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The Prophet and The Eagle

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What is the importance of an "Eagle Ministry"? Are prophets likened to eagles in the Bible or is this just another example of William Branham's lazy theology?

What the Bible says

The KJV Bible uses the world "Eagle" 34 times:

  1. Five (5) verses refer to vultures, not eagles (Job 39:27, Prov 30:17, Micah 1:16, Matt 24:28 and Luke 17:37). For a detailed discussion, see our article on Matthew 24:28.
  2. Four (4) verses refer to the 'unclean' animals that were not kosher to eat (Lev 11:13 & 18 and Deut 14:12 & 17).
  3. Eighteen (18) refer to characteristics of eagles and are used as illustrations, descriptions or metaphors. None of these illustrations relate to prophets. (Deut 28:49, 2 Sam 1:23, Job 9:26, Psalms 103:5, Prov 23:5, Prov 30:19, Isaiah 40:31, Jer 4:13, Jeremiah 48:40, Jeremiah 49:16, Jeremiah 49:22, Lam 4:19, Daniel 4:33, Daniel 7:4, Hos 8:1, Obadiah 4, Habakkuk 1:8, Revelation 12:14)
  4. Two (2) verses are metaphors for God (Exodus 19:4, Deut 32:11)
  5. Three (3) verses refer to angels (Ezek. 1:10, 10:14, Revelation 4:7)
  6. Two (2) verses identify people of strength (Ezekiel 17:3, 17:7)

The primary reference to an eagle is as a descriptor or an illustration of such things as fierce swiftness and strength. It is NEVER used as a reference to prophetic wisdom or vision. Other than King Saul (2 Sam 1:23 where Saul and Jonathan are referred to as "swifter than eagles"), that are no prophets or seers that were likened to an eagle.

What William Branham said

William Branham stated many times (see the list of quotes below) that the Bible compared God's prophets to eagles. However, he never provided one scriptural example of where this was the case. We consider this to be lazy theology.

He also stated that an eagle could fly higher than any other bird. But is this true?

What science says

One of the most impressive altitude records for birds is that of a flock of Whooper Swans which was seen on radar arriving over Northern Ireland on migration and was visually identified by an airline pilot at 29,000 feet.[1]. The Bar-headed Goose is one of the world's highest-flying birds, having been heard flying across Mount Makalu – the fifth highest mountain on earth at 8,481 m (27,825 ft) – and apparently seen over Mount Everest – 8,848 m (29,029 ft).[2]

But the world record for high altitude flying by a bird is... <drum roll>... a Ruppell’s vulture (gyps rueppellii) which collided with a commercial aircraft over Abidjan, Ivory Coast, at an altitude of 37,900 feet in November 1973. The impact damaged one of the aircraft’s engines, but the plane landed safely. The avian altitude record in North America is held by a mallard, which collided with an airplane on July 9, 1963, at 21,000 feet above Elko, Nevada.[3]

Eagles are not found in any of the records for highest flying birds.

Scripture References

Eagle

The word eagle is mentioned 34 times in the KJV:

  1. Exodus 19:4 - Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings...[4]
  2. Leviticus 11:13
  3. Leviticus 11:18
  4. Deuteronomy 14:12
  5. Deuteronomy 14:17
  6. Deuteronomy 28:49
  7. Deuteronomy 32:11
  8. 2 Samuel 1:23 - Saul and Jonathan were lovely and ||pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided: they were zswifter than eagles, they were astronger than lions.[5]
  9. Job 9:26
  10. Job 39:27
  11. Psalm 103:5
  12. Proverbs 23:5
  13. Proverbs 30:17
  14. Proverbs 30:19
  15. Isaiah 40:31
  16. Jeremiah 4:13
  17. Jeremiah 48:40
  18. Jeremiah 49:16
  19. Jeremiah 49:22
  20. Lamentations 4:19
  21. Ezekiel 1:10
  22. Ezekiel 10:14
  23. Ezekiel 17:3
  24. Ezekiel 17:7
  25. Daniel 4:33
  26. Daniel 7:4
  27. Hosea 8:1
  28. Obadiah 4
  29. Micah 1:16
  30. Habakkuk 1:8
  31. Matthew 24:28
  32. Luke 17:37
  33. Revelation 4:7
  34. Revelation 12:14

Vulture

The word "vulture" is mentioned 4 times in the KJV:

And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an cabomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, 14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind...[6]
But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray, 13 And kthe glede, and the kite, and lthe vulture after his kind...[7]
There is a path which no fowl knoweth, And which the vulture’s eye hath not seen...[8]
There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.[9]

Quotes

Here are a few of William Branham's quotes on the subject of eagles and prophets:

A prophet in the Bible is a eagle. He goes higher than other birds, and he can see way off, things coming.[10]
The Bible likens His prophets to being eagles. Now, a eagle can soar higher than any other bird. If another bird tries to follow an eagle, he'd die, because he--he--the eagle's made special, and he can go so high if the hawk trying to follow him, the hawk would disintegrate in the air. He just couldn't follow him; his feathers would fall out; he'd come apart. But the eagle is a special bird. Now, what good would it do him to go way up there in the air unless he could see way off? He'd be blind himself. But see, nature has provided the eagle with an eye that he can see as high till you can hardly see the eagle yourself: some of them fourteen feet across their wings. You can hardly see the eagle with your eye. But he can see any little moving object on the ground. Now, God likened His prophets, His preachers, to eagles. He calls Himself, "Jehovah Eagle." He's a eagle Himself.[11]
In the Bible His prophets was considered eagles. The eagle, how it would... It could climb higher than any other bird.[12]
You know, Jehovah is an eagle, Himself, and He calls us eaglets. His prophets are eagles, seers.[13]
Now God always likens His prophets to eagles. [14]
Everyone knows that a prophet is called the eagle, in the Bible.[15]

References

  1. ↑ Stanford University
  2. ↑ [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar-headed_Goose Wikipedia - Bar-headed Goose
  3. ↑ Audubon Magazine, 2000
  4. ↑ The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Ex 19:4 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009).
  5. ↑ The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 2 Sa 1:23 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009).
  6. ↑ The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Le 11:13–14 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009).
  7. ↑ The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Dt 14:12–13 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009).
  8. ↑ The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Job 28:7 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009).
  9. ↑ The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., Is 34:15 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009).
  10. ↑ HEAR.YE.HIM_ CHATTANOOGA.TN SATURDAY_ 58-0301E
  11. ↑ FORMER.AND.LATTER.RAIN_ PHOENIX.AZ THURSDAY_ 60-0303
  12. ↑ WATCHMAN.WHAT.OF.THE.NIGHT_ LAKEPORT.CA FRIDAY_ 60-0722
  13. ↑ WHO.IS.JESUS_ TOPEKA.KS V-20 N-4 SATURDAY_ 64-0620B
  14. ↑ THE.GOD.WHO.IS.RICH.IN.MERCY_ PHOENIX.AZ V-19 N-2 TUESDAY_ 65-0119
  15. ↑ WHO.IS.THIS.MELCHISEDEC_ JEFF.IN V-5 N-10 SUNDAY_ 65-0221E

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