1977
Many opponents of William Branham have focused on a particular prediction he made regarding the year 1977 as proof that he was not a genuine prophet. William Branham's actual words regarding 1977 have been reprinted below, and are followed by a series of compelling arguments why the furore around this prediction are baseless and irrelevant.
1) Prediction vs. ProphecyWilliam Branham said "I PREDICT (I do not prophesy)". On one hand William Branham said ‘Thus saith the Lord” many times during his ministry, and each time he was 100% correct. Why then is there a big deal about the one time when he said “this is not Thus saith the Lord, but just me”? For someone to deny his ministry based on this one prediction is irresponsible, as William Branham himself said:
Based on the above quotes, it appears William Branham made it very clear that his comments on 1977 were just that - comments - and not prophetic revelation. Contrast the above quotes with the following prophetic revelation:
If someone wanted to disprove William Branham as a prophet, they should focus on the doctrines he established as coming from the Lord, rather than his own commentary. This is similar to court cases where a judge makes a decision and provides reasoning to the decision ('Rationes decidendi') that is binding, but also adds commentary (called 'obiter dicta') which does not have the force of law to become a precident, but may be considered or ignored by later court cases on the merit of its own persuasion. (this comment relates to the Canadian Judicial system) 2) "These visions" are true prophecyWilliam Branham's prediction was about the timing of the series of seven visions given to him in 1933. While the timing of the fulfillment was a prediction, the underlying visions were prophecy which have been and are being fulfilled. William Branham knew that destruction would come to the United States as fortold in the 7th vision. However, like the Prophet David fortelling the death of Saul, he could only guess as to when this would happen, but knew for sure that it would happen.
3) The Sign of JonasJesus said A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. (Matthew 16:4) The question stands - what is the sign of the prophet Jonas (hereafter referred to as Jonah)? For those who don't know who Jonah was, Jonah was a prophet who received a message from God to deliver to a non-Jewish city called Nineveh. Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. (Jonah 1:2). Instead of running to Ninevah, Jonah took a boat in the opposite direction. A great storm came and Jonah was thrown into the sea at his request. A great fish swallowed Jonah, and Jonah lived in the fish for three days after which the fish spit Jonah out on dry land. Jonah then went to Ninevah at God's second request and preached to the city, which was saved. The 'Sign of Jonah' given to the people of Nineveh was preaching, and a prophecy that was delayed in its coming. And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, 'Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.' So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. (Jonah 3:1-3a) However, when Jonah went into Nineveh he cried Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. (Jonah 3:4). When the people of Nineveh repented, the prophecy of destruction was delayed. Nineveh was finally totally and utterly destroyed in 612 B.C., which was a number of years after Jonah prophecied, rather than the 40 days he predicted. God's mercy to Nineveh displeased Jonah, and his story ends up with God teaching Jonah a lesson on the value of human life. Perhaps the destruction of America was delayed as the destruction of Nineveh was delayed. Perhaps there were 10 righteous people in America in 1977, and God had regard to those people as he promised to Abraham that he would not destroy Sodom if he found 10 righteous people abiding there (Genesis 18:32). Whatever the reason, America has been given the sign of the Prophet Jonas, destruction has been delayed, but destruction has been prophecied and will come quickly based on the fulfillment of the 7 visions given to William Branham. 4) Delay of JudgementApart from Jonah, there are other Biblical examples of prophetic judgment being delayed. For example, King Hezekiah pleaded for and was granted more years from the Lord when a prophet told him he was going to die. Still another example would be King Ahab, who when told of his fate, clothed himself in sackcloth and ashes. The word of the Lord then changed from judgement on Ahab, to a judgement on his children after his passing. 5) William Branham spoke as a manWilliam Branham made this statement as "a private student of the Word" and not as a prophet. This is scriptural as the Bible records other times when prophets spoke as men, rather then as prophets. When they did speak, their words were fallable, rather than when the Lord spoke through them making their words infallible. Some examples are as follows: Elijah,In running from Jezebel, Elijah was afraid of the wrath of Jezebel, and thought he was the only faithful man left on the earth. Speaking these words did not take the commission of prophesy away from Elijah.
PaulThere are examples of when men of God talked in their own opinion, but that opinion was so inspired, that the Lord kept it in the scriptures. For example, when Paul speaks as an unmarried man about marriage, he says:
JonahA case can be made that Jonah turned away from the instruction of the Lord. However, the Lord makes sure that His Word did not return to him void, and required the people of Nineveh to obey the voice of a 'disobedient' prophet. SamsonIn another example, judgement came to the Philistines from the hand of a backslidden Samson.
SamuelThe prophet Samuel told King Saul to meet him at a certian place in 7 days. However, Samuel delayed in appearing and so Saul made a sacrifice unto the Lord in direct disobedience to Samuel's message. While Samuel might have been wrong on the time he would arrive (i.e. spoke as a man), he was not wrong on his instructions and consequences.
SummaryThough the words and actions of a prophet be at times fallible, it is not man’s position to judge that prophet, but the Lord’s position. It is man’s position to respect the words of a prophet, and like Naaman, obey regardless of whether or not we like the words and doctrine we hear. The Lord proves he is with his prophets through the blessing of supernatural signs, wonders, and miracles. It is man’s position to positively identify the works of the Lord and obey. The Lord will then ensure that the one he has chosen will correctly lead the people to Himself.
6)What is the 'Ushering in the the Millenium'?William Branham is referring to the ushering in of the millennium, not the date of the millennium itself. The definition of ‘usher’ is as follows: Verb: to conduct to a place, Noun: one that goes before, guide, shepherd Based on this definition, the ‘ushering in’ is a process - an activity that is extended over a period of time. One of the common duties of ushers is to seat people and ensure order prior to a wedding. Before leading a person to their seat, an usher will come down the isle ahead of a person to secure their spot; however, that person may still remain at the door or even out of sight. Once the duty of the usher in seating the people has been finished, the wedding has not yet begun. While the usher is working to make everything ready, the bride may be in a car in the parking lot, or still in another room. The ‘ushering in’ is inseparably tied to the wedding as it relates to those things that immediately precede or herald the coming of the bride. 1977 is therefore irrelevant as a year to look for the skies to open (the dreadful day of the Lord), as it relates to the ushering in (preparing), not the wedding march, the wedding itself, nor the final departure of the bridegroom and bride. For example, while the majority of the people on the earth were oblivious to Christ’s coming, a few were aware of it, including the shepherds, the wise men, Mary and Joseph, John the Baptist, and Simeon. Simeon, who was told he would see the Lord’s Christ, did not see Jesus die for his sins, but he did see the Messiah. Others who knew Simeon but did not believe Jesus was the Christ or did not live to see Jesus’ ministry probably dismissed Simeon’s testimony as false because Christ’s coming did not fit into their traditions or observations. They did not realize that the ushering in of the Kingdom of Christ (the star, the heralding angels, the arrival and ministry of John, the promise to Simeon, the jubilant entrance into Jerusalem) was a process rather than instant experience. The importance of each event was historic and essential, yet it took the sum of all of these to fulfill the prophecies in the Word of God. 7) What is 'Termination of the World Systems'?The termination of world systems is a similar prophecy given to the gentiles as the destruction of Jerusalem and the scattering of Israel was given to the Jews. In analyzing how the Jewish prophecy was made and how it came to pass, it should be easier to understand how the Gentile prophecy will come to pass: First of all, Moses spoke to the Children of Israel proclaiming that a curse would be set on the people if they did not follow the law. Once the curse was set upon them, other nations would say:
In order for this curse to take effect, the iniquity of the Jews would have to be fulfilled as the Lord would not condemn without cause. Just as the iniquity of the Amorites had to be full (Genesis 15:16) before the Israelites could conquer and dwell in their land (Numbers 21:31) so the iniquity of the Jews had to be full (Matthew 23:28) before the Gentiles could claim the Messiah as their own. The termination of Jerusalem and the Jewish system was prophesied from Moses (Deut 29) to Jesus (Luke 21:24). At the same time judgement was pronounced on the Jews, grace was given to the rest of the world. The change was not instantaneous, but began in Jerusalem and moved (was ushered into) the rest of the world (Luke 24:46). Just as the termination of the Jewish system was a process, so the termination of the Gentile world systems will be a process. As the iniquity of the Amorites had to be fulfilled before Moses could lead the children of Israel out of Egypt and conquer the Amorites, so the iniquity of the present Gentile world order has to be fulfilled before the 'Great and dreadfull day of the Lord'. Just as there was a space of time between the fullness of the Amorites' iniquity and the day of their judgement, so there is a space of time between the fullness of the Gentiles' iniquity and the day of their Judgement. It is possible that the iniquity of the Gentiles was full, for the first time, in 1977. Example of 'Timing' Prophecies that could have been misinterpretedThe following list of scriptures supports the position that judgment and redemption are processes:
8) Intentional stumbling blockJesus said Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. (John 6:53) The Bible then records that From that [time] many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. (John 6:66) probably on the basis that they could not accept cannibalism as a doctrine. Jesus was not wrong in his teaching, but intentionally said hard words so that the people could not receive or understand. Jesus specifically said that his teaching was such that some would turn away: And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. (Luke 8:10) Even after saying these hard teachings, Jesus still required the people to believe and obey. However, he never asked that they understand, but just believe. Say ye...Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father [is] in me, and I in him. (John 10:36 - 38) Regarding 1977, this may have been an intentional stumblingblock that William Branham was allowed to speak to let the people fall away. God has never asked for understanding, only faith: For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; (I Cor 1:22, 23) Secondly, if William Branham was so wrong in stating the importance of 1977, the angel would have informed him of his error, and caused him to reorder his words, just as he did numerous other times. One such example is when he was answering questions on the Seven Seals, and accidentally interpreted one of the questions wrong; however, before anyone could tell him of his error, he felt moved by the Holy Spirit of the error he had made. His words are as follows: QA.ON.THE.SEALS_ JEFF.IN SUNDAY_ 63-0324M
Another example is when he was studying for his message on the seven seals. SEVENTH.SEAL.THE_ JEFF.IN SUNDAY_ 63-0324E
9)1977 as the start of the 'Bride Age'Another alternative is that there is more truth to what William Branham said than has been revealed, and time will prove him correct. One interpretation of what this means is as follows: During his teaching on the seven church ages, William Branham drew a picture of the moon to illustrate the church’s battle between light and darkness in each of the seven church ages. This picture is as follows, with each circle representing a different church age:
SHALOM_ PHOENIX.AZ V-22 N-1 SUNDAY_ 64-0119
SPOKEN.WORD.ORIGINAL.SEED_ JEFF.IN V-3 N-2 SUNDAY_ 62-0318E
Again, the end time is a process, not a single event. 1977 therefore could be the date when the gospel light is gone out from the Church. If you think this is impossible, as the Lord has moved on his people since then, consider the following quote: SHALOM_ SIERRA.VISTA.AZ V-13 N-5 SUNDAY_ 64-0112
William Branham talked of a “Bride Age” – a short period of time in which the Bride of Christ would make herself ready, and become 100% complete. He talks of this separately from the Laodicean Church age as the Bride will not have any mark against its character as the Laodiceans had. In the last message William Branham spoke, he said: LEADERSHIP_ COVINA.CA V-7 N-7 TUESDAY_ 65-1207
This is mirrored by the Romans 9:6-7:
It could also be said that 'they are not all Church (or Bride), which are of the Church.' Now is the separating time before harvest, when the shuck pulls away from the wheat. Not only will the wheat be separated from the tares, but the wheat will also be separated from shuck, just as the wise virgin was separated from the foolish virgin. The whole purpose of the harvest is to get the seed; therefore, while Christ represented the wave-sheaf offering of the perfect sacrifice before the harvest, there will come a time when 100% of the harvest will be ready, and be identical to the first seed. This is not to say that the rest of the Church (the shuck) will be left without power or gifts. For example: when Abraham sent his servant to find Isaac a wife, that servant gave gifts not only to Rebekah, but also to Laban and his mother. Neither had to return the gifts, but kept them after Rebekah had departed. If the camel train (signifying power) is a type of the Holy Spirit, we can draw two conclusions: 1) Rebekah played an active part in preparing the way back to Isaac by following the Lord’s leading and watering the camels, and 2) Rebekah’s family (the church) was given gifts of the Holy Spirit that remained even after the Holy Spirit had departed. The Bride age, therefore, would be after 1977. This is a time when the Church is active, but without the Holy Spirit, and it is a time when the world is in total darkness, is deceived and blind, and knows it not. The Bride of Christ, however, through the leading of the Holy Spirit is perfecting herself during this time. 10)ConclusionFrom this discussion, we can see that 1977 is irrelevant from the standpoint of a catastrophic or noticeable event. However, 1977 could possibly be a) The date when the iniquity of the United States was full, b) The date when the iniquity of the World was full, c) The date after which the bride of Christ realizes who she is. Point c) can be linked to Joshua leading the people of Israel into the promised land (the fullness of their inheritance) a few years after Moses had died. Again, claiming the promised land (making herself ready) is a process, not an instant event. William Branham is not the only prophet to have controversy surrounding dates. Examples of similar controversies include both Samuel and Jesus. I SAMUEL 13:8
JOHN 21:22 – 23
The ministry of William Branham was much like the ministry of Moses in that the people, upon listening to his ministry, inquired “hath he not spoken also by us?” NUMBERS 12:1-2. 6-9
Moses was not allowed to lead the people into the promised land, but died in the wilderness. Joshua, who was a type of the Holy Spirit, led the people into the Promised Land. In much the same way John the Baptist and William Branham were taken off the scene once they had fulfilled their ministry, as the Lord once again would come and lead the people Himself. William Branham taught that the second part of Malachi 4:6 “And he shall turn…the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” relates to the Lord’s promise to restore the Christian faith at the end of days to what it was when the Holy Spirit first fell at Pentecost (children to fathers). ACTS 2:1
All William Branham’s ministry was trying to accomplish was to bring the Christian church back to the place were it was in one accord and in one place, so that the Holy Spirit would feel welcome once again to have compete control in the church. When William Branham prophesied in the name of the Lord, that prophecy was 100% correct. A "seer" in the Old Testament means, "one that the Word is revealed to." Based on this interpretation, William Branham’s ministry as a seer (a prophet) was more than to heal the sick – it was to teach the Word of God. Therefore, for the things he said which you do not understand, consider the possibility that the error lies in your understanding rather than in his words. Your duty therefore is to pray for revelation, and hope to be present when the truth of those prophecies is finally revealed. Do not call Elijah “old baldhead”, or even disregard one aspect of his ministry. Judgement is reserved for the Lord, not man. The scripture says that: MATTHEW 10:41
Therefore, please receive William Branham in the name of a prophet, have respect for the message he spoke, and when rewards are given in heaven you will not be disappointed. |