What is Branhamism?

Response

The term Branhamism pertains to the teachings of the “prophet” William M. Branham (1909–1965), although those who adhere to his teachings may not necessarily embrace the term. His followers may identify themselves as Branhamites or Message Believers. They hold the belief that William Branham, also known as “Brother Branham,” was the final prophet to the church, fulfilling Malachi 4:5. Branham, who wielded significant influence in the heretical Latter Rain Movement, was seen as the one tasked with restoring the church to the authentic apostolic faith.

William Branham was born in 1909 in Cumberland County, Kentucky. According to his parents, a light hovered over him in his cradle. He professed to have received a revelation from God at the age of 3. Following a near-fatal accident, he claimed to have heard a voice—another divine revelation—and from that moment onward, he began seeking God. He became involved in the Pentecostal movement and eventually received ordination as an Independent Baptist minister, despite his endorsement of Oneness Pentecostalism. He alleged to have regular visions and revelations from God.

In 1946, Branham initiated a healing ministry and, as a faith healer, made several remarkable, high-profile assertions that were later challenged or disproven (as the individuals he claimed to have healed passed away). He asserted that the same angel who accompanied the Israelites in the wilderness was with him—he even purported to have captured this angel on film. The photographic “evidence” displays a halo-like aura over Branham while he preached. By the mid-1950s, his following began to dwindle, leading to the propagation of increasingly controversial and sensational teachings.

On Christmas Eve 1965, William Branham succumbed to injuries sustained in a car accident. Initially, his followers anticipated his resurrection, resulting in a delay in his burial. Eventually, he was interred on April 11, 1966 (and has not been heard from or seen since, except for.Messages recorded before his death). Branham is buried under a large pyramidal tombstone in Jeffersonville, Indiana. On one side of the tombstone are the names of the seven churches in Revelation, and on the opposite side are the names of the churches’ “angels,” which Branham and his followers interpreted to be various ages of the church and the primary minister to the church in that age:

The Ephesian Age – Paul

The Smyrnean Age – Irenaeus

The Pergamean Age – Martin of Tours

The Thyatiran Age – Columba

The Sardis Age – Martin Luther

The Philadelphian Age – John Wesley

The Laodicean Age – William Branham

On the front of the tombstone are inscribed the following: “BEHOLD I WILL SEND YOU THE PROPHET BEFORE THE COMING OF THE GREAT AND DREADFUL DAY OF THE LORD” and “BUT IN THE DAYS OF THE VOICE OF THE SEVENTH ANGEL WHEN HE SHALL BEGIN TO SOUND, THE MYSTERY OF GOD SHOULD BE FINISHED, AS HE HATH DECLARED TO HIS SERVANTS THE PROPHETS.”

As evidenced by his tombstone, Branham saw himself as the seventh angel to the church of Laodicea—the apostate church of the end times.

There is no single “Branhamite denomination” or central headquarters. In fact, Branham taught that members of denominational churches had taken the mark of the beast. There are a number of groups today that still follow William Branham. These range widely in belief and practice.

One group, “Branham Christ,” goes so far as to say that Christ is the “Alpha” and William Branham is the “Omega” and that Jesus is the “Only Begotten Son” and William Branham is the “First Begotten Son.” It is clear from their official website that they see Jesus and Branham as equal if not equivalent. Another group believes that Branham will be resurrected first and then call for the return of Christ. Another group listens to the recorded messages of William Branham as their only teaching. And there is at least one group that has great respect

For Branham’s teachings but has attempted to correct them.

The teachings of William Branham are somewhat disorganized and contradictory, making them challenging to classify. However, some of the most contentious doctrines include modalism (the belief that God exists as a single Person but manifests Himself in various modes), baptism in the name of Jesus only (insisting that individuals baptized using the Trinitarian formula need to undergo re-baptism), the serpent seed doctrine (suggesting that Eve’s sin in the Garden involved a sexual encounter with the serpent), annihilationism (the concept that hell is not a site of eternal punishment), Word Faith (sometimes referred to as “name it and claim it”), the assertion that the zodiac and the Egyptian pyramids hold the same authority as written Scripture, and, of course, his own elevated position in God’s plan and the church’s history, coupled with his exaggerated assertions of receiving miraculous revelations and possessing healing powers.

In addition to Branham’s involvement in occult practices and his heretical, anti-Trinitarian teachings, there is his false prophecy. Branham personally predicted that the world would end in or before 1977. The teachings of William Branham consist of flawed theology, misinterpreted Scripture passages, and personal arrogance. It would be wise for Christians to avoid them.