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The Message: Difference between revisions
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Followers of William Branham refer to themselves as being in the '''Message''' or the '''Message of the Hour.''' It is also how they refer to themselves generally as a movement. If you are "'''in the message'''" then you consider yourself a true follower of William Branham and a true follower of God. | |||
=What | =What is the Message?= | ||
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|'''[[Glossary]]''' <br> Do you want to understand the Message? | |'''[[Glossary]]''' <br> Do you want to understand the Message? Click above for a list of important terms. | ||
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'''[[Message Urban Legends|Urban Legends]]''' <br> Everyone loves stories that are vague on facts. Here are a few popular Message stories. | '''[[Message Urban Legends|Urban Legends]]''' <br> Everyone loves stories that are vague on facts. Here are a few popular Message stories. | ||
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'''[[Is the Message a Cult?]]''' <br> | '''[[Is the Message a Cult?]]''' <br> It's a hard question if you're in the cult. | ||
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Many people ask us the question - how do I identify someone that follows William Branham? It is interesting to witness the diversity of doctrines among the groups that claim to follow the message of William Branham. Many of the groups vehemently oppose other groups that also claim to follow William Branham. Yet, they all claim they have a revelation of the Word and they believe the Bible. | |||
But......how do you know the person you're chatting with is a message believer? | |||
These are the visible hallmarks of a message believer: | |||
#They believe William Branham was the end time prophet according to Malachi 4:5-6, Luke 17:30, Revelation 3:14 and Revelation 10:7. (see details below) | |||
#They believe the Serpent had sexual intercourse with Eve in the Garden of Eden, and that act caused the fall of mankind. This is a doctrine that has been repeatedly rejected by the church starting with Iranaeus. | |||
#They believe hell is not eternal but everlasting. | |||
#They believe William Branham was the seventh church age messenger according to Revelation 3:14 and Revelation 10:7. | |||
#They believe Jesus is the Father. | |||
#They believe if you do not accept William Branham's message you are not part of the Bride of Christ. | |||
#They believe William Branham is waiting beyond the curtain of time for all his followers who he will present to Jesus. | |||
#They believe William Branham's interpretation of the Bible as the Word of God for today. | |||
They also have a few things in common with the United Pentecostal Church (UPC) or other Oneness Pentecostal denominations: | |||
#They are convinced that most Christian denominations believe in THREE GODS. This is based on William Branham's [[The Trinity#William Branham's Critique of the Trinity|straw man argument against the doctrine of the Trinity.]] | |||
#They baptize in the name of the LORD JESUS CHRIST (those in the UPC denomination make also baptize in the name of Jesus Christ, although that won't fly with message followers). This is somewhat of a strange doctrine given that [[William Branham's Teachings on Water Baptism#The Challenge from William Branham|no one in scripture was ever baptized using this formula]]. | |||
#Women in the message will have [[The Message Dress Code|long hair and are not permitted to wear pants]]. | |||
==Is it a denomination?== | |||
Message followers will deny that they are a denomination. But how is a denomination defined? | |||
A denomination is a faction of the church, out of fellowship with other factions, holding to some “distinctives” of doctrine, practice, worship, ethnicity, style, history, social class, etc. Denominationalism is any attempt to justify and maintain the separate existence of a denomination.[1] | |||
On the basis of this definition, it is clear that the message is a denomination. | |||
==Doctrines or interpretations based on William Branham pointing to himself== | |||
The message is a collection of doctrines promoted by William Branham that largely involve William Branham pointing to himself as a prophet. Some of the specific doctrines whereby William Branham '''pointed to himself''' are as follows: | |||
*[[Revelation 10:7]] | |||
*[[The Fulfillment of Malachi 4:5]] | |||
*[[The Laodicean Church Age Messenger]] | |||
*[[Matthew 17:11]] | |||
*[[Luke 17:30]] | |||
*[[Matthew 24:28]] | |||
*[[Zechariah 14:7]] | |||
*[[Joel 2:25]] | |||
*[[1 Thessalonians 4:16]] | |||
*[[The Importance of a Seven-Lettered Name]] | |||
*[[The Prophet and The Eagle]] | |||
*[[The Sign of the Messiah]] | |||
*[[Prophets that ministered at the same time|Two major prophets never ministered at the same time]] | |||
*[[William Branham's View of Himself]] | |||
==Plagiarized doctrines== | |||
Included in the set of doctrines that constitute the message are a large number of teachings that were [[Plagiarism|plagiarized from Clarence Larkin]] and from the [[William Branham and the Watchtower Society|Jehovah's Witnesses]]. These plagiarized beliefs include William Branham's teachings on the seven church ages, the seven seals, the gates to the soul and the token. He also plagiarized from Billy Graham (thinking man's filter) and C.L Franklin (the eagle in the chicken coop). | |||
=What do followers of William Branham think that the message is?= | |||
When you ask a follower of William Branham what the message is, you may get an answer that is difficult to follow. They themselves admit that it is difficult to define, primarily because they specifically try avoid describing it as what it actually is - the teachings and doctrines of William Branham. So they tend to describe it in more nebulous terms: | When you ask a follower of William Branham what the message is, you may get an answer that is difficult to follow. They themselves admit that it is difficult to define, primarily because they specifically try avoid describing it as what it actually is - the teachings and doctrines of William Branham. So they tend to describe it in more nebulous terms: | ||
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#They believe that you could never look into the eyes of William Branham and tell a lie. | #They believe that you could never look into the eyes of William Branham and tell a lie. | ||
=Is the "Bride" a special category of Christian?= | ==Is the "Bride" a special category of Christian?== | ||
William Branham was not the only one in our age to use the parables of Jesus to split the Church into various groups, such as the bride, the friends of the bridegroom, the virgins, the guests, and the servants. Many exclusive groups do this to make themselves feel special. But this is pressing the analogy too far. We must be careful that we do not become like Nicodemus when he pressed the analogy of birth too far by asking how we could go back into our mothers’ wombs and be born again (John 3:4). | William Branham was not the only one in our age to use the parables of Jesus to split the Church into various groups, such as the bride, the friends of the bridegroom, the virgins, the guests, and the servants. Many exclusive groups do this to make themselves feel special. But this is pressing the analogy too far. We must be careful that we do not become like Nicodemus when he pressed the analogy of birth too far by asking how we could go back into our mothers’ wombs and be born again (John 3:4). | ||
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Some have suggested that John refers to an elite group of Christians who have reached a special status in which they no longer sin. But the text does not restrict godly living to a special group of Christians but rather claims that all believers without exception — anyone born of God — do not sin. Hence, a spiritual elite cannot be in view here. <ref>Thomas R. Schreiner, New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 567.</ref> | Some have suggested that John refers to an elite group of Christians who have reached a special status in which they no longer sin. But the text does not restrict godly living to a special group of Christians but rather claims that all believers without exception — anyone born of God — do not sin. Hence, a spiritual elite cannot be in view here. <ref>Thomas R. Schreiner, New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 567.</ref> | ||
==Other beliefs== | |||
There are a group of other doctrines that are largely unscriptural which William Branham promoted as part of his "message": | |||
#[[Christians that were required to believe Satanic doctrine|Some Christians were required to believe Satanic doctrine to be saved.]] | |||
#[[Marriage and Divorce|If a wife cuts her hair, her husband can divorce her.]] | |||
#[[Marriage and Divorce|A man can remarry after divorce but a woman can't.]] | |||
#[[Three holy words|The three holy words of the Bible.]] | |||
#[[Prophets that ministered at the same time|No 2 major prophets were ever on the scene at the same time.]] | |||
#[[Q&A on the Godhead#Did God leave Jesus Christ on the cross?|God left Jesus Christ when He was on the cross.]] | |||
#[[William Branham and the Zodiac|God has '''THREE Bibles''']] | |||
#[[Women were designed by Satan|Women were designed by Satan.]] | |||
#[[Can you lose your healing?]] | |||
#[[Are Christians considered amateur gods?|Christian are amateur gods.]] | |||
#[[Michael the Archangel|Jesus Christ is Michael the Archangel.]] | |||
#[[Enoch and Noah|Noah started building the ark after he saw Enoch go in a Rapture]] | |||
#[[Enoch and Noah|Enoch was a type of the wise virgin, and Noah a type of the foolish virgin.]] | |||
#[[Illegitimate children]] cannot be part of the rapture. | |||
#[[Reason and Faith|Christians should "cast down reasoning".]] | |||
#[[Can the Holy Spirit abandon you?|The Holy Spirit can abandon you.]] | |||
#[[Long Hair or Uncut Hair|Long hair mean uncut (i.e. no trimming of split ends) for women.]] | |||
#[[Long Hair or Uncut Hair|Does God hear the prayer of a woman that has cut her hair]]? | |||
#[[The Midwives of Egypt|The midwives in Egypt were actually witches.]] | |||
#[[Hierarchy in Heaven|Your admission to heaven is conditional on William Branham's judgment.]] | |||
#[[Matthew 27:46|Jesus died screaming for help, crying for mercy because He was separated from God.]] | |||
#[[John 18:6|When Jesus died on the cross, he simply died as a man.]] | |||
#[[The Serpent's Seed|The Bible teaches that the serpent had sex with Eve.]] | |||
#[[The Sin in the Wilderness|The Israelites who died in the wilderness were eternally lost.]] | |||
#Was William Branham guilty of [[Theological Trespassing]]? | |||
#The evidence of [[The Baptism of the Holy Spirit|the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is believing in William Branham]] | |||
#[[The Body of Christ|The Bible teaches there are two tiers of Christians.]] | |||
#[[The Message#Is the "Bride" a special category of Christian?|The "Bride" of Christ is a special category of Christian.]] | |||
#[[Destruction of Los Angeles|Capernaum is under the sea.]] | |||
==What William Branham taught== | ==What William Branham taught== | ||