Branhamism
Encyclopedia
Branhamism refers to the distinctive doctrines of William M. Branham
(1909–65), an American faith healer
and preacher of the mid-twentieth century. The term is generally disliked by adherents, who typically refer to themselves as "Message Believers" or simply "Christians", and to Branham's teachings as The Message of the Hour. Groups of believers can be found around the world without any overall formal affiliation or governance.
A central teaching of these believers is the idea that Branham was the final major prophet to the Christian church as a fulfillment of Malachi 4:5-6, and had a divinely appointed ministry of restoring the true apostolic faith to the church which had been lost by denominationalism
. Major controversial doctrine
s include the Godhead, the Baptismal formula, the serpent seed
doctrine, attitude towards women and divorce, and eschatology
.
In addition to the recorded sermons, Branham also preached a series of sermons on the Seven Church Ages
sometimes referred to as "The Revelation of Jesus Christ series". These sermons were later edited by Lee Vayle into a book called An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages (commonly referred to as the "Church Age Book"). Some followers believe that Branham's most important work is the "Revelation of the Seven Seals" delivered in a series of sermons preached in March 1963.
, South America
, Latin America
, Africa
, Europe
, Australia
and many parts of Asia
.
An 1986 unofficial estimate, based upon literature distribution, estimated 300,000 members worldwide. Some adherents claim that the figure is much larger and could range as high as "upwards of 1.5 million". Others disagree that it is much smaller, claiming the majority of followers only claim to be Branham's followers but in reality those 'followers' only believe a distorted version his teachings. Bob Larson
's Book of World Religions and Alternative Spirituality calls one source's estimate of half a million "grossly overinflated", but states that there is no way to accurately count the full number of adherents.
Voice of God Recordings, the major distributor of materials related to William Branham's ministry, currently produces print, audio, and video materials in more than 60 languages, maintains offices in over forty countries, and sends direct shipments to more than 170 countries. Cloverdale Bibleway, based in British Columbia, also conducts an extensive international outreach with Message materials.
s. The Message followers believe that there is One God who is the Father, and that God Himself is a Spirit. They believe that the Holy Spirit
and God the Father
are the same being but in different manifestations. They also believe that the Holy Spirit is a portion of God that dwells in Christians when they receive salvation
.
Their doctrine also states that Jesus is the Son of God just as Adam was a Son of God (a perfect human being), and that God's Spirit, entered Jesus at His baptism and then left Jesus in Gethsemane, prior to the crucifixion, so that He could suffer and die as a mortal. It was because God the Father was in Christ that He could speak as though He was God, because God was literally dwelling within Him and using Him to speak. This is similar to Modalism. This doctrine is also tied to the serpent seed
doctrine to show that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice because He was a perfect human and had no link to the serpent. Message followers believe that the revelation (i.e. understanding) of the Godhead was formally abandoned with the Nicene Creed
.
This doctrine was often summed up by Branham saying: "Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus of the New". In the Church Age Book, he calls this the "Supreme Deity of Jesus Christ".
resulted from Eve having sexual intercourse with an upright 'Serpent' which was not a snake but the human-like animal between apes and man. They believe the serpent's current form is a result of God's curse in Genesis 3:14. From this relationship, it is said, Cain was conceived and born. Abel, fathered by Adam, was born at the same time.
The Message followers do not accept any of the potential racist implications of the doctrine, and the racial tendencies of the world in general. They believe that all humankind is created equal and is equally able to become Christian.
Branham identified "the tree of knowledge of good and evil" as being Satan, and the "tree of life" being God himself. Not all of the message followers interpret these teachings in the same way, particularly the followers of Junior Jackson who believe the two trees were spiritual laws.
The Message followers believe that one basis for the assertion that Eve had sexual intercourse with the serpent was Eve’s claim that the serpent had ‘beguiled’ her (Genesis 3:13; 2 Cor 11:2-3). Branham taught that ‘beguiled’ actually meant sexually ‘seduced’ or ‘defiled’ rather than ‘deceived’ (which most contemporary translations give). The original Hebrew word is ‘nasha’ ("naw-shaw") which literally means to lead astray or to mentally delude, with a secondary meaning to morally deceive. Genesis 3:13 is the only place where it is translated ‘beguiled’. Elsewhere in the Old Testament the word is usually translated ‘deceive’.
In response to the argument that Eve said she had "gotten a man from the Lord" (Genesis 4:1), Message believers claim that all life comes from God. They see the Biblical account as allegorical, with "eating" being equated with sexual relations, as in Proverbs 30:20.
. Followers believe that God, being omnipresent in the past, present, and future, knows what choice a person will make before the person is presented the choices. They believe that in the beginning of time, God knew every event that would occur and the outcome of each event. That would include God knowing before people were born whether or not they would voluntarily serve God. This is taken to show that God has given man free-will but knows what the individual will choose. This doctrine is used to explain how in many different scenarios that people are in control of their own destiny, but God already knows what that destiny is before it occurs.
. The Scriptural support for this doctrine is said to be 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 where it is stated that "the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout". This "shout' is believed to be the Message preached by William Branham.
This is applied with varying degree throughout the followers of The Message. One fringe uses this same doctrine to conclude that Branham was equal to Christ, or an incarnation of God himself. However, most believe that Branham, like other prophets such as Moses and Paul, was given a lesser degree of the Holy Spirit than Christ. In the same way, all born again Christians are given the Holy Spirit, but Branham was just given a greater portion to fulfil his prophetic ministry.
The First Seal: The doctrine teaches that the first seal concerning the white horse is referring to the spirit of antichrist that entered into the churches after the death of the original apostles. It is also taught that the means of counteracting this spirit is the Lion beast, representing the pure Word of God with which the elect would overcome.
The Second Seal: The doctrine teaches that the second seal concerning the red horse is referring to the spirit of persecution that affected the church during the second church age. The Calf Beast is the means of counteracting this horse. A calf, as the beast of burden and sacrifice, indicates that God's Spirit would give them strength to endure.
The Third Seal: The doctrine teaches that the third seal concerning the Black Horse is referring to the spirit of corruption in the organised church that permeated the "Dark Ages". The means for counteracting this spirit was the beast with the face of a man, indicating that through the ministry of anointed men, such as Martin Luther and John Wesley, God would guide the true Church out of darkness into the truth.
The Fourth Seal: The doctrine teaches that the Grey Horse is referring to the spirit of the red, black and white horses mixed together to present a deceiving mixture of truth and error. The means for counteracting this spirit is the Beast that is as a Flying Eagle, representing a return to the pure Word of God through the ministry of a prophet.
The Fifth Seal: The doctrine teaches that the fifth seal provides the means of salvation for Jews who did not accept Christ. By living faithfully to the light they have received and by losing their lives because of the persecutions made against them, they may still be saved.
The Sixth Seal: The doctrine teaches that the sixth seal is a description of the wrath of God, which will occur during the last half of the 70th Week of Daniel, often referred to as the Great Tribulation.
The Seventh Seal: Most followers of The Message do not believe that the full understanding, or revelation, of the seventh seal has been given yet. It contains the details concerning the return of Jesus Christ for the Bride (the true Church) in the Rapture. Most also believe the seventh seal, chronologically, will occur before the sixth seal, but it is placed as the seventh because it was to be the last to be revealed.
The basic flow is that at the end of the first age Christians started losing some of their zeal. In the second age their lack of zeal led to false doctrines being introduced and left unchecked. In the third age, when the church became recognized by the Roman Empire, they became slowly incorporated into the empire and the church began to be more interested in politics than the souls of men. Then in the fourth age complete apostasy slowly set in and much of the original revelations were lost and the church became completely corrupt. In the fifth age the reformation began and some of the lost revelations were rediscovered (viz, justification by faith alone). By the sixth age, many true Christians were separating from the old church in an attempt to return to the original church values and doctrines ( viz, sanctification). Finally, in the seventh age, which is present day, all of the denominational churches become apostate by refusing the full Word of God, and out of them will come the final church ( the Bride) restored to the original Christian doctrines and faith.
Church order primarily limited the use of the gift of tongues, interpretation, and prophecy. People who were inspired to, or wished to use those gifts had to go into a side room where the gift would be used and recorded. If it was deemed noteworthy it would then be given to the congregation as a whole. It also limited other expressions of the Holy Spirit, like those in Pentecostalism
, in the open congregation.
Even though Branham was strongly opposed to 'denominationalism', he nevertheless encouraged all believers to attend the church of their choice on a regular basis, and said there were Christians in every denomination. It is accepting the creed, or Statement of Faith, of any particular denomination (rather than the full Word of God) that is wrong according to Message Believers, not which church one attends.
The belief that denominationalism is the "mark of the beast" has prevented The Message from taking on a formal organization of its own lest the followers be judged by God. It is because of this lack of high level organization that lines between the different groups are not clear to observers from outside The Message. Churches are all operated individually being owned by either the congregation, the Pastor, or a board of trustees or deacons. Some of the different groups will have annual regional, national, and inter-national conventions where ministers and followers of the same or similar interpretation of The Message will gather for preaching and discussions. Other than these meetings, there is no over-arching governance of The Message as a whole.
William M. Branham
William Marrion Branham was a Christian minister, usually credited with founding the post World War II faith healing movement...
(1909–65), an American faith healer
Faith Healer
Faith Healer is a play by Brian Friel about the life of faith healer Francis Hardy as monologued through the shifting memories of Hardy, his wife, Grace, and stage manager, Teddy.-Synopsis:...
and preacher of the mid-twentieth century. The term is generally disliked by adherents, who typically refer to themselves as "Message Believers" or simply "Christians", and to Branham's teachings as The Message of the Hour. Groups of believers can be found around the world without any overall formal affiliation or governance.
A central teaching of these believers is the idea that Branham was the final major prophet to the Christian church as a fulfillment of Malachi 4:5-6, and had a divinely appointed ministry of restoring the true apostolic faith to the church which had been lost by denominationalism
Denominationalism
Denominationalism is the division of one religion into separate groups, sects, schools of thought or denominations. Denominationalism as an ideology which views some or all Christian groups as being, in some sense, versions of the same thing regardless of their distinguishing labels, is not...
. Major controversial doctrine
Doctrine
Doctrine is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the body of teachings in a branch of knowledge or belief system...
s include the Godhead, the Baptismal formula, the serpent seed
Serpent seed
The doctrine of Serpent seed, dual seed or two-seedline is a controversial doctrine according to which the serpent in the Garden of Eden mated with Eve, and the offspring of their union was Cain. This belief is still held by some adherents of the Christian Identity theology, who claim that the...
doctrine, attitude towards women and divorce, and eschatology
Eschatology
Eschatology is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come...
.
Sermons and books
The primary source for the distinctive doctrines are the more than one thousand recorded sermons of William Branham. Some of these sermons have been put into book form and translated into other languages. Some groups of Branham's followers regard these sermons as being equal in authority to the Bible, while others regard them as being of lesser authority, with only those sections for which Branham explicitly spoke "Thus Saith the Lord" as being divinely inspired.In addition to the recorded sermons, Branham also preached a series of sermons on the Seven Church Ages
Seven churches of Asia
The Seven Churches of Revelation, also known as The Seven Churches of the Apocalypse and The Seven Churches of Asia , are seven major churches of Early Christianity, as mentioned in the New Testament Book of Revelation and written to by Ignatius of Antioch...
sometimes referred to as "The Revelation of Jesus Christ series". These sermons were later edited by Lee Vayle into a book called An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages (commonly referred to as the "Church Age Book"). Some followers believe that Branham's most important work is the "Revelation of the Seven Seals" delivered in a series of sermons preached in March 1963.
Size and distribution
Branham's preaching against denominationalism has deterred the formation of widespread formal associations of groups of Branham’s followers. This makes it difficult to establish how many followers exist today. Some groups of Branham's followers claim to be widely distributed around the world, including North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and many parts of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
An 1986 unofficial estimate, based upon literature distribution, estimated 300,000 members worldwide. Some adherents claim that the figure is much larger and could range as high as "upwards of 1.5 million". Others disagree that it is much smaller, claiming the majority of followers only claim to be Branham's followers but in reality those 'followers' only believe a distorted version his teachings. Bob Larson
Bob Larson
Bob Larson is an American radio and television evangelist, currently based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Larson has authored numerous books on the subjects of rock music and Satanism, written from a Christian perspective.-Life and career:...
's Book of World Religions and Alternative Spirituality calls one source's estimate of half a million "grossly overinflated", but states that there is no way to accurately count the full number of adherents.
Voice of God Recordings, the major distributor of materials related to William Branham's ministry, currently produces print, audio, and video materials in more than 60 languages, maintains offices in over forty countries, and sends direct shipments to more than 170 countries. Cloverdale Bibleway, based in British Columbia, also conducts an extensive international outreach with Message materials.
Major Doctrines and Teachings of The Message
Because William Branham stressed the complete autonomy of each local assembly, there is some disparity among Message fellowships around the world, as well as a core similarity. Any attempt to describe a doctrine will reflect a particular viewpoint, and for that reason cannot be thought of as definitive. A central belief that is held in common with many Protestant churches is that salvation is by faith alone in the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ.The Prophet-Messenger
A major doctrine that unites all Message Believers is the central role of William Branham who is believed to be a Word prophet and the messenger ("angel") of the Laodicean church age. As a Word prophet they believe he was given revelation (understanding) of the meaning of the Scriptures. As the messenger, they believe he was sent to lead the Bride (the true Church) and to prepare them for the pre-tribulation rapture. It is said that William Branham fulfilled the Elijah prophecies of Malachi 4:5-6 ("turn the heart of the children to their fathers") and Matthew 17:11("restore all things"). They see his ministry as the messenger to Laodicea (the last church age) identified in Rev 3:14 and Rev 10:7. Branham taught that his gift of discernment was typed in Luke 17:28-30 which speaks of the "days of Lot". In those days, God appeared to Abraham in a human form and revealed the secrets of the heart. (Genesis 18).Vindication
All of Branham’s followers are convinced that his ability to tell people personal details about themselves, especially those coming for prayer for healing, was one of the most important forms of vindication of his ministry as a prophet and evidence that he was speaking the truth. Branham claimed that this knowledge (which he called discernment) was given to him through visions.The Godhead and Incarnation
One of the most distinctive features of The Message's teaching is the rejection of both the Trinitarian view of the Godhead and also a rejection of the "Oneness" views held by those of the Oneness PentecostalOneness Pentecostal
Oneness Pentecostalism refers to a grouping of denominations and believers within Pentecostal Christianity, all of whom subscribe to the nontrinitarian theological doctrine of Oneness...
s. The Message followers believe that there is One God who is the Father, and that God Himself is a Spirit. They believe that the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
and God the Father
God the Father
God the Father is a gendered title given to God in many monotheistic religions, particularly patriarchal, Abrahamic ones. In Judaism, God is called Father because he is the creator, life-giver, law-giver, and protector...
are the same being but in different manifestations. They also believe that the Holy Spirit is a portion of God that dwells in Christians when they receive salvation
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
.
Their doctrine also states that Jesus is the Son of God just as Adam was a Son of God (a perfect human being), and that God's Spirit, entered Jesus at His baptism and then left Jesus in Gethsemane, prior to the crucifixion, so that He could suffer and die as a mortal. It was because God the Father was in Christ that He could speak as though He was God, because God was literally dwelling within Him and using Him to speak. This is similar to Modalism. This doctrine is also tied to the serpent seed
Serpent seed
The doctrine of Serpent seed, dual seed or two-seedline is a controversial doctrine according to which the serpent in the Garden of Eden mated with Eve, and the offspring of their union was Cain. This belief is still held by some adherents of the Christian Identity theology, who claim that the...
doctrine to show that Jesus was the perfect sacrifice because He was a perfect human and had no link to the serpent. Message followers believe that the revelation (i.e. understanding) of the Godhead was formally abandoned with the Nicene Creed
Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed is the creed or profession of faith that is most widely used in Christian liturgy. It is called Nicene because, in its original form, it was adopted in the city of Nicaea by the first ecumenical council, which met there in the year 325.The Nicene Creed has been normative to the...
.
This doctrine was often summed up by Branham saying: "Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus of the New". In the Church Age Book, he calls this the "Supreme Deity of Jesus Christ".
Serpent's Seed Doctrine
The Message followers believe that the original sinOriginal sin
Original sin is, according to a Christian theological doctrine, humanity's state of sin resulting from the Fall of Man. This condition has been characterized in many ways, ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt, referred...
resulted from Eve having sexual intercourse with an upright 'Serpent' which was not a snake but the human-like animal between apes and man. They believe the serpent's current form is a result of God's curse in Genesis 3:14. From this relationship, it is said, Cain was conceived and born. Abel, fathered by Adam, was born at the same time.
The Message followers do not accept any of the potential racist implications of the doctrine, and the racial tendencies of the world in general. They believe that all humankind is created equal and is equally able to become Christian.
Branham identified "the tree of knowledge of good and evil" as being Satan, and the "tree of life" being God himself. Not all of the message followers interpret these teachings in the same way, particularly the followers of Junior Jackson who believe the two trees were spiritual laws.
The Message followers believe that one basis for the assertion that Eve had sexual intercourse with the serpent was Eve’s claim that the serpent had ‘beguiled’ her (Genesis 3:13; 2 Cor 11:2-3). Branham taught that ‘beguiled’ actually meant sexually ‘seduced’ or ‘defiled’ rather than ‘deceived’ (which most contemporary translations give). The original Hebrew word is ‘nasha’ ("naw-shaw") which literally means to lead astray or to mentally delude, with a secondary meaning to morally deceive. Genesis 3:13 is the only place where it is translated ‘beguiled’. Elsewhere in the Old Testament the word is usually translated ‘deceive’.
In response to the argument that Eve said she had "gotten a man from the Lord" (Genesis 4:1), Message believers claim that all life comes from God. They see the Biblical account as allegorical, with "eating" being equated with sexual relations, as in Proverbs 30:20.
Predestination
The Message of the Hour includes a variation of the doctrine of predestinationPredestination
Predestination, in theology is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God. John Calvin interpreted biblical predestination to mean that God willed eternal damnation for some people and salvation for others...
. Followers believe that God, being omnipresent in the past, present, and future, knows what choice a person will make before the person is presented the choices. They believe that in the beginning of time, God knew every event that would occur and the outcome of each event. That would include God knowing before people were born whether or not they would voluntarily serve God. This is taken to show that God has given man free-will but knows what the individual will choose. This doctrine is used to explain how in many different scenarios that people are in control of their own destiny, but God already knows what that destiny is before it occurs.
Doctrine of Presence
Many in The Message adhere to a teaching that The Message of the Hour was God declaring He had come down in Spirit form before the second coming (the "Rapture") and that the literal presence of God's Spirit was necessary to prepare the true Christian Church (the Bride) for their "rapturing" away from the earth before the tribulationTribulation
The Great Tribulation refers to tumultuous events that are described during the "signs of the times", first mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet discourse...
. The Scriptural support for this doctrine is said to be 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 where it is stated that "the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout". This "shout' is believed to be the Message preached by William Branham.
This is applied with varying degree throughout the followers of The Message. One fringe uses this same doctrine to conclude that Branham was equal to Christ, or an incarnation of God himself. However, most believe that Branham, like other prophets such as Moses and Paul, was given a lesser degree of the Holy Spirit than Christ. In the same way, all born again Christians are given the Holy Spirit, but Branham was just given a greater portion to fulfil his prophetic ministry.
The Seven Seals
The Message of the Hour includes a set of doctrines that encompass a unique interpretation of the seven seals in Revelation chapters 6 and 8. The mainstream of the followers believe that the meaning of the first six seals was revealed to Branham in 1963, but that the details of the seventh have not yet been revealed. The first four seals are concerning the four horses and is taught that each one represents the means by which Satan will try to delude or destroy the true Church. They are counteracted by the four beasts, which represent the Spirit of God combatting the influence of these "horses". The other three seals have quite different meanings.The First Seal: The doctrine teaches that the first seal concerning the white horse is referring to the spirit of antichrist that entered into the churches after the death of the original apostles. It is also taught that the means of counteracting this spirit is the Lion beast, representing the pure Word of God with which the elect would overcome.
The Second Seal: The doctrine teaches that the second seal concerning the red horse is referring to the spirit of persecution that affected the church during the second church age. The Calf Beast is the means of counteracting this horse. A calf, as the beast of burden and sacrifice, indicates that God's Spirit would give them strength to endure.
The Third Seal: The doctrine teaches that the third seal concerning the Black Horse is referring to the spirit of corruption in the organised church that permeated the "Dark Ages". The means for counteracting this spirit was the beast with the face of a man, indicating that through the ministry of anointed men, such as Martin Luther and John Wesley, God would guide the true Church out of darkness into the truth.
The Fourth Seal: The doctrine teaches that the Grey Horse is referring to the spirit of the red, black and white horses mixed together to present a deceiving mixture of truth and error. The means for counteracting this spirit is the Beast that is as a Flying Eagle, representing a return to the pure Word of God through the ministry of a prophet.
The Fifth Seal: The doctrine teaches that the fifth seal provides the means of salvation for Jews who did not accept Christ. By living faithfully to the light they have received and by losing their lives because of the persecutions made against them, they may still be saved.
The Sixth Seal: The doctrine teaches that the sixth seal is a description of the wrath of God, which will occur during the last half of the 70th Week of Daniel, often referred to as the Great Tribulation.
The Seventh Seal: Most followers of The Message do not believe that the full understanding, or revelation, of the seventh seal has been given yet. It contains the details concerning the return of Jesus Christ for the Bride (the true Church) in the Rapture. Most also believe the seventh seal, chronologically, will occur before the sixth seal, but it is placed as the seventh because it was to be the last to be revealed.
The Seven Church Ages
The doctrine of the Seven Church Ages is a teaching that the seven messages to the seven churches in Asia stated in Revelation 2 & 3 are describing ages of time which the church will pass through and what would occur in those ages. The "angels" sent to each 'Church Age' are understood to be human messengers, beginning with Paul and ending with William Branham. Their messages were intended to be used as a means to escape the troubles of the those times. This is closely linked to the first four seals in the doctrine of the six seals.The basic flow is that at the end of the first age Christians started losing some of their zeal. In the second age their lack of zeal led to false doctrines being introduced and left unchecked. In the third age, when the church became recognized by the Roman Empire, they became slowly incorporated into the empire and the church began to be more interested in politics than the souls of men. Then in the fourth age complete apostasy slowly set in and much of the original revelations were lost and the church became completely corrupt. In the fifth age the reformation began and some of the lost revelations were rediscovered (viz, justification by faith alone). By the sixth age, many true Christians were separating from the old church in an attempt to return to the original church values and doctrines ( viz, sanctification). Finally, in the seventh age, which is present day, all of the denominational churches become apostate by refusing the full Word of God, and out of them will come the final church ( the Bride) restored to the original Christian doctrines and faith.
Church Order
Church order is not doctrine, but a method in which church services are conducted. It was originally developed by Branham to limit the use of the Gifts of the Spirit during a service and was then spread to many of the churches that became associated with him and his teachings. It is not followed strictly by all followers of The Message and completely ignored by others.Church order primarily limited the use of the gift of tongues, interpretation, and prophecy. People who were inspired to, or wished to use those gifts had to go into a side room where the gift would be used and recorded. If it was deemed noteworthy it would then be given to the congregation as a whole. It also limited other expressions of the Holy Spirit, like those in Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism
Pentecostalism is a diverse and complex movement within Christianity that places special emphasis on a direct personal experience of God through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, has an eschatological focus, and is an experiential religion. The term Pentecostal is derived from Pentecost, the Greek...
, in the open congregation.
Water Baptism
Followers of The Message believe in water baptism according to Acts 2:38. They fully submerge the individual in water and baptize in the name of The Lord Jesus Christ. The doctrine rejects baptizing in the "titles" of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost because Christ says to baptize in the name (singular) of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Message believers claim that this name is Jesus Christ, and that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not names, but titles of the one God. They also point to the fact that no one in the Bible was baptized using these titles. On the basis of Branham's understanding of Acts 19, new adherents to the Message are encouraged to be rebaptized.Anti-Denominationalism
One of the central themes of The Message is from Revelation 18:4 "... Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins". This is taken to mean that Christians should come out of the denominations which will be judged and punished by God. The "Great Whore" is interpreted to be the Modern Catholic Church and the "Harlot Daughters" are interpreted to be the various other "apostate" denominations. This belief is similar to that of the Churches of Christ, although derived from different sources.Even though Branham was strongly opposed to 'denominationalism', he nevertheless encouraged all believers to attend the church of their choice on a regular basis, and said there were Christians in every denomination. It is accepting the creed, or Statement of Faith, of any particular denomination (rather than the full Word of God) that is wrong according to Message Believers, not which church one attends.
The belief that denominationalism is the "mark of the beast" has prevented The Message from taking on a formal organization of its own lest the followers be judged by God. It is because of this lack of high level organization that lines between the different groups are not clear to observers from outside The Message. Churches are all operated individually being owned by either the congregation, the Pastor, or a board of trustees or deacons. Some of the different groups will have annual regional, national, and inter-national conventions where ministers and followers of the same or similar interpretation of The Message will gather for preaching and discussions. Other than these meetings, there is no over-arching governance of The Message as a whole.
The Role of Women
Message believers hold to a literal interpretation of the Bible’s references to the role of women. Women are not allowed to preach or teach (1 Timothy 2:12) although they may testify, teach Sunday School, pray aloud, and operate the vocal gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:10). Wives are taught to be in subjection to their husbands (1 Peter 3:1) and that they should have long hair (1 Corinthians 11:15). Divorce and remarriage is permitted for men "for the cause of fornication" (Matthew 5:31-32) but not for women. ("Fornication" is defined as "undisclosed pre-marital sexual intercourse" by most groups, although some also include adultery as a just cause). Women are expected to dress "modestly" which means avoiding tight or revealing clothing as well as any garment that "pertaineth unto a man" (Deuteronomy 22:5), such as pants, shorts, slacks, overalls, etc. Branham's followers believe that using makeup is wrong because the only woman in the Bible who painted her face was Jezebel (2 Kings 9:30).External links
- Voice of God Recordings
- Free Word website: William Branham Sermons Complete Library of the Sermons of William Marrion Branham in both audio and text format
- WMB1.com: William Branham Legacy Complete Resource of Information covering 1909 to present day William Branham eLibrary