The Message on Trial - Part 1: Difference between revisions

Francis admitted at the beginning of this video that he has not taken the time to read the research on Believe the Sign or Seek the Truth. He says he “still doesn't feel the need to.” So we have a man who admits he hasn't studied the evidence accusing those who have studied the evidence of being ignorant. The researchers who compiled hundreds of documents, cross-referenced decades of sermon transcripts, obtained historical records, and built comprehensive databases of Branham's contradictions – these people are “ignorant”? And the man who can't be bothered to read their work is the knowledgeable one? This is projection of the highest order.

Francis claims that “Message people actually want to make people Christians. Message people actually want to make people believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and salvation for sins. We are not even trying to circumvent the Bible.” This sounds reasonable until you examine what the Message actually requires for salvation.

Francis claims they are not trying to circumvent the Bible, yet the Message explicitly teaches that the Bible alone is insufficient – you need Branham's 'revelation' to understand it correctly. This is the very definition of circumventing Scripture. It is identical to what Mormons claim about the Book of Mormon, what Jehovah's Witnesses claim about Watchtower publications, and what every cult claims about their founder's writings. If believing the Bible were truly sufficient, there would be no need for Branham's 1,200 recorded sermons to be treated as essential revelation. The very existence of 'the Message' as a distinct requirement proves that Message believers do not simply want people to believe the Bible – they want people to believe the Bible as interpreted by Branham, which is an entirely different thing. That is circumventing the Bible with a capital C.

'''THE CLAIM:''' Francis claims: “A lot of these people who leave the message are eventually going to leave Christ altogether. I'm saying this because I've already seen it happen.” He argues that critics use the same logic to debunk Branham that atheists use to attack the Bible, therefore those who leave the Message are on a slippery slope to atheism.

'''The Logic Is Not the Same:''' Francis claims critics use “the same logic” against Branham that atheists use against Christ. This is false. Critics of Branham point to: (1) Specific dated predictions that definitively failed (1977); (2) Stories that changed dramatically over time in recorded sermons; (3) Historical claims that can be fact-checked and proven false (meeting kings, etc.); (4) Doctrines that contra