Jim Jones
The infamous Jim Jones was responsible for the deaths of 909 of his followers by cyanide poisoning in Jonestown, Guyana on November 18, 1978. 303 of the casualties were children. In addition, Jones' followers also killed Congressman Leo Ryan and four others immediately prior to the mass slaughter of his followers. These deaths constituted the greatest single loss of American civilian life in a deliberate act until the September 11, 2001 attack.
Jim Jones preached a series of meetings with William Branham in 1956, and seems to have picked up on William Branham's phraseology relating to "The Message" (refer to the transcript of the handwritten note below). His mass murder-suicide in 1978 could have also been the result of paranoia when his group of followers were not raptured in 1977.
William Branham's assistance to Jim Jones
William Branham preached a three day campaign in June, 1956 at the Cadle Tabernacle in Indianapolis, Indiana with Jim Jones. This three day campaign was attended by over 11, 000 people and sky-rocketed Jim Jones to fame by following on the coattails of William Branham.[1]
The sermons that William Branham preached at the Cadle Tabernacle were not included in the 1996 or 2010 releases of "The Table", published by Voice of God Recordings.
It seems that Voice of God Recordings took notice to complaints by this website and others. As a result, portions of the missing sermons appear to have been added to the 2013 online version of The Table, however, Voice of God Recordings seems to have avoided listing them on their Tape Index and Message Audio page. We have not yet analyzed these audio clips to determine where the [blank spot in tape -ed] have been placed.
Historical Documents
The Open Door
Excerpt from a publication entitled "The Open Door"
Transcript of handwritten note of Jim Jones
This is a transcript of an undated note to Earl Jackson, a Temple parishioner, which Jones wrote on letterhead from a Temple enterprise in Indianapolis. If the stationary is contemporary to the letter, the note is from an eight-year span of Peoples Temple’s existence in Indianapolis from 1957 to 1965; several references to a Christian God make it more likely the note predated Jones’ departure for Brazil in 1961.
Note to Earl Jackson
Personal
Bro[ther] Jackson,
My beloved brother in Christ, concern for you kept me up praying the entire night! I [am] going to speak sincerely and frankly! God sent you to People’s Temple and you must not release yourself. I know there are things about the Message that you may not see but it is God. As long as we love Christ we have unity and understanding to compensate for all the little things you & I might disagree on. Earl you will be making a serious mistake if you leave our Temple that God has ordained and declared you to be a part of. Don’t go out to see the proof of what I just said. Hear me as a voice crying to you from the depths of love & fondness for you. “Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” Don’t go back on the light! I know you wouldn’t intentionally but if you leave the place that Christ has set you in[,] much sorrow and heartache will be the result. God impressed my mind strongly in every prayer in the early hours before dawn that you would be making a terrible mistake to leave. Please hear my counsel which I give with a heart full of love for you!
Yours in Him,
Pastor James Jones
[at the top of page 1] P.S. I called last night but you were asleep. I’ll be in contact by person or phone with you soon! My prayers & love go out for you![3]
Footnotes
- ↑ Reiterman, Tom; Jacobs, John (1982), Raven: The Untold Story of Rev. Jim Jones and His People, Dutton, ISBN 0-525-24136-1
- ↑ Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple. Jonestown Project: San Diego State University
- ↑ Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple. Jonestown Project: San Diego State University