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BelieveTheSign has a very active and lively discussion page on Facebook - just click here to go to it.
Facebook can be difficult to search and find old articles so below you will find all of the posts from our Facebook page.
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Humble Pie
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- Would anyone like to join us for some Humble Pie? http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=Humble_Pie
- To anyone who has visited Believethesign.com in the past, please read our apology at http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=Humble_Pie
- Jesus said, "first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye." (Matthew 7:5 ESV). http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Humble_Pie
- Why did we change the website? - The History of Believe The Sign. Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpIczXOvRzQ
- A little more about Believethesign: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y8nmtn_bow
- Paul wrote, "We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ..." (Ephesians 4:14b, 15a NLT)
- Truth includes "confrontation where it is vital to tell the truth so others can live in...reality rather than personal illusion." (from Helps Words Studies: http://biblesuite.com/greek/226.htm) It is difficult but necessary to do this in a kind and compassionate way, as Paul taught in Ephesians 4:32.
- We are trying our best to speak the truth in love. While we may not always succeed in this regard, we continue to post because we do not want to see anyone build their hopes on foundations that will crumble. If your foundation has a flaw, it is better to realize it now than during a crisis.
| Thus Saith The Lord
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- What happens when you give William Branham's teachings the Word Test? (Please watch at your own risk as this video exposes a crack in the "Thus Saith The Lord" foundation of the Message). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq1lF8GUfng&feature=plcp
- In 1954 William Branham said, "Mark my words, write it in the pages of your Bibles, for its Thus Saith The Lord". The trouble is that he was talking about a meeting of 300,000 people in South Africa, which never came to pass. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEbAwGJFSAg
- William Branham often talked about the seven redemptive names of God. Jehovah Tzidkenu (which means “The Lord is our Righteousness”) is the redemptive name of God that is revealed in Jeremiah 23, just before the Lord says “I am against these smooth-tongued prophets who say, ‘This prophecy is from the LORD!’” (Jeremiah 23:31 NLT)
- William Branham claimed that many things he said were “Thus saith the Lord”. Three examples are:
- That he would speak to 300,000 people at one ...meeting in Africa (see our video on this at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEbAwGJFSAg).
- A man can divorce his wife if she cuts her hair.
- A man can remarry after divorce, but a woman cannot remarry after divorce (see our video on this at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq1lF8GUfng).
- These three statements above, which William Branham said were “Thus Saith The Lord”, are all false.
- Jeremiah’s instructions are “stop using this phrase, ‘prophecy from the LORD.’ For people are using it to give authority to their own ideas, turning upside down the words of our God, the living God” (Jeremiah 23:36 NLT). Jeremiah concludes with the statement “Because you have used this phrase, “prophecy from the LORD,” even though I warned you not to use it, I will forget you completely.” (Jeremiah 23:38)
- This is what Jehovah Tzidkenu means. It is trusting in the Lord’s righteousness, who will judge the pastors and prophets that lead his people away from truth.
| The Ohio River
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- William Branham tells a story of a voice that spoke while he was baptizing people on the Ohio River, announcing to the world that he was to forerun the second coming of Christ. The video below explains how this story changed over time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zcx7KVwizew
| The Bridge Vision
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- Now if you say to yourselves, ‘How can we tell that a message is not from the LORD?’ — whenever a prophet speaks in my name and the prediction is not fulfilled, then I have not spoken it; the prophet has presumed to speak it, so you need not fear him.” (Dt 18:21–22)
- Based on current information, this prophecy which he specifically identifies as one that did not fail, in fact, failed completely.
- If you have any evidence of the accident as William Branham describes it, we would appreciate being able to update this article. http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=George_Rogers_Clark_Memorial_Bridge
- Were the deaths of 16 men in a construction accident on the Municipal Bridge foretold by a young boy named William Branham 22 years before it happened? Here are the facts - http://youtu.be/QPxLLO61lE4
- William Branham's bridge vision does not match with recorded history. Some people have told us that this is because he saw the vision as a child, and he didn't remember things exactly when he retold the story years later. Blaming the problems with the Bridge vision on the passing of time is an uncomfortable argument for two reasons. First, it does not stay with the tapes. Second, it brings into question the accuracy of all of William Branham's visions that occurred before the tape recordings started.
- For example, William Branham said that the bridge vision occurred two weeks after a voice spoke to him from a tree. If the facts of the bridge vision distorted over time, how do you know that the instruction of the "voice from the tree" didn't also distort over time?
- Here are both stories told together:
- "At the age of about seven years old, I was packing water one day from a well. And I passed by a tree. I was weeping. I didn't want to pack the water. I wanted to go fishing with the rest of the children. But when I heard something in the tree, like the roaring of a wind, I looked up. I seen nothing but just a place in the tree about that big around, roaring around...and none of the rest of the leaves were shaking. And I heard a voice of a Man up there, said, "Don't never drink. Don't drink, and don't never smoke, or defile yourself with women, for there is a work for you to do when you get older." Oh, I was scared. I dropped my bucket, and I ran to the house, screaming. And I jumped in my mother's arms. And she... I said there's a Man in that tree. They went down to look: nobody there. They called the doctor, and he said I was just nervous. I said--I said, "No, I seen, and I heard him speak." And I never would go by that tree. A little later on, about two weeks later I was playing marbles with my brother, and I felt something come to me. We lived up on a hill, and the river was below us: a wilderness around. And I saw a bridge come up out of the wilderness. And it started across the river. Sixteen men dropped off in--into the water and perished. And I seen a big sign, it said "twenty-two years." I run in and told my mother.
(My Life Story, Zurich, Switzerland, June 26, 1955)
- Solomon said, "The simple believes every word: but the prudent man looks well where he is going." Proverbs 14:15
- There has been an interesting development today on the municipal bridge vision. We were contacted months ago by a long time message believer. He grilled us on the Municipal Bridge vision and the work that we had done in coming up with our conclusions. We were told that the work that was done by us, John Collins, Peter Duyzer and others was greatly appreciated but he was not prepared to accept our research on its face. He wanted to be extremely thorough in the research to ...ensure that our conclusions were in fact correct.
- We obviously welcomed the additional research as, above all, we want to know that what we are telling the viewers of our website is the absolute truth. That was a number of months ago and the research is now complete. We are not aware of the conclusions reached but want to bring this to the attention of our readers. The research has apparently been very thorough and it is intended that the website will clearly outline what happened and what didn't. We have been told that all findings will be backed up with documented evidence from primary reference sources.
- To see what has been published to date, please go to the new blog - http://SearchingForVindication.com/ A FaceBook page under this same name at http://www.facebook.com/SearchingForVindication has also been created.
- Searching For Vinidication today outlined the methods and sources that were used in the research on the Municipal Bridge vision. Of the 13 sources they listed, we had access to seven. However, we were also provided a letter from the Louisville Historical Society (which I think was obtained by Peter Duyzer), which indicated that they had no record of anyone being killed in the construction of the bridge. The newspaper records should indicate whether anyone was killed in the bridge construction and the engineering reports would highlight any structural failures.
- Check it out at http://searchingforvindication.com/2013/02/18/Methods-And-Sources-Used-In-Our-Search/
- The folks at Searching for Vindication have run into their first snag with the Municipal Bridge vision - timing. We mention this in our video. It is good to see that they are being very honest and open in their approach. http://searchingforvindication.com/2013/02/20/Timing-Problems-With-The-Bridge-Vision/
- Searching for Vindication asks the question - "Were Archives Destroyed In The 1937 Flood?" Obviously some were but it appears that these researchers have managed to find some that weren't. They have definitely done their homework. http://searchingforvindication.com/2013/02/21/Were-Archives-Destroyed-In-The-1937-Flood/
- Searching for Vindication examined Voice of God Recordings' statement that "a few deaths on a local bridge construction project would not have been big news in [the 1920's) anyway." You can read the results of their research at: http://searchingforvindication.com/2013/02/22/Bridge-Deaths-Would-Not-Be-Reported/
- WE WERE WRONG!
- People did die in the construction of the Municipal Bridge! As we indicated publicly, we will be changing our article on our website (in fact we have already changed it) and our video will also be edited to ensure that facts agree with the historical records. However, our primary conclusion that William Branham's vision was false remains correct. He stated that 16 men would fall off the bridge and drown. What actually happened was that one man died from ...being hit by an iron bar and another man died from injuries sustained in falling onto a barge.
- WE WOULD THEREFORE ASK ALL MESSAGE BELIEVERS TO READ DEUTERONOMY 18:22 AND ASK YOURSELF WHETHER YOU ACTUALLY BELIEVE THIS VERSE.
- See http://searchingforvindication.com/2013/02/25/Documented-Bridge-Deaths/ and http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/The_Municipal_Bridge_Vision#Problem_1:_No_evidence_of_16_fatalities for detailed info.
| Conduct
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- I had assumed that people posting here were Christians or were at least capable of civilized conduct.
- My bad!
- Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out. (Col 4:6 The Message)
- This is a place for discussion, not a place to fight and be rude. Trolling is not permitted. Personal attacks on people will not be permitted.
- I have just had to ban someone, which is not what I wanted to do. But inappropriate comments may result in a person being banned from this discussion without warning.
- Ministers have told their congregations that they shouldn't fellowship with us.
- Yet we are still Christians. While we are still loved by the Lord Jesus Christ, some that believe that they represent Him here on earth seem not to be willing to extend any love toward us. Is this how true Christians should act?
- How do you treat people who have been traumatized by spiritual abuse? While we definitely do not agree with everything in the following post, there are some things in it that should make real Christians in the message think about how they treat people who have left the message. Are there any of you out there? http://paradiserecovered.com/we-are-spiritual-abuse-survivors/
- William Branham talked about his hunting ethics in the sermon "The 6th Seal" (March 23, 1963), and he set a very high standard when he said:
- "When I was standing out on the field out yonder, in where I hunt and things like that, and see where them white hunters come out there and shoot them deer and cut a hindquarters off of it and sometimes kill eight or ten little does and leave them laying there, and their fawns running around trying to find their mammy, and you mean that's sportsmanship? That's pure murder in my book. (6th Seal, March 23, 1963)
- "Buffalo Bill and them plainsmen had shot off all them buffaloes, forty, fifty in an afternoon. They know when they ridded that, they got rid of the Indian. Oh, my, a stain on the flag the way they treated them Indians." (6th Seal, March 23, 1963)
- Page 324 of Book 6 of 'Supernatural: The Life of William Branham' includes a footnote (#202) in reference to William Branham's 1965 hunting trip to Africa, which says: "William Branham couldn't display any animals from his safari in Africa. He had left his 33 hunting trophies at the airport in Beira, Mozambique, with instructions for his air carrier to fly them back to the United States. Unfortunately, the trophies never arrived..."
- So in the three weeks that William Branham hunted in Mozambique, he shot 33 animals (including zebra and buffalo). He did not go to eat the meat. He was on a safari for sport, and was getting the animals stuffed for return to America. When is the last time you shot 33 large game animals in 21 days? William Branham did in Africa what he accused the white man of doing in America.
- So is this the mystery behind "The 6th Seal"? http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Photo_Gallery#William_Branham_in_Africa
| Sunset Mountain and the Cloud
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- The Cloud - What is fact and what is fiction? How do we tell the difference?http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=The_Cloud
- Do we twist Christ to fit our message?
- And then you turn that picture sideways, if you've got Look Magazine or Life Magazine. Turn it sideways. There He is, just perfectly, Hoffman's Head of Christ, looking right down where I was standing; there It is in the magazine! How many's ever seen It? Course, you've all seen. There, looking right back, proved exactly the revelation was correct. (William Branham, November 26, 1965)
- The May 1963 Life magazine article about the cloud states that it was 26 miles up, and that no water droplets exist at that height. But the article was wrong. Noctilucent clouds can even form at a height of over 50 miles.
- In March 2012, Nasa launched five rockets off the east coast of the USA to create some of these clouds. These clouds formed rings that look like the May 1963 Life magazine photo. http://www.gizmag.com/nasa-tracer-rockets-form-ringed-clouds-at-the-edge-of-space/21972/pictures#12
- "No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse." (Mark 2:21)
- The story of the Cloud on Sunset Mountain has worn out. Some people have taken the time to examine the claims of William Branham and Pearry Green, and have found their stories to be in error. Rather than acknowledging these researchers, or admitting the original error, Pearry Green has revised the story over time. Like a new patch on an old garment, this will only serve to make the original errors more obvious.
- The most recent revision to Pearry Greene's book "The Acts of a Prophet" was revised in 2011. While we have not seen this recent revision, John Kennah has and it appears that Pearry Green has copied certain information directly from John Kennah's website without any attribution as to its source. This is referred to as plagiarism. You can look at John Kennah's post on this topic at http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/main.asp?webtag=kennah&nav=messages&msg=3143.1&prettyurl=%2Fkennah%2Fmessages%3Fmsg%3D3143.1&gid=250495597
- Why did William Branham state that the cloud was directly above him when it appeared 8 days earlier 200 miles away? If your child bent the truth this badly, what would you call it?
- "And the blast did just exactly the way It said it. Is that right, Brother Fred? And I--I--I must have jumped way off of the ground. And just above me was the Angels of the Lord that sent Message back, for me to come here to break these Seals... And, now, I didn't know at the time, that they were taking pictures of that, scientists was, as the Angels lowered themselves from Heaven, to bring the Message... How many saw, "A mysterious cloud in the sky"? You see the hands. And now the Life magazine picked it up. And I have the--the article here this morning, in the Life magazine, of to show. Now here It is, the same time I was there. See the pyramid of the Cloud? I was standing just below this." (June 23, 1963)
- This is from our article on the Cloud at http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/The_Cloud
| The Seven Visions of 1933
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- Did you know that the US started World War 2? Did you know that Germany didn't pick on the US but the US picked on Germany?
- Wasn't it the attack on Pearl Harbor that brought the US into World War 2? Not if you believe the prophecy of William Branham. http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=Franklin_D._Roosevelt
- William Branham wrote about Mussolini in his book of prophecies, and retold this prophecy at least 15 times between 1953 and 1964. We expected this prophecy to be consistent throughout this 11 year period (as it was written down), but found this was not the case. You can read about the changes to this prophecy over time at http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=Mussolini_invades_Ethiopia
- William Branham said that his 1933 visions were written down on a piece of old yellow paper. Yet when he retold the visions, they would change and become more specific over time. In 1953, he said he had a vision of egg-shaped cars (no mention of cars driving themselves). By 1961 he said the vision was of a glass-topped, egg-shaped car with a family inside playing cards. This description is very similar to an add published by Newsweek in 1956, which may have been why William Branham said in 1960 "They've already got that out; I seen it here not long ago." Read more at http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=Driverless_Cars
- William Branham said that the morality of American women would decline, and that this was a prophecy he saw in 1933. Although William Branham mentioned the 1933 vision many times during his sermons, he never mentioned the part about morality until 1964 when he said he saw the prophecy fulfilled in a Life Magazine photograph. ~ http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Morality
- William Branham modified the details of his visions over time. Sometimes he made significant changes within a week. Here is one example and we ask you, "Why would he do this"? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3kODHysAdY&feature=plcp
- William Branham had many visions and dreams that he claimed were of global importance. Some of these include:
- A 1933 vision of Roosevelt starting World War 2, and of Ethiopia being Mussolini's last invasion.
- A prophecy of Los Angeles sinking into the sea, before his son Billy Paul became an old man.
- A vision of 16 men falling to their death during the construction of the Louisville Municipal Bridge (See our video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPxLLO61lE4), ...and
- The vision of a cloud caused by angels in the desert. (See our video on on this at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3kODHysAdY)
- The problem is the USA only joined WWII after Japan attacked Pearl Harbour, Ethiopia was one of Mussolini's first invasions, Billy Paul Branham is an old man and Los Angeles is still standing, no-one died during the construction of the Louisville Municipal Bridge, and William Branham never connected with the cloud while on Rattlesnake Mesa.
- In other words, William Branham had many visions, dreams and prophecies that did not come to pass.
- The Lord says in the book of Jeremiah, "I am against these false prophets. Their imaginary dreams are flagrant lies that lead my people into sin. I did not send or appoint them, and they have no message at all for my people. I, the Lord, have spoken!" (Jeremiah 23:32 NLT)
- This means that "The Message" is "No Message". It did not come from the Lord, and will lead people into sin. This creates a vicious cycle where message ministers preach endlessly about "sin in the camp" - yet refuse to put away the false prophet that is leading their people into the gateway sins of spiritual pride and gnosticism.
| William Branham the Evangelist
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- William Branham received the commission, “Do the Work of an Evangelist”, the morning he laid the cornerstone for the Branham Tabernacle in June 1933. In June 1962, William Branham said, “If He's called me to be [an] evangelist, I cannot be a prophet. Now, you get what I mean? I don't know what to do.” After going into the desert and coming back and preaching the seven seals, a voice spoke to him and said, “Return! Did not I tell you, in the beginning, to do the work of an evangelist?”
- Read William Branham’s life story with the forgotten visions, and a focus on his evangelistic purpose at http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=William_Branham
| The Tent Vision and the 3rd Pull
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- Read about the original tent vision, from March 1945, at http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=Heavenly_Vision.
- What is the “Third Pull”? Some believers think it is the unveiling of the mysteries (1963 and onward), and some think it is speaking things into existence (which is pre-1963). However, the Third Pull is about catching fish. It's Evangelistic.
- Read more about the vision of the Third Pull and the Second Tent Vision at http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=Third_Pull
- Is the Third Pull the First Temptation?
- One common interpretation among message believers is that the Third Pull will ultimately manifest among believers as the ability to speak things into existence. This interpretation is primarily based on William Branham's testimony that he created squirrels into existence by his own spoken word, through the instruction of an angelic voice.
- The danger with this expectation is that it forgets Jesus' first temptation in the wilderness: when the Devil tempted Jesus to use his supernatural powers to create bread from stones in order to satisfy his own hunger. Sadly, this temptation is exactly what message believers are expecting to do in the future. If the tempter came to a message believer with instructions to create bread or squirrels from stones, they would likely give in to the devil in a moment's time - because they would follow William Branham's example and not the example left to them by Jesus Christ, who alone had dominion over the devil's temptations.
- "And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:2-4)
- http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Third_Pull
| Quotes & Reference Material
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- "Trust no one, not even the finest saint who ever walked this earth, ignore him, if he hinders your sight of Jesus Christ." - Oswald Chambers
- “The chief danger of the 20th century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, heaven without hell.” - William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army
- "Instead of asking yourself whether you believe or not, ask yourself whether you have, this day, done one thing because He said, Do it! or once abstained because He said, Do not do it! It is simply absurd to say you believe, or even want to believe, in Him, if you do not do anything He tells you." - George Macdonald
- Joshua Keith was a minister in the message for seven years. The following is a video that he recently produced that asks a number of interesting questions - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BssYoPyF-yA
- GOD MEANT IT for GOOD!
- In Pharaoh's court stood Jacob - an old man of 130 years of age - and Joseph, his lost son, rushed to embrace him. As it turned out, Joseph was second in command over all of Egypt. Everywhere Jacob went with his son - in the palace, through the streets in his chariot - people bowed to Joseph in respect and awe (see Genesis 46 and 47).
- When Pharaoh asked Jacob how old he was, he answered, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been" (Genesis 47:9). The Hebrew reads, "Few and sorrowful have my days been." In short: "I've seen a lot of suffering."
- Yet, was it worth it? Yes, absolutely! Jacob and his family had been delivered from the famine. All seventy members of his clan were now safe from harm, planted in the richest farmland in Egypt. Jacob's son was on the throne and they had all the food they could eat.
- Jacob - a man with a contrite heart - could look back and say, "When my brother Esau threatened me, it seemed my life was over but God brought me out. My Lord was there the whole time. When Laban tried to destroy me, God blessed and delivered me. Furthermore, the Lord delivered my wife, Rachel, and my family from the perils of idolatry.
- "I was victorious over all my enemies. None of them ever rose up to challenge me. I lived to see my seed multiply and prosper - the beginnings of a great nation. I lived to walk in the midst of my grandchildren, even my great-great-grandchildren. And now my sons will be the patriarchs of Israel, leaders over their own tribes.
- Not a word God told me in the beginning has ever failed. My Lord has kept His every word to me." And, beloved, so will He be with us today! - David Wilkerson.
- What is important is not the quality of your faith but the object of your faith (35 minute mark in the video below). Our faith is not in a man, but in Jesus Christ. http://vimeo.com/22669720
- "It is said that there was a man who had a poultry farm. And that he raised chickens for the market. And one day in one of his broods he discovered a strange looking bird that was very much unlike the other chickens on the yard.
- …And then one day a man who knew eagles when he saw them, came along and saw that little eagle walking in the yard. And he said to his friend, “Do you know that you have an eagle here?”
- The man said, “Well, I didn’t really know it. But I knew he was different from the other chickens. And I knew that his ways were different. And I knew that his habits were different…”
- But the man said, “Yes, you have an eagle here on your yard. And what you ought to do is build a cage. After while when he is older he’s going to get tired of the ground… “
- And after a while he outgrew that one day and then he had to build another cage. So one day when the eagle had gotten grown...and he began to get restless in the cage. Yes he did. He began to walk around and be uneasy. Why he heard noises in the air. A flock of eagles flew over and he heard their voices. And though he’d never been around eagles, there was something about that voice that he heard that moved down in him, and made him dissatisfied.
- …He went there and opened the door. Yes. The eagle walked out, yes, spread his wings…and he flew up a little higher and went to the barnyard. And, yes, he set there for a while. He wiggled up a little higher and flew in yonder’s tree. Yes. And then he wiggled up a little higher and flew to yonder’s mountain.
- Yes. Yes! Yes. One of these days, one of these days. My soul is an eagle in the cage that the Lord has made for me. My soul, my soul, my soul is caged in, in this old body, yes it is, and one of these days the man who made the cage will open the door and let my soul go. Yes he will. You ought to be able to see me take the wings of my soul."
- ~Bishop C.L. Franklin (the father of Aretha Franklin) ~ c. 1953
- Just stop and think. http://www.juststopandthink.com/stopthink-the-movie/
- Jesus is really that good! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJPx7JKmZFw&list=PLDD441CCEE3FEA511&index=8&feature=plcp
- "The Christian life is far more than sin management. Behavior modification that's not empowered by God's heart changing grace is self-righteous, as repugnant to God as the worst sins people gossip about. Children who grow up with graceless truth are repelled by self-righteousness and attracted to the world's slickly-marketed grace-substitutes." (Randy Alcorn, The Grace and Truth Paradox)
- "I have come to see legalism, in its pursuit of false purity, as an elaborate scheme of grace avoidance. You can know the law by heart without knowing the heart of it." (Philip Yancey, What's So Amazing About Grace?)
- "The love of God is not a matter of calculation and accountancy. The trouble with [Job's friends] is that their thinking leaves no room for unmerited suffering, and therefore no room for unmerited grace, or for unmerited anything. Not only is the cross not at the center of their theology - it is not there at all. While Job holds to faith alone in the midst of his suffering, his friends seem to spend their energies doing the very opposite, seeking to avoid suffering altogether and doing so in the name of faith. As Job summarizes their attitude later in [Job Chapter 6], "you see something dreadful, and are afraid" (6:21)." ~ Mike Mason (The Gospel According to Job)
- "And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." (John 9:1-3)
- Genuine faith loves a good challenge. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEvuJ9yYCXM&feature=plcp
- "I must assert in the most unqualified way that it is primarily and mainly for the sake of saving the soul that I seek the salvation of the body. But what is the use of preaching the Gospel to men whose whole attention is concentrated upon a mad, desperate struggle to keep themselves alive? It is impossible to comfort men's hearts with the love of God when their feet are perishing with cold." ~ William Booth (Founder of the Salvation Army)
- Truth can be part of a lie, but a lie cannot be part of the truth. ~ Waxer Tipton
- "Remember, Jesus still promises us Living Waters, not just water, nor still or stagnant water which remind you of an old swamp overgrown with greens slime - some putrid duck pond without inlet or outlet. Such placid, quiet waters are never any good; for water without a flow is dead! It is living waters he has promised! Sparkling, tumbling, foaming, rushing torrents of crystal, pure, mountain spring water! Surging, dashing, plunging rapids of glorious life giving virtue! Streams from the highlands of Heaven! A whole countryside of moving rivers! God grant you rivers!" ~ William Booth-Clibborn, My Cup Runneth Over
- "Worry is a thief, Fear is a liar, and Anxiety is their trembling, furrow-browed baby. ...Worry robs me of the peace I know is available. Fear lies and says there is no peace at all. And their immature, screaming baby Anxiety keeps me up at night with her unrelenting cries of 'what if?' and 'what now?' and 'what will they think?'" ~Grace for the Good Girl, Emily P. Freeman
- "Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?" ~ Luke 12:25-26 NLT "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." ~ 2 Timothy 1:7 KJV "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;" ~ Philippians 4:6 NKJV
- A very thought-provoking video from John Collins: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_GE-f4eVV0&feature=youtu.be
| Malachi 4
|
- We have received a number of emails that question: If William Branham is not the fulfillment of Mal 4:5, then who is? Here are some thoughts on the issue - http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=The_Fulfillment_of_Malachi_4%3A5
- When you claim to represent the truth, its good to be honest. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raWhgy6649o
- William Branham said, "But I was seven years old; I was packing water from a well, and a voice spoke to me out of a bush, as a whirlwind in a bush, said, 'Don't never smoke, or drink, or defile your body in any way. There'll be a work to do when you get older.' I said, 'That's sacred.' " (Gifts and Callings Are Without Repentance, March 1950)
- Jesus said, "Listen...and try to understand. It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” (Matthew 15:10b-11 NLT)
- If gifts and callings truly are without repentance (which was the title of the sermon in which William Branham said this comment), then drinking and smoking have nothing to do with the operation of the gifts. Second, Jesus told the people that it didn't matter what went into them, it mattered what came out of them. Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?” (Matthew 15:12 NLT)
- He was born into a poor family, and never had a formal education. He saw that God’s condition for salvation was so simple, it was “Only Believe” on the Lamb of Calvary. He received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and began preaching the full Gospel. When he prayed for the sick, they were healed. When he prayed for the dead, they raised to life. He sent a prayer handkerchief to King George V, and prophesied over a man named David Du Plessis. Crowds thronged to hear him preach, and many were turned away. His travels took him to places that included the west coast of the United States, Switzerland, Finland, India and South Africa. He was known as a man of great faith.
- His name was Smith Wigglesworth.
- Malachi 4:4-6 says to remember the law of Moses just before it talks about the coming of Elijah and a curse.
- You know that Jesus remembered the law of Moses, because every time he said “It is written” while in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-10), he referring back to the book of Deuteronomy. After Jesus was tempted, John the Baptist’s ministry came to a close as he was thrown in jail (Matthew 4:11). Jesus then died for us, to redeem us from the curse of the law. The Apostle Paul says in Galatians 3:13 that Jesus did this by hanging on a tree – another reference back to the book of Deuteronomy.
- If you remember the law of Moses, the total fulfillment of Malachi 4:4-6 make sense through the actions of Jesus Christ.
| Strange Doctrine
|
- Do you know the three high words of the Bible that no mortal on earth knew except William Branham? Did you know that he had to say them in order for people to be healed?
- What are these secret words that no mortal on earth knows? See our answer to the reader that asked this question at http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=Three_holy_words
- Is it OK for guys to wear shorts? We have a surprise picture in this article of someone wearing shorts. Can you guess who it is? It should help you with the answer to this question. (Hint: It's not George Washington although he did wear short pants). http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=Shorts
- In 1965 William Branham said that the world was square, based on Rev. 7:1 and what he read in a newspaper article. In the past, we would have disregarded this as a "human error". However, VOG teaches this to message children as an "amazing and interesting fact" in the "Did you know?" blog on their website at http://youngfoundations.org/20096620_Did_You_Know_18 . Our question is, why should someone listen to VOG when they teach about William Branham or how to get to heaven, if they can't be honest with facts? If you believe the world is square because the Bible says it has four corners, please explain Leviticus 19:27.
- Someone posted the question "what doctrine was wrongly interpreted and preached by William Branham?" I would also add, "what doctrine was rightly preached by William Branham? Please limit responses to one doctrine and two scriptures explaining why or why not, and mark your post with a + or -.
- Here's a start:
- + Healing (Isaiah 53:5 "...with his stripes we are healed" and Mark 16:18 "...they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.")
- - There has never been two major prophets on the scene at one time. (Zephaniah & Jeremiah, Daniel & Ezekiel)
- Are all angels men? Or are there also women angels? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-LoLrXTi5A
- William Branham preached very strongly against makeup. This doctrine continues in message churches, but it is not consistent between Believers because William Branham flip-flopped on this topic:
- "“Listen, there was only one women in the Bible ever painted her face, and that was Jezebel. God fed her to the dogs for doing it. Now, when you see a woman with a lot of paint on, say, ‘How do, Miss Dog meat?’ That's exactly what it was in the Bible.” (1961, Abraham’s Covenant).
- “Well, there's nothing in the Bible to say for you not to wear makeup.” (1962, Forsaking All)
- "Women, there was only one woman in the Bible that ever painted her face, and that was Jezebel. And God fed her to the dogs. So if you see a woman wearing that, you can say, "How do you do, Miss Dogmeat?" (1962, A Testimony on the Sea)
- “Now, a lot of you Pentecostal women won't wear makeup. There's nothing in the Bible about that.” (1962, Confirmation of the Commission)
- “Paint? There's only one women in the Bible ever painted her face, and that was Jezebel. And God fed her to the dogs. So you see what that would be, common dog meat.” (1963, The World is Falling Appart)
- It is very disturbing that he could take a doctrine that has no basis in the Bible (by his own admission) and call women "dog meat".
- William Branham taught that “all that you ever loved, and all that ever loved you” is waiting for you as a reward in heaven.
- This raises one problem. The Bible records that Jesus loved the Rich Young Ruler (Mark 10:21). Jesus knew that the young man was trying to get to heaven by works, but one short conversation exposed the weakness of his heart. The man walked away sad after Jesus said, "take up the cross, and follow me". But Jesus had not yet gone to the cross. He had not yet been an example for this young man to follow. Jesus loved the Rich Young Ruler - this man who had followed the schoolmaster of the law straight to Christ - and then went and died for him!
- But William Branham preached that the rich young ruler ended up in hell. How could William Branham preach that his own love could take anyone to heaven, and then teach that Jesus’ love was not sufficient to do this?
- In the Bible, there is no record that the rich man in hell was the same young man that questioned Jesus. Perhaps the Rich Young Ruler's name was Joses (Acts 4:36), but that is speculation. One thing is for certain: there was a reason that Jesus loved him…because only God sees the heart. As message believers, I think we got the story of the Rich Young Ruler all wrong.
- Have you ever heard this scripture referenced in a message church? "As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear." (Proverbs 25:12)
Have you ever heard this quote from William Branham in a message church? "And as long as you wear it, it's a mark of a heathen. Now, I just come back from Africa, and I've been in the Hottentot jungles and found out just exactly where earrings, where all that stuff come, and all this, a lot of jewelry wrapped your necks and ears and everything, where that comes from. It's the heathens. And the Bible don't want a Christian to be a heathen." (August 5, 1956)
- English translations are not always transparent as to the underlying Hebrew words. For example, the NIV translates Deuteronomy 22:5(a) as, “A woman must not wear men’s clothing, nor a man wear women’s clothing…”. It appears to be a simple comparison of men, women, and clothing. But this simplifies the underlying Hebrew words. Using the most common English translation of each Hebrew word, in order, results in: “No become utensil man against wife, no put man clothes wife”. BUT, while this is difficult to read, the differences now become more clear:
- The word for “woman” is isha. Adam called Eve “isha” (woman) in Genesis 2:23, because she was taken from “ish” (man). Isha often refers to a wife.
- The word for “man” is geber, which often includes imagery of strength.
- The word for “woman’s clothing” is “simlat”, which is not a common word. Strong’s concordance includes the phrase, “the idea of a cover assuming the shape of the object beneath”. A man in a woman’s “simlat” may be attempting to assume the shape of a woman.
- the word for “man’s clothing” is “keli”, which is translated in other scriptures as “utensil, “vessel”, “article”, “armour”, and “weapon”.
- While a man is not supposed to “put on” woman’s clothing, the woman is not supposed to “wear, become, or have” a man’s “keli”. This indicates that what is translated as a man’s garment is different in nature than the woman’s garment in the same scripture.
- So other possible meanings of this scripture are:
- A woman should not carry weapons (apparently some women in Israel are exempt from military service if they hold to this religious interpretation).
- A man should not bear arms against his wife,
- A man should not dress up like a woman, or
- A man shouldn’t wear his wife’s clothes.
- Studying the underlying Hebrew words suggest that is more to this scripture than just a simple comparison. In most of the alternative interpretations, it puts more responsibility on the man and not on the woman.
- How much of Message doctrine has its origins in the Jehovah Witness movement? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9LYg2DaSZ4
- If you walk into an Orthodox Church, you will see icons on the wall. Icons are paintings of saints, usually with a halo representing the uncreated light of God. These paintings are revered, but not worshiped, by Orthodox Christians.
- If you walk into a Message Church, you will also see icons on the wall. These icons include Hoffman's head of Christ (in reverse) and a photograph of William Branham preaching in Houston, Texas. Light radiates from behind the subject in both of these pictures, which are revered, but not worshiped, by Message Believers.
- Many relics exist in the Catholic church. These include bones, pieces of cloth, and pieces of the cross. Items that were (or imagined to be) relevant to the life of Jesus or a saint have been collected and preserved. According to the Catholic Code of Canon Law, it is absolutely forbidden to sell sacred relics.
- Many relics exist in the Message. Three-sided rocks from Sunset Mountain (Rattl...esnake Mesa), a hat, pieces of cloth, or a piece of wood from William Branham’s bedroom floor have all been collected and preserved. These relics all serve to connect the emotions of believers to the life of their prophet. Voice of God Recordings, an entity operated by William Branham’s sons, has demonstrated that it is perfectly fine to sell relics relating to the life of William Branham.
| Mixing Law and Grace
|
- William Branham said that Jesus came to magnify the law. Is this true? Why was it that on the day that the Law was given 3,000 people died but on the same day, the day of Pentecost, 3,000 people came to life when the church was born? Find out the answers at http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=Mixing_Law_and_Grace
- Paul says, "The law is spiritual." What does that mean?
- If the law were physical, then it could be satisfied by works, but since it is spiritual, no one can satisfy it unless everything he does springs from the depths of the heart. But no one can give such a heart except the Spirit of God, who makes the person be like the law, so that he actually conceives a heartfelt longing for the law and henceforward does everything, not through fear or coercion, but from a free heart. Such a law is spiritual since it can only be loved and fulfilled by such a heart and such a spirit. If the Spirit is not in the heart, then there remains sin, aversion and enmity against the law, which in itself is good, just and holy. How can anybody prepare himself for good by means of works if he does no good work except with aversion and constraint in his heart? How can such a work please God, if it proceeds from an averse and unwilling heart?
- It is the Holy Spirit, however, who puts such eagerness of unconstrained love into the heart. But the Spirit is given only in, with, and through faith in Jesus Christ. So, too, faith comes only through the word of God, the Gospel, that preaches Christ: how he is both Son of God and man, how he died and rose for our sake. That is why faith alone makes someone just and fulfills the law; faith it is that brings the Holy Spirit through the merits of Christ.
- The Spirit, in turn, renders the heart glad and free, as the law demands. Then good works proceed from faith itself.
- The question and answers above are all taken from the Preface to Romans, by Martin Luther.
- Did the Apostle Paul and William Branham teach the same thing about what it means to fall from grace? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGn5512IAIw&feature=plcp
| Eyewitnesses
|
- You can still find great eyewitness testimonies of people who were in William Branham's meetings on believethesign. Ern Baxter is one person who saw the "sign in the hand", and heard the "word of knowledge". Read his own words at http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=Ern_Baxter
- By posting video testimonies, you can hear what happened directly from the people who were present in William Branham's foreign meetings. One great example is the following interview of a man who sat on the platform during William Branham's India meetings: http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=Brother_Marathai
- Fred Sothmann believed that William Branham was God. He was also given the sole rights to distribute the sermons of William Branham in 1962 by the William Branham Evangelistic Association. In 1963, he was one of two friends hunting with William Branham on Sunset Mountain (Rattlesnake Mesa). He was celebrated by Voice of God Recordings on their website, yet his own beliefs were anti-christ.
- Read more about why his beliefs are heretical at http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Fred_Sothmann
- Some people have challenged us, saying, "If Brother Branham’s doctrine was wrong, how come no-one corrected Brother Branham while he was alive?" Here are three people who did confront William Branham:
- Rev. William Booth-Clibborn: "it was Reverend Booth-Clibborn...and we were discussing something. And I had the opposite side to him, and he looked around at me, he said, "You just don't know your Bible." (William Branham, April 25, 1961)
- Rev. Gordon Lindsay: “Brother Lindsay said, ‘I told him, "you’re not a teacher, so don’t try to teach."’ He was a preacher and a good one at that, and he had marvelous manifestations of the Holy Spirit in his ministry. …I said, ‘You don’t know the Bible, and you’re confusing folks. Leave the Bible teaching to the teachers.'’’ (http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Hagin_Prophecy)
- Rev. Ern Baxter: “Branham saw himself as a teacher of some kind of “in” truth. …I urged him not to say some things in public. As long as we worked together he refrained. One of the reasons for my leaving him was that he was starting to say some seriously wrong things. (http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Ern_Baxter)
- Here is the testimony of three ministers, all with one unified message for Brother Branham: you don’t know your Bible. If you believe that no-one stood up against Brother Branham and tried to correct him, you don’t know his life story. That is the reason that Owen Jorgensen called his fifth book on the Life of William Branham, “The Teacher And His Rejection”.
| Prophecies
|
- William Branham said that man would never make it to the moon. Neil Armstrong, who recently died, made it to the moon in 1969, well before 1977. We have observed that many message believers have become conspiracy theorists, believing that NASA faked the moon landings, to explain away this statement. http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=Man_and_the_moon
- What is the importance of an "Eagle Ministry"? You will probably still find a reference to Prophets being represented by Eagles on believethesign somewhere, but here's some correction to that:
- The KJV Bible uses the world "Eagle" 34 times.
- Some of these verses refer to vultures, not eagles (Prov 30:17, Micah 1:16, and Luke 17:37). One example is, "Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather." (Matt 24:28, ESV)
- Some of these refer to the 'unclean' animals that were not kosher to eat (Lev 11:13 & 18 and Deut 14:12 & 17).
- Some of these refer to 'bad eagles' (Jer 4:13, Lam 4:19, Ezek 17, Hos 8:1, Obadiah 1:4).
- The rest refer to angels, and identifying people of strength (like Jonathan and Saul).
- So it appears that an eagle is a type of fierce swiftness and strength, not of prophetic wisdom or vision. Other than King Saul, we could not find a prophet or seer that was likened to an Eagle.
- Does anyone have thoughts on California and the prophecy that would occur before Billy Paul was an old man?
- William Branham said, “I want you to believe that I am God’s prophet” (1951, As I was with Moses), "I'm not a prophet" (1955, Seal of the Antichrist) “…I am your prophet” (1961, Abraham’s Grace Covenant), and "I never said I was a prophet" (1963, Three Kinds of Believers).
- Listen to what William Branham had to say about whether he was a prophet or not, and the importance of proclaiming a certain sound. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks3rchVQEWk&feature=plcp
- Do you live in a valley or eat eggs? William Branham said that you shouldn't do either, yet did both of these things himself. http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Don%27t_Eat_Eggs
- William Branham tells about a Mormon prophecy written about him. We finally located the prophecy, which was written in 1941. You can read the text of this prophecy at http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Mormon_prophecy_about_William_Branham
- William Branham said that his daughter Rebekah would be a prophetess, and that his son Joseph would be a prophet. We have not heard that this ever came to pass, or if either of these Christians demonstrated the gift of prophecy.
- References:
- April 21, 1957: “Rebekah, come back this way a little, honey. Stop right where you are. There's my little girl, who someday will be a prophetess also.”
- June 8, 1960: “Spirit caught me and said, "Joseph, my son, you are a prophet." God, let my spirit come in a double portion on my son.”
- William Branham prophecied that his son Joseph was God's prophet, and that his daughter Rebekah was a prophetess also.
- "Rebekah, come back this way a little, honey. Stop right where you are. There's my little girl, who someday will be a prophetess also." ~ William Branham, April 21, 1957
- "And in dedication of the little boy at the altar, somehow, I was inspired to say, "Joseph, thou art God's prophet." And maybe when I leave, I pray that a double portion of the Spirit will come upon Joseph for the age to come, if there is one." ~ William Branham, July 28, 1957
- The question remains whether either Rebekah Smith or Joseph Branham ever fulfilled these statements with prophetic statements of their own. We don't know of any, do you?
| Church Ages, Seven Seals & Clarence Larkin
|
- Does it concern you that the word "Ages" is not found in the Book of Revelation?
- William Branham said, "It isn't something that's written in the Book, It's something that's been hid in the Book. 'For whosoever shall take one word from It or add one word to It.' So it is a mystery that's been in the Book in these seven church ages." (July 18, 1965, Spiritual Food in Due Season). This is the scripture William Branham was referring to: “If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:” (Revelation 22:18b)
- Saint Columba was born on December 7, 521 AD and died on June 9, 597 AD. William Branham said that he was the angel to the Thyatiran Church age, which he said started in 606 AD and continued through to 1520 AD. Do you find it concerning that Columba was dead before the Thyatiran church age started, or that William Branham copied the dates for the Thyatiran church age directly from Clarence Larkin? http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Columba
- I looked up and saw a horse whose color was pale green. (Revelation 6:8a NLT).
- The word for "pale" in Greek is "chloros". The only other uses in the Bible for the word chloros are Mark 6:39 (And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass), Revelation 8:7b (...and all green grass was burnt up), and Revelation 9:4 (And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing...).
- "The Gates to the 'Soul' are 'Imagination', 'Conscience', 'Memory', 'Reason' and the 'Affections'."
~ Clarence Larkin, 1921, Rightly Dividing the Word (88).
- "The soul is imagination, conscience, memory, reason, and affection, is the senses or the attributes, or like the senses of the soul."
~ William Branham, Jan. 8 1961, Sermon: Revelation 4
- “His Voice as the SOUND OF MANY WATERS.” There is nothing more melodious or musical than the babbling brook, or more thunderous than the rush of the cataract over the falls, and there is nothing more fearful to the criminal than the words of the Judge as he passes sentence; but how terrifying will be the sentence when with a strong voice the Son of Man shall say in the Judgment Day, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels.” (Clarence Larkin, The Book of Revelation, 1919)
- "Voice of many waters." What does waters represent? …Now, you drifting soul, you poor drifter that's drifting over that great cataract yonder, be careful. It'll be a horrible thing when you know that there's no saving for you then. You can't get saved then; you know your doom lays right before you. When you know within a few minutes you'll hear that voice speak out, "Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity, into everlasting fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels." …To the sinner He's a horrible cataract, and a loose soul upon the sea of life. And to the church, a sweet Saviour, anchored in rest, and hearing the bubbling brook as you lay and rest perfectly satisfied in Christ. (The Patmos Vision, December 4, 1960)
- William Branham used the word “cataract” in his recorded sermons 119 times prior to the sermon “The Patmos Vision”, and all in reference to blindness. He then used the word “cataract” in reference to a waterfall 5 times in the sermon “The Patmos Vision”. After this sermon he used the word cataract in reference to a waterfall 3 times, and in reference to a blindness 17 times. William Branham also used the phrase “bubbling brook” only once in all of his recorded sermons – in the sermon “The Patmos Vision”. What does this mean? It means that this word was not in his vocabulary before he read and preached Clarence Larkin’s interpretation on the meaning of “the voice of many waters” in the book of Revelation.
- This is one example of many of how William Branham’s greatest “Revelations” actually came from a modern Baptist theologian.
- According to William Branham, the light in each church age waned like an eclipse of the moon. The first age had the full light, Thyatira had 4/7ths of the light of Ephesus, and darkness came at the end of Laodicea. William Branham also taught that the third seal represented the "dark ages", a time when the church died, and its light had gone out. Like a seed in the garden, it then began to grow again in the age of Sardis, until it was restored back to its former health in Laodicea.
- So did the light of the Church go out in the Dark Ages, or at the end of Laodicea? If the teachings on the Seals is correct, then shouldn't the total eclipse have happened during Thyatira? If the light came back with Luther, and got stronger with Wesley, then the stages of the eclipse as represented by the Church Ages doesn't make sense.
- William Branham wrote that, “once the brilliance of the Seven Church Ages is given by Divine Revelation, light upon light follows.” His book, An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages, was then copied in large part from Clarence Larkin’s works.
- In the Bible, the Lord says “I am against these prophets who steal messages from each other and claim they are from me." (Jeremiah 23:30 NLT)
- William Branham stole a lot of messages from Clarence Larkin, and claimed they were from ...God. For example, phrases like “the token”, “satan’s superman” and “trail of the serpent” are all found in Clarence Larkin’s books. Even the Seven Seals is copied in large part from Clarence Larkin.
- So what do you think of Jeremiah 23:30? William Branham said, “Now, you must not misinterpret the Word. …And you must not misplace the Word. And you must not dislocate the Word.” Clarence Larkin also said, “There are three things that we must avoid in the handling of God’s Word. 1. The Misinterpretation of Scripture. 2. The Misapplication of Scripture. 3. The Dislocation of Scripture.”
- Will you dislocate Jeremiah 23:30 from scripture, or will you agree with Jeremiah that 'plagiarizing prophets' are not from God? The next question is that since God is clearly against William Branham based on Jeremiah 23:30, who are you to stand with him? For more on this, see http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Plagiarism
- You've got to run, run, run...run from the stolen Message of Malachi 4, and run straight back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
| Scriptures and Bible Studies
|
- Let brotherly love continue. (Hebrews 13:1)
- Get wisdom; develop good judgment. Don’t forget my words or turn away from them. Don’t turn your back on wisdom, for she will protect you. Love her, and she will guard you. Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever else you do, develop good judgment. (Proverbs 4:5-7 NLT)
- Believe and know the truth. Comprehend with all saints what is…the love of Christ. Be not children in understanding. Discern both good and evil. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God…and it shall be given him. Identify a tree by its fruit. Recognize the melody. See that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin. Understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.
- And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
- (Excerpts from 1 Timothy 4:3b, Ephesians 3:18 & 19, 1 Corinthians 14:20, Hebrews 5:14, James 1:5 (KJV), and Romans 2:4, 1 Corinthains 14:7, Philemon 1:6 (NLT). 1 John 5:20.)
- In Jeremiah Chapter 34, the sons of Jonadab disobeyed the prophet. As a result, they were blessed by Jeremiah. In 2 Chronicles 26:17, Azariah the priest withstood Uzziah, a king who up until that point had done everything right in the sight of the Lord. These are some examples of people in the Bible who God called to stand against people he loved. These people were able to do this because they valued their relationship with God more than the opinions of spiritual people with important offices. Standing for the truth is what God calls all of us to do.
- "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth" (Ephesians 6:4)
- Do you know the story of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron?
- In Exodus 24:10 they "saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness." Then in Numbers 3:4 Nadab and Abihu are killed with fire from heaven when they begin to "invent" their own form of worship.
- Seeing angels or even God himself does not give anyone the license to deviate from God's plan. And what is God's will? "that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God." (1 Peter2:15b-16)
- Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:3-6)
- (Jesus said) To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them. (Matthew 13:12)
- "He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit." Titus 3:5
- "I am writing these things to warn you about those who want to lead you astray. But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ." 1 John 2:26-27
- "I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians." (Exodus 6:6 ESV) "...we will say no more, ‘Our God,’ to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy. 'I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.' " (Hosea 14:3b, 4 ESV) "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV)
- Do you understand why Jesus came the first time, and why he is coming back the second time? Do you understand what salvation means, and when it is manifest?
- "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." (Hebrews 9:28) "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation..." (1 Peter 1:5) "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth..." (Romans 1:16) "...for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." (Romans 13:11) "...and for an helmet, the hope of salvation." (1 Thess 5:8) "And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;" (Hebrews 5:8)
- "Surely I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to reason with God." Job 13:3 "I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness" Ecclesiastes 7:25 “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isaiah 1:18 KJV "And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks." Acts 18:4 "And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee." Acts 24:25
- Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body. Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. ~ Hebrews 13:1-13
- Tithes: what are your thoughts? Here are some things you can find in the scriptures:
- If you got tithes, you couldn't own land. (Numbers 18:24)
- Mint, anise, and cummin (food) was tithed, not $. (Matt 23:23)
- Priests collected tithes, but did not pay tithes. (Hebrews 7:8). Christians are also called priests. (Revelation 1:6)
- The Levites were joined by the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow every three years (Deut. 14:28-29).
- Also, Irenaeus opposed tithing for Christians. Charlemagne (the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire) was the first ruler to legalize Christian tithing.
- The scripture in the Bible that says, "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord" (Ephesians 5:22) is immediately preceded by the command, "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God." (Ephesians 5:21). Later on in this chapter, Paul talks about how a husband should love his wife, "even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it" (Ephesians 5:25). Jesus Christ won the Church by love, as demonstrated by his sacrifice. If you are a husband, are you following this example?
- “God…wants all people to be saved and to know the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3b-4, New Century Version)
- How do you know you are disciple of Jesus?
- A disciple of Jesus Christ will believe on Jesus Christ (John 2:11), follow Jesus’ teachings (John 8:31), bear much fruit (John 15:8), love others (John 13:35), deny himself and follow Jesus on a path of suffering (Matthew 16:24), send relief to others (Acts 11:29), and be filled with joy and the Holy Ghost (Acts 13:52).
- Now that you know what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, “…will you also be his disciple?” (John 9:27b)
| Healing
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- In 2 Kings 18:4, King Hezekiah destroyed the last remnant of Moses' healing ministry - the brass serpent. Hezekiah called it Nehushtan, which means 'piece of of brass'. Yet he was commended for doing what was right in the sight of the LORD. He did this because people had taken a prophet's message, and created an idol.
- But, Hezekiah did not bring disrepute to Moses' ministry when he did this. Likewise, if we say comments that challenge your understanding of William Branham's ministry, please don't interpret this as an attack on William Branham. What people need today is Jesus Christ, and not some historic relic of a healing ministry. If you think we are joking, consider that VGR used to sell a "memorabilia box" that included a piece of "the same floor that the Angel of the Lord stood upon when he revealed the Seven Seals". I would call that a 'piece of wood'. If you have one, get rid of it.
- William Branham said that the sign in his hand was commissioned by an angel, and that other evangelists with signs in their hand were impersonators. His exact words were:
- “See, everybody, if when I begin to put my hands on people and everybody begin to get, "Oh, I feel it my hand." See? Like that ...which was absolutely carnal impersonations. That's exactly right. That's the same Holy Ghost that told me to do it, said it was. So I knowed it was wrong. So that's what He told me the other night. Said, 'You caused a lot of carnal impersonations to rise.'" (January 8, 1956)
- So which other healing evangelists claimed to have a sign in their hand? We found one other evangelist who claimed to have received a sign in his hand in May 1948, while praying for a deaf boy. His words were:
- “I reached forth my hands to pray for him and suddenly I heard the voice of God. It was clear and distinct…here are his exact words to me, 'Son, you have been faithful up until this hour and now you shall feel my power in your right hand. You shall detect the presence of demons, you will know their number and name and will have my power to cast them out.' These were strange words, but I did not question God. …then I stretched forth my hand toward the boy. As I did, I felt physical contact with God’s presence in my right hand. It was a tingling sensation like an electric current. …he twirled around and repeated what his mother had said. …When they both realized healing had come, their faces shone like stars.” (Oral Roberts’ Life Story, As Told By Himself, copyright 1958)
- So the ‘carnal impersonations’ that William Branham was talking about included the sign in Oral Roberts’ right hand. If the sign in Oral Roberts' hand was wrong, as William Branham claimed, how did the deaf boy get healed?
| Suffering
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- Here's an article that should take your breath away: http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=Poo_in_the_Bible
- We have seen many comments today on the Sandy Hook, CT, shootings. They range from caring and compassionate to callous and insensitive. It has definitely affected us.
- It was senseless and tragic. Families losing the little ones who are the dearest things in the world to them, classmates who witnessed a horror none that none should, and will haunt them for the rest of their lives. The police, ambulance workers and authorities that have to deal with the aftermath and heartbreaking task of cleaning up and burying those little bodies... those providing aftercare... all of these people do need our prayers. Sure, the comments on the terrible state of the world may have some truth to them, but there have been madmen who slaughtered innocents throughout history. Those judgmental comments don’t do anyone any good. If you are begging God to take you out of such a cruel world, remember, God put you here... what are you doing to show His love and make this world a better place? Do you really believe that as the body of Christ, we are his hands and feet?
- If you aren’t actively doing something for the betterment of the world Christ loved so much that he suffered and died for, including getting on your knees, you have no room to talk. And those who are doing something, thank you. It is apparent in your comments and your lives, and it is hard to be a judge when you partake in the suffering of others.
- We have been deeply impacted by these events, our hearts and sincere prayers are with all those affected by this tragedy.
- Joy in time of sorrow.
- An angel once said to a group of shepherds, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:9-11) It was for the sake of joy that Jesus endured the cross and despised the shame (Hebrews 12:2). Because of his atonement, we have joy in God and not judgement (Romans 5:11). In times of trouble, the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). The just, that is the righteous, shall live by faith (Galatians 3:11). And it is the faithful that enter into the joy of the Lord (Matthew 25:21).
- When we put on the whole armor of God, we are clothed in the righteousness of God (Ephesians 6:13-14). Just like a life preserver keeps you safe in the water, God’s righteousness makes your soul buoyant in times of trouble. Like a seed in the earth, God causes his righteousness to rise with life.
- “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness…For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.” (Isaiah 61:10a, 11)
| Godhead
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- William Branham preached on the "Seven Compound Names of Jehovah" many times. These names are Jehovah-Jireh, Rapha, Nissi, Shalom, Ra'ah, Tzidkenu, and Shammah. However, there are other compound names of Jehovah that William Branham never mentioned, such as Jehovah-Avinu, Mekaddishkem, Tseva'ot, Seh'lah, 'Asenu, 'Ori and more. You can learn more about these names at http://en.believethesign.com/index.php?title=Jehovah
| Direction
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- Join us in making a positive confession! (Just cut and paste the following into the comment section)
- "When I say I am a believer, I mean that I believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for my sin, and that God raised him from the dead. I do not put any hope of salvation or heavenly position in William Branham, or any other person who claims to be a prophet. The Holy Spirit is greater than the spirit of Elijah, and my hope is in Christ and not man."
- We are in contact with a lot of people who have left the message. Where do these people go? Here’s a peek at what one family is doing as they embrace their new identity as non-message Christians. When you watch this video, remember that Jesus can be found on both sides of the table: http://vimeo.com/54558200
- A few questions for ministers in the Message (feel free to share):
- When you officiate a wedding, do you yell at the bride just in case she isn't listening? If you think that would be inappropriate, do you routinely yell at the Bride of Christ each Sunday?
- Do you attack sin with a zester, spending hour after hour scoring the hide and grating the emotions of your congregation? If the people who remain the longest in your congregation are the ones having the most trouble with sin, you likely have never spoken to their heart.
- If the above questions describe you, will you change?
- "You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars...this is in your favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do." (Revelation 2:2b, 6b from the NLT)
- Jesus said to love each other, and love your enemies. Yet Jesus also demonstrated that it is right to object vocally to the evil deeds of others. That is why Jesus taught that if anyone hits you on your right cheek, offer the other (see Matthew 5:39b)...yet when the Temple soldier actually did hit Jesus on the cheek, he said, "If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I’m speaking the truth, why are you beating me?" (John 18:23b NLT)
- If you are asking why we continue to expose the errors with William Branham's prophetic claims, you now know how this opposition can be supported from the scriptures. Based on Jesus' teachings, a minister who preaches against what we are doing must first prove that what we are saying is not the truth...just as we have doing with the claims of Sunset Mountain and William Branham's Elijah ministry. But if what we are sharing is the truth, why would you oppose us?
- Nate Saint was a missionary pilot who was speared to death by the Waodani people of Ecuador in January 1956. Nate's son Steve grew up with the Waodani, and was baptized by the men who had killed his father. Steve has focused much of his energy on helping tribespeople, and the missionaries who risk their lives to help them and share the Gospel. This includes founding itecusa.org, an organization that has developed a flying car to help missionaries reach remote locations. In June 2012 Steve was paralyzed while testing equipment in itec's research facility. The video below shares his thoughts on life between the accident and surgery. If you have ever suffered, you would benefit to hear this man speak.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIXR9FDrfhg&list=SP25AFFB5EA9F9B052
- How does this relate to Believethesign and William Branham? Well, many message believers claim that anyone who does not believe that William Branham is a prophet is at best only part of the foolish virgin. We strongly disagree. Steve and his father Nate are examples of men with oil in their lamps, and who are focused on shining the light of the gospel whatever the cost. Are you on fire to help deliver the lost, forgive those who kill, and love your enemy? Has the Message produced this kind of zeal in you? If not, you need to find a fire like that being shone by Steve Saint. Its not a light of 'doctrine', its a light of a life of sacrifice. It's called oil, and you need some in your lamp.
- Do you want to read something great? Here's our first book recommendation from the editors of this site. "Run Baby Run" is the true story of the conversion of a New York street fighter. The introduction to this book is written by Billy Graham. A small excerpt from this book reads as follows:
- "The skinny man walked over to me and stuck out his hand. 'Nicky, my name is David Wilkerson. I'm a preacher from Pennsylvania.'
- I just stared and him and said, 'Go to hell, preacher.'
- 'You don't like me, Nicky' he said, 'but I feel different about you. I love you. And not only that, I've come to tell you about Jesus who loves you too.'
- I felt like a trapped animal in a cage. Behind me was the crowd. In front of me was the skinny man talking about love. No one loves me. No one ever had...
- 'You come near me, preacher, and I'll kill you," I said, shrinking back toward the protection of the crowd. I was afraid, and I didn't know how to deal with it. ...I was running, and I knew it. But I couldn't fight this kind of approach. If he had come at me with a knife, I would have fought with him. If he had come begging and pleading, I would have laughed at him and kicked him in the teeth. But he came saying, 'I love you.' And I had never come up against this kind of approach before." (from pages 133 and 134)
- Do you want to read something great? Here's the second book recommendation from the editors of this site:
- "Son of Hamas" is the true story of Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of one of the founders of Hamas. This book is his story of how the love of Jesus Christ brought freedom to his heart. It is an intense story about loving your enemies. The introduction includes a personal letter to his family, and reads as follows:
- "To my beloved father and my wounded family. To the victims of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. To every human life my Lord has saved.
- "My family, I am very proud of you; only my God can understand what you have been through. I realize that what I have done has caused another deep wound that might not heal in this life and that you may have to live with its shame forever. ...I became a traitor in the eyes of my people. Although I once brought pride to you, I now bring you only shame. Although I was once a royal prince, I am now a stranger in a foreign country fighting against the enemy of loneliness and darkness.
- "I know you see me as a traitor; please understand it was not you I chose to betray, but your understanding of what it means to be a hero. When Middle Eastern nations - Jews and Arabs alike - start to understand some of what I understand, only then will there be peace. And if my Lord was rejected for saving the world from the punishment of hell, I don't mind being a reject! ...How many people appreciate what I have done? Not so many. But that's okay. I believed in what I did and I still believe, which is my only fuel for this long journey. Every drop of innocent blood that has been saved gives me hope to carry on to the last day.
- "I paid, you paid, and yet the bills of war and peace continue to come. God be with us all and give us what we need to carry this heavy weight."
- http://sonofhamas.com/
- Do you want to read something great? Here's the third book recommendation from the editors of this site:
- "The Gospel According to Job" by Mike Mason, takes a hard look at pain, doubt, the Old Testament book of Job, and the cross of Christ. The book of Job opens with Satan asking God for permission to tempt Job. Soon after, Job loses his family, his wealth, his health, and then three of his friends descend on him to shred his spirit with their theology. First, they try to convince Job of his own wickedness, and then tell him "[the wicked] will perish forever, like his own dung" (Job 20:7)
- Here is an excerpt from the book on the subject of conformity:
- ...How often we see churches full of conformists, full of people who instead of discovering and releasing one another's unique identity in Christ have banded together like lemmings, squeezing themselves into a straightjacket of pet doctrines, narrow lifestyles, class values, and regimented ideas. This kind of church is no longer a crucible for saints but a club for cripples. Whenever this happens, whenever doctrinal and behavioral conformity is exalted above love as the central principle of unity, then human character grows cramped and stilted...
- Most Christians are much more afraid of other Christians than they are of demons - and no doubt rightly so, since in Christ we are more powerful than demons! How wonderful it is to meet someone in whom these chains of fear have begun to be broken, someone who is out to obey God alone rather than other people. someone bent on being a God-pleaser rather than a people-pleaser. In the end, after all, isn't God the only one we can please? People can never be satisfied; they demand impossible standards. But God is easy to please, and this is the good news of the gospel in a nutshell. Only God asks for nothing but love."
- http://www.crossway.org/books/the-gospel-according-to-job-tpb/
- Do you want to read something great? Here's our fourth book recommendation from the editors of this site:
- "Unmerited Favor" is a book focused on only one thing: the radical grace of Jesus Christ. Grace means 'unmerited favor' - but do you know what having God's favor means to your life? Some excerpts from this book include:
- According to Paul [in Romans 7:9], when you introduce the law, there will be REVIVAL OF SIN! And that's not all. Apart from reviving sin, the law also kills and brings death! Isn't it amazing then, that there are well-meaning ministers who preach strongly on the Ten Commandments, thinking that imposing the law would cause sin to be removed? ...[The enemy] uses the law and the commandments to show up your failures, to put a spotlight on how your behavior has disqualified you from fellowship with God, and to constantly point out how you are undeserving of His acceptance, love and blessings! The enemy uses the law to heap condemnation upon you and give you a sense of guilt and distance from God. He knows that the more condemnation and guilt you experience, the more likely you are to feel alienated from God and to continue in that sin.
- But beloved, I pray that today, you will know the TRUTH that Jesus has already nailed the law to the cross: "...having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And he has taken it out of the way, and nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities and powers..." (Colossians 2:14-15) ...The more you try to keep the law by your efforts, the more it will bring forth what it was designed to bring forth - your failings and sins. ...When we partake of Jesus; wisdom, understanding, peace, joy and unmerited favor will flow in our lives."
- http://www.amazon.ca/Unmerited-Favor-Joseph-Prince/dp/1616385898
- Are you looking for wisdom on how to raise your children? “Grace Based Parenting” is a book by Dr. Tim Kimmel that takes what the Bible says about Grace, and applies it to raising children in a practical way to provides them with a secure love, a significant purpose, and a strong hope.
- Page 52 of this book introduces the concept of a secure love:
- What helps us turn the cycle of incomplete love around is when we understand exactly what love is and what love requires. With that in mind, let me suggest a definition of love that can radically change your life. This definition of love can help you choose the right thing to do when dealing with your children. It helps you make hard choices and it encourages you when the cost of loving is high. Here’s my definition:
- Love is the commitment of my will
- To your needs and best interests
- Regardless of the cost.
- In other words, doing the loving thing may not always come naturally to you. You may have to muster courage, say no to your fears, and place your feelings in check… It is not in the children’s best interest to give them everything they want, to make life easy for them, to side with them when they are clearly wrong, or to circumvent the consequences for their sins. It is not in their best interests to facilitate false fears holding them hostage, to fight all their battles, or to rescue them from all their wrong choices. Love is about meeting their actual needs, not their selfish needs... Secure love understands that loving someone is often inconvenient and sometimes painful. Loving your kids costs money, time, and sleep…it definitely means eating crow, swallowing your pride, and asking for forgiveness a lot."
| Responses
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- Is the message reality, or conjecture? Here is what one message believer has posted on this site as proof in support of the message.
- "William is composed of three words: WILL I AM. Will has a number of meanings one is to an Heir who receives instructions and a legacy through a testators will. The other is in the form of a question will you do this? and finally as an Answer eg Yes I WILL. We now I AM is God Himself, Jesus Christ. Marrion - is two words: MARRY and ON. Branham is also two words: BRAN and HAM. Thats a total of SEVEN words. BRAN is a cereal which has a purging effect on the body. To me this types the purging / scouring and preaching style of Br Branham. HAM is a meat forbidden to the Jews. This message is for all the Gentiles (and believing Jews) So taking this to its perfect (in my view and I believe Gods) completion: GOD WILL MARRY ON the Gospel Message (BRAN) and meat (HAM) His Gentile Bride [She is gentile: The term Gentile (from Latin gentilis, by the French "gentil", female: "gentille", meaning of or belonging to a clan or tribe) ]. GOD WILL MARRY ON BRANHAM."
- We ask for evidence, and this is what we get? Really?
- We are hearing the phrase "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" with respect to the Bridge vision and other prophecies. This is a phrase that can be appropriate at times. However, there are other times when absence is appropriate evidence.
- This concept is illustrated well by a story written by Hans Christian Anderson and published in 1837 "about two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent. When the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, a child cries out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor's_New_Clothes)
- If you chose to use the "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" as a basis for your faith that all of William Branham's prophecies came to pass, don't be surprised when someone honestly says that they can't see things the way you are seeing them.
- Message Ministers – are they credible? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcDUm1KFC2A
- Did the men travelling with Paul the Apostle hear the voice that spoke with him? Lets look at the scriptures:
- "The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one." (Acts 9:7 ESV)
- "Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of the one who was speaking to me." (Acts 22:9 ESV)
- Based on these scriptures, it is clear that the men travelling with Paul heard a voice, but did not understand it. The perceived problem with this scripture, which has been presented by Voice of God Recordings as a defense of the errors with William Branham's prophecies, is based on a loss of understanding of the meaning of Old English words used in the King James Version. This argument is a smokescreen.
- Another example is in the Book of Revelation, which says, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." The word 'hear' could refer to the way you would hear a trumpet sound, or to the way you would discern a song the trumpet is playing. That is why the NLT translates this phrase as "Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”
- The big question with these scriptures are, do you understand what you hear?
- Voice of God Recordings has essentially said, in a recent "Catch the Vision" publication, that you can trust William Branham's Message because the Bible has discrepancies too. One problem with the Bible that they point out is whether Israel was in Egypt for 400 years or 430 years. So let's look at what the Bible actually says:
- The Old Testament (Genesis 15:13) and the New Testament (Acts 7:6) both agree that Abraham’s offspring would dwell in a foreign land, and would be afflicted. The term of this is 400 years. The Old Testament (Exodus 12:40) also states that the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was 430 years. The New Testament then confirms that the law came 430 years after God’s covenant with Abraham (Galatians 3:16-17). Both the 400 year period and the 430 year period end with the exodus from Egypt (Genesis 15:14, Exodus 12:41), after which they head straight to Mt. Sinai to receive the law. The difference between the 400 year and 430 year periods is two different important starting events, 30 years apart from each other.
- God’s covenant with Abraham marks the start of the 430 year period (according to Galatians 3). If this refers to the date of the promise, and Isaac was born 25 years later, then one reasonable explanation is that the 400 year period of suffering started with the sacrifice of Isaac on Mount Moriah. Isaac, the son of promise, is a type of Jesus Christ and a representative of the affliction that the Son of God would eventually endure. If the Galatians timing refers to the birth of Isaac, then Isaace simply would have been 30 at the time of the sacrifice on Mount Moriah (there is no timing given to when Isaac ascended Mount Moriah).
- Another alternative is based on the position that the Hebrews spent a full 400 years in slavery. This is a Jewish interpretation and is based on the opinion that Genesis 15:13 speaks of Israel’s affliction in Egypt and Exodus 12:40 speaks of the longer gap of their sojourning (i.e. they were not afflicted immediately, but only after a Pharaoh came to power who did not know Joseph). Hence, this latter span includes the additional 30 years.
- Regardless, this 'discrepancy' doesn't indicate an error in the Bible, just a lack of clarity in our understanding of ancient history. William Branham's failed prophecies, on the other hand, are not ancient history. You can read more about this at http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Failed_Prophecies
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