7 Major Visions of 1933
Followers of William Branham's Message often refer to a series of "7 Major Visions" he had in 1933 as a milestone in his prophetic ministry. At the time he had these visions, he wrote them down on a piece of paper which he kept tucked into one of his Bibles (see, "Teaching on Moses," preached in 1956, message #56-0513). He reads the list of 7 visions from his original copy in the sermon, "Condemnation by Representation" (message #60-1113):
Another serious problem is regarding the very existence of the original list of visions. As we just noted, WMB said that he kept this list in one of his Bibles. This would seem to be a very important artifact to Message believers, so I contacted Voice of God Recordings in 2003 to ask them where this paper was today. I received a response from a staff member of VOGR who said to me, "We do not have a copy of the original list of visions from 1933, as it was placed in the cornerstone of The Branham Tabernacle when the building was erected that year."
Placed in the cornerstone of his church in 1933? How could that be when WMB said in 1956 that he kept it in his Bible, and then read directly from it in 1960?
It turns out that in the 1970's, a car crashed into Branham Tabernacle, damaging the original cornerstone of the church. Members of Branham Tabernacle saw this as an opportunity to examine its important contents but found it empty! (see, The Mystery of the Empty Cornerstone, by "Believe the Sign") So why did VOGR tell me that this list of visions was in the cornerstone? Did WMB really have this famous series of visions in 1932? Or even in 1933? Did he even have any such visions at all? If this list were found in the cornerstone of Branham Tabernacle, then we could say that was proof that he at least had told people about those visions as early as 1933. But since we have no record of WMB even mentioning the visions before March 26, 1953 (the sermon, "Israel at the Red Sea #1", message #53-0326, is the first recorded incidence of WMB mentioning these visions), then there is no evidence he made any of those predictions before they came to pass.
Here are the 7 visions as presented by WMB from the list he wrote in 1932 or 1933:
FDR To Lead the World to War
It's important to note that this list evolved and changed over time. By the time the "Church Ages Book" was published, the order and many of the details of the visions were quite different. Here are the 7 visions as described on pages 321-322 of, An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages, published c. 1965:
Now, let's examine the visions and their fulfillments as he read through them from his original list.
William Branham claimed to have had 7 major visions in 1932 or 1933 in which he saw several events that would take place in the world between then and 1977. He said of one of his visions:
He also said:
He also said: Germany never picked on us; we picked on them, throwed the whole world into a war, to cause a world war. [Germany actually declared war on the US first on December 11, 1941. Roosevelt responded by requesting a declaration of war against Germany from Congress later that day, which they did--JohnK] The earliest reference we have to this series of seven visions was in 1953. Mr. Branham apparently did not study the history of World War II before telling his followers of this prophecy. Historians indicate that World War II began on September 1, 1939 and ended on August 15, 1945. There were as many as 23 countries that declared war before the United States did at the end of 1941. Mr. Branham must have discovered that by the time he published his Church Ages book in 1965. By then he changed the instigator of the World War from Roosevelt to Hitler:
1932: (Listen to this.) As I was on my way… Or as I was getting ready to go on my way to church this morning, it came to pass that I fell into a vision. Our services is being held on Meigs Avenue at the old orphans' home, where Charlie Kern lives in part of the building." (He lives just across the street now, you know.) And it came to pass that while I was in this vision I seen some dreadful things take place. I speak this in the Name of the Lord.
Before we continue, it's important at the start to mention a couple of problems with this paper he's reading from. First, as WMB reads directly from the paper which he said was the orinal copy, we hear that he reads the date as "1932." So why do Message believers refer to them as the "7 Major Visions of 1933?" Probably because WMB always said he had them in 1933, except here when he read from the actual list he made.
Mussolini
Watch Russia
Women Will Elect the Wrong Person
The Maginot (or Siegfried) Line
Egg-shaped, Driverless Car
Destruction of the United States
The president which now is, President Franklin D. Roosevelt... (Now remember, this is twenty-eight years ago.) will cause the whole world to go to war...
Condemnation by Representation, Jeffersonville, IN, (tape #60-1113)We now have a president (Dwi... Mr. Roosevelt), and this Mr. Roosevelt will cause the world to go into a world war through his--in his time of his administration, his--his--as president.
Conference, Shreveport, LA (tape #60-1125)
Condemnation by Representation, Jeffersonville, IN, (tape #60-1113)The next vision foretold that an Austrian by the name of Adolph Hitler would rise up as dictator over Germany, and that he would draw the world into war.
Below is a list of countries and the dates they "voluntarily" entered or declared war during WWII:
(An Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages, page 321)
Germany: September 1, 1939
Australia: September 3, 1939
France: September 3, 1939
Great Britain: September 3, 1939
New Zealand: September 3, 1939
South Africa: September 6, 1939
Canada: September 10, 1939
USSR: September 17, 1939
Italy: June 10, 1940
Japan September 22, 1940
Bulgaria: April 24, 1940
Romania: June 22, 1941
Hungary: June 27, 1941
India: December 7, 1941
Panama: December 7, 1941
Yugoslavia: December 7, 1941
Costa Rica: December 8, 1941
Dominican Republic: December 8, 1941
El Salvador: December 8, 1941
Haiti: December 8, 1941
Honduras: December 8, 1941
Nicaragua: December 8, 1941
Manchukuo: December 8, 1941
Netherlands: December 8, 1941
United States: December 8, 1941
China: December 9, 1941
Cuba: December 9, 1941
Guatemala: December 9, 1941
Slovakia: December 12, 1941
Croatia: December 14, 1941
Czechoslovakia: December 16, 1941
Albania: December 17, 1941
Belgium: December 20, 1941
Thailand: December 25, 1941
Mexico: May 22, 1942
Brazil: August 22, 1942
Ethiopia: December 14, 1942
Iraq: January 17, 1943
Burma: August 1, 1943
Iran: September 9, 1943
Columbia: November 26, 1943
Bolivia: December 4, 1943
Liberia: January 27, 1944
San Marino: September 21, 1944
Paraguay: February 7, 1945
Peru: February 12, 1945
Uruguay: February 15, 1945
Venezuela: February 15, 1945
Turkey: February 23, 1945
Egypt: February 24, 1945
Syria: Feburary 26, 1945
Lebanon: February 27, 1945
Saudi Arabia: March 1, 1945
Finland: March 3, 1945
Argentina: March 27, 1945
Chile: April 11, 1945
Mon Peo Rep: August 9, 1945
This vision is another example of Mr. Branham's many prophecies that history has not borne out to be true.
To see an archived discussion of this topic at our forum (June 20, 2002), Click Here.
...and the new dictator of Italy, Mussolini, shall make his first invasion towards Ethiopia, and he will take Ethiopia; but that'll be his last. He shall come to his end.
We know from history that between his invasion of Ethiopia (1935) and his death (1945), Mussolini seized Albania (1939) and invaded Greece (1940).
("Condemnation by Representation")
For a brief discussion of this at my forum in November, 2002, Click Here.
We will be in war with Germany. Watch Russia. (Now, that's...) Communism, Nazism, and Fascism... Watch Russia. But that is not the main one to watch.This prophecy actually changed dramatically from the original during the course of WMB's life. The supposed fulfillment doesn't even match the prediction as it was originally prophesied.
(Condemnation by Representation)
See, Communist Russia Will Destroy Vatican.
It shall--also has been an evil thing done in this country; they have permitted women to vote. This is a woman's nation, and she will pollute this nation as Eve did Eden... In her voting she will elect the wrong person...Then when these women help elect the wrong person, then I seen a great woman rise up in the United States, well-dressed and beautiful, but cruel in heart. She will either guide or lead this nation to ruination. (I've got in parenthesis "perhaps Catholic church.")Which evolved into,
(Condemnation by Representation)
And I said, "It will come to pass before the end time comes that there will be a great woman stand up in the United States, because the United States is marked woman. Her number is thirteen, and she'll rise up, either be president, or (I put it in parentheses) perhaps the woman being beautiful and attractive will be the Catholic church but cruel at heart, and she'll lead the nation to pollution.Which evloved into,
"Conference," November 11, 1960, sermon #60-1125)
Now, that brings us then to the election of President Kennedy, and this car coming on the—on the scene, bringing five things out of the seven that has happened exactly. Now, I predicted and said, "I saw a great woman stand up, beautiful looking, dressed in real highly royals like purple," and I got little parenthesis down here, "(She was a great ruler in the United States, perhaps the Catholic church.)" A woman, some woman… I don't know her to be the Catholic church. I don't know. I can't say. Only thing I seen, I seen the woman; that was all. But this is a woman's nation. This nation is number thirteen in prophecy. She's got thirteen stripes, thirteen stars; she started thirteen colonies. Thirteen, thirteen, everything's thirteen, appears in the 13th chapter of Revelations even. She's thirteen, and she's a woman's nation.President Kennedy and Jackie are both gone and Message believers still don't know what to make of this prophecy. Even as recently as the 2008 presidential election Message believers were excited that Hillary would be the fulfillment of this vision (cruel, yes, but beautiful?!).
("The Seventieth Week Of Daniel,' August 6, 1961)
The Americans will take a great beating at a place that Germany will build, which will be a great wall built of concrete (The Maginot Line, eleven years before it was ever built.) But finally they will be victors.The Maginot Line was a wall of defense built by France, not Germany, in order to provide the French with a barrier from the Germans. Construction of the Maginot Line started in 1929 and ended in 1940, so it was already in the process of being built in 1933. Later in his ministry (1959), Mr. Branham re-identified the barrier where he said the Americans would suffer a terrible beating as the Siegfried Line, which was a system of pillboxes and strong points built by Germany along the German western frontier in the 1930s (Encyclopædia Britannica). The Americans successfully breached the Siegfried Line after suffering heavy casualties during Germany's defeat.
(Condemnation by Representation)
A few years ago at our forum a member named Casey made an interesting comment on this issue. He said,
I would like to mention that perhaps Mr. Branham had “great wall of concrete” written down, and added the name of the wall he was linking it to,(never had the name on paper) as he was reading it. However it wasn’t built 11 years later, more like 5 years later something doesn’t add up. One thing to know is the U.S. forces hit the Siegfried line in Sep. 1944 attacking Germany. So Branham might be figuring from 1933-1944 to get his eleven years. Still, to say that it was told 11 years before it was ever thought of, is not true. As far as I have seen there was actually no literal “wall of concrete” but a series of “dragon tooth “ tank obstacles and bunkers made of concrete that compiled the Siegfried line known by the Nazi’s as Hitler’s West Wall. One question I have is was there a WALL ? Why I ask is it seems as the Maginot line best fit’s a wall description . I know it wasn’t built by the Germans, but that’s the wall WMB first linked his vision with. I think there is something more too this wall vision that perhaps can be worked out with more knowledge of the two lines. Or maybe not . Has anyone looked that deep into both lines? Was there a "Wall of concrete" ? Im still searching but thought maybe someone here would know. (Post #2706.1, February 14, 2009)While there were no battles along the Maginot Line where there were particluarly heavy American casualties, there were a series of battles along the Siegfried Line that cost about 140,000 American lives. Any way one interprets history regarding either the Maginot Line or the Siegfied Line, the facts to not line up to WMB's prophecy.
Also, science will progress, especially in the mechanical world. Automobiles will continue to get like egg shape. Finally they will build one that won't need a steering wheel. (They've got it now.) It will be controlled by some other power.
("Condemnation by Representation")
In WMB's 4 earliest references to his 7 major visions of 1933 (March 1953, May 1955, January 1957, March 1957), he mentions that in the future, cars will be manufactured in the shape of an egg. In June 1957, he added a new detail to his vision. It was then that he first suggested that he saw the cars driving by some sort of driverless, self-guided system:
"The cars in that day will be shaped like an egg, running back like in this form there. And it'll be controlled by some kind of a power that they won't even have to use the steering wheel at times, just set her and go on like that (See?), before the annihilation."
("Life," sermon #57-0602)
Then, in August, 1961, WMB expands the details of this vision further by saying,
What happened between March 1957 and June 1961 to cause WMB to add two significant details to his vision that he never made mention of before? I've said in the past that I remember seeing an educational film in grade school during the mid 60's in which I saw a glass, bubble-topped, self-guided car with a family in the back playing what I thought was a game of checkers. I've searched and written to various possible sources, but had not been able to locate this film."Science will progress in such a way until they will make a car that will not have to be guided by a steering wheel, and the cars will continue to be shaped like an egg until the consummation, the end time. I seen American family going down the road in a broad way, riding in a car with their backs turned towards where the wheel should be; looked like they were playing checkers or cards."
("The Seventieth Week of Daniel," sermon #61-0806)
In 2007, it was brought to my attention by a reader of this Website (Bill Aho, who found the ad in his personal files and alerted me to it) that this car was depicted in a mid-1950's magazine as an advertisement for America's Independent Electric Light and Power Companies. This particular ad was actually published in several magazines in 1956. It shows a driverless car with a family in the back seat area playing what appears to be the game of dominoes (see photo above on left).
It seems that, once again, we have an example of where WMB has borrowed elements of a "vision" from events that had already taken place. WMB never claimed his 1933 vision depicted a self-guided car with a family playing a game in the back until long after this photo was published in 1956.
Addendum: August 4, 2015. Recently I discovered the film I had seen as a grade-schooler in a YouTube video "Believe the Sign" posted on their Facebook page. The video depicts the car on Disney's TV series, "Disneyland," in an episode called, "Magic Highway U.S.A." which aired in May, 1958--over three years before WMB first said he saw a family playing checkers in this driverless car! (see above photo on right).
To see a discussion on this topic at our forum (January 17, 2007), Click Here.
Then I seen the United States as one smoldering, burnt-over place. It will be near the end. (Then I've got in parenthesis: "I predict that this will take place." Now, remember, the Lord ne... That's what the Lord showed, but "I predict this will take place before 1977.") Upon this prediction, I base, because of the onrushing slaught that's coming now, how fast that it was moving, how long it'll take till this nation meets its place.Even though this prophecy has yet to be fulfilled, William Branham predicted by "Divine inspiration" that it would be complete by 1977.
("Condemnation by Representation)
To read a discussion we had on WMB's infamous predictive false prophecy (June 26, 2002), see 1977.