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William Marrion Branham His beginnings and calling There are few men that have affected the Church in modern times in such a way that after almost 40 years ministries still model themselves after, and speak of in an adoring fashion. In the healing circles William Branham is always mentioned as possibly the greatest. You can say Branham was the light at the beginning of the tunnel for Pentecostal healing and miracle meetings. Its no wonder Oral Roberts, Copeland, Hinn and many others look his ministry for inspiration. “Two of the earliest and most influential healing evangelists of the mid twentieth century were William M. Branham and Oral Roberts.” (THE HEALING AND LATTER RAIN MOVEMENT Richard Riss A survey of 20th-CENTURY REVIVAL MOVEMENTS in North America)

Branham was welcomed by many Pentecostal churches and parachurch organizations such as the Full Gospel Business Men's Fellowship which was in it's prime during the 1950's. In 1961 the editor of their magazine VOICE said, “in Bible days, there were men of God, who were Prophets and Seers. But in all the Sacred Records, none of these had a greater ministry than that of William Branham.” (Discernment newsletter July/Aug 1998) In this first part I would like to do is look at his early life, how he received his calling, and what his calling actually was. Much can be said of Branham in his pursuit of holiness and wanting the fullness of the Spirit in the Church. There are some things that just can' be discerned at this time. The word of God becomes the ultimate arbitrator for accepting or rejecting ones claims no matter what kind of supernatural signs follow. There are some things that must be examined carefully to grasp what was operating and which eventually influenced the post war Pentecostal movement. William Marrion Branham was born April 16, 1909 on a farm near Birksville in the mountains of Kentucky. His mother was fifteen years of age and his father was eighteen years He being the first of nine children. Branham was told by his mother that his birth was accompanied by a supernatural sign. He was born in the predawn morning. He was told that when the small window of the cabin was opened, that a light stood in the opening. His parents were very poor. His fathers occupation was a logger and their first home was a dirt floor log cabin . On the day of his birth, after being washed, he was placed in his mother's arms by the midwife who then went to a window to open the shutter. (There was no glass in the Branham house in those days.) As dawn broke, sending a few rays of light into the room, there was seen a circular halo about a foot in

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diameter above the bed where little William lay in his mother's arms. (My Life Story, p.21). “This light appeared Immediately after his birth above both the mother and child. This halo has been seen by thousands of people since and was photographed in 1950, in Houston, Texas campaign. And is circulated today as proof of Gods presence and Gods approval on this man. His” father and Mother did not go to church, and they married out of the church and they had no religion at all” (Footsprints On The Sands Of Time”). Actually Branham being openly honest says his, “father was a long way from being a religious person. He was a typical mountain boy that drank constantly, all the time.” (My Life story) So his parents were not following the Lord. When he was very young approximately 3 years old, he thought he heard a bird speak in a tree, “And I turned and listened, and the bird flew away, and a voice said,” You're going to spend a big part of your life near a city called New Albany “(which is 3 miles from where he was raised. (How the Angel came to me, and his commission, p.59). In his own words he said: “The first thing I can remember in life is a vision. I was eighteen months old...”(7 Consecutive Visions (Concerning Endtime Events From 1933 to The End). This is amazing that he can remember something at a year and half old when most children cannot even remember from 3-5 years old. Why would God give a child who is not a believer such an important a panoramic view of the end of time when he can barely understand or speak? “Another time years later 'I was crying, and all at once I heard something making a noise like a whirlwind, something like this going “Whoooosssh, whooooossssh,” just a noise like that. Well, it was awful quiet, and I looked around. And you know what, a little whirlwind, I believe you call them a little cyclone. And I was under a great white popular tree, …. And I heard that noise. ... And I got just few feet from that, out from under the branches of this big tree, and, oh, my, it made a whirl sounding. And I turned to look and about halfway up that tree was another whirlwind, caught in that tree just a-going around and around, moving those leaves. ... So I watched, but it didn‟t leave off. Usually it‟s just a puff for a moment, then it goes, but it had already been in there two minutes or more. Well, I started up the lane again. And I turned to look at this again. And when It did, a human Voice just as audible as mine is, said, “Don’t you never drink, smoke, or defile your body in any way. There’ll be a work for you to do when you get older.” Why, it liked to scared me to death! …. I dropped those buckets, and home I went just as hard as I could go, screaming at the top of my voice. ...”

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Well, I told that to Mama, and-and she just laughed at me. And I was just hysterical. She called the doctor, and the doctor said, “Well, he‟s just nervous, that‟s all.” So she put me to bed. And I never, from that day to this, ever passed by that tree again. I was scared. I‟d go down the other side of the garden, because I thought there was a man up in that tree and He was talking to me, great deep Voice that spoke. (William Branham, My Life Story (Edmonton: End Time Message Tabernacle) pgs. 14-15 When he was about seven years old, the wind was blowing through the trees and a voice come out from the trees saying, “Never drink, smoke or defile your body in any way, for I have a great work for you to do when you are older” (My life Story, p.24) Asceticism is to renounce things of the flesh, any vices. They can adopted ultra strict diets, embrace harsh regimes of living, and deny themselves every earthly comfort. This voice is asking him to do just that. Many cults stress holiness and morality. The only means we have to test the spirits is rightly dividing the Word of Truth. What I find interesting is that this angel never told him the gospel, and he says “I have a great work” not God, nor does he mention Jesus Christ .The voice is not pointing to Christ but asking him to do something that can be done in any religion. “Some years later he become so hungry for God, that he went out to an old wood shed and there tried to pray. Suddenly there appeared a light in the form of a cross and a voice spoke to him in a language he did not understand. He prayed, “Lord, if this is you, please, come back and talk to me again. The light re-entered the shed three times. Then he knew he had met God. “ How convenient, a cross of light. Interesting that crosses of light are showing up all over the world through other religions and new age adherents. This hardly is to be considered a sign from God, unless one wants to accept statues crying as well. “He knew that something had happened to him and as he prayed the second time, it appeared again - the LIGHT in the form of a Cross. In his own words he said, “Then it seemed to me that there had been a thousand pounds lifted from my soul.” Something swept over him and he experienced an exquisite feeling he had never know before. He said it felt like rain was pelting down on his body. He knew then that God had forgiven him of his sin and baptized him with the Holy Ghost.”This seems to contradict another story of being in the hospital and converted as well as not knowing the baptism of the Spirit which he received later from Oneness Pentecostals (“They started to speak about the baptism of the Holy ghost and Jesus and I didn't know what

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they were talking about”) (My life story p.35-40). Notice there was no gospel proclaimed just a cross of light as an experience. Branham was converted around the age of twenty and married Hope Brumbach. His conversion was a result of a series of visions occurring during and after a life threatening illness (Acts of the Prophet, pp. 4043). He then became an itinerant preacher with the missionary Baptist Church. He claimed that this voice from childhood followed him the rest of his life and was the voice which controlled his healing ministry (we find out later is an angel). Branham had received two revelations, the first occurred years later at the river the 2nd at his commission. It was June 11, 1933, a hot summer, Sunday afternoon. Almost 4000 people had gathered to witness a Baptismal service being conducted by young Branham. While baptizing converts in the Ohio River, that the voice spoke again: at that moment a blazing Star came whirling down out of the heavens with the sound of rushing wind audible to all. It hovered right above the Prophet. “I was baptizing down on the river, my first converts, at the Ohio River ... And just then a whirl come from the heavens above, and here come that Light, shining down. ... And It hung right over where I was at. A Voice spoke from there, and said, “As John the Baptist was sent for the forerunner of the first coming of Christ, you’ve got a Message that will bring forth the forerunning of the Second Coming of Christ.” And it liked to a-scared me to death. And I went back, and all the people there ... they asked me, said, “What did that Light mean?” Witnesses are said “A big group of colored people from the-the Gilead Age Baptist church and the Lone Star church down there, and many of those was down there, they began screaming when they saw that happen, people fainted” (William Branham, How the Angel Came to Me, and His Commission ( End Time Message Tabernacle) p. 18). He later in 1933 pastured at Branham tabernacle built by his followers and worked as a game warden to support his family. In his early ministry as a Baptist, he came in contact with “JesusOnly” Pentecostals. This sect broke away from the traditional Pentecostal movement denying the doctrine of the Trinity. He attended one of their national conventions and was invited to preach. Here he tells how he meets the “Oneness” Pentecostals …”I was coming back from the lake… and I begin to notice cars that had signs on the back, said “Jesus only.” He followed them to a Church finding himself among Pentecostals. They started to speak about the baptism of the

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Holy Ghost and Jesus and didn't know what they were talking about. Then they spoke in tongues. They called all the preachers to the platform and he was among the 200 and he introduced himself among the oneness preachers. They picked an elderly black man to preach and he was impressed by his sermon on heaven. The spirit hit the man and he jumped up and clicked his heels and said there wasn't enough room for him to preach. He wondered “If that'll make an old man act like that, what would it do if I got it on me?” so he began to ask the Lord “help me to know what this is all about.” The next day to his surprise and dismay he was called up to preach and he spoke on Luke 16 and hell, the people were moved. He was approached and asked to come to Texas to hold a revival. He went home ecstatic to tell his wife hope, She asked “They're not holy rollers are they” “He told her what he had seen and she said for them to tell her folks. Hopes mother Mrs. Brumbach a Baptist was aghast that he would be influenced by them and said not to “drag her daughter out among stuff like that!” Branham listened at the time and said reflecting on it “It was the worst mistake I ever made in my life” ( W.M. Branham, My life story, p.35-40). Branham was at first bothered by the many visitations and repeatedly prayed that God would take them away. All through his life he had seen visions, and had trances how things would happen. It kept bothering him. Everybody kept telling him It was wrong, telling him it‟s the Devil. But no matter how much he'd keep praying for that not to come, It would still come. This troubled him and up to this time in his life he had no knowledge of what the Scriptures taught about it. He felt like a prisoner and yet he would say, “I love the Lord Jesus.” Becoming what we know as depressed he would consider to do what the voice told him not to. Each time he tried to smoke or drink he heard the peculiar sound of the wind blowing and felt the presence of an unseen being. Being frustrated and nervous he tried to keep away from the peculiar life that was his, but he could not. He was surrounded by death which he blamed on his disobedience. One of his brothers Edward, next in age to him was very ill and died. It is said each time he resisted God before his conversion, tragedy or sorrow of some kind would come to him. His wife 'Hope” had contracted a lung infection and a storm ensued with flooding where his father took her and his two babies who had contracted pneumonia to the hospital she died one month after their third wedding anniversary. Distressed on his wife's death soon followed his daughter Sharon Rose. Kneeling down beside her bedside he pleaded, “Lord, what have I done? Haven't I preached the Gospel on the Street corners? Don't hold it against me Lord. I never called them people “trash”. Forgive me, Lord. Don't take my baby.”(this was in reference to the Oneness Pentecostals that his wife's parents told him to stay away

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from.) “He then saw a big black sheet come down over her and he knew he refused him” (Footprints on the Sands of Time ). Branham's wife and baby daughter died in 1937 from Tubercular Meningitis. He felt that it was because he had not continued in fellowship with the Pentecostals and had missed God's will (Acts of the Prophet, p. 47). Certainly Branham's gift would not have flourished in a Baptist Church atmosphere. The angel was leading him elsewhere. The question that comes to mind is what kind of a God (or angel ) punishes others who are not involved for another's mistakes. We can see the affect this took on him. Branham became so despondent that he took to suicide I said, “Lord, I can't go this anymore, I'm dying. I'm so tormented.” I pulled the hammer back on the gun, put it up to my head, kneeling there on that cot in that dark room. I said, “Our Father Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thine will be done,” and I squeezed that trigger as hard as I could….” But the gun wouldn't go off! And I thought, “O God, are You just tearing me to pieces? What have I done? You won't even let me die.” And I throwed the gun down, and it went off and shot through the room. And I said, “God, why can't I die and get out of it? I just can't go no farther. You've got to do something to me” (Footprints on the Sands of Time”). He isn't sure what happened next but thinks he went to sleep and woke up in heaven meeting his daughter and wife and was taken to a mansion and was assured everything was OK. And so we can trace back to him as the source for the Pentecostal trips to heaven scenario that multitudes claim to have experienced today. Branham is responsible for numerous aberration's that have lead others to the same adumbration's he experienced. Years went by and honoring his first wife's dying request to marry again. He met Meda Broy who he eventually married when he was 32 years old and she was twenty-two. His son Billy Paul was just six years old at the time. The healing ministry of William M. Branham began in the spring of 1946. On May 7 of that year, according to Branham an angel visited him and Branham received what he came to call his “charge” from the recurrent audible voice from a disembodied spirit. This time the voice appeared to him in bodily form and gave him a commission to heal. Branham was the house taking off my gun working as a game warden. This is how he explained his experience: “I had come home for lunch, and was just going around, when a dear friend of mine approached me and asked me to go to Madison with him that afternoon. I told him it was impossible as I had to patrol, and while walking around the

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house under a maple free, it seemed that the whole top of the tree let loose. . . something came down through that tree like a great rushing wind . . My wife came from the house frightened, and asked me what was wrong. Trying to get hold of myself ( I sat down and told her that after all these twenty odd years of being conscious of this strange feeling, the time had come when I had to find out what it was all about. The crisis had come! I told her and my child good-bye, and warned her that if' l did not come back in a few days, perhaps I might never return . . . He went to cave that he visited as a boy, “All of us have a place we go to when we get in those troubles. I've got a little cave that the FBI couldn't find that I get into. I'll stay in there for two or three days. I have to wade up a Creek, and go up over a hill; and through a branch, go under a tree and go down into a cave “ (William Branham, “What Hearest Thou, Elijah?” April 12, 1959). Then along in the night, at about the eleventh hours, I had quit praying and was sitting up when I noticed a light flickering in the room. Thinking someone was coming with a flashlight, I looked out of the window, but there was no one, and when I looked back, the light was spreading out on the floor, becoming wider. Now I know this seems very strange to you, as it did to me also. As the light was spreading, I became excited and started from the chair, but as I looked up, there hung that great star. However, it did not have five points like a star, but looked more like a ball of fire or light shining down upon the floor. Just then I heard someone walking across the floor, which startled me again, as I knew of no one who would be coming there besides myself Now, coming through the light, I saw the feet of a man coming toward me, as naturally as you would walk to me. He appeared to be a man who, in human weight, would weigh about two hundred pounds, clothed in a white robe. He had a smooth face, no beard, dark hair down to his shoulders, rather dark-complexioned, with a very pleasant countenance, and coming closer, his eyes caught with mine. Seeing how fearful I was, he began to speak, 'Fear not, I am sent from the presence of Almighty God to tell you that your peculiar life and your misunderstood ways have been to indicate that God has sent you to take a gift of divine healing to the peoples of the world. IF YOU WILL BE SINCERE, AND CAN GET THE PEOPLE TO BELIEVE YOU NOTHING SHALL STAND BEFORE YOUR PRAYER, NOT EVEN CANCER . He told me many things which I do not have space to record here, He told me how I would be able to detect diseases by vibrations on my hand. He went away, but I have seen him several times since then, He has appeared to me perhaps once or twice within the space of six months and has spoken with me. A few times he has appeared visibly in the presence of others. I do not know who he is. I

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only know that he is the messenger of God to me. (William Branham “A Man Sent By God”) To my reading the stories it is hard to put them in sequence and know when what occurred and it seems at times there are conflicts of how they are told sometimes we are told he was 2, 3 and 7 years old. Notice the message is to believe him, not pointing to God and his word. This is subtle, but not to be overlooked. Also he is sent for divine healing, but Jesus never sent anyone for this he sent them to preach the gospel. Where does it say the requirement to do miracles is sincerity? With all the visitations he still is puzzled who this being is yet he trusts him. Why? Even though the angel says “fear not” I think there was a great deal of fear that accompanied the presence. We also find what these other things were in another testimony, I thought, “0 God, why do You do this to me?” I said, “Father, You know I love You. You know that I love You! And I-I-I don't want to be possessed of the Devil. I don't want them things to happen to me. Please God, don't never let it happen no more.” And-and right in here there was a-a Light on the floor, and I thought, “Well, where's that? Well, that couldn't be coming...” I looked around. And here iIt was above me, this very same Light, right there above me, hanging right like that. Circling around like a fire, kind of an emerald color, going, “Whoossh, whoossh, whoossh!” like that, Just above It, like that. And I looked at that, and I thought, “What is That?” Now, It scared me. And I heard somebody coming, [Brother Branham imitates someone walking-Ed.] just walking, only, it was barefooted. And I seen the foot of a Man come in. Dark in the room, all but right here where It was shining right down. And I seen the foot of a Man coming in. And when He come into the room, walked on up, He was a Man about... looked to weigh about two hundred pounds. He had His hands folded like this. Now, I had seen It in a Whirlwind, I had heard It talk to me, and seen It in the form of a Light, but the first time I ever seen the image of It. It walked up to me, real close…Well, honest friends, I-I thought my heart would fail me. ... Cause after hundreds and hundreds of times of visitations, it paralyzes me when He comes near. It sometimes it even makes me ... I almost completely pass out, just so weak when I leave the platform many times. If I stay too long, I‟ll go completely out. I‟ve had them ride me around for hours, not even know where I was at. And I can‟t explain it. ... So I was sitting there and looking at Him. I-I kind of had my hand up like that. He was looking right at me, just as pleasant. But He had a real deep Voice, and He said, “Do not fear. I am sent from the Presence of Almighty God.” And when He spoke, that Voice, that was the same Voice that spoke to me when I was two years old, all the way

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up. I knowed that was him. so He said, “Your peculiar birth and misunderstood life has been to indicate that you‟re to go to all the world and pray for the sick people.” And said, “And regardless of what they have ... if you get the people to believe you, and be sincere when you pray, nothing shall stand before your prayers, not even cancer.” And He said, “As the prophet Moses was given two gifts, signs to vindicate his ministry, so will you be given two.” He said, “One of them will be that you‟ll take the person that you‟re praying for by the hand, with your left hand and their right,” and said, “then just stand quiet, and there‟ll be a physical effect that‟ll happen on your body. Then you pray. And if it leaves, the disease is gone from the people. If it doesn‟t leave, just ask a blessing and walk away.” [it is said: this sign would manifest as he held the hand of any person who had a germ-type disease his hand would be swollen and take on different shades of color whereby he would know the names of the diseases. If there were other diseases than the bacterial type, the Spirit would let him know by revelation what the trouble was. (addition)] He said, “And the next thing will be, if they won‟t hear that, then they will hear this. Then it‟ll come to pass that you‟ll know the very secret of their heart.” This they will hear.” He said, “You were born in this world for that purpose”(William Branham, How the Angel Came to Me, and His Commission (voice of God recordings) Jan.17, 1955 , pp. 7375). Notice the fear and the reaction to this being that bestows his powers. Branham clearly identifies the voice as one of an angel, and literally hundreds of visitations. What does Paul say about an angel with another gospel? This all sounds too similar to how Mormonism started. Notice he said he was paralyzed this is exactly what Joseph Smith said happened when he was confronted with the angel of light” I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me…” he was ready to sink into despair and abandon himself to destruction-…to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being.. I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head .' (Joseph Smiths History.1:16) While all the similarities are not all found in Branham's story at this particular encounter, his life experiences certainly parallel Josephs Smiths. They both did come to the same conclusions, that the church is in apostasy and that none of their denominations or sects were right, God rejects their creeds. It becomes quite clear in Branham's writings that he was conversing and was bestowed powers by an angel of light. The next Sunday Branham's first challenge, a woman dying with cancer, was brought before him. Just as the angel had said, he had a vision and prayed for the woman. She was healed. His fame spread far

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and wide (Acts of the Prophet, p. 80). From that time forward, the angel would accompany Branham when he ministered night and day. During the Sunday evening service at which he first spoke of what had happened, he received a telegram from a friend, Robert Daugherty requesting that he come to pray for his sick daughter in St Louis. Branham went to St. Louis and prayed for her, and her health improved He returned to Daughertys church to conduct a healing revival from June 14 to June 2 5, 1946. His reputation spread throughout the United Pentecostal Church, and he was soon invited to hold a revival in the Bible Hour Tabernacle in Jonesboro, Arkansas, pastored by Rex Humbard's father “Dad Humbard.” Branham was reported to have raised a dead man at these meetings. According to Gordon 25,000 people attended from twenty-eight states. From there W, E. Kimson brought Branham from town to town, attracting enormous crowds. (20th-CENTURY REVIVAL MOVEMENTS, p.106, R. Riss) Branham does remember as a young man, he was twice approached by astrologers who attempted to explain to him that he was born under a sign. They both told him that he was the possessor of “a gift”, though neither told what it was. One of them told him that she saw a Light following him. She was able to give his exact date of birth even to the time of 5 o'clock in the morning. She said that when the planets cross again as they did in Christ's time. “He sends another gift to the earth.”And said you were born on the crossing of that time…that is the reason I knew it” (Footprints on the Sands of Time, p.78). Branham retells a story about how everyone is saying his experiences of the devil. When he asks the angel about this the Angel explains to him that they said the same about Jesus, “ When the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ begin to take place, the ministers said, He was Beelzebub, the Devil' but the devils said, he was the Son of God….Paul and Barnabas when they were up there preaching. The ministers said, These men turn the world upside down . they're evil, they're the devil. And the little old fortune teller out in the street recognized that Paul and Barnabas was men of God.. Is that right “Spiritualists soothsayers, demon possessed people” (How the Angel came to me, and his Commission p.79). First of all we don't go to demon possessed people to hear the truth or get verification of our doctrine or ministry. Secondly this is hardly what a real angel from God would use to comfort one who is questioning the source of their supernaturalism. Neither was it said at the beginning of Jesus ministry, this was said at least halfway through (Matthew 12).

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In 1950 Branham had a photo taken that is now passed around as the verification of his ministry. He considered it the same “pillar of light” that had been with him since birth. Branham was asked about the light that accompanied him in ministry “What do you think It is then.” “I believe that It is the same Pillar of Fire that led the children of Israel from Egypt to Palestine. I believe It's the same Angel of Light that come in the-in the jail and come in to Saint Peter and touched him, and went forward and opened the door and put him out into the light. And I believe that It's Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever. Amen! He's the same Jesus today that he was yesterday. He will be forever the same Jesus.” (William Branham, How the Angel Came to Me, and His Commission, p.88 (voice of God recordings) Jan. 17, 1955). If I'm reading this right he states this is the angel who went to free Peter in jail and that it is Jesus himself the power of God that is inside him. Twice in Branham's meetings he had photographs reveal a halo over his head. Wow, just like the paintings of Jesus and the apostles. Pictures of a light circling over ones head is not proof they are sent by God, but this seemed sufficient for his followers. “And while I'm talking about It, that same Light that's on that picture is on ... standing not two feet from where I'm standing right now. … I can't see It with my-my eyes, but I know It's standing here. I know It's settling with inside of me right now. Oh! If you could only know the difference when the power of Almighty God catches” (ibid. p.88) Branham said he was told by the angel that he would be able, to detect diseases by vibrations in his left hand. He claimed to feel heat in his hand as he touched affected parts. 1 Cor.12:11 states it is the spirit that distributes the gifts not an angel, God is not an angel although at times Branham is confused and calls him the angel of the Lord. This same angel leads him into all kinds of heresies including Branham proclaiming himself the angel of Rev 3:14 and 10:7 who came from heaven, and was said he eventually began baptizing people into his own name. The Bible has no record of Jesus doing His miracles by the assistance of any angel. He actually said he could call 10 legions of angels down, but did not. He was comforted by angels but he did his miracles by being God the Son and through the power of the Holy Spirit. Neither does the record of the Acts of the apostles have any healings by a angel, they did it all by the power of the Holy Spirit. Why does Branham have an angel when no other Biblical prophet or apostle in history had need of one to accomplish Gods work?

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To confirm this Kurt Koch writes, While conducting healing services Branham would often fall into a trance during which his angel would work through him. Asked once if the healings were done by the Holy Spirit, Branham replied, “No, my angel does it” (Kurt Koch, 'Occult Bondage and Deliverance', p.50, 1972). He Couldn't do anything without his angel being present! When he showed up he was able to heal. This is like channeling and having a spirit guide.(the angels name is never divulged because he never knew it.) Branham said “I'm convinced that the same Angel that come down in the form of a Man and talked to Abraham with His back turned to the tent (yet knowing the thoughts in Sarah's heart), is the same One here tonight” (CONVINCED THAN CONCERNED, June 10, 1962). He also believed that this angel had actual flesh on his body. “Now, we find, God in all ages has had skin on It. See?” ((Is this true? The Bible says God is spirit, not human. He became human at a certain time but this hardly endorses the idea he ALWAYS has skin on him). He may have been convinced by what he saw and heard but the Bible says otherwise. Branham believes that the one who he calls an angel is Jesus who visited Abraham. That he has been making special appearances for his meetings and predestinated him for his ministry. The Angel of the LORD was not to appear anymore since the son was incarnated, Jesus was resurrected in a body and does not make special trips from heaven before the 2nd coming outside of gathering his saints together at the last trump. Are we to believe is that the glory of God is from a presence of an angel. Yet he has said “The Angel of the Lord that comes is not the Lord Jesus. It doesn't look like him in the same vision. For, the vision I saw of the Lord Jesus, he was a little man” (Footprints on the sands of Time, p.60). Yet he had said “It is the same Pillar of Fire that led the children of Israel from Egypt to Palestine… “It's Jesus Christ” ... (How the Angel Came to Me, and His Commission, p.88.) The Angel (messenger) of the Lord that talked with Abraham (and Moses) Was the Lord Jesus, he is called Yahweh In Gen.22:1-16 Abraham encounters the angel of the Lord who asks him to sacrifice his son we find him identifying himself as V.16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD (Yahweh). In Ex.3: 2 the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush V.6 This angel identifies himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. In v.14-16 he then calls himself the I am who I am. Judges 2:1-5 “Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, 'I will never

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break My covenant with you. (see also Gen. 16:7-13 ; 32:24-30; Judges 13:2-3; Zech.3:1-2)It was God who made the covenant and It was God who lead Israel out. Branham “ met Gordon Lindsey, who was a young Assemblies of God pastor in Oregon. “Soon afterward, Lindsay became his manager (1947) Gordon Lindsay arranged for Branham to hold a series of meetings in Vancouver, B.C., during the fall of 1947. On that first day of this campaign, W. J. Ern Baxter was added to Branham‟s team. According to Gordon Lindsay, 70,000 people attended the fourteenday campaign, which was held in four cities in the North west. The meetings were “inter-evangelical” and characterized by many hours of prayer for the sick and supernatural occurrences. The meetings in Vancouver were attended by a few pastors and teachers from North Battleford, Saskatchewan, who returned to supply the spark that ignited the controversial “Latter Rain” movement. which also quickly spread throughout the world, emphasizing the laying on d hands, both for the bestowal of the miraculous gifts of the Spirit and for personal prophecy” (20th-CENTURY REVIVAL MOVEMENTS R. Riss, p. 106). Branham taught on Joel 2:23 as the “latter rain” he identified as the neo-Pentecostalism of his time, he taught that God's promise to restore what the locust, cankerworm, caterpillar, and palmerworm had eaten, would be the “restoration” of the Church out of denominationalism, which was the mark of the beast in the Book of Revelation. Anyone belonging to any denomination had taken “the mark of the beast” He openly preached the nonTrinitarian views of the Jesus Only Pentecostals. Branham said that “every sin that ever was on the Earth was caused by a woman....the very lowest creature on the Earth” (The Spoken Word, Vol. 3 No's. 12, 13, 14; Branham; Spoken Word Publications, Jeffersonville, Ind. 1976; pp. 81-82. Quoted in The Man and His Message, p. 41). Branham started off as a Baptist and then changed over to be a (Oneness) Pentecostal. Although he denied this, his view on the nature of God, “Jesus Only” and his stance against the Trinity was basically the same. To his credit he did preach against baptismal salvation that the Oneness held, but insisted it was in Jesus name only. This found him in the company of the early heresy of Sabbellianism. The early church fathers fought long and hard battles against those who denied One God in three distinct persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So his representation of Jesus was not accurate. Around 1960 Branham became separated from the majority of the healing evangelists. The beginning of this can possibly be traced to his (June 26,27 1956) “Warning” that was given to the Full Gospel Businessmen's Movement in which they were unresponsive to.

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ELIJAH HAS COME, but he was not Branham The prophet ELIJAH the Last Days Prophet: Branham's followers claimed that he functioned in a special role as a unique end-time prophet who would usher in Christ's return. In 1963 he declared himself the messenger of the last days, endowed with the spirit if Elijah, as prophesied by Malachi 4 and the Book of Revelation 11:3. This was something the angel spoke of previously. This declaration alienated Branham from the majority of his supporters in mainline Pentecostalism. His attempt at recovering widespread support was stopped by his untimely death in a car accident two years later. Branham also believed he was Elijah the prophet, other people believed him to be the prophet Elijah who was to come before the return of Christ Jesus. Speaking of himself, Branham said, “...we are promised a return of that Spirit [Elijah] just before the end-time. He won't start another church, because there is no more church ages to come... because the Laodicea Church Age is the last age, and the messenger of the Seventh Angel,... is the fellow that is going to reveal, by the Holy Spirit, all of these mysterious things.... Notice. This last message of the last church age is not a reformer, he is a PROPHET! (The Seven Seals, pp. 144, 45). “ See, immediately after the coming of THIS Elijah, the earth will be cleansed by hate and the wicked burned to ashes. Of course, this did NOT happen at the time of John (the Elijah for his day.)… .” See, immediately after the coming of THIS Elijah, the earth will be cleansed by hate and the wicked burned to ashes. Of course, this did NOT happen at the time of John (the Elijah for his day.) (THE MESSAGE TO THE LAODICEAN AGE, p.13). Branham prophesied the end as Elijah who was to come “once again that spirit will come back upon another man just before Jesus comes, He will be a prophet. He will be vindicated as such by God. Since Jesus, Himself, in the flesh won't be here to vindicate him, (as He did John) it will be done by the Holy Spirit so that his ministry will be attended by great and wonderful manifestation. As a prophet, every revelation will be vindicated, for every revelation will come to pass. (Laodicean age) They believe we must accept the messenger but the bible never says this even about John the baptist. Many accepted Christ after John was gone without ever hearing his message of repentance. If we need a prophet for the end of the age, then the Church has been missing teaching for 1900 years. God gave us pastors and teachers as

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well as the gifts operating in the Church. Nowhere are we told to look for a prophet like Branham taught. “Now, I'm just your brother, by the grace of God. But when the Angel of the Lord moves down, it becomes then a Voice of God to you...But I am God's Voice to you... Now, see, I can say nothing in myself. But what He shows me” (Footprints On The Sands Of Time, p. 214). The angelic visitor told Branham that he would be given two gifts and that he would restore Bible truth. Branham was a false Elijah. In Mal.3:1 “ Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom you seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom you delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.” Malachi speaks of the messenger that will prepare the way for the Lord. This is John the Baptizer who is foretold in Isa.40:3-4 “The voice crying out in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God”. The bible teaches That “Elias” IS COME ALREADY, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake of JOHN the Baptist. (Mt. 17:10-13). They asked about Elias and the restoration “But I say unto you, That “Elias” IS INDEED COME, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him. (Mk.9:11-13) Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.” John did preach and baptize in the wilderness, the message was the baptism of repentance for preparation when the Messiah comes. (Mk.1:2-4) This is fulfilled. If we parallel Branham to John the Baptist who fulfilled Elijah's ministry there is no comparison John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah and never prophesied or gave words of knowledge, or had a vision or did one miracle (John 10:41). Jesus said he was Elijah to come and Matt 11:11 “Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist.” So Branham can not be greater nor even equal. Branham's parents were not believers, nor did the signs they saw have them become one. Kurt Koch wrote: “...Branham's parents believed in fortune telling and he was burdened through occultism at an early age”(Kurt Koch, Between Christ and Satan p. 150, 1962). Elijah and John were Jewish, John the Baptists parents were Godly, his father was a priest (Lk.1:5-22). Branham's parents were not even

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believers. John the baptist did not fight against God's will but Branham did for years. Branham was not Elijah since all the prophets were from the Jewish nation. Jesus said John was the greatest prophet, and he was sent to Israel, Branham was not. John was filled with the holy Spirit from the womb and obeyed the Lord, there is no comparison with Branham having a light hovering over his head and fighting against the Holy Spirit. Branham did not have the Spirit of Elijah, he said 'Don't condemn the sinner; have mercy on him. Let him go ahead and smoke his pipe, let him drink his liquor, let him have his card party. That's his pleasure. Don't blame him. Coming home and everything, tired and worn out, he wants some pleasure. The thing for you to do is live such a godly life that you can prove to him that the Gospel holds ten thousand times more than that, for him. ( William Branham excerpt from Enticing Spirits, July 24, 1955, at the Branham Tabernacle in Jeffersonville, Indiana, U.S.A. ) But what did John the Baptist do with Herod, he preached for him to repent, it became the very reason his head was cut off. Luke 3:19-20 But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, Matt 14:3-4 For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” Branham once speaking of Moses said about his striking the rock, “he smote it again, said, “You rebels! Must we bring you water out of this rock?” You see what God did? The water come, but said, “Come up here, Moses.” That was the end of it, see. You have to watch those things, so you… what you do with divine gifts.” (How the angel came to me p.67). How very true, and one has to watch how they use the name of the Lord as well. Branham died in 1965 after his car was struck by a drunk driver. For many days after his death several well known Latter Rain ministers prayed over his body in an attempt to raise Branham from the dead but to no avail. So ended the ministry of the modern day Elijah. His national acclaim was stopped by his death in a car accident. Branham was injured in a head-on collision while on a trip to Arizona, and passed away six days later [on December 24, 1965]. Many of his followers believed that he had truly come in the spirit of Elijah; some believed him to be God, born of a virgin, and fully expected him to rise from the dead in three days. (David E. Harrell, Jr., All Things Are Possible (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1976), p. 161) Believers did not wait around for any apostle to be raised from the dead, what were Branhamites thinking? This can be viewed as some cruel twist of fate, God judging him for his divisiveness or another

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sign much like his birth. Branhamites find almost anything they can to verify his ministry whether its through numbers, dates or peculiar supernatural signs (like light) or events. This again is a hardly a parallel of him and John the Baptist. He was killed by a drunk. John the Baptist was killed on purpose by request from Herod of whom he constantly spoke against his adulterous relationship. For what its worth, Branham stands as an enigma. It can seem unclear at certain times whether it was God operating and at other times its obvious it was not. When looking at the overall teaching it becomes hardly favorable to the claims made by a man who was led by an angel (who he thought was Jesus) into so much false doctrine. So Branhamite's claim that he never failed in prophecy. They have one of two choices. If they cannot face the fact he did fail in prophecy (or words of knowledge) then he certainly failed in teaching truth. Thus making him a false teacher which then makes him a false prophet. Either way Branham cannot be accepted as a representative of God, he certainly was not Elijah. William Branham's Basic Beliefs William Branham is touted as the most influential healer in Pentecostal circles, yet many are satisfied with his exhibition of miracle powers, and words of knowledge without knowing what he really believed. Branham denied the trinity and took a modalistic view like the Oneness Pentecostals. He claimed Jesus never said He was the Son of God and even claimed he had no pre-existence. He believed that Cain was the offspring of an illicit affair Eve had with Satan (known as the serpent seed doctrine). He believed God always had skin on him even before the incarnation. He believed in three Bibles; the Scriptures the zodiac and the pyramids, as other revelations of God. That denominations were abominations. He taught on Joel 2:23 that the "latter rain" he identified as the neo-Pentecostalism of his time, he taught that God's promise to restore what the locust, cankerworm, caterpillar, and palmerworm had eaten, would be the "restoration" of the Church out of denominationalism, which was the mark of the beast in the Book of Revelation. Anyone belonging to any denomination had taken "the mark of the beast" There is no eternal Hell. that a woman cutting her hair was grounds for divorce. That unborn children are not alive until their first breath. he prophesied that the end of the ages would be in 1977. As a child he heard a voice instruct him that never identified itself. In his own words he said: "The first thing I can remember in life is a vision. I was eighteen months old..." He often heard sounds like a whirlwind or see pillars of light with voices coming from it. At age seven A audible human Voice commanded him, "Don't you never

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drink, smoke, or defile your body any way. There'll be work for you to do when you get older." Later on a LIGHT came into the shed and it formed a Cross, and a VOICE from the Cross spoke in a language he could not understand. Assuming it was the Lord he asked for it to come back. He then has a spiritual experience, In his own words he said, "Then it seemed to me that there had been a thousand pounds lifted from my soul." Something swept over him and he experienced an exquisite feeling he had never know before. He said it felt like rain was pelting down on his body. He knew then that God had forgiven him of his sin and baptized him with the Holy Ghost. Nonetheless he was paralyzed with fear from this disembodied spirit. Branham later on claimed he he needed to wait for the angel to show up before his power worked. Branham claimed that the angels (messengers) to the 7 churches in the book of Revelation were men who appeared at various times throughout Church history bringing new revelations that led the Church into progressive stages of sanctification. As his tombstone indicates, Branham was thought to be the angel to the Church of Laodicea-the end time Church. Rev.3:14, 10:7 Ephesian-Paul; Smyrnea-Ireneaus; Pergamean-Martin; Thyatirean-Columba; Sardisean-Luther; Philadelphia-Wesley; Laodicea-Branham He became convinced that he was the end-times "Elijah" and the true "Messenger of the Covenant" the 7th angel in revelation, the angel of the church of Laodicea. He saw seven Angels in a form of a pyramid that swept down and picked him up. And was brought east to open the Seven Seals for God." Rev. 5:1-9 says that Jesus opens the seals and it did not take place yet. While conducting healing services Branham would often fall into a trance during which his angel would work through him. Asked once if the healings were done by the Holy Spirit, Branham replied, "No, my angel does it." Branham could not do any healing until the angel would show up. Branham assumed this angel was Jesus (the angel of the Lord) the one who guided him through his life since his childhood. but Jesus is no angel and he did not personally show up at Branham's meetings. When Branham died in a car crash many of his followers waited for him to resurrect 3 days later. To this day many are convinced of his claims despite the Bible's clarity speaks the opposite of what Branham had taught.

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The Teachings of "the Prophet" William Branham What did William Branham “really” teach and believe! “Were identified with him in Acts 2. We're identified with them, with the same baptism, same thing. All he was then, and all he is, all he was, and all he is, we are. That's exactly.” “Same thing by being a true Christian. You have to be identified with it. I preached with Moses and war-with Noah and warned the people of the oncoming judgment, to be a real Christian. I was with Moses at the burning bush; I saw the Pillar of Fire; I saw His glory. I was with Moses up there in the wilderness. To be a Christian, I have to be identified with everything God was, to be a Christian. I seen His glory; I heard His voice. Don't try to explain it away from me now, 'cause I was there. I know what I'm talking about. I seen what happened. Yes, sir!” “I was at the Red Sea when I seen the Spirit of God move down and part the water from one side, … through about a ninety foot sea. I seen the Spirit of God. I walked with Moses through that dry ground, across that Red Sea. I stood by Mount Sinai and seen the thunder and lightning falling. I eat manna with them out there. I drank from that Rock; I'm still doing it tonight. I was identified with the manna-eaters. I was identified with them that drunk from the rock.” “I was with John the Baptist and before them critics. I seen the Spirit of God descending; I heard the voice of God say, “This is My beloved Son in Whom I'm pleased to dwell in.” Yes, sir! I sure was Identified with him. That's exactly right.” “I was with the 120 in the Upper Room. I was identified up there with them. Oh, 1-1 feel religious. Amen! I was identified there. I'm one of them. I was identified; I got the same experience they had. I was there when it happened, to be a true Christian.” (THE MIGHTY GOD UNVEILED BEFORE US p.27). This is how far gone he was in his own revelations. He thought he was there throughout history, is this rational, is this Biblical, is this believable? Nowhere does the Bible teach this! Col.2:18 “Let no one cheat you out of your reward, taking delight in FALSE humility, and the worship, intruding in those things which he has seen, vainly puffed up by his carnal mind.” Branham said the Church is built on “The Rock of Revelation” (Seven Church Ages, p. 13). Jesus taught that he was the sure foundation, there is no other Mt. 7:24 Paul said “The Rock is Christ” who was in the wilderness (I Cor.10:4). Peter says the foundation , Rock is Christ

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(1 Pt.2:5-8) Revelation is never what we build on Paul says there is no other foundation but Christ. That Branham was Elijah the Prophet “It is all over. (speaking for Jesus) I am going to speak all right. Yes, I am 'here in the midst of the Church. The Amen of God, faithful and true will reveal Himself and it will BE BY MY PROPHET.” Oh yes, that is so. Rev. 10:7 “And in the days of the voice of the seventh messenger, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished as He hath declared to His servants the prophets.” .... He is sending a vindicated prophet. He is sending a prophet after almost two thousand years. He is sending someone who is so far from organization, education, and the world of religion that as John the Baptist and Elijah of old, He will hear only from God and he will have “thus saith the Lord” and speak for God. He will be God's mouthpiece and HE, AS IT IS DECLARED IN MAL. 4:6, WILL TURN THE HEARTS OF THE CHILDREN BACK TO THE FATHERS.” ( W. Branham, THE MESSAGE TO THE LAODICEAN AGE p.28). “When that Angel, that you see in that picture over there, come down on the river down there that day, thirty years ago come this coming June or thirty-three years ago, rather, this June, and said, “As John the Baptist was sent forth, (before 5,000 people or more) the hour has come when your Message will stray the world” (The Revelation of the Seven Seals p.51) The Angel was His guide “If you haven't made preparation yet to meet the Lamb in the air, and by the power invested me by my commission given by Almighty God and ministered to me by an Angel, a Pillar of Light” (The Revelation of the Seven Seals p.112-113 ) “ Now last evening as we always like in teaching on the Seals, we teach it the same way you do on the church ages. When we got finished with teaching the church age, the last time when I drawed them out here on the pulpit on the board--how many remembers what took place? He came right down. went right back on the wall and light and drawed it off Himself, right there on the wall before us all. The Angel of The Lord stood right here before several hundred people. And now He's doing something real supernatural now, too. So we're just expecting great things.” (The Revelation of the Seven Seals p.180) “But in the last days, it will have to be a prophet to take up the mysteries of God, . . . ? . . . because the mysteries would only be known by prophets. So it has to be this fellow coming. Do you see what I mean now? He can‟t be a reformer; it has got to be a prophet, because it has got to be somebody that is gifted ; and set there that

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catches the word. ”(The Revelation of the Seven Seals p.145). “ the original Bible faith is to be restored by the 7th angel oh, how I love this! All of the mysteries of the Seals that the reformers never understood fully.”( ibid p.147) False prophecies “I never preached anything in my life under inspiration I had to take back, „cause I don‟t depend on my own understanding.” (Oneness, 2/11/62, V-10, N-2, sermon page 16-87)

“ See, immediately after the coming of THIS Elijah, the earth will be cleansed by hate and the wicked burned to ashes. Of course, this did NOT happen at the time of John (the Elijah for his day.)… .” (THE MESSAGE TO THE LAODICEAN AGE p.13). Did this happen immediately after he died? Branham believed himself to be THIS Elijah, the earth was not cleansed nor the wicked burned. “That this age will, end around 1977. …, I base this prediction on seven major continuous visions that came to me one Sunday morning in June, 1933. The Lord Jesus spoke to me and said that the coming of the Lord was drawing nigh, but that before He came, seven major events would transpire. ( W. Branham, THE MESSAGE TO THE LAODICEAN AGE, p.29). I still maintain this prediction after thirty years because, Jesus DID NOT say no man could know the year, month, week or day in which His coming was to be completed. So I repeat, I sincerely believe and maintain as a private student of the Word, along with divine inspiration that 1977 ought to terminate the-World systems and usher in the millenium.” (Seven Church Ages Page 322) “ The revival is over. America had her last chance in 1957. Now the tongues, are God's sign of impending disaster, even as they were when they appeared upon the wall at Belshazzar's feast….(W. Branham, THE MESSAGE TO THE LAODICEAN AGE p.29) According to revivalists today who endorse Branhams ministry we are currently experiencing a revival of unprecedented proportions. So ids Branham a false prophet according to them or are they false according to Branham. He Opened the 7 Seals? “And the Angels took me into that pyramid of themselves - the mysteries of God known only to them. And now, they were the messengers that come to interpret that pyramid or that Message of the secret of these Seven Seals which lays with inside the pyramid.”

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“We find out that during that time I saw seven Angels in a form of a pyramid that swept down and picked me up. And I was brought east to open the Seven Seals for God.” (Commission By Seven Mighty Angels 1963 "Standing in the Gap" Jefferson, IN V-6N7 Sunday 630623m "80"). It is Jesus who alone is worthy to open the 7 seals. He opens them according to the bible and this even has not happened yet no matter what Branham claims. A number of loyalists to Branham have tried to spin this saying the mystery was revealed to him, but he clearly said he opened because he was the angel ordained to do so. At the same time he also said “Oh, I want to be numbered as one of them in that day, Lord. And I see the day approaching." You see these Seals begin to . . . If God will open them to us. And remember, He alone can do it” (The Revelation of the Seven Seals, p.66) So we have confusion unless one wants to admit Branham was God there is no way to reconcile these statements. “And when the Seals are broken and the mystery is revealed, down comes the Angel, the Messenger, Christ, setting His foot upon the land and upon the sea with a rainbow over His head. Now remember this Seventh angel is on the earth at the time of this coming.” (The Revelation of the Seven Seals,p.74) This is proof that Branham was not the 7th angel as he thought. The Famous Pillar of fire Picture During his ministry the light was photographed several times To question whether this was real or not may be redundant. It was the same Pillar of Fire which had been with Branham since the time of his birth. When praying for the sick he would watch the Pillar of fire move around the building from one person to another, revealing the “thoughts and intents” of the heart, the past, the present and the future. 2 Cor.11:13-15 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” To have light effects does not prove whether it is from God at all, It just may prove the opposite. Joseph Smith saw pillars of light and angels constantly should we accept his message? Being impressed by the supernatural is the oldest con in the book. Literally! Genesis tells us that Satan came disguised in a Snake and the Hebrew says he was shining standing upright, Eve certainly was bedazzled and bewitched.

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John the Baptist had no fire above his head. The only ones who did where those in the upper room. It happened only once and it was temporary, it had a purpose to show that God sent the holy Spirit to dwell in people, it began the Church. Just because some guy named William has been seen with pictures of a light taken above his head, this became the convincing proof to the Pentecostal followers. So is the stigmata, the blood coming from the hands and feet of the Catholic mystic to the catholic. Never mind the false doctrine that he was led into by the angel (of light). Have you seen the light? I don‟t mean the physical one that traveled with Branham, but the light of truth of Gods word compared to the deception from this man. If we accept Branham as genuine, then every person who comes with an experience and exhibits the supernatural will woo us. Whoever has the most power and names the name of Christ wins! If we do this we will have a no more denominations just like Branham wanted, instead we will see a one world Church. Realistically the reason we have denominations is because God teaches people different things and a certain group will see a particular aspect as their understanding or calling. The denominational issue is not wrong as long as it does not divide and we don't lose fellowship over it. Baptists should be able to get along and work alongside Lutherans and Pentecostals. As long as we are in agreement in the essential beliefs we should all understand we are in the same body of Christ. Much like Israel had 12 tribe which all had a different ministry with the tabernacle yet they were one nation. We don't have to look to much further to see what he taught is contrary to what God says. Branham taught that the Word of God was given in three forms, the Zodiac, the Egyptian pyramids, and the written scripture.(Al Dager, Vengeance is Ours, Sword, p. 59). God’s nature explained (modalism) forms and offices instead of distinct and personal identities In explaining how God is seen by people. “It could be-cannot be seen, but yet, we know that it's there. And when He changed His form of the en morphe, which means that He changed from supernatural to natural ... and He just changed His mask. And otherwise, it's like a drama; He was acting. In-in the Greek when they would change their mask, maybe one play one player might've acted in several different parts. And my-” daughter (present here) ... They just had at the high school a-a drama. And they-one boy, that I knowed, played about four parts, but he would go behind the stage and change his- his mask in order to come out to impersonate another character.( THE MIGHTY GOD UNVEILED BEFORE US, p.6 , June 29, 1964, Philadelphia Penn. Vol.3 no.22)

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“Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is offices of one God. He was the Father; He was the Son; He is the Holy Ghost. It's three offices or three dispensations,...” (Conduct, Order, Doctrine, p. 392). “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost has one name, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Conduct, Order, Doctrine, p.392). “MY REVELATION by the Holy Spirit is: Christ, and the Holy Spirit is the self same person, only in a different form... I Now, that is one of the mysteries of the last days, how that Christ can be the three persons in One. It is not three different people--Father, Son, and Holy Ghost--being three gods as the trinitarians try to tell us it is. It's three manifestations of the same Person, or you might call it three offices....Notice now, the Holy Spirit and the revelation and Christ is another form That's right. ” (The Revelation of the Seven Seals, p.156-157) He Denied the personality of the Holy Spirit as well. “The Holy Spirit is the 'Word-Manifested Thought'.” (W. M. Branham, An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages, p. 155). “Then we find, after His death, burial, and resurrection. He came on the day of Pentecost as Son of God-God, the Spirit, in the form, Holy Ghost. What was He doing? He was changing Himself, making Himself known to His people in a different form. Like the Holy Spirit, which is God, He came to deal through the church ages as Son of God, the Holy Spirit.”( THE MIGHTY GOD UNVEILED BEFORE US, p.9) “What is God? God is a great Eternal. At the beginning, way back before there was a beginning, he wasn't even God. Did you know that? A god is an object of worship, and there wasn't nothing to worship him; He lived alone. And in him was attributes. What is an attribute? A thought.” (The Spoken Word, Vol. III, pg. 79) So God, Branham's God needs to be worshipped or he is not God (this is said by a certain Mormon) And what he is- is a thought. We should think about that. This becomes a most serious error, “Now, we find, God all ages has had skin on It. See? (THE MIGHTY GOD UNVEILED BEFORE US, p.20) This is serious false teaching which denies the one incarnation fulfilled in the New Testament if he always was a man instead of becoming a man at a certain time. On the Son Jesus Christ 45 “See, He came in three names. He came as Son of man, which was prophet. .. He never said He was the Son of God; He said He was the Son of man. Now, today; He is the Son of God, which He returned back, and now He is in the form of the Holy Ghost, the unseen Person. but yet, God, the Son of God. In the Millennium: He sits upon His

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Father's Throne, which He'll be Son of David He revealed Himself first as Son of man, a prophet this age, through the church age, Son of man ... or Son of God; and in the other age, Son of David. Three sons! ( p.7) 47”before the promised son showed up, God manifested Himself there at Sodom as a prophet, being a man, in flesh, God. Elohim, as I heard someone speak It a while ago, which the Godhead bodily was in Him. He was the fulness. Elohim is the fulness of the Godhead, bodily.( THIS DAY THIS SCRIPTURE IS FULFILLED , p.7) Elohim is the fulness of the Godhead, BODILY. That's not what my Bible says. Elohim is God. this makes God a physical being. As we will see Branham thought God was always flesh. The Bible says “ He never called Himself the Son of God. He referred to Himself, the'Son of man, because He had to come according to the Scripture.”( THE MIGHTY GOD UNVEILED BEFORE US, p.8) The BIBLE says- Luke 1:35 the angel says he will be called “the Son of God”. Jn.10:36 Jesus said, because I said I am the Son of God.” Jn.5:25; Luke 22:70; Mt.27:43; Jn.19:7 ; Jn.9:35 He (Jesus) said unto him, Do you thou believe on the Son of God? Once again Branham did not know is Bible. “Now notice. Now, it must be kinsman. So, you see, an Angel couldn't do it; a man couldn't do it; it must be a man, but he can't be born of a woman-a sex act. So the virgin birth, the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary, therefore, Jesus was not a Jew. Jesus was not a Gentile. Jesus was God, exactly. His Blood didn't come from any sex act. He was the holy created Blood of God. And we're not saved by Jewish blood, neither are we saved by Gentile blood.” (The Revelation of the Seven Seals, p.88) The Bible says Jesus was born of a woman and that he was indeed a Jew in the flesh, God came to us “in flesh.” If it wasn't human blood then his sacrifice would not have counted, he had to come by man made in the image of God. This is a denial of what took place in the incarnation of God in the flesh. In fact the Bible says he was born of a woman “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4). “Jesus was created. When the Holy Ghost came upon Mary He created within her the cell that would multiply and become the body of our Lord. That cell was created. It was the beginning of the creation of God. That is who Jesus is.”( An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages, p37).

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Now we have him telling us God was created, when the very name of God I AM means eternally existing. The Bible -Matthew 1:23 the Virgin Mary, was told she would bear “Emmanuel”, “God with us”. John. 1:3 “ All things were made through him and without him nothing was made that was made.” Col.1:16 speaking of the Son “And he is before all things, and in him all things consist.” “People talk about Jesus being the Eternal Son of God. Now isn't that a contradiction? Whoever heard of a Son being eternal? Sons have beginnings, but that which is eternal never had a beginning.” (“An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages”p.21) No biblical understanding, especially for a prophet that would restore the true faith. Jesus says he was with the Father in Jn.17 before the world began, making him the son who co-existed. In the way Branham spoke, did he consider fathers have a beginning too. In a speech given October 2, 1957 the prophet said, “See, there cannot be an Eternal son, because a son had to have a beginning. And so Jesus had a beginning, God had no beginning,” (“Conduct, Order, Doctrine of the Church, p.273). “What is God? God is a great Eternal. At the beginning, way back before there was a beginning, he wasn't even God. Did you know that? A God is an object of worship, and there wasn't nothing to worship him; He lived alone. And in him was attributes. What is an attribute? A thought.” (The Spoken Word, Vol. 3, p. 79). Branham promoted confusion on God's nature. The Bible says God always existed and is the one and only God whether one worships him or not. Now Branham denies God for who he is and reduces God to a thought. I wonder who would be thinking this thought? Branham denied Jesus was God as the Word, he taught the Word was created. John 1:1 states that the Word was “with God” and “the Word was God.” Not so says Branham, “In Jn.1 in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and was God. and the word was made flesh , and dwelt among us. Now, in the beginning was the word. A word is thought expressed. In the beginning He wasn‟t even God.” (THE MIGHTY GOD UNVEILED BEFORE US, p.11). Here Branham goes completely against the Scripture that says. St. John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John says the very opposite, in the beginning he was God, since God eternally is, one cannot become God at

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anytime. Branham again did not know what he was teaching. in the beginning He was and continued to be God. “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt with us . . . “ God dwelt with us in flesh. He was the Word. Before a word it's a thought, and a thought has to be created. All right, so God's thoughts be came creation when it was spoke by a word. That is when He presents it to you as a thought, your thought, and it is revealed to you, then it is still a thought until you speak it” (The Revelation of the Seven Seals p.242) Here Branham says the very opposite of the Scripture he just read. This is proof his supernatural (if there was any?) that the manifestations could NOT EVER be from God, he couldn't even speak straight about his nature. So it tonight when we got the other part of the contract. When God tore His Son in two at Calvary, taken the body up for- a sacrifice, and sent the Spirit down to us, that once lived in' a man, Jesus (that same God is in veil tonight in the form of the Holy Ghost), those two pieces has to come together; then you are part of the contract. God did this to be better known to man, when He made Hisself man.( THE MIGHTY GOD UNVEILED BEFORE US, June 29, 1964 philadelphia Penn Vol.3 no.22 p.7). “But on the day of Pentecost He changed Himself from being the Son of man to the Son of God. He came, not with the people, He came in the people.” ( THE MIGHTY GOD UNVEILED BEFORE US, p.15) Can someone who is a prophet speak falsely in this manner and have such abusive theology on the nature of God and still have God do the so called mightiest miracles through him? I don't think so! During his ministry the light was photographed several times To question whether this was real or not may be redundant. It was the same Pillar of Fire which had been with Branham since the time of his birth. When praying for the sick he would watch the Pillar of fire move around the building from one person to another, revealing the “thoughts and intents” of the heart, the past, the present and the future. 2 Cor.11:13-15 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” To have light effects does not prove whether it is from God at all, It just may prove the opposite. Joseph Smith saw pillars of light and angels constantly should we accept his message? Being

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impressed by the supernatural is the oldest con in the book. Literally! Genesis tells us that Satan came disguised in a Snake and the Hebrew says he was shining standing upright, Eve certainly was bedazzled and bewitched. John the Baptist had no fire above his head. The only ones who did where those in the upper room. It happened only once, and it was temporary, it had a purpose to show that God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in people, it began the Church. Just because some guy named William has been seen with pictures of a light taken above his head, this became the convincing proof to the Pentecostal followers. So is the stigmata, the blood coming from the hands and feet of the Catholic mystic to the Catholic. Never mind the false doctrine that he was led into by the angel (of light). Have you seen the light? I don‟t mean the physical one that traveled with Branham, but the light of truth of God's Word compared to the deception from this man. If we accept Branham as genuine, then every person who comes with an experience and exhibits the supernatural will woo us. Whoever has the most power and names the name of Christ wins! If we do this we will have a no more denominations just like Branham wanted, instead we will see a one world Church. Realistically the reason we have denominations is because God teaches people different things and a certain group will see a particular aspect as their understanding or calling. The denominational issue is not wrong as long as it does not divide and we don't lose fellowship over it. Baptists should be able to get along and work alongside Lutherans and Pentecostals. As long as we are in agreement in the essential beliefs we should all understand we are in the same body of Christ. Much like Israel had 12 tribe which all had a different ministry with the tabernacle yet they were one nation. We don't have to look to much further to see what he taught is contrary to what God says. Branham taught that the Word of God was given in three forms, the Zodiac, the Egyptian pyramids, and the written scripture.(Al Dager, Vengeance is Ours, Sword, p. 59). The TRINITY The fundamental doctrine of the faith was attacked by Branham. “Why don't you examine your baptism of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and that false 'trinity' it's so-called...” (William Braham, “Revelation Chapter 4, #3 (Throne of Mercy and Judgment). “The Way of a True Prophet,” Branham stated this view as follows: “Why don‟t you examine your baptism of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and that false `trinity‟ it‟s so-called, which is nothing in the world but three offices of one God, titles. No, name of Father, there‟s no such a

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thing as name, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost-Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, which is the Lord Jesus Christ.” (In the Days of the Voice of the 7th Angel, p. 41). Branham explained, “...not one place in the Bible is trinity ever mentioned...It's Catholic error and you Protestants bow to it” (Conduct, Order, Doctrine, Q and A, p. 182). “Look down on your Bible and see if that says `in the names of...' Does it? No, sir... It said, `in the NAME...'“ Branham continues further to explain the distinction, “You see, you misunderstand it then. It's one God in three dispensations.... And when He said, `Go baptize them in the Name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit,' it was Jesus Christ. And that's why we baptize in Jesus' Name.” (Conduct, Order, Doctrine, pp. 181, 184). This is fundamental Oneness pentecostal teaching. Branham essentially denied the nature of God when he said as a prophet “Thus saith the Lord,” trinitarianism is of the Devil” (Footprints, p. 606). Denying the very nature of God in even a greater way than he confused and denied Christ was eternal. This is serious because for one to claim to be a trie prophet they must have the nature of God correctly explained or God will not use them. Yet he called the trinity “gross error” (The Spoken Word, p. 79) Branham's book “Conduct, Order, Doctrine of the Church,” (1189 pages) the “First thing is to straighten out you on your 'trinity' Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” God is like a three-foot rule... The first twelve inches was God, the Father; the second twelve inches, God, the Son, the same God; the third twelve inches was God, the Holy Ghost, the same God,” (pp.182 and 184). Seems to be a influence of his pyramidolgy. “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is offices of one God. He was the Father; He was the Son; He is the Holy Spirit. It's three offices in three dispensations, the Fatherhood, the Sonship, and the Holy Ghost dispensation. But Father, Son, and Holy Ghost has one name, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Conduct, Order, Doctrine, p.392). “How can three persons be in one God? Not only is there no Bible for it but it shows even a lack of intelligent reasoning. Three distinct persons, though identical substance, make three gods, or language has lost its meaning entirely. God--- He has three offices or - --a threefold manifestation --- of the One Person, Jesus.” This trinity (an absolutely unscriptural word) was based -upon many gods of Rome. The polytheistic religion of the enemy began with the Trinitarian doctrine - - - Our modern theologians - -- duped by Satan still believe in three persons in the Godhead.” (W. M. Branham, An Exposition of the Seven Churches, pgs. 18-21,184).

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“So, you see, Jesus was God. He was not no third person, fourth person, second-person; He was Person. He was God, see. He was God Emmanuel. God came down from His glory, revealed Himself . . ." (The Revelation of the Seven Seals p.89) This should be enough proof Branham was indeed Oneness and an embarrassment to them in his teachings also. This God Branham said “ lived alone. And in him was attributes. What is an attribute? A thought.” (The Spoken Word, Vol. III, pg. 79) and this thought who is God was also flesh “Now, we find, God all ages has had skin on It. See? (THE MIGHTY GOD UNVEILED BEFORE US, p.20) The Bible says God is spirit, meaning that is his nature. To say God always had SKIN MAKES HIM A MAN BEFORE HIS INCARNATION. If he always was a man then this denies the one incarnation fulfilled in the New Testament. One cannot excuse this as only one false statement, as he has supported it with others. Nor can one excuse this because he said other things that are right. This is a qualifying statement that cannot be overlooked; because it deals with a core doctrine the nature of God. God is Spirit and did not always have flesh, He took up flesh the first time at the incarnation. And he said, “A word is thought expressed. In the beginning He wasn‟t even God.” (THE MIGHTY GOD UNVEILED BEFORE US, p.11) Confused would be an accurate summation of his explanations of God's nature. What was He before he was God? The Bible says God ALWAYS was God, He is unchangeable. God's nature explained further ( a denial of the tri-unity and adhering to modalism) In explaining how God is seen by people.“ It could be-cannot be seen, but yet, we know that it's there. And when He changed His form of the en morphe, which means that He changed from supernatural to natural ... and He just changed His mask.” “And otherwise, it's like a drama; He was acting. In-in the Greek when they would change their mask, maybe one play one player might've acted in several different parts. And my-” daughter (present here) ... They just had at the high school a-a drama. And they-one boy, that I knowed, played about four parts, but he would go behind the stage and change his- his mask in order to come out to impersonate another character”( THE MIGHTY GOD UNVEILED BEFORE US, p.6 , June 29, 1964, Philadelphia Penn. Vol.3 no.22)

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“Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is offices of one God. He was the Father; He was the Son; He is the Holy Ghost. It's three offices or three dispensations,...” (Conduct, Order, Doctrine, p. 392). “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost has one name, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Conduct, Order, Doctrine, p.392). Really find the Son call the Father Jesus. Its not there. “Then we find, after His death, burial, and resurrection. He came on the day of Pentecost as Son of God-God, the Spirit, in the form, Holy Ghost. What was He doing? He was changing Himself, making Himself known to His people in a different form. Like the Holy Spirit, which is God, He came to deal through the church ages as Son of God, the Holy Spirit.”( THE MIGHTY GOD UNVEILED BEFORE US, p.9) He Denied the personality of the Holy Spirit as well. 'The Holy Spirit is the 'Word-Manifested Thought” (W. M. Branham, An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages, p. 155). Branham followers don't like it but it is obvious that Branham taught what is called modalism. “What is God? God is a great Eternal. At the beginning, way back before there was a beginning, he wasn't even God. Did you know that? A god is an object of worship, and there wasn't nothing to worship him; He lived alone. And in him was attributes. What is an attribute? A thought.” (The Spoken Word, Vol. III, pg. 79) So God, Branham's God needed to be worshipped or he is not God (this is also said by a certain Mormon). There goes the eternal God. And what is he- a thought. We should think about that. Baptism in Jesus Name William Branham insisted that “believers baptized by a Trinitarian formula must be rebaptized in the name of Jesus only.” (Burgess and McGee, Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, 95-96) “Show me one place where God ever had anybody baptized in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Find those things. And yet we constantly do them.” “You show me one place where one person was baptized in the name of the Father, Son, Holy Ghost, I'll raise my hands and say I'm a false prophet.” “... I challenge anybody to show me one place where anybody was ever baptized in the name of Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Now, are you going to listen to false prophecy or the truth? Search the Scriptures. It's up to you.”

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“But no one in the Scripture was ever baptized in any other way but the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And those who were baptized was commanded by St. Paul who said, "If an angel preached anything else let him be accursed," commanded to them to come and be rebaptized again in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Problem is baptism is not the gospel, Jesus death and resurrection is. So his argument is mute. (William Branham The Serpent's Seed September 28, 1958 Branham Tabernacle in Jeffersonville, Indiana) Branham thought he could change the Bible because he was more than a reformer but a prophet, the last one. “This last messenger of the last church age-is ..not a reformer, he is a PROPHET! He is not a reformer! Show me where one prophet ever started a church age! He is not a reformer, he is a prophet! Others were reformers but not prophets. If they would have been-the ward of the .Lord comes to the prophet, that is the reason they continued on in the baptism in Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and all these other things because they were reformers and not prophets.” (The Revelation of the Seven Seals p.145) Manifest Sons of God Teaching William Branham believed in the manifest sons of God doctrine, this became a main heresy of the Latter Rain movement, he claimed he too was a” god manifested in the flesh.” (not the God) He said: “When I told this to a man the other day, when this piece had come out about this man being healed, this same minister said, “They make a god out of you, Brother Branham.” Well, he was a critic,... I said, “Is that too far from the Scripture to be that?” See? I said, “No, it isn't.” I said, “Because Jesus called prophets gods.” See? That's right. God ... And they say, “Well, you people try to take the place of God.” “That's not too far out; that's exactly what it is. That's exactly! God manifested in flesh, just as He promised.” (THE MIGHTY GOD UNVEILED BEFORE US, p.20) “In them days it was God in a man, His Son, Jesus Christ. We believe that. Not just a prophet, not just an ordinary man, ordinary human, It was God In Christ, God, in a man, the fullness of the Godhead bodily In a man. God, in a man; now, it's God in men. See? The fullness of God in the Godhead bodily in His entire Church, manifesting Himself, fullfilling His Word.” (THE MIGHTY GOD UNVEILED BEFORE US, p.20 ). Here is the Latter Rain teachings in Branham's theology. We have a manifest Sons of God teaching in the Latter Rain, that is clearly unbiblical. The Church is not God nor the fullness of God, nor is any

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one person have God in them as Jesus did. This denies the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son because it makes the Church on equality with him as many sons with the same nature. Distortions on the Nature of God “Now, we find, God all ages has had skin on It. See? God has been hid behind a veil. (THE MIGHTY GOD UNVEILED BEFORE US, p.20) “And we find out here that God has always had skin on Him. When Moses seen Him, He had skin on Him; He looked like a man. When God was behind the curtains, He had skin on Him. And God, tonight, in His Church is veiled in His Church with skin on Him. He's still the same God tonight. We find that. But now, as ever, the skin veil is what catches the traditions. They just can't believe that that's God making them people act like that, See? It's because God's veiled in His Church, in skin-skin on It. That's right. He's hid from the unbeliever, and revealed to the believer. Yes, sir! Now, when their tradition veil is--of-of traditions of the elders and the Word is broke through (oh, of course, today), then comes in plain view, we see Him, Deity again veiled in human flesh. Hebrews 1 said so, and also Genesis 18. You remember God was a man, standing there eating and talking with Abraham, and told what Sarah was doing in the tent behind It. And Jesus said, “As it was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of man,” Deity veiled again in human flesh. (THE MIGHTY GOD UNVEILED BEFORE US, p.21) WORD FAITH Teaching He was meditating on the Scripture, “If Ye say unto this mountain, be thou removed and cast into the sea...” He was thinking how he had never preached on that text, but thought also how is it in the Word. “Now, Adam could say, “Let this mountain here be moved over there,” and it would do it. Adam could say, “Let this tree, here, be plucked up and planted over here”; it would do it, see, for he had complete, supreme control, as a minor god under God, our Father, because he was a son of God.”(The Revelation of the Seven Seals p.83) Now we know where Benny Hinn was inspired to say Adam could fly. “(On that side he's a son of God-he's an offspring from God. He's an inheritance of the earth. He can control nature. He can speak into existence. Why, he's a creator himself. He's an offspring of God. “(Ibid p.62) Just as these thoughts went through his mind, a Voice spoke to him and said, “What do you want now? Say it and you can have it.” The Voice repeated, “What do you want now? Say it and you can have it.” he answered, “I'd like to have three squirrels.”( In August 1964, Branham, related these details to Pearry Green. Sidney Jackson”“A young lady who was born with her eyes crossed and who was attending Bible School in Fort Wayne during

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the meeting there said to Mrs. Bosworth who was back at the book stand, “I can't see how I can ever get into that healing line, there are so many.” Mrs. Bosworth said to her, “You won't need to. You just sit back here and ask God to lift your faith to the healing level, and you will pull from the gift the healing virtue.” It is said Branham felt a steady pull of faith from the audience, he felt the pull of faith. “All this is non- biblical, our faith is toward God and not felt, faith means to believe and trust. “Brother Branham, my two sons are not saved. That is what I want. May they be saved?” He said, “I give you your two sons in the name of the Lord.” Those boys who before had been laughing and jesting as boys do. They who had no thought of turning to God, nor any desire to serve Him, suddenly turned pale. God's Spirit came upon them in soul shaking dynamism and they cried out and fell down in repentance before the Lord. “(Gods gift to sister Hattie) “Ye abide in Me and My words abide in you, then ask what you will and it shall be given to you." Where's the Church standing at? "Let there be frogs," and there wasn't a frog in the country. In an hour's time, they were ten feet deep in places. What was it? It was God, the Creator, hiding Himself in a simple man. Now, I want to ask you something. If the blood of a bull or a goat be used for a bleach, which can only cover, could put a man in position to speak the creative Word of God and bring flies into existence, why would you stumble at the Bleach of Jesus Christ's Blood Who could speak a squirrel or something into existence? Don't you do it! Don't stumble over simplicity. Believe that He still remains God. Oh, my! Pardon the sin. Oh, how .I wish I could . . . Then, Mark 11:22: "”You say to this mountain 'be moved' and don't doubt in your heart, but believe t hat what you've said will come to pass, you can have what you said.” (The Revelation of the Seven Seals. p.64) Serpent's Seed Teaching Branham taught that Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3) was sexual sin. According to Branham, Eve was seduced into a sexual relationship with the serpent and became impregnated with her son Cain. He explained, “Here is what actually happened in the Garden of Eden. The Word says that Eve was beguiled by the serpent. She was actually seduced by the serpent. He was as close to being a human that his seed could, and did mingle with that of the woman and cause her to conceive.” (The Original Sin, pp. 2, 3). Since THREE sons were born from TWO acts of Adam, You know POSITIVELY that ONE of those three WAS NOT the son of Adam - - - The truth of the matter is that eve had two sons in her womb TWO sons (twins) from separate impregnation's. She was carrying twins, with Cain's conception sometime previous to that of Abel's.” (W. M. Branham, An Exposition of The Seven Church Ages, pp. 98, 100-101). William Branham said that Eve's sin involved sexual relations with the serpent, but the “seed of God” were Branham's followers, otherwise known

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as “the Bride” or “the New Breed” (The Toronto Blessing, Stephen Sizer, 1990). The serpent's seed was Cain and all his descendants. They are predestined for Hell. The Godly seed is Seth and his descendants who have been revealed by their call to Branham's ministry. A third group, represented by those still in denominational churches have freewill to choose Heaven or Hell. The Godly seed are the Bride of Christ and will be raptured before Tribulation. Denominations are or eventually will be the Mark of the Beast and those who remain therein will go through the Tribulation. (Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, p. 96). “Here is what actually happened in the Garden of Eden. The Word says that Eve was beguiled by the serpent. She was actually seduced by the serpent. He was as close to being a human that his seed could, and did mingle with that of the woman and cause her to conceive” (William Branham, The Original Sin, pp. 2, 3) “Eve‟s eating was adultery with the serpent, Proverbs 30:20. Remember, he was not a snake at this point. That curse came after the act. ... It was not an apple that caused Adam and Eve to realize they were naked. But it was a sex act. ... The serpent was an upright handsome creature. He was, in fact, `the missing link‟ that science even in their unspiritual wisdom, can see is missing `between man and monkey.‟ ... Satan used this creature to get himself into the Human race.” (Was it an Apple? (Lima, Oh: Bible Believers of Lima).

21-3 The serpent is that missing person between the chimpanzee and the man, 'cause, listen, notice this now, that the serpent was not a reptile. 23-4 What did he do? He begin making love to Eve. And he lived with her as a husband. And she saw it was pleasant, so she went and told her husband; but she was already pregnant by Satan. And she brought forth her first son whose name was Cain, the son of Satan.” Now, this serpent, when he stood there... This great big giant of a fellow stood up there. He was guilty of committing adultery with Adam's wife. Where's sin lay today? What makes things the way they are today? Go read your Bibles to see if this is how it happened. 27-3 Now, Noah and his sons which come out, Ham, Shem, and Japheth, come out in the righteous line. How did the seed ever get over? The seed come over in the ark, just like it did in the beginning through the woman, their wives. They carried the seed of Satan through the ark, just as Eve packed the seed of Satan to give birth to Cain, through the woman. (William Branham The Serpent's Seed delivered Sunday evening, September 28th 1958 at the Branham Tabernacle in Jeffersonville, Indiana, U.S.A.) The Bible says, “Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. (Ge.4:1) He did not say I have gotten a man from Satan, who would know Adam or Branham?

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Distorted View of Women Branham' had a distorted view of woman because of his father which may have led him to misunderstand what occurred in the garden. About his fathers constant comraderie with young woman he stated, “I...This was my remarked then, THEY'RE NOT WORTH A GOOD CLEAN BULLET TO KILL THEM WITH IT.' That's right. And I hated women. That's right. And I just have to watch every move now, to keep from still thinking the same thing.” (William M. Branham, 'My Life Story' , p.27 (Spoken Word Publications, undated). This animosity could have been responsible for his “revelation” that allowed for divorce. ( 'All Things Are Possible', p.162) As well as his fifth vision which he blamed the moral problem of our age, mostly around women. “God showed me that women began to be out 'of their place with the granting of the vote. Then they cut off their hair,” The lord never told believers to obey his law. The Zodiac and Pyramids He thought “The streets of gold have been paved. The gates of gigantic pearls are raised and hinged. Like a pyramid she stands so fair and glorious.”(the Last warning) Branham taught that the Word of God was given in three forms, the zodiac, the Egyptian pyramids, and the written scripture.”(Al Dager, Vengeance is Ours, P. 59) The idea that the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt was constructed by Enoch as a memorial to God ( All Things Are Possible, p. 162). Kurt Koch wrote: “...Branharm's parents believed in fortune telling and he was burdened through occultism at an early age.” Branham, has a pyramid shaped tombstone. So he was very much influenced by paganism Branham said the ZODIAC AND THE EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS were equal to the Scriptures in the revelation of God's word. he has a pyramid shaped tombstone in Indiana. (William M. Branham, Adoption (Jeffersonville, IN: Spoken Word Publications), pp. 31,104) The names of the churches superimposed over the men's names in the following order: Ephesian-Paul ; Smyrnea-Ireneaus ; Pergamean-Martin ; Thyatirean-Columba ; Sardisean-Luther; Philadelphia-Wesley; LaodiceanBranham (well named since he represents this church age perfectly with being a false prophet of the church) I find it somewhat interesting to assign men to each church when the bible does not, and then to put oneself in the book of Revelation like this is boasting. William Branham believed in three bibles. He claimed that in addition to the written bible that we all know, there are two others: “The first one, he put in the sky, the Zodiac…he made the next one in the pyramid, back in the days of enoch…(Robert Livesay, Understanding deception, new wine press 1989)

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This is pure occultism people involved in esoterism and theosophy have believed this long before Branham. No Hell Satan - - awaits his 'time of eternal annihilation - We believe that he will absolutely be done completely away and annihilated. ---Is the lake of fire hell Eternal? No, sir. No, sir Anything that was created is not Eternal --- If anybody ever tells you that you're going to burn in an Eternal hell, I want the scripture for it -- it was created for that to destroy.” Everlasting; does not compare with what is eternal or that which had no beginning or end everlasting means “to the vanishing point.” Destruction-- in II Thess.1:9 -Positively mean annihilation - - to destroy to the ending point. His body he uses as the antichrist gets destroyed but not his spirit as the book of Rev. 20 tells us he is incarcerated alive for the 1,000 year period in the bottomless pit. Now don't let anyone say that I don't believe in a lake of fire and in punishment. I do. I don't know how long it will last, but it will eventually be removed. In Rev.21:8, it says that at those sinners mentioned will have their part in the lake of fire. But the true interpretation of the word is not 'part' but it is 'time'.” (W. M. Branham, The Revelation of the Seven Seals, pp. 28, 48; W. M. Branham, An Exposition of the Seven Church Ages, pp. 134-135). Here Branham changes the words of the book of Revelation with no equivocation. No TRUE prophet would change the words of Scripture. The Greek word is meros- a part due or assigned to one lot, destiny a measure, to some degree, as respects a part, severally, individually. It has no time limit. 'Copies of sermon tapes and transcripts of his sermons have been reproduced and are circulated by several ministries, primarily Spoken Word Publications and The Voice of God, both in Jeffersonville, Indiana.... Pastors of independent churches have an informal fellowship which circulates not only Branham's works, but the writings and tapes of others who follow his emphasis. Branham's son Billy Paul Branham heads the Rev. William Branham Evangelistic Campaigns centered in Branham Tabernacle in Jeffersonville. Other leaders associated with Branham's ministry include Raymond Jackson of Faith Assembly Church, Jeffersonville, Indiana; Ed Byshal of Bible Believers Inc. in Blaine, Washington and William, M., Podaras of the Tabernacle of God in Gastonia, North Carolina. Besides support from across North America, followers can be found in Australia, New Zealand, and India'. (from “The Encyclopedia of American Religions” G. Melton)

To visit Branham/s official website at www.biblebelievers.org There are many unofficial sites with enough audio to listen to that proves all this and more.

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William Branham said of himself “it will take a prophet to get the revelation because God has no other way of bringing out His Scriptural revelations except by a prophet. The Word always came by a prophet and always will. That this is the law of God is evident by even a casual search of Scripture.” (Rev. William Marrion Branham excerpt from Exposition Of The Seven Church Ages) The mistake of the Branhamites is Branham's as well. 2 Chron. 20:20 “Believe in the Lord your God, shall ye be established; believe His Prophets, so shall ye prosper.” The Word always has and always will come to the prophet first and then to his people.” This is not how the New Testament operates with the believers. We are given the Holy Spirit to make us all wise in what Jesus said, not in another prophets words. This was the abuse which became the failure of the Latter Rain Movement. What they have to do is run to the old covenant to prove their point that Branham taught about himself. They like Branham, neglect to understand that this was changed by the God himself, Jesus. THE BIBLE Heb.1:1-2: “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.” To avoid this some claim that Branham was not part of the New Testament 5 fold ministry (of apostles/ prophets) and was like an Old Testament prophet. Jesus made it clear “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come” (Matt. 11:13-14; Luke 16:16). In other words, the line of the Old Testament prophets were finished with John. Even if one were to entertain they continued; it certainly was brought to a close with the New Covenant made at the cross. So none of these arguments hold up to how Scripture uses these terms. Then there is also Branham's fanciful self claim of coming the spirit of (prophet) Elijah without the qualification of being Jewish, nor being in Israel. For it was John that Jesus said came in the spirit of Elijah making this qualification apparent to all who want to see what the Scripture actually means (Mt.1:2-4). John the Baptist being a forerunner of Christ was alive as He introduced Christ to the people. Branham claimed to be the forerunner of the Second Advent of Christ but the difference is that it is still 40 years later since he died and Christ has not come. A whole generation that would be part of the forerunner has come and gone proving he was not fulfilling this office. One of the Branham's statements was “In the last day NOT Many will be following the TRUE Prophet but Millions will be following the False prophets.” Well said, since the bible never says to follow a prophet,

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including a true one, but to follow Jesus by the one he sent, the Holy Spirit. So if anyone is following any prophet they are following a false one! Yet this contradicts his own statement of himself. Jude tells us to remember the apostles writings, who were the prophets not look to new ones. Jesus said in John 6:45: “It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.” Jesus did not point to a prophet, the prophets point to him. And those who receive him as savior and are given the Holy Spirit to learn of Him and His word. We are all taught by God and do not need to rely on those who claim to be in the role of an Old Testament prophet. Branham “gained popularity through his teachings on what he called “God‟s Seventh Church Age,” which would be the final move of God before the manifestation of His Kingdom on earth. Branham based this teaching on his interpretation of Joel 2:23, which speaks of the Latter Rain on God‟s blessings upon Israel, and applied this latter Rain to the neo-Pentecostal move of his day. He taught that God‟s promise to restore what the locust, cankerworm, caterpillar, and palmerworm had eaten would be the restoration of the Church out of denominationalism, which he equated with the Mark of the Beast. [Branham believed that some humans are descended from the serpent‟s seed and are destined for hell, which is not eternal, however. The seed of God, i.e., those who receive Branham‟s teaching, are predestined to become the Bride of Christ. There are still others who possess free will and who may be saved out of the denominational churches, but they must suffer through the Great Tribulation. He considered denominationalism a mark of the Beast (Rev. 13:17). (Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, pp. 95,96) The Last Warning THE MESSAGE TO THE LAODICEAN AGE

“This is the end. For seven out of seven ages, I have seen nothing but men esteeming their own word above Mine. So at the end of this age I am spuing you out of my mouth. It is all over. (speaking for Jesus) I am going to speak all right. Yes, I am 'here in the midst of the Church. The Amen of God, faithful and true will reveal Himself and it will BE BY MY PROPHET.” Oh yes, that is so. Rev. 10:7 “And in the days of the voice of the seventh messenger, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished as He hath declared to His servants the prophets.” There it is. He is sending a vindicated prophet. He is sending a prophet after almost two thousand years. He is sending someone who is so far from organization, education, and the world of religion that as John the Baptist and Elijah of old, He will hear only from God and he will have “thus saith the Lord” and speak for God.

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He will be God's mouthpiece and HE, AS IT IS DECLARED IN MAL. 4:6, WILL TURN THE HEARTS OF THE CHILDREN BACK TO THE FATHERS. ( W. Branham THE MESSAGE TO THE LAODICEAN AGE, p.28) Interesting that Branham in his Tabernacle Church had a picture of himself with the pillar of fire behind him on the pulpit. Why would someone do this? (It reminds me of Elizabeth C. Prophets poster of the I Am presence behind her as well) Branham made the claim that the angels to the churches (in the book of Revelation) were actually men who appeared at various times throughout church history, bringing new revelation to lead the church into progressive revelation. (This progression is actually engraved on his pyramid tombstone). There is absolutely no biblical reason to come to this conclusion unless you wanted to be one of the angels. Question? Are angels men or do they appear as men when they show themselves? Acts 5:19 was this a man who opened the prison? Acts 8:26 was this a man who told Philip to meet the eunuch? Acts 11 when Peter was instructed by an angel, was this a man? Acts 12 when Peter was delivered, was it a man or a angel from heaven? When Paul warns in Gal 1:6-9 about an angel with another gospel is it about a man from heaven. So why are these angels of the Churches in the book of Revelation men? Branham's concept was that each age had a living messenger and that he was the last one. Ephesian-Paul; Smyrnea-Ireneaus; PergameanMartin; Thyatirean-Columba; Sardisean-Luther; Philadelphia-Wesley; Laodicean-Branham (well named since he represents this church age in apostasy) these are superimposed over his tombstone which is in the shape of a pyramid. It seems he understood the significance of the pyramid from the revelation of an angel who Gave The Commission: “Return back to Jeffersonville. The Seven Seals Of The Seven Mysteries Will Be Opened. One by One WE Will Bring The Message.” This obviously refers to angels (7 of them) not angel (singular). This become significant in understanding Branham's revelation. “Once more God will reveal the truth as He did to Paul. In the days of the seventh messenger, in the days of the Laodicean Age, it's messenger will reveal the mysteries of God (Rev. 10:7) as revealed to Paul.” Branham had consistently put himself on equal par with Paul who wrote the majority of the New Testament as well as John the apostle. So if he taught anything false he would have to be rejected on the basis of what Paul said in Gal.1:6-9 if even he came back with another gospel or an angel from God did let them be accursed.

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William Branham Opens the 7 SEALS On March 17- 24, 1963 Branham preached “The Seven Seal Mysteries” of Revelation 5, 6, 7, 8 and 10:1-7. Branham likened his revelation the Angel that came to Daniel with the Revelation of the Mystery of God for Israel (Daniel 9:20-23). During one of these Messages he said... “That's the reason I had to go West to connect with these Angel's message to come back here to reveal it to the church.”…this Angel was a noted Angel. He was to my left in the constellation in a form of a pyramid. And you remember, it was in the pyramid where the mysterious white rock was not written on. And the Angels took me into that pyramid of themselves - the mysteries of God known only to them. And now, they were the messengers that come to interpret that pyramid or that Message of the secret of these Seven Seals which lays with inside the pyramid.” “We find out that during that time I saw seven Angels in a form of a pyramid that swept down and picked me up. And I was brought east to open the Seven Seals for God.” (Commission By Seven Mighty Angels). Just who does this man think he is to open the 7 seals. The mysteries of God are not known to the angels, they are sealed to men and angels. Look what John has to say about this Rev 5:1-9: “And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.” Notice that John says no-one had the right to open the seals or even look at its content, no one was worthy. Not in heaven or earth. So if no-one had the ability how did Jesus? Because John is speaking about no man having the right. But Jesus is not just a man but God as well. The one who had no sin is allowed who died for us, He alone is able to loose the seals. Branham certainly does not come in this category. So whatever angel this was that led him to supposedly do this is not angel of God because angels of God obey God‟s word. Now some say that it was Jesus who revealed to Branham the revelation of the seals. But this is an excuse not to look at what the Scripture actually says. First, the Bible says this is taking place in heaven, not on earth. the scroll is taken from the Father's hands who is sitting on the throne. second important point, the seals are not open today, it is still future. “ But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the

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scroll and to loose its seven seals.” And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” It is Jesus ALONE who is the only one who is worthy to open the scroll. Branham is now deceived by the angel into thinking he is worthy. This is proof this vision and probably others were not of God but a shrewd deception upon a man who had been given great influence over the Pentecostal Church. This also was the birth of many others that would come afterwards claiming to have visions because of the Latter Rain being poured then and today. Where does the opening of the 7 seal's occur? In heaven at the throne, not earth, so not by any stretch of ones imagination is this possible for Branham to be the one to do this or participate in any way. In 1960-61 Branham preached a series of Messages on The Seven Church Ages “ At the conclusion of the series, the Pillar of Fire came into the Tabernacle and drew the outline of the Ages on the wall exactly as the Prophet had drawn it on the blackboard.” The only time I can recall something written on the wall, it was in Babylon and it wasn't a good thing, it was judgment on those present. The Messenger of Rev. 10:7 “but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel (the SEVENTH MESSENGER), when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.” Branhamite‟s say this verse clearly relates, NOT to a heavenly angel sounding on a trumpet, but it is the MESSENGER (a man) to the Laodicean Age speaking the word of God. At the time of Rev. 10:7 the Message is still going out. It is the last days, however. Time will be no longer delayed. But He is still calling His people unto Himself, but not for long. Yes, this shows us very clearly that this one we call The Seventh Angel, is no spirit being. He is a man. He is a MESSENGER, and since he is the Last Messenger, being the Seventh Messenger, he is the MESSENGER TO THE LAODICEAN AGE. SURELY WE CAN AND WILL KNOW HIM AND LISTEN TO HIM AS ATTENTIVELY AS DID THE EPHESIANS TO THEIR MESSENGER, PAUL. (clearly presented to be on equality with Paul)

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If these are all men in Rev.10:7 then much of the book of Revelation becomes distorted as well as other Scriptures. The Churches that have the seven angels over them were existent at the time of the writing, that were not future Churches or representative of Church ages. Certainly not with the Schematic that Branham invented. Not to limit us to a historical interpretation of this only, we can concede that these Churches are examples of Churches throughout all ages and that all 7 can exist even today in type. But How could each age have a messenger if there are only 7, this would mean that each one had to live an enormous amount of time for each age, like 250 years each. Or maybe there was one that lived a thousand years, at any rate this is not consistent with what Branham taught. However to unlock the misinterpretations of Branham and his followers we need to go back to the beginning of the Revelation to John to understand it correctly. Rev 1:1: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants-- things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John.” Question? Was this a man sent to John to reveal the things to shortly take place? If this isn't a man then why should we interpret the other angels as men? V.4 “to the 7 Churches that ARE in Asia.” They all existed then it has nothing to do with America, except in type. Then John writes of the 7 spirits before the throne. Rev 2:1: “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, 'These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:” Nowhere does this hint this was Paul. He had already finished his race and was resting with the other saints in heaven so this is an impossibility. The apostle Paul did not start this Church alone but many others, no one apostle was over a single Church, they called themselves fellow elders. Besides he never personally referred himself to be an angel over this church. The New Testament teaches a plurality in leadership so this seems to favor Jesus speaking to an angel instead of a man. Whenever stars are used symbolically it is of angels. The words spoken by Jesus are given directly to John and then to each angel of the Church. These words are written down. So there are no “other words” to be added by men calling themselves these angels, this becomes our Scripture. Rev 7:2: “ Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea.” This one is taken by Felix Manalo who started Iglesia ni Cristo before Branham made up his lineage. Both are wrong since the angel comes from heaven as do all angels. No angel ever had his origin on earth unless one wants to concede to some type of reincarnation.

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Before we go further we need to note that the Greek distinguishes two slightly different words from the same root used of messenger, angellos and angellon. Angellon a derivative of angellos and is used exclusively of John the Baptist. Angelos is “a messenger” (from angello, “to deliver a message”), who can be sent by God, by man or by Satan.” There are other derivatives angelou, angelos-all are used of angels. I‟m not a Greek scholar to discern the fine differences of the tenses and verbs but I point this out to note that there are some differences at times. Rev 8:3: “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. And he was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” Rev 8:7: “The first angel sounded: And hail and fire followed, mingled with blood, and they were thrown to the earth. And a third of the trees were burned up, and all green grass was burned up.” Rev 9:1: “Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star (angel) fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.” Can a man receive the key to the bottomless pit? (this would be Luther) Rev 9:14-15: “saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.” If the 6th angel is man why not the other angels who kill a third of mankind. Since this has not occurred then the argument for the 6th angel who would be Wesley according to Branham would have already killed a third of mankind. Of course this is nonsense since Revelation's sequence of events is rapid within a span of years not almost 2 thousand. In Rev.12:9 the Devil and his angels are cast out of heaven to earth, certainly there is no disputing these are fallen spirit creatures. In Rev 15:8: “The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple till the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.” The 7th angel is among the others in the heavenly temple. Rev 16:16-17: “And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon. Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” notice this 7th angel is present at Armageddon which has not occurred and pours out judgment, hardly fitting for Branham. No man is the 7th angel of Revelation. (One can

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wonder if these are the same 7 angels over the Churches as there is no introduction to them starting in revelation 8) Rev 10:1: “I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.” Here it shows that the angels descend from heaven like we have seen previously. This is the same angel of Rev. 10:7: “but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel. The mystery of God is finished.” Ask yourself, has this mystery been completed? Branham thought so, since he was supposed to be that angel. But it is not about who the angel is, but the mystery of God. The Scripture defines what a mystery is, and there are a number of them. The word “mystery” is used in the New Testament 28 times. Once in each of the Synoptic Gospels. Paul is the major user of the word and it is found 21 times in his writings, it is used by John also 4 times in the Book of Revelation. Paul wrote Romans 16:25-26, of the revelation of the mystery of the Gospel now revealed. He said behold I show you a mystery 1 Cor.1:52. There is the mystery of iniquity in 2 Thess.2. The mystery of the body of Christ Eph.3:1-12. The mystery of Christ in you Col.1:24-29. The mystery of the 7 stars and seven lampstands Rev.1:20 the mystery of the seven stars and seven golden lampstand involve the Church. Rev.1:20 tells us two things. First, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. Whenever the word “stars” is used symbolically, it refers to angels. This was used in the Old Testament, so it is a mystery (Job 38:7) revealed. According to some scholars and the Scripture each local Church has a guardian angel. The second point in verse 20 is that the seven lampstands are seven churches. The mystery here is that the seven individual lampstands symbolize the seven local churches, which are symbolic of the whole of the Church. Not just in the ages, but as a representation. Because Rev.1:4 said they already existed in Asia at the time. So the letters written to the churches were written in John's time. Even if one opts for the view of these angels being pastors over the Church, it was written in the past before Branham was born. Branhamite's believe the Seventh Age Messenger receiving special revelation is found in Rev. 10, we will look to this section as a key to his identity. According to Rev.10:1-3 a certain part of the Book of Revelation is unwritten, for John heard the Voices of the Seven Thunders but was forbidden to write what he heard. The Scripture says, “And I saw another Mighty Angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud; And a rainbow was upon His head, and His face was as it were the sun, and His feet as pillars of fire: And He had in

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His hand a little book open; and He set His right foot upon the sea, and His left foot on the earth, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth; and when He had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.” Notice the 7th angel (messenger) comes down from heaven, as all angels do, not earth. Has the content of those seven voices been revealed. What these Seven Voices said was not written, we are told not to “add to” or “take away” from what's written in the Word. John eats the little book given to him by the angel and is to prophesy again. And in chapter 11the two witnesses ministry to Israel is explained. So it is either 'a revelation' of something that has been written but is presently hidden from our eyes. At present they are sealed up just as Daniel was told to seal up the prophecy until the time of the end. They are still a mystery to us today. But it is written in Revelation 10:7 that ALL Mysteries will be finished at this time. The question is when? If what Branham is saying is true, than we have passed through the worst time period in history without hardly being uncomfortable. Branham states” that with the SIXTH trumpet the terrible woes that come upon the earth in judgment. “ Remember Jesus said of the tribulation it would be the time of Jacobs troubles unlike any other time. If one reads all the Scripture relating to this time period we can unequivocally state we have not experienced it. The “Fullness of the Gentiles” has not come in, nor have the sealing of the 144,000 or all the judgments that proceed Rev.10., all of this makes him hardly an accurate prophet! Branham had also stated “ At the sounding of the Seventh Church Age, the last church age, all the loose ends that through these church ages have been probed at, will be wound up together. And when the Seals are broken and the mystery is revealed, down comes the Angel, the Messenger, Christ, setting His foot upon the land and upon the sea with a rainbow over His head. Now remember this Seventh angel is on the earth at the time of this coming. (The Revelation of the Seven Seals p.74) This should be enough proof that Branham was not the 7th angel as he thought, because Christ has not come when he was on the earth. We are not to look for new prophets but to the prophets of old whose writings we have. How do we know this. Look at what Peter says. 2 Pet 3:2: “that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior.” Even John who wrote the Revelation writes in Rev 22:6: “Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which

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must shortly take place.” This was to the apostles, last of all John. The angel speaks to John saying Rev 22:9: “ For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” Look at what the messenger says Keep the words of this book, not look for another messengers words. SENT BY WHOM?

Paul was a prophet who brought the Word direct from God to the people. He was an Apostle for he took the Word of God to the people. Gal. 1:12: “Neither was I taught it (the Word) but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” He called himself an “Apostle” or “sent one” because he was chosen by Christ seeing the risen Lord. Branham puts himself on this equality but instead by an angelic visitors commission. This is not unlike Joseph Smith who started a new false religion by a powerful impersonator. Had he lived he too may have exhibited great powers as well. Actually Smith and Brigham Young may have been welcomed into the Church today for their prophesying. Paul was an apostle because he saw the risen Christ and he was commissioned to write it down as Scripture being taught by Christ, hardly relative to Branham's story of being taught by an angel. During his healing services “Branham would often fall into a trance then his angel would work through him. He was asked once if the healings were done by the Holy Spirit, Branham replied, “No, my angel does it.” (Kurt Koch, 'Occult Bondage and Deliverance', p.5, 1972) “Now, I'm just your brother, by the grace of God. But when the Angel of the Lord moves down, it becomes then a Voice of God to you...But I am God's Voice to you... Now, see, I can say nothing in myself. But what He shows me” (William Branham, Footprints On The Sands Of Time, p. 214) Did not Jesus say for us to continue in God's word? Here Branham speaks for God by an angel who gave him some very different things to say. 1 Cor. 14:32-33: “And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.” Any current person who claims to speak prophetically is subject to scrutiny of the former prophets writings and those who have the gift as well. God is not the author of confusion he will not speak one way then and speak another way to someone else. Branham clearly said it was an angel who speaks to him and does the healing which puts him outside the Scriptural. Amazingly those who move in the “power of the Spirit” don't seem to care what the origin of his power was. This is why I believe Branham was key player in the new Pentecostalism of today's of power displays. He is

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also one who moved a whole segment of the Church over the line to be prepared for deception. Just Another False prophet Ern Baxter, who ministered with Branham for four to eight months every year from 1947 until 1953, said that he never saw his discernment miss once. Whenever Ern Baxter was given a card containing information on the individual's medical history, Branham was able, in every case to correctly diagnose the disease without ever knowing what was on the card in Baxters hand.” (20th-CENTURY REVIVAL MOVEMENTS R. Riss) Deut.13 tells us even if one is 100% correct if they lead you after other Gods (or a different view of God changing him to another) we are to separate from them. But our concern is not whether he was absolutely accurate, because he was not. “ See, immediately after the coming of THIS Elijah, the earth will be cleansed by hate and the wicked burned to ashes. Of course, this did NOT happen at the time of John (the Elijah for his day.)… .” (THE MESSAGE TO THE LAODICEAN AGE, p.13) Branham believed himself to be THIS Elijah, the earth was not cleansed nor the wicked burned with his coming, Branhamite's ignore this. The greatest of his revelations for the end time came when Branham was when he was waiting to speak in a Masonic hall (on Meggs Avenue in Jeffersonville) and God revealed 7 future events, the last was to occur in 1977. What was he doing in a Masonic Hall is a good question to ask. Masons hold Christ in disrepute. Why did he have a pyramid over his grave? Who was the angel with no name that came to him his whole life? So many questions and so little answers. In the Laodicean age Branham states “As a servant of God who has had multitudes of visions of which NONE has ever failed let me predict (I did not say Prophesy, but PREDICT).” That this age will, end around 1977 …, I base this prediction on seven major continuous visions that came to me one Sunday morning in June, 1933. The Lord Jesus spoke to me and said that the coming of the Lord was drawing nigh, but that before He came, seven major events would transpire.” This was obviously after he heard the voice speak at the baptism. He was extremely deceived by these signs from the beginning, even as a Baptist. 1. The first vision was that Mussolini would invade Ethiopia and that nation would “fall at his steps.” 2. An Austrian by the name of Adolph Hitler would rise up as dictator over Germany

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3. There would be three great ISMS. Fascism, Nazism, Communism, but that the first two would he swallowed up into the third. The voice admonished to -WATCH RUSSIA, WATCH RUSSIA. Keep your eye on the king of the North.” 4. Great advances in science that would come after the second world war. It was headed up in the vision of a plastic bubble topped car that was running down beautiful highways under remote control so that people appeared seated in this car without a steering wheel 5. The fifth vision had to do with the moral problem of our age, centering mostly around women. God showed me that women began to be out 'of their place with the granting of the vote. Then they cut off their hair, which signified that they were no longer under the authority of a man but insisted on either equal rights. 6. the sixth vision there arose up in America, a most beautiful, but cruel woman. She held the people in her complete power. I believed that this was the rise of the Roman Catholic church, though I knew it could possibly be a vision of some woman rising in great power in America due to a popular vote by women. 7. wherein I heard a most terrible explosion. As I turned to look I saw nothing but debris, craters, and smoke all over the land of America. He said, “And though many may feel that this is an irresponsible statement, in view of the fact that Jesus said that 'no man knoweth the day nor the hour,' I still maintain this prediction after thirty years because, Jesus DID NOT say no man could know the year, month, week or day in which His coming was to be completed. So I repeat, I sincerely believe and maintain as a private student of the Word, along with divine inspiration that 1977 ought to terminate the-World systems and usher in the millenium.” (Seven Church Ages Page 322) He died before he could see the outcome. We see it, he was wrong. Branhamites like Jehovah's Witnesses say that he said “I predict”, he did not say “thus saith the Lord” yet he did say, along with divine inspiration. Lets not forget Branham said “I never preached anything in my life under inspiration I had to take back, „cause I don‟t depend on my own understanding.” (Oneness, 2/11/62, V-10, N-2, sermon page 16-87). So then if one excuses this then they must admit the other was not inspired either. We can go to the Bible and see not all the false prophets had said this phrase for their prophecies or future predictions. When a psychic says I predict and gets it wrong do we say this is not a false prophecy because they did not qualify it with “thus saith the Lord!” How many prophecies have become false without this introduction? I

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would say more than 50%. Despite the semantics of prophesying or predicting, they both mean the same thing. And he hangs himself by using it on par with his other prophetic visions. One cannot say part of this is true to validate this mans ministry, when another part is false. Branham said it was the Lord who said this and it is a package prophecy. In other words they were not separated; so if one part did not come to pass the whole thing is a false prophecy. Yet Branhamites are a faithful lot, and they will find an excuse for just about anything said. They argue on about this by saying “look at all the correct prophecies.” Even a mediocre false prophet can be right half the time. God's prophets are right ALL the time. And we are told if they are not right we are not required to listen to them, we should get away from them no matter how many miracles they produce. ( please refer to Deut.13 and Deut.18) “That this age will, end around 1977 …, I base this prediction on seven major continuous visions that came to me one Sunday morning in June, 1933. The Lord Jesus spoke to me and said that the coming of the Lord was drawing nigh, but that before He came, seven major events would transpire..( W. Branham, THE MESSAGE TO THE LAODICEAN AGE, p.29) He states that the end would come in 1977 and all this would be fulfilled. [Notice the date of the vision, close to June 11, 1933 that the blazing star with a voice at the baptism spoke ,”As John the Baptist was sent for the forerunner of the first coming of Christ, you‟ve got a Message that will bring forth the forerunning of the Second Coming of Christ.”] Branhamites claim “ the Millennium is not spoken of as being an instantaneous happening. Since 1977 God has been “terminating the world systems” and He is “ushering In the Millennium.” (The Publishers of The William Branham Home Page). Nonsense! Read Mt. 25 which is a continuation of 24. Without Christ ruling physically on earth there is no Millennium. There is just too much Scripture to change to make this what they want it to be and protect their prophet. Babylon is destroyed in one hour; Rev.19:15 says Christ comes from heaven and strikes the nations (Isa.11:4) removing the wicked and He himself rules with a rod of Iron (Ps.2:9 Rev.2:27,12:5). Branham used the same statements to prove he was a true prophet, but when one of the statements does not come true, then he was no longer prophesying-- only predicting. Peter a true prophet disagrees when he writes 2 Peter 1:20-21 “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” If he got his revelation from Scripture then it should be the truth no matter what you call it. Branham falsely prophesied: “that by 1977 all denominations would be consumed by the World Council of Churches under the control of

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the Roman Catholics, that the rapture would take place, and that the world would be destroyed.” (Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, p.96, Burgess and McGee) Branham spoke to Clayton Sonmore in 1957 that “Beyond 1977 he saw nothing but “total darkness” for the church world. To Branham the Laodicean Age ended in 1977 and the True Believer is now living in the Bride Age which will end with the Rapture of the Bride. The Believer has now moved beyond Pentecost, into this Age of the “Opened Word” - Opened Vision Ministry - called the Bride Age. Well in some respects this is fulfilled but is not a good thing. The Church is very dark today, it has a growing apostasy and it certainly practices an 'open word' where it can mean whatever the speaker says it does. It does have visions which are a dime a dozen; and in my opinion we can trace it back to Branham's influence that the church is in this state. I believe that the Pentecostal movement today that looks to his influence for the most part would actually be condemned by Branham. By the way they practice their gifts and there belief in the Trinity and baptism, as well as some having unity with the Catholic Church. This in no way means Branham was right, it only shows how much further away they have traveled from their moorings of Branham's day. If they can' discern the deception now, what will it be like when “THE ONE” comes rolling into town with words of knowledge and even greater miracles. They will all be in awe and follow him, because of the groundwork laid by Branham and men like him. Not a comforting thought for those who wanted to be on the side of the Lord Jesus.

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Prophet Paul Cain Paul Cain was born in 1929 at Garland, Texas, a small farming community about 20 miles from downtown Dallas. The reports are that, just prior to his birth, his mother, Anna, was terminally ill from four major diseases: cancer of the breasts, tuberculosis, heart disease, and three malignant tumors that prevented her from being able to have a normal delivery. While on the verge of death, one whom she believed to be the Angel of the Lord appeared to her. The angel put his hand on her shoulder and said, “Daughter, be of good cheer, be not afraid, you shall live and not die, the fruit of your womb-shall be a malechild. Name him Paul. He shall preach my gospel as did apostle Paul of old” (Terri Sullivant, “Paul Cain: A Personal Profile,” Grace City Report, Special Edition, Fall, 1989, p. 2.) David Pythes writes, “Paul's mother, grandmother, and greatgrandmother had all been born with the gift of “seeing.” His greatgrandmother would sometimes see things in broad daylight and ask her friends or family if they could see them too. If they said they could not, she would occasionally lay her hand upon them and they would immediately see the identical vision.”…Cain inherited this gift passed on from generations believing it is from the Lord where “He could see when a person was going to be healed and live and also knew when someone was going to die” (David Pytches in Some Said it Thundered Some Said it Thundered p.24-25). This is what is known as a gifting in the occult, passed on through generations. This is not what we know as a gift from the Holy Spirit with sharing a vision by touch, this is paranormal activity. Interesting to note from the beginning is a revelation of his call naming the apostle Paul, which occurs again . At the age of eight, the entity Cain calls “the Angel of the Lord” visited him for the first time. The Angel of the Lord said to Paul, “I want you to preach my gospel as did Paul of old. Open your mouth and I will it. You will preach the gospel by binding the sickness and infirmities of God's people” (Terri Sullivant, “Paul Cain: A Personal Profile,” Grace City Report, Special Edition, Fall, 1989, p. 2.). It is questionable that Cain was even introduced to Christ and the Gospel. The similarity of Branham's calling and Cain's are too similar to discount. They do not end there, but only begin. In 1947, Cain was part of the healing revival at age 18, Cain began to hold “healing meetings” in his native Garland. He was the youngest of “'ally who built their ministries during the “healing revival” period that lasted from 1947 to 1958. His contemporaries included Oral Roberts, William Branham, O.L. Jaggers, A.A. Allen, T.L. Osborn, Jack Coe,

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and Franklin Hall. Cain admits that he suffered the same greed and pride that he says characterized his contemporaries. “He saw the excesses of that movement and backed away from it until 1987 when the Kansas City Fellowship's leaders Mike Bickle and Bob Jones felt impressed to serve Paul Cain and his ministry in any way they could. Bob Jones said “the Lord named Paul Cain's ministry, “The terror of the Lord.” (Paul Cain a Personal Profile, p. 13). Cain says that it was because he succumb to these weaknesses that God caused him to lose everything including his health. In the midst of Paul's despair and repentance, God told him that if he kept himself from corruption and remained content with living a humble life marked by Scripture study and prayer, one day he would be allowed to stand before a new breed of men and women leaders, These would be marked by simplicity, purity and remarkable manifestations of power” (Terri Sullivant, “Paul Cain: A Personal Profile,” Grace City Report, p. 13.) At the same time the Latter Rain movement is birthed. Cain at age 19 received a visitation from the angel of the Lord who stood like a warrior had a bright shining sword and pointed to a billboard that said Joel's army in training. At the time he didn‟t know what it meant so he asked the lord and he took him by the hand and led him through the book of Joel. There's more to this story than anyone could imagine because Cain at age 8, like William Branham (age 7) was being visited by an angel. His discipler Branham and his story become so similar at times one can scarcely know which is which. He is absolutely sure: Cain describes “I heard an audible voice and, of course, often the Angel of the Lord-it might have been the Lord Jesus Christ -but anyway when he speaks it's rather awesome”( Paul Cain, The New Breed, audio tape (Kansas City, MO: Grace Ministries, undated). Both Cain and Branham had continual disembodied Spiritistic visitations. Like Branham he is not sure who it is speaking. Branham's influence of Paul Cain is not to be underestimated he has said of William Branham: “The greatest prophet that ever lived in any of my generations or any of the generations of revival I've lived through.” (Paul Cain, Selections from the Kansas City Prophets) Many have all upheld Cain as one who is the most accurate upwards 90% compared to other prophets that are much lower.

It was in the 1950‟s Cain was engaged to be married, one night while he was driving his Lincoln Jesus materialized and said he was jealous of his fiancé. The apparition then asked Cain to remain single and celibate. Cain kept driving and ran through some red lights and was pulled over. The lord, of course conveniently disappeared, but the

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Santa Maria policeman who stopped the car turned pale when he approached the drivers window and shined a flashlight inside. Where's the other person,” he asked. (Excerpts from Prophecy, Roy Rivenburg special to the Times ) Asceticism is to renounce the things of the flesh, such as marriage and procreation. They adopted ultra strict diets, embraced very harsh regimes of living, and denied themselves every earthly comfort. This is where the monks came from. Like Branham he was being told to give up certain things to be pure. Cain was asked to deny himself something God had ordained . Contrary to this being the Lords instructions 1 Tim 4:1-3 “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry.” If Cain decided to do this on his volition there would be no problem, but because it is said to be from the Lord it challenges the Scriptures. The story continues as “Lord reappeared. Although he was fairly used to this kind of surprise by now, it was always awesome. After the Lord had finished discussing some other matters with him Paul felt it was a good opportunity to raise the question of his recent engagement to be married. So he told the Lord about it and asked: 'What do you think of it, Lord?' The Lord just looked at him kindly. 'But what do you really think about it? You don't seem very pleased. Don't you want me to be married?' The Lord looked at him again and repeated softly, 'I walked alone. ''Lord,' said Paul, 'if you don't want me to be married I am willing to give up the idea but you will have to do something about my feelings.' The

Lord replied by simply placing his hand upon him. To Paul it felt as though fire passed right through his body. From that day to this, he says, he has never experienced any further sexual desire. That was Paul's initiation into celibacy.” (David Pytches, Some Said it Thundered, p. 40-41) Now Cain is to be like Jesus in celibacy. All this stretches the imagination since Jesus never did the same to any apostle, and when Paul spoke about it, there was no command. In 1987 Cain met with the leadership of Kansas City Fellowship and they received him as a father. Grace Ministry's other major prophet, Bob Jones, said that Cain's ministry is called by God “the terror of the Lord,” or “the jealousy of God.” He called Cain “the most anointed prophet that's in the world today.” “' Cain, in turn, his called William Branham “the greatest prophet who ever lived.” This would make Branham greater than Elijah, Elisha, Jeremiah, Daniel, David, and

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John the Baptist, just to name a few. Considering the occult manifestations and false doctrines that characterized Branham's work, one must question whether Cain himself understands truth. This also calls into question Jones' claims about Cain.(Media Spotlight , Al Dager) Convinced by a sign and a wonder Jack Deere, a Vineyard pastor, stated that in January 1989 Cain told him an earthquake would occur on the same day Cain arrived for the first time to meet John Wimber at the Vineyard church in Anaheim, California. Another would occur elsewhere in the world the day after he left Anaheim. According to Deere, Cain said the earthquake would be a confirmation that the Lord had a strategic purpose for the Vineyard movement. A relatively minor earthquake common to Southern California shook Pasadena on the day Cain arrived. Cain claims that the day after he left Anaheim, the Soviet-Armenian earthquake occurred. 4.0 But the records show that it occurred while Cain was still in Anaheim. One wonders why lies are necessary to establish oneself as a purveyor of Truth. (Al Dager, Vengeance is ours ) It was Cain who brought the vineyard into a new level of their signs and wonders John Wimber said of Cain in his experience that Jesus, “physically touched him on the chest sometime later the lord visited him and touched him again and took all sexual desire out of his body for over 40 years he‟s lived with no cognizant sense of sexuality.” Wimber later acknowledged that Cain had become involved “with a woman I think in Scandanavia.” From this even Cain stepped down from doing ministry for 25 years. However the Lord promised Cain that he would stand before a new breed of men. Wimber stated “Paul was given a mission, the mission as he states it is to initiate the end time ministry.” When Cain he stepped back into ministry was in search for the new breed of men. Another prophet Mike Bickle described this as “a Samuel looking for a David.” Cain began his search by traveling to other nations, to Seoul Korea and met with Paul yonggi Cho but he was not the one. Then Jimmy Swaggert, and several other leaders in America, James Robison, Pat Robertson. He was discouraged wondering where this will come from until he met Wimber. It was Feb. 12 1989 at Wimber's pulpit he proclaimed “That I have found that leader that‟s going, before he dies to usher in a new move of God, a new wave. And not just a little gathering here and not a few vines out there but its going to be more than a cluster, listen to me

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buster- I mean its going to be more than a cluster. I mean in spite of all your blunders God‟s gonna still give you signs and wonders.” This is where they got off track to pursue the new wave. God says signs will follow the true preaching and exposition of his word. The vineyard and through Cain and others the signs became a means to end in themselves. Wimber considered Paul Cain a prophet like the apostle Paul, one who came “with signs and wonders.” In 1989 The Kansas City Prophets was incorporated into the Vineyard. Wimber had only respect for Cain said “he's interacting in two dimensions continually. He's not only seeing you and talking to you, but he's hearing from God constantly. There's continual flow. I think it's interrupted periodically, but a continual flow of information is coming to him about things.” ... “be in one room and be listening to the conversation of people in another place at the same time.” (John Wimber, “Speaking on Paul Cain and the Office of the Prophet,” Vineyard Christian Fellowship, Anaheim, CA 2/19/89) Is this a spiritual gift? Did God send any prophet information on people and situations all the time and he needed to tune in. Today they are no longer in the Vineyard they are currently known as the Metro Christian Fellowship. Once under Mike Bickle, he is now an apostle on the road and it is now headed by former Ywamer Floyd McClung. Mike Bickle has stated that he does not recognize the current leaders as full-fledged prophets: “There's no one in our midst that we give the title “prophet.” The only one I would feel comfortable of giving that office would be Paul Cain, but he refuses to accept it. (The reason they are not accepted as full fledged is because they are not near 100% accuracy.) “We asked tactfully if any of them was ever wrong. They all agreed that they had occasionally been proved wrong. Sometimes their revelation was right but their interpretation or application was wrong.” (Some Said It Thundered. Pytches pp.108-109). Cain has been one of the key promoters of what is called the Manifest Sons of God doctrine that came out from the Latter Rain of the late 40's. Others were influenced from Franklin Hall, like O.L Jagger's who was an excellent speaker. He established a whole church teaching around this spirit outpouring as a new gospel. With the Golden altar, the 24 elders and a three fold way to be born again, which if received will bring the promise of bodily immortality now. (see Hawaii Universal world Church) If you want to know the new thing that is being propagated today just listen to the old thing these men were teaching. Unfortunately none of these men were able to claim their immortality despite their teaching others on it. Only a few are alive.

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Some of Cain's beliefs are certainly unheard of in the history of our faith, they are new founded in the Latter Rain teachings of the late 40's. “If you're really in the vine and you're the branch, then the life sip from the Son of the living God keeps you from cancer, keeps you from dying, keeps you from death ... Not only will they not have diseases, they will also not die. They will have the kind of imperishable bodies that are talked about in the 15th chapter of Corinthians ... this army is invincible. If you have intimacy with God, they can't kill you. they just can't. There'- something about you; you're connected to that vine; you're just so close to him. oh, my friends, they can't kill you.” ( Paul Cain, “Joel's Army,” cited in Documentation of the Aberrant Practices and Teachings of Kansas City Fellowship (Shawnee, KS: Full Faith Church of Love, 1990, p. 218) It didn't keep Wimber who accepted his teachings from cancer nor dying. I don't say this to be cruel but to make the point of the falsehood of these statements. “You know this message is 35 years old and I'm just preaching it again, Thank God I've found somebody to preach it to. I told you about the vision, what I've had… See, I've been wanting to share this so long and find somebody -how would you like to have something on the back burner for 35 years and nobody had any - boy this is, I mean this isn't leftovers. I mean this has been hot with me all these years, but everywhere I tried to preach it, they cooked my goose. Don't you boo me. This kind of fiery preaching is a lost art today except in a very mild degree.” (Joel's Army cassette from Kansas city prophets) The source of this message (35 years at the time said) is none other than the latter Rain heresy of which many have not let go of but continue to promote vigorously. “For quite a while I have been embarrassed to say anything about the latter rain, because you are associated and identified with something that people don't seem to appreciate in certain evangelical circles. So I have played it cool and haven't said much about it. But I don't care what they think any more... I believe we are going to have the latter rain and I am looking forward to it.” (Paul Cain, Toronto church on May 28, 1995) Cain said in 1989 that God was raising a new standard and the understanding of Christianity that would radically change us and our generation God has him to have a role in establishing this New Order of Christianity. That God is offering them a “greater privilege than was ever offered to any people of any generation at any time from Adam clear down through the end of the millennium”; and that they are “gonna have more than just a little omnipotent surge -- you're gonna behold that glory and become that glory.” (Bob Jones and Paul Cain, “Selections

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from the Kansas City Prophets,” audio, from Hank Hanegraaff, Counterfeit Revival, 1997) Cain is a promoter of the aberrant Latter Rain teaching that certain believers become immortals on earth before Jesus comes “There will be a manifestation of the sons of God. And it won't be this baloney that we've heard of in the past;. . .I'm talking about a true manifested son of God;. . .and God wants us to realize once again in closing that there's going to be a great company of overcomers prepared for this mighty ministry which I call the prize of all the ages. (From Paul Cain's tape Joel's Army)' This is what is called the manchild company (overcomers). He teaches that the whole body of Christ will manifest Christ at the end and take over the world as Joels army which was the revelation personally delivered to him by the Lord. Cain has suggested for his audience to wait until they get to heaven to examine his teaching of the „Manchild Company,‟ This conveniently postpones the test of Scripture that should be applied to his teachings: “…I know some of you are going to disagree with this. Don't you even stop to disagree. Revelation 12:5. If you disagree, just file it in „miscellaneous‟ and check it out. And do not bother with it; when we get to heaven we'll check it out and you'll find out I'm right…” (Paul Cain, Prophetic Power and Passion Conference, Christ Chapel, Florence, Alabama, August, 1995.) Waiting to find out one is right (or wrong) is not the way we are told to handle new teachings like this. But this is what the vineyard did and it continues with others adopting the same attitude today. The Manifest Sons of God interpretation of Rom.8 is that a certain group of overcomers will attain immortalization after coming to perfection under the authority of the latter-day apostles and prophets teachings (of which he is one). They will be able to move in and out of the supernatural and natural realms, even have the ability to walk through walls. This is Paul Cain's explanation: “So my point is, that there will be a manifestation of the sons and daughters of God. And it won't be this baloney that we've heard of in the past; I mean, there's been a few people tried to walk through a wall like this over here and knocked their brain loose, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about a true manifested son of God: if anyone walks through this wall over here, they're not going to tell you about it- I mean, they're just going to do it. And sons of God don't tell you they're sons of God, they'll just show You! Amen!”' (Paul Cain, The New breed.) Were still waiting for this to be proven by showing, not by talking.

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Paul Cain's view of what the Church has upheld of the bible changes as well. Instead of a 2nd coming of the physical Christ to earth it is a 2nd coming of power manifested inside the church. “I want you to know he's coming to the church before he comes FOR the church. … it's not a trip to heaven, but it's really him coming to make his abode IN US, so I guess, look out planet earth, the Lord is coming back again, he's coming to his people! (Paul Cain nov.88 tape “My Fathers house” quoted in Mainstream, spring 1995) “I don't know what the Second Coming means to you, there's so many different returns of the Lord, or comings of the Lord, I don't know, we have a cardinal doctrine like that, but let me tell you he's coming to YOU. he's coming to his Church, he is coming to abide in you, to take up his abode in you.” (Paul Cain: Nov 88, Tape: “My Father's House”) Isn't this what He has done all already? The bible teaches that we are the Church because he lives in us 1 Cor.12:13, We have become the temple of God as soon as we are born again. Jn.17 tells us he is to live inside the believer (Eph.1) so what in the world is Cain referring to? The manifestation of the Sons of God, which means the Lord is coming to his church but this time in power and glory to indwell his people, and be seen by all. It is likened to the return of the Ark to the Temple, or the return of the Shekinah Glory. That this “glory “ will be seen visibly as in the days of old.” I had thought that this is what happened with the tongues of fire over the apostles heads in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. …”and I tell you God is going to suddenly appear in his House and the whole world is going to say 'don't try to lead me to your God, don't try to tell me where he is, I SEE him, he's living in you…”(Cain: November 1988. Tape: “Given As A Token”) “Something's going to come so strong to you that you won't even know that there be any baptism of the Holy Ghost compared to the enormous baptism you're about to receive.” (Paul Cain, “Prophecy for the Vineyard,” Anaheim Vineyard, 1989) The bible teaches there is only one baptism, does this mean the Church for almost 1950 years have been missing the power that is available from the Holy Spirit. What kind of power is he talking about? Lets see… Power surges from the new anointing During a Spiritual warfare conference in Anaheim Feb.1988 “On his (Paul Cain) first visit to Anaheim (to visit John Wimber) in February 1988 Paul saw powerful lights across the room and a strong sense of the presence of God was accompanied by revelations in the word of knowledge. On that occasion an expensive video camera was shortcircuited. This was battery operated and no plugged into any outlet. The next night the telephone system was blown out though no one

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was on the phone at the time.” (Some Said It Thundered, David Pytches, p.52) Paul Cain claims that the power and the anointing he has is so strong, when he speaks they experience tremendous power surge. Actually all the Kansas city prophets have such power that it affects the environment around them. This is hardly to be equated with the holy Spirit but more like a magnetic force that interrupts other power sources. Ptyches writes in his book some say it thundered, Mike Bickle told me of a particular night that week when Paul had been prophesying and the power of God came down mightily. Everyone began to sense the “manifest presence of God” powerfully in the room. ... A solemn awe fell over the whole place. Some simply remained sitting still in their seats. Others tiptoed the aisles in trembling silence. Suddenly there was the sound of sirens as two fire engines screeched to a standstill right outside the center. The doors burst open and a number of uniformed firemen with hoses and axes demanded to know where the fire was. Mike shook his head, hardly able to cope with such an abrupt and earthly “landing.” “There is no fire,” he said. “Oh, yes, there's a big one somewhere! Down at the station all the signals possible are going for this place. The circuits have blown and set off the alarm system. There are signs of a tremendous power surge,” said the leading fireman. Hardly waiting in his frenzied rush to find the fire. ... After the meeting Paul turned quietly to Mike and apologized. “I am so sorry about the fire scare. I should have warned you that that does sometimes happen when there is a lot of divine power about!” (Some Said It Thundered, p.52) “The new 'prophets' promote a NEW THING that would soon happen. This NEW THING would be based on signs, wonders and miracles. A very clear warning went out to 'beware the Old Order Brethren'. The ones considered to be Old Order were obviously not part of the flow. Signs and wonders are to be seen as “God's endorsement of the right message and the right Messenger “. This is exactly what Branham used to validate himself as being the messenger. “God's raising up a new standard, a new banner, if you will, that's going to radically change the expression, the understanding of Christianity in our generation...God has invited us to have a role in establishing a new order of Christianity...God is offering to this generation something He has never offered to any other generation...beware lest old order brethren rob you and steal this hope from you.” (Paul Cain, “You Can Become the Word!” 1989, Vineyard Prophetic Conference) (Discernment Newsletter)

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It really should be beware of “New Order” brethren. What is the hope that is going to be stolen? Having miracle working powers to conquer the earth for Christ. Cains Joel's army is starting to take shape as he explains “Many years ago,.. I have came to the crossroads of life and I saw a vision of an illuminated billboard on which was written: Joel‟s army in training. “It was on these crossroads with an arrow pointing to the spot-though there was no building on it then! I believe God has shown me that here he is going to raise up an army. This army is not a destructive army but a deliverance army…”( David Ptyche‟s, Some Said It Thundered, p.132) While this is what he may like it to be, but the biblical view is an army of destruction which God himself destroys in the end. There seems to be much double speak coming from the prophets of the Latter Rain camp. DESTRUCTIVE or deliverance? Jack Deere describes Joel 2 it is hardly to deliver “When this army comes, He says it‟s large and it‟s mighty. It‟s so mighty that there‟s never been anything like it before…„begin the slaughter and begin it in the temple and begin it with the elders, the leaders of my people.‟ And they walk through the land and they start and they begin to slaughter and you know it‟s already started with the biggest names in His household? He has already started the slaughter…and it is coming now among the Church.” ( It Sounds Like the Mother of All Battles, Jack Deere, VMI, Joel‟s Army, 1990, “Joel‟s Army”) The only thing that I seem to notice getting slaughtered in the church today is correct doctrine and the fact is they don't seem to care. Jack Deere supports Paul Cain and Bob Jones, and is convinced they are the two prophets of Revelation. He alleges that Cain is virtually right all the time. “You see why we're excited about someone like Paul Cain or Bob Jones coming on the scene? Or others that we've met…you know those two powerful witnesses in Revelation 11:3? You know what - they are first and foremost? They are prophets. He said they will prophesy for 1,260 days. He's going to end the last days just before His Son returns with a prophetic movement that will sweep the entire face of the earth and will eclipse anything we have ever seen before…the significance of these signs and wonders…But they don't just happen on the earth. They come because they are prayed for and they are predicted by God's people.” (Jack Deere, “Joel‟s Army”) Revelation 11 “… And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in

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sackcloth. ... And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. … These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.” (Jack Deere, “Joel‟s Army”) Rick Joyner speaks of a civil war inside the Church. The blues battling the grays in his end-time scenario that is likened to the American Civil war. It is clear from his writings that he is speaking of the new thing that is to be the standard. Those who fight against it are holding on to the old. It's been said birds of the same feather flock together. Cain is a joint partner in writing Joyner‟s morning star Journal. Frangipane agrees with an army that, as “it follows Christ, initiates spiritual warfare against the various gates of Hell.” … “There are growing number of churches around the world who are being gathered together by the Lord for War”(The Three Battlegrounds, Francis Frangipane p124,128) He considers those who do not follow the prophets as Jezebel because they do not want to repent. Theses are not the prophets of old but the new ones. “Though this spirit will infiltrate the church, masking its desire for control with true Christian doctrines, it will hide from true repentance… Jezebel hates the prophets, for the prophets speak out against her. The prophets are her worst enemies. When she wars, it is to stir people against the message of the prophetic church. More than she hates the prophets, she hates the word they speak.”( F.Frangipane, The Jezebel spirit, p.6) Here he says they will use true Christian doctrine but will hate the word the PROPHETS speak. This is the civil war that Joyner speaks of, this is where the war is to take place. Those who want to follow the new prophets and apostles ( that will change the course of Christianity) and those who follow the “old” doctrines of Scripture. They make no bones about where they stand on this. The Bible speaks clearly about the only war to come in the last days and it is in Joel 2:5-7 “With a noise like chariots over mountaintops they leap, like the noise of a flaming fire that devours the stubble, like a strong people set in battle array… They run like mighty men, they climb the wall like men of war; every one marches in formation, and they do not break ranks.” This army is the one they reference as the miracle army exercising God's authority on the earth. But the Bible tells us this army will be destructive upon Israel and God will destroy them in the end. Want to be destroyed, join Joel's army!. God also states Zech.14:2 “For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem.”

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Rev 16:14 “For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.” This the battle the Bible mentions for last days, and it is destructive. Notice they perform signs, these signs deceive the people. We are told these new prophets will exhibit great powers unlike anyone before in history. “No prophet or apostle who ever lived equaled the power of these individuals in this great army of the Lord in these last days. No one ever had it, not even Elijah or Peter or Paul, or anyone else enjoyed the power that is gong to rest on this great army.” (Bob Jones and Paul Cain. “Selections from the Kansas City Prophets,” audiotape) There are often times harsh words for those who do not accept the “new thing” and find themselves holding onto the old things of the word. “We are the ones who will choose if the next move of God will be a day of salvation or a day of judgment - for those who reject it...will have a more severe judgment - This next wave (of the Spirit) will not be stopped, and the opposition will soon be forgotten...the past no longer exists and those who try to live in it cease to be a part of what God is doing today.” (Paul Cain, the Word and the Spirit conference, London October 1992) “ Don't speak a word against signs and wonders and the prophetic ministry in these last days or God's zeal will chasten you! (Paul Cain, “The Prophet Christ For the Nations (Dallas: Christ For The Nations, September 1989), p. 5) In other words don't test a thing accept the power displays as from God or you will be punished by them. The new breed which God said Cain would stand before is thousands of believers manifesting signs and wonders greater than those of Jesus or the apostles. It is his revelation of Joel's army with the Church (part of it) becoming Christ. “...Every time God ever planned to do anything, the devil would get wind of it and he'd go out there are try to head it off...When he knew Moses was coming, what did he do to stop him...He killed all the babies. What did he do when he figured that Jesus was going to be born at a certain time? He released a decree through the wicked ruler to kill all the babies. Don't you see? And what's he doing now?...Abortions on every hand. So, you must know something's coming up greater than Moses, greater than,...Even in Jesus' day, because the devil is trying to kill off the New Breed. He's trying to kill off the bride of Christ and trying to kill the whole thing off, but the Lord has well planted this seed and the New Bride and the New Breed...He's about to open the womb and He's about to give birth to this New Thing...When the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us we beheld the glories of the only begotten of the Father and when you

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begin to become that Word I want you to know. The world will behold the glory of the Father and that's what we're waiting to see...I want you to know that we're going to have some channeling one of these days, but it's going to be channeled right out of the throne room of Heaven.” (Paul Cain, “You Can Become the Word!”, 1989, Vineyard Prophetic Conference) “ Paul Cain has seen, by the Holy Spirit, an earth-shaking outpouring of REVIVAL such as the world has NEVER seen! ... Prophet Paul Cain has seen in the Spirit, a last days revival so powerful that hospitals will literally be emptied and people kneeling in public places to receive Christ will become commonplace! This was Cain's prophesy of a great revival for 1994. 1994 came and went and despite the many who saw the same thing (John Hinkle's evil will be ripped from the earth and Kim Clement) they continue to preach the same things. It seems that along with the “new thing” there comes amnesia for false prophecies from those who speak to those who listen. Much like the Jehovah's Witnesses God gives new light and the followers continue to chase the illusive butterfly. (Paul Crouch, “Blessed Are the Eyes Which See,” PTL Newsletter, March 1994) Benny Hinn agrees “The day is coming, I tell you this, I knew it like I know my name, the day is coming there will not be one sick saint in the body of Christ. Nobody will be, nobody's gonna be, no one will be raptured out of a hospital bed. You're all gonna be healed before the rapture.” (Benny Hinn, “Praise the Lord,” 7/8/96) It will be days of miracles as Paul Cain describes, “all the sick are gonna be healed, the dead are gonna be raised and nations are gonna turn to God in a day.” (Bob Jones and Paul Cain, “Selections from the Kansas City Prophets,” audiotape from discernment newsletter) this is the very same thing Benny Hinn had said in his Honolulu crusade in 1999, Repeating what Miss Khulmann said,” the day will come when the anointing of God will so increase upon his church that ever sick believer will be healed by the power of almighty God. There will not be one sick Christian!” this is pure Latter Rain heresy. The Bible does not speak of any healing of this magnitude (ALL people) this side of heaven, without our new transformed bodies in the resurrection. Nor does it teach of a great revival that will sweep all the unbelievers into the Church at one time. The Christian gospel will never be accepted by the many, never has, never will. Cain is referring to this generation of restored apostles and prophets that will lead people to join Joel's army. Benny Hinn says about a last days revival the same thing” you better be ready, church. They‟re going to walk up to you at K-Mart and Albertson‟s. They‟re going to walk up in the mall and say, “Hey, I know you‟re a Christian. There‟s something funny about you. I‟m not sure I understand it.” And they‟re going to say to you, … I‟ve seen something

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in you and I got to have it right now. I don‟t know whether it‟s called God or Jesus, but I‟ve got to have it right now.” (Honolulu Blaisdell Arena Jan.21, 1999) Cain has said of himself “If you don't think I am anointed that just shows you how the devil has fooled you.” (MCF, 12/31/1998) This certainly sounds like something an apostle would say, right! no prophet ever called himself anointed above anyone else who was a Christian. The presidential vision Both Paul Cain and Rick Joyner together produce The Morning Star Prophetic Bulletin. In the 1993 issue he shares the dream he had of President Clinton: Paul Cain saw the lord put his spirit on Bill Clinton and change him into another man just as he did Saul. “This would be wonderful and remains yet to be seen. “The Lord said that He was giving us a new president who is better than we deserve. He represents a reprieve from a New World Order that the Church is not prepared to face at this time...” A reprieve from what? Bill Clinton and Al Gore's policies are for the New Order of the World! The Lord said? This is bunk, and anyone linked with Paul Cain should question him on this supposed word from God. Is Clinton better than we deserve, think of what this means. “The Lord showed Paul Cain that He wanted to use Bill Clinton to bring blessing to America, not judgment, but this word is conditional on how His people respond.” Again, the prophecy is conditional. This easily exonerates the “prophet”. We see the people have responded overwhelmingly for Clinton. So this should in fact come true! Well America has had monetary blessing under Clinton but we also are falling apart at the seams morally and spiritually. Paul was shown five headlines in the dream is because Bill Clinton represents grace from God, not judgment. (Paul has always believed that the number five represents “grace” in Scripture.) The Morning Star Prophetic Bulletin - January, 1993) “Bill Clinton represents grace from God, not judgment ... In the dream Paul was told that Bill Clinton was better than we deserved and that he may be viewed as the best president in America since Dwight Eisenhower ... The Lord wants to use Bill Clinton to move the country forward and not backward.” (referenced from Discernment newsletter Mar/Apr. 1993) He's right, Clinton is viewed as the best by the public, but I don't think that would be God‟s perspective, do you? Putting aside what Cain thinks of numbers, a man who is in such a high position has made America a laughing stock and has influenced the people in an immoral way. One can only wonder about the

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accuracy of such prophecy, since God does not speak so arbitrarily in one way and so obnoxious in another. Considering the agenda as well as the operation of Cain and the Kansas City prophets, this has become no small issue. These men have gained prominence in the Church and have already changed the direction of Pentecostalism. First there had been only a few that has now grown to many, warning about what is actually taking place. These issues are not going away. Each of us must be fully convinced on what side we will stand. What is our part? Search the Scriptures to see if these things be so! Don't be ashamed to be a Berean and agree with truth and disagree with the false “new thing.” Be bold enough to confront error no matter how big the person is who dispenses it. There is a spirit of error and truth, and those who know the truth are their brother's keeper. “Brethren if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”(Jm.5:19-20) I feel for the people who have long been on this path and do not know how deep the deception runs. But it is never too late to get away from it and start anew. Resources : Media Spotlight and Vengeance is ours by Al Dager Discernment Newsletter, Joel's Army, the New Order of the Latter Rain by Jewel van Der Merwe The End Times and Victorious Living, by Joseph Chambers