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William Branham: Difference between revisions
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'''William Marrion Branham''' was an evangelist who has been called the ''"pacesetter of the healing revival"'' <ref>The Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements: (Zondervan, 1988, p. 372) ~ ''Branham filled the largest stadiums and meeting halls in the world.’ ... As the pacesetter of the healing revival, Branham was the primary source of inspiration in the development of other healing ministries.''</ref> and a ''"prophet"''<ref>The Full Gospel Men's Voice Magazine (February, 1961) ~ ''"In Bible Days, there were men of God who were Prophets and Seers. But in all the Sacred Records, none of these had a greater record than that of William Branham."''</ref>. He was born in rural Kentucky, raised in Indiana, and in the 1940’s his healing ministry skyrocketed him from a rural pastor to an international evangelist. | '''William Marrion Branham''' was an evangelist who has been called the ''"pacesetter of the healing revival"'' <ref>The Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements: (Zondervan, 1988, p. 372) ~ ''Branham filled the largest stadiums and meeting halls in the world.’ ... As the pacesetter of the healing revival, Branham was the primary source of inspiration in the development of other healing ministries.''</ref> and a ''"prophet"''<ref>The Full Gospel Men's Voice Magazine (February, 1961) ~ ''"In Bible Days, there were men of God who were Prophets and Seers. But in all the Sacred Records, none of these had a greater record than that of William Branham."''</ref>. He was born in rural Kentucky, raised in Indiana, and in the 1940’s his healing ministry skyrocketed him from a rural pastor to an international evangelist. | ||
William Branham was compulsively deceptive with those around him. He often embellished stories, facts, and scriptures to his own advantage. | William Branham was compulsively deceptive with those around him. He often embellished stories, facts, and scriptures to his own advantage. He also preyed on people's emotions, earning their sympathyWhat you hear on William Branham's recorded sermons is only one side of the story, yet that story often blatantly contradicts documented history. | ||
This life story account is based on both his recorded sermons and as many historical documents as we could find. Any statements that can be substantiated by written historical documents are referenced. Hopefully this will let you decide for yourself whether William Branham was honest. | This life story account is based on both his recorded sermons and as many historical documents as we could find. Any statements that can be substantiated by written historical documents are referenced. Hopefully this will let you decide for yourself whether William Branham was honest. | ||
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Charles Branham and Ella Harvey were both born in 1887. They were 20 years old when William Branham was born on March 10, 1907 in Cumberland County, Kentucky. <ref> The 1910 Census lists William Branham as 3 years old. William Branham also said | Charles Branham and Ella Harvey were both born in 1887. <ref> http://searchingforvindication.com/timeline.html See Charles Branham’s World War 1 draft card for his birthday of January 2, 1887. The Census record from 1900 shows Ella Harvey’s birthday as June 1887. </ref>. They were 20 years old when William Branham was born on March 10, 1907 in Cumberland County, Kentucky. <ref>http://searchingforvindication.com/timeline.html The 1910 Census lists William Branham as 3 years old. William Branham also said on September 29, 1951, “Doctor Dowie, in his death, prophesied…he died on one day, and I was borned on the next.”</ref> They were 21 years old when William Branham was born on April 8, 1908. <ref>http://searchingforvindication.com/timeline.html April 8 ,1909 is written as William Branham's birthday on his marriage certificate to Hope Brumbach. William Branham’s younger brother Edward was born in 1909 as the 2010 Census document show Edward Branham as being one year old. </ref> But his father was eighteen and his mother was fifteen years old when William Branham was born on April 6, 1909 <ref> William Branham, April 27, 1964 in a sermon called “A Trial”. April 6, 1909 is also recorded as William Branham’s birthday on his marriage certificate with Meda Broy as found at http://searchingforvindication.com/timeline.html</ref> when he was born under an alignment of stars <ref> William Branham, July 13, 1952 in a sermon called “Early Spiritual Experiences”</ref>, and that a pillar of light entered the shack and scared the midwife. <ref> William Branham, April 27, 1964 in a sermon called “A Trial” </ref> | ||
The Branham family moved from Kentucky to Indiana when William Branham was a young boy. William Branham claimed this was his first fulfilled prophecy. | The Branham family moved from Kentucky to Indiana when William Branham was a young boy. William Branham claimed this was his first fulfilled prophecy. <ref> William Branham, November 10, 1963 in a sermon called “Souls that are in Prison” </ref> Charles Branham was in trouble with the law at the time, which may explain why he used the name as “Brainon” on the 1910 census records. <ref> http://searchingforvindication.com/timeline.html</ref> | ||
William Branham’s father brewed his own moonshine and established a speakeasy in Indiana. While William Branham’s hatred for alcohol and women stemmed from this time of his life, he never stopped admiring the man who provided the booze and drew the crowd: | |||
:''My, I seen how they come when my daddy run that bootleg place. And I'd see women come there, young women, with somebody else's husband. And the way they would carry on…The only respect I had for any woman was my mother. And that's right. And I knowed she was a lady. I seen her set on the doorstep with the babies in her arms, and cry, and cry, and cry because she was locked out of the house. When my dad, which was a real man when he was sober.'' (William Branham, July 20, 1952) | :''My, I seen how they come when my daddy run that bootleg place. And I'd see women come there, young women, with somebody else's husband. And the way they would carry on…The only respect I had for any woman was my mother. And that's right. And I knowed she was a lady. I seen her set on the doorstep with the babies in her arms, and cry, and cry, and cry because she was locked out of the house. When my dad, which was a real man when he was sober.'' (William Branham, July 20, 1952) | ||
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William Branham said that he received two visions as a young boy in Indiana. The first was when his father asked him to haul water for the moonshine operations. William Branham said that a voice spoke to him out of a whirlwind in a tree and said, ''"Never drink, smoke, or defile your body in any way, for I have a work for you to do when you get older."'' By his own testimony, William Branham never drank alcohol in his life – other than in Church as part of communion. | William Branham said that he received two visions as a young boy in Indiana. The first was when his father asked him to haul water for the moonshine operations. William Branham said that a voice spoke to him out of a whirlwind in a tree and said, ''"Never drink, smoke, or defile your body in any way, for I have a work for you to do when you get older."'' <ref> William Branham, April 19, 1959 in a sermon called “My Life Story” </ref> By his own testimony, William Branham never drank alcohol in his life – other than in Church as part of communion. | ||
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|'''Who Died on the Bridge?''' <br> [http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/ | |'''Who Died on the Bridge?''' <br> [http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/The_Municipal_Bridge_Vision Click here to learn more about William Branham's first false prophecy.] | ||
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William Branham also told of a second vision that happened a few weeks later when he was playing marbles with his brother. He said that he saw the construction of the Louisville Municipal Bridge being built across the Ohio River, and 16 men falling off to their death during its construction. He said the vision told him that this would take place 22 years from the time of the vision. The Louisville Municipal Bridge opened on October 31, 1929 which means that this vision took place either before William Branham was born or while he was an infant. | William Branham also told of a second vision that happened a few weeks later when he was playing marbles with his brother. He said that he saw the construction of the Louisville Municipal Bridge being built across the Ohio River, and 16 men falling off to their death during its construction. He said the vision told him that this would take place 22 years from the time of the vision. <ref> William Branham, August 13, 1950 in a sermon called “God Revealing Himself” </ref> The Louisville Municipal Bridge opened on October 31, 1929 which means that this vision took place either before William Branham was born or while he was an infant. | ||
When William Branham was 14 years old, he was shot in a hunting accident, and spent several months in the hospital. His hospital bills were paid for by the Ku Klux Klan | When William Branham was 14 years old, he was shot in a hunting accident, and spent several months in the hospital. His hospital bills were paid for by the Ku Klux Klan and the Masons. <ref> William Branham, November 10, 1963 in a sermon called “Souls in Prison”</ref> | ||
William Branham | |||
Charles Branham broke horses for Otto Wathen, and later became his private chauffer. <ref> William Branham, April 19, 1959 in a sermon called “Life Story” </ref> Otto Wathen owned the R.E. Wathen Distillery as well as the Louisville Colonels baseball club. William Branham said that their family lived on Wathen’s residence for a time. | |||
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|''' | |'''When did Charles die?''' <br> [http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Charles_Branham Click to discover whether Charles died when William Branham was a child] | ||
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William Branham recalls that compared to other families, the Branham's were poor. At school his shoes were often torn, and he would sometimes wear a closed jacket when he had no shirt to wear. <ref> William Branham, September 30, 1951 in a sermon called “Expectations” </ref> William Branham also said that his father died when he was a young man, forcing him to drop out of school and become the bread-winner for the family. He did this successfully by hunting and trapping, where he learned to shoot straight in order to preserve costly ammunition. | |||
Through his teenage years William Branham did not want to have anything to do with God, or church. It was during this time that a fortune teller told him that he was born under a rare alignment of stars. In 1928, he told his mother he was going camping in | By 1926, (at the age of 16, 17 or 18) William Branham had enough money to buy a new Model-T Ford. <ref> William Branham, January 17, 1962 in a sermon called “Presuming” </ref> He also claimed to have been initiated as a hunter on a trip to New York’s Adirondack Mountains <ref> William Branham, September 30, 1951 in a sermon called “Expectation” in New York City. </ref>, and to have hunted as a young man in Maine with the famous naturalist Burt Caul (who he called “the most cruel-hearted person I ever seen”). <ref> William Branham, June 30, 1956 in a sermon called “Hear Ye Him” </ref> | ||
Through his teenage years William Branham did not want to have anything to do with God, or church. It was during this time that a fortune teller told him that he was born under a rare alignment of stars. <ref> William Branham, January 17, 1955 in a sermon called “How the Angel came to me” </ref> In 1928, he told his mother he was going camping in Green’s Mill, Indiana, and left to work as a ranch-hand in Arizona. <ref>William Branham, June 7, 1953 in a sermon called “The Ministry of Christ”</ref> He returned after he received news that his brother Edward had died on June 20, 1929 at the age of 19. <ref> http://searchingforvindication.com/timeline.html</ref> Edward's funeral was taken by a close family friend, Rev. McKinney, who made a salvation call that William Branham refused. <ref> From Julius Stadsklev's book, A Prophet Visits South Africa </ref> | |||
William Branham worked as a laborer, and as a collector for the Public Works Company in Jeffersonville in the early 1930’s. | William Branham was in Arizona during the time of the construction of the Louisville Memorial Bridge in 1929. As a result he was not aware that Richard Pilton and Lloyd McEwan were the only two men who died during the construction of the Louisville Municipal Bridge, and that neither drowned. <ref> http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/The_Municipal_Bridge_Vision </ref> | ||
William Branham worked as a laborer, and as a collector for the Public Works Company in Jeffersonville in the early 1930’s. <ref> http://searchingforvindication.com/timeline.html as found in the Jeffersonville City Directory</ref> | |||
= | =Joining the Church= | ||
William Branham said that he was overcome by fumes while checking meters at the Gas Works in New Albany in 1931. When he went to a specialist, however, he was told that he had appendicitis and had to have an operation. | William Branham said that he was overcome by fumes while checking meters at the Gas Works in New Albany in 1931. When he went to a specialist, however, he was told that he had appendicitis and had to have an operation. Afraid, he requested a minister from the First Baptist Church to stand by him. During the time of the operation, he promised to preach the Gospel if God would restore his health. William Branham said that after this experience, he went into a field to pray, and saw a vision of a light that formed a cross. <ref> http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Life_story_by_Julius_Stadsklev </ref> | ||
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|'''Roy E. Davis & the K.K.K.''' <br> | |'''Roy E. Davis & the K.K.K.''' <br> [http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Roy_Davis#Roy_Davis_and_the_KKK Find out Roy E. Davis’ hidden secrets. ] | ||
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One of the churches William Branham visited during his recovery was the First Pentecostal Baptist Church of Jeffersonville at 328 Watt Street, which was pastored by Rev. Roy Davis, a member of the Ku Klux Klan. It was here that William Branham first met Hope Brumbach (born July 16, 1913), who was a youth leader and speaker at the church, and a seamstress at M. Fine & Sons. | One of the churches William Branham visited during his recovery was the First Pentecostal Baptist Church of Jeffersonville at 328 Watt Street, which was pastored by Rev. Roy Davis, a member of the Ku Klux Klan. It was here that William Branham first met Hope Brumbach (born July 16, 1913), who was a youth leader and speaker at the church, and a seamstress at M. Fine & Sons. <ref> http://searchingforvindication.com/timeline.html as found in the Jeffersonville City Directory</ref> | ||
Hope’s parents Charles and Hazel Brumbach divorced on November 1, 1931. Charles Brumbach quickly remarried to Grace Creigh February 15, 1932 and moved away from Jeffersonville to Fort Wayne, Indiana (a 3.5 hour drive from Jeffersonville on modern roads). | Hope’s parents Charles and Hazel Brumbach divorced on November 1, 1931. Charles Brumbach quickly remarried to Grace Creigh February 15, 1932 and moved away from Jeffersonville to Fort Wayne, Indiana (a 3.5 hour drive from Jeffersonville on modern roads). . <ref> http://searchingforvindication.com/timeline.html for the marriage and divorce documents.</ref> | ||
William Branham | William Branham asked for Hope's hand in marriage after a sermon preached by Roy Davis after a Wednesday night sermon. They talked about it as they walked to her parent’s house from the church. William Branham said he stood on the porch of her parent’s home, Charles stopped playing the Victrola and came out to the porch. William Branham asked Charles if he could marry Hope while Hope remained inside and talked with her mother. <ref> http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Life_story_by_Julius_Stadsklev in a story written firsthand by William Branham. Also on recording on April 15, 1951, November 8, 1953 and July 20, 1952 in sermons called “A Life Story”.</ref> | ||
Roy Davis preached strongly about the Pentecostal revival, and wrote that William Branham received the Holy Spirit in his front room. Even though William Branham said that he did not join a church, it was at this time that he became an elder in the First Pentecostal Baptist Church, and was president of the PBYPU (Pentecostal Baptist Young People) in March 1933. | Roy Davis preached strongly about the Pentecostal revival, advertised regularly in the Jeffersonville Evening News, and wrote that William Branham received the Holy Spirit in his front room. <ref> http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Roy_Davis#Letter_from_Roy_E._Davis </ref> Even though William Branham said that he did not join a church, it was at this time that he became an elder in the First Pentecostal Baptist Church, and was president of the PBYPU (Pentecostal Baptist Young People) in March 1933. ,ref. http://searchingforvindication.com/2013/06/22/The-Common-Peoples-Church/ </ref> | ||
=Early Signs of a Supernatural Ministry= | =Early Signs of a Supernatural Ministry= | ||
In 1932 when William Branham first prayed for the sick: a Mr. Merril and a Mrs. Mary Der Ohanion were both healed that year. <ref> Supernatural: The Life of William Branham by Owen Jorgensen, Book one, Chapter 11 </ref> | |||
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|'''The Ohio River Baptism''' <br> | |'''The Ohio River Baptism''' <br> [http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/1933_Ohio_River_Experience Click to learn more about what happened at the river?] | ||
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In June 1933, William Branham had his first evangelistic tent meetings, in which 14 people were converted. William Branham received front page news coverage for these meetings. William Branham said the newspapers reported that a light appeared while he was baptizing the 17th person on the Ohio River, while 10,000 people watched from the shore. | In June 1933, William Branham had his first evangelistic tent meetings, in which 14 people were converted. William Branham received front page news coverage for these meetings in the Jeffersonville Evening News. <ref>http://searchingforvindication.com/2013/06/24/What-The-Newspapers-Said-About-The-1933-Baptism/ </ref> William Branham said the newspapers reported that a light appeared while he was baptizing the 17th person on the Ohio River, while 10,000 people watched from the shore. <ref> http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/1933_Ohio_River_Experience Sermon: August 13, 1950 </ref> The population of Jeffersonville was only 12,000 people at the time. <ref> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeffersonville,_Indiana#Demographics </ref> | ||
William Branham said that in June 1933, he experienced a series of prophetic visions foretelling major events up until the end of the world. William Branham describes these visions inconsistently, but in summary they are: | William Branham said that in June 1933, he experienced a series of prophetic visions foretelling major events up until the end of the world. William Branham describes these visions inconsistently, but in summary they are: | ||
#Roosevelt would cause the whole world to go to war | #[http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Franklin_D._Roosevelt Roosevelt would cause the whole world to go to war] | ||
# | #[http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Mussolini_invades_Ethiopia Mussolini’s last invasion would be into Ethiopia] | ||
#[http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Hitler_and_WWII Hitler would rise to power, build the Seigfried line, and give the Americans a terrible beating.] | |||
# | #[http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Russia_and_the_three_...isms Fascism and Nazism would be swallowed up into Communism, which would destroy the Vatican.] | ||
#Cars will be shaped like an egg. | #[http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Driverless_Cars Cars will be shaped like an egg.] | ||
#American women | #[http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Morality American women would begin to dress immodestly.] | ||
#A cruel woman will rule the United States. | #[http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Rise_of_a_Woman_in_America A cruel woman will rule the United States.] | ||
#America will be ashes from coast to coast. | #[http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/America_in_Ashes America will be ashes from coast to coast.] | ||
#Don’t eat eggs or live in valleys. | #[http://en.believethesign.com/index.php/Don%27t_Eat_Eggs Don’t eat eggs or live in valleys.] | ||
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|'''A Baptist Minister?''' <br> Or | |'''A Baptist Minister?''' <br> Or a Pentecostal Minister? [http://searchingforvindication.com/2013/06/20/Preaching-At-Pentecostal-Churches/ Click here to find out.] | ||
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