If you need help
The teaching and vindication of William Branham are under intense scrutiny. People in the message are asking questions and are not satisfied with being ignored.
Our real purpose
If you are in the agonizing process of questioning or even leaving the Message of the Hour, we want to help you. The purpose of this website is not to ridicule the message and it is not to throw rocks at William Branham. Our true purpose is to show those that are questioning the message that there is a deeper understanding of the Gospel and a closer relationship with Jesus Christ that is available for them.
Where we started
We spent decades in the message. We believed that William Branham was the last prophet and that those that followed his message were the Bride of Christ; the final voice to the final age. We believed it with all our hearts.
But then we were confronted with the moral failure of those that we respected as our spiritual leaders. We started asking questions but there were no answers. We found that most message believers were afraid of our questions. One quote that helped us a lot was this:
- A faith without some doubts is like a human body without any antibodies in it. People who blithely go through life too busy or indifferent to ask hard questions about why they believe as they do will find themselves defenseless against either the experience of tragedy or the probing questions of a smart skeptic. A person's faith can collapse almost overnight if she has failed over the years to listen patiently to her own doubts, which should only be discarded after long reflection.
- Believers should acknowledge and wrestle with doubts — not only their own but their friends' and neighbors'. It is no longer sufficient to hold beliefs just because you inherited them. Only if you struggle long and hard with objections to your faith will you be able to provide the grounds for your beliefs to skeptics, including yourself, that are plausible rather than ridiculous or offensive. And, just as important for our current situation, such a process will lead you, even after you come to a position of strong faith, to respect and understand those who doubt.[1]
We also found that we were not alone. Believers from all over the world were asking questions as well. We started comparing notes with them and found that prophecies had, in fact, failed and that the entire credibility of the message was in question.
In the end, we left the message. But we had to tell people what we had found so they wouldn't have to go through all the difficult searching that we did. And that resulted in this website changing its entire focus.
Where are you?
There are a number of stages that people find themselves in:
There are problems in the message
If you are a true Christian, you will realize that there are huge spiritual problems, in message churches. For example, when people leave, they are shunned and forgotten. But Jesus told us:
- “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them—what do you do? You leave the other ninety-nine sheep in the pasture and go looking for the one that got lost until you find it. When you find it, you are so happy that you put it on your shoulders and carry it back home. Then you call your friends and neighbours together and say to them, ‘I am so happy I found my lost sheep. Let us celebrate!’ In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine respectable people who do not need to repent.[2]
I have so many questions
Are you simply ‘questioning’ the message based on what you have read or heard about failed prophecies or problems with William Branham's honesty?
You may be afraid to ask anyone about your questions for fear that they will judge you or possibly even turn their backs on you.
I no longer attend a message church
While you may no longer attend a message church, you may still be plagued with doubts. Is the message correct? Am I headed for the tribulation? Is there hope for anyone outside the message?
What should you do?
Where ever you are in your journey, you are likely in the midst of an agonizing internal battle. It is emotionally exhausting. We understand.
We know that there are people out there who are silently enduring where they are. They may not feel comfortable to post their questions on Facebook. They can’t talk to anyone about it. This section of our website will hopefully help you to understand some of the emotional turmoil you are experiencing and help point you in a direction of understanding and healing.
You are not alone.
Now what?
What you cannot really know until you leave the Message is exactly how many people are walking away. Most of you are not in a position to ask or find out because you are protecting yourself and the thoughts you are secretly thinking.
But please be aware, you are not alone. Far from it!!!!
Hundreds of people are reading this website every day... thousands every month. Those who are leaving come from every country and nation. They come from the biggest and most influential ministries known in the message. Many have been a part of the message for their entire lives; some for over 30 years. There are deacons, worship leaders, and ministers among them. There are even more who are deeply confused and worried that they’ve been believing something that isn’t true. They’re feeling alone and fearful, not knowing who to ask and what to do.
Many of them are still sitting in message churches, because they are too scared to pull away knowing the path of rejection and uncertainty they would be choosing. You might be sitting in a pew next to someone like this in your own church, and not know it. There are wives who are praying that their husband would open their eyes to what is happening, and husbands who endure patiently for the sake of their wives. There are young people whose entire families go to Message churches, and they don’t know what to do given their obedience and respect for their parents.
So please, be encouraged. There are more people than you know who are questioning, seeking truth and ultimately, walking away. You are not alone!!
We would strongly encourage you to go to Morning Mercy, a website resource of healing & refuge for those on the journey out of the “Message of the Hour”. Some of the information on this page is taken from that website. We encourage you to contact them directly or email us. We are all here to provide assistance on your spiritual journey.
If you are afraid
Please realize that fear is not from God.
- The opposite of love is not hate... but fear. It says in 1 John 4:18, “… perfect love casts out fear.” Maybe you thought the opposite of love is hate. Not biblically. The opposite of love is fear, because love is self-opening. Love is service. Whenever you serve somebody you make yourself vulnerable.
- Here is a [quote of C.S. Lewis]... “Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one … Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in the casket—safe, dark, motionless, airless—it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell.” The opposite of love is not hate but fear.[3]
If you are afraid, just stop. Take a deep breath, close your eyes and pray. Ask God to lead you and to direct you into truth.
Jesus said:
- ...ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For all those who ask will receive, and those who seek will find, and the door will be opened to anyone who knocks.
- Would any of you who are fathers give your son a snake when he asks for fish? Or would you give him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? 13Bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”[4]
So ask God for wisdom, guidance and direction. He won't lead you astray.
Other Resources
Here is a list of Books and reference sources for Christians who have come out of the message.
Books
"Irresistible" by Andy Stanley - This book is the perfect antidote for the legalism of the message.
"Crazy Love" by Francis Chan - The concept of Christianity as taught in the message can be quite warped. If you are REALLY interested in a relationship with Jesus Christ, you must read this book. The author's introduction to the book is here.
"The Forgotten God" by Francis Chan - This is about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the church and is a good read after Crazy Love.
"Out of the Cults and Into the Church" by Janis Hutchinson - This book has helped people with the relational parts of leaving and the mental "fog" involved in leaving the message.
"The Twisted Scriptures" by C W Ketcherside - This is a really tough read, but it's short. One example from it is the Amos scripture that talks about "Can two walk together except they be agreed?" This is often taken out of context to mean people who disagree doctrinally should not associate with each other. In the cultural context, the sentence was speaking of the necessity of making an appointment to meet someone (agree to meet up at a certain time) if you were going to journey together. It's part of a poetic list of questions to which the answer is always no, ending with "Does disaster come to a city unless the Lord has done it?"
"How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth" by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart - In coming out of the Message, it is important to have some idea on how to properly read and interpret Scripture. This book gives a very balanced approach to understanding genre, author's purpose/intention, and other consideration for interpreting Scripture to draw out the original meaning while minimizing our prejudices.
"The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse" by David Johnson & Jeff VanVonderen - The lessons learned from this book will help a great deal. The chapters on revictimizing victims of abuse as well as the section on leaders getting trapped themselves are very helpful.
"Letters to a Devastated Christian" by Gene Edwards This is a quick read at roughly 90 pages of large print.
"Changes that Heal" by Dr. Henry Cloud (a Christian psychologist). Very interesting, very practical, and easy to read.
Free Sermons
Jeff Bucknam - Simple expository preaching.
Tim Keller- His half hour sermons are the most succinct, yet profound, preaching we have ever heard.
Jim Cymbala and Tim Dilena at Brooklyn Tab - Sermons by the author of Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire.