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Question 2 (BM2) - Was William Branham a prophet?: Difference between revisions

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Question 2 (BM2) - Was William Branham a prophet? (view source)

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==BM2 reply==
==BM2 reply==
You said >>>>>I will do my best to respond to your email.  You seem to think that being part of a “group” is somehow relevant.  We, all of us, have this in common; we were once dedicated to the message of William Branham, believed him to be a prophet of God, and worshiped in message assemblies.  We, all of us through different circumstances and at different times came to discover that there were issues with the message of William Branham that could not be reconciled with the Word of God.
I say.....You missed my point entirely Brother. My point was a little attempt at humor...because of the statement you made...in saying that you weren't with a group...but just a bunch. A group and a bunch are the same thing when the agenda is the same.....just in case you didn't know that there are exact meanings among different words. When I was in grammar school they were called synonyms. Perhaps that is why your BUNCH has had such a difficult time understanding William Branham's Kentucky English.
The same thing happened in the ministry of the LORD JESUS. Scripture declares that the COMMON people heard Him gladly...but the intellectual Pharisees stumbled at His words. I do seriously wonder...if the same pattern could repeat today! As I have told you before....I teach the MESSAGE directly from Scripture and many times ....we take a historical study on the Book of Revelation .....as was taught in the opening of the Seals. By the way....the Book of Revelation....of JESUS CHRIST...was written some time after the death of Paul and is relevant to SALVATION. John wept you know...because the Book was sealed and needed to be opened and revealed.
Oh yes...your little twist of Brother Branham saying one time....that he felt John wept for joy because of the Book.  AFTER Brother Branham was corrected by the visitation in the opening of the Seals....he never used that phrase again. In fact...he emphasized the cause .....as the Book being sealed and the NECESSITY of it being opened. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that Brother Branham grew in his understanding as his ministry progressed...no differently than all the Disciples including Paul.
You said >>>>>I think you have lost sight of what the Holy Spirit has done since He arrived on the scene at Pentecost.  The Holy Spirit has been “poured out” onto the whole world for the benefit of everyone who confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior:
I say........You have got to be kidding me Brother. I was raised under the Pentecostal movement and experienced everything that timeframe had to offer. I have seen people in all walks of life "CONFESS" JESUS CHRIST as LORD and Saviour and some...if not most.... lived like the devil....still making your generic claim. That's Baptist theology...the once in grace.....always in grace error.
On the day of Pentecost...there was a sequential manifestation of the Holy Ghost...that got the attention of those outside. That order of manifestation was followed with a sermon by Peter....the man to whom was given..... the "KEYS TO THE KINGDOM". His sermon was capped by the "KEYS" being turned in the DOOR...CHRIST JESUS....and they were commanded to REPENT and then be Baptized in the Name of the LORD JESUS CHRIST...so that their SINS COULD BE REMITTED! No one can truly confess CHRIST....without being obedient to HIS WORD...which is the earthly representation of HIS PERSON!  All who try to climb up another way are thieves and robbers....including your wide open door policy..... of over simplification. If your theory was correct...then Scripture would be moot....in stating emphatically...that few would be saved and that....leaving the majority to worship JESUS CHRIST IN VAIN! Not idol worshippers Brother...worshipers of JESUS CHRIST and their worship being unacceptable! I'm not sure which Bible you are reading Brother....but whichever one you are reading....is evidently not being completely/correctly applied.
Besides the unchangeable KEYS TO THE DOOR...... for entry to the Kingdom....one of the Brethren named JOHN.....that was there and experienced all that happened at Pentecost.....made it very clear to some of us....that the Book in the Hand of GOD in his Visions at Patmos....had to be opened and revealed.....to complete the plan of Redemption.
Yes Brother....I am acutely aware what has happened since Pentecost and obviously quite a little more than your oversimplified theory...of how to enter through the DOOR to the Kingdom. You might read Matt. 25 and see that every one who says LORD LORD....doesn't get through the DOOR. It gets shut on the Foolish Virgins and they have to go through the Tribulation for not discerning what the "OIL IN THE VESSEL"... means.
JOHN....in the course of his Visions.... met with a Prophet....who showed him the Book. That Prophet was preparing to come from the other side...with the commission to give rewards and curses. Hope you come around and wake up..... before it's too late. Do note Brother....that particular Prophet told JOHN.... that he...the Prophet..... kept the sayings of the Book of Revelation. So....he would have to be familiar with the understanding of the Book...to KEEP THE SAYINGS! Whoever this Prophet angel is.....someone had better find him and follow his MESSAGE!
Revelation 22:8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
16I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.


=BTS 2 reply=
=BTS 2 reply=




I will respond a point at a time as needs responding.
We should first address Branham’s “Kentucky English”… Branham told us this about his young life:
When I was a boy, my father died. I had ten children to take care of, and I had to work and support my mother and the children. Then since the Lord has sent me out, why, I have–haven’t had a chance.” (53-1129)
I said, “Yes, sir, that’s right.” I said–I said, “I know my grammar’s awful.” I said, ”I’m sorry about that.” I said, “I was raised in a family of ten, and I was the oldest. And my daddy died, and I had to take care of ten children, and my mother…” I said, “I didn’t get a chance to get an education.”  55-1001
Branham told this heart wrenching story several times, not just the two that I put here.  So, let’s discover the truth.  Charles Branham died November 30, 1936.  Now, depending on which of the four birthdates which Branham provided at different times in his life on different documents including two marriage licenses, William Branham was between 27 and 29 years old. He was at the time married to Hope and had two children.  Looking back on Branham’s quotes, which education was it that Branham missed out on exactly?
And here is one of our main points.  When you read Branham’s sermons, even his life story, you can’t tell when Branham is telling the truth!  Clearly in this case he was lying yet again.  Tell me again about his “Kentucky English?”
But I digress.  Back to your email.
One of the interesting things which you have said now a couple of times is that Jesus spoke to people who understood and others stumbled at His Words because they were “intellectual”.  When you mis-speak about scripture like that, it is important to clarify the record for you.  Here are SOME of the things which are spoken in God’s Word concerning wisdom and the knowledge of the Word of the Lord:
Acts 17:10-11 (HCSB)
10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas off to Berea. On arrival, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11 The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
1 John 4:1 (HCSB)
1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to determine if they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Proverbs 1:2-7 (HCSB)
2 For learning what wisdom and discipline are; for understanding insightful sayings;
3 for receiving wise instruction ?in? righteousness, justice, and integrity;
4 for teaching shrewdness to the inexperienced, knowledge and discretion to a young man—
5 a wise man will listen and increase his learning, and a discerning man will obtain guidance—
6 for understanding a proverb or a parable, the words of the wise, and their riddles.
7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Proverbs 18:15 (HCSB)
15 The mind of the discerning acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks it.
Proverbs 15:14 (HCSB)
14 A discerning mind seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
Proverbs 2:1-6 (HCSB)
1 My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you,
2 listening closely to wisdom and directing your heart to understanding;
3 furthermore, if you call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,
4 if you seek it like silver and search for it like hidden treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
To suggest that wisdom and the Knowledge of the Word of the Lord is a bad thing is foolishness, just as scripture says.
Again, I digress.  Back to your email.
The “Wide Open-Door Policy” as you coined it is not ours.  These are the Words of Jesus Christ:
Matthew 28:18-20 (HCSB)
18 Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Notice that Jesus here tells his disciples to “MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS”.  We see the Apostles going to the then-known world and evangelizing the Word of God.
We see people like those in Berea who took this very seriously.  We saw previously how the Apostle Paul spoke about Jesus being HEIR OF ALL THINGS, not just a couple of things:
Hebrews 1:1-3 (HCSB)
1 Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways.
2 In these last days, He has spoken to us by ⌊His⌋ Son. God has appointed Him heir of all things and made the universe through Him.
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
We see the Apostles here invite ANYONE WHO BELIEVES to become a follower of Christ:
Acts 16:31 (HCSB)
31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”
This isn’t exclusivity, this is as “open door” as you can get.  If you reject Jesus as Lord and Savior, then certainly you aren’t saved.  And we are aware of that.  But where did Christ CLOSE THE DOOR??  That bears no resemblance to the Great Commission which Christ gave to His disciples.
Now, I understand why Branham taught “exclusivity”.  He has to.  There are those who will accept Christ, but will reject Branham’s claim to God’s Authority based on his inability to tell the truth, his teaching that which directly opposes scripture, and prophesying that which does not come to pass.  And we have seen how scripture deals with that.  And to teach exclusivity creates a “second class” of Christian which doesn’t exist.  The verse I attached above shows ONE formula for Christianity.  Just one.  Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you SHALL BE SAVED!
The things which you quote in this email which you sent are pure “message” and show almost a disdain for scripture.  They are unscriptural and unsupported by scripture.
By the way, it wasn’t our “little twist” to say that Branham proclaimed that John cried for joy.  We didn’t say that.  We didn’t twist a thing.  Those are Branham’s own words.
This email of yours is a sorry attempt to tell us that I am uneducated and ill-suited to speak about God’s Word.  But you haven’t shown, not one instance, that what we have pointed out about William Branham and his lack of qualification as a prophet of God is untrue.  We show you scriptural definitions about how a prophet qualifies, we show you how Branham fails in the examination as a prophet, and you come to us with OUR lack of understanding.
Perhaps we could get back to the point of this interaction:  DOES WILLIAM BRANHAM QUALIFY AS A PROPHET OF GOD?  OR WAS WILLIAM BRANHAM ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE A FALSE PROPHET?
You have yet to answer the VERY FIRST QUESTION which was brought to you.  Did the Municipal Bridge Vision come to pass as Branham stated using THUS SAITH THE LORD?  Or did it fail?
As in the instance of the examples that we have shown, DID BRANHAM TEACH THAT WHICH DIRECTLY OPPOSES SCRIPTURE?  And finally, DID WILLIAM BRANHAM LIE IN THE NAME OF THE LORD WHILE CLAIMING TO SPEAK WITH GOD’S AUTHORITY?
You see, all three of these things are so.  And we see in this response that Branham couldn’t even be honest about the events in his life which have NO BEARING on the Word of God, but speak to his general credibility.
What this really comes down to is simple… when you read the sermons of William Branham given all of the false statements, teaching which is unscriptural, and failed visions and prophecies, can you know without confusion that which is of God?  We know that God is not confused.  We know that God’s true prophets throughout scripture were not confused.  Why is it that Branham is to be given a pass for being confused?  He teaches both sides of many issues very frequently in his sermons.  His teaching is in many many cases at best extra-scriptural and worst anti-scriptural.
Again, this isn’t about us.  This is about not giving any scriptural support for Branham being a prophet of God.  And if he isn’t a prophet of God, then are people wasting their time basing their salvation, their “exclusive” salvation, on doctrine which is entirely questionable and put forth by someone who doesn’t qualify as God’s representative?
Perhaps at some point we can even speak about the “seals”, or what is commonly referred to since the 1st century AD as “dispensationalism”.  Perhaps we can speak about whether Irenaeus, the very person who Branham claimed was a “prophet messenger” tell us in his writings that this doctrine is heresy.  So, maybe we can ask the question, was God confused between the 1st century and the 20th century?  Perhaps we might discover why Branham’s “special revelation from God” regarding the seven church ages was nearly word for word plagiarism of a book written in 1918 by a man named Clarence Larkin who also taught dispensationalism, and who also claimed to be the “Elijah spirit”.  But again, I digress.
I encourage you to please answer the first question.  Before we go any further, let’s work at figuring out if William Branham really is a prophet of God.  We don’t do this by repeating his extra- and anti-scriptural nonsense.  We do this by examining what the characteristics of a prophet of God are, and examining whether Branham possesses those characteristics.  Remember our very first exchange when I asked what your scriptural definition of a prophet is?  That is important to understand Branham.  And the rest of this argument over who has the better understanding of scripture, or who is more “plain spoken” versus studied, is just smoke screen and diversion from the qualifications of William Branham to speak with the Authority of God.
So, again, let’s get back to the first question.  Did the Municipal Bridge vision as given several times by Branham and repeated by others who heard it directly from William Branham actually come to pass?
I sincerely hope that we can get to the point of this interaction at some point in the near future.
As always, I await your response.


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