Stories about Eagles

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This article is one in a series of studies on William Branham and Eagles - you are currently on the topic that is in bold:

• The tribe of Dan and the Eagle
• The Prophet and The Eagle
• William Branham's Stories about Eagles
• Matthew 24:28

Eagle in the fresh food section

William Branham stated that he saw a mother eagle put her wings out and that her babies hopped onto her wing and she flew with them down to the grass in the valley below and then went back up to a mountain top to watch them. Then as a storm approached, she flew back down into the valley and took her eaglets back onto her wings and flew them to a place of safety.

This is a story that is familiar to all message believers. But did it really happen? Or was William Branham making up a story?

How do eagles learn to fly?

There are no reports in ornithological journals or from the study of eagles by scientists that would indicate that eagles carry their young on their wings. We actually contacted three well known scientists who study raptors (birds of prey such as eagles) and they indicated that the person telling the story was clearly making it up (we did not mention where we got this report) and one of the scientists got quite angry that someone would make up such an obviously false story.

Doesn't the Bible talk about this?

There are a couple of places in the KJV that potentially refer to this phenomena, Exodus 19:4:

Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.

And also Deuteronomy 32:11:

...like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them aloft.

Is the Bible talking about an eagle?

In Micah 1:16 we read:

Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; Enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; For they are gone into captivity from thee.

There are a couple of points to make about the passage:

1. This passage is not talking about the North American bald eagle. This is referring to a bird with no feathers on its head.
2. The Hebrew word נֶשֶׁר (nesher) can refer to an eagle or a vulture.
3. The griffon vulture is native to Israel and has very short feathers on its head, looking like its head has been shaved bald.

As a result, the proper translation should be "vulture" and not "eagle." This is how Micah 1:16 is translated in the NIV:

Shave your head in mourning for the children in whom you delight; make yourself as bald as the vulture, for they will go from you into exile.

Also refer to Proverbs 30:17, the word is Nesher:

The eye that mocketh at his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it.

The NIV corrects the translation:

The eye that mocks a father, that scorns an aged mother, will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley, will be eaten by the vultures.

Exodus 19:4 and Deuteronomy 32:11 both use the same Hebrew word - Nesher - so the Bible may be referring to being born on the wings of a vulture.

What is the Bible actually saying?

While the KJV appears to state that the eagle/vulture does carry its young on its wings, other translations make it clear that it is God that is doing this and not necessarily an actual eagle/vulture in the wild:

You saw what I did to the Egyptians, and how I lifted you up on eagles’ wings and brought you to me.

Like an eagle protecting its nest, hovering over its young, God spread out his wings, took hold of Israel, carried him on his back.

God carried Israel on his back. This statement does not mean that an eagle in the wild carries its young on its back. As indicated above, this has never been scientifically attested to. The Bible is clearly not stating this.

What did William Branham see?

William Branham clearly stated that he saw a mother eagle stretch out her wings in the nest and the young eagles climbed onto her wings. She then flew down into a valley with the chicks on her wings.

The eaglets jumped off her wings when she landed on the grass, and they played for a period of time. She later descended back into the valley, stretched out her wings again and the eaglets once more got onto her outstretched wings. She then flew back up to the nest with the eaglets on her wings back to the nest where they jumped off.

We can state without doubt that William Branham never saw this take place. And we would challenge any followers of William Branham to send us scientific evidence that this actually took place in real life.

Based on aerodynamic principles, an eagle would not be able to take off with a "whole wing full of eagles" as William Branham contended. They would disrupt the ability to create lift, particularly if the eagle could not flap her wings (she obviously couldn't with a bunch of baby eagles on her wings).

We have confirmed this information with three different ornithologits (scientists who study birds) who specialize in the study of raptors and other birds of prey.

As a result of the evidence, we are forced to conclude that William Branham was not telling the truth. He did not see what he claimed to have witnessed. The bigger questions is: What else did William Branham lie about?

The apostle Peter warns us of teachers who make up false stories in 1 Peter 2:3:

"...these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories."

Quotes of William Branham

Recently I was watching. I love birds. I was watching some eagles here not long ago when I was on a fishing trip, an old mother eagle, setting way on top of a mountain. And she threw her wings out, and the little eagles caught a hold of her wings, and she went down into the valley. It was the first time they’d ever been out of that old nest.

...Then I seen her take her little ones, and they caught a hold of her wings, and she went down the mountain into the valley, throwed out her big wings and the little eagles let loose. They begin to run around, their little feet touched for the first time upon soft ground, upon the grass. They eat green grass. “He leads me beside still water.” Oh, my, how glorious and wonderful.

Then, notice closely, when he was—they did that, then the little eagles… The old mother eagle, when she seen that, what was… She went plumb back up into the top of the mountains again, set down upon the rocks, begin to look down, watching those little eagles.

...After while, I seen her hold her head up, and she looked up, and she made a squall. All at once, she darted from that mountain, down into the valley. And when she went down there, she threw forth those great majestic wings and let out a scream. When she did, every one of those little eagles left off eating, run as quickly as they could to their mother, grabbed their little bill a hold of her wings, like that, with their bill, put their little feet in them wings. I wondered what was the matter. I couldn’t see it yet. But across the mountain come a hurricane that she could smell in the air and knew it was coming. She was watching over her brood. And then, before she could get off the ground, the storm was already sweeping down through the hollow. When she did, she pierced that storm blowing at sixty miles an hour. Those little eagles holding on to that mother’s wings. And right into the cleft of the rocks she went.

Here not long ago I was up in the mountains. I just love hunting. You know that. That’s my second nature, I’m a real Kentuckian; I got a squirrel rifle. See? And I just like to go hunting. I was way up in the mountains and I was watching up there, looking through the binoculars. Right at the time, I wasn’t hunting at the time, I was herding cattle. And I’ve worked cattle since I was a boy, so I go up there in the roundups and things, and I was watching down through a—a sight. I seen an old mother eagle. And she had a big nest up in the rock. It was along in the months, you know, after the little fellows had hatched out. And they were all walking around on this nest, and I spied that nest. The old mother was go take them out of the nest, and they were walking around there, you know, poor little old fellows. And she throwed her wings down like that and she, “Squawk!” made a squawk, and all them little eagles reached over, and took their little mouth, and set hold of them wings, got their little feet and held onto her wings.

She lifted them up, up out of the nest, down through the crevice she went, down into the valley. And they’d never been out of that old pukey nest before (excuse the expression), and got down there. The nest is the stinkiest place you ever seen around an eagle’s nest. And then she let them down. And them poor little fellows got out, and they got on this green grass; how good that felt to them little feet. They were just a prancing around, and getting a mouthful of grass, and chirping. And the old mother flew back up, way back up to the top of the highest peak she could, she ruffled her big feathers, and me setting up there, my horse hitched, watching this take place. I seen this old mother up there watching them little eagles. I stood there; I started crying; I said, “Glory to God.” I thought. “What’s the matter with me?” I looked down, and I thought, “Yes, one time the little church was in an old pukey nest, and she had to do this, that, and the other: join the church and do this and the other thing. But one day the great Master of Life, Who with His lifting power of the Holy Ghost had lifted Her up, brought her out of that thing, set her down, like an old…”

If them little eagles wasn’t having an old holy-roller meeting, I don’t know what. They were just as chirping as they could be, just a jumping around, just like an old fashion Holy Ghost meeting. They were grabbing on a bunch here, run one over to one another, “Chirp, chirp, chirp,” and run around like that, just like a Holy Ghost meeting, just as carefree as you can be. Amen. Yes, sir. I like to watch God like that. And why was they so carefree? I wond… Watch them little fellows, that’s the first time they was ever in this place. What makes them so carefree? But you once watch one, he’d cock his little head up, look setting up yonder there set mammy. Yes, sir.

Brother, she was watching over them. And I thought, “Yes, our great Master, after bring us out of the pukey nest of the world, has climbed the ramparts of glory, sitting at the right-hand of the Majesty, watching down on us.” Hallelujah. You let a coyote start towards one of them little eagles, and watch what a flogging he will ever get. Yes, sir. I thought, “Let the devil come, if he wants to get a flogging. Let’s be free.” Amen. Just have a glorious time. All right. She watched there for a little while. After while, there came a storm, started back in there, I heard of roar of a thunder. That old mother, I was watching her through my glasses, she turned her head and kept looking. And she smelled that storm coming. And the little fellows heard that storm, they never heard anything like that. Just like the church today, we wonder what all this racket’s about. But the first thing they done, they huddled together. Amen.

That’s what we need today: huddle together. I don’t care if you’re this, that, or the other, let’s get together as Christian believers. Don’t separate yourselves; let’s get together. And the first thing you know, that old mother looked, when she knowed she’s about timed right, she let out a scream. And when she did those little eagles turned towards her. She flew down into that valley like that, throwed out her great big wings. Those little fellows jumped upon that same wing. (Hallelujah. I thought, “Yes, sir. That’s right.”), jumped upon the same wing, took their bill, and caught hold of a feather, tucked their little paws, and hooked into the other feather. Up she lifted them, up, up, up, up a piercing that storm, run right into the cleft of the rock down yonder, and hid those little fellows.

One time I was herding some cattle, and I had pair of binoculars, and I got up on top the hill, and I was looking off. It was a beautiful sight, seeing God in His nature, how He was moving. And there was an old eagle had built some nest way up in some big thickets, way up in the rocks is where she usually makes her nest. And I seen her. She was trying to get her little ones out of this nest. She’d throw out her wings like that and coo, coo. And I had a pair of ten power binoculars; I was watching for cattle on the range, so I could pick up where that old eagle was. I watched her. She was cooing to those little ones, and oh, if you ever was around an eagle’s nest, how it smells. And all those little eagles come out and got on her wings. She lifted them up out of there, brought them way down through the crevices, and down into the meadows, and set them out.

Now, them poor little eagles have never been on grass before. The only thing they know was the old nest, stinking, and stickers, and everything: how they make their nests out of poles and stickers and things. When them little eagles dropped off her wings, begin to get out there and pick a little piece of grass here and there, why, they was the happiest little fellows you ever seen. She turned around and went plumb just as high as she could go to the highest spot on a mountain. She set down there and moved her big feathers. I throwed my glasses up to look at her. And there she was. I was setting over in the top of a bush watching her, my horse tied over the hill, watching her. I thought, “Oh, God, hallelujah.”

I looked at her again; I seen her up there, that big head up, looking around like that watching those eagles. I seen those little eagles just look up to see where mammy was, you know, and they was just as carefree as they could be. They’d tumble over one another, and grab… That new grass felt so good on their feet. And I thought, “Oh, brother, if that isn’t a Holy Ghost meeting, I never seen one in my life. That’s right. Been in the old pukey nest, excuse me, good old vomity nest of the world, out here fooling around with things, and God comes down in His mercy, picks you up on His everlasting wings, moves you over and sets you down in a big fashion Holy Ghost meeting, where you’re just carefree. And the Lord Jesus Christ climbed the ramparts of glory, sets at the right hand of His majesty tonight; His eye is on the sparrow, and He—I know He watches me. He’s watching every move (Yes, sir.) to see what takes place. I’m telling you, let a coyote come up if he wants to get the biggest flogging he ever had. She’d dive off of that rock there and give him a thrashing like he never had. That’s right. You let the devil go to fooling around in a Christian meeting one time and watch what a flogging he gets. That’s right. ’Cause our Great Master of Life is climbed up higher and setting in His Majesty looking down. His eyes like on the sparrow and He watches every one of His children. He knows where they’re at and what they’re doing. Don’t fear; just be as free as you can be.

My, first thing you know, I seen this old eagle lift her head and sniff the air a few times. There was a northerner coming, and it comes quick. And before hardly a minute or two, the lightning was flashing, a black cloud was coming. She let out a scream and come off that rock; right down into that field she went, soared like a bullet, throwed them big wings out like that and begin to go screaming, chirping, and going on. Every one of those little eagles come just as fast as they could go, reached over and took a hold of feather with their mouth, caught on like that, caught their little paws in her wings. And she just lifted up that whole wing full of eagles, away she went in that storm meeting her right in the face. She pressed right on in and went into the hole in the rock.

Now, some of them, them eagles stretch fourteen feet, across the wing, wing spread. They could pick up a calf and pack it away.

Now, mother eagle says, “Get ready, children, I’m going to give you you’re solo flight this morning.” So she bats her big wings up, and each one of these little eagles climbs upon them big wings.

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