Evidence and the Message

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    Is there evidence that any of William Branham's visions failed or that his prophecies weren't valid? Is there proof that he lied?

    Message followers often tell us that they will not look at the evidence because they have been called to "only believe".

    But what does the Bible say we should look at?

    What the Bible says about evidence

    The bible clearly talks about the value of evidence.

    Luke focused on evidence as proof the Gospel was true

    The whole purpose of Luke's writings were to provide proof:

    Luke 1:1-5:

    Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us,  it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. [1]

    Acts 1:1-3 (written by Luke):

    In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.  He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.[2]

    Acts 9:22-23 (Paul provided proof to the Jews):

    Saul’s preaching became more and more powerful, and the Jews in Damascus couldn’t refute his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.[3]

    Jesus said we should look at the evidence

    In John 14:11, the need to look at the evidence is clear:

    Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.[4]

    The need for 2-3 witnesses is required as evidence

    Jesus outlined the requirement in Matthew 18:16:

    ...take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.[5]

    Paul made the requirement clear in 2 Corinthians 13:1:

    Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.[6]

    Paul also made the point clear in his instructions to Timothy in 1 Tim. 5:19-20:

    Do not admit a charge against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear.[7]

    Evidence related to William Branham's claim that he was a prophet

    William Branham clearly claim status as a prophet:

    To my precious dear brothers and sisters (See?), all of you, as a servant of God… I never said this before in the wor-… in—in this church, I've never said, but as a prophet of the Lord, I say to you, "This is the Light; walk ye in It."[8]

    The scriptural test of a prophet is clear as outlined by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:

    But if any prophet presumes to speak anything in my name that I have not authorized him to speak, or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. Now if you say to yourselves, ‘How can we tell that a message is not from the LORD?’—18:22 whenever a prophet speaks in my name and the prediction is not fulfilled, then I have not spoken it; the prophet has presumed to speak it, so you need not fear him.”[9]

    While at first we found this almost impossible to believe, we have been unable to locate a single unambiguous prophecy that was made in advance in a public forum (on tape) and that was later clearly fulfilled. However, there are numerous examples of visions that were made publicly which failed (were not fulfilled) and prophecies that changed drastically over time. If you click on the individual lines below, they will take you to a detailed explanation of each issue.

    How can William Branham be a true prophet of God if he failed the test of Deut 18:20-22?

    Here are a list of questions you should ask yourself and examine the evidence to determine your own answer to each question:

    1. Did William Branham make any REAL prophecies? (We can't find any before the fact prophecies on any tape!)
    2. What did William Branham prophesy about Billy Graham? Did the prophecy come to pass? (this is either a failed prophecy or William Branham lied about the prophecy).
    3. Why did William Branham say that the municipal bridge vision was fulfilled when it clearly wasn't? (Failed Prophecy)
    4. Why did William Branham say "Thus Saith The Lord" that he would shoot a large brown bear, when he didn't? (Failed Prophecy)
    5. Why did the vision that William Branham had of the meetings in south Africa fail to be fulfilled? (Failed Prophecy)
    6. The Seven Ten Prophecies of 1933
      1. Why did William Branham prophecy that America would start World War 2? (Prophecy Changed/Failed Prophecy)
      2. Was Mussloni's invasion of Ethiopia really his last invasion? (Prophecy Changed/Failed Prophecy)
      3. Why did William Branham's prophecy of Hitler change over time? (Prophecy Changed)
      4. Did Facism, Nazisim and Communism really unite into Communism? (Failed Prophecy)
      5. Did the prophecy of egg-shaped come from William Branham's visit to the 1933 World's Fair? ("After the Fact" Prophecy)
      6. Was William Branham's prophecy of a driverless car based on a Disney TV program? ("After the Fact" Prophecy)
      7. Are women really going to wear a fig leaf apron and go topless? (Failed Prophecy)
      8. Did women elect the wrong person or was it the men's vote? ("After the Fact" Prophecy/Failed Prophecy)
      9. Why did William Branham state that the prophecy of the rise of the cruel woman in America was already fulfilled? (Failed Prophecy)
      10. Why did William Branham change his prophecy of the destruction of America? (Prophecy Changed)
    7. Why is Los Angeles still above water if Billy Paul is an old man? (Failed Prophecy)
    8. Was William Branham's death before the Rapture a failed prophecy? (Failed Prophecy)
    9. Why did William Branham state that Martin Luther King, Jr. would cause the death of millions, when this didn't happen? (Not a prophecy)
    10. Was William Branham's vision of Marilyn Monroe's death accurate? (Failed Prophecy)
    11. Why did William Branham change the vision of the angels appearing? (Prophecy Changed)
    12. Why did William Branham predict that the USA would be destroyed by 1977? (Failed Prophecy)
    13. Was the meeting of Nikita Khrushchev and Dwight Eisenhower the fulfillment of Daniel chapter 2? (Failed Prophecy)
    14. Will Russia destroy the Vatican? (Failed Prophecy)
    15. Why did William Branham say that man would never land on the moon... but the communists might? (Failed Prophecy)
    16. Was the prophecy of the World Council of Churches accurate? (Failed Prophecy)
    17. If the vision of the Plum and Apple Trees was from God, why did William Branham change his mind about it in 1965? (Prophecy Changed)
    18. Was the prophecy of the 1964 Alaska earthquake made after the fact? ("After the Fact" Prophecy)
    19. What is the Third Pull? Was it prophetic? (too vague to qualify as a bona fide prophecy)
    20. Did William Branham really prophecy where he would live? ("After the Fact" Prophecy)
    21. Why did William Branham mention the Ohio river flood years before he told of his prophecy without saying anything about it? ("After the Fact" Prophecy)
    22. Is Florida going under as well? (Ambiguous prophecy)
    23. Did William Branham prophesy his own death? (This was not a prophecy)
    24. Why did William Branham's original commissioning vision disappear? (This vision was abandoned by William Branham)
    25. Was the birth of Joseph Branham foretold? (Ambiguous prophecy)
    26. Was the death of Florence Shakarian prophesied before she died? (Ambiguous prophecy)
    27. Was William Branham's ministry foretold in a Santa Rosa church? ("After the Fact" Prophecy)

    Evidence that William Branham lied

    Mark Twain once said, "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."

    The Bible plainly tells us in Titus and 1 Timothy what is expected of Christian leaders:

    An elder must be blameless...[10]
    For the overseer must be blameless as one entrusted with God’s work...[11]
    The overseer then must be above reproach...[12]
    And these also must be tested first and then let them serve as deacons if they are found blameless.[13]

    William Branham portrayed himself as a simple, honest, uneducated man who was sent from God as a prophet to fore-run the second coming of Christ. But an important question is whether he was truthful over the pulpit. Each of the questions below examines and important issue regarding his credibility. If you click on the individual items below, they will take you to a detailed explanation of each issue. Examine the evidence for yourself and determine whether William Branham was truthful:

    1. Did William Branham lie about his prophecy regarding Billy Graham?
    2. Did anyone hear the voice on the Ohio River in 1933?
    3. Why did William Branham say that he was under the cloud when they took its picture, when he clearly wasn't?
    4. Did William Branham travel around the world seven times?
    5. Was William Branham's Bible saved miraculously in the 1937 flood?
    6. Why did the story of the man from Windsor change so drastically over time?
    7. Why did William Branham say that he received his revelations from God when he took many of his doctrines from other men?
    8. Why did William Branham change the story of Congressman Upshaw's healing?
    9. When did William Branham embrace Pentecostalism?
    10. Was Donny Morton really healed?
    11. Did William Branham speak in an unknown tongue that a Finnish woman understood?
    12. Was it reasonable for William Branham to blame his poor grammar on his dad?
    13. Did William Branham prayer for King George VI and was he really healed?
    14. Did William Branham raise a boy from the dead in Finland?
    15. Who was Hope Branham's Nurse?
    16. Was Florence Nightingale the granddaughter of the original Florence Nightingale?
    17. Did the Pillar of Fire really appear above William Branham's head in Houston? Why did other pictures from that evening appear in the newspaper, when he said his picture was the only one that turned out?
    18. Was William Branham truthful about asking Hope's parents for her hand in marriage?
    19. If only sissies wear shorts, why did William Branham wear them?
    20. How could William Branham have allowed Leo Mercer to be part of his ministry?
    21. Did William Branham claim to be a prophet?
    22. Was William Branham born under a Nazarite Vow?
    23. Was William Branham's discernment 100% accurate?
    24. Was William Branham's ministry always 100%?
    25. What was in the cornerstone of Branham Tabernacle?
    26. Did William Branham travel around the world seven times?
    27. Why was William Branham dishonest about his son's first marriage?
    28. Why was the vision of the five angels changed to a vision of seven angels?
    29. Why did William Branham say that he was at Sunset Mountain when he was actually at Rattlesnake Mesa?
    30. Why did William Branham make up the story of the Pyramid Box?
    31. Why did William Branham's stories change so radically over time?
    32. Was William Branham really the first fruits of spiritual maturity? The perfect man?
    33. Was the photo from Houston supernatural or just the out of focus picture of a flood light?
    34. Did William Branham see an amber light?
    35. Did William Branham help to launch the ministry of Jim Jones?
    36. Was Marshal Matt Dillon from Gunsmoke a real person?
    37. Is Joseph Branham a prophet?
    38. Was there a Mormon prophecy about William Branham?
    39. Danny Henry message
    40. How did William Branham view himself?
    41. Was William Branham a wealthy man when he died?
    42. If God spoke through William Branham, why did he mess up?
    43. If it was wrong to kill animals for sport, why did William Branham do it?
    44. Why did William Branham deny that he went to movies 3 weeks after admitting that he did?
    45. Why did William Branham criticize those who drove Cadillac's when he owned one?
    46. Why did William Branham criticize women that cut their hair and wore short skirts, when his own family did?
    47. What actually happened to Hattie Wright's boys?
    48. Why did William Branham say he went to William Cowper's grave when he didn't?
    49. Why did William Branham say William Cowper committed suicide when he died of heart failure?
    50. Why did William Branham state the Stephen Foster committed suicide, when this is not true?
    51. Was there really a connection between the Pope visiting israel in 1964 and the lunar eclipse that preceded his visit?

    Evidence that William Branham taught things that were not in scripture

    William Branham stated that the Bible was to be our absolute and that we were to follow it:

    That’s God in His Scripture. We try to stay strictly with the Bible. And that’s the only Foundation that I know of, friends, is that is God’s Word. And as long as it’s based upon God’s Word, then God will be behind it and confirm His Word. See?[14]
    Apostolic Faith means “the Faith of the apostles.” That’s what apostolic faith means, that you stay with the Bible.[15]

    And it’s got to come to one final absolute, and my absolute is the Word, the Bible. And as a pastor here of the church, my absolute is the Word, and I want…I know you, our brothers, you kind of look to me to be your absolute to what…as long as I follow God as Paul said in the Scripture, “You follow me, as I follow Christ.”[16]

    William Branham agreed that we should only follow him, if he followed the Bible.

    Please look at the following issues to determine for yourself whether William Branham departed significantly from the plain meaning of scripture in the subjects that he taught. If you click on the individual items below, they will take you to a detailed explanation of each issue:

    1. Was Time Created as a Result of Sin?
    2. Who got naked first? Adam or Eve?
    3. Why did William Branham teach that some Christians were required to believe Satanic doctrine to be saved?
    4. Elijah and Elisha prayed. So why did William Branham say they didn't?
    5. Why did William Branham disagree with the doctrine of the clarity of scripture, a long held doctrine of the church?
    6. William Branham believed he was the fulfillment of Revelation 10:7. Was he correct?
    7. Did God change Saul's name to Paul?
    8. William Branham taught that eagles typed prophets in the Bible. Where is this found in scripture?
    9. William Branham believed that if a wife cuts her hair, her husband divorce her. Does the Bible teach this?
    10. William Branham believed that a man can remarry after divorce but a woman can't. Why did william Branham preach something that neither Jesus or Paul did?
    11. Were there any times when William Branham's "Thus Saith The Lord" actually failed?
    12. Why did William Branham disagree with the Bible and teach that the people chose Saul as King of Israel?
    13. What are the three holy words of the Bible that William Branham spoke of?
    14. Why did William Branham say that 2 major prophets were never on the scene at the same time when the Bible doesn't teach that?
    15. William Branham said that God left Jesus when He was on the cross. Does the Bible teach this?
    16. Does God really have THREE Bibles as William Branham taught?
    17. If you don't feel saved, are you still a Christian?
    18. How hard do lilies work?
    19. Did John weep for joy or because no one was worthy?
    20. Were women really designed by Satan?
    21. Can you lose your healing?
    22. Was Enoch the seventh from Adam? Is this proof of the Serpent Seed doctrine?
    23. Is the harlot in the Book of Revelation the Roman Catholic Church?
    24. Are Christians considered amateur gods?
    25. Is Jesus Christ the same as Michael the Archangel?
    26. Does the Bible say that we have to "read between the lines"?
    27. Noah started building the ark after he saw Enoch go in a Rapture
    28. Was Enoch a type of the wise virgin, and Noah a type of the foolish virgin?
    29. Was William Branham the fulfillment of Malachi 4:5?
    30. Is the spelling of William Branham's name of spiritual significance?
    31. Illegitimate children cannot be part of the rapture.
    32. Should Christians "cast down reasoning"?
    33. Can the Holy Spirit abandon you?
    34. How nice do you have to be to people that disagree with you doctrinally?
    35. Is salvation something that you earn?
    36. Does long hair mean uncut (i.e. no trimming of split ends) for women?
    37. Does God hear the prayer of a woman that has cut her hair?
    38. Can a man get a divorce for any reason?
    39. Were the midwives in Egypt actually witches?
    40. Is your admission to heaven conditional on William Branham's judgment?
    41. Are There Women Angels?
    42. Did Jesus die screaming for help, crying for mercy because He was separated from God?
    43. William Branham mixed law and grace. Is that a problem?
    44. Was William Branham's understanding of water baptism historically correct?
    45. When Jesus died on the cross, did God leave him? Did he simply die as a man?
    46. Did William Branham simply copy Emmanual Swedenborg's teaching on the Godhead?
    47. Does the Bible really teach that the serpent had sex with Eve?
    48. Can any two walk together unless they be agreed? Did William Branham understand Amos 3:3?
    49. Was William Branham's understanding of Amos 3:7 correct?
    50. 1 John 1:7‎‎
    51. What did William Branham teach happened when someone "fell from grace"?
    52. Were the Israelites that died in the wilderness eternally lost?
    53. Was William Branham guilty of Theological Trespassing?
    54. Did William Branham's teaching on the Token agree with Paul's teaching on the subject?
    55. When is a person sealed by the Holy Spirit?
    56. Is a gentile Elijah prophesied in the Bible?
    57. Does the message teach the correct interpretation of Matthew 24:28?
    58. Is Billy Paul an old man? And if he is, why aren't sharks swimming through Los Angeles?
    59. The evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is believing in William Branham
    60. Did William Branham reveal the Son of Man?
    61. Does the Holy Spirit lead people into the message?
    62. If the seventh seal was silent, how did William Branham know what it meant?
    63. Isaiah 9:6
    64. Zechariah 14:7
    65. Are biracial marriages unscriptural?
    66. What was God's reaction to Sarah laughing?
    67. Does the Bible teach there are two tiers of Christians?
    68. Is the "Bride" a special category of Christian?
    69. If the Son is not eternal, can the Father be eternal?
    70. Is there a difference in the meaning of Eternal vs. Everlasting
    71. If sex was not in God's original plan, how come he made us as sexual beings?
    72. Are people born with spiritual gifts as William Branham taught?
    73. What is the meaning of "begotten"?
    74. Does the Christian church actually teach that there are three gods in the Trinity?
    75. Did William Branham misrepresent the Church's historical view of the Trinity?
    76. Is tithing required in the New Testament?
    77. Is Capernaum under the sea?
    78. Is the message dress code in the Bible?
    79. How many rules do I have to keep in order to get to heaven?
    80. Has "that which is perfect" come?
    81. What is the actual meaning of El Shaddai?
    82. What was The Sign of the Messiah?
    83. Was William Branham's view of the future biblical?
    84. How did William Branham view himself?
    85. Does God only have seven compound names?
    86. Who are the two witnesses of Revelation 11?
    87. Why do we need William Branham's message when scripture is sufficient?
    88. Is the message "stale" manna?
    89. William Branham and Alcohol
    90. Can you tell if someone has the Holy Spirit?
    91. Why did William Branham say that Saul did not commit suicide, when the Bible says he did?
    92. How could open-toed shoes be immoral if virtually everyone in the Bible wore them?



    Footnotes

    1. ↑ The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), Lk 1:1–5.
    2. ↑ The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), Ac 1:1–3.
    3. ↑ Tyndale House Publishers, Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2013), Ac 9:22–23.
    4. ↑ The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Jn 14:11.
    5. ↑ The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), Mt 18:16.
    6. ↑ The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), 2 Co 13:1.
    7. ↑ The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016), 1 Ti 5:19–20.
    8. ↑ 61-0813 - Faith
    9. ↑ Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible (Biblical Studies Press, 2005), Dt 18:20–22.
    10. ↑ Titus 1:6 (NET)
    11. ↑ Titus 1:7 (NET)
    12. ↑ 1 Timothy 3:2 (NET)
    13. ↑ 1 Timothy 3:10 (NET)
    14. ↑ William Branham, 52-1027 - Jesus Christ The Same Yesterday, Today, And Forever, para. 6
    15. ↑ William Branham, 61-1015M - Questions And Answers, pare. 142
    16. ↑ William Branham, 63-1226 - Church Order, pare. 6


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