William Branham and the mother eagle

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William Branham stated that he saw a mother eagle put her wings out and that her babies hopped onto her wing and she flew with them down to the grass in the valley below and then went back up to a mountain top to watch them. Then as a storm approached, she flew back down into the valley and took her eaglets back onto her wings and flew them to a place of safety.

This is a story that is familiar to all message believers. But did it really happen? Or was William Branham making up a story?

What did William Branham see?

William Branham clearly stated that he saw a mother eagle stretch out her wings in the nest and the young eagles climbed onto her wings. She then flew down into a valley with the chicks on her wings.

The eaglets jumped off her wings when she landed on the grass, and they played for a period of time. She later descended back into the valley, stretched out her wings again and the eaglets once more got onto her outstretched wings. She then flew back up to the nest with the eaglets on her wings back to the nest where they jumped off.

We can state without doubt that William Branham never saw this take place. And we would challenge any followers of William Branham to send us scientific evidence that this actually took place in real life.

Based on aerodynamic principles, an eagle would not be able to take off with a "whole wing full of eagles" as William Branham contended. They would disrupt the ability to create lift, particularly if the eagle could not flap her wings (she obviously couldn't with a bunch of baby eagles on her wings).

We have confirmed this information with three different ornithologits (scientists who study birds) who specialize in the study of raptors and other birds of prey.

As a result of the evidence, we are forced to conclude that William Branham was not telling the truth. He did not see what he claimed to have witnessed. The bigger questions is: What else did William Branham lie about?

The apostle Peter warns us of teachers who make up false stories in 1 Peter 2:3:

"...these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories."

Video Transcript

This is the first in a series we are calling - “Bad Research.” These videos are responses to statements made by message ministers who simply take WMB’s word for something… but have never bothered to check for themselves to see if what William Branham said was true.

William Branham told several stories about a mother eagle flying with her babies on her wings. Here is the story as related by Donny Reagan of Johnson City, Tennessee:

…You remember how that mama eagle would let them little eaglets down there and they'd turn around in them green valleys and boy they'd turn over one more one or after another after another. And that mama would look back to there and see a great storm coming up and she would let out a scream and them little eagles would come and climb right up on her wings. And each one of them would grab a feather in its mouth. Oh, they were not able to face the storm. They didn't have to. They was on mama's back. They're each one of them holding onto the wings and here would go mama… and mama would head right up through there and take them babies out of the tribulation period,

I went to 3 ornithologists, scientists who study birds, to determine whether such behaviour had ever been seen. All of the scientists that I contacted specialize in the study of eagles and other birds of preyt. I will refer to the scientists by their initials rather than their full names… I don’t want them inundated by message followers telling them that the prophet couldn’t possibly be wrong.

First, Dr. J.D.:

I have never heard of this happening in any raptor or bird of prey.

Now please appreciate that these are scientists who have studied raptors and birds of prey for their entire lives.

Here is the response from Dr. S.S.:

That is a first, and a very, interesting story. Although I hate to say anything is impossible, I can state with utmost confidence that nothing like this has ever been observed or reported by the scientific or professional birding community. There are a few angles one could take to rebuff this story: First, the point of a raptor nest is to provide a safe environment until the young are able to leave safely on their own, and there are many instances when young have ended up out of the nest accidentally, and the adults have no way to really help them if they are too young to fly on their own. Some young have been fed on the ground for this reason.

Rehab centers deal with grounded nestlings all the time, and if raptors could safely get their young back to the nest they surely would. Second, an eagle's wings could not support the weight of a nestling that is old enough to play, nor would the nestling be able to stay on the wings while the adult was trying to flap or maneuver without damaging the adult's wings with their talons.

Third, the aerodynamics of the wing would be compromised even if #2 wasn't an issue. For example, you can't fly an airplane with a large object on the wing because it would interfere with the airflow above the curved wing which creates lift in both eagles and planes.

These are just a few responses that come to mind. Thanks for reaching out, and I do appreciate hearing the types of stories that sometimes are being told, whatever the motivation may be for the teller.

And finally, from Dr. D.B.:

I have never heard of such a thing and it is wrong for so many reasons.

First, there is no way an eagle’s wing is built to carry anything. Second, the whole reason that eagles build their nests high is to keep predators from killing their young.

Why would they want to jeopardize the lives of their young by bringing them to the ground?

This ‘story’ ranks right up there with those claiming that eagles can carry off babies.

I would not waste your time on it any further.

3 scientists who specialize in the study of eagles confirmed that William Branham could not have seen what he said he saw. This behaviour has never been observed by anyone studying eagles… ever.

I do understand that some might say that this is in the Bible. But that is not true. God refers to how he lifted Israel up on eagles’ wings and brought him to him. Moses also says that as an eagle protects its nest, hovering over its young, God spread out his wings, took hold of Israel and carried him on his back.

But These are analogies. The Bible does not state that real eagles carry anyone. It simply states that eagles protect their nest and hover over their young. No serious Bible student thinks that God literally pick up Israel on the wings of a bird.

We must conclude that William Branham intentionally fabricated his story about the mother eagle… unless of course William Branham was actually in another dimension… with his binoculars.

The apostle Peter warns us in 1 Peter 2:3 of teachers who exploit others with fabricated stories.

If you are a follower of the message, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Why would William Branham lie about something like this over the pulpit?
2. If William Branham lied about this, how can I trust him to tell the truth about anything else?

Quotes of William Branham

Recently I was watching. I love birds. I was watching some eagles here not long ago when I was on a fishing trip, an old mother eagle, setting way on top of a mountain. And she threw her wings out, and the little eagles caught a hold of her wings, and she went down into the valley. It was the first time they’d ever been out of that old nest.

...Then I seen her take her little ones, and they caught a hold of her wings, and she went down the mountain into the valley, throwed out her big wings and the little eagles let loose. They begin to run around, their little feet touched for the first time upon soft ground, upon the grass. They eat green grass. “He leads me beside still water.” Oh, my, how glorious and wonderful.

Then, notice closely, when he was—they did that, then the little eagles… The old mother eagle, when she seen that, what was… She went plumb back up into the top of the mountains again, set down upon the rocks, begin to look down, watching those little eagles.

...After while, I seen her hold her head up, and she looked up, and she made a squall. All at once, she darted from that mountain, down into the valley. And when she went down there, she threw forth those great majestic wings and let out a scream. When she did, every one of those little eagles left off eating, run as quickly as they could to their mother, grabbed their little bill a hold of her wings, like that, with their bill, put their little feet in them wings. I wondered what was the matter. I couldn’t see it yet. But across the mountain come a hurricane that she could smell in the air and knew it was coming. She was watching over her brood. And then, before she could get off the ground, the storm was already sweeping down through the hollow. When she did, she pierced that storm blowing at sixty miles an hour. Those little eagles holding on to that mother’s wings. And right into the cleft of the rocks she went.

Here not long ago I was up in the mountains. I just love hunting. You know that. That’s my second nature, I’m a real Kentuckian; I got a squirrel rifle. See? And I just like to go hunting. I was way up in the mountains and I was watching up there, looking through the binoculars. Right at the time, I wasn’t hunting at the time, I was herding cattle. And I’ve worked cattle since I was a boy, so I go up there in the roundups and things, and I was watching down through a—a sight. I seen an old mother eagle. And she had a big nest up in the rock. It was along in the months, you know, after the little fellows had hatched out. And they were all walking around on this nest, and I spied that nest. The old mother was go take them out of the nest, and they were walking around there, you know, poor little old fellows. And she throwed her wings down like that and she, “Squawk!” made a squawk, and all them little eagles reached over, and took their little mouth, and set hold of them wings, got their little feet and held onto her wings.

She lifted them up, up out of the nest, down through the crevice she went, down into the valley. And they’d never been out of that old pukey nest before (excuse the expression), and got down there. The nest is the stinkiest place you ever seen around an eagle’s nest. And then she let them down. And them poor little fellows got out, and they got on this green grass; how good that felt to them little feet. They were just a prancing around, and getting a mouthful of grass, and chirping. And the old mother flew back up, way back up to the top of the highest peak she could, she ruffled her big feathers, and me setting up there, my horse hitched, watching this take place. I seen this old mother up there watching them little eagles. I stood there; I started crying; I said, “Glory to God.” I thought. “What’s the matter with me?” I looked down, and I thought, “Yes, one time the little church was in an old pukey nest, and she had to do this, that, and the other: join the church and do this and the other thing. But one day the great Master of Life, Who with His lifting power of the Holy Ghost had lifted Her up, brought her out of that thing, set her down, like an old…”

If them little eagles wasn’t having an old holy-roller meeting, I don’t know what. They were just as chirping as they could be, just a jumping around, just like an old fashion Holy Ghost meeting. They were grabbing on a bunch here, run one over to one another, “Chirp, chirp, chirp,” and run around like that, just like a Holy Ghost meeting, just as carefree as you can be. Amen. Yes, sir. I like to watch God like that. And why was they so carefree? I wond… Watch them little fellows, that’s the first time they was ever in this place. What makes them so carefree? But you once watch one, he’d cock his little head up, look setting up yonder there set mammy. Yes, sir.

Brother, she was watching over them. And I thought, “Yes, our great Master, after bring us out of the pukey nest of the world, has climbed the ramparts of glory, sitting at the right-hand of the Majesty, watching down on us.” Hallelujah. You let a coyote start towards one of them little eagles, and watch what a flogging he will ever get. Yes, sir. I thought, “Let the devil come, if he wants to get a flogging. Let’s be free.” Amen. Just have a glorious time. All right. She watched there for a little while. After while, there came a storm, started back in there, I heard of roar of a thunder. That old mother, I was watching her through my glasses, she turned her head and kept looking. And she smelled that storm coming. And the little fellows heard that storm, they never heard anything like that. Just like the church today, we wonder what all this racket’s about. But the first thing they done, they huddled together. Amen.

That’s what we need today: huddle together. I don’t care if you’re this, that, or the other, let’s get together as Christian believers. Don’t separate yourselves; let’s get together. And the first thing you know, that old mother looked, when she knowed she’s about timed right, she let out a scream. And when she did those little eagles turned towards her. She flew down into that valley like that, throwed out her great big wings. Those little fellows jumped upon that same wing. (Hallelujah. I thought, “Yes, sir. That’s right.”), jumped upon the same wing, took their bill, and caught hold of a feather, tucked their little paws, and hooked into the other feather. Up she lifted them, up, up, up, up a piercing that storm, run right into the cleft of the rock down yonder, and hid those little fellows.

One time I was herding some cattle, and I had pair of binoculars, and I got up on top the hill, and I was looking off. It was a beautiful sight, seeing God in His nature, how He was moving. And there was an old eagle had built some nest way up in some big thickets, way up in the rocks is where she usually makes her nest. And I seen her. She was trying to get her little ones out of this nest. She’d throw out her wings like that and coo, coo. And I had a pair of ten power binoculars; I was watching for cattle on the range, so I could pick up where that old eagle was. I watched her. She was cooing to those little ones, and oh, if you ever was around an eagle’s nest, how it smells. And all those little eagles come out and got on her wings. She lifted them up out of there, brought them way down through the crevices, and down into the meadows, and set them out.

Now, them poor little eagles have never been on grass before. The only thing they know was the old nest, stinking, and stickers, and everything: how they make their nests out of poles and stickers and things. When them little eagles dropped off her wings, begin to get out there and pick a little piece of grass here and there, why, they was the happiest little fellows you ever seen. She turned around and went plumb just as high as she could go to the highest spot on a mountain. She set down there and moved her big feathers. I throwed my glasses up to look at her. And there she was. I was setting over in the top of a bush watching her, my horse tied over the hill, watching her. I thought, “Oh, God, hallelujah.”

I looked at her again; I seen her up there, that big head up, looking around like that watching those eagles. I seen those little eagles just look up to see where mammy was, you know, and they was just as carefree as they could be. They’d tumble over one another, and grab… That new grass felt so good on their feet. And I thought, “Oh, brother, if that isn’t a Holy Ghost meeting, I never seen one in my life. That’s right. Been in the old pukey nest, excuse me, good old vomity nest of the world, out here fooling around with things, and God comes down in His mercy, picks you up on His everlasting wings, moves you over and sets you down in a big fashion Holy Ghost meeting, where you’re just carefree. And the Lord Jesus Christ climbed the ramparts of glory, sets at the right hand of His majesty tonight; His eye is on the sparrow, and He—I know He watches me. He’s watching every move (Yes, sir.) to see what takes place. I’m telling you, let a coyote come up if he wants to get the biggest flogging he ever had. She’d dive off of that rock there and give him a thrashing like he never had. That’s right. You let the devil go to fooling around in a Christian meeting one time and watch what a flogging he gets. That’s right. ’Cause our Great Master of Life is climbed up higher and setting in His Majesty looking down. His eyes like on the sparrow and He watches every one of His children. He knows where they’re at and what they’re doing. Don’t fear; just be as free as you can be.

My, first thing you know, I seen this old eagle lift her head and sniff the air a few times. There was a northerner coming, and it comes quick. And before hardly a minute or two, the lightning was flashing, a black cloud was coming. She let out a scream and come off that rock; right down into that field she went, soared like a bullet, throwed them big wings out like that and begin to go screaming, chirping, and going on. Every one of those little eagles come just as fast as they could go, reached over and took a hold of feather with their mouth, caught on like that, caught their little paws in her wings. And she just lifted up that whole wing full of eagles, away she went in that storm meeting her right in the face. She pressed right on in and went into the hole in the rock.

Now, some of them, them eagles stretch fourteen feet, across the wing, wing spread. They could pick up a calf and pack it away.

Now, mother eagle says, “Get ready, children, I’m going to give you you’re solo flight this morning.” So she bats her big wings up, and each one of these little eagles climbs upon them big wings.

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