What were the Seven Visions?: Difference between revisions

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#Copies of those records, made subsequently, for newspaper articles and wider dissemination.
#Copies of those records, made subsequently, for newspaper articles and wider dissemination.
#The recorded sermons in which he spoke of the visions.
#The recorded sermons in which he spoke of the visions.
#William Branhamís book entitled ëAn Exposition of the Seven Church Agesí (the Church Age Book).
#William Branham's book entitled 'An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages' (the Church Age Book).


===The original written record===
===The original written record===
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It is not as though this was a small matter - seven visions, seven prophecies which would prefigure the coming of the Lord in the Rapture and the end of the church ages.  One would have thought that recording, copying and publicizing these climactic claims would have been the order of the day.  One would assume that the content of the visions would be documented and available for review in a wide variety of formats ñ but no! There are assertions of, but no evidence of, any attempt to secure the content of these visions.
It is not as though this was a small matter - seven visions, seven prophecies which would prefigure the coming of the Lord in the Rapture and the end of the church ages.  One would have thought that recording, copying and publicizing these climactic claims would have been the order of the day.  One would assume that the content of the visions would be documented and available for review in a wide variety of formats ñ but no! There are assertions of, but no evidence of, any attempt to secure the content of these visions.
    
    
Following William Branhamís death, none of these records were produced by the family or executors.
Following William Branham's death, none of these records were produced by the family or executors.


This means that the primary record of the content of the visions is missing and that secondary records need to be found to attempt a reconstruction.
This means that the primary record of the content of the visions is missing and that secondary records need to be found to attempt a reconstruction.
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A main source of a description of the visions are in the recorded sermons. When making reference to the visions in a sermon it would be expected that his description would always be consistent ñ after all, the visions were only received once, there were no additions and no updates.  And yet in the sermons, one is presented with partial descriptions, with descriptions that contain conflicting information and with changing detail.  
A main source of a description of the visions are in the recorded sermons. When making reference to the visions in a sermon it would be expected that his description would always be consistent ñ after all, the visions were only received once, there were no additions and no updates.  And yet in the sermons, one is presented with partial descriptions, with descriptions that contain conflicting information and with changing detail.  


Here is one example of his descriptions of the ëHitlerí or ëWorld War IIí vision:
Here is one example of his descriptions of the Hitler or World War II vision:
::And in 1933 whenÖthe vision of the Lord came to me up here and predicted that, Germany would rise up and have put that Maginot Line there. Many of you remember. And how they'd be all fortified in there, and the Americans would take a great beating right there at that lineÖNow, you remember; that's THUS SAITH THE LORD."<ref>''Why we are not a Denomination 1958''</ref>


::I'd like to read you a prophecy that was given... This one first. I speak this in the Name of the Lord. The president which now is, President Franklin D. Roosevelt. (Now remember, this is twenty-eight years ago.) will cause the whole world to go to war. (Now, look what happened now.) In...President Franklin D. Roosevelt took America to England's tea party. That's right. Germany never picked on us; we picked on them, throwed the whole world into a war, to cause a world war."<ref>''Condemnation by Representation 1960''</ref>  
:And in 1933 when the vision of the Lord came to me up here and predicted that, Germany would rise up and have put that Maginot Line there. Many of you remember. And how they'd be all fortified in there, and the Americans would take a great beating right there at that lineNow, you remember; that's THUS SAITH THE LORD."<ref>''Why we are not a Denomination 1958''</ref>
 
::How many remembers that vision, here in the church? Sure. Said that, how Öeleven years beforehand, it said that "We'd go to war with Germany, and Germany would be fortified behind concrete," the Maginot Line. It happened just that way.<ref>''Ephesian Church Age 1960''</ref>   
:I'd like to read you a prophecy that was given... This one first. I speak this in the Name of the Lord. The president which now is, President Franklin D. Roosevelt. (Now remember, this is twenty-eight years ago.) will cause the whole world to go to war. (Now, look what happened now.) In...President Franklin D. Roosevelt took America to England's tea party. That's right. Germany never picked on us; we picked on them, throwed the whole world into a war, to cause a world war."<ref>''Condemnation by Representation 1960''</ref>
 
:How many remembers that vision, here in the church? Sure. Said that, how Öeleven years beforehand, it said that "We'd go to war with Germany, and Germany would be fortified behind concrete," the Maginot Line. It happened just that way.<ref>''Ephesian Church Age 1960''</ref>   


::I seen it, thirty--1931. Seven things happened. I got it right on paper here with me, wrote it in 1931. How that I said, "This President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, he will cause all the world, help do it, send the world to war." Hadn't come to war yet, during times of depression. I said, "Another thing..." And my mother, a square-back Democrat, if she didn't look at me hard when I said that. I said, "I don't care if there's a Republican or if he was a Socialist or whatever he is, this is THUS SAITH THE LORD."<ref>''Jezebel Religion 1961''</ref>  
:I seen it, thirty--1931. Seven things happened. I got it right on paper here with me, wrote it in 1931. How that I said, "This President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, he will cause all the world, help do it, send the world to war." Hadn't come to war yet, during times of depression. I said, "Another thing..." And my mother, a square-back Democrat, if she didn't look at me hard when I said that. I said, "I don't care if there's a Republican or if he was a Socialist or whatever he is, this is THUS SAITH THE LORD."<ref>''Jezebel Religion 1961''</ref>  
   
   
::1933, the Holy Spirit came one morning and told me seven things that would take place before this nation was destroyed. One of them is that. It's on old paper there at the church, many has looked at it. How that we would go to war with Hitler and they'd... How Germany would fortify and build a Maginot line, or the Siegfried line, I believe it was, eleven years before it was ever thought of. ÖMany, many years before it happened perfectly on the dot. And it's never failed, and it won't fail, because it's THUS SAITH THE LORD.<ref>''Once More 1963''</ref>   
:1933, the Holy Spirit came one morning and told me seven things that would take place before this nation was destroyed. One of them is that. It's on old paper there at the church, many has looked at it. How that we would go to war with Hitler and they'd... How Germany would fortify and build a Maginot line, or the Siegfried line, I believe it was, eleven years before it was ever thought of. ÖMany, many years before it happened perfectly on the dot. And it's never failed, and it won't fail, because it's THUS SAITH THE LORD.<ref>''Once More 1963''</ref>   


::How that the Americas would go to war with Germany, they'd take an awful beating at a place called, a great line where there would be concrete fortified in there, I believe it's called the Siegfried line. And there's one called Maginot, I believe that was the French. Was that right? And the Siegfried line was the German line. And the Lord let me see that, eleven years before it was built. And they never would admit getting a beating on it, the Americans wouldn't, till they almost sunk the complete army. When they went in there, the Germans had their guns just trained right out on that fleet, and let it get right in there, and almost sunk it. And I seen that, eleven years before the line was ever--ever a foundation was ever poured for it, or anything, the Siegfried line.<ref>''Shalom 1964''</ref>  
:How that the Americas would go to war with Germany, they'd take an awful beating at a place called, a great line where there would be concrete fortified in there, I believe it's called the Siegfried line. And there's one called Maginot, I believe that was the French. Was that right? And the Siegfried line was the German line. And the Lord let me see that, eleven years before it was built. And they never would admit getting a beating on it, the Americans wouldn't, till they almost sunk the complete army. When they went in there, the Germans had their guns just trained right out on that fleet, and let it get right in there, and almost sunk it. And I seen that, eleven years before the line was ever--ever a foundation was ever poured for it, or anything, the Siegfried line.<ref>''Shalom 1964''</ref>  
   
   
What could be made of this?  During the war where did the Americans take a beating, was it at the Maginot or Siegfried fortification?  Who caused the world to go to war, Hitler or Roosevelt?  Were the Siegfried Line guns ever trained on the American fleet?
What could be made of this?  During the war where did the Americans take a beating, was it at the Maginot or Siegfried fortification?  Who caused the world to go to war, Hitler or Roosevelt?  Were the Siegfried Line guns ever trained on the American fleet?
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| Prediction || The Laodicean Age began around the turn of the Twentieth Century, perhaps 1906. How long will it last? As a servant of God who has had multitudes of visions, of which NONE has ever failed, let me predict (I did not say prophesy, but predict) that this age will end around 1977. If you will pardon a personal note here, I base this prediction on seven major continuous visions that came to me one Sunday morning in June, 1933. The Lord Jesus spoke to me and said that the coming of the Lord was drawing nigh, but that before He came, seven major events would transpire.
| Prediction || The Laodicean Age began around the turn of the Twentieth Century, perhaps 1906. How long will it last? As a servant of God who has had multitudes of visions, of which NONE has ever failed, let me predict (I did not say prophesy, but predict) that this age will end around 1977. If you will pardon a personal note here, I base this prediction on seven major continuous visions that came to me one Sunday morning in June, 1933. The Lord Jesus spoke to me and said that the coming of the Lord was drawing nigh, but that before He came, seven major events would transpire.
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| 1 Mussolini || The first vision was that Mussolini would invade Ethiopia and that nation would ìfall at his steps.î  But the vision also said that Mussolini would come to a horrible end with his own people turning on him.
| Mussolini || The first vision was that Mussolini would invade Ethiopia and that nation would ìfall at his steps.î  But the vision also said that Mussolini would come to a horrible end with his own people turning on him.
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| 2 Hitler|| An Austrian by the name of Adolph Hitler would rise up as dictator over Germany, and that he would draw the world into war. It showed the Siegfried line and how our troops would have a terrible time to overcome it. Then it showed that Hitler would come to a mysterious end.  
| Hitler|| An Austrian by the name of Adolph Hitler would rise up as dictator over Germany, and that he would draw the world into war. It showed the Siegfried line and how our troops would have a terrible time to overcome it. Then it showed that Hitler would come to a mysterious end.  
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| 3 Three ISMs || The third vision was in the realm of world politics for it showed me that there would be three great ISMS, Facism, Nazism, Communism, but that the first two would be swallowed up into the third. The voice admonished, "WATCH RUSSIA, WATCH RUSSIA. Keep your eye on the King of the North."  
| Three ISMs || The third vision was in the realm of world politics for it showed me that there would be three great ISMS, Facism, Nazism, Communism, but that the first two would be swallowed up into the third. The voice admonished, "WATCH RUSSIA, WATCH RUSSIA. Keep your eye on the King of the North."  
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| 4 Scientific Progress || The fourth vision showed the great advances in science that would come after the second world war. It was headed up in the vision of a plastic bubble-topped car that was running down beautiful highways under remote control so that people appeared seated in this car without a steering wheel and they were playing some sort of a game to amuse themselves.
| Scientific Progress || The fourth vision showed the great advances in science that would come after the second world war. It was headed up in the vision of a plastic bubble-topped car that was running down beautiful highways under remote control so that people appeared seated in this car without a steering wheel and they were playing some sort of a game to amuse themselves.
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| 5 Women and morals  || The fifth vision had to do with the moral problem of our age, centering mostly around women. God showed me that women began to be out of their place with the granting of the vote. Then they cut off their hair, which signified that they were no longer under the authority of a man but insisted on either equal rights, or in most cases, more than equal rights. She adopted men's clothing and went into a state of undress, until the last picture I saw was a woman naked except for a little fig leaf type apron. With this vision I saw the terrible perversion and moral plight of the whole world.  
| Women and morals  || The fifth vision had to do with the moral problem of our age, centering mostly around women. God showed me that women began to be out of their place with the granting of the vote. Then they cut off their hair, which signified that they were no longer under the authority of a man but insisted on either equal rights, or in most cases, more than equal rights. She adopted men's clothing and went into a state of undress, until the last picture I saw was a woman naked except for a little fig leaf type apron. With this vision I saw the terrible perversion and moral plight of the whole world.  
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| 6 Powerful woman in America || Then in the sixth vision there arose up in America a most beautiful, but cruel woman. She held the people in her complete power. I believed that this was the rise of the Roman Catholic Church, though I knew it could possibly be a vision of some woman rising in great power in America due to a popular vote by women.  
| Powerful woman in America || Then in the sixth vision there arose up in America a most beautiful, but cruel woman. She held the people in her complete power. I believed that this was the rise of the Roman Catholic Church, though I knew it could possibly be a vision of some woman rising in great power in America due to a popular vote by women.  
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| 7 America destroyed || The last and seventh vision was wherein I heard a most terrible explosion. As I turned to look I saw nothing but debris, craters, and smoke all over the land of America.
| America destroyed || The last and seventh vision was wherein I heard a most terrible explosion. As I turned to look I saw nothing but debris, craters, and smoke all over the land of America.
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