Branhamites
 

Last night I was listening to Francis Swagart's radio program and they brought up the subject of Branhamites. I was wondering if anyone can tell me some info regarding William Branham, was he at one point in the UPC?

Consapostolic1,

To my knowledge Branham was never in any organized oneness movement.

Bro. Epley is the resident expert on Branhamism. Hopefully he will answer your questions.

BTW... what part of OK are you from?

I was born in Wynnewood, raised in Lawton until 12 and then graduated from Duncan High School. My aunt and uncle have pastored in Marlow, OK for over 50 years (52 I think). My dad was from Pauls Valley and my mom is from Elmore City.

I'm from Oklahoma City

Great place. I have many friends in Bro. Parker's church there. Bro. J Pound, pastor up in Northwest OKC, is a childhood friend.

Do you attend a UPC or an independent church there?

Bro. McDonald's church

I have done a fairly indepth study on WB. Where I live in AZ there are a few of them. Mostly centered out of Indiana. WB accually owened a home in Tucson and died in a car wreck.

He was an amazing idividual. He was oneness man. Infact he used to preach the trinity as a devil word. He did many healings and was really, really interesting. He did kinda shoot off course slightly. I have read and heard different stories about things he did. Things such as calling squirls into existance and different prophecies etc. But his followers look very similar to anyone in the UPC, but a strange thing they do is listen to tapes of his preaching during the services. They do not have alot of preaching by pastors, etc. I have a sermon of his that was put into a transcript. As you are reading along with what he is say all of a sudden you see ( ) and inside is written, (tape sound stops for about 2 mins, reason unknown, then it start up again with the words...)

Kinda strange, but he had an affective ministry. He was once as popular as Oral Roberts.

uhm, he went a little more than "shoot off course slightly"

WB, preached that he was Elijah. He preached a doctrine that the Serpent had sex with Eve which was the forbidden fruit in the garden.

He preached that he would rise from the dead.

you may call that a slight shooting off course, I dont agree with you.

I will not argue about his begnnings but his ending made him a false prophet that taught damnable false doctrines. He believed in individual predestination that he wove into the doctrine of the Serpent Seed where Eve committed adultery with the serpent(the missing link) and from that union was born Cain whose linage cannot be saved. He taught the evidence to recieving the HGB was to recognize the messenger and message of your day thus follow him. He was Elijah and the 7th angel of Rev. 10:7 also was a manifestation of God. Since he was a manifestation of God he was infallible. That is why the transcribed books have the coughs-studders and whatever you cannot edit God. He predicted by divine inspiration that America would be destroyed and the Millinium would be started by 1977. Many of his prophesies both personally and publicly did not come to pass(which does not bother some on here they believe in hit and miss prophecies). Tongues not essential. No he never belonged to any Oneness org. although he did belong to the Full Gospel Businessmen's Association.

He was something different. I understand he had great miracles and signs following his ministry...... and a strange "fog" of "mist" that would hover just above him.....

Someone gave me a few of his books... not sure whatever happened to them... anyway... I agree he departed with most christians on several doctrines.... I dont care for him... but he has a cult following of sorts... people who congregate and listed to his recorded messages ....

He was however a oneness pentecostal - correct?

Actually I think the term "Hybred" would more accurately discribe Branham.

No he did not believe tongues was the evidence of the HGB however he did baptize in Jesus Name and believed the Oneness of God neither was essential to be saved. But maybe I should qualify this when he was home he preached them as though it was Heaven or Hell but in his meetings it was different. He was like a Georgia lizard he changed colors on where he landed.

well I guess i should have qualified the comment - he believed in the oneness of God, and was against trinitarianism..... correct?

In many respects - alot of oneness folks did and still do embrace him

They aree either confused or ignorant if they embrace him.

Branham or Allen?

That is incorrect. He had never drank any alcohol in life with the exception of communion. And every bone was not broken. I do not remember if he had any broken bones or not? It was the head injury that killed him.

Was he in a car accident or something, how did his head get injured?

Thank you to all those that have responded to this thread

He was in a headon collision just outside Amarillo, Tx. Dec.16, 1965 he died at Amarillo on the 24th.

He was a Oneness, baptism in Jesus name preacher. From what I have read in Pentecostal history the gifts worked in his ministry far more powerful than any other Pentecostal preacher since the Apostles died.

He believed in the Biblical doctrine of the annihilation of the wicked in Hell. Also the truth of predestination altho he mingled it with the fictitious "serpent seed" doctrine.

Some witnesses say some of his prophecies failed. If so he was not a prophet. One testimony was he had prayed for a United States Senator and the man was healed.

I have never heard any accusation that he commited sin or had moral scandals in his life.

He did teach the false doctrines of the annihilation of the wicked & personal predestination. Never heard about any scandals. By the way I do know his children. His youngest son married a girl Iwas raised with.

Branham started out pretty good, but got into bizarre doctrines like serpent-seed later in life. He could have done so much for the Oneness movement, but that serpent seed stuff messed it up big time. He was genuinely used AWESOMELY in the gifts, especially word of knowledge.

I will not argue about his beginnings but his ending was his legacy.

Elder,

I don't believe in hit or miss prophecies, any prophecy uttered that does not come from God or is not fulfilled isn't a genuine word from God.

But I do believe that people trying to be led of the spirit will on occasion mis-interpret, miss altogether God in their sincere attempt to minister what they believe is something given by the Holy Spirit.

By the way I still do believe that Branham started out right, and genuine healings and manifestations of the Holy Spirit, but deviated into false doctrine.

Yes, it really is too bad. :(

WB's story is a cautionary tale.

Anyone who read his life story accounting time before his serpent seed days would weep and praise God in utterly thrilling glory, it was so awesome.

Yes it is.

According to a distant relative of mine that was kin to B my statement is not incorrect.

His doctrine is all over Brazil...many homes and lives have been destroyed by it...

Branham's beleifs were spread so far and wide due to the miracles accompanying his ministry. Imagine what could happen if we with the truth had miracles like that! The book of Acts said the people CROWDED the teachings of the apostles due to the miraculous.

Miracles do not prove a ministry is correct, but they did accompany the apostles' ministries in the early church. We simply flat-out need more of the power of God working today as well!

I am believing God for it.

I came across some Branhamites once and asked my former pastor about them.
D L Welch used to preach with WB until he became so engrossed with himself that Bro Welch decided to step away.
WB believed that he was a modern day Elijah. It went so far that when he died (I've been told) that they did not bury him for several days because they believed that he would rise again.
I am not sure where he is buried, but I understand there is something of a monument to him.

I saw the same thing in Guyana

He died on Dec. 24 and they buried him at Easter. The monument is on 8th St,.in Jeffersonville, in.

Well, I didn't realize that they held his body for that long. That is totally gross!
You would have thought that they would realize that he was just a man after all. Yet, his messages are still listened to today.
I know that he had a miraculous ministry , especially at first.
If I am not mistaken, the decption started when they photographed the "heavenly light" as it was called over his head. I understand that it was soon after that he believed that he was "somebody".

The law had to step in since the Branhamites were holding his body in faith Branham was going to resurrect from the dead. I think they believed he was one of the two witnesses in Rev 11. I know they thought he was the seventh angel of the book of Revelation, which he claimed was the seventh messenger of the seven church ages.

So sad that happens to so many people once they become "popular"...fame has a way of destroying good people.