Investigating William Branham: The Unfolding Story of Plagiarisms and Errors - Paperback

by Bryan H. Smalls (Author)

Who was William Branham (1909-1965) and what were his claims? He was an American pastor and evangelist credited for spearheading the post World War II healing revivals of the 1940s and 50s. In the 1960s, he began to view himself as Elijah the prophet of Malachi 4:5-6, who restores the elect to the word of God as a forerunner of Christ's return; the seventh angel messenger of Revelation 3:14 and 10:7, who reveals every hidden mystery of the Bible in the end time; and the fulfillment of the Son of man ministry of Luke 17:30, who reveals Christ to the last generation as a prophet. He also believed his message was the "shout" of Christ's second coming in 1 Thessalonians 4:16.Currently, an estimated two million people believe Branham's claims. Nonetheless, this full-sized book of 17 chapters and 320 pages challenges his claims and teachings from an insider's perspective through an eight months investigative research. In doing so, the author provides a convincing compilation of more than 3,000 excerpts, credible references, official documents, archived newspaper articles, historical facts, and insightful scriptures. This compilation uncovers wide-ranging plagiarisms, disproven and embellished supernatural vindications, failed visions, failed prophecies, failed "Thus saith the Lord," failed predictions, and vast unscriptural doctrinal errors. Among Branham's most celebrated claims, the revealing of the seven seals in the book of Revelation are considered the pinnacle of his teachings. He supposedly did what the Old Testament prophets, New Testament apostles, church reformers, or any other clergy throughout history had never achieved. He claimed that seven angels revealed these hidden mysteries.However, this timely book examines, diligently compares, and provides nearly 100 pages of evidences that suggest Branham almost certainly got his understanding of the seven seals and 20 other significant revelatory teachings-supposedly revealed by God-from several well-known biblical writers of the past. These teachings include the seven church ages and messengers, seventh angel of Revelation 3:14 and 10:7, two comings of Elijah, the beast of Revelation 13, Mystery Babylon and daughters; the image, mark, and number of the beast; United States in prophecy, Daniel's seventy weeks, historical applications of four beasts, Godhead doctrines, serpent seed, water baptism, and several more.The authors of these commentaries and books are mostly Clarence Larkin (1850-1924), a very distinguished and knowledgeable Bible teacher; Uriah Smith (1832-1903), an educator and theologian of the Seventh Day Adventist; Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916), a restorationist and founder of a movement that later became the Jehovah's Witnesses organization; John Gill (1697-1771), a noted biblical scholar and theologian; and Albert Barnes (1798-1870), a noted theologian. We shall also consider other noted biblical scholars of the same eras (e.g. Cyrus Scofield and Henry Halley).Moreover, this research provides extensive scriptural evidences uncovering vast errors in Branham's teachings, including a false gospel of salvation. How? During the latter years, Branham believed his message was necessary or the evidence for salvation, the Holy Spirit baptism, the new birth, and rapture to heaven; rather than the gospel of Christ preached by the apostles.This book also examines the inaccuracies and repeated revisions in Branham's visions of 1933, whereby God allegedly revealed seven major events that would transpire before Christ's return in 1977. This research pinpoints developing historical trends and occurrences between the 1920s and 1960s that possibly influenced those seven prophecies and revisions. The final updated version of these visions appears in his 1965 book on the seven church ages, where the obvious errors from earlier sermons had been cleverly removed. Thus, when facts are weighed, Branham's teachings and claims are conclusively proven wrong.