century was without a doubt Miguel Servetus. This man was a Reformer,
Theologian, Author, and an outstanding Medical Doctor. He was in his theology a
Modalist Monarchian. Servetus was a fine Greek and Hebrew Scholar, who using
the literal method of interpreting scriptures.
Moyer
speaking about him as a Medical Scientist says: he was the real discoverer of the
pulmonary circulation of the blood. [179]
Professor Roland Bainton, in his book entitled Hunted Heretic, who
recorded the life of Servetus, spoke of him as a man who was wanted by both the
Catholic and Protestant Inquisitions dead or alive. Blunt spoke of him as an
Author and Reformer. The titles of Servetus’ books are On the Errors of the
Trinity, Dialogues on the Trinity in Two Treatises, and The
Restitution of Christianity.
In the Antitrinitarian
Biography, Robert Wallace, speaking about Servetus’ last book and his role
as a Reformer said:
His avowed object in the composition of this book was to bring back the
Christian world to what he conceived to be the primitive standard of faith; and
it was for this reason that he entitled it The Restoration of Christianity.
Wallace went on to say: Walchius regarded him as a favourer of Sabellianism. Servetus infers that neither the
Logos nor the Holy Spirit is a person really distinct from
the Father, but only a kind of revelation of the divine nature. [180]
Servetus died
as a true martyr for the Lord Jesus Christ. According to Wallace: Servetus was fastened to the
trunk of a tree fixed in the earth, his feet reaching to the ground; and a
crown of straw and leaves, sprinkled over with brimstone, was placed upon his
head. His body was bound to the stake with an iron chain, and a coarse twisted
rope was loosely thrown round his neck. His books were then fastened to his
thigh; and he requested the executioner to put him out of his misery as
speedily as possible…. The pile was then lighted, and he cried out in so piteous a tone, as to
excite the deep and earnest sympathy of the spectators. When he had suffered
for some time, a few of them, from feelings of compassion, and with a view to
put an end to his misery, supplied the fire with a quantity of fresh fuel.
Servetus died a victorious martyr’s death on October 27, 1553.
Wallace also
wrote: Minus
Celsus related that the constancy of Servetus in the midst of the fire, induced
many to go over to his opinion; and Calvin makes it an express subject of
complaint, that there were many persons in Italy, who cherished, and revered
his memory. [181]
If almighty God had chosen one man as a messenger for each of the church
ages, He surely would have chosen this great man of God, instead of Luther who
was a murderer as well as a Trinitarian.
1660 AD, William Penn And The Early Quakers Were One God,
Tongue Talking, Jesus’ Name Modalist Monarchians: The greatest
Antitrinitarian, Anabaptist and Modalist Monarchian of the seventeenth century
was William Penn. Wallace say: Penn attacked the notion of three persons in one God, and came out at last with
a species of Sabellianism. Penn was one of the early Quakers’
most fearless and outspoken preachers. In 1668 Penn wrote a book entitled The
Sandy Foundation. Throughout his
book he denounced the Trinity. Pen wrote: If there be three distinct and separate
persons... there must be three distinct substances, and consequently three
distinct gods.
1735-1790 AD, England Had Many Jesus’ Name Preachers And
Churches: According to Weisser, Robert Robinson in his book entitled History
Of Baptism, claimed that England was full of one God believers. Robinson
says: Many
Christians taking it for granted, that the apostles thoroughly understood the
words of the Lord Jesus [in Mt. 28:19], and supposing the form of words of local and temporary use,
administer baptism in the name of Christ, and think themselves justified
by the book of the Acts of the Apostles. [182]
The
Philadelphian Church Period, 1800 AD – Pre-Tribulation Rapture: Why would God chose John Wesley, a
Trinitarian Protestant Reformer as His messenger, when He had many Oneness
Preachers and Church movements during this period, as history clearly reveals?
1762-1828 AD, In France God Had Many Apostolic
Pentecostal Churches, Their Catholic Enemies Called Them Convulsionaries:
Arnold speaking of them said: They had the Jesus Name baptism, tongues, the Holy Spirit,
power, boldness, and ‘miracles upon miracles,’ which appeared ‘thaumaturgy,’
meaning effusion of miracles. The historian Gregoire wrote about the French
government being so upset that Parliament, in 1762, forbid working of miracles
on some French grounds.... It lasted until the date of 1828, where the records
indicate the shaking Convulsionist revival began to wan. [183]
Around 1810, Dr. Nathaniel Emmons, A Congregational
Pastor, Became A Sabellian: According to Professor Levi Paine, in his
book entitled A Critical History Of The Evolution Of Trinitarianism,
Emmons taught: the Father and Son are ‘names’ ‘assumed’ to set forth certain activities
of the one Absolute God. This says Paine is: Essential Sabellianism
at the start. But Emmons goes farther. He had cast aside the doctrine
of the eternal generation of the Son, but now he suggests that the names
Son and Word had no existence before the incarnation. ‘They were probably
unknown in heaven until the purposes of grace were there revealed. [184]
Dr. Emmons was a man well known in the theological circles of his day for his
scholarship, and even in this day.
Around 1820, Professor Moses Stuart Received His
Revelation of the Almighty God In Christ. Paine says: I have styled the doctrine
of the Stuart-Bushnell school a modified Sabellianism…. Stuart and
Bushnell both, following [German professor] Schleiermacher, declared that God is
not eternally tripersonal, but unipersonal. The Trinity is
not fully developed until the incarnation. Paine say Stuart’s: persons are not real any more
than Sabellian persons are; they are modes of personal existence
of the One Divine Being.... Stuart on the other hand made Christ the
incarnation of the Absolute God. [185]
1850 AD, Henry Ward Beecher A One God Modalist Monarchian
Preacher: Dr. Beecher was one of the most noted preachers in America in
his day: Mr.
Beecher’s own language, says Paine in a scolding tone: reveals clearly the
thorough Patripassian character of the ‘new Trinitarianism.’ Christ is
no longer the incarnation of the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity,
that was the old Trinitarianism, but the very incarnation of God, the
Father Almighty, the Absolute One.
1887 AD, Joseph Cook A Oneness Preacher: Paine
writes: Mr.
Cook delivered his three lectures on the Trinity in 1887…. Boston had installed
him ‘in Moses ‘seat.’ The orthodox elite of Massachusetts sat at his feet and
hung upon his lips. According to Paine, Dr. Cook: exorcise the ‘paganism,’
as he called it, of ‘three Gods [out of the Trinity]…. Mr. Cook’s doctrine is
essential Modalism, going beyond Sabellius himself, and coming close
to the Patripassianism out of which Sabellianism sprang.... The Holy
Ghost, as Joseph Cook says, is only ‘Christ’s continued life.
[186]
The twentieth
century has been privileged to witness one of the greatest Oneness, Tongue
Talking revivals the world has even seen. A great one God, Jesus’ name revival
began in America in the year of 1913, in which many great Preachers received
the revelation of these great truths. From 1913 until 1979, the one God, Jesus’ name
movements around the world has been growing by leaps. According to Arnold, in: 1979, the World of Apostolic
Christian Fellowship, found over fifty-three Oneness Christian organizations
on earth.... The United Pentecostal Church is no longer the largest, Dr. Wong
stated in 1965 that Taiwan had 120 assemblies alone, and as of
1979, the True Jesus Church of China numbers around eight million.
[187]
There are now over one hundred Oneness Church organizations. Surely, our
Lord spoke the truth when He said: “On this rock I will build My church,
and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18).
Conclusion:
As I stated before, Branham or his demonic spirit-guide taught the doctrine of
the Church Age Messengers, so Branham could make himself the infallible Prophet
to the Branhamite people. This way he could enslave all of these good, sincere,
and holy people to believe and teach his doctrines. My prayer for the
Branhamite people, as I stated before, has always been, God open up the eyes of
their understanding and deliver them from this demonic cult. Help them
to know what it means to believe into the death, burial, and resurrection of
our Savior by being born again of water and Spirit.
Branham’s Erroneous Occultic Doctrine
on the Serpent’s Seed
What was the Serpent Seed doctrine William Branham taught? Branham taught
that God made Adam and Eve as a Theophany, who was both male and female in one
body, with the male part in front and the female part in back; thus making two
persons connected to each other. God placed them in the Garden of Eden, and in
time divided them. In the garden with Adam and Eve, there was a Serpent, who
was not a reptile but a very large and handsome ape-man. Now, according to
Branham, this monkey-man was the missing link that Darwinian evolutionists were
trying to find, that is, their non-existing bones. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil represented the woman Eve, and the fruit of the tree was sex. I presume Eve was forbidden by God to have
sex with anyone, i.e. the Adam and the Serpent.
Well as this fairytale
goes on, right after Eve committed adultery with the monkey-man, she then had
sex with her husband Adam. As a result, she became pregnant by both; therefore,
Cain was supposedly the offspring of the ape-man, who was totally
possessed or inhabited by Lucifer himself, and Abel was the offspring of Adam.
Branham also taught that Able begot children before Cain murdered him. After
Abel’s death, Adam and Eve had another son called Seth.
Therefore, throughout
history, according to Branham, there have been three classes of people. Seth’s
descendents who were all godly people, and they are all predestined to be
saved. Next, we have the Serpent’s seed or Cain’s descendents who were all
ungodly people, and they are all predestined to be lost. Last, we have Abel’s
descendents who were a mixture of godly and ungodly people, and they will be
saved or lost depending on whether they follow after God, i.e. Branham the
infallible Prophet. Only Seth’s descendents will be the Bride of Christ; these
are they who have been baptized in Jesus’ Name and have received the baptism of
the Holy Ghost. The saved among Abel’s seed are the believers in denominational
churches, who believe in Christ and live godly lives; they will never be part
of the Bride of Christ, but they are the friends and servants of
the Bride.
So that no Branhamite can say I have taken
Branham’s Serpent Seed doctrine out of context, let hear it from his own mouth.
In Jeffersonville, IL, in 1958, age 49, Branham preached a message entitled “The Serpent Seed.” Branham declared: Now, here’s what taken
place. I believe… it is the serpent that did it. The serpent
is that missing person between the
chimpanzee and the man, ‘cause, listen, notice this now, that the serpent
was not a reptile. He was the most subtile of all the beasts of the field….
Now, let’s watch this just a minute. He’s [meaning the monkey-man is] smart, crafty. Yet he’s
called the serpent. But remember, he was the smartest thing there was, and the more
like the human being than anything else that was on the field: closest to a
human being. He was not a reptile. The curse made him a reptile.
Branham
continued this fairytale by saying: And even the curse didn’t take all of his beauty
away, yet the glorious colors of the snake is beautiful. And his grace and his
shrewdness, even the curse didn't move it off. But you remember, God told him
that his legs would come off and he’d go on his belly. And you can’t find one
bone in a snake that looks like a human being, and that’s the reason science is
lost. [188] Branham
also declared: Let’s
take him now and see what he looks like: Great big fellow, prehistoric giant….
This great big fellow, let’s say he was--he was ten foot tall, great big
shoulders, looked just like a man. And his blood, after coming down,
coinciding one animal to another. [189]
Branham
continued: Notice.
Now, the devil come down and got into the serpent, and he found Eve in
the Garden of Eden naked. And he talked about the fruit in the midst,
the ‘midst’ means ‘middle’ and so forth. You understand in a mixed congregation.
And he [the monkey-man talking to himself] said, ‘Now, it’s pleasant. It’s good
to the eye. According to Branham the monkey-man, not Eve, is saying
this. What did he do? He begin making
love to Eve. And he lived with her as a husband. And she saw it [sex] was pleasant, so she
went and told her husband; but she was already pregnant by Satan. And
she brought forth her first son whose name was Cain, the son of Satan.
[190]
And she said [to God], ‘The serpent give me an
apple.’ All right, preacher, get next to yourself. She said, ‘The serpent
beguiled me.’ Do you know what ‘beguile’ means? Means ‘defiled….’ The
devil never gave her an apple. ‘The serpent has beguiled me.’ And then the
curse came. [191]
Can some
Branhamite Pastor show me one scripture that stated the serpent had legs, or
that God deprived the serpent of his legs, or that the serpent was a
prehistoric ape-man, or Tree of Knowledge represented Eve, and the fruit of the
tree represented sex? You cannot, can you? Well, you say there is none for this
is a revelation that Branham received God. I say Braham’s god was his
spirit-guide!
Branham’s “Serpent Seed” doctrine was nothing
new, for it was taught in occultic books such as the
Cabala or Kabbala, centuries before Branham claimed that God
gave him this revelation. The Kabbala is nothing but a combination of Jewish
Mysticism and Gnosticism, which was based upon the ancient teachings of the
Babylonian Religion that Nimrod and Semiramis started after the flood of Noah. I will give Mystery Babylonian’s
teaching on the Serpent’s Seed, immediately after this section.
Some of the backslidden Jewish Rabbis, who
came out of Babylonian Captivity around 536 BC, began teaching this doctrine of
devils at that time, but not openly to all. They only taught these Babylonian
Mysteries to those whom they initiated into their cult. Since these Rabbis were
occultic in their beliefs, they interpreted the Bible using the symbolic or
allegorical method, whereby every scripture has a hidden meaning that could
only be understood by their demonic leaders. The Jewish Encyclopedia
speaking of the Zohar stated: A pseudepigraphic work which pretends to be a
revelation from God communicated through Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai to the latter’s
select disciples. Under the form of a commentary on the Pentateuch…. It first
appeared in Spain in the thirteenth century. [192]
The Zohar’s
Occultic Teaching of the Serpent’s Seed: The Zohar speaking about Adam
and Eve being a so-called Theophany stated: At the creation of Adam, the
Holy One, blessed be he, made him male and female together, female behind and
male before. Then he sawed them asunder and tricked out the woman and brought
her to Adam. [193]
Branham’s Occultic Serpent Seed Doctrine: In “An
Exposition of the Book of Hebrews,” given on October
6th of 1957,
Branham stated the above occult teaching this way: Look,
for when he [Adam] was first made, he was made two
people together. He was made both male and female…. She was part of him in
the beginning, in the creation, in a theophany. [194]
The Zohar’s
Occultic Serpent Seed Doctrine: When Adam and his wife sinned
and the serpent had intercourse with Eve and injected into her his
venom, she bore Cain…. It was that which had been left of the ape
element [meaning the ape-man’s seed or sperm] in her
that produced Cain…. For two beings had intercourse with Eve, and she conceived
from both and bore two children. Each followed one of the male parents, and
their spirits parted, one to this side and one to the other, and similarly
their characters. [195]
Rabbi R. Jose asked Rabbi Isaac: Why is it that many kinds of
magic and divination are only found in women? He replied: Thus I
have learnt, that when the serpent had intercourse with Eve
he injected defilement into her but not into her husband. [196]
Branham’s Occultic
Serpent Seed Doctrine: Branham
unashamedly lied as he claimed divine revelation for this demonic
doctrine. Branham said it this way: Here is where we receive the true
revelation of the ‘Serpent’s Seed.’ Here is what really happened in the
Garden of Eden. The Word says that Eve was beguiled by the serpent. She
was actually seduced by the serpent…. This beast [meaning
the Serpent] was so close to a human being (and yet was
pure animal) that he could reason and talk. He was an upright creature and was somewhat
in between a chimpanzee and a man, but closer to a man. He was so close to
being human that his seed could, and did mingle with that of the woman and
caused her to conceive…. Satan is called the ‘Serpent’. It is his
seed or injection into the human race we are speaking of. [197]
The Zohar’s
Occultic Serpent Seed Doctrine: The Zohar speaks of the wicked seed of
Cain this way: We find it written in the Ancient Books that in
the act of slaying Abel, Cain bit him repeatedly after the manner of the
serpent…. Had not Cain been in part the offspring of the
unclean side [meaning Satan indwelling in the monkey-man, and
not Eve’s side], he would not have behaved so toward his brother. [198]
The Zohar goes on to say: On the side of Cain are
all the haunts of the evil species, from which come evil spirits and
demons and necromancers…. From Cain come the shameless and
wicked sinners of the world…. Cain rose up against Abel and killed
him because he inherited his nature from the side of Samael,
who brought death into the world. [199]
Branham’s Occultic
Serpent Seed Doctrine: Branham
said the same thing this way: Could you tell me where that
spirit and that meanness come from…? If Cain was the son of Adam, who was a son
of God, where did that evil come from…? Now take the nature of his
daddy… Lucifer… he was jealous of Michael, what started the whole trouble.
How many knows that? And Cain was the nature of his father,
which he was jealous of his brother and slew him. [200]
Branham continued: Cain bore the full spiritual characteristic
of Satan and the animalistic (sensual, fleshly) characteristic
of the Serpent. [201]
Branham continued: Of course students for a long time have set forth two
lines of men: one of which was the godly line found in Seth
and the other the ungodly line as founded by Cain. [202]
The Zohar’s
Occultic Serpent Seed Doctrine: Adam, therefore, having seen
Abel slain and Cain banished, said to himself: ‘Why henceforth should I bear
children?’ He then separated himself from his wife for a hundred and thirty
years, during which period unclean female spirits conceived from him and
bore spirits and demons. [203]
Branham’s Occultic
Serpent Seed Doctrine: Branham also taught that
God created other women before He created Eve. Branham emphatically
declared: God took a by-product of man to cause the fall…. And when
God caused her to be brought forth from man she [Eve] was
vastly different from the other females He had created. She was able to
be seduced. [204] In other
words, the other women were not seduced they were by nature immoral.
Therefore, no one can
compare the teachings of the occultic book of the Zohar and Branham’s
teachings, as I did in all of the above, and say Branham received his
revelation of these things from God. Only a blind, bias Branhamite Pastor would
be stupid enough to make that claim. It is very evident to any honest student
of the Bible, that Branham received his revelation from the Devil!
The Gnostic’s
Occultic Serpent Seed Doctrine: In a Gnostic book entitled
the Apocrypha of
the New Testament we read: He [God] spoke to the serpent in great wrath, saying
to him… upon thy breast and belly shale thou go, and thou shalt be
deprived both of thy hands and feet; there shall not be
granted thee ear, nor wing, nor one limb of all which those have whom thou hast
enticed by thy wickedness. [205] Branham’s Occultic Serpent Seed Doctrine: God told him [the serpent] that his legs would
come off and he’d go on his belly. And you can’t find one bone in a
snake that looks like a human being. [206]
Since the “Serpent Seed” doctrine” is an
occultic doctrine, Branham should have been honest enough to tell his blind
worshipping Pastors, that he stole this heresy from occultic backslidden Jewish
Rabbis, instead of claiming that God gave it to him! He should have been honest
enough to tell his followers: “My demonic spirit-guide gave it to me as I was
reading the Zohar and other occultic books.”
The Babylonian
Religion’s Occultic Teaching on the Serpent’s Seed: The Babylonian Religion
was started by Nimrod, who was the son of Cush, who was a son of Ham,
who was a son of Noah (Gen 10:1‑8). Nimrod became so perverted that he
married his own mother. In his rebellion against God, Nimrod started through
Satan’s tutoring a priesthood that practiced witchcraft, magic, astrology,
the worship of Lucifer as Baal the sun god, and Lucifer's demons as various
planets, stars and constellations, or in other words, nature worship,
which consisted of Pantheism, Animism and Polytheism.
The religion
that Nimrod first set up was a Luciferian Religion. Hislop revealed: Serpent-worship was a part of the primeval apostasy
of Nimrod. The fiery nature of the serpent... who when deified, was
worshipped as the grand regenerator of the souls of men.... Thus
was the sun, the great fire‑god, identified with the serpent. [207]
Lucifer, as the serpent, taught Nimrod that the soul of the
Primal Adam was immortal, and it pre-existed in heaven or in paradise in an androgynous
state, or in other words, in his original state, Adam’s glorified soul was united
with Eve in one body or flesh.
The ancient
Jewish occult book, the Cabala, speaking of this androgynous
state says: The
souls of the whole human race pre-existed in the world of emanations, and are
all destined to inhabit human bodies.... Each soul, before its entrance into
the world, consist of male and female, united in one
being, but when it descends to this earth, the two parts are separated and
animate different bodies. [208]
It was under
Lucifer’s or the Serpent’s instructions that Nimrod was taught the “Mysteries” or
“Sacred
Doctrines” of: Immortality, Reincarnation, and the Perfection of the
Soul, as the way to enter back into paradise and godhood. He taught that the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was the “Knowledge of Sex.” These are just a few of
Nimrod's crimes against God and man. Mystery Babylon had several trinities: the first
being Anu, Mul-ge, and Ea. Ea was always represented as a
serpent, and who was worshipped as the creator, and was known as the
“Lord of Wisdom,” the benefactor of mankind. He received
this title by imparting to man the knowledge of sex and
godhood.
The
Babylonian Religion openly taught the Serpent Seed doctrine, and proclaimed
that man’s true mission in life is sexual union with a woman. This is why the
doctrinal structure of the Zohar is signified by a “phallic tree of life,”
which has ten degrees or steps to sexual perfection. These degrees or
steps are called “Sephiroth.”
The first sepher is called “Yesod,” which represents the sex organs of generation. Yesod
means “foundation,”
which reveals that sexual generation is the foundation or beginning that places
an occultic believer on the road that leads back to godhood.
In the Old Testament,
God’s Jewish children were always going after the Canaanite Religion of Baal
worship, which was nothing but one of the harlot daughters of Mystery Babylon
or the Babylonian Religion. The Tree of Knowledge was also represented by a “phallic
sex symbols” such as “sacred trees” or “sacred
poles,” which were set up near an altar, usually on both sides of the altar. It is
here where illicit sex would take place.
In the Bible these
wooden idols or sex poles were called by the Hebrew name of “Asherah,” which is another name
for the goddess Astarte, and it referred to “sacred
poles” or a “grove of trees” (Exo 34:13-16; Deu 7:5;
16:21-22; Jud 3:7; 6:25-30; 1Ki: 14:15, 22-24; 16:32-33; 18:18-19; 2Ki 13:6;
17:7-10, 16-17; 18:4; 21:3, 7; 23:4-6, 7, 14, 15; 24:8; 2Ch 24:18; 33:3, 19;
34:3-7; Jer 17:2; Mic 5:11-14).
Therefore, in the
Babylonian Religion the Serpent became the great savior and benefactor of
mankind by giving Adam and Eve the secrets of attaining godhood. They also
taught that Eve was first impregnated by the Serpent (the Monkey-man) and then
later by Adam. As a result Eve bore Cain first and then Abel on the same day;
Cain being the son of the Serpent. In conclusion, as I stated before, Branham’s
serpent seed doctrine was not from God but from the Devil!
The Biblical Refutation of the Doctrine
As I stated before,
Branham claimed to receive this doctrine from God. He told his blind
worshipping Pastors in October of 1961: the
Holy Spirit told me…. ‘They’ve got a trap set for you. They’re going to ask you
to speak at that Ministerial Association of Greater Chicago.’ [The
Holy Spirit] Said, ‘They’ve got a trap set for you on your
teaching of My Word….’ He said, ‘Go; I’ll stand by you. [209]
Branham speaking of this
same event in another place said: The Lord told me, He
gave me a vision, and told me where we’d be and what to do. I stood before
three hundred trinitarian ministers in Chicago, who were ready to debate with him. He
told these ministers: If there is no such a thing as serpent’s seed or
something like that that I’ve been teaching, just come up here and show me by
the scripture. Nobody moved (See), because it can’t be done. [210]
Since Mr. Branham
claimed that the Serpent Seed doctrine came from God and that it could not be
disproved scripturally, this section of my book is dedicated to taking up Mr.
Branham’s challenge. I will show through the Word of God that this doctrine is
nothing but another lie of Satan and his occultic prophets.
Branham’s
Claim that the Woman Eve
As I stated before Branham
taught: The tree was ‘the woman….’ Every woman
is a fruit tree…. Aren’t you the
fruit of your mother. [211]
The Bible declares Branham to be a false prophet, for it stated: “The
LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man
[not
the woman] whom He had
formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow
that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The Tree of Life was
also in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good
and Evil” (Gen 2:8-9).
FIRST, let my
beloved readers take note, God placed the man in the garden; nothing is said of
a woman, whom God had not yet created. SECOND, according to the Word of God, every
tree in the Garden of Eden came forth from the ground, and they all
were good for food! The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was also in the garden, and
it came from the ground and was good for food. Therefore, this tree
could not represent Eve, because she was not made from the ground
but from Adam’s rib! The Bible clearly teaches that Adam was created from the
ground (Gen
2:7), but Eve was made from Adam’s rib (Gen 2:21-23). THIRD, Adam was in the
garden with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil before Eve was
ever made.
In Genesis 2:15-18 we
read: “Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden
of Eden to tend and keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man [not Eve for she was not made
yet], saying, ‘Of every tree [ets] of the garden
you may freely eat; but of the Tree [ets] of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil you shall not eat, for in the day that
you eat of it you shall surely die. It is not good that man should be
alone; I will make [not I have already made] him a helper comparable
to him.”
If Eve was
the Tree of
Knowledge that was with Adam at this time in the garden (verse 17), as
Branham teaches, then why did God say that it was not good for Adam to dwell alone
or be by himself (verse
18). Did God lie or did Branham lie? Therefore, the Tree of Knowledge,
which was in the garden, could not have represented the woman Eve, for
according to verse
18, Eve did not exist at this time!
If Eve was in
the garden with Adam at this time, then why did God not mention her or give her
this command also? The Bible clearly declared that God gave this command to
Adam. It is quite evident from the way Eve quoted this command to the
Serpent, that she received it second hand, or from Adam and not from God; for
she quoted it this way: “God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor
shall you touch it, lest you die” (Gen 3:3).
God did not
tell Adam anything about touching it or there was a possibility
he might die. Adam, who greatly loved his wife, was the one who told Eve not to
touch it in fear she would eat it and die! Therefore, Eve received this command
from Adam and not God. It is quite evident to the unbiased mind that Eve was
not made by God at this time. No one really knows how long Adam was in the
garden with the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil before God made Eve.
Genesis 2:21-23: “And
the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one
[not
several or many] of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man [not the ground,] He made
into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: ‘This is now
bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she
was taken out of Man.”
Therefore, according to the Bible,
God created the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil from the ground in
verses 8-9, and made Eve from the rib of Adam in verses
21-23, and all of this took place in Genesis the second chapter. No one knows
the length of time that past between verse 9 and verse 21. It could have
been weeks, months, or even years. Therefore, there is no way that Eve could
be or represent the Tree of Knowledge!
Branham taught: It
wasn’t a tree, an apple they eat, it was sexually. [212] He claimed: Eve was beguiled by the serpent. She was
actually seduced by the serpent. He was as close to being a human
that his seed could, and did mingle
with that of the woman and cause her to conceive. [213]
Therefore, Branham, Mystery Babylon,
and all of its occult harlot daughter taught the tree and its fruit represented
sex.
The Bible records Adam
and Eve’s sin this way: “And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may
eat [akal] the fruit
of the trees [ets] of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree [ets] which is in
the midst of the garden….’ So when the woman saw [not the serpent saw] that
the tree [ets] was good for food [ma'akal], that it was
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree [ets] desirable to
make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave
[the
fruit] to her husband with her, and he ate” (Gen 3:2-3, 6).
The Hebrew
word “ets”
pronounced “ates”
is used in the Old Testament 328 times; it was translated by the King James
Translators as tree 162 times, wood 107 times, timber 23
times, stick 14 times, gallows 8 times, staff 4 times, stock
4 times, carpenter 2 times, branches 1 time, helve 1 time, planks
1 time, and stalks 1 time. According the BDB Hebrew Lexicon “ets” means: 1a) tree, trees 1b) wood,
pieces of wood, gallows, firewood, cedar-wood, woody flax.
The Bible
emphatically declared that the Tree of Life in the Garden, which represented the “the Lord Jesus Christ and
His Grace,” was a real tree! The apostle John described it this
way: “In the middle of its street [meaning the New Jerusalem], and on either
side of the river, was the Tree of Life, which bore twelve
fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves
of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Rev 22:2).
Therefore, since the Tree of Life was a literal tree, it is only logical to
assume that the Tree
of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which represented “the Law of God,” was
also a literal tree! In other words, God had both trees, Law and Grace,
stand side by side of each other in the garden. I will speak more of these two
trees at the end of this section.
There is no
place in the Old Testament were the Hebrew word “ets” or “tree” can be found
to represent a woman literally or symbolically. There are a few places
were men and nations are compared to trees such as: Psalm 1:3, Isaiah 61:3,
& Jeremiah 17:7-8. In fact in Ezekiel 31:3-9, God compared the
nation of Assyria to a fruitful tree, and He named some of the literal
trees in the Garden of Eden, such as the cedar and the chestnut, and
then compared them to nations. There is no place in the
Bible that states that a man or a nation is a tree. There is a world of
difference between these two concepts, which would be as far apart as the north
and south poles, or from one end of eternity to the other end of eternity.
Dr. Strong
defined “ets”
to mean: a tree
(from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks); and “ma’akal” to means: food, fruit, [or] meat.
The Hebrew word “ma’akal”
is used 30 times in the Old Testament, and it was translated by the King James
Translators as meat 22 times, food 5 times, fruit 1 time, manner
1 time, and victual 1 time. Ma’akal is not used one time
to mean sex, either literally or symbolically!
Therefore,
how Branham can make a woman out of “ets” or a “wooden tree,” or “sex” from the “fruit of a wooden tree,”
or “sex”
from “ma’akal”
the “food of a
wooden tree” is beyond me. Not only that, but how can “Eve” represent the “tree” and “eating the fruit”
from the tree represent “sex,” when the “Tree of Knowledge Of Good and Evil” was in the garden with Adam
BEFORE God made Eve (Gen 2:8-9, 15-18 cp with 21-23)! This makes no sense at all! This
definitely takes a revelation, not from God, but from the devil, who is always
tries to deny and pervert the Word of God!
Let us always remember, the most important rule
for interpreting symbolism is: the symbol must bear a resemblance to that which
it is said to represent. Therefore, eating the fruit, logically speaking, would have
to represent the by product of sex, or the results of sex; or in other
words, it would have to represent an “offspring” or a “baby,” not the very act of sex
itself. Did not Branham say: Aren’t you the fruit of your
mother. He did not say:
“Sex is the fruit of your mother.” That would not make any sense!
Now if Eve as a woman
represented this forbidden tree as Branham claimed, then logic dictates that
all the other trees in the garden must also represent women! Branham must
interpret it this way, for he is stuck with his own interpretation, if he
wishes to be consistent in his interpretation of the word “tree.” For how can Branham
teach that the forbidden tree that Adam ate from was not a real fruit tree, but
was his wife Eve, and then teach that all the other trees that Adam ate from
were real fruit trees. This interpretation would again make no sense.
Branhamites must admit that their infallible
prophet Branham taught that God created other women BEFORE He created Eve, for
Branham emphatically declared: “God took a by-product of man
to cause the fall…. And when God caused her to be brought forth from man she [Eve] was
vastly different from the other females He had created. She was able to
be seduced. No other female in creation can be immoral; but the human
female may be touched at almost any time. [214] Branham also said: every
sin that ever was on the Earth was caused by a woman… the very lowest
creature on the Earth.
[215]
Now all you good moral Branhamite sisters, either say amen to your prophet’s
teachings, or call him a false prophet!
Now if eating of the fruit represented sex as
Branham taught, then this would logically mean that Adam was forbidden to eat
the fruit of Eve or have sex with his own wife, but he could eat the fruit of
the other trees or have sex with all the other women in the garden. In
fact did not the Zohar teach, as I stated before: unclean
female spirits conceived from him [meaning Adam], and bore spirits and
demons. [216] Branham’s
demonic interpretation would make Adam an adulterer!
If we follow this out to
its logical conclusion, it would also means that Eve was forbidden to have sex
with her own husband, but she could eat the fruit or have sex with all the other
trees or women in the garden, which would make Eve a lesbian. Now you know why
the Babylonian Religion and all of her occultic daughter are religions that
promote illicit sex! They received it from Nimrod’s perverted interpretation of
Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden. This would therefore make God a sinner, for
He is the one who commanded them to eat the fruit of all the other trees.
This is one of the
reasons why I believe Branham was demon possessed, for only the devil’s
prophets could belittle God this way and totally pervert His holy infallible
Word! Reading Branham’s Serpent’s Seed doctrine is like reading the Satanic
Bible, in which, I am told everything in it is totally opposite of what the
Bible teaches. This is why in the Zoroastrian Religion, which is part of the
old Babylonian Religion, Lucifer is the good god, and the true God is the evil
God. It is nothing but Satan’s perversion of the truth.
Does it make any sense
that God would tell Adam in Genesis 2:16-17: “Of every tree” meaning all the women in “the
garden you may freely eat,” or in other words, you can have sex
with them, “but of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil you
shall not eat,” meaning he was forbidden to have sex with his own
wife, whom God had not even made at that time, “for in the day
that you eat of it [or have sex with his wife
Eve] you shall surely die.”
After God
made Eve, does it make any sense for Eve to tell the “serpent,
‘We [meaning her and Adam] may eat
the fruit of the trees,” which would logically mean, following
Branham’s logic, they could have sex with all the women in “the garden;
but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst
of the garden” they could not eat, which must mean according to Branham’s
interpretation, they were forbidden to have sex with each other.
“So
when the woman saw that the tree
[herself
– according to Branham] was good for food [i.e. good for having sex], that it was pleasant to the eyes [i.e. she was beautiful], and a tree
desirable to make one wise [i.e. to make her wise], she took of
its fruit and ate” or had sex with herself or as Branham
claims she had sex with the Serpent. Will some Branhamite Pastor please tell me
how having sex with yourself or illegitimate sex could make Eve or anyone else wise?
All it could do is give her and them the perverted wisdom of Lucifer.
After Eve
supposedly committed adultery with the monkey-man: “She
also gave [the forbidden fruit] to her husband
with her and he ate,” meaning Adam had forbidden sex with his
wife (Gen
3:2-3, 6). How sick Branham’s mind must have been to teach that it was a
sin for a man to have sex with his own wife? Now, according to the Bible: “out
of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant
to the sight and good for food,” which as I stated above, according
to Branham interpretation would logically mean God created other beautiful
women in the garden who were good for sex (Gen 2:8)! This also reveals that Branham had
a sick mind!
Following
Branham’s interpretation, which is totally illogical, where in the above
passages does it imply that Eve was forbidden to have sex with the serpent, if
he really existed in the garden as an ape-man as Branham claimed? If Eve was
forbidden to have sex with her own husband, but was permitted to have sex with
all the women in the garden, then where in the Bible does it forbid her from
having sex with the monkey-man! Branham already stated that Eve, and not the
Monkey-man, was the Tree of Knowledge, and when the Monkey-man saw Eve was
beautiful, he desired to have sex with her!
I know that
the Branhamite Pastors with claim divine revelation for Branham in this matter,
but anyone who has the Holy Ghost, and an ounce of spirituality, can clearly
perceive that this is nothing but a demonic perversion of the Word of God! It
is totally against God’s blessings and sanctity of marriage! It was in the
garden that God blessed and sanctified marriage and told them to multiply; for the Bible teaches
that God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden: “and
God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply [rabah]; fill the
earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28). According to BDB the Hebrew word “rabah” means: to become many… [or to] become numerous. Dr.
Strong says it means: to increase (in whatever respect).
Now,
Branhamite Pastors who say that God could have caused Adam and Eve to have
children some other way than by having sex, must also teach that God could have
caused the animals in the garden to have offspring some other way than by sex.
The Word of God teaches against Branham’s doctrine, for it declared that God
ordained the animals to increase by sex. The Bible stated: “God
blessed them [the animals in the garden], saying, ‘Be
fruitful and multiply [rabah], and fill the waters in the seas, and
let birds multiply [rabah] on the earth” (Gen
1:22). Let Branhamite Pastors take note that the Hebrew word “rabah” in this verse
is the very same word used in verse 28, therefore God ordained for both mankind and
animals to “multiply”
or have “offspring”
through sex!
Will some
Branhamite Pastor tell me how Adam and Eve were going to fulfill this command,
if God forbid them to have sex? Were they suppose to just wish for children, or
just think about children, or wave some magical wand and presto here they come?
Anyone will an ounce of God given sense knows that God ordained sex, between a
husband and his wife, as the way for them to multiply! Is it not in line with
Lucifer’s demonic character to teach that God, who is totally holy and just,
would cast Adam and Eve out of the garden because they, as husband and wife,
had sex with each other? Therefore, Satan used Branham, and all of his occultic
Babylonian prophets, to teach against marriage and to mock holy matrimony that
God Himself set up in the Garden of Eden. This man was truly sick when one stops
and analyzes his teachings!
Lucifer also use this
man to mock God’s justice, because according to Branham, God condemned
Adam and Eve from having sex and cast them out of the garden, but He later
condoned it and encouraged it in all marriage relationships afterward (Heb
13:4, 1Co 7:1-5). Not only this but God would be totally unjust for
casting Adam and Eve out of the garden for doing what he commanded them to do. How
idiotic and ridiculous is it for Branham to teach that God did not ordain sex,
as the way for Adam and Eve to have offspring; or to say that God condemned in
the garden, what He approved of and blessed outside of the garden. What a
fickle or vacillating god Branham teaches! In fact, Branham would have to place
his god on the same level as the demon gods of the Greeks; who definitely had
these attributes and changed their desires, will, and word from day to day!
The Curse God Placed on Adam Proves it Was
Not A Sex Sin: Let my beloved readers take note, how Adam’s punishment fitted his transgression
of eating a literal fruit. God told Adam: “Because you… have
eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it: Cursed
is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the
days of your life” (Gen 3:17-18). Since God created the “Tree of Knowledge of Good
and Evil” from the ground of the earth, which Adam and Eve eat from, God
cursed the ground; therefore, Adam would now have to become a farmer, and do
hard labor to make things grow from the ground.
The Bible
Emphatically Revealed that Eve Was Mentally Led Astray, Not Sexually Violated
as Branham Taught: “And the LORD God said to the woman,
‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived
me, and I ate” (Gen 3:13). Branham
taught the word “beguile or deceived” meant: “seduced” or “defiled.” Branham said it this way: Here is
what really happened in the Garden of Eden. The Word says that Eve was beguiled
by the serpent. She was actually seduced by the serpent. [217]
In another place he stated: She said, ‘The serpent beguiled me.’ Do you know
what ‘beguile’ means? Means ‘defiled. [218]
Brenton’s
translation of the Septuagint, or the Greek Old Testament, reads this way: “And
the Lord God said to the woman, Why hast thou done this? And the woman said, The
serpent deceived [exapatao] me and I ate.” The Greek verb “exapatao,” is a
compound word composed of “ex” which means: “out of,” and “apatao” which means according to Drs.
Friberg: to deceive,
mislead (EP 5.6); passive be led astray, be deceived (1T 2.14).
Drs. Liddell and Scott definite it this way: to cheat, trick, outwit, beguile, Homer, etc.: Passive to
be deceived, Soph.; …to be deceived into thinking that… Plato.
Exapatao is used 5 times in the New Testament, and it is translated by
the King James translators as: deceive 4 times and beguile 1
time. It is translated as: “beguile” in 1Ti 2:14, and as:“deceive” in Rom 7:11, 16:18, 1Co 3:18, & 2Th 2:3.
Now let any Branhamite Pastor examine these passages and show me where any of
them refer to a sexual deception.
Therefore,
Branham’s spirit-guide told another lie when he stated that Eve was “defiled” or “seduced,” for the
apostle Paul revealed that Eve was mentally deceived or led astray not
defiled or seduced. Paul told Timothy: “Adam was not deceived
[apatao], but the woman
being deceived [apatao], fell into transgression” (1Ti 2:14). The
apostle then told the Corinthian Church: “I fear, lest somehow, as
the serpent deceived [exapatao] Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted
from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2Co 11:3).
Paul warned
God’s children against false prophets, like Branham, who claimed to be
apostles of Christ; according to Paul these preachers were trying to deceive
them concerning the gospel of Christ. The apostle did not tell them that
false prophets were trying to sexually seduce or defile them,
but they were trying to mentally deceive their minds and
hearts, the very same way the devil speaking through the serpent deceived
Eve.
Paul then
went on in next and following verses to reveal that this deception was a
mental deception and not a sexual deception. Paul says: “For
if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if
you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different
gospel which you have not accepted -- you may well put up with it…! For such are false apostles, deceitful workers,
transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan
himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no
great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of
righteousness” (2Co 11:4,13-15).
There is no
way anyone can interpret Paul’s comparison of Eve’s deception with the Church’s
deception to a sexual or immoral deception or sex act! Only a mental deception
can harmonize with the meaning of these passages. Therefore, when this great
infallible apostle Paul told us that Satan “beguiled” or “deceived” Eve, he interprets it to
mean a “mental
deception” and not a sexual deception! By Paul comparing the serpent
with these Satan’s ministers everyone can clearly understand that the
apostle was telling us that both were false prophets, in whom Satan was
speaking through to mentally deceive the children of God!
Now
Branhamite Pastors will definitely have to decide, as to whom they believe
taught the truth and was inspired of God, the great apostle Paul or Branham?
They will have to either believe the Paul was a true apostle of God and Branham
was a false prophet, or believe Branham was a true prophet of God and Paul was
a false apostle. Now, since they both taught contrary to each other, Branhamite
Pastors cannot believe both were inspired of God. I do not know about you, but
I will take the apostle Paul interpretation over Branham’s demonic interpretation
any day.
Branham speaking of the
monkey-man, whom he claimed Lucifer came into, proclaimed: He [the
serpent] was the most subtile of all the beast of the field.’
That’s right. He was that joint that stands between man and monkey, and God
cursed him and put him plumb back on his belly because of the – of the thing
that he had did. He beguiled this woman, she brought forth her first son, which
was Cain (after the nature of the serpent), on inspiration; the Devil that got
in the serpent, that did that.
[219]
According to Genesis 3:1, the
serpent was not a monkey-man as Branham taught. The Bible says: “Now
the serpent [nachash] was more cunning than any beast [chay – living creature] of the field
which the LORD God had made.” Now, the only reason why the serpent was
smarter than any of the beast of the field was because Lucifer was in
this beautiful, multicolored, dazzling serpent, which was probably
something like a python or a boa constrictor. This serpent probably hung from
the branches of the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” (Rev 12:9, 14-15). It
was Lucifer who spoke through the serpent, just as God spoke through Balaam’s
ass (Num
22:28-30).
According to
Dr. Strong the Hebrew word “chay” means: living, alive… of vegetation… living thing, animal; and “nachash” means: “serpent [or] snake. Nachash is
used 33 times in the Old Testament, and it always means a snake or a reptile
literally, and enchant or a name for Lucifer symbolically. It is never
used to refer to a primate or a mammal. If the Serpent was a Monkey-man as
Branham taught, Moses would have used the Hebrew word “behemah,” not the
word “chay”
to describe the Serpent; in other words, Moses would have written: “The serpent was one of the behemah
of the field.”
Let us
examine the Hebrew word “behemah,” which is used for large mammals and primates. “God
made the beast [chay] of the earth according to its kind, [and] cattle [behemah - mammals] according to
its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind.” (Gen 1:25 & 30).
Therefore, a “behemah”
is not a “chay”
or any creeping insect. Dr. Strong defines “behemah” to mean: a beast, especially any
large quadruped. Behemah are mammals (Leviticus 11:2-7, 26, &
Deu 14:4-8).
God forbade
His people to eat the blood of any “behemah – mammals,” which included primates (Lev 7:26). God also
forbade men and women from having intercourse with all “behemah – mammals,”
which included primates (Lev 20:15-16). Therefore, the serpent could not have been a primate.
Nachash in Genesis
3:1 does not refer to an insect, a bird, or a mammal such as a
primate, or any four-footed animal, but a reptile. As I stated above,
there is no place in the Word of God that nachash or the serpent
is ever called or referred to as a mammal. In every place where nachash
is used in the Bible to it always refers to a reptile.
According to Genesis 3:14, “The
LORD God said to the serpent [nachash]: ‘Because you have done this, You are
cursed more than all cattle [behemah], And more than every beast [chay] of the field;
On your belly [gachown] you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your
life.”
Dr. Strong also defined the Hebrew word “gachown” to mean: the belly (of reptiles).
Therefore,
according to this verse, the serpent was not a behemah or mammal.
Let my beloved readers take note again: nowhere in the above verses can
it be found that this reptile had arms and legs, or was a primate or a
mammal! God commanded that this particular kind of snake, which was probably
something like a python or a boa constrictor would no long live in trees, but
make its abode on the ground as it crawled on it belly. The beautiful colors of
this serpent made it a very enchanting and mesmerizing reptile.
Branham Taught that the Serpent or Ape-Man
Branham claimed that
Cain was not the son of Adam. Branham was asked by one of his worshippers: Was
Cain an offspring of the serpent? If so, why did Eve not conceive until after
Adam knew her? Was it a literal tree from which Eve ate the fruit? She saw that
it was good for food? Branham answered: The tree was ‘the
woman….’ It wasn’t a tree, an apple they eat, it was sexually. [220]
It is quite evident from the way Branham’s follower ask this question, that he
or she had a better understanding of the Bible than Branham did!
Branham also stated: She conceived
again after she was beguiled [meaning after she had sex
with the monkey-man]…. She conceived [again] by her
husband, for that might have been many, many times afterwards [meaning
after she had many sexual encounters with the monkey-man], many
months and many days afterwards; you can’t tell that, we don’t know,
but she did bring forth of Adam. [221] Branham continued: The
truth of the matter is that Eve had two sons in her womb two sons from separate
impregnations. She was carrying twins, with Cain's conception sometime previous to that
of Abel’s. [222]
In other words, Branham taught
that Eve committed adultery with the monkey-man many times before she conceived
by him, and sometime after she conceived by Adam. Therefore, Branham taught Eve
was an adulterous woman.
Branham’s
so-called revelation from God, when compared to the Word of God are not only
totally antagonistic to each other; for according to the Bible: “Adam knew [yada] Eve
his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, ‘I have
acquired a man from the LORD” (Gen 4:1). It is very evident from the way
Moses wrote this account that the father of Cain is Adam. Moses did not write: “The Monkey-man knew Eve
his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, ‘I have acquired a man
from the Devil.” Only a twisted mind could interpret God’s Word this
way!
The Hebrew
word “yada”
means: 1a1) to
know… 1a2) to know, be acquainted with 1a3) to know (a person carnally),
that is, to have sexual intercourse. In the Greek Septuagint “yada” is translated
as “e;gnw,” which comes from “ginw,skw.” According to Drs.
Friberg “ginw,skw” means: (1) of intelligent
comprehension know, come to understand…. (4) euphemistically have
sexual intercourse (MT 1.25). Therefore, this verse obviously means
that Adam had sexual intercourse with his wife Eve, and Cain was the product of
this union.
If “yada” does not mean
sexual intercourse in the above verse, than it does not mean that in the
following verses:
“Adam knew [yada] his
wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth;” and “Cain
knew [yada] his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch;” and “Elkanah
knew [yada] Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered
her. So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and
bore a son, and called his name Samuel” (Gen 4:25, 17; 1Sa 1:19-20).
Therefore,
according to Branham’s reasoning, every Branhamite Pastor would have to declare
that Seth was not the son of Adam, Enoch was not the son of Cain, and Samuel
was not the son of Elkanah. How ludicrous! Since any intelligent believer can
clearly see that the terminology and phraseology is the same in all the above
passages, how can anyone deny that Cain was not the son of Adam is beyond me!
According to Branham’s sick line of reasoning, maybe the monkey-man was the
father of all these children.
Now, let my beloved
readers take note: no place in the Word of God does it ever says, “the
Serpent knew Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain,” or “the
Serpent had sex with Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain.” Since Branham’s
revelation is without a scriptural foundation, or there is not one verse in the
Bible that states this demonic doctrine, Branham is adding to the Word of God
and is under the curse of God in Deut 4:2.
Josephus, a first century Jewish Rabbi and historian,
declared that Moses taught: Adam and Eve had two sons: the elder of them was named
Cain; which name, when it is interpreted, signifies a possession: the
younger was Abel, which signifies sorrow. They had also daughters.
[223]
Therefore, this is not only a Biblical teaching, but also the ancient Jewish
belief! Let my beloved readers take note: Moses did not teach the Jewish
people that Cain was the son of the serpent or a monkey-man.
Branham Claimed
that All of Cain’s Descendents
Are Literally
the Children of Lucifer
According to Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic
Movements, Branham taught: The serpent’s seed was Cain and
all his descendants. They are predestined for hell. The godly seed is
Seth and his descendants who have been revealed by their call to Branham’s
ministry. A third group, represented by those still in denominational
churches have freewill to choose heaven or hell. [224] Because Branham taught that Lucifer came into and
possessed the body of the monkey-man, he declared that all of Cain descendants
were actually children of Satan; and he meant that literally and
not figuratively. Therefore, he taught that all of Cain’s offspring, who were
born in this age, or in any age of the past, were predestine to be lost and go
to hell.
The Word of God declares
Branham to be a liar. If Branham would have studied the Bible, instead of just
reading it, he would have discovered that mankind has inherited from Adam,
not from the Serpent, a fallen sinful nature (Psa
51:5; Rom 5:12, 19; 6:6, 12, 17, 20; Eph 4:22). Therefore, Cain did
not obtain his sinful nature from Lucifer or some weird monkey-man, but
from Adam who was his father.
Branhamite Pastors cannot produce one scripture
that reveals that any of Cain’s descendents even survived the flood of Noah!
All of Noah’s family were descendents of Seth (Gen
5:3-32). The ancient Hebrew
custom has always been to marry in their own bloodline or lineage (Gen
24:37-38, 48). According to
the Bible, only Noah and his family survived the flood: “In the days of Noah, while the ark was a
preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water;” and “On
the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth,
and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them,
entered the ark” (1Pe 3:20, Gen 7:13).
If Branham’s
teaching on Seth’s seed being predestinated to be saved, then Jewish history
and the Bible is wrong; for both proclaimed that many of Seth’s seed became very
wicked and brought upon themselves the wrath of God. Josephus
wrote: Now this posterity of Seth continued to esteem God as the Lord
of the universe, and to have an entire regard to virtue, for seven generations; but in process of time they were perverted, and forsook the practices of their forefathers; and did neither pay
those honors to God which were appointed them,
nor had they any concern to do justice towards men. But for what degree of zeal
they had formerly shown for virtue, they now showed by their actions a
double degree of wickedness, whereby they made God to be their enemy. [225]
The Word of God
confirmed the above truth! Joshua told Seth’s seed: “Thus says the
LORD God of Israel: ‘Your fathers, including Terah, the father of
Abraham and the father of Nahor, dwelt on the other side of the River in
old times; and they served other gods.’ Then I took your father Abraham
from the other side of the River, led him throughout all the land of Canaan” (Jos 24:2-3).
Now,
according to Jewish history and the Bible, many of Seth’s seed before and after
the flood of did not stayed true to God or served the Lord. As a result, many
of them died lost because they served Baal. I ask Branhamite pastors
again, whom are they going to believe, the Bible or William Branham? It is very
evident that Branham taught contrary to the Word of God. Therefore, Branham
lied when he taught that the goodly seed or Seth’s children are predestinated
to be saved.
Branham used First
John 3:12 in a desperate attempt to support his doctrine of devils, which stated: “Not as Cain who
was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him?
Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.” If Cain was a literal
offspring or physical child of the devil, God would have had John to write: “Not as Cain who was
of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because
he was conceived by the serpent or the devil, and whereas his brother Able was
conceived by Adam.” Therefore, according to the Word of God, it was not
because Cain was a literal son of Lucifer that he was wicked, it was because
his works were evil. This is why John stated in verse 8: “He
who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.”
This means anyone who sins, regardless of his ancestry, is of the devil if he
does not repent.
Branham also quote John
8:44, in an attempt to support his demonic serpent seed doctrine, in which he
claimed that all of Cain’s descendants were children of Lucifer and thereby are
evil. Jesus told the Jews: “You are of your
father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do…. He
is a liar and the father of it.” According to Branham’s demonic inspiration and
interpretation, this would means that Jesus told these Jews they were
descendents Cain, i.e. the Serpent or the Monkey-man. If this is true, Branham
would have to teach that Abraham was also a descendent of the Serpent or a son
of Lucifer, for in verse 56, Jesus called these same Jews children of
Abraham. Jesus said: “Your
father
Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
Therefore, it
is very evident that Jesus told these Jews that their father was the devil,
because their works were evil, not because Lucifer was literally
their father. Jesus also said that the devil is a liar and the father of it.
Now if we follow Branham’s form of irrational reasoning or way of thinking,
this would mean that all liars, regardless of their lineage, were literal
children of the devil. How ridiculous! The Bible also says that the Scribes and
Pharisees were able to make a proselyte “twice as much a
son of hell” then themselves (Mt
23:15). This simple mean that through their false teaching and doctrines of
devils, these people became blinded to the truth concerning salvation and died
lost. It does not mean that their father was literally Lucifer, or they were of
the lineage of the Serpent.
Let all
Branhamite Pastors remember, the two sons of Levi were definitely of the
lineage of Abraham, who was from the lineage of Seth; and the Bible called
Levi’s sons “children of the devil.” The Word of God says it this way: “Now
the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD”
(1Sa 2:12, KJV). It is very evident that these men were not the literal
sons of the devil, but they did not respect the Word of God or knew the Lord,
therefore, they became worthless sinful fellows.
Branham also declared: Now
Cain, on his line: they were, every one, very religious, a very famous people,
scientists and doctors and builders and workers and smart men…. Abel’s side:
they wasn’t builders, not educators or smart men. [226]
Is it not strange, according to Branham, the monkey-man produced intelligent
men, and Adam who was intelligent enough to name all the animals on the earth,
could only produce dummies for offspring? I tell you, when a person is dumb
enough to believe Satan’s lies, you can tell them that the moon is made out of
cream cheese and they will believe it.
Branham’s Version
and All Other Versions of Mystery Babylon’s Occult Doctrine of the Serpent’s
Seed, Denied God’s Plan of Salvation: Satan has used the Babylonian Religion, and all
of her occult daughters, including Branham, to teach the heresy of the
Serpent’s Seed doctrine. By declaring that eating the fruit of the Tree of
Knowledge represented sex with the Monkey-man, Satan has blinded mankind from the
real truth concerning salvation or Eternal Life. The occult interpretation
makes sex as the foundation of salvation, which hides the truth relationship
between God’s Law and God’s Grace. Therefore, every Branhamite need to make a
choice, which are they going to believe, God’s holy and infallible Word or
Satan’s prophet William Marrion Branham!
Genesis 3:14-15 “The Lord said to the serpent…. And I will put enmity [hatred] between you [Satan] and the woman,
And between your [Satan’s] seed and her Seed; He shall bruise [shuwph] your [Satan’s] head, and you shall
bruise [shuwph] His heel.” Dr. Strong defined “shuwph” to mean: to bruise [or to] crush. Let us examine
the grammar construction of this verse: “your seed”
noun masculine singular, suffix 2nd person singular; therefore
Satan’s seed or child is singular, as in one, and not
seeds or children as in many. “Her Seed” noun masculine singular,
suffix 3rd person singular; therefore the woman’s seed or child is also singular,
as in one, and not seeds or children as in many.
Let my
beloved readers take note, God did not name which woman He was referring to
in this prophecy. The only thing this prophecy stated is that Satan and
some woman would be enemies; also Satan will have a child one day and some
woman would also have a child one day, and these two boys will also be enemies
and war against each other. In the next verse it stated: “He
[not
they] shall bruise your head” and “you
[not
they] shall bruise His
heel.” Both of these verbs are in the future tense not in
the present tense, and it is also in the singular number not plural.
Therefore, this event would take place sometime in the future from the
time it was given.
Now this is
the first prophetic scripture in the Bible. In this prophecy God spoke
of Christ’s complete victory over Satan at Calvary,
as the Son of a woman. This means the child that would be born
of a woman had to be a HUMAN BEING, i.e. a flesh and blood
Man to fulfill this prophecy! Now, let us identify the characters in this
prophecy. Since the Word of God is not of any man’s private interpretation, or
one man’s opinion, let us allow scripture to interpret scripture.
Who was the
Serpent? The Bible gives us the answer. It stated that Michael the archangel
will lay: “hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who
is the Devil and Satan;” and “So
the great dragon was cast out [of heaven, which has not
happen yet], that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan,
who deceives the whole world” (Rev 20:2; 12:9). The prophet Ezekiel
speaking of Lucifer in the Garden of Eden stated: “Thus
says the Lord GOD: ‘You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and
perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the Garden of God…. You were the anointed cherub
who covers…. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
till iniquity was found in you” (Eze 28:12-15).
Therefore,
Satan is called the ancient Serpent that deceived Eve in the
Garden of Eden, and all of mankind after her even until this very day. He is
called the old Serpent, because it was he that came in and dwelt in this
beautiful multicolor snake, and actually talked through it, the same way that
God spoke through Balaam’s donkey, as I stated above (Num 22:28-31).
Who was this
woman that the Serpent will hate, because her seed or son would crush his head
or power? The Word of God reveals that it was Mary, the mother of our sweet
Savior. Paul wrote: “But when the fullness of time had come, God
sent forth His Son, born of a woman;” and “An
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do
not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived
in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and
you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their
sins;” and “So
all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the
Lord through the prophet [Isaiah], saying: ‘Behold, the virgin
shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’
which is translated, ‘God with us” (Ga 4:4; Mt 1:20-23).
Who was this
promise Seed that would crush the head of the Lucifer? According to the Word of
God, Christ was the Seed of the woman. This is the Seed of which the apostle
Paul wrote: “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises
made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’
who is Christ…. What purpose then does the law serve? It was
added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise
was made” (Ga 3:16, 19). In the Old Testament God made promises
of the Messiah, the Christ, the Seed of the woman that would come; first to
Eve, then to Abraham, later to King David, and then to Mary.
Irenaeus
spoke of God’s victory over Satan through the woman’s Seed wrote: And therefore does the
Lord profess Himself to be the Son of man, comprising in Himself that original
man out of whom the woman was fashioned…. In order that, as our
species went down to death through a vanquished man, so we may ascend to life
again through a victorious one; and as through a man death received the
palm [of
victory]
against us, so again by a man we may receive the palm against death. [227]
According to
the Bible: It was by means of a woman that Satan obtained the victory over
mankind in the Garden of Eden, and set himself as man’s enemy or opponent. It
was by Satan that the first man and woman sinned and brought death to mankind.
Therefore, it only stands to reason that Satan and death should be completely
defeated or vanquished by the Seed of a woman or Christ.
God is a rational and logical God, not irrational and illogical as Branham and
his spirit-guide.
The apostle
John spoke of “Jesus
crushing the head or destroying Satan’s power over mankind” this way: “He
[meaning
anyone in the human race] who sins is of the devil, for the
devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was
manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1Jn 3:8). The apostle
Paul said it this way: “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken
of flesh and blood, He [Christ] Himself
likewise shared in the same, that through death He might
destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” or that old Serpent Lucifer
(Heb 2:14).
The prophet
David spoke of Satan bruising Christ’s heel this way: “You
have brought Me to the dust of death…. They pierced My hands and
My feet” (Psa 22:15-16). Therefore, the woman who the
Serpent will hate was the Virgin Mary. Why will he hate her? It is obvious from
the above scriptures; Satan will hate Mary because she brought forth the Savior
of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who will crush or destroy Satan’s power
and kingdom, and cast him into the Lake of Fire forever.
Now that I
have identified the woman and her Seed, who is the seed of the Serpent or the
son of Satan? The Word of God again gives us the answer. In the following
passage of scripture, God called the son of Lucifer the prince of Tyre, and his
pappy the king of Tyre. Everyone knows the title prince is only given to a
person who is a son of a king! Therefore, Lucifer has to be the literal father
of the man of sin or the antichrist. How he will accomplish this, I do not
know.
The Bible
says it this way: “The word of the LORD came to me again, saying, ‘Son of
man, say to the prince of Tyre [the Antichrist], Thus says the
Lord GOD: ‘Because your heart is lifted up, And you say, I am a god,
I sit in the seat of gods, In the midst of the seas, Yet you are a
man, and not a god, Though you set your heart as the heart of a god….’ Son of
man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus
says the Lord GOD: You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and
perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God” (Eze 28:1-2, 12-13).
According to
the Bible, the Lawless One will receive half of his ancestry from
the seed of Dan. This is why Jacob through the Holy Spirit said: “Dan [meaning the antichrist] shall judge his people as
one of the tribes of Israel. Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper
by the path, that bites the horse's heels So that its rider shall fall backward” (Gen 49:16-17). The
other half of his ancestry will come from the line of Grecian kings, i.e. the
Seleucid dynasty (Dan
11:21, cp with 6-20). Therefore, the Antichrist’s mother will probably
have both bloodlines in her.
In Revelation 13:1 & 4,
the Antichrist is called the Beast, who has seven heads and ten horns, and it
is said that Lucifer the dragon gave him his power. In Revelation 12:6-9,
Lucifer the dragon is cast out of heaven, and in verse three it says he has seven heads
and ten horns. Therefore, Lucifer himself is identified with the Man of Sin, or
he is the one who will dwell in him as he did in the snake in the Garden of
Eden. Lucifer, as the Antichrist’s god and father, will dwell in him and rule
the world in him. The only way Lucifer can have the entire world to worship him
as god is in and through his son the Man of Sin.
Therefore,
because of all the above scriptural facts, every honest hearted believed must
proclaim William Marrion Branham’s occult Babylonian “Serpent’s Seed doctrine,”
a doctrine of devils. Did not the Bible say: “In latter
times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving
spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having
their own conscience seared with a hot iron” (1Ti 4:1-2).
In closing
this particular section of the false doctrine of Branham, permit me to ask
every Branhamite Pastor, where in the Word of God can you find any of God’s
prophets and apostles teaching such a heresy? Where in the Bible can you find
our Lord and Savior teaching such nonsense? Surely if anyone knew the truth
about the fall of Adam and Eve, our Lord did! Did Branham know more about their
fall than our Savior? Did Branham know more about the fall of Adam and Eve than
the Hebrew prophets Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, and all
the other prophets? Did he know more about the fall than the apostles Peter,
Paul, and all the other apostles, who were in the foundation of the Church (Eph 2:20)? If any
Branhamite pastor claims he did, then he cannot be child of God, but child of
the Devil who invented this doctrine!
What Did the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge
of Good and Evil Represent in God’s Plan of Salvation
A Summary of
God’s Plan of Salvation in the Garden of Eden: The LITERAL Tree of Knowledge of Good
and Evil represented the Law of God. Adam and Eve eating the fruit of
the tree represented human being violating the Law of God. The penalty
God placed of Adam and Eve, and all mankind, for violating His Law was death.
Even thou Adam and Eve only committed ONE SIN, they were condemned to die. In
other words, Adam and Eve had Eternal Life as long as they were sinless.
Under the Law
of Moses, every human being, like Adam and Eve, who committed ONE SIN
was also under the curse of death. The only way any man under
God’s Law could earn Eternal Life was by being SINLESS, that is, KEEPING
EVERY LAW OF GOD PERFECTLY! Now, many men in various religions of the world can
be holy, if they truly want to, but who can live a sinless life. The answer is
no one! Why would God give a Law that He foreknew that Adam and Eve, and all of
mankind, could not keep? What was God teaching mankind by giving him such a
Law? In other words, how can any man even hope to receive Eternal Life, when he
knows he, and every other human being, has sin at least once in his or her
life!
I believe that God’s
intended from the very beginning, to teach mankind that Eternal Life could only
be received and kept, by eating from the Tree of Life. This is why the Tree
of Life must represent the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Grace He would freely
give to all mankind by means of Calvary. In other words, God’s entire
foreordained plan of salvation, which started in the Garden of Eden was
fulfilled in Christ, when He died as God’s SINLESS Passover Lamb on Calvary’s
Cross, for the sins of Adam and Even, and all of mankind! Therefore, every man
now has the right to receive Eternal Life, if they are willing to believe and
enter into Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection through God’s New Birth!
This summary
is given so my beloved readers would be able to understand the following
sections in a clear light, as we go through the scriptures that teach the above
truths. There with the above truths in mind, let us examine the mystery of the
trees and the role they play in God’s great foreordain plan of salvation!
The Mystery of
the Trees in the Garden of Eden: According to the Bible Calvary, which
is God’s Grace, was in the mind and plan of God before the foundation of the
world (Rev
13:8; 1Pe 1:18-20). Therefore, God in His infinite wisdom and
foreknowledge knew that Adam and Eve, and all of mankind, would fall into sin
before He created them. Since our God foreknows all things, did God reveal and
demonstrate His plan of salvation to mankind in the Garden of Eden? If He did,
how and in which way did God do it?
Did the Tree of Knowledge of Good
and Evil and the Tree of Life play any significant role in God’s plan of
Salvation? If they did, then what did they represent? What message is God
communication to mankind through Moses by telling us about these two trees,
which played such an important part in the lives of Adam and Eve? If we can
find a scriptural answer to all the above questions, then we should be able to
love and appreciate God’s plan of salvation in a great way.
Why did God
called these literal trees by these names, and what did they really represent?
God told Adam not to eat of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil,
for if he did he would surely die (Gen 2:16-17). Let us also ask, why did God
give Adam this Law? In addition, why did God place the death sentence on
mankind if He violated this Law? In other words, why did
God place this LAW Tree of the Knowledge of Good
and Evil in the Garden of Eden in the first place? God definitely could
have left this tree out of the garden, if He wanted to. What message is God
communicating to us by His actions here? Let us mediate on this for a moment.
Since Scripture interprets Scripture, let us allow the Bible to answer the
above questions for us.
The Tree of
Knowledge of Good and Evil Represented the Law of God: Moses, when giving the Law, told God’s children: the Law of God would
give them a knowledge of what was good and evil in God’s sight.
Moses said it this way: “See, I have set before you today life
and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love
the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments,
His statutes, and His judgments” (Deu 30:15-16).
Paul called the
knowledge of good and evil that was contained in the Law SIN. The apostle
declared: “The Law is the knowledge
of sin;” and “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? Certainly
not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the Law.
For I would not have known covetousness unless the Law had said, ‘You
shall not covet” (Rom 3:20). The apostle John said the same thing this way: “Whosoever
committeth sin transgresseth also the Law: for sin is the
transgression of the Law” (1Jn 3:4, KJV).
Let us examine the way
Eve described the Tree of Knowledge, and see if the Word of
God describes the Law of God the same way. The Bible says: “So when the
woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant
to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of
its fruit and ate” (Gen 3:6).
According to Eve this
literal tree was “good for food.” Jesus, who is the
living Word, compared the Word of God to food when He said: “Man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every WORD [i.e. the Law] that proceeds
from the mouth of God” (Mt 4:4). The apostle Paul also compared the Word of God to
food, and taught that it would give the child of God the knowledge of good and
evil. Paul wrote: “You have come to need milk and not solid food. For
everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the Word
of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who
are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses
exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb
5:12-14).
Eve also
stated that the tree was “pleasant to the eyes.” David
said the same thing about the Law of God. He wrote: “Open
my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law”
(Psa 119:18;) and “The commandment of the LORD is pure,
enlightening the eyes” (Psa 19:8).
Eve believed
that the tree would “make one wise.” David
connected wisdom to knowing and keep the Laws of God. He wrote: “The
Law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of
the LORD is sure, making wise the simple” (Psa 19:7).
Solomon said the same thing, when he wrote: “For the LORD gives wisdom;
from His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Pro 2:6);
and “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the holy [i.e. the Law] is understanding” (Pro 9:10, KJV).
Therefore,
according to all the above passages of Scripture: “the Tree of Knowledge of
Good and Evil probably represented the Law of God.” This is the only interpretation
that I can perceive, which makes any sense. It is the only interpretation that
is in complete harmony with the Word of God, and God’s plan of salvation. So,
with this truth in mind, what is the message God is communicating to mankind
through this Tree of the Law?
Since the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil Is the Law of God, Why Did it
Bring Death: Why did God tell
Adam and Eve that they would die if they ate from the Tree of the Law? Since
the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil represented the Law of God, to violate the Laws
of God is sin, and sin brings forth death. This is exactly the reason why God
connected death with violating the Law of Moses. Therefore, God
pass the death sentence on all Law-breakers: “For the wages of
sin is death” (Rom 6:23).
Since Adam
and Eve willfully violated God’s Law, they brought death upon themselves, and
on all their descendents i.e. the entire human race. The Word of God spoke of
this when it stated: “Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered the
world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to
all men, because ALL SINNED” (Rom 5:12, 15-17); and “for
ALL HAVE SINNED and fall short of the glory of God” (Ron 3:23).
What does the Bible mean when it declares that every human being that has existed
or ever will exist has sinned? In other words, the glorious Almighty God is
sinless, and when anyone violates just one of His holy Laws, they have fallen
short of His perfection. Therefore, they have sinned against God.
Now someone
might ask, why would God deprive Adam and Eve of Eternal Life for breaking one
Law? They only committed one sin. According to the Word of God, if one violates
just ONE COMMANDMENT of the Law, he or she is guilty of violating ALL the
COMMANDMENT. James, the half brother of our Lord taught this truth this way: “For
whoever shall keep the WHOLE LAW, and yet stumble in ONE POINT, he is guilty
of ALL” (Ja 2:10). Paul taught this same truth this way: “For
as many as are of the works of the Law are under the curse; for it is written,
‘Cursed is everyone who does NOT CONTINUE in ALL THINGS
which are written in the book of the Law, to do them” (Gal 3:10).
Therefore,
the Tree of the
Law demands the death sentence for everyone who commits sin, even if it is only ONE SIN.
The Law can only declare sinless human being innocent and worthy
of Eternal Life. Paul said it this way: “Therefore the Law
is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.
Has then what is good [i.e. the Law] become death to me?
Certainly not! But sin, that it might appear sin, was producing
death in me through what is good” (Rom 7:12-13).
Paul, probably speaking as a Pharisee, had a problem in keeping EVERY ASPECT of
the Law, i.e. the WHOLE LAW, therefore, he knew according to the Law of God he
was under God’s death sentence.
Let us
compare the above truth to Adam and Eve’s sin. According to the Bible, the
Eternal Life or Immortality that Adam and Eve had was based on two conditions:
FIRST, they had to continue to eat from the Tree of Life (Gen 3:22-24). This
means they had to believe that God loved them and wanted them to have Eternal
Life. They also had love God enough to believe and trust in His Word,
that is, they would continue to live as long as they eat from the Tree of Life. In
addition, they had to believe that the fruit of the Tree of Life had the
power to keep them alive.
SECOND, they
had to obey God’s Law and not eat from the Tree of Knowledge (Gen 2:17). In other
words, they had to love God enough to believe that He was a good Father, who
knows what is best for them, i.e., God would not deny them of any good thing.
They had to believe that God Word was true, and God said what He meant and
meant what He said about the death penalty. Therefore, as long as they did
these two things, they lived in a state of sinlessness. God
evidently required Adam and Eve to be sinless if they wanted Eternal Life.
After they sinned, they were denied the right to eat of the Tree of Life.
What Did the Tree
of Life Represent in God’s Plan of Salvation: As long as Adam and Eve
ate from the Tree
of Life they had Eternal Life or had Immortality. So, what does this
tree represent? The Word of God is very emphatic about what Eternal Life is,
who it is, and how we can receive it. The apostle John spoke of Eternal Life
this way: “This is the promise that He has promised us – Eternal
Life…. And this is the testimony: that God has given us Eternal Life, and this
Life is in His Son. He who has the Son has Life; he who does not have the Son
of God does not have Life. These things I have written to you who believe in
the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have Eternal
Life, and… we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is
the true God and Eternal Life” (1Jn 2:25; 5:12-13, 20).
Since Eternal
Life is in Christ, how did God restore access to the Tree of Life for lost
humanity? The Bible is emphatic about this also, for only by means of the Grace
of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, God made Eternal Life available to
the human race. The Bible says it this way: “Christ has redeemed us
from the curse of the Law [i.e. death], having become
a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a
tree)”
(Gal 3:13). The tree on which our Savior was nailed represented
the Law, or in other words, it was the Tree of the Law of the Knowledge of Good and
Evil, which brought death to all of mankind who could not keep WHOLE LAW
PERFECTLY.
The Law
demanded death as the payment for sin. This why the apostle Paul also declared:
“You, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision
of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having FORGIVEN you all
trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that
was against us [i.e. the Law], which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the
way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col 2:13-14). In other words, Jesus nailed
our sins to the Tree
of the Law, which was contrary to us because no one could keep it perfectly.
Therefore, Christ was nailed to the Tree of the Law, so He could redeem us from
the curse of death, which the Law demanded for all who did not live a sinless
life. In other words, no man could save himself by his own works of
righteousness, because no matter how good and holy he may be, he was not
sinless. Therefore, no man could ever earn God salvation.
Now the only
way Christ could redeem us from the curse of death and give us Eternal Life was
by fulfilling all the requirements of the Law. In other words, Jesus, as the son of
mankind, had to live a sinless life to redeem mankind from sin, since the Law
demanded perfect obedience or sinlessness. The apostle Paul described
the sinless perfection of our Savior this way: “For we do not
have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all
points tempted as we are, yet WITHOUT SIN” (Heb 4:15).
The apostle Peter said the same thing like this: “Who committed NO
SIN, nor was deceit found in His mouth” (1Pe 2:22).
The Law of
Moses said it this way: “Your Lamb shall be WITHOUT BLEMISH, a male
of the first year…. It is the LORD's Passover…. Now the blood shall be a
sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I
will pass over you,” i.e. I will save your life from death (Exo 12:5-7,
11-13). Peter speaking of our Savior as God’s sinless Passover Lamb
declared: “For indeed Christ, our Passover [Lamb], was
sacrificed for us” (1Co 5:7); and “You
were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from
your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with
the precious blood of Christ, as of a LAMB WITHOUT BLEMISH and WITHOUT SPOT. He
indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world”
(1Pe 1:18-20). The apostle John said the same thing when he called
Jesus: “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”
(Rev 13:8).
The only
being who could satisfy the requirements of the Law was the Lord Jesus Christ;
for He is the only being who has ever lived that was totally and completely sinless.
If the precious blood of Jesus had just one spot of sin in it, the entire human
race would have been hopelessly lost. However, because of the perfect
obedience of our Savior in His Humanity, the requirement of
God’s Law has been fulfill or satisfied.
Therefore, it
was always God’s intention or plan that Adam and Eve, and all of mankind,
should be redeem by the blood of the sinless Lamb of God. Whereby,
mankind could have access to the Tree of Life through the precious, holy, sinless
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is why God in His infinite wisdom and
foreknowledge demanded perfect obedience or sinlessness from Adam
and Eve, as well as all mankind, to receive Eternal Life, knowing that only
Christ could fulfill this demand.
Paul stated
this truth this way: “For as by one man’s disobedience many were
made sinners, so also by one Man’s [perfect] obedience many will be
made righteous…. So that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign
through righteousness to Eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 5:19, 21); and “For
the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the Law
of sin and death. For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through
the flesh [man’s sinful fleshly nature], God did by sending His own Son
in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the
flesh”
(Rom 8:2-3).
Paul also declared, “If there had been
a Law given which could have given Life, truly righteousness would have
been by the Law. But the Scripture has confined ALL under sin, that the promise
by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe….
Therefore the Law was our tutor to bring us to Christ,
that we might be justified by faith” (Ga 3:21-24). Since the Law required
perfect obedience or sinlessness, every Jew realized that they
were dome to death, with no hope of Eternal Life. The Law revealed to them that
they were sinful, and they need God Grace to be saved. That is, every time they
offered up a blood sacrifice for their sins, their very conscious told them
that they were sinners and need God to save them from their sins. The only Law
that gave any of God’s Old Testament children any hope of Life was the Law of
the Passover Lamb, which revealed God’s Grace, i.e. God’s willingness to
forgive their sins. God’s sacrificial Law pointed them to Christ as their only
means of salvation.
Conclusion:
I have said several times in my books, the Law was given to us for several
reasons: 1) So, we could realize that we are sinners and need a Savior to save
us from our sins, and deliver us from the death penalty God imposes on all who
commit ONE SIN. Therefore, no matter what religion a man many believe in, and
no matter how holy he may be, none of them are sinless. For that reason, none
of them could ever earn salvation by their own personal holiness in keeping the
Laws of God! 2) So, we would realize our need for a New Nature, whereby we
could overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil. 3) So, we may know
the depth of our love for God by our obedience, i.e. obedience to
the Laws of God is our measuring stick, which reveals to us how much we love
God. 4) So, we would not become demon possessed by becoming enslaved to sin
through our own disobedience.
Since Calvary
is the Grace of God, God will freely give Eternal Life to all who will agape
love Him and entering into Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection through the
New Birth. The apostle Paul stated this truth this way: “Not
by works of righteousness which we have done [i.e. keeping works of the
Law Tree], but according to His mercy [i.e. the grace of Calvary] He saved us,
through [dia
– by means of] the washing of regeneration and renewing of the
Holy Spirit…. Having been justified by His grace we should become heirs
according to the hope of Eternal Life”(Tit 3:5-7). The apostle Peter confirmed Paul’s and Jesus’
teaching on the New Birth, when he declared: “Repent, and let
every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of
sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
The following chapter is
designed to help every honest Branhamite believer in Christ to understand God’s
New Birth message, whereby they can enter into Jesus’ death, burial, and
resurrection and receive Eternal Life. Therefore, I earnestly pray that God
will open up your heart and minds to His TRUTH!
CHAPTER 5
Branham Erroneous Taught that A
Person Is Saved or Has Eternal Life when They Believe on Jesus: On the 31st of December in 1954, the Braham, probably in one of his many
trances, speaking under the influence of his spirit-guide on salvation, asked
the congregation, when is a person saved and filled with the Holy Ghost? The
so-called infallible Prophet then declared: When you believed. We
baptize so many that don’t believe. We hear so many speak in tongues, that
don’t believe…. When you believe, you receive Everlasting Life…. When
did you get saved? When did you get sanctified? When did you get filled with
the Holy Ghost? When you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. For you
received there, Everlasting Life. [228] Every
Branhamite Pastor who reads the following truths will have to denounce
Branham’s teaching on Believeism a LIE.
The greatest question a man can ask in this life
is not who am I? It is not even how can I become famous, powerful and wealthy?
These questions pertain only to those things that reap temporal dividends. The
greatest question a man can ask that will determine his happiness throughout
eternity is - how can I receive Eternal Life? Millions of people, throughout
every age, have joined every religion under the sun in hopes of receiving
Eternal Life. Man-made religions, traditions, philosophies and doctrines have
deceived the vast majority of them (Mt 15:8-9, 7:13-14). Eternal Life can only come through the Lord
Jesus Christ.
No one would argue the fact that the Bible
teaches that God has given His grace to all men, by providing a way for all of
mankind to become saved. This way, which is the only way, is the Lord Jesus
Christ. Since Christ’s precious blood was shed for all men, does this mean
every man in the world is automatically saved by what Jesus did at Calvary?
Every preacher of whom you ask this question to, will quickly tell you no! They
will promptly inform you that one must meet the terms or conditions of the
gospel of Christ. Let us keep in mind that the New Covenant is not an
unconditional covenant, or that God’s grace is not offered to the human
race unconditionally. If there were no conditions to receiving God’s grace,
then all of mankind would automatically be saved. If the doctrine of grace, as
some affirm, teaches that God requires nothing from man to receive salvation,
then no one needs to believe in Calvary, repent of their sins, confess Christ
as their Lord and Savior, or become born of water and Spirit.
Mankind cannot save himself or herself by any
work of Moses’ Law, or assist God in providing salvation, for God did that at
Calvary, but mankind does have the responsibility of accepting or rejecting the
conditions God has placed on receiving His grace. If mankind accepts God’s
conditions, then he or she must respond by believing and obeying
each condition by faith! There is not a preacher anywhere that
believes in salvation by grace more than I do; but I do not take it out of the
context that God has placed it in, as Branham and many denominational preachers
of today do.
The apostle
Paul wrote: “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any should boast”
(Ephesians 2:8-9). In Romans, Paul taught that the grace of God came to
us by the precious shed blood of Jesus, or in other words, we are: “justified by His blood” (Rom 5:9); and He “was
raised to life for our justification” (Rom 4:25, NIV). Therefore,
Paul, like myself, believed that we are: “justified by faith” in the gospel of Christ, that is,
faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Rom 3:28, cp with vs 24).
In Corinthians, Paul declared that God’s children received justification by
means of the New Birth. He wrote: “You are justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus [which is applied in water
baptism], and by the Spirit of our God” (1Co 6:11).
Therefore, he connected our justification through the gospel with the New
Birth!
For this
reason, according to the apostle Paul, true justification by faith in the gospel
involves obedience to the gospel, that is, we must respond to the gospel with
those acts of faith that God requires. There is no true faith in Christ that
does not lead to obedience. All the apostles of the Lamb definitely taught that
one must not only believe the gospel of Christ to be saved, but also must obey
it. The apostle Peter declared: “Judgment must begin at
the house of God; and if it first begins at us, what shall the end be of them
that obey not the gospel of God” (1Pe 4:17-18).
The apostle
Paul declared the very same thing when he wrote: Jesus is “the
author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Heb 5:9); and “they
have not all obeyed the gospel” (Rom 19:16). Paul
speaking of God’s wrath on those who would not obey the gospel said: Jesus
would come in a flaming fire to take vengeance: “on them that know
not God, and that obey not the gospel” (2Th 1:7-9). Paul
also declared that Christ: “became the author of eternal salvation to
all who obey Him” (Heb 5:9). Therefore, true biblical faith will lead one to act upon
their faith by obeying the conditions that God requires.
For example,
what preacher would dare claim that mankind is trying to earn God’s
grace by believing that Jesus Christ is God in flesh, and He died as a
man so He could save them from a devil’s hell, and He rose from the dead for
their justification? The answer is obviously none. No preacher would
dare call faith in the gospel a work of the Mosaic Law System; even
though faith in God and his Laws were required conditions for salvation under
the Old Covenant. No preacher would argue that a
sinner must have faith in or believe the gospel of Christ, before he or she can
act upon their faith by enter into the New Covenant and become saved.
Some Protestant preachers would stop
here and declare that faith is the only condition a sinner must meet to be
saved, and God has no other conditions.
This kind of faith is called “Easy Believeism” in many denominations
today. This kind of faith is nothing
more then a mental assent, just as one would believe any fact of history that
they knew was true. Friend, there is no way you can believe on Him to be saved.
You must believe into Him by obeying the gospel, if you wish to receive
Eternal Life, for faith is only the first step!
Other Protestant preachers teach that faith in
the gospel of Christ will lead the believer to repent of all their sins, and
confess Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Savior. They believe that these steps
are the only steps that God requires to become saved. None of these preachers
would dare declare that a man or woman is trying to earn salvation by
repenting of their sins, or by confessing Christ as their Lord and Savior. No preacher would call these acts of obedience
to God’s Word works of the Mosaic Law System; even though repentance was
also a required condition in Old Covenant for eternal life!
I fully agree that faith in Christ is
a very important step in God’s plan of salvation. I also believe that a sinner
must repent and confess Jesus to be their God, Savior, and Lord. But these are
not the only steps, for true biblical faith will also lead a believer to obey
God’s other conditions, that is, they must be “born of water and Spirit” (Jn 3:5). Why
is it that these false prophets
never mention this step in obeying the gospel of Christ? Could it be that they
either do not understand what Jesus taught, or they see it that it makes sense,
but their pride and biases will not allow them to believe it is
true?
Satan uses false prophets to confuse the sincere
believer in Christ, by denouncing the biblical doctrine of water baptism in
Jesus’ holy and sinless name as a doctrine of works. That is, they will claim
that the one is trying to earn salvation by their works. These false prophets
never associate it with an act of faith towards salvation by
obeying what Jesus said to do. Preacher, give me one scripture that declares
water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ is a work of the Mosaic Law.
Preacher, if you make water baptism a doctrine of works, then you have to make
faith and repentance a doctrine of works also, which were definitely required
by God under the Mosaic Law System (Lev 26: 18, 21, 24, 28; Pro
28:13; Eze 18:29-32; 14:6)!
Since the New
Birth is how a believer enters into Jesus’ death, burial and
resurrection, which places the believer in the New Covenant, this is where the
One God, Jesus Name, Apostolic, Holiness-Pentecostal Preachers around the world
draw swords with the Catholic and Protestant preachers in Christendom today,
and in times past. Yes friend, the New Covenant is not an unconditional
Covenant. If you or I want to receive God’s grace, then we must meet the
terms of God’s covenant. Mankind cannot come to God on his or her own terms,
like Cain did, but he or she must believe and obey God’s terms. So with this in
mind, what are God’s terms or conditions for salvation?
The First
Step: the Essentiality of Living Faith: To help my readers understand the false doctrine of “easy believeism” for
salvation, permit me to present to you a dialogue I have had with many
Protestant Pastors, in my earlier years as a Christian. This dialogue is
not verbatim but it is close. I have added some scriptures to their usual
statements or arguments, so my readers can receive a fuller understanding of
their belief. Through this dialogue, my readers should discover, that there are
only a few, if any, of the Protestant ministers that really believe what they
preach.
The first question I asked is: Preacher what must
I do to be saved or receive Eternal Life?
The Protestant Pastor’s Response: You must believe with your whole heart that
Jesus died for your sins, and was buried, and was raised from the dead for your
justification (1Co 15:1-4). The Bible declared: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be [future
tense] saved”
(Acts 16:31). Paul said: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is
the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to
the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Rom 1:16). John proclaimed: “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whoever believes in [eis -
into] Him should not perish, but have
Everlasting Life” (Jn 3:16). Jesus said: “He that believes in [eis -
into] the Son has Everlasting Life”
(verse 36). The verb “has” in this verse is present tense, active voice,
indicative mood, third person, singular number, which means the moment
anyone believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, they are saved or have Eternal Life.
[An
exegetical comment I would like to interject here, for my readers understanding.
The Greek preposition “eis” in both of these verses is in the accusative
case. In verse 16, the Greek pronoun “auvto.n” or
“Him,” and the Greek noun “ui`o.n” or
“Son” in verse 36, are also in the accusative case, that is, they are
used as direct objects. Therefore, “eis” should be translated as “into,” which
is the primary meaning of this Greek preposition, especially when it is in the
accusative case! Doctors Timothy and Barbara Friberg, in their Analytical
Lexicon to the Greek New Testament, defined it as a: preposition
with the accusative into, [or] in. [229]
Dr. Joseph H. Thayer in his work A Greek-English Lexicon Of The New Testament says: it is a
preposition governing the accusative, and denotes entrance into
something or someone. [230]
In the Essentials Of New Testament Greek,
Professor Ray Summers also declared that “eis” means: “into” [231]].
[If
John wanted his readers to understand that Jesus meant that a believer should
believe “in” Him, he would have written the Greek preposition “en,” if Jesus
meant “on” he would have written “epi,” but since he used the preposition
“eis,” and placed the pronoun “auvto.n” and
the noun “ui`o.n” in the accusative case, or
as a direct objects, and not as an indirect object, he wanted his
readers to understand that a believer has to believe “into” Jesus to receive
Eternal Life. Or in other words, a believer must believe “into Jesus’ death,”
“into His burial,” and “into His resurrection” to receive Eternal Life. There
is no way a believer can believe on or in Christ as you believe on or in George
Washington, that is, he lived, died, and was our first president. A believer
must believer “into” Christ to be saved; for this is salvation, nothing less,
and nothing more.]
[Now, let us address the
question as to why did this pagan Roman Jailer ask Paul and Silas: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved” (Acts 16:30)? The
Bible informs us that this heathen Jailer had just witness a miracle from God,
who shook Paul and Silas’ cell door open, freed them from their chains, and not
only that but they had not tried to escape. He knew the Roman punishment for
allowing a prisoner to escape was death. This man obviously knew from this
miracle that God was with these men. He also knew they were place in prison for
preaching about some strange God.]
[Paul’s response to the
Jailer’s question was “believe [pisteuo] on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will
be [future tense] saved.”
The
Amplified Bible brings out the true meaning of this verse. It stated: “Believe in and on the Lord Jesus Christ - that is, give
yourself up to Him, take yourself out of your own keeping and entrust
yourself into His keeping, and you will be saved.” The verb “believe” or “pisteuo” does not mean “to have
a mere mental assent,” but “to firmly trust in” or
“to have a firm confidence in” a person of thing. Greek scholar Dr. W. E. Vine
defined it this way: to believe, also to be persuaded of, and hence, to
place confidence in, to trust, signifies, in this sense of the word,
reliance upon, not mere credence, that is, acceptance. [232]
Therefore, the “easy believeism” doctrine
is nothing but a “heresy of cheap grace,” whereby salvation is guaranteed to
the believer by this one-time act. God hates this heresy, for it robs the
sincere believer of true salvation.]
[The
verb “will be saved” is the Greek word “sozo” and
it is in the future tense, passive voice, indicative mood, 2sd person,
and singular number. This means the pagan Jailer and his family would have to
firmly trust in Christ as their Savior and at a future period of time, not
at the moment of faith, they would receive salvation. There is nothing in
the context of these scriptures that even insinuates that this pagan Jailer
ever heard the name of Jesus or about His death, burial, and resurrection
before verse 32. If you say he did, you have no proof. In verses 32-33, the
Bible reveals that Paul preached the gospel to the Jailer not in jail but
in his home, for the Word of God stated that he: “Spake
unto him the Word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.
And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.”]
[Nowhere in this passage can
one find that it specifically mentions that Paul told the Jailer and his family
to repent, confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior, or to become born of water
and Spirit. But we know that he preached to them the “Word
of the Lord,” which must have contained these important steps of
salvation, for Paul definitely declared that he preached the same gospel to all
the gentiles (Ga 2:2). It is obvious from verse 33, that Paul must have
preached water baptism as part of the Word of the Lord to the Jailer and his
family, for he baptized all of them that night. Let my beloved readers keep in
mind that Paul’s back was probably bleeding, from being severely beaten with a
rod; therefore, for him to baptize anyone at that time would have been very
painful. But being the solider of Christ that he was, he did not let pain stop
him from obeying the great commission.]
[Therefore, water baptism
had to be part of the gospel of Christ that Paul preached to all gentiles. When
Paul preached the gospel to the Ephesian believers, he evidently told them
their water baptism by John the Baptist was not sufficient, for he baptized all
of them again (Acts 19:1-6). Now the Bible does not tell us that the Jailer and
his family were born of the Holy Spirit, but we know that true faith in
Christ always leads to the New Birth; just as it did for the apostles,
Cornelius and his family, and all others. Those
who teach “the heresy of the easy believeism doctrine for salvation,” never
look for the harmony in all the scriptures that deal with this subject. The
only scriptures they bring to one’s attention are those that speak of believing
in Christ, and they even misinterpret those. It is a shame that good men allow
Satan to blind them by filling their minds with denominational biases. Let’s
resume out dialogue.]
My Response: Since I have to believe the gospel to be saved,
is my act of believing one of the works of the Law of Moses? Am I
trying to earn salvation by my act of believing? I do not want to tempt
God by trying to be saved by my good works.
The Protestant Pastor’s Response: Oh no, believing is not a doctrine of works. It
is the only condition of obedience that God requires of you, for the Bible
says: “For by grace are you saved
through faith [in the gospel of Christ], not of works [of the Mosaic Law System], least any man should boast" (Eph 2:8-9).
The Second Step: Faith that Leads to Confessing Jesus Christ as Your
Lord and Savior: My
Response: If believing is all I need
to do to be saved, then why do some teach I must confess that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God and my Lord and personal Savior?
The Protestant Pastor’s Response: This is true, for Paul said: “If you confess
with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised
Him from the dead, you will be saved [sozo]. For with the
heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation. For the Scripture
says, ‘Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.’ For there is
no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all
is rich to all who call upon Him. For ‘whoever calls on the name of the
LORD shall be saved [sozo]” (Rom 10:9-13).
These verses very definitely reveal that God requires a believer to confess Him
as their Lord and Savior, and call on His name, if they wish to become saved.
[The verbs “will be saved” in verse 9
and “shall be saved” in verse 13 is the Greek verb “sozo,” which are both: future
tense, indicative mood, and passive voice. Because the verb is not in the present tense, but is in
the future tense, “this means salvation will be
at some point in the future, not at the moment one believes, confesses,
or calls upon the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The phrase “calling upon the name of the LORD” is a phrase that is used in the New Testament in
connection with water baptism, for example, Ananias told Paul: “Now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your
sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts
22:16). The well know Protestant scholar Dr. F. F. Bruce
also related confession in the above Romans passage not only to the birth of
the Spirit in First Corinthians 12:3, but also water baptism. He wrote: If we are to think of one
outstanding occasion for such a confession to be made, we should more probably think of that first
confession... made in Christian baptism. [233]]
My Response: If I must believe in Jesus with all my heart,
and confess Him as my Lord and personal Savior, and call on His holy name to be
saved, then why did you tell me I was saved or had Eternal Life the moment I
believed in Him?
The Protestant Pastor’s Response: Because I thought you knew that you must also
publicly acknowledge Him and call upon His name. Besides if you truly believe
in Him, you will do the things God requires. The moment a person believes the
gospel, confesses that Jesus is the Son of God and their Lord and Savior, he is
born again or has Eternal Life.
My Response: What if I truly believe with all of my heart in
the death, burial, and resurrection of my Savior, but I do not confess Him
because of pride, or fear of offending some member of my family, or fear of
losing my job, or fear of the government, or whatever? Will I be saved?
The Protestant Pastor’s Response: No, you will not because Jesus said: “Whoever confesses Me before men, him will I confess before
My Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I
also deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Mt 10:32-33). The scripture is very clear here that you must
love Jesus enough to confess Him as your Lord and Savior.
My Response: If I confess Jesus as the Son of God, and as my
Lord and Savior, am I trying to earn salvation by my act of confession?
I do not want to tempt God by trying to be saved by any good works.
The Protestant Pastor’s Response: Oh no, believing and confessing Jesus Christ is
your Lord and Savior are the two conditions of obedience that God requires for
receiving His grace.
My Response: If all one has to do is believe in the gospel of
the Lord Jesus Christ, and confess Him as their Lord and Savior, and call upon
Him to be saved, does this mean that the Devil and his demons are saved? For
the Bible reveals that they believe the gospel and have confessed Jesus as the
Son of God. The Word of God declared that demonic spirits cried out to Jesus
and said: “I know who you are, the Holy
One of God” (Lk 4:34).
These unclean spirits also confessed: “You are the Son of God” (Mk 3:11‑12). James said: “You believe that there is one God; you do well.
Even the demons believe and tremble” (Ja 2:19).
Satan and his demons not only believe
in Jesus, and have confessed Him as the Son of God, but they also
believe in His death, burial and resurrection, for they were eyewitnesses
to these things. They know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus die on
Calvary’s cross, for they were there and watched Him die. They saw His body
placed in the tomb. They saw Him resurrect from the dead on the third day, so
that definitely makes them believers.
The Third Step: Faith that Leads to Repentance: The
Protestant Pastor’s Response: Even
though the Lucifer and his demons have confessed that Jesus is the Son of God
and believe the gospel, this still does not make them qualified for salvation.
For their faith in Christ did not lead them to repent of their sins.
My Response: From what you are telling me, you must not
believe that faith alone can save an individual, for confessing and repenting
are two completely separate and different acts from mental faith or believing
in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. According to you, a person must not
only believe the gospel, but also acknowledge Jesus publicly as their Lord and
Savior, and repent of their sins to be
saved.
The Protestant Pastor’s Response: Yes, but you are
saved by faith and faith alone. “If you truly believe, your faith will lead you to
confess Him, and repent of your sins,” for Jesus said: “Unless
you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Lk 13:3). In fact, He
commanded you to: “Repent and believe the gospel” (Mk 1:14-15).
Peter said: “The Lord is… not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance” (2Pe 3:9).
[Repentance is the very
important act of faith in our salvation. It includes several essential
elements, such as: acknowledge that you are a sinner and thereby deserve
the wrath of God; confess your sin to God having a godly remorse or sorrow in
your heart for offending God’s holiness. It also includes: being determine
in your mind and heart to forsake all that you know is sinful; and a
full surrender of your life over to the control of God and His
Word, with a determination in your heart to live a holy life. It also
may include: making restitution wherever it is possible, especially if
you have deeply wounded someone with your tongue or your actions, you really
need to ask their forgiveness. When a sinner repents this way they are no
longer a sinner but a believer.]
[Repentance is basically expressed
by a change in a sinner’s mind, heart, and will; by mind I mean there is a
change in their ideas, views, and values, in what is right and wrong, for they
will now have a deeper sense of what is holy and pleasing to God; by heart I
mean there is a change in their desires or feelings in which they earnestly
desire spiritual things and fulfillment, instead of the carnal things that
satisfy and feeds the flesh; by the will I mean there is a change in their
short and long range goals, and all other areas of their lives, for Jesus is
now their Lord and there is a true desire to surrender all areas of their life
to Him.]
[The very moment a believer
truly and sincerely repents of all their sins, the believer immediately
receives a clean conscience. True biblical faith and repentance always gets the
attention of God, whereby the believer will immediately experience the presence
of God, or in other words, the Spirit of God will immediately move on
the believer to prepare their heart, in order that He can come into their human
spirit at some point in the future. Let my beloved readers always keep in mind
that one must be willing to die out to sin through repentance, and be buried,
before they can be resurrected to a New Life in Christ, or in other words, they
must be willing to die out to the self life before they can receive a New
Birth. One should bear in mind, that no one can receive God’s grace to
repentance, unless he or she truly believe the gospel; for no one can repent
unless he or she believes God’s promise of salvation is true, and sin is wrong,
and repentance is a necessary condition in receiving God’s grace. There can be
no true faith without repentance.]
My Response: If I have to repent, as well as believe the
gospel, and confess Jesus as my Lord and Savior to be saved, why did you tell
me all I had to do is just believe, confess Him to be saved?
The Protestant Pastor’s Response: Because I assumed you knew you had to repent
also, even though there are many I suppose, who do not know that. Even so, if
you truly believe in the gospel, you will confess Him, and will repent of your
sins.
My Response: If I have to repent of my sins to be saved, am I
trying to earn salvation by my work of repentance? I do not want to
tempt God by trying to be saved by any of my good works.
The Protestant Pastor's Response: Oh no, even though repentance is a work,
you are not trying to earn salvation by your act of repentance,
but you are obeying the terms or conditions of the gospel. The New Covenant of
the blood of Jesus is not an unconditional covenant, which means that everyone
in the whole world is automatically saved by what Jesus did at Calvary. The New
Covenant is a conditional covenant, which means, if you want to receive God’s
grace, you must be willing to meet God’s conditions.
No one can come to God on his or her own terms. You must be willing to believe
and obey God’s conditions, if you wish to receive Eternal Life.
The apostle Paul preached repentance as a
condition of salvation to all of his converts. He told them to: “Repent and turn to God, and do works [ergon] befitting
repentance”
(Acts 26:20); and he name repentance as one of the basic foundational
principles of salvation. He said: “Therefore, leaving the
discussion of the elementary principles
of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation
of repentance from dead works [ergon] and of faith
toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms” (Heb 6:1). It is obvious the “works” this verse is
referring to is a turning away from sin.
[The word works in the above
scriptures is the Greek word “ergon.” It is used 176 times in the NT, and the
King James Translators translated it as: work 152 times, deed 22 times, doing 1
time, and labor 1 time. Thayer defines it as: an act, deed, (or a) thing done.
There is a world of difference between the acts or works faith i.e. believing,
repenting, and confessing, and the moral works of righteousness the Law of
Moses required for eternal life in the Old Covenant. This is why Paul says in
Galatians 2:16: “Knowing that a man is not
justified by the works [ergon] of the Law [of Moses] but by faith
in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be
justified by faith in Christ and not by the works [ergon] of the Law; for by the works [ergon] of the Law no flesh shall be justified.”]
My Response: Are you sure repentance is not a work of the Law
of Moses? If I have to give up my stealing, lying, adulteries, drunkenness,
drugs, wild parties, and so on, that is not going to be easy; that going to
take a lot of work and effort on my part. That sure sounds like work to
me!
The Fourth Step: Faith that Leads to the New Birth of Water and Spirit:
The Protestant
Pastor’s Response: This is why you
need Jesus to give you a New Nature. Jesus said: “Most assuredly,
I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the
kingdom of God” (Jn 3:5). You must be born of God’s Holy Spirit, if you wish to be saved. For
when you believe in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, repent of all your
sins, and confess Him as your Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit of God will come
into you at that very moment, and give you a new nature to help you overcome
your sinful nature.
My Response: Now you are telling me that I must be born of
God's Spirit. I sure wish you would make up your mind about how a person
receives Eternal Life. First you tell me the moment I believe in the death,
burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ I am saved. Then you change it to the
moment I confess Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Then you changed it again to the
moment I repent of my sins. Now you change it to the moment I believe, confess,
repent, and receive God’s Spirit. Now which is it?
The Protestant Pastor’s Response: If you truly believe the gospel, your faith will
lead you to do everything that God requires of you to be saved. The moment you
do all these things God will give you His Holy Spirit and you will have Eternal
Life.
My Response: What about water baptism? Some teach that a
person must be born of the water or be baptized to receive eternal life?
The Protestant Pastor’s Response: Oh no, that is a doctrine of works. The person
who believes that is trying to earn salvation by his or her works.
[Any
preacher who would be so foolish to say water baptism is a work of the Law
of Moses System, should also claim that faith and repentance is a work of
the Law. For Moses’ Law required all Old Testament believers to believe in God
and His holy laws. It also required all of God’s people to repent and forsake
all their sins (Lev 26: 18, 21, 24, 28; Pro 28:13; Eze 18:29-32; 14:6).]
My Response: Where in the Bible does it say: “Water
baptism is a doctrine of the works of the Law of Moses?” There is not one place in the Old Testament
where God required any Jew to be water baptized to be saved. Where is your
proof that water baptism is not just another step of faith in obeying the
gospel? After all, if you truly believe the gospel, you will be baptized in
water. How can you or any other preacher teach that believing, repentance, and
confessing Jesus as God and Savior are works or acts of faith a believer must
do to receive eternal life, and then teach God’s command for believers to
become born of water, or to be water baptized, is not also an act of faith in
obeying the gospel of Christ?
The Protestant Pastor’s Response: Water baptism has nothing to do with your
salvation. You must believe me. I did not go to Seminary School for four years
for nothing you know. It was there that I learned that water baptism is a
doctrine that denies the grace of God. Anyone who believes that it is connected
with salvation is trying to be saved by his of her own works.
[When a Seminary teaches this doctrine of hell,
it should be called Cemetery School so the honest hearted would know to
stay away from it. The New Catholic
Encyclopedia says: Christian Baptism is the NT fulfillment and
replacement of circumcision (Col 2:11). Just as Jewish circumcision meant
reception into the Old Covenant, so too Christian Baptism means reception into
the New. Circumcision was the seal of the faith of Abraham. Rightly
understood, circumcision is of the heart (Rom 2:29) and leads directly to
Christian Baptism. Christian Baptism is ‘the circumcision of Christ’ (Col
2:11).... Faith is required for Baptism and there is no true faith that does
not lead to baptism (cf. Gal 3:25-27). [234]]
My Response: But you quoted John
3:5, which indisputably stated that
everyone: “Must be born of water and
Spirit.” Not just Spirit
alone, but also water. Did Jesus lie?
The Protestant Pastor’s Response: You must rightly interpret God’s Word. That is
why I went to Seminary School, so I could learn how. The word water in
the first part of verse 5 is symbolism for the Word of God or the gospel, for the Bible
teaches that God sanctified and cleanse His church with “the washing of water by the word” (Eph 5:26). The word Spirit in the second
part of this verse must be taken literally
to mean Spirit. What Jesus was teaching is that a person must be born of the
“Word of God by believing the Gospel message, and then receive the Holy
Spirit,” or he or she will be lost.
My Response: If you make the first part of this verse symbolism, then you must also
make the second part symbolism? If I, like you, wanted to spiritualize
away the simple truth of the Word of God, I could claim that the word Spirit in
the second part of this verse represents water baptism. I could say, “Jesus
compared the Spirit to water baptism” when He said: “He who believes
in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of
living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit” (Jn
7:38-39). I, like you, could twist John
3:5 to mean: “one must be born of
the Word of God or the gospel and water baptism.” What gives you or
anyone else the authority to spiritualize away God’s Infallible Word? I believe
that Jesus said what He meant and meant what He said. There is absolutely no
support from the context of this passage that demands or supports a symbolic
interpretation! Have you not read Dr. Harry A. Ironside’s golden rules for
interpreting the Bible? He said: Whenever the scripture makes sense, look for no
other sense, or in other words, “Take the Bible literally when the language is clear
and direct.”
Besides this,
water is never used as a symbol for the Word of God in the Bible. Paul
was not teaching in Ephesians 5:26 that water baptism was symbolism for the gospel.
The “washing of water
[loutron] by the word [rhema]” really represented
the invocation of the name of Jesus in baptism. Weymouth, in his translation of
the New Testament, correctly translated this verse as: “Christ
loved the Church... cleansing her with the baptismal water by the word.”
Phillips’ translation of the Bible translated it as: “Christ
gave Himself to make her holy through baptism in His name.”
Bishop Cyprian in AD
255 quoted this verse this way: The blessed apostle sets forth and proves that baptism
is that wherein the old man dies and the new man is born, saying, ‘He saved us by the washing of regeneration….’ For
it is the Church alone which, conjoined and united with Christ, spiritually
bears sons; as the same apostle again says, ‘Christ
loved the Church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify it, cleansing
it with the washing of water. [235]
Dr. F. F.
Bruce speaking of the above verse wrote: Cleansing it by water and word... [or] cleansing her by the
washing of water accompanied by the spoken word…. The accompanying
‘word’ (Gk. rhema) is probably not here Holy Scripture but the word
of confession or invocation spoken by the convert, as in Ananias' words to
Paul: 'Rise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name'
(Acts 22:16). [236]
Drs. Friberg speaking of the Greek word “loutron” says it means: Bath; fig in the NT, as a baptismal term (#17482); and the Greek word “rhema” says: one must focus on content or
context, for it could mean ‘a single
word, saying, utterance
(#23976).
Rhema in the above verse is in the dative case (indirect object), neuter gender and singular number.
Since rhema is in the singular number and not plural, it should not be
translated as words as many, but as word as one, like the word Jesus. When
rhema is used in the plural number, it usually refers to a new or recent
prophecy from the Lord or a special word from God to an individual, that is, one
that is used in the vocal gifts of the Spirit.
Dr. Murray
Beasley speaking of John 3:5 wrote: At a time when the employment of water for cleansing in view of the
last day had taken the specific form of baptism, it is difficult to take
seriously any other reference than baptism. [237]
Professor Dwight Pentecost, a Baptist theologian, speaking of the above passage
wrote: To
interpret water as only a symbol of the Word of God… would be to render our
Lord's answer unintelligible to Nicodemus. [238]
Dr. Pentecost’s statement is very profound and deserves additional
investigation; for there is no place in the Old Testament that uses the word
water to refer to the Word of God.
Since this is
true, how could Nicodemus be expected to understand the truth of what Jesus taught?
Why would our Lord reprove him for not understanding? Why would Jesus describe
one aspect of the new birth literally and another aspect symbolically? None of
this would make any sense if our Lord had placed a spiritual interpretation to
the literal word water! It is evident that Jesus expected Nicodemus to make a connection
between water baptism and the New Birth. The Jewish Encyclopedia
revealed that a gentile proselyte could not enter into the Old Covenant unless
he was reborn through water baptism. It declared: The bathing
in the water is to constitute a rebirth, where ‘the ger is like a
child just born’ (Yeb 48b). [239]
Some Protestant Pastors Response to
John 3:5: The word water in this verse is symbolism for the
natural birth and the word Spirit represents the spiritual birth. What Jesus is
teaching, they say, is “Unless a man had been born of water [meaning
the natural birth], and become
born of the Spirit [meaning the spiritual birth], he can not enter into the kingdom of God.”
My Response: Why do you take this verse out of its
grammatical structure? Did Seminary School teach to translate or interpret this
verse this way? If it did, it is not a Seminary School but a Cemetery School.
There is not one translation of the Bible that would dare translate verse
5 that way. The New King James
translated it as: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is
born [gennhqh/] of
water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God;” and
the New International Version as: “I
tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is
born of water and the Spirit.”
The Greek verb “gennhqh” or “gennao” is in the aorist tense, subjunctive
mood and the passive voice.
The subjunctive mood is the mood of possibility, not a statement of fact. Drs. Friberg speaking
of the voice of
this verb stated: Passive,
of the spiritual new birth be born, be regenerated (JN 3.3) (#5344). Vine's
Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words speaking of the verb “gennao” declared: to beget,’ in the
passive voice, ‘to be born….’ In <John 3:3,5, 7>, the Greek
adverb ‘anothen,’ ‘anew, or from above,’ accompanies the simple
verb gennao.” Therefore, Greek
grammar demands that these verses be understood of a spiritual
birth and not the natural
birth. The Greek adverb “anothen”
connected with the verb “gennao”
cannot refer to a natural birth but a birth
from above or a spiritual
birth. This is why the YLT and NAB
translated John 3:3 as: born
from above, and ASV, DBY, RSV, and
TNT as: born anew,
and the KJV, NKJ, NIV, and NAS as: born again.
The
International Standard Bible Encylopaedia, in an article entitled “Baptismal Regeneration,” made this
very interesting comment on the above passage of scripture: The two leading texts of
Scripture which declare in plain terms that baptism is a means for
effecting regeneration in the strict sense are Jn 3:5 and Tit 3:5. But this
doctrine is implied in Acts 2:38; Eph 5:26; Gal 3:27; 1 Pet 3:21. In Jn 3:7 it
is immaterial whether Grk: anothen
gennethenai is rendered ‘to be
born from above’ or ‘to be born a second time.’ For the second birth is
never of the flesh (Jn 1:13; 3:4,5); hence, is always of divine origin,
‘from above….’ Baptism is an instrument by which the Holy Spirit
effects regeneration. ‘Water and the Spirit’ (Jn 3:5) is a paraphrastic description
of baptism: ‘water,’ inasmuch as the man is baptized therewith (1 Jn 5:7,8; Eph
5:26) for the forgiveness of sin (Acts 2:33; 22:16; 1 Cor 6:11), and ‘Spirit,’
inasmuch as the Holy Ghost is given to the person baptized in order to his
spiritual renewal and sanctification.
‘Both together… constitute
the objective and causative element out of which (compare Jn 1:13) the birth
from above is produced (ek)’ (Meyer)…. ‘From Eph 5:26 it is clear
that it can mean nothing else than baptism; compare too, Heb 10:22; 1
Cor 6:11; Acts 22:16.’ Of this laver of regeneration Paul says that through
it (Grk: dia), i.e. by its instrumentality,
men are saved. Meyer is right when, correcting a former view of his, he
states: "According to the context, Paul calls baptism the bath of the
new birth, not meaning that it pledges us to the new birth (`to
complete the process of moral purification, of expiation and sanctification,’
Matthies), nor that it is a visible image of the new birth (De Wette),
for neither in the one sense nor in the other could it be regarded as a means
of saving. Paul uses that name for it as the bath by means of which God
actually brings about the new birth.’ [240]
In the same
encyclopedia under the heading of, Baptism - The Baptist Interpretation, we read: In Col
2:12 Paul again [Rom 6:1-5] says: ‘having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were
also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from
the dead.’ The same image is here presented. Lightfoot (Church of
England) on Colossians (p. 182 ) says: ‘Baptism is the grave of the old man,
and the birth of the new. As he sinks beneath the baptismal waters, the
believer buries there all his corrupt affections and past sins; as he
emerges thence, he rises regenerate, quickened to new hopes and new
life.’ There is nothing in the New Testament to offset this obvious and inevitable
interpretation. There are some things [meaning objections] which
are brought up, but they vanish on examination. [241]
Some Protestant Pastors Response: If water baptism is part of the New
Birth, then why would Paul say: “For Christ sent me not
to baptize, but to preach the gospel”
(1Co 1:17)? Obviously Paul
did not think it was important or he would have never made that statement.
My Response: Many Protestant theologians, who have
commented on this passage, have declared that Paul is not teaching
against the essentiality of water baptism; for example, Dr. Bruce declared:
Paul’s references
to baptism in 1 Cor. 1. 14-17, does not mean that he regarded the sacrament
itself as unimportant, but that the identity of the baptizer was
unimportant. [242]
Dr. Bruce’s
point is well taken, for what was the context of the apostle Paul’s
remarks? Was he preaching against the necessity of water baptism in the New
Birth or against disunity in the Church, by their glorification of
preachers? It was obviously disunity for Paul wrote: “For
it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household,
that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each
of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I
am of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you
baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of
you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my
own name. Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do
not know whether I baptized any other” (1Co 1:11-15).
To baptize in
one own name meant, in Christian terminology, that the person being baptized
belong to or was the property of the one whose name is called over him or her
in baptism. It is obvious from the context that the apostle was not
preaching against water baptism, but against disunity. “He was frustrated with some
these Corinthians because they were exalting or glorifying the preacher who
baptized them as, the apostle of Christ, thereby claiming to belong to that
sect.” This divided the body of Christ into hostile forces. It was for
this reason why Paul said he was happy that he baptized none of them but a few.
Therefore,
Paul's correction of the Corinthians does not negate the essentiality of water
baptism in God’s plan of salvation. My beloved readers should keep in mind the
many passages in the Bible, especially Paul’s teaching, that reveals the
essentiality of water baptism; for example, Paul baptized the Philippian Jailer
and his family in the middle of the night, having his back beaten with a rod in
which he received “many stripes”(Acts 16:22-23)! How can anyone
read about Paul’s great sacrifice and say he did not believe that baptism was
important? In Titus 3:5, Paul referred to water baptism as: the “washing
of regeneration” or the “washing of the New Birth.”
Preacher is it not time for you start
preaching God’s truth!
Besides all this, Doctors John M’Clintock and
James Strong, in their Cyclopedia Of
Biblical Theological And Ecclesiastical Literature, revealed that they and
a host of other theologians believed that water in John 3:5 most definitely referred to water
baptism. They quoted Dr. Hooker as saying: For
the first fifteen centuries no one had ever doubted its application to [water] baptism. [243]
Therefore, no one can biblically or historically deny that water baptism is not
part of the New Birth or God’s regenerative process. Therefore, water baptism
is one of the steps of faith that God requires for a believer to receive
His grace for salvation. There cannot be any true faith that does not lead to
water baptism!
THE IMPORTANCE
OF WATER BAPTISM
This chapter
is an excerpt from my book, “Water Baptism: the Essentiality, the Mode, the
Formula.”
Branham Erroneous Taught
Against the Essentiality of Water Baptism in the New Birth: On August 23rd of
1964, one of
those who placed all their faith and trust in Branham to lead them to salvation
asked: Dear brother Branham, my question is on baptism. When is a person
saved?
Branham’s demonic spirit-guide speaking through him answered: I do not believe in being
baptized in water to regeneration, because when you do that omits the
blood. You are baptized in water to show the regeneration has taken place….
There’s many people that are – say they’re saved; many are baptized in Jesus’
Name; many speak in tongues, and have all kinds of signs of the Holy
Ghost, and
still not even saved. That’s right. [244]
Every Branhamite Pastor who reads the following truths will have to
denounce Branham’s teaching on Water Baptism a LIE.
For the New Birth message to have any importance
in God’s plan of salvation, it would have to be connected to the death, burial
and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ; for it was by means of Jesus’
complete and perfect atonement that God made a way for every man to receive
Eternal Life. As my beloved readers read the following study on the New Birth,
I challenge them to love God enough to prove this message either true or false;
for many, like myself, have discovered truth by trying to prove it wrong!
Brother Cupit, my first pastor, often said when
he preached on the New Birth: “I rather you leave here
either mad or glad, but please do not walk away indifferent.” For if you are angry, you will go home and try
to prove it wrong, but if you are glad then obviously God has given you the
revelation of the truth. If you are unresponsive that means you do not take
your salvation seriously, therefore, you will not take the time to try to prove
it wrong! I would much rather see someone fight against the truth, as the
apostle Paul did before God gave him understanding, than for that person to be
indifferent toward truth and die lost!
Water and Spirit
Baptism Is How the Believer
Enters into Jesus’
Death, Burial, and Resurrection
Water baptism is not a symbolic ritualistic
ceremonial washing as many Protestant preachers try to make it today. “It is
the only way a believer can enter into the Lord Jesus Christ’s
death and burial. Spirit baptism is how a believer enters into Jesus’
resurrection. Water and Spirit Baptisms is how God applies the precious,
sinless blood of Jesus to a believer’s life so their sins can be blotted out.” The apostle Paul taught this truth this way: “For you are all
sons of God through faith in [the gospel of] Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized
into [eis] Christ have put on Christ” (Ga 3:26-27); and
“Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into [eis] Christ Jesus were baptized into [eis] His death? Therefore, we
were buried with Him through baptism into [eis] death…. For if we have been united [or planted] together
in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness
of His resurrection” (Rom
6:3-5).
There is absolutely no way the words buried and
planted could be speaking of Spirit Baptism as some claim. How foolish it would
be to say: “We are buried with Him by Spirit baptism into death.” The Spirit
of God brings life not death. The great apostle revealed that it is water
baptism that places the believer into the death and burial of Christ. He also
revealed that it is Spirit baptism that places the believer into the resurrection
of Christ (Rom 8:11; 1Co 12:13).
Tertullian (AD 200) confirmed this great truth when he proclaimed: “Whence it follows that they [dead saints] who have by faith attained
to the resurrection, are with the Lord after they have once put Him
on in their baptism.” [245]
Cyprian (AD
255) wrote against the validity of water baptism of so-called
heretics who are not Catholic. He argued that if their baptism is legal, then
they have put on Christ, or have entered into His death and burial, and are now
eligible to be born of the Spirit. Cyprian said it this way: “The apostle says, ‘As many of you as have been [water] baptized
into Christ have put on Christ.’ He who having been baptized
among the heretics is able to put on Christ, may
[now] much more receive the
Holy Spirit whom Christ sent.” [246]
Cyril (AD 380),
Archbishop of Jerusalem, in his lecture “On Baptism,” not only connected it to
our entrance into the death and burial of Jesus, but the purification and
salvation of our soul and body. He wrote: “Or know ye not
that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
We were buried therefore with Him by our baptism into death [Rom 6:3-4]…. Since man is of twofold
nature soul and body, the purification also is twofold. The one
incorporeal for the incorporeal part, and the other bodily for the body: the water cleanses the body,
and the Spirit seals the soul; that we may draw near unto God, ‘having our heart sprinkled’ by the Spirit, ‘and our body washed
with pure water….’ For without both thou canst not
possibly be made perfect. It is not I that say this, but the Lord Jesus
Christ, who has the power in this matter: for He saith, ‘Except a man be born anew of water and of the Spirit, he
cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” [247]
Consisted of Water
and Spirit Baptism
Paul speaking of the New Birth told Titus: “not by the works of righteousness [meaning
keeping the Law of Moses] which we have
done, but according to His mercy [grace] He saved us, through the washing of regeneration
and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Tit 3:5). How did Paul say a believer became born again?
Was it by our good works or by being a good moral person or keeping the Law of
Moses? No, it was by our entering into the death, burial and resurrection of
Jesus through the New Birth of water and Spirit baptisms. The word “washing” is the Greek word “loutron.” Professor Walter Bauer, in his Greek-English
Lexicon Of The New Testament And Other Early Christian Literature, defined it as: the
bath of the whole body that brings about the New Birth. [248]
The word “regeneration”
is the Greek word “paliggenesia, Dr. James Strong, in Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Of The
Bible, defined it to mean: rebirth,
the state or act. [249]
Archbishop Trench, in his Synonyms of The
New Testament, stated: The washing of regeneration
whereof St. Paul speaks has to do with that New-Birth. [250]
The Tyndale
Bible (AD 1525) and
The Great Bible (AD
1539) translated this verse thus: “He saved us by the fountayne of the Newe Byrth;” the Rheims
Bible (AD 1582) as:
“the laver of
regeneration;” the NIV
translated as: “He saved us through
the washing of the rebirth;” Weymouth as: “the
bath of regeneration;” Young as: “a bathing of regeneration:” Rotherham as: “the bathing
of the new birth;" the New Revised Standard Version as: “the water of rebirth,” and The English Bible In Basic English as:
“the washing of the new
birth and the giving of new life in the Holy Spirit.”
Drs. M’Clintock and Strong speaking of this verse
stated: All the ancient and most modern commentators have
interpreted it [water] of baptism.... Calvin
held that the bath meant baptism. [251] The
conclusion of this verse is really inescapable, that is, the apostle
connects the New Birth with water baptism. Only a very bias theologian, or a
blinded brainwashed believer, would deny that this verse teaches that the water
baptism is part of God’s New Birth plan! Those who teach that water baptism
denies God’s grace, in actually, are preventing those who believe their
doctrine of devils from receiving God’s grace. For no one can receive God
grace, that is, enter into the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ any
other way than the New Birth of “water
and Spirit’ (Jn 3:5)!
Paul again confirmed Jesus’ teaching that the New
Birth consisted of water and Spirit baptism, when he told the Corinthians: “But you were washed,
but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name
of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1Co
6:11). How did the Corinthians
become washed, sanctified and justified? Paul says it was by becoming born
again of water and Spirit. They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ and they received the gift of the Holy Ghost. If my readers would
compare this verse with Act 2:38,
they would discover that the name of the Lord Jesus was received in water
baptism. Sanctification and justification begin at the New Birth, but it
continues all through the life of the believer. This is the second passage that
confirms Jesus’ teaching that the New Birth consisted of “water and Spirit.”
Dr. Hastings speaking of the above verse in
Corinthians wrote: water baptism
is not mentioned but certainly implied, it is represented as a cleansing
effected through the name of the Lord and through the Divine Spirit....
The importance of this passage is that it explains that baptism can produce
these effects because it works in the name.... Baptism is regarded as
really giving these results, and not merely as a sign. [252]
When a believer is water baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
he or she is not only identifying with Jesus’ death and burial, but is actually
entering into Jesus’ death and burial. Identifying is only symbolism but
entering into is receiving all the benefits of Jesus’ great atonement. There is
a world of difference between those two concepts! I might also add, water
baptism in the name of Jesus is the only way a believer can become adopted into
God’s family, and receive or take on His name as His child (Eph 3:14-15)!
Let my
readers take note, water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit
baptism, or the New Birth experience, is how Christians become washed,
sanctified and justified in the sight of God. Water baptism alone did not do
it, and Spirit baptism alone did not do it, for it takes both to do it. This is
true because, as I stated before, no one can receive the death, burial and
resurrection of our Lord and Savior any other way than by being born of water
and Spirit. All through the book of Acts water and Spirit baptism are mentioned
together when anyone became born again, or had the blood of Jesus applied to
them (Acts
2:37-38; 8:12,15-17; 9:17-18 & 22:16; 10:44-48; 19:1-6).
Jesus also taught the New Birth in mystery form,
for He said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless
you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have
no [Eternal] Life in you” (Jn
6:53). The only way anyone can
become partakers of His flesh and blood, or enter into His death, burial, and
resurrection, is by becoming born of water and Spirit. The Lord’s Supper is a
memorial, or a symbolic expression, of the price our dear Lord paid to save us
from a devil’s hell and give us the great gift of Eternal Life. By the way, the
gift of Eternal Life is the Lord Jesus Christ, for he is Eternal Life (1Jn
1:1-2). Therefore, the Lord’s Supper
is God way of reminding us of His great love for us, and how we became
partakers of His body and blood by means of the New Birth.
Spirit, Water, And Blood Bear
Witness To The New Birth: No one can
separate water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and Spirit baptism
from the blood of Christ. The apostle John
told all true believers that the New Birth is how the blood of Jesus is applied
to their spirit, soul and body. He said that these baptisms constitute one
witness to them concerning their salvation. John said it this way: “and three
are [eisi]
who are testifying [martureo] in the earth,
the Spirit, and the water, and the blood, and the three are [eisi] into the one” (1Jn 5:8, YLT). According
to Drs. Friberg, the Greek verb “eisi” means: “be, relating to what exists; (1) to denote God's
existence (HE 11.6); o` w;n the one who is, exists (RV
1.4); (2) to denote Christ's self-designation of himself evgw, eiv. I am (JN 8.58). [253]
The Greek verbal participle “martureo” is plural in number, and it means witnessing or
testifying.
Therefore, according to John, the Spirit baptism,
water baptism, and the blood of Jesus, are all witnessing on the earth of one
thing, that is, the Eternal Life that comes from Christ’s death, burial,
and resurrection. John confirmed this truth when he declared: “If we receive the witness of men, the witness [marturia] of God is greater; for this is the witness [marturia] of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in [eis - into] the Son of God has the witness [marturia] in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because
he has not believed the testimony [marturia] that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony [marturia]: that God has given us Eternal Life, and this [Eternal] Life is in His Son” (verses 9-11). “Marturia” is the Greek noun form of the verb “martureo.” Hence,
if we have truly believed into Christ, then we will have a witness of
the blood, a witness of water baptism in His Name, and a witness
of God’s Holy Spirit, that our faith, obedience, and belief in the gospel
of Christ is a correct one.
Paul, like Jesus and John, taught that water
baptism and Spirit baptism constitute one New Birth, which brings to us the
Eternal Life that is in Christ. Paul taught that there is one and only one: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph
4:5). There are no
contradictions between this verse and the one in Hebrews, where Paul spoke of
the foundational doctrines the Church was founded upon. He wrote: “Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead
works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms” (Heb
6:1-2). Therefore, Paul
revealed that water and Spirit baptisms are considered as one baptism in
the sight of God. In other words, the New Birth does not consist of water
baptism alone, or Spirit baptism alone, but it takes both to constitute the New
Birth; one is incomplete without the other, for no one can be saved by one
alone, it takes both to receive Eternal Life! It takes both to enter into
Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection.
It takes both to apply the blood of Christ to a
believer’s soul and spirit. This is
why God used the imagery of the blood being applied in three
places in the Old Testament in connection to the salvation He provided for
His children: 1) God saved all the firstborn children of God in Egypt from
death, who had the Lamb’s blood applied on the two side posts
and the lintel of the door to their home. 2) Under the Old or Mosaic
Covenant, God would not blot out Israel’s sins on the Day of Atonement, until
the Lamb’s blood was applied on the Brazen Altar in the Outer
Court, all the furniture the Holy Place, and on the Mercy Seat in
the Holy of Holies. All of these types represented Jesus’ death, burial,
and resurrection, and the New Birth of “water and Spirit” that placed us into Christ!
Blood Is
for the Remission of Sins: The Bible
clearly revealed that the precious blood of Jesus is for the remission of sins (Rom
3:25; Ga 1:4; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; Heb 9:22; Rev 1:5). It also informed us that Jesus’ death at
Calvary alone did not bring remission of sin, but it also took His resurrection
from the dead, before His holy sinless blood could be applied to the human
race. For “if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you
are still in your sins” (1Co 15:17). Therefore, Jesus had to die,
and be buried, and be resurrected from the dead before His holy sinless blood
could remit anyone’s sins.
At the Lord’s
Supper, Jesus connected the New Covenant with His blood when He said, “For
this is my blood of the New Testament [or New Covenant], which is shed
for many for [eis] the remission [aphesis] of sins” (Mt 26:28). The
Greek noun “diatheke”
is used 33 times and is translated as covenant 20 times, testament 13 times. It
means a testament or will, a compact or a covenant. The Greek word “aphesis” is used 17
times, and is translated as remission 9 times, forgiveness 6 times, deliverance
1 time, and liberty 1 time. Dr. Thayer declared it means: 1)
release from bondage or imprisonment 2) forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting
them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty. [254]
The Word of God clearly declares that everyone
who wants to be saved must enter into Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection, by
means of the New Covenant, to have the blood of Jesus applied to their spirit,
soul and body. For the scripture says: “This is the
covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: ‘I will
put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,’ then
He adds, ‘Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ Now
where there is remission [aphesis] of these, there is no longer an offering for sin” (Heb 10:16-18).
The Name
of the Lord Jesus Christ in Water Baptism Is for the Remission of Sins: Jesus gave His apostles and disciples the Great
Commission or the Gospel of the New Covenant. He told them “repentance and
remission [aphesis] of sins should
be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Lk 24:47). Peter,
being in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, obeyed the Great Commission by
preaching water baptism for the remission of sins, in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ. He told the believing Jews, who believed the gospel: “Repent,
and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for [eis - into] the
remission [aphesis] of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit”(Acts
2:38). In both passages of scriptures, Dr. Luke connected remission of
sins to the name of Jesus, which Peter connected to water baptism.
The Greek preposition “eis” is in the accusative
case (direct
object) and essentially means “into.” Some preachers who distort or twist
the Word of God declare that “eis” should be translated as: “because of the remission of
sins.” The NIV, DBY, RSV, NAB, and NAS all translate it as “for,” and the ASV as
“unto.”
There is not one translation of the Bible that I know of that translated “eis” as “because of.” Not one
of these false prophets would dare translate or interpret Matthew 26:28 as: “This is my blood… which is
shed for many because of [eis] the remission [aphesis] of sins” (Mt 26:28). In this passage,
the preposition “eis”
is also in the “accusative
case!” O’ the pits deceivers fall into when they sow their seeds of
deceit.
Peter
preached the same New Birth message to the gentiles at Cornelius’ house as he
did to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost. He said: “To
Him [Jesus] all the
prophets witness that through His name, whoever believes in [eivj -
into] Him will receive remission [aphesis] of sins” (Ac 10:43).
Cornelius and those in his house then received the Holy Ghost and began to
praise God in tongues. Now, since water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ, for the remission of sins, and is part of God’s New Birth message,
Peter “commanded them to be
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ” (Verse 48,
NIV, also see the ASV, NAS, NAB, RSV, & TLB). Therefore, their
New Birth consisted of being born of the Spirit first and then the water!
Ananias
obeyed the Great Commission for he told Paul, three days after he became
a believer in the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord: “Why are you waiting? Arise, and be baptized, and wash
away [apolouo] your sins, calling upon the name of the
Lord” (Ac 22:16)!
Since the verb is in the imperative mood, it is a command and not an
option; and because it is in the middle voice, it means to be cleanse or
purified from sins. Therefore, water baptism in the New Birth is definitely
connected to the blood of Christ, which is for the remission of sins. As we
look for the harmony in all of the above scriptures, we should ask where, or at
what point, does the precious blood of Christ remit a believer’s sins? Is it at
the moment one believes the gospel? If so, why has God through His Word
connected water baptism in the name of Jesus and Spirit baptism with remission
of sins? Is it when a believer is baptized in the name of Jesus? If so, why has
God connected Spirit baptism with remission of sins? Is it when a believer is
baptized into the Spirit? If so, why has God connected water baptism in the
name of Jesus with remission of sins?
Permit me to ask you a question; can one
Scripture in the Holy Word of God contradict another? Since the obvious answer
is no, let us follow the principles of hermeneutics and find an interpretation
that will harmonize with all the scriptures on this most important doctrine.
The only logical conclusion would be that our sins are remitted through the
blood of Christ, which is applied to us when the name of Jesus is invoked over
us in water baptism, and when we receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The
Bible calls this the New Birth.
Another way of stating the above truth, is by
saying, our Day of Atonement, by which our sins are blotted out of God’s memory
forever, will only come on the day we complete the New Birth. If we have been
baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and we have not received the Holy Ghost,
our Day of Atonement has not come. If we have received the Holy Ghost and have
not been baptized in Jesus’ Name, our Day of Atonement is still in the future,
for it has not yet come. God by His great grace cleanses our conscience
from all the guilt of sins the moment we believe the gospel and repent
of our sins, but He will still remember our
sins until our Day of Atonement has come. Therefore, it is absolutely
imperative that we believe into the death and burial of Christ by
being water baptized in the holy sin cleansing name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and believe into His resurrection by being baptized in the Holy Ghost.
The blood of our Passover Lamb can only be applied to our spirit, soul and body
by means of the New Birth.
Performs Heart
Surgery on the Believer
God established a covenant with Abraham, in which
circumcision was given as a sign and a seal of this covenant. Paul said
Abraham: “received the sign of
circumcision, [as a] seal of the
righteousness of the faith he had” (Rom 4:11). Every male child that was not circumcised was
not in a covenant relationship with God and was under the death sentence. God
spoke to Abraham and said: “the
uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin,
that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant” (Gen 17:10-14). There
was absolutely no way anyone could be saved without circumcision under God’s
Old Testament Covenant. The covenant of circumcision was symbolic of
cutting off the very fountainhead of sin, which came from the heart of man. God
told Israel: “Circumcise yourselves
to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart… lest my fury
come forth like fire” (Jer 4:4).
The apostle Paul told the Colossians that Jesus
Christ performed heart surgery on them or circumcised their hearts in water
baptism. This circumcision of the heart made it possible for the Holy Spirit to
reign freely on the throne of their heart. Paul said that the believer was: “circumcised with the circumcision made without
hands” (Col 2:11-12). What
was the result of this circumcision? The “putting off the body of the sins of the flesh.” Where did this body of sin originate? Jesus
taught sin originates in our heart (Mt 15:18-19; Rom 2:29). Where did this heart surgery take place? “Buried with Him in baptism, wherein also you are risen
with Him.”
The apostle Paul openly declared in the above
verses that God circumcised our hearts in water baptism, where our human
spirit no longer desires to live in or practice sin. Drs. M’Clintock and
Strong speaking of this verse wrote: The obvious reason for the comparison
of the two rites is that circumcision was the entrance to the Jewish
Church and the Ancient Covenant. They
continued by saying: whereas water baptism is the entrance into the
Christian Church and the New Covenant.... Paul therefore calls baptism the
circumcision made without hands and speaks of the putting off of the sins of
the flesh. [255]
For this reason, Paul declared that God’s children have power over sin, whereby we are no longer its slaves. Paul wrote: “How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it” (Rom 6:2)? Paul went on to tells us how and when we became dead to sin. He said: “Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried [sunthapto]