Message Doctrine
Click on headings to expand them, or links to go to specific articles.
This article is one in a series on the Message of William Branham - you are currently in the article that is in bold:
- What is the Message of William Branham?
- Is the Message a Cult?
- The Sub-Sects of the Message
- The Theology of the Message
- Are followers of William Branham Christians?
- What is the Fruit of the Message?
- The Message Dress Code
| Progressive Revelation. In order to explain the shift in William Branham's doctrines over time, many ministers who believe he was Elijah the Prophet teach that his sermons became more inspired as time went on. As a result, they will ignore a statement from 1961 if a quote from 1965 states the opposite. |
| The Red Herring. Voice of God Recordings has stated that you can trust the Message, despite its mistakes, because the Bible has mistakes. Ouch. Isn't that like cutting off the limb you are sitting on? Anyways, the explainations given for the mistakes in the message don't hold water. This article talks about why those arguments are smoke and mirrors. |
| Errors in the New Testament. In this article we outline how the New Testament was handed down, and transcribed. We explain discrepancies that are not errors, but interpretation - such as the invention of the "space between words", "lower case letters", "commas" and "periods" after the Greek New Testament was written. TRYTOSEEHOWHARDITISTOREADASENTENCELIKETHISAMEN |
| To Message Believers, an Angel is a messenger, a prophet. This allows them to read the book of Revelation and believe that William Branham is the fulfillment of every single good angel (but not the bad ones). Is this Biblical? |
| Hierarchy in Heaven. Will William Branham rule over people in heaven? Will message pastors rule over their congregations in heaven? |
| The End Of Mercy. William Branham taught that God's mercy ended when the Seals were opened. What does the Bible say about the end of mercy? |
| The Message Dress Code. People that follow William Branham's message can be recognized by the way that their women dress - long dresses and long hair. Additionally men are not permitted to wear shorts (even though William Branham did). This is because William Branham taught a "clothes line" religion. |
| Long Hair or Uncut Hair. Women that follow William Branham's message are not permitted to cut their hair. This is one of the primary legalistic tenets of William Branham's followers. In fact, the easiest way to identify women that are followers of William Branham is the length of their hair and their mode of dress. What does the Bible say? |
| Are Christians considered amateur gods?. Followers of William Branham believe that they are junior gods. Is this scriptural? |
| Reading between the lines. William Branham believed that in order to understand the Bible you had to read between the lines. The problem is that this leads to extra-biblical (i.e. non-biblical) revelation. |
| Grounds for Divorce in the Message. William Branham was of the view that the following were grounds for a man to divorce his wife: If she cuts her hair; if she dresses in a manner that the husband doesn't like; and if he simply decides he wants to divorce his wife. Then, he can get remarried...but she can't. Is this scriptural? |
| The King James Version of the Bible. It is widely believed within the message, that the King James Version of the Bible is the only true “Word of God”. But William Branham never taught this, so why is it such a widely and fervently held belief? |
| Luke 20:4-8 Why do message ministers refuse to deal with the issues we have raised? Are message ministers only interested in doing what it takes to keep the appearance of authority, respect and power? |
| Reason and the Message. Message Believers have told us that Elijah's vindication on Mt. Carmel, and the very existence of Jesus, are two examples of things that are true, but that simply cannot be proved. Therefore, nothing about William Branham's life can be un-proven. Is this true? Why must reason be absent in order to believe the Message? |
| For a comprehensive list of problematic message doctrines - click here |