U.S.S.R. flag on the German Parliament (Reichstag) in Berlin.

William Branham claimed he had a series of eight prophetic visions in June 1933. The U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. established diplomatic ties shortly after, on November 16, 1933. In the fourth vision, William Branham said he witnessed Fascism and Nazism being swallowed up into Communism.

As part of this vision, William Branham said that Communism would destroy the Vatican. However, the U.S.S.R. dissolved into 15 independent nations in December, 1991. As a result, unless Communism comes back to power in Russia, this vision can be classed as having failed.

Problems with the prophecy

In the Laodicea chapter in the Church Age Book, William Branham says, “Now let me say this. Can anyone prove any of those visions wrong? Were they not all fulfilled?” Over 80 years after 1933, we now have the benefit of hindsight in our ability to confirm the accuracy of these prophecies and we find a number of problems:

Facism, Nazisim and Communism did not unite into Communism
Communism in Russia has fallen from power and is unlikely to regain its former status.
Communism did not destroy the Roman Catholic church. In fact, it could be argued that the Roman Catholic church was instrumental in the toppling of Communism from power in Eastern Europe.

Communism will destroy Catholicism

William Branham states that:

’’One ism will dominate the world and will burn the Vatican City.’’
’’Communism will burn the Vatican city.’’
’’ They'll all wind up out of Russia, in Communism." And it will destroy Catholicism. See if it don't!’’

History, however, has shown that Catholicism was instrumental in the fall of communism. Lech Wałęsa has said that “The pope started this chain of events that led to the end of communism” and Mikhail Gorbachev has said “The collapse of the Iron Curtain would have been impossible without John Paul II.”

Communism winding up in Catholicism

William Branham stated on one occasion that “Communism will burn the Vatican city” and, then, on another occasion said to "Keep your eyes on Russia. She'll all wind up in Communism. And then it'll all wind up finally in Catholicism.”

This creates a problem because if Communism winds up in Catholicism, it will be Russian Communist Catholics that will eventually burn the Vatican (which makes no sense).

Three Unclean Spirits

Up until 1964, William Branham taught that the three unclean spirits of Revelation 16:13 were the three isms of his 1933 prophecy. ^[1] However, he abandoned this interpretation in July 1965 in favor of teaching that the doctrine of the Trinity was the three unclean spirits of Revelation 16:13. ^[2]

If you believe that William Branham was an infallible teacher and prophet, you will have to choose which of these interpretations is correct… or more importantly, which one is wrong.

Changes in the prophecy over time

William Branham stated that the prophecy was written down (which we do not believe), so each retelling of it should have been consistent. Changes include whether an ism would burn the Vatican, whether communism would wind up in Rome, and whether these isms represented the three unclean spirits of Revelation 16:13 – none of which made it into the Church Ages book.

1953: Three isms will wind up in one ism, which will burn the Vatican City. ^[3]
1954: Three isms will head into one ism (the king of the north), that will bring a persecution that would send Jesus Christ to the earth again. ^[4]
1955: Three isms are three unclean spirits, that will wind up in Communism, that will burn the Vatican City. ^[5]
1960: Three isms will wind up into Communism. ^[6]
1960: Three isms would wind up in Russia, the King of the North.^[7]
1961: Three isms will wind up in Communism, which will all wind up into Catholicism. ^[8]
1961: The three unclean spirits are the three isms. ^[9]
1962: Three isms will come into communism, and communism will burn Rome. ^[10]
1964: Prophecy was written in a book that three isms would wind up in Communism, and destroy Catholicism. ^[11] (March 21, 1964, Denham Springs, Louisiana) </ref>
Church Age Book: Three isms would be swallowed up into Communism, and to watch Russia. ^[12]

1955 and 1964 retelling of the 1933 prophecy

Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I said, 'Now, there's going to be three great isms. Which is now in existence. One of them is in Rome, which is--is Fascism, and one of them is in Germany which is Nazi--Nazism. And the other one is in Russia, which is communism.' I said, ''Those three great isms is the unclean spirits that went out of the mouth of the false prophet, and the dragons, and so forth that will unite themselves together, speaking things that they should not, and they'll all beat at one another, until they'll finally wind up in one ism. And I predict that that will be communism. ^[13]

The third vision was in the realm of world politics for it showed me that there would be three great ISMS, Facism, Nazism, Communism, but that the first two would be swallowed up into the third. The voice admonished, "WATCH RUSSIA, WATCH RUSSIA. Keep your eye on the King of the North. ^[14]

References

↑ ’’Those three great isms is the unclean spirits that went out of the mouth of the false prophet.’’ (May 1, 1955, Chicago, Illinois)
↑ ’’Where was trinitarianism born at? Remember, "three unclean spirits," individual spirits. Are you getting it? Notice, they look back to the Nicaea Council where the trinity doctrine was born at, not in the Bible…. at Nicaea, Rome," when them three unclean spirits went out of the dragon, the false prophets, and so forth. [when they said] "We believe there is a trinity of Gods." (July 25, 1965, Jeffersonville, Indiana).
↑ And I said, "There'll be three great isms, Communism, Fascism, and Nazism." And I said, "They'll wind up in one ism, and that one ism will dominate the world and will burn the Vatican City." You remember me saying that years and years and years ago. And just exactly that way. (March 26, 1936, Jeffersonville, Indiana)
↑ There'll be three isms. And they'd all heap up in one ism, and that ism will bring forth a persecution that would send Jesus Christ to the earth again." That's exactly so. That was Communism, and--and Hitler and--and Nazi, and so forth; and how that Fascism of Mussolini, and Hitler, and Stalin. I said, "One of them will take the place of it. I don't know which one it'll be, but I believe it'll be the king of the north." (January 3, 1954, Jeffersonville, Indiana)
↑ Going to Sunday school one morning, I was caught away in a vision. And I said, "Now..." Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I said, "Now, there's going to be three great isms. Which is now in existence. One of them is in Rome, which is--is Fascism, and one of them is in Germany which is Nazi--Nazism. And the other one is in Russia, which is communism." I said, "Those three great isms is the unclean spirits that went out of the mouth of the false prophet, and the dragons, and so forth that will unite themselves together, speaking things that they should not, and they'll all beat at one another, until they'll finally wind up in one ism. And I predict that that will be communism. And communism will burn the Vatican city. (May 1, 1955, Chicago, Illinois)
↑ Predicted! I said, "And there's three isms: the Nazi, and the Facism, and Communism." I said... (How many in here remembers?) I said, "Keep your eyes on Communism, it'll all head up in there."(December 8, 1960, Jeffersonville, Indiana)
↑ Then the three isms: Nazism, Facism, and Communism, would all wind up in Communism." And how many in here remembers me just keep having you stand, just say it over, I'd tell you, "Watch Russia! Watch Russia, the king of the North! Watch Russia, king of the North! Watch Russia, king of the North!"? How many has heard me just say, just wave that over, over? The old-timers, you see, back in the early part of the church. Just stand there and wave it over and over, "Watch Russia, the king of the North! See, what he would do, for all those isms will heap up into Russia. (December 11, 1960, Jeffersonville, Indiana)
↑ I wasn't against Germany; it was the Nazism. I wasn't against the Italians; it was against the--the Fascism. And remember, I made another prediction in that time--just a prediction, and many of you old-timers remember it. I said, "There's three isms" trying to take a hold of the world today: Fascism, Nazism, and Communism." And what'd I say? They would all wind up in Communism. Now, I just had you all to repeat it over: "Keep your eyes on Russia." You remember that? "Keep your eyes on Russia. She'll all wind up in Communism. And then it'll all wind up finally in Catholicism. Remember, it'll all wind up in Catholicism in the end time. That's exactly right. That's at the battle of Armageddon, right over in here when Christ comes Himself. (August 6, 1961, Jeffersonville, Indiana).
↑ The three unclean spirits is the three isms. Let me type it for you now and you'll see where it--where it started, where it begin. See? There was communism, fascism, nazism. They were spirits. Communism is a spirit. It gets on you. See? It's a spirit. (August 8, 1961, Tifton, Georgia)
↑ There is three isms has rose up. Nazism, fascism, and communism." I said, "Them isms will revolve and come around into one, and it'll be communism. Watch. Communism will burn Rome." See? (December 30, 1962, Jeffersonville, Indiana)
↑ In my book in there, that I keep wrote down. In 1933, one morning, fixing to go to Sunday school, a Baptist Sunday school where I was pastor, the Holy Spirit come and showed me down to the end time, and showed me seven things that would happen. I marked them down. It's on old yellow paper...And I said, "There is three isms; Communism, Facism, and Nazism. They'll all wind up out of Russia, in Communism." And it will destroy Catholicism. See if it don't!
↑ The third vision was in the realm of world politics for it showed me that there would be three great isms, Facism, Nazism, Communism, but that the first two would be swallowed up into the third. The voice admonished, "WATCH RUSSIA, WATCH RUSSIA. Keep your eye on the King of the North." (Laodicean Church Age Book
↑ Faith Once Delivered To The Saints, 1955
↑ Taken from Chapter 9 of the Church Ages Book (the Laodicean Church Age), William Branham