1947-1955
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My gift is not miracles. My gift is to pray for the sick and the afflicted. It's healing, and not miracles. I'm awfully sorry that I ever did decide to perform a miracle before anyone; I am.
("Children In the Wilderness," November 23, 1947, message #47-1123)Comments:
What is William Branham (WM) saying here? Is he saying he has a gift of healing but not the gift of miracles? If performing miracles is not a gift, then how would he explain how he had the ability to perform them? What kind of prophet has the power to perform miracles on his own and not from God?“ ”
And when the Angel of the Lord spoke to me, last time speaking . . . By the way, night before last, I seen him again in the room for the first time for about six months. And... But He never spoke to me. He was just standing by the door looking at me when I turned around. Kinda quickly, I fell on my face. But when I raised up, he was gone again.
("Children In the Wilderness," November 23, 1947, message #47-1123)Comments:
This is an interesting comment William Branham made in passing while talking about about another previous visit by his angel. Why did the angel appear to him for the first time in 6 months with nothing to say? Why did the angel leave as suddenly as it came, having given no reason for his visit? Was "the prophet" hallucinating? Was it just a dream he had while he was in his room alone? If he were a true prophet of God, what would God's purpose be for sending this angel to him just to look at him and then disappear? Only WB knew for sure—or maybe he didn't! How do we know he didn't make the whole thing up? Or worse, how do we know this unidentified angel who continued to visit him throughout his entire life wasn't the "Angel of Light" himself? (2 Corinthians 11:12-15)“ ”
But the last time he [the angel] spoke with me, he told me what I have been... told you last week. At Vandalia, Illinois, why, he told me I was confining too much of the work to working miracles. And it would come to pass that people would not believe me unless there was miracles performed. And that is true. It's got that way.
("Children In the Wilderness," November 23, 1947, message #47-1123)Comments:
This quote is from the same sermon as the previous two. Notice that his angel told him he was "confining too much of the work to working miracles." If, as we saw in one of his previous quotes, William Branham's gift was not to perform miracles, then why didn't the angel just tell him he should not even be performing miracles at all? If performing miracles wasn't his gift, who was giving him this power to perform them in the first place? Something just isn't right here.“ ”
Have you noticed, always, after I ask or rebuke over a spirit, I'm always perfectly silent for a few moments? Who's noticed that in the meetings, let's see your hands. Have you noticed that? Now, here's what it is. There's three words that I have to repeat at that time. See? And it's the three high words of the Bible. No mortal on earth know it. See? And when I ask that, and then I feel that drop, then it comes shakes back to a place in return of that spirit. Then the person's healed. That's the reason you hear me say that. See? That's what takes place. Now, I did that so you wouldn't be questioning me about it coming through the line. So that is true. Now, I know that you noticed a lot of times when I ask to rebuke, I stand still just for a few minutes and repeat these three words that the Angel of the Lord told me to repeat. Then if I feel it come back, then I know it's done.
("Experiences," March 2, 1948, message #48-0302)Comments:
Three high words of the Bible. What are they? Nobody knows except William Branham. But they're in the Bible, he said. So if they're in the Bible, how is it that nobody knows them? Why did his angel tell him to repeat these words whenever he was to rebuke a spirit? He says that somehow these special words invoke some sort of feeling in him that let's him know when someone has been healed. This is the only time WB mentions this incantation of sorts as far I could find. He never mentioned it again in any of his recorded sermons. But this type of thing is totally absent in the Bible. Certainly Jesus never spoke any mysterious words before He healed someone. None of the Apostles did. This kind of thing seems more in keeping with the occult. WB's "three high words" should be a red flag warning to anyone who believes in the Bible as God's revealed Word.“ ”
Angel of God, I do not see you. But I know that you are standing near. Please, thou knowest my heart, and know how I love these people. Stand by me tonight. And may not one go through without faith. And I know that your Words have been true. I've took you at your Word, for you said you were sent from God. I believed you. And you've stuck by me. You have confirmed the Word with signs following. Now, again tonight, in this March the fifth, this Memorial night, may you stand now and heal every one. Grant it. May every demon be submissive to the Name of Jesus Christ.
("At Thy Word, Lord," March 5, 1948, message #48-0305)Comments:
Here we see William Branham actually praying to his angel. Does the Bible ever instruct us to pray to anyone but God? The Bible says that there is one intercessor between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). There is nothing that WB prayed to his angel that he could not have asked God if he were a true believer. In fact, he even asked his angel to heal everyone! Why would he ask his angel and not God? WB got dangerously close (if not stepping over the line) to worshiping his angel.Let no one disqualify you, insisting on ascetic practices and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm and inflated without cause by his unspiritual mind. (Colossians 2:18).“ ”
He [the angel] said, "I'll be with you." And said, "That you might know, it'll come to pass that you'll take people by the right hand in your left." And said, "You'll feel the results of it (Now, I call it vibrations.) upon your hand. You'll become familiar with that. And you'll tell people all of their diseases, and what they've got in their body. And then if you'll be..."
Now, when I was in Texas the other time, that was in operation. Is that right? Any of you was in my meeting before, raise your hand if that was in operation? And if this... Now, you people raise your hands, all that was in my meeting, and know that was in operation. Not perfect, because I—I guessed at the diseases a whole lot. See? Because I didn't know how it felt.
I'd feel a funny feeling; sometimes female trouble and cancer. I couldn't detect it; it sounds so much alike, was—felt so much alike.
("Moses' Commission," January 10, 1950, message #50-0110)Comments:
William Branham is talking here about the gift the angel gave him to identify diseases people had by taking their hand and feeling the "vibrations" of the diseases in his own hand. The Bible says, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:17). This gift of his, as well as his "gift of discernment," were not perfect. He said he would often guess at the diseases he was supposedly discerning. And as we know from several sermons of his, he sometimes guessed wrong. That is not good. WB's "gift" was not a good and perfect gift. Where in the Bible do we ever see Jesus or the Apostles or prophets from the Old Testament guessing at a Word from the Lord? The fact that WB's gift of discernment was imperfect is evidence that it was not of God. Rather, it seems to have been an ability given to him either by an imperfect source such as his mysterious "angel", or perhaps an invention of his own mind. In any case, this is not what we would expect from a true prophet of the Lord. In fact, it is what we would expect from a false prophet.(For examples of his imperfect gift, (click here and here)
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So therefore, in order to obtain your healing, you'll have to become a Christian after you're healed. And I believe, I would say this, talking of the dual atonement, when you are healed, your sins are forgiven you. I didn't hear very many amens on that, but it's the truth.
("God In His People," February 27, 1950, message #50-0227)Comments:
Maybe William Branham didn't hear very many amens because what he said did not make any sense. He basically just said that to be healed, you have to get saved afterwards. But when you are healed, it shows you are saved. Would you say amen to that?What I think we see here is his attempt to promote his belief of a kind of dual atonement made by Jesus on the cross. This dual atonement (not to be confused with a similarly nick-named doctrine in Seventh-Day Adventism) stems from Isaiah's prophecy:
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.WB believed that when Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He also died for our physical healing, hence, the need for his healing campaigns. The problem is, in the context of Isaiah's prophecy (and repeated by Peter in 1 Peter 2:24) the healing they are both speaking of is our spiritual healing from sin. If WB's understanding of a dual atonement were true, then everyone who becomes born again would also be healed from all their physical diseases. That, of course, rarely happens. But that didn't keep people like WB and all the other so-called faith healers from drawing crowds to their meetings with their empty promises based on a misapplied Bible verse. Jesus' death on the cross was for the immediate forgiveness of sins for those who repent and believe the gospel and the consequent future healing when our perishable puts on imperishable, and our mortal bodies put on immortality when we are raised to everlasting life! (1 Corinthians 15:50-55)
(Isaiah 53:5)“ ”
There's no man can heal, not even Jesus. Jesus didn't claim to be a Divine Healer. He said, "It's not Me that doeth the works; It's My Father that dwelleth in Me; He doeth the works.
("Expectations," April 5, 1950, message #50-0405)See also:
Jesus didn't claim to do any healing. He said, "What the Father shows Me I don't do nothing. I can heal nothing, but just—I do just what the Father shows Me by vision; that's what I do." And you know that's the truth, isn't it? Every Bible reader, scholar knows that's the truth.
("Testimony," November 29, 1953, message #53-1129E)Comments:
Look up the following Bible passages in which Jesus Himself claimed to heal:Matthew 8:2-3; Matthew 8:7; Matthew 9:27-35; Mark 1:40-41; Luke 5:12-13; Luke 14:1-4These passages and many more indicate that Jesus healed people Himself:Matthew 4:23; Matthew 12:15-22; Matthew 21:14; Mark 3:10; Luke 5:15; Luke 13:14-15; Luke 22:50-51So why would William Branham be so adamant that Jesus the man could not heal? Because he did not believe Jesus Himself was truly God (Jesus According to William Branham). He believed that Jesus was a specially created man, made for God to indwell and work through.
WB actually misquoted Jesus when he said that Jesus claimed not to be able to heal. What Jesus said was, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise" (John 5:19). Jesus didn't say He couldn't heal. He said He doesn't do anything without the Father. What He sees the Father do, He does because Jesus is one with the Father (John 10:30).
WB did not understand who Jesus was. A true prophet of God could not contradict Jesus and the rest of the Scriptures as we see WB doing.“ ”
Somebody says, "How does Divine healing... Is it... Does it last all the time?" It lasts just as long as faith lasts. And salvation lasts the same way, just as long as faith lasts. When you feel that you're not saved anymore, you're not saved.
("Ministry Explained," July 11, 1950, message #50-0711)Comments:
William Branham made two very troubling statements here. The first has to do with his teaching that a person can lose their healing if their faith doesn't last. There is not one example in the Bible where Jesus or one of His disciples ever pronounced someone healed who later lost their healing because of any sort of lack of faith. This type of thing is how "faith healers" like WB leave themselves an out for when they pronounced someone healed but it later turned out that the person was never really healed at all. Sometimes WB has sent people away saying that their ailments may even get worse before they got better as the corrupted tissue dies in the person's body. This gives WB time to leave town before the person shows any sign of healing. For those who claimed their healing in one of WB's prayer lines but never received it, all WB had to do is say the person lost their faith and he bears no responsibility for what would otherwise identify him as a false prophet (see, And They Were All Healed Every One).Many people in the Bible were healed even when they had no faith, such as the centurian's servant (Matthew 8:5-13) and the man who was lowered though the roof of a house by his friends (Mark 2:1-12), or even the lame man at the gate of the temple (Acts 3:1-10). God's gifts are perfect and irrevocable (Romans 11:29, James 1:17).
His second troubling statement is even more disturbing. He said that salvation lasts only as long as someone "feels" that they're saved! If any discouraged Christian who has truly been born again has put their confidence in what WB said, how could they find any comfort that God is still their savior? Everyone goes through times of discouragement. Contrary to what WB said, Peter tells us,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.We who have been born again by the precious blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ, can take comfort in knowing that God protects our salvation Himself through our times of distress and discouragement. Even if we feel we're not saved, we can run to Jesus and who guards our faith in Him!
(1 Peter 1:3-5)“ ”
But now, on the platform when someone meets me, then...it's not me that's speaking. When you hear my voice speaking when that inspiration is on, I have no more control of that than you know what you're going to say next New Year's day. I do not have no control of that, it speaks itself. It's my voice, and I'm listening to myself talk just as you're listening to me now talk. I hear myself, what it says to the people—Sometimes take a hold of their hand, I'll wait there, and after while I'll hear what it speaks, just hear myself speak, talking to the people. It's a very strange feeling. And under that anointing, being that my services are so close together, that it's best for me not to be too much under it at a time in one service.
("The Angel of the Lord," May 2, 1951, message #51-0502)Comments:
If it wasn't William Branham that was using his voice, who was it? He didn't say. But what we do know is that whoever it was, they sometimes "discerned" the person's name wrong, sometimes got their addresses wrong, and sometimes got the diseases wrong (see, Discernment Errors in Prayer Lines). So it couldn't have been God using his voice. Could his angel have been speaking through his voice? If it was, could his angel have been a lying spirit to test the people (1 Kings 22:22)? In any case, how could WB have been a prophet of the Lord when there was some sort of entity using his voice and making mistakes in discernment? If this was a test from the Lord, please don't fail the test! Don't follow a false prophet! Turn to Jesus, repent of your sins and believe the Gospel!“ ”
Now, I'm just your brother, by the grace of God. But when the Angel of the Lord moves down, It becomes then a Voice of God to you. Maybe it... If I offended you by saying that, forgive me. But I felt that might been resented. But I am God's Voice to you. See? I say that again. That time was under inspiration. See? And I—I felt bad about the first time, but It repeated it. Now see, I can say nothing in myself. But what He shows me, I say it. You believe it and watch what happens. See, He did.
("My Commission," May 5, 1951, message #51-0505)“ ”
And if we become in spirit sons of God, Deity dwells in the man. Hallelujah! Then you talk about blind eyes being open.
They said nothing impossible to God. God said nothing impossible with you, if you'll believe, not with God, but you. Deity's in man.
The very God that stood back there on the mythical platform of the eternities, and rolled worlds off of His hands, and created these things give you the privilege to be His son, and you're a part of Him. And God dwells in mankind, and man himself is Deity. Hallelujah! There you are. It might choke you, but study over that a little while.
("Resurrection of Lazarus," July 29, 1951, message #51-0729A)“ ”
Now, sir, you are a stranger to me. I don't believe I know you. If I've ever met you, I don't remember. This is our first meeting. If that's... that's right, isn't it? It's our first meeting. Then you're altogether a stranger. Does anybody here know this man? All right. Someone knows him then. And you know the man to be an honest man. I suppose he is. He—he's a Christian; I know that. For his spirit bears record with this Angel that has me anointed now, this—this powerful One that comes from the Presence of God, that's on my mortal body now.
("Jesus Christ The Same Yesterday, And Today, And Forever," August 10, 1952, message #52-0810E)“ ”
What's He doing? He's writing His first Bible. The first Bible was ever written, was written in the skies, the zodiac. It starts out with the virgin; that's how He come first. It ends up with Leo the lion, the second coming. And He's writing His first Bible. The second Bible was written, was written by Enoch, and put in the pyramid.
The third Bible was written, and the last one, is this One. [Brother Branham indicates his Bible—Ed.]
God always does things in threes. God is perfect in three. He's perfect. [Brother Branham clears his throat—Ed.] Pardon me. He's perfect in Father, Son, Holy Spirit. He's perfect in justification, sanctification, baptism of the Holy Spirit. He's perfected in His threes.
("The Cruelty of Sin, and the Penalty it Cost to Rid Sin From Our Lives," April 3, 1953, message #53-0403)“ ”
Now, God made Eve from Adam's side. The woman has one more rib today in the anatomy, the make-up than man does, because a rib was taken from Adam's body.
("Questions and Answers on Genesis," July 29, 1953, message #53-0729)“ ”
Now, the first man, now, He made the first man in His image, and we're returning back to that image (That's right.), to our first created image.
When God created me, William Branham, I was before the foundation of the world; He made my being, my spirit. I wasn't conscious of anything as far as I know of, but the... I was there. Oh, I—I don't believe you're getting it. But now, just a minute, Jesus told the disciples that He knew them before the foundation of the world; and Paul said here that He chose us in Him before the world began. Now, there was some part of me, Orman Neville, and the rest of you all here, that's in Christ Jesus before the world ever began. And here's to my analysis of that.
I think that the people today that are possessed with this Spirit, or the spirit, a part of these angelic beings, spirits which rotated off of God, that never fell in the beginning and resisted the devil's lie in heaven...
And two thirds of the earth is in sin, and more than that, which two thirds of the angels was kicked out. And those demon spirits come into people and habitate their body. See what I mean? They're demons that once... They was once existed and they come into the people and give them a nature. Jesus cast seven of them out of Mary Magdalene: Pride, boast (big people, you see?), unclean, filthy, vulgarity, emulations, strife, all these things. See?
Them was spirits that was made up back there when God began to make man off of there in His Own image, created those supernatural beings, those spirits...
And then He put man in the dust of the earth, which was the first man Adam. And that man was made after the image, this human man here, is made after the image of an animal. These human bodies are made in the image of animal.
We got a hand just like a monkey, and—and got a foot like a bear. Take a little cub bear, strip him down, pull the skin off of him and put up the side of a little baby girl and look at the difference. Huh. Brother, you sure have to look close. The whole diaphragm, the make-up, is almost the same, the way it's made and the form of it, and everything just exactly. It's in the image of animal life, because he was made something on the order of the animal, because that was his duty to lead the animal.
("Questions and Answers on Genesis)," July 29, 1953, message #53-0729)“ ”
At about fifteen, eighteen months old I had my first vision . I was standing near a little branch and something spoke to me from the bush and said you're going to live near a city called New Albany. I've spent my life there. Two years later we moved.
("Deep Calleth Unto the Deep," November 4, 1953, message #53-1104)“ ”
Now, here was another one who said... I'd... I—I appreciate this asking. And Almighty God Who is my Judge, standing here now in this sacred spot... Before I left home, the Spirit of the Lord told me, said this question will be laying on here. And I—I knowed nothing about it, but I knew it would be here.
"Is Jehovah Witness a false sect?"
See, somebody... And the Holy Spirit, at the place at the... Standing in my bathroom before coming down here, God, Who is my solemn Judge, told me, "That will be laying on the platform," and said I wouldn't say nothing about it, just go on. See? So I... You know what I said last night, don't you? All right, that's what it was.
("QA, Image of the Beast," May 15, 1954, message #54-0515)“ ”
Now, that's a miracle. Usually when the growth is dead, the life goes out of it. But the growth... If it can't drop off, it's on the inside. And if it does, of course, it'll lay there for a few days and begin to swell up. Like any other flesh, the cells will begin to break. Then you get real sick with a fever. 'Course, it's an infection. Like the heart pumps the blood and purifies the body. There's a big lump of flesh laying loose in your body. The patient gets violently sick. Then you say, "Oh, I—I felt so good on—on the platform and for a day or two. But I guess I've lost my healing."
Why, brother, sister, that's the best sign in the world you've got your healing. See? And then you start disbelieving, and just as sure as your faith taken the life away, your unbelief will bring it back again. See? It will, it'll resurrect it. Remember, Jesus said, "When they unclean spirit went out of a man, he walks in dry places. Then he returns with seven other spirits."
("The Deep Calleth to the Deep," June 24, 1954, message #54-0624)“ ”
"And at that time Michael shall stand, the great prince." Michael was Christ, of course, Who fought the angelic wars in heaven with the devil. Satan and Michael fought together, or fought against each other, rather.
("Beginning and Ending of the Gentile Dispensation," January 9, 1955, message #55-0109E)“ ”
I said, "Brother Best [a critic of William Branham's], I only tell what's truth. And if I'm truthful, God's obligated to back up the truth." I said, "If He isn't... If He won't back up the truth, then He isn't God." And I said, "I do not heal people. I was born with a—with a gift to see things, see it happen." I said, "I know I'm misunderstood, but I can do no more than fulfill the conviction of my heart." I said, "I believe that Jesus Christ raised from the dead. And if the Spirit that comes and shows visions and so forth, if that's questioned, drop around and find out." I said, "That's all." But I said, "But for myself, I can do nothing of my own self." And I said, "If I tell the truth, God's obligated to me, to witness that It is the truth."
("How the Angel Came to Me, And His Commission," January 17, 1955, message #55-0117)“ ”
And when Jesus, a carpenter's Son, physically speaking, when He come to the earth here that's all He was known of, and the day that when John baptized Him, God a vindicated Him. God spoke from the heavens. John saw Him coming in the form a dove, and said, "This is My beloved Son in Whom I'm pleased to dwell." The right translation there is, "In whom I am pleased to dwell in." [William Branham got it wrong on both counts. The actual verse says, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."] Jesus immediately anointed with God, He was just a man till that time, but now He becomes the God-man.
(Jesus Christ the Same Yesterday, Today and Forever, August 6, 1955, message #55-0806)“ ”
Now, it isn't me. You say, "Brother Branham, can you tell me what's wrong with me?" No, sir, I cannot. That's right. But if—if you will believe it with all your heart, now, not imagine it, but believe it with your heart, God will tell you about it. But now, I don't know what I'm saying. I can hear myself, but I'm in another world—another... It's a—it's a sixth sense, or a fourth dimension, it's—or whatever it is.
("Come, Let Us Reason Together," October 4, 1955, message #55-1004)But now, on the platform when someone meets me, then…it's not me that's speaking. When you hear my voice speaking when that inspiration is on, I have no more control of that than you know what you're going to say next New Year's day. I do not have no control of that, it speaks itself. It's my voice, and I'm listening to myself talk just as you're listening to me now talk. I hear myself, what it says to the people…Sometimes take a hold of their hand, I'll wait there, and after while I'll hear what it speaks, just hear myself speak, talking to the people. It's a very strange feeling. And under that anointing, being that my services are so close together, that it's best for me not to be too much under it at a time in one service.
("The Angel Of The Lord," May 2, 1951, message #51-0502)See also:
Many times as you see in the meetings, It calls the people's names and where their from. Now, that shouldn't be spooky to you, brethren. That's the Bible. It's a little contrary to the modern conception of It; but so was Christ contrary to the modern conception of that day. And we know that history repeats itself.
And then—them man, I'd see their name. I couldn't pronounce it. I could just spell it out as I seen it.
("India Trip Report," September 11, 1955, message #55-0911)