William Branham: Difference between revisions

    From BelieveTheSign
    No edit summary
    No edit summary
    Line 1: Line 1:
    __NOTOC__
    __NOTOC__
    {| style="width:800px"
    {| style="width:800px"
    |[[Image:Image-rs-156 - Br Br - fishing.jpg|right|350px]]
    '''William Marrion Branham''' (April 6, 1909 – December 24, 1965) was a prophet of God.  His father was an Irish-Catholic alcoholic and moonshiner, and his mother was an Irish-Cherokee girl of 15 at the time of his birth.  Directed by an angel, William Branham rose above the circumstances of his youth, preaching and praying for millions of people around the world with his hillbilly English. 
    The Full Gospel Men's Voice Magazine (February, 1961) said:
    :''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."
    The Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements: (Zondervan, 1988, p. 372) says:
    :''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.''
    The whole intent of William Branham's ministry was to turn Christians hearts back to the scriptures and their experiences to match that of the Apostles.  His theme was "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever", and his theme-song was "Only Believe".  Here is how it all started:
    {{col-begin}}
    {{col-break}}
    {| style="border:1px solid #E8B399;background-color:#F0DCC8;vertical-align:top; float:right; width:250px;"
    |- cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#E8B399" align="center"
    |'''Autobiography:'''
    |- style="text-align:center;" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#F0DCC8"
    |
    |
    <div style="text-align:center;">[http://www.thefreeword.com/files/letter/59-0419A.pdf Part 1 - Life Story (PDF)]</div>
    {| style="width:800px; border:1px solid #E8B399;background-color:#F0DCC8;vertical-align:top; text-align:center;"
    <div style="text-align:center;">[http://www.nathan.co.za/message.asp?sermonum=35 Part 2 - The Angel's Commission]</div>
    |'''Editors Note:''' The following biography is based on William Branham’s own statements. However, where a particular story is told more than one time, we have attempted to rely on the first, or original, version only.  
    |-
    |-
    |}
    |}
    {{col-break}}


    {| style="border:1px solid #E8B399;background-color:#F0DCC8;vertical-align:top; float:right; width:250px;"
    |- cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#E8B399" align="center"
    |'''Owen Jorgensen'''
    |- style="text-align:center;" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#F0DCC8"
    |
    <div style="text-align:center;">Supernatural: <br> The Life of William Branham</div>
    |-
    |}
    {{col-break}}


    {| style="border:1px solid #E8B399;background-color:#F0DCC8;vertical-align:top; float:right; width:250px;"
    [[Image:Image-rs-156 - Br Br - fishing.jpg|right|350px]]
    |- cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#E8B399" align="center"
    '''William Marrion Branham''' (April 8, 1908<ref>William Branham listed April 8, 1908 as his birthday on his marriage license to Hope Brumbach.</ref> – December 24, 1965) was a Christian 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>.  Born in rural Kentucky, he was raised in humble circumstances and experienced many tragedies.  In the 1940’s his healing ministry skyrocketed him from a rural pastor to an international evangelist with hillbilly English.  William Branham’s campaign theme was the scripture ''"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever"'', and his theme-song was ''"Only Believe"''.   
    |'''[[Julius Stadsklev]]'''
    |- style="text-align:center;" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#F0DCC8"
    |
    <div style="text-align:center;">[[Life story by Julius Stadsklev|Life story of William Branham <br> written by a friend]]</div>


    |-
    |}
    {{col-end}}


    <div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">'''Early Life'''<ref>Based on tract ''Jesus Christ the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever'' written and published by William Branham.</ref> </div>
    William Branham was born in a log cabin in the hills of Kentucky, the first of nine children of Charles and Ella Branham.  When he was six months old, at a time when his father was working away from home, his mother almost starved to death and was rescued by a neighbour.  The Branham family then moved to Utica, Indiana, and then farther down the Ohio valley.


    <div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">'''Early Life'''</div>
    One day when William Branham was a young boy, his father asked him to haul water from the barn to the houseAs he was carrying water, 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."''
    {{Church ages}}
    William Branham was born in a log cabin in the hills of Kentucky hills in 1909, the first of nine children of Charles and Ella BranhamWithin 15 minutes of his birth, a mysterious light entered the cabin and hovered near the middle of the room before departing through the ceiling.  Charles and Ella were nominally Catholic, but the nearest Church was the Opossum Kingdom Baptist Church, which is where they brought William Branham to have him dedicated.


    In 1912, at the age of three, a voice spoke to William Branham and said that he would live near New Albany, IndianaHis father, a brawler and alcoholic, was in trouble with the law at the time, and had left the family on their own.  Later that year, Charles Branham sent a letter to his wife calling the family to New Albany, where William Branham spent the rest of his childhood years.
    William Branham recalls that compared to other families, the Branham's were poorAt school his shoes were often torn, and he would sometimes wear a closed jacket when he had no shirt to wear.  


    William Branham was recruited in 1916 to haul water to his father's corn whiskey moonshine stillWhile carrying a bucket of water up the hill, William Branham saw a whirlwind caught in a treeThe voice spoke from the whirlwind and instructed him never to drink or smoke or defile his body in any way, in preparation of a future work.
    When William Branham was 14 years old, he was shot in a hunting accident, and spent seven months in the hospital. Through his teenage years he did not want to have anything to do with God, or churchIn 1927, he told his mother he was going camping in Tunnel Mill, Indiana, and left home to work as a ranch-hand in Phoenix, ArizonaHe initially enjoyed himself, but when he received news that his brother Edward had died,  the joy of his adventure vanished.  Edward's funeral was taken by a close family friend, Rev. McKinney, who made a salvation call that William Branham refused.  


    Grade 7 was William Branham's last year of formal educationThat same year, 1923, he was accidentally shot in the leg while hunting with a friendThe shotgun wound was severe, and his family was unable to pay for medical expensesLaying on a hospital bed, William Branham had a vision of falling into hellCrying for God, he started a slow recovery.   
    William Branham found work in Indiana as a high-voltage linesman with the Indiana Public WorksIn 1931 he was checking meters at the Gas Works in New Albany, and was overcome by fumes.  He began suffering from stomach acidWhen he went to a specialist, he was told he had appendicitis and went for an operationAfraid, he requested local anesthetic only, and brought along a minister from the First Baptist Church to stand by himDuring the operation his mind went back to the whirlwind in the tree, and he promised to preach the Gospel if God would bring him through the operation.   


    Instead of becoming a preacher, William Branham decided to run off to Arizona in 1927 and become a cowboyHe finally returned to Indiana in 1929 at the news of the death of his best friend - his brother Edward.  Back in Indiana, he found work as a high-voltage linesman with the Indiana Public Works, and as a Deputy game warden.  William Branham also started a side career as a 'prize fighter' boxer winning 52 fights before being defeated in the ring.  He continued at these occupations for a while until he was overcome by gas funes in 1931, which stared a period of near-death illness. It was during this time that he promised to serve God, and was converted in the winter of that year.
    During his slow recovery, William Branham began visiting different churchesOne night he went behind his shed to pray, and saw a light form into a cross, and from the cross came a voice in an unknown language.  He prayed desperately, and the light returned.  William Branham felt free of his burdens, but still did not tell anyone about this experience at that time.  


    William Branham then found a church that believed in healing.  He was anointed with oil and healed instantly.  After this, William Branham began praying for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  A second time a light met him and told him to go preach and pray for the sick, and they would be healed regardless of what disease they had. 


    <div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">'''Early Ministry'''</div>
    <div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">'''Early Ministry'''</div>
    William Branham met Hope Brumbach in 1932 and joined the Missionary Baptist Church that she attended in Jeffersonville.  Soon after, William Branham was ordained a minster in the Baptist Church.  Later that year, he has two visions: one of a man hit by a car getting healed, and another of an infirm woman being instantly healed.  Within weeks, he prayed for both of these people and they were instantly healed. 
    [[Image:Image-rs-018 - Sis Hope and Bro Branham.jpg|220px|thumb|William and Hope Branham]]
    1933 was a remarkable year for William Branham,
    *He started construction on the 'First Pentecostal Baptist’ church in Jeffersonville (this later became known as the 'Branham Tabernacle'). 
    *He experienced a series of seven prophecies that he talked about much in later years (see [[Prophecies]] for more details).
    *In August 1933, while around 130 people were gathered for baptism on the Ohio River at the foot of Spring Street in Jeffersonville, Indiana, a voice told William Branham to “look up”.  As the 17th person came to him to be baptized, a bright light appeared in the sky above.  William Branham screamed, while others shouted or ran away.  The light caused the water on the river to churn, and then the light disappeared back into the sky into a little white cloud. 


    As a boy, William Branham had witnessed numerous immoral acts as a result of the revelry that accompanied his father's moonshine business, and had decided never to get married.  However, he met Hope Brumbach in 1932, who changed his mindWilliam Branham joined Hope's church, the Missionary Baptist Church in Jeffersonville, and was soon ordained a minsterLater that year, he has two visions: one of a man hit by a car getting healed, and another of an infirm woman being instantly healed.  Within weeks, he prayed for both of these people and they were instantly healed.   
    William Branham had a vision in June 1933 on the morning he was laying the cornerstone for his new tablernacleThe vision was of an orchard, with places for new trees on either side of an aisle leading to the crossPlum trees were on one side, and apple trees were on the other side, and both types of fruit were found in the cross.  William Branham was instructed to walk between these trees (which he identified as the Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostals), and do the work of an evangelist, as both types of fruit were found in the cross.
    [[Image:Image-rs-018 - Sis Hope and Bro Branham.jpg|220px|thumb|William and Hope Branham]]
    1933 was a remarkable year for William Branham.  First, he had a series of [[Seven visions of 1933|seven prophetic visions]] starting with the second world war and ending with the destruction of America.  Second, as the result of some doctrinal differences, William Branham started construction on his own church, called the 'First Pentecostal Baptist’ church (Jeffersonville Evening News, 10 June 1933 - this later became known as the 'Branham Tabernacle').  On June 11, 1933, while baptizing people in the Ohio River, at the end of Spring Street in Jeffersonville, Indiana, hundreds of people saw a bright fiery light suddenly appeared over his head, and a voice spoke from the light, saying: ''"As John the Baptist was sent to forerun the first coming of Jesus Christ, so your message will forerun His second coming."''


    William Branham continued to work and preach, and married Hope Brumbach in 1934.  In 1935, a son, Billy Paul, was born to William and Hope Branham.   
    William Branham continued to work and preach, and married Hope Brumbach in 1934.  In 1935, a son, Billy Paul, was born to William and Hope Branham.   


    1936 was a whirlwind year.  William Branham entered a Pentecostal meeting for the first time, which challenged his perpective of Christianity.  He received a number of invitations to preach at various Oneness churches after attending this meeting, but was pressured by his mother-in-law not to accept these invitations.  William Branham also prophecied that the Ohio river would flood, and reach 22 feet over Spring Street in Jeffersonville.  The old-timers laughed at him for this prediction, recalling that the flood of 1884 on reached 6 inches over Spring Street.  Finally, a daughter (Sharon Rose Branham) was born to William and Hope Branham in 1936.
    1936 was a whirlwind year.  William Branham entered a Pentecostal tent meeting that challenged his perspective of Christianity.  He received a number of invitations to preach at various Oneness churches after attending this meeting, but was pressured by his mother-in-law not to accept these invitations.  William Branham also prophesied that the Ohio river would flood, and reach 22 feet over Spring Street in Jeffersonville.  Finally, a daughter (Sharon Rose Branham) was born to William and Hope Branham.


    <div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">'''Tragedy and Recovery'''</div>
    In 1937, the [[Ohio River flood of 1937|Ohio river flooded]] over Spring Street.  Hope Branham was extremely sick at the time, and the conditions after the flood only made it worse.  William Branham was isolated during the flood, and could not access his sick wife.  She finally died shortly after he found her again.  Days later, Sharon Rose also passed away from disease.  William Branham links his wife and daughter's death to his decision to respect his mother-in-law’s request not to join the Pentecostal movement.


    <div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">'''Tragedy and Recovery'''</div>
    William Branham relays little about the years after the death of his wife and daughterIt was a period of extreme trial and depression, with William Branham attempting suicide twice during this timeStill, William Branham continued to work, and preach, and care for his son.
    In 1937, six months after his prophecy, the [[Ohio River flood of 1937|Ohio river flooded]] and crested at exactly 22 feet over Spring Street.  The problem with this flood is that Hope Branham was extremely sick, and the conditions in and after the flood only made it worseWilliam Branham was isolated as a result of the flood, and could not access his sick wife.  After finding her, her health deteriorated until she finally diedDays later, Sharon Rose also passed away from disease.  William Branham links his wife and daughter's death to his decision to respect his mother-in-law and not join the Pentecostal movement.  


    William Branham relays little from the years after the death of his wife and daughterIt was a period of extreme trial and depression, with William Branham attempting suicide twice during this timeOnce, holding a gun to his head, the gun 'clicked', but fired from the same chamber when it was aimed elsewhere when he wondered why it didn't fireStill, William Branham continued to work, and preach, and care for his son.   
    In 1940, William Branham prayed for a crippled boy and girl, and both were healedThis marked the start of his recoverySoon after, in 1941, he married Meda Broy.  William Branham again continued to work and preach, while life quietly passed byThe is evidence of early healing revivals in the local areas around Jeffersonville at this time, primarily with the Oneness Pentecostal groups.


    In 1940, William Branham prayed for a crippled boy and girl, and both were healedThis marked the start of his recovery. Soon after, in 1941, he married Meda Broy.  William Branham again continued to work and preach, while life quietly passed byThe is evidence of early healing revivals in the local areas around Jeffersonville at this time, primarily with the Oneness Pentecostal groupsIn 1946, Meda Branham gave birth to a girl, Rebekah.
    <div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">'''Commission and Evangelism'''</div>
    In March 1945 William Branham saw a vision of birds who would not eat from a small pile of white breadA voice told him ''“That is your Tabernacle and they won't eat the bread of life anymore. I am sending you…westward.”'' William Branham was then shown a large tent with a platform at the frontBehind the tent was a great pile of the same white bread, and he was told to feed a white-robed audience that had gathered from everywhereThe following day, William Branham explained the vision to his church.  


    William Branham left Jeffersonville on June 14, 1945 and headed directly west with his wife, son, and Rev. Daugherty to St. Louis, Missouri.  The testimonies from the tent meetings in St. Louis were compiled in a tract called [[Heavenly Vision|I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision]] and distributed at subsequent revival meetings.


    <div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">'''Commission and Evangelism'''</div>
    In 1946, Meda Branham gave birth to a girl, Rebekah.   
    All of William Branham's life he had been afraid of the supernatural that accompanied his life.  Ministers had told him it was of the devil, so he had tried to run from it.  The problem was that the more he ran, the more it followed him.  So in 1946 he took is Bible, told his wife he wouldn't return until he got and answer from God, and went into the backcountry where he had trapped as a child.   


    While praying for an answer, and Angel appeared, and spoke to William Branham.  The voice of the angel was the same voice he had heard from the whirlwind as a child, and said:
    [[Image:Image-rs-155 - Br Br - seated with Bible.jpg|220px|right]]
    [[Image:Image-rs-155 - Br Br - seated with Bible.jpg|220px|right]]
    :''"Do not fear, for I am sent from the Presence of the Almighty God to tell you that your peculiar birth and life has been to indicate that you're to take a gift of Divine healing to the peoples of the world. If you'll be sincere when you pray, and get the people to believe you, nothing shall stand before your prayer, not even to cancer. You will go into many parts of the earth and will pray for kings and rulers and potentates. You will preach to multitudes the world over and thousands will come to you for counsel."''


    The Angel told William Branham about the signs that would follow his ministry, and began to teach him from the scriptures at that time. Knowing that this gift was from God, William Branham returned to his family, and started his own method of healing evangelism with his whole heart, believing in the Angel's commission.  
    In June 1947, the ''Evening Sun'' newspaper of Jonesboro, Arkansas reported that "Residents of at least 25 States and Mexico have visited Jonesboro since Rev. Branham opened the camp meeting, June 1st. The total attendance for the services is likely to surpass the 20,000 mark."
    William Branham also met [[Gordon Lindsay]] in 1947, who became his primary manager and promoter. Shortly after, several other prominent Pentecostals joined his ministry team, including [[Ern Baxter]] and [[F.F. Bosworth]]. Gordon Lindsay proved to be an able publicist for Branham, founding The Voice of Healing magazine in 1948 which was originally aimed at reporting on Branham's healing campaigns.  


    In 1947 William Branham met [[Gordon Lindsay]], who became his primary manager and promoter. Shortly after, several other prominent Pentecostals joined his ministry team, including [[Ern Baxter]] and [[F.F. Bosworth]]. Gordon Lindsay proved to be an able publicist for Branham, founding The Voice of Healing magazine in 1948 which was originally aimed at reporting on Branham's healing campaigns.  
    His early work in faith healing attracted attention, and as stories began to spread of his healing gift, local pastors came to ask Branham to minister to their congregations and pray for the sick. When local churches could not accommodate the crowds, Branham's meetings were moved to larger auditoriums or stadiums for united campaigns in major cities in North America. His success soon took him to minister in countries around the world. According to a Pentecostal historian, "Branham filled the largest stadiums and meeting halls in the world."


    His early work in faith healing attracted attention, and as stories began to spread of his healing gift, local pastors came to ask Branham to minister to their congregations and pray for the sick. When local churches could not accommodate the crowds, Branham's meetings were moved to larger auditoriums or stadiums for united campaigns in major cities in North America.
    On the night of January 24, 1950, an unusual photograph was taken during a speaking engagement in the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas.  The photograph was of William Branham standing at the podium, with a halo of light behind his head.  The photographer was hired by Rev. Best, who had come to debate William Branham on the subject of divine healing. William Branham had the photograph examined by a professional, George J. Lacy, to confirm that the negative had not been tampered with.


    In June 1947, the ''Evening Sun'' newspaper of Jonesboro, Arkansas reported that "Residents of at least 25 States and Mexico have visited Jonesboro since Rev. Branham opened the camp meeting, June 1st. The total attendance for the services is likely to surpass the 20,000 mark." His success soon took him to minister in countries around the world. According to a Pentecostal historian, "Branham filled the largest stadiums and meeting halls in the world." In Durban, South Africa in 1951 he addressed meetings sponsored by the Apostolic Faith Mission, the Assemblies of God, the Pentecostal Holiness Church, and the Full Gospel Church of God. Meetings were conducted in eleven cities, with a combined attendance of a half million people. On the final day of the Durban meetings, held at the Greyville Racecourse, an estimated 45,000 people attended and thousands more were turned away at the gates. As he travelled around the world he met many individuals of public influence, including U.S. [[Congressman Upshaw]] who was healed after Branham prayed for him. God also healed [[King George VI]] of England from arterio-sclerosis through his prayers.
    William Branham continued his worldwide ministry, and the “Voice of Healing” magazine published in article in June 1950 about a boy who was raised to life in Finland during the William Branham campaigns, after being hit by a car.


    [[Image:Durban1.jpg|thumb|800px|The non-European section of the Durban congregation.]]
    By this time, William Branham was praying for the sick using two signs. The first sign was a physical reaction in his hand indicating the presence of germ diseases.  The second sign was that he knew could talk to people directly about their lives without the need to ask questions.  These signs never ceased to vindicate William Branham's ministry.  In 1951, William Branham prayed for a boy named Donny Morton, which was reported in both Chatelaine and Reader’s Digest.  This article describes how William Branham described the boy’s situation to his father, without asking questions.  However, after a long and difficult battle with meningitis, Donny Morton died of pneumonia while recovering from surgery.


    In 1948 God showed him a vision of a boy being raised from the dead. He related the details to his audiences and asked them to write those details down in the flyleaves of their bibles.  The vision was fulfilled two years later during a speaking trip to Helsinki, Finland in 1950 at the scene of a street accident near Kuopio, Finland. Two boys had been struck by a car and one had been killed. Branham's party had come upon the scene, and he then asked that the sheet covering the boy's body be removed, because he recognized the boy as the one he had seen in his vision. He then prayed over the child and the child was raised from the dead.
    In Durban, South Africa in 1951 William Branham addressed meetings sponsored by the Apostolic Faith Mission, the Assemblies of God, the Pentecostal Holiness Church, and the Full Gospel Church of God. Meetings were conducted in eleven cities, with a combined attendance of a half million people. On the final day of the Durban meetings, held at the Greyville Racecourse, an estimated 45,000 people attended and thousands more were turned away at the gates. As he travelled around the world he met many individuals of public influence.  


    On the night of January 24, 1950, an unusual photograph was taken during a speaking engagement in the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas. As Branham stood at the podium, an apparent halo of fire appeared above his head. A photograph of this phenomenon was produced, the only one of its film roll that developed an image. George J. Lacy, an investigator of questioned documents, subjected the negative to testing and declared at a news conference that, "To my knowledge, this is the first time in all the world's history that a supernatural being has been photographed and scientifically vindicated." The original of the photograph is currently stored in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
    During this time, over 1100 of William Branham’s sermons were recorded and transcribed.


    [[Image:Durban1.jpg|thumb|800px|The non-European section of the Durban congregation.]]


    [[Image:Image-rs-131 - BR Branham1.jpg|220px|right]]
    [[Image:Image-rs-131 - BR Branham1.jpg|220px|right]]
    <div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">'''Teaching the Bible, with signs following'''</div>
    <div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">'''Teaching, with signs following'''</div>
    From the mid 1950s onwards William Branham became more open with his beliefs, and by the late 1950s he was openly stating that the Trinity as presented by most churches was not scriptural.  He took the position that neither Oneness theology nor Trinitarianism lined up with the Bible.  William Branham also started to teach a number of other doctrines which were considered to be unorthodox, but by no means unprovable from the Bible, such as the 'serpent's seed doctrine.   
    From the mid 1950s onwards William Branham became more open with his beliefs, and by the late 1950s he was openly stating that the Trinity as presented by most churches was not scriptural.  He took the position that neither Oneness theology nor Trinitarianism lined up with the Bible.  William Branham also started to teach a number of other doctrines which were considered to be unorthodox, but by no means absent from the Bible, such as the 'serpent's seed doctrine.   


    By this time, both of the signs were open to the public. The first sign was a physical sign appearing in his hand indicating a disease or healing.  The second sign was that the secret thoughts and needs of individuals were revealed to him, just as they were revealed to other Prophets in the Bible. These signs never ceased to vindicate William Branham's ministry.   
    It was during these years that William Branham introduced the vision of the “third pull” that was to play a more significant part in later years. The third pull relates to a vision of an Angel who was teaching him how to fish.  He was to cast his line out, pull slow at first (his healing ministry), jerk a little harder the second time (his discernment ministry), and set the hook for the catch on the third pull.  However, in the vision William Branham gets his line tangled, and the Angel rebukes him for making a public show of his ministry.  The angel then takes him back to a tent where people are being saved (reminiscent of his 1945 commissioning vision), and the pillar of fire leaves William Branham and goes back into a small building to meet him in private.
       


    William Branham preached thousands of sermons, of which over 1100 were recorded and transcribed.
    <div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">'''A Prophet?'''</div>
    In 1960 William Branham spoke a series of sermons on the Church Ages (see [[Church Ages]] for more details) that outlined his views of church history and his interpretation of the first few chapters of the book of Revelation.  In these sermons, William Branham predicted that the seven visions he saw in 1933 would be fulfilled by 1977.  


    In 1962 William Branham moved to Tucson, Arizona.  He came back for meetings in Jeffersonville in early 1963 where he preached about an angelic visitation he had received, and how he was divinely instructed to preach about the [[Seven Seals]].  These sermons contained a lot of church history, and borrowed heavily from the commentary of Clarence Larkin.  People who believe that William Branham was a major prophet consider these sermons the fulfillment of Matthew 17:11, where Jesus says that Elijah must come and “restore all things”. 


    <div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">'''A Prophet to the Gentiles'''</div>
    In May 1962 William Branham expressed his confusion and decision at becoming a seer or an evangelist.<ref>Questions and Answers, May 27, 1962</ref> In June 1963 he tells of an angelic visitation where he is told to ''"Return! Did not I tell you in the beginning to do the work of an Evangelist?"'' In the same sermon, William Branham confesses that he has lost the love for the people, calling them "Ricky and Ricketta" when they are still children of God, and are only under bondage to denominations who tell them ''"don't you do this, and don't you do that."'' <ref>Standing in the Gap, June 23, 1963</ref>
    In 1963 William Branham received another angelic visitation.  This time, the Angel told him to go to Jeffersonville and preach a series of meetings on [[Seven Seals]]. William Branham did just that, and the Angel of the Lord instructed him on what to say, and what not to say during these services.  These sermons marked the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, that ''in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.'' (Revelation 10:7)  
     
    In January 1964, Kenneth Hagin had a prophecy that Gordon Lindsay communicated to William Branham, that the devil would take William Branham's life before the end of 1965 because of his own error.   




    <div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">'''Death'''</div>
    <div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; font-size:125%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">'''Death'''</div>
    [[Image:Image-rs-144 - Br Br Mal 4 - 1671.jpg|right|240px]]
    [[Image:Image-rs-144 - Br Br Mal 4 - 1671.jpg|right|240px]]
    On December 18, 1965 William Branham and his family (all except his daughter Rebekah) were returning to Jeffersonville, Indiana from Tucson, Arizona for the Christmas Holidays. About three miles east of Friona, Texas just after dark, a car traveling west in the eastbound lane, struck Branham's car head-on. The driver of the car was intoxicated and died at the scene as did the other front seat passenger.  The other two passengers in the back seat of the car were severely injured. Branham's wife was seriously injured and his daughter Sarah was lying in the back seat also injured. Branham's left arm was mangled and caught in the driver-side door, and his left leg was wrapped around the steering wheel.  After about 45 minutes Branham was pulled from his car and transported to the hospital at Friona-then later transported to the hospital at Amarillo, Texas. He lived for six days after the crash, dying on December 24, 1965 at 5:49 PM. His body was returned to Jeffersonville, Indiana for burial.
    On December 18, 1965 William Branham and his family (all except his daughter Rebekah) were returning to Jeffersonville, Indiana from Tucson, Arizona for the Christmas Holidays. About three miles east of Friona, Texas just after dark, a car traveling west in the eastbound lane, struck Branham's car head-on. The driver of the other car died at the scene, as did the other front seat passenger.  The other two passengers in the back seat of the car were severely injured. Branham's wife was seriously injured and his daughter Sarah was lying in the back seat also injured. Branham's left arm was mangled and caught in the driver-side door, and his left leg was wrapped around the steering wheel.  After about 45 minutes Branham was pulled from his car and transported to the hospital at Friona, and then later transported to the hospital at Amarillo, Texas. He lived for six days after the crash, dying on December 24, 1965 at 5:49 PM. His body was returned to Jeffersonville, Indiana for burial.
     
    What is interesting is that even though his body was taken from the earth, his voice remained - caught on the taped recordings of his services.  As a result, the "''days of the voice of the seventh angel''" doesn't simply relate to William Branham's physical ministry, but it extends to the time after his death when his voice continues to circle the world.  




    Line 128: Line 102:
    |}
    |}


    =='''References'''==
    <div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;">
    <references/>
    </div>


    {{Portal Navigation}}
    {{Portal Navigation}}
    |-
    |-
    |}
    |}

    Revision as of 23:55, 6 August 2012

    Editors Note: The following biography is based on William Branham’s own statements. However, where a particular story is told more than one time, we have attempted to rely on the first, or original, version only.


    Image-rs-156 - Br Br - fishing.jpg

    William Marrion Branham (April 8, 1908[1] – December 24, 1965) was a Christian evangelist who has been called the "pacesetter of the healing revival" [2] and a "prophet"[3]. Born in rural Kentucky, he was raised in humble circumstances and experienced many tragedies. In the 1940’s his healing ministry skyrocketed him from a rural pastor to an international evangelist with hillbilly English. William Branham’s campaign theme was the scripture "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever", and his theme-song was "Only Believe".


    Early Life[4]

    William Branham was born in a log cabin in the hills of Kentucky, the first of nine children of Charles and Ella Branham. When he was six months old, at a time when his father was working away from home, his mother almost starved to death and was rescued by a neighbour. The Branham family then moved to Utica, Indiana, and then farther down the Ohio valley.

    One day when William Branham was a young boy, his father asked him to haul water from the barn to the house. As he was carrying water, 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."

    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.

    When William Branham was 14 years old, he was shot in a hunting accident, and spent seven months in the hospital. Through his teenage years he did not want to have anything to do with God, or church. In 1927, he told his mother he was going camping in Tunnel Mill, Indiana, and left home to work as a ranch-hand in Phoenix, Arizona. He initially enjoyed himself, but when he received news that his brother Edward had died, the joy of his adventure vanished. Edward's funeral was taken by a close family friend, Rev. McKinney, who made a salvation call that William Branham refused.

    William Branham found work in Indiana as a high-voltage linesman with the Indiana Public Works. In 1931 he was checking meters at the Gas Works in New Albany, and was overcome by fumes. He began suffering from stomach acid. When he went to a specialist, he was told he had appendicitis and went for an operation. Afraid, he requested local anesthetic only, and brought along a minister from the First Baptist Church to stand by him. During the operation his mind went back to the whirlwind in the tree, and he promised to preach the Gospel if God would bring him through the operation.

    During his slow recovery, William Branham began visiting different churches. One night he went behind his shed to pray, and saw a light form into a cross, and from the cross came a voice in an unknown language. He prayed desperately, and the light returned. William Branham felt free of his burdens, but still did not tell anyone about this experience at that time.

    William Branham then found a church that believed in healing. He was anointed with oil and healed instantly. After this, William Branham began praying for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. A second time a light met him and told him to go preach and pray for the sick, and they would be healed regardless of what disease they had.

    Early Ministry

    William Branham met Hope Brumbach in 1932 and joined the Missionary Baptist Church that she attended in Jeffersonville. Soon after, William Branham was ordained a minster in the Baptist Church. Later that year, he has two visions: one of a man hit by a car getting healed, and another of an infirm woman being instantly healed. Within weeks, he prayed for both of these people and they were instantly healed.

    William and Hope Branham

    1933 was a remarkable year for William Branham,

    • He started construction on the 'First Pentecostal Baptist’ church in Jeffersonville (this later became known as the 'Branham Tabernacle').
    • He experienced a series of seven prophecies that he talked about much in later years (see Prophecies for more details).
    • In August 1933, while around 130 people were gathered for baptism on the Ohio River at the foot of Spring Street in Jeffersonville, Indiana, a voice told William Branham to “look up”. As the 17th person came to him to be baptized, a bright light appeared in the sky above. William Branham screamed, while others shouted or ran away. The light caused the water on the river to churn, and then the light disappeared back into the sky into a little white cloud.

    William Branham had a vision in June 1933 on the morning he was laying the cornerstone for his new tablernacle. The vision was of an orchard, with places for new trees on either side of an aisle leading to the cross. Plum trees were on one side, and apple trees were on the other side, and both types of fruit were found in the cross. William Branham was instructed to walk between these trees (which he identified as the Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostals), and do the work of an evangelist, as both types of fruit were found in the cross.

    William Branham continued to work and preach, and married Hope Brumbach in 1934. In 1935, a son, Billy Paul, was born to William and Hope Branham.

    1936 was a whirlwind year. William Branham entered a Pentecostal tent meeting that challenged his perspective of Christianity. He received a number of invitations to preach at various Oneness churches after attending this meeting, but was pressured by his mother-in-law not to accept these invitations. William Branham also prophesied that the Ohio river would flood, and reach 22 feet over Spring Street in Jeffersonville. Finally, a daughter (Sharon Rose Branham) was born to William and Hope Branham.

    Tragedy and Recovery

    In 1937, the Ohio river flooded over Spring Street. Hope Branham was extremely sick at the time, and the conditions after the flood only made it worse. William Branham was isolated during the flood, and could not access his sick wife. She finally died shortly after he found her again. Days later, Sharon Rose also passed away from disease. William Branham links his wife and daughter's death to his decision to respect his mother-in-law’s request not to join the Pentecostal movement.

    William Branham relays little about the years after the death of his wife and daughter. It was a period of extreme trial and depression, with William Branham attempting suicide twice during this time. Still, William Branham continued to work, and preach, and care for his son.

    In 1940, William Branham prayed for a crippled boy and girl, and both were healed. This marked the start of his recovery. Soon after, in 1941, he married Meda Broy. William Branham again continued to work and preach, while life quietly passed by. The is evidence of early healing revivals in the local areas around Jeffersonville at this time, primarily with the Oneness Pentecostal groups.

    Commission and Evangelism

    In March 1945 William Branham saw a vision of birds who would not eat from a small pile of white bread. A voice told him “That is your Tabernacle and they won't eat the bread of life anymore. I am sending you…westward.” William Branham was then shown a large tent with a platform at the front. Behind the tent was a great pile of the same white bread, and he was told to feed a white-robed audience that had gathered from everywhere. The following day, William Branham explained the vision to his church.

    William Branham left Jeffersonville on June 14, 1945 and headed directly west with his wife, son, and Rev. Daugherty to St. Louis, Missouri. The testimonies from the tent meetings in St. Louis were compiled in a tract called I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision and distributed at subsequent revival meetings.

    In 1946, Meda Branham gave birth to a girl, Rebekah.

    Image-rs-155 - Br Br - seated with Bible.jpg

    In June 1947, the Evening Sun newspaper of Jonesboro, Arkansas reported that "Residents of at least 25 States and Mexico have visited Jonesboro since Rev. Branham opened the camp meeting, June 1st. The total attendance for the services is likely to surpass the 20,000 mark." William Branham also met Gordon Lindsay in 1947, who became his primary manager and promoter. Shortly after, several other prominent Pentecostals joined his ministry team, including Ern Baxter and F.F. Bosworth. Gordon Lindsay proved to be an able publicist for Branham, founding The Voice of Healing magazine in 1948 which was originally aimed at reporting on Branham's healing campaigns.

    His early work in faith healing attracted attention, and as stories began to spread of his healing gift, local pastors came to ask Branham to minister to their congregations and pray for the sick. When local churches could not accommodate the crowds, Branham's meetings were moved to larger auditoriums or stadiums for united campaigns in major cities in North America. His success soon took him to minister in countries around the world. According to a Pentecostal historian, "Branham filled the largest stadiums and meeting halls in the world."

    On the night of January 24, 1950, an unusual photograph was taken during a speaking engagement in the Sam Houston Coliseum in Houston, Texas. The photograph was of William Branham standing at the podium, with a halo of light behind his head. The photographer was hired by Rev. Best, who had come to debate William Branham on the subject of divine healing. William Branham had the photograph examined by a professional, George J. Lacy, to confirm that the negative had not been tampered with.

    William Branham continued his worldwide ministry, and the “Voice of Healing” magazine published in article in June 1950 about a boy who was raised to life in Finland during the William Branham campaigns, after being hit by a car.

    By this time, William Branham was praying for the sick using two signs. The first sign was a physical reaction in his hand indicating the presence of germ diseases. The second sign was that he knew could talk to people directly about their lives without the need to ask questions. These signs never ceased to vindicate William Branham's ministry. In 1951, William Branham prayed for a boy named Donny Morton, which was reported in both Chatelaine and Reader’s Digest. This article describes how William Branham described the boy’s situation to his father, without asking questions. However, after a long and difficult battle with meningitis, Donny Morton died of pneumonia while recovering from surgery.

    In Durban, South Africa in 1951 William Branham addressed meetings sponsored by the Apostolic Faith Mission, the Assemblies of God, the Pentecostal Holiness Church, and the Full Gospel Church of God. Meetings were conducted in eleven cities, with a combined attendance of a half million people. On the final day of the Durban meetings, held at the Greyville Racecourse, an estimated 45,000 people attended and thousands more were turned away at the gates. As he travelled around the world he met many individuals of public influence.

    During this time, over 1100 of William Branham’s sermons were recorded and transcribed.

    The non-European section of the Durban congregation.
    Image-rs-131 - BR Branham1.jpg
    Teaching, with signs following

    From the mid 1950s onwards William Branham became more open with his beliefs, and by the late 1950s he was openly stating that the Trinity as presented by most churches was not scriptural. He took the position that neither Oneness theology nor Trinitarianism lined up with the Bible. William Branham also started to teach a number of other doctrines which were considered to be unorthodox, but by no means absent from the Bible, such as the 'serpent's seed doctrine.

    It was during these years that William Branham introduced the vision of the “third pull” that was to play a more significant part in later years. The third pull relates to a vision of an Angel who was teaching him how to fish. He was to cast his line out, pull slow at first (his healing ministry), jerk a little harder the second time (his discernment ministry), and set the hook for the catch on the third pull. However, in the vision William Branham gets his line tangled, and the Angel rebukes him for making a public show of his ministry. The angel then takes him back to a tent where people are being saved (reminiscent of his 1945 commissioning vision), and the pillar of fire leaves William Branham and goes back into a small building to meet him in private.


    A Prophet?

    In 1960 William Branham spoke a series of sermons on the Church Ages (see Church Ages for more details) that outlined his views of church history and his interpretation of the first few chapters of the book of Revelation. In these sermons, William Branham predicted that the seven visions he saw in 1933 would be fulfilled by 1977.

    In 1962 William Branham moved to Tucson, Arizona. He came back for meetings in Jeffersonville in early 1963 where he preached about an angelic visitation he had received, and how he was divinely instructed to preach about the Seven Seals. These sermons contained a lot of church history, and borrowed heavily from the commentary of Clarence Larkin. People who believe that William Branham was a major prophet consider these sermons the fulfillment of Matthew 17:11, where Jesus says that Elijah must come and “restore all things”.

    In May 1962 William Branham expressed his confusion and decision at becoming a seer or an evangelist.[5] In June 1963 he tells of an angelic visitation where he is told to "Return! Did not I tell you in the beginning to do the work of an Evangelist?" In the same sermon, William Branham confesses that he has lost the love for the people, calling them "Ricky and Ricketta" when they are still children of God, and are only under bondage to denominations who tell them "don't you do this, and don't you do that." [6]

    In January 1964, Kenneth Hagin had a prophecy that Gordon Lindsay communicated to William Branham, that the devil would take William Branham's life before the end of 1965 because of his own error.


    Death
    Image-rs-144 - Br Br Mal 4 - 1671.jpg

    On December 18, 1965 William Branham and his family (all except his daughter Rebekah) were returning to Jeffersonville, Indiana from Tucson, Arizona for the Christmas Holidays. About three miles east of Friona, Texas just after dark, a car traveling west in the eastbound lane, struck Branham's car head-on. The driver of the other car died at the scene, as did the other front seat passenger. The other two passengers in the back seat of the car were severely injured. Branham's wife was seriously injured and his daughter Sarah was lying in the back seat also injured. Branham's left arm was mangled and caught in the driver-side door, and his left leg was wrapped around the steering wheel. After about 45 minutes Branham was pulled from his car and transported to the hospital at Friona, and then later transported to the hospital at Amarillo, Texas. He lived for six days after the crash, dying on December 24, 1965 at 5:49 PM. His body was returned to Jeffersonville, Indiana for burial.


    Listen and read over 1000 of William Branham's sermons

    References

    1. William Branham listed April 8, 1908 as his birthday on his marriage license to Hope Brumbach.
    2. 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.
    3. 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."
    4. Based on tract Jesus Christ the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever written and published by William Branham.
    5. Questions and Answers, May 27, 1962
    6. Standing in the Gap, June 23, 1963

    Navigation