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William Branham and the nature of God: Difference between revisions

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</ref>, but is usually a term for “what” God is, rather than “who” God is.  At its greatest depth, knowing about someone is much less rewarding that knowing someone.  Still, it is a start.
</ref>, but is usually a term for “what” God is, rather than “who” God is.  At its greatest depth, knowing about someone is much less rewarding that knowing someone.  Still, it is a start.


Jesus invited his disciples to ''"learn of me"'' (Matthew 11:29), and promised that ''"you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."'' (John 8:32) The scriptures also record that Peter and John, two of Jesus' disciples whose writings form part of the New Testament, were ignorant and unlearned men. (Acts 4:13)  So with this invitation to learn, a promise of understanding, and evidence that uneducated people have understood the Godhead in the past, you can believe with confidence that God will give you understanding.  
We do not spend time in this article highlighting the problems with William Branham's beliefs.  The purpose of this article is simply to highlight what he believed.


<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">The Tabernacle of the Body</div>
Other articles in this series, which can be accessed from the tabs at the top of the page, attempt to point out specific problem areas with William Branham's belief system.


The Bible teaches that Christians are temples of the Holy Spirit.  William Branham compared the temple in the Bible to a person, linking your physical body to the temple court, your spirit to the Holy place, and your soul to the Most Holy place.  Each fully functioning human being has these three parts, but is one temple of the Holy Spirit.  
=The Godhead and Respect=
 
In the past, some Christians in positions of power have persecuted heretics (or anyone who disagrees with their own favourite doctrine). But persecuting heretics is as spiritual as stoning the good Samaritan.  The treatment of the Cathars at the hands of the Catholics, most notably in the massacre in Beziers in 1209 A.D., is a historic example of this persecution. 
 
The Apostle Paul wrote about people who ''"hold the truth in unrighteousness"'' (Romans 1).  He describes people who understand the Godhead correctly, but still choose to live a life of corruption.  Paul’s final description of these individuals is ‘unmerciful’, which is an apt description of Arnaud-Amaury, the Catholic ambassador to the Cathars of Bezier, who declared “Kill them all, the Lord will recognise His own.”
 
Jesus taught that only those who had a pure heart would see God (Matthew 5:8). Jesus’ zeal for the condition of the heart was matched only by his zeal for the Temple of God, driving out the moneychangers and saying, “My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.” (Matthew 21:13) The temple was a place designed by God for worship, and is a symbol of Jesus Christ – through whom we have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
 
=William Branham's Continuously Changing View of the Godhead=
 
William Branham was ordained as an exhorter in the Pentecostal Baptist Church (see article on [[Roy Davis]]) and, early in his ministry, believed in the Trinity as evidenced by the following:
 
THE.RESURRECTION.OF.LAZARUS  ERIE.PA  51-0729A
:''And now, there are those sitting here who are feeble this afternoon, that's in need of physical healing. And we have chosen these few words to read from Thine. And may '''the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity''', come in now, the Promise, the Comforter, that You said You would send. And He would take the things of God and would show them to us.
 
EARLY.SPIRITUAL.EXPERIENCES_  HAMMOND.IN  SUNDAY_  52-0713A
:''Truly, we're not much in this world, we're looked down upon, but, God, we believe we're accepted in Christ Jesus, and He in return, has give us the Holy Ghost. We love Him, that great, '''third Person of the Trinity''' Who burns through our hearts. And we love Him. O Holy Spirit, I thank You for Your Divine leading...
 
THE.TESTIMONY.OF.JESUS.CHRIST_  CHICAGO.IL  SATURDAY_  53-0829
:''The same God the Father was made manifest in flesh, and now in the Holy Spirit. That's the reason the baptism is in the Name of Father, Son, Holy Ghost (See?) the Trinity--the Trinity, not three gods, but three persons in one God...
 
In his early ministry, William Branham was very inclusive and extended open arms to both Trinitarians and Oneness believers (see the vision of the [[Plum and Apple Trees]].
 
In his sermon, ''The Godhead Explained'', William Branham tells of when he was confronted by ministers of both the Assemblies of God (Trinitarian) and the United Pentecostal Church (Oneness) and forced to clearly define his doctrine.  At the end of their discussion, William Branham had both representatives acknowledge that the other had the Holy Spirit.  He then explained his method of baptism, which both representatives accepted. In this same sermon, William Branham tells of another confrontation with a UPC minister.  This minister said ''"You know what we are going to do? We are drawing a little ring and drawing you right out of our circle."''  William Branham responded, ''"If you draw me out, I will draw you back in."''
 
While William Branham's view of the Godhead was hard to accurately pin down, he did appear to have changed his beliefs fundamentally on this subject in 1958, as his last reference to a Trinitarian understanding of the Godhead was in March 1958.  He gradually became less and less tolerant of the Trinitarian view until he eventually classified anyone that believed in the Trinity doctrine as a non-Christian:
 
:''I said, "Then you have to refuse Jesus Christ, for He is the revelation of God, God revealed in human flesh." Unless you see it, you're lost.  Jesus said, "Except you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." He is the revelation of God, the Spirit of God revealed in human form. If you can't believe that, you're lost. '''You put Him a third person, second person, or any other person besides God, you're lost.'''  "Except you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." A revelation! <ref>THE ANOINTED ONES AT THE END TIME  JEFF.IN 65-0725M</ref>
 
=What William Branham Believed=
 
William Branham's teachings on the Godhead were all over the map.  As a result, this is one of the areas that most message believers apply the doctrine of [[Progressive Revelation]].
 
William Branham stated many times that both the Oneness and Trinitarians were wrong and that the truth was somewhere in between.
 
IS.THIS.THE.SIGN.OF.THE.END.SIR_  JEFF.IN  V-2 N-11  SUNDAY_  62-1230E
:''Notice, the Book written... When this angel finishes all these loose-end ministries that through the battle they fought, Luther fought, and Wesley fought, and the Pentecostals fought, but there's coming one, says the Bible, that in the days of his sounding, all these mysteries... The Oneness run off on Jesus' Name. The Trinity went off on Father, Son, Holy Ghost, just like they did at the Nicaea Council: same thing. They both was wrong. But now, in the middle of the road, in the Scriptures lays out the truth.
 
CALLING.JESUS.ON.THE.SCENE  CHICAGO.IL  63-0804E
:''There is God, see, not three gods. Oh, how many of you trinitarian people got that mixed up. And how you Oneness people got it mixed up, too, of Him being one like your finger. Uh-huh. See? They, they both of them got it mixed up. See? That's right. He's the one God like your finger, one, how could He be His Own Father? See? See, He can't be His Own Father. And if He had another Father outside of the Holy Spirit, and if God is a man, a person, then He is a... the Holy Spirit was His Father, and God is His Father, Matthew 1, so then He was an illegitimate Child. See? So you can't make it either way, you, it's both wrong.
:''He was God manifested in a flesh of His creative Son. See? Now, that's, God created the Son.
 
==Jesus Christ==
 
:''I said, "Yes, He was Divine. He was the created Son of God." And I said, "God was in Him reconciling the world to Himself."<ref>THE.RESURRECTION.OF.LAZARUS_  ERIE.PA  SUNDAY_  51-0729A</ref>
 
 
:''Now notice! And after then the wise men identifying Him what He would be, and we find through the Scripture that's exactly what He was: Deity in service for death. What for? Deity in service to God for death. Jesus was Deity in service for death, to redeem the world. But what did the world do to It? They refused It. They rejected It. Why? Some of them, a big part of them, did that because this: because He did die! They said, "He couldn't be Deity and die." The Man (the body) was not Deity, but Deity was in the body. This body has to perish. The very Christ that's in you is the only thing that can raise you up. That's Deity, God in you.<ref>GOD'S.GIFTS.ALWAYS.FIND.THEIR.PLACES_  JEFF.IN  V-6 N-13  SUNDAY_  63-1222</ref>
 
=The Tabernacle of the Body=
 
When you distill everything down, it appears that William Branham taught a view of the Godhead that was most similar to that taught by Emmanual Swedenborg.
 
The Bible teaches that Christians are temples of the Holy Spirit.  William Branham compared the temple in the Bible to a person, linking your physical body to the temple court, your spirit to the Holy place, and your soul to the Most Holy place.  Each fully functioning human being has these three parts, but your soul is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  


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Some scriptures that support this teaching of the Godhead include:   
As support for his teaching, William Branham used the following scriptures:   


*God created humanity in the image of God.(Genesis 1:26)
*God created humanity in the image of God.(Genesis 1:26)
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*Thomas worshipped the LORD God in the tabernacle of Jesus Christ (John 20:28)
*Thomas worshipped the LORD God in the tabernacle of Jesus Christ (John 20:28)


The problem with this reasoning is that none of these scriptures deal with the Godhead.  Using these as support for William Branham's view of the Godhead requires very oblique reasoning.


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<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">The order of the Tabernacle</div>
<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">The order of the Tabernacle</div>


Dividing God into three persons would be like dividing the tabernacle into three temples. Over-unifying God (denying his three-fold being, or saying God is one like your finger) is like having all of the pieces to the tabernacle in one big circle.  Both of these ideas are out of order with God’s original design.
Swedenborg and Branham argued that dividing God into three persons would be like dividing the tabernacle into three temples. Over-unifying God (denying his three-fold being, or saying God is one like your finger) is like having all of the pieces to the tabernacle in one big circle.  Both of these ideas are out of order with God’s original design.[[Image:Templeoutline.jpg|325px|right|thumb|Outline of the three parts of the temple]]


God’s original design given to Moses was that the Court surrounded The Holy Place, through which the high priest could access the Most Holy Place.  In the same way, it is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (the Court) that we have access through his Spirit (the Holy Place) to the head of Christ, which is God (the Most Holy Place).
God’s original design given to Moses was that the Court surrounded The Holy Place, through which the high priest could access the Most Holy Place.  In the same way, it is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (the Court) that we have access through his Spirit (the Holy Place) to the head of Christ, which is God (the Most Holy Place).


Here is a more detailed description of the operation of the tabernacle and its parallel to Jesus Christ:
Here is a more detailed description of the operation of the tabernacle and its parallel to Jesus Christ:
[[Image:Templeoutline.jpg|325px|right|thumb|Outline of the three parts of the temple]]
*'''The Court''' is where the sacrifice was washed and slain – which corresponds to the body of Jesus Christ, which was baptized and crucified.
*'''The Court''' is where the sacrifice was washed and slain – which corresponds to the body of Jesus Christ, which was baptized and crucified.
*'''The Holy Place''' is where incense was burned, bread was offered, and the candlesticks were lit – which corresponds to the work of the Spirit of Christ in the Christian era through the prayers of the saints, communion, and the fire of the Holy Spirit that fell on the church in the book of Acts.
*'''The Holy Place''' is where incense was burned, bread was offered, and the candlesticks were lit – which corresponds to the work of the Spirit of Christ in the Christian era through the prayers of the saints, communion, and the fire of the Holy Spirit that fell on the church in the book of Acts.
*'''The Holy of Holies''' held the Ark and the Judgement/Mercy Seat – which corresponds to the work that Jesus Christ will accomplish in the future, fulfilling the will of the Father at the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10) as he stands as the judge of all(2 Timothy 4:1).
*'''The Holy of Holies''' held the Ark and the Judgement/Mercy Seat – which corresponds to the work that Jesus Christ will accomplish in the future, fulfilling the will of the Father at the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10) as he stands as the judge of all(2 Timothy 4:1).


 
=Footnotes=
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|''Jesus is the Son of God, that is the body, and God was the Spirit that dwelt in that Tabernacle that He created for Himself, a virgin body. God… That’s the reason He said here, ‘I’ve been so long with you and you don’t know Me? He that’s seen Me hath seen the Father.’ In other words, ‘You see the Father working through Me.’ God is a Spirit.'' ~ William Branham, Sermon: Show us the Father, July 22, 1962.
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<div style="border-bottom:1px #B87333 solid; text-align:center; font-size:140%; padding:1px; margin:1px;">The Tabernacle of God is with Men</div>
 
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|''Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them'' ~ Revelation 21:3
 
:''Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.'' ~ Matthew 1:23
 
:''And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.'' ~ John 3:13
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{| class="wikitable"
!width="130px"|Scripture
!width="250px"|Reference
!Comments on this scripture
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|Matthew 13:24
||''The kingdom of heaven is like a man…''
||In his parables, Jesus taught that something as common as our own identity was a perfect type for his heavenly kingdom.
|- valign="top"
|I Corinthians 15:49 (NIV, 2011)
||''Just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man.''
||Paul taught that the mortal temples of the Holy Spirit (more commonly called “Christians”) will become eternal temples of the Holy Spirit (following the example of Jesus Christ).
|- valign="top"
|Exodus 33:23
||''And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.''
||After Moses finished building the tabernacle, God showed himself to Moses in the form of a man (a vision of the tabernacle of God in heaven).
|- valign="top"
|I John 3:2
||''Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.''
||John taught that Christians will be like Jesus, no matter where we are (this world or the next).
|- valign="top"
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|''“the Son that was with the Father in the beginning was the Logos that went out of God. And it was the Theophany of God that went out, the human form that didn’t have eyes like you see: a better eye. It didn’t have ears like you hear, but a far more hearing. …Moses saw It when It passed through the rock like that. He saw the back parts.”'' 
:(William Branham, Sermon: Questions and Answers, October 2, 1957)
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Bringing the words of Moses, Jesus, Paul, and John together shows that God had a plan for the Tabernacle, God has a plan for Jesus, and God has a plan for you.  The plan of the tabernacle is a simple example of the Godhead, which was embodied in Jesus Christ.  The plan that God has for you is that you might become a child of God: which is an individual led by the Spirit of God (Romans 8:14). That is how a person can become a heavenly man like Jesus Christ. 
 
When you learn about the design of God’s tabernacle, you are not just learning about the Godhead, you are also learning about God’s plan for Jesus Christ, and God’s plan for your own life.
 
==Footnotes==
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