2 Corinthians 6:17

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William Branham taught that the following passages were referring not only to the Roman Catholic Church but to all denominational churches:

2 Corinthians 6:17 (KJV):

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you...

Revelation 18:4 (KJV)

And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, ‘Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

What the Bible teaches

Paul’s instruction in 2 Corinthians 6:14 directs believers to sever close attachments with non-Christians—such as membership in local pagan cults—that would compromise loyalty to Christ or jeopardize Christian witness. This isn’t an injunction against all association with unbelievers; rather, the language about “coming out” and “separating” communicates relational distance rather than literal spatial movement.

Is William Branham use of these passages weaponization? The text in 2 Corinthians 6:17 is not asking for literal exodus or real separation from non-believers, and once understood metaphorically, it cannot serve as a parallel to Revelation 18:4. Exploiting the imperative language to demand total isolation is used by message followers to justify cutting members off from families, friends, and outside perspectives by claiming biblical authority.

Paul himself corrected the Corinthians’ misunderstanding of separation, clarifying that Christians cannot leave the concrete world and must maintain daily contacts with immoral pagans—he prohibited association only with those bearing the Christian name who lived immorally. This nuance is precisely what message groups discard, using separation language to justify control and isolation rather than ethical discernment.

wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people; 10 I did not at all mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the greedy and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then you would have to leave the world.

If one of the unbelievers invites you and you want to go, eat anything that is set before you without asking questions, for the sake of conscience.

The theological intent of 2 Cor. 6:17 and Rev. 18:4 concerns spiritual compromise — not total withdrawal from churches that teach the Bible but are loosely part of a denomination or organization. The Message exploits this by inverting the purpose: instead of protecting believers’ faith commitments, they weaponize separation language to enforce dependency and prevent critical evaluation of Message teachings.

Quotes of William Branham

1954 - If you think denominations don't matter, you're wrong. Denominations are the mark of the beast:

He don’t care what your organization is. It’s nonsense. It’s connected with Catholicism and gone back in it, and stayed in it, and you receive that same mark that she is. Didn’t the angel say, “Come out of her, My people, and be not partakers of her sins, and I’ll receive you”? “Touch not her unclean things, and I’ll receive you,” the Holy Spirit speaking.

“And whosoever takes the mark of the beast, or the letter of his name.” Wish we had time to go into that; my time is up. What’s the letter of his name? Protestantism. “Let us make an image likened unto it. Let us make an organization. Our church is just as big as the Catholic church.” They took all these things. “They had the big churches, and we do, too. We got just as much of the class of the city, in our church, as they have in theirs. Let us make an image unto the beast.” And what’d the Bible said, she is a “WHORE,” and that’s a “HARLOT,” through organization.

1954 - But some denominations might be OK?

So keep out of them isms! Congregate yourself with somebody who believes, associate yourselves. The Bible said, “Yoke yourself not up among unbelievers.” “Be ye separated,” saith God. Come out! The Bible said, “Come out from among them, and be… touch not their unclean things, and I will receive you. I’m the Lord Who stands in the midst of the church.” That’s right. Come out! Don’t associate with such! But let… get yourself among some church, some good church. Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Campbellite, whoever it may be, it don’t make… Where real true believers are in there, they don’t care what the church creed says, they go there to meet with their brothers and sisters and worship God, together. All right.

1962 - Denominations are man-made, so you need to come out:

But God’s chosen Ones are commanded to come out from among them. “Be ye separated,” saith God, “and I will receive you. Touch not their worldly things, and I’ll be a Father to you, or God, and you’ll be My sons and daughters. Yoke yourself not up with unbelievers, but come out of it!” God wants separation from the world. He wants to be unionized with you, Himself. And no man-made scheme of organization, denomination, or any man-made theories will ever stand.

1962 - Denominations are Esau, come out!

Jacob was a perfect type: both of them religious, both of them twins. Esau was the ecclesiastical type. He was a man that was smart. He had good moral stands and things like that, but he didn't have no use for that birthright. Jacob didn't care what he had to do, just so he got the birthright. And as long as they were together they could not produce. Is that right? One was against the other. Have you caught it? Amen! "Come out from amongst it; be ye separate saith God, and touch not their unclean things; I'll receive you," see. Jacob had to separate himself from his denominational brother before God would ever bless him. God told Abraham the same thing. Israel and Moab. The four hundred prophets of Israel stood before Micaiah, and Micaiah separated himself from them and got the Word of the Lord and come back with it. Moses and Korah, same thing, wouldn't mix, they had to separate. Is that true?

1962 - Any church associated with the World Council of Churches is Babylon:

What did this angel say? “Come out of her!” Yes, sir. This angel came to the earth, and he come to bring the Light, and he shined the Light around the world. He was a mighty angel. And he come to proclaim the Message of “Come out of Babylon! Touch not her unclean things!” Got a whole cage full of them. Said, “She’s the cage of every hateful bird.” Yeah, she got a cage full of them now, the World Council of Churches, or lodges. She’s got the whole bunch caged up now, they’re all coming together.

...And when you join up with a citizen…a system, and become a citizen of that system, you are showing what you are. And in this last days, God is calling the people out of it. The Bible said so, “Come out of her, that you be not partakers with her, and I will receive you. Touch not her unclean things, see, and I will receive you. And you’ll be sons and daughters to Me, and I’ll be God to you.” See?

1963 - real Christians leave their denominations

And, remember, this election, is coming now, is just not going to another nation, it’s going to Glory, where their names are wrote on the Lamb’s Book of Life. Not under the natural, little animal lamb that brought Israel out, that they could backslide from there and go back. But, this can’t. This is under the Blood of the Lamb of God that was slain before the foundation of the world. And their names were put on the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation of the world. And they’re in there, elected. And when that Light flashes over them, like that, them denominational walls drop away from them, and here they come. “Come out from among them,” said the Holy Spirit in these last days. “Touch not their unclean things. I’ll be God to you; you be sons and daughters to Me.” Now, watch.

1963 - You have to come out and follow Branham

What was he? Manifestation of the Word, Light. Same God that spoke in Genesis; that spoke this, and here come the Light. As He said, “Let there be light, for the sun,” the sun come in existence; say He said there’d be “a voice of one crying in the wilderness,” here it come forth. It was the Light of the hour. He also said, in the last days! Amen! It’s the Light of the hour, crying in the wilderness of Babylon, “Come out of her, My people, that you be not partakers of her sins. Touch not her unclean thing! Get away from it! Flee from the wrath that is to come!”

1964 - If you are in any kind of organized church, you are dead and need to come out:

Losing your hold on the Word, and accepting creeds and self-exaltation by man’s exhortation, we have seen them lose their hold with the great Holy Spirit. We’ve seen the Pentecostals do the same thing. And you see it. When they organize, they die. There is no way back; there never has been, and there never will be. God is against the thing. It’s really sin. Said, in the last days He’d say, “Come out from among them, My people, that you touch not their unclean things; and I’ll receive you.”

Real Christians believe in racial segregation. This is the meaning of the above scriptures:

Sometime ago, in the South, a little story. There was a king…or, a buyer. They sold slaves. That was in time of—of segregation, and they had slaves in the South. They was a…They’d go by and buy them, just like you would a used car, off of a lot. 187 Now, I am an integrationist, absolutely…I mean a segregationalist. I am a segregationalist. Because, I don’t care how much they argue, you cannot be a Christian and be an integrationist. That’s exactly right. God even separates His nations. He separates His people. “Come out from among them!” He’s a…He is a segregationalist. “Don’t even…Touch not their unclean things!” He pulled Israel, that Jewish race, out of every, all the races in the world. He is a segregationalist.

1965 - Come out of the denominations and follow Branham:

Cannot do it! Now it’s Seed time, or Bride time. The shucks are dead. The shucks are dried up. The virgin Word time, not touched. It’s a virgin, remember, a virgin Word time. If you’d put It in the hands of a denomination, It sure won’t be virgin; It’ll be man-handled, time you get to It. But God’s Church is not touched by denomination. Hallelujah! It’s a virgin-born Word of God made manifest, Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hallelujah! How, how wonderful! I love It. I believe It. I know that It’s the Truth. It’ll not be touched. There’ll be no denominational man-handling in the virgin Birth of the Bride. No, sir! She is—she is commanded by God to come out of such. “Touch not their unclean things, become vultures.”

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