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Illegitimate children: Difference between revisions
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William Branham did not believe that illegitimate children could go in the rapture: | [[File:Branham Family Tree.jpg|thumb|right|550px|Branham Family Tree]] | ||
William Branham did not believe that illegitimate children could go in the rapture and his teaching was based on Deuteronomy 23:2: | |||
:''A bastard shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD; even to his tenth generation shall he not enter into the congregation of the LORD.<ref>The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), Dt 23:2.</ref> | |||
=What William Branham taught= | =What William Branham taught= | ||
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The concept that William Branham taught was that "hybrid" seed cannot produce "original seed". It produces death. This was one of the themes of his ministry. He ties "hybreeding" with "bastard" born children. And this all ties back to his concept of [[Serpent seed]]. Effectively, William Branham believed that God regards natural seed lines above the Blood of Jesus Christ. | The concept that William Branham taught was that "hybrid" seed cannot produce "original seed". It produces death. This was one of the themes of his ministry. He ties "hybreeding" with "bastard" born children. And this all ties back to his concept of [[Serpent seed]]. Effectively, William Branham believed that God regards natural seed lines above the Blood of Jesus Christ. | ||
=William Branham's family tree= | |||
Surprisingly, William Branham's great-grandfather was born out of wedlock. His great-great grandmother eventually married Thomas Wisdom but her son, Lewis R. Branham, was a bastard child. | |||
Does this mean that William Branham by his own theology could not have gone in the rapture? | |||
=What the Bible teaches= | =What the Bible teaches= | ||
==Old Testament== | |||
William Branham's understanding of Deuteronomy 23:2 appears to be completely inadequate. Let's look at the verse in a more modern translation: | |||
:''No one born of a '''forbidden union''' may enter the assembly of the LORD. Even to the tenth generation, none of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD. <ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Dt 23:2.</ref> | |||
:''No one born of a '''forbidden marriage''' nor any of their descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, not even in the tenth generation.<ref>The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Dt 23:2.</ref> | |||
The Hebrew word used for one born of a forbidden union is "mamzēr" and is used only twice in the entire Old Testament (see also Zech. 9:6). It may refer to children who were born as a result of incestuous relationships. It is possible, however, that something more specific is intended; the term mamzēr might refer to children born to cult-prostitutes (see Deut. 18) In this case, the children would have been conceived and born in an environment directly related to the cult of a foreign religion, and therefore would be an abomination in the eyes of the Israelites and God. As such, they could not enter the assembly of the Lord.<ref>Peter C. Craigie, The Book of Deuteronomy, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1976), 297.</ref> | |||
As a result, it is unlikely that the term "mamzēr" referred simply to a child born out of wedlock. | |||
Additionally, it is clear from Ezekiel 18 that a son was not to suffer from the sin of his father as William Branham tried to infer: | |||
:''Yet you say, ‘'''Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?'''’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live. The soul who sins shall die. '''The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father''', nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. | |||
:''But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? <ref>Ezekiel 18:19-24</ref> | |||
=New Testament== | |||
The Bible teaches that when we are born into the Body of Christ, we become sons and daughters of GOD. | The Bible teaches that when we are born into the Body of Christ, we become sons and daughters of GOD. | ||
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In other words, you might be the daughter of a prostitute, and not even know who your father is - and Jesus Christ can clean you - PURE and WHOLE. | In other words, you might be the daughter of a prostitute, and not even know who your father is - and Jesus Christ can clean you - PURE and WHOLE. | ||
It is clear that William Branham's theology was not Biblical. | It is clear that William Branham's theology was not Biblical. | ||
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THIS is the Gospel. | THIS is the Gospel. | ||
=Where does | =Where does Branham's teaching lead?= | ||
IF this were true, message preachers should be honest with their congregations - and preach it. Because there are many people sitting in their churches who don't quality for the rapture. And they ought to have the courtesy of being informed that they don't qualify for the rapture. There are likely some message preachers that don't qualify either. Maybe they should have the 'non'-bride members leave, because they're not worthy. Why not conduct a poll of the congregation to weed out the illegitimate children? Wouldn't that be helpful? | IF this were true, message preachers should be honest with their congregations - and preach it. Because there are many people sitting in their churches who don't quality for the rapture. And they ought to have the courtesy of being informed that they don't qualify for the rapture. There are likely some message preachers that don't qualify either. Maybe they should have the 'non'-bride members leave, because they're not worthy. Why not conduct a poll of the congregation to weed out the illegitimate children? Wouldn't that be helpful? | ||
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=Quotes= | =Quotes= | ||
:''What's it got to? Because the immorality got amongst the people, '''illegitimate children started being born, that blots them out.''' See, we could stand here for hours, placing those things, and you can see that we're living in a corruptible, damnable, rotten-to-the-core generation of people. No wonder they can't see no signs; no wonder they won't hear the Gospel; they're hardened, yet just as religious and pious.<ref>STRAIT.IS.THE.GATE_ JEFF.IN 59-0301M</ref> | |||
:'''Dear Brother Branham, if a baby is born of a--out of wedlock, can this child ever be saved or go in the rapture?''' | :'''Dear Brother Branham, if a baby is born of a--out of wedlock, can this child ever be saved or go in the rapture?''' | ||
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:''But you see, there was nothing there strong enough to forgive that sin. The blood of the Old Testament did not forgive sins; it covered sins. But the Blood of Jesus Christ divorces it. That's different now. When the Blood of Jesus Christ comes in, it's the different.<ref>64-0823E QUESTIONS.AND.ANSWERS.2_ JEFFERSONVILLE.IN</ref> | :''But you see, there was nothing there strong enough to forgive that sin. The blood of the Old Testament did not forgive sins; it covered sins. But the Blood of Jesus Christ divorces it. That's different now. When the Blood of Jesus Christ comes in, it's the different.<ref>64-0823E QUESTIONS.AND.ANSWERS.2_ JEFFERSONVILLE.IN</ref> | ||
:''Like the perverted vine, Jesus said it wasn't so at the beginning. And it isn't so at the beginning. God wanted every seed to bring its kind. And we hybreed anything; we ruin God's program. | :''Like the perverted vine, Jesus said it wasn't so at the beginning. And it isn't so at the beginning. God wanted every seed to bring its kind. And we hybreed anything; we ruin God's program. | ||
:''You take a flower. The original flower, a violet is blue, or white. Leave it alone, it'll go back to white. You have to keep breeding it up all the time. God makes things different. He likes it different. And hybreeding is such a dangerous and damnable thing till it ruins God's plan, it ruins the human race. | :''You take a flower. The original flower, a violet is blue, or white. Leave it alone, it'll go back to white. You have to keep breeding it up all the time. God makes things different. He likes it different. And hybreeding is such a dangerous and damnable thing till it ruins God's plan, it ruins the human race. | ||
God even said in Deuteronomy that a bastard child would not even be permitted into the generation, into the congregation of the Lord for ten generations. That's how bad adultery is: ten generations: ten times forty: four hundred years before a hybrid... | |||
:''God even said in Deuteronomy that a bastard child would not even be permitted into the generation, into the congregation of the Lord for ten generations. That's how bad adultery is: ten generations: ten times forty: four hundred years before a hybrid... | |||
:''A woman that's married to a man, or a man married to a woman that'll cross the lines of holy wedlock, and bring in a illegitimate child, the generations will not come into the Kingdom of the Lord until ten generations. Deuteronomy 30--23:2. | :''A woman that's married to a man, or a man married to a woman that'll cross the lines of holy wedlock, and bring in a illegitimate child, the generations will not come into the Kingdom of the Lord until ten generations. Deuteronomy 30--23:2. | ||
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:''A woman live unclean to her husband; husband live unclean to his wife and bring a hybrid child. Oh, some woman'd say, "Oh, isn't he beautiful, great big tall fellow." That's the same thing maybe Eve thought. She brought a hybrid child, and the hybrid child was Cain; and through Cain come giants. It's always been the cursed of the Lord: hybrid. Stay away from it: hybrid religion. Don't mix it.''<ref>60-1113 CONDEMNATION.BY.REPRESENTATION_ JEFFERSONVILLE.IN</ref> | :''A woman live unclean to her husband; husband live unclean to his wife and bring a hybrid child. Oh, some woman'd say, "Oh, isn't he beautiful, great big tall fellow." That's the same thing maybe Eve thought. She brought a hybrid child, and the hybrid child was Cain; and through Cain come giants. It's always been the cursed of the Lord: hybrid. Stay away from it: hybrid religion. Don't mix it.''<ref>60-1113 CONDEMNATION.BY.REPRESENTATION_ JEFFERSONVILLE.IN</ref> | ||
:''And now, if you're dealing with sin... Now, maybe you never sinned, but there might be a sin that your father did, your grandfather did. He said He'd visit the iniquity of the parents upon the third and fourth generation. And each generation gets weaker and wiser as the Bible said. <ref>HEAR.YE.HIM_ PARKERSBURG.WV 56-1215</ref> | |||
=References= | =References= | ||
<References/> | <References/> | ||