BRANHAMISM &
WILLIAM BRANHAM
How Some Christians View
& Distort William M. Branham's Teachings.
DISCREPANCIES &
BRANHAMISM
An important message to
all who follow the Message of the Hour � the message which was
delivered by William M. Branham.
THE FOUNDATION & THE
WALL
...the DECREE, the HOMELAND, the WATCHMEN and learning the Fathers'
Faith.
[French version: click here]
WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF THE
HOUR?
Is it the taped
messages of William Marrion Branham, or.....?
[French version: click here]
[Telegu version: click here]
THE ORIGINAL SIN ~ What is it? & THE
SERPENT SEED
The doctrines of the
Original Sin and the Serpent Seed expounded.
[Telegu version: click here]
[Tamil version: click here]
[Khmer version: click here]
LOGOS: THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION OF
GOD
UPDATED
What is the Logos? Who
is Jesus Christ? Who is God the Father? A study on the Revelation of
God
[Arabic version: click here]
[Marathi version: click here]
[Tamil version: click here]
[Khmer version: click here]
THE REVELATION OF JESUS
CHRIST
Understanding the
prophetic visions shown to the Beloved of Christ.
[Arabic version: click here]
FROM GLORY TO
GLORY
Growing towards
perfection
and the final transformation.
[French version: click here]
[Marathi version: click here]
[Arabic version: click here]
THE MARK
OF CAIN & THE WICKED
ONES
...examining the Mark of
Cain and all his kind.
THE HOLY CITY NEW
JERUSALEM
Answers the
question "Is this Holy City literal?" The Revelation of the
mystery expounded and the original location of the Garden of Eden
revealed in the Light of God's Word.
[Hindi version: click here]
[Arabic version: click here]
SPEAK THE WORD! ~ The Spoken Word
Ministry
An ordained Spoken Word
Ministry
that gives Life to transform the
Bride
of Christ as she looks
toward the
Promised Son of God.
HIS INHERITANCE IN THE
SAINTS
What is Christ's
Inheritance in the Saints of God?
[Arabic version: click here]
THE TABERNACLE OF
GOD
Deals with the question � "Where is God's abode?"
THE BOTTOMLESS
PIT
Satan's diabolical and
filthy impersonation of God's work.
[French version: click here]
THE IMAGE & LIKENESS OF
GOD
Deals with the Creation
of Man.
A study on the Doctrine of the Soul
and its Nature.
[Telegu version: click here]
TWO SHALL BE ONE
FLESH
Showing how God intended
Adam
and Eve to bring forth their children
into existence.
[Telegu version: click here]
OVERSEERSHIP
...deals with the
Ministries in the House of God.
THERE IS NO
ELISHA!
...Is there an "Elisha"
or an "Elisha"
type ministry following the death of
William M.
Branham, the 7th Church Age Messenger?
[French version: click here]
POLYGAMY: THEY HAVE GONE IN THE
WAY OF LAMECH
REVISED
...Did the 7th
Church Age Messenger, William Branham, or the Bible, sanction
Polygamous Marriage among the Saints of God? PLUS, are the Ministers of the
"Ascension Gifts" Ministry required to marry only
virgins?
[French version: click here]
TIME and
SIGNS
Looking at the
significance of some world happenings.
[Arabic version: click here]
[Khmer version: click here]
REVELATION,
TRUTH &
LOVE
REVISED
...examining the
"revelation" of the Believers today. Plus, where lies Truth
and pure Love?
HEARING, THEY HEAR
NOT
...Thrilled
by a message? How ought a Believer to hear Truth?
YOU CANNOT OUTGIVE
GOD
...the Blessing and
Miracle of Tithing unto the Lord God.
[Khmer version: click here]
SCRIPTURALLY...THE
TRUTH
....a look at some of the statements gleaned from the sermons of
William Branham. (A very
basic help and guide article.)
THE SEVEN THUNDERS
OF
REVELATION
...What or Who are the
Seven Thunders? Have they already uttered their voices? What are
their utterances?
THE TEN VIRGINS
Who are the wise virgins
and
who are
the foolish virgins?
What is the oil? Who makes the cry?
Who
are the oil merchants?
[Arabic version: click here]
IT'S RAINING!
Are you
soaking in the "former rain"?
Are you looking for the "latter rain"?
The
Rains are behind the Open Door.
A PLACE BY ME
− ON THE ROCK
How many
believers have, by their foolish contradictory utterances and/or actions,
denied the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, of whom they have confessed
to
be the Only One worthy
of worship, honour,
glory, praise and homage?
THE EVIDENCE OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT BAPTISM
Is speaking in
tongues the evidence of the Holy Spirit Baptism?
Or is it believing
and receiving the Word for the hour? Are there more to these than is
taught?
The
Revelation of
The Flaming
Sword
(& the Cherubim)
What
are they?
[French version: click here]
THE AGAPE OF GOD
What actually is Divine Love?
[Arabic version: click here]
INTERPRETING
SACRED SCRIPTURE
"If the literal sense makes sense, seek no other sense", so they say.
[French version: click here]
THE SIN OF ADAM
What had Adam
done?
[Arabic version: click here]
RELIGO
The religion of man and its deception. Scripturally, are there
"Chief Apostle" and "Lead Apostle"? Examining their claims of absoluteness
of "revelations" � touching on Cain, Giants and Canaan.
IT IS FINISHED!
...from the Garden
to Calvary, and from Calvary to Eternity. The Veil was torn to present the
Blood of His sweet sacrificial life before the Throne.
THE FINALE SERIES
contains the following three messages:
1)
THE COMING OF
CHRIST
...examining the time
and season of the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. How is He coming
for His Bride? What sign(s) will there be?
[French version: click here]
[Khmer version: click here]
2)
THE MARRIAGE OF THE
LAMB
A Typological Study
reflected
by the Ancient Oriental Marriage Customs and
Traditions.
[French version: click here]
[Khmer version: click here]
3)
THE FINAL EVENTS
...deals with Revelation 10. Are we living in the hour of the final
events for the Church?
[French version: click here]
IF YOU WILL BE SINCERE...
Concerning this
matter of insincerity among ministers and believers.
ELIJAH THE PROPHET
...his connection with the
Restoration and Redemption Plan of God.
GENESIS
"Bereshit"...in the beginning...
taking a look at the beginning of time to the call of Abram.
Printable .PDF File
Several messages are available in other languages.
� All the
messages posted come with a printable .pdf file using Acrobat
Reader for printing.
Left mouse button click (on "Printable .pdf file"
icon) will launch Acrobat Reader on your browser. It will take quite some
time to download and display large files. � I suggest you use
right mouse button click to download and "save file as" on to your hard
disk to read/print at leisure.
[If you do not have an Acrobat
Reader, download a free copy from Adobe.com]
� If you like to download all the messages in .pdf
format,
click
here.
�
Click here to see a list of
Prophetic*Revelation books
*MISCELLANEOUS
ARTICLES*
From Eternity to Eternity
chart
re-touched, 10
Jan. 2012
Arabic Version available
French Version available
Can A Divorced Woman
Remarry?
Unscriptural dividing of
the Word not only put a person in unnecessary bondage but also much
pain.
Can Christians Eat Food Offered To
Idols, and Blood?
Church tradition versus
the Word.
What William Branham said about the Seven
Thunders...
New Repost
Of Man's & Woman's
Garments
Is the "trousers" truly
forbidden to the woman and the "skirt" to the man?
Branhamism in the very extreme
Branhamism
in the News
The Theophany of William Branham & His Return
Ministry
THE FOLDED NAPKIN
Did Jesus fold the napkin?
THE
ECUMENICAL MOVEMENT
*Offerings to Prophetic*Revelation*
[Instructions]
SONGS written by Richard Gan
♫
I Belong To You, Lord Jesus
♪
(Click
here for Music sheet.)
♫
It Is Raining ♪
(Chorus is public domain and slightly altered for
the song.)
(Click
here for Music sheet.)
♫
Wonderful Time
♪
(Click
here for the Lyrics.)
♫
Because I'm Yours, Lord
♪
(Click
here for the Lyrics.)
Interesting
sites/links:
●Reflections
on Faith
●Rhema
Life Ministry
●Sound the alarm
more quakes
are due
●Underwater Landslides Threaten
California Coast
The Charismatics have a great
adoration for the Holy Spirit in their fellowship because they believe
that the Holy Spirit is not the Spirit of the Father Who
indwell the Son but another (the Third) Person in the
Godhead. If the Trinitarians are right, then the Apostle
John was truly wrong in his revelation when he wrote:
"That which we
have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship
with us: and truly our fellowship is with the
Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ" (1
Jhn.1:3). Notice that John did not add
"and with the
Holy Spirit". Read the salutation of all the epistles of Paul, eg.
Rom.1:7; 1 Cor.1:3; 1 Tim.1:2.
|
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Friends and
Bible Believers, I am setting up this website to bring about an awareness
of the Apostolic Teachings of God which was once delivered to the saints
of old. Because of the lateness of the hour there have been many
discussions promoted on the Net regarding the soon return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
� as to when and how
He will come. However, we need to
be aware that unless we, as believers and worshippers, are true to God's
Revelation as written in His Word, we might even miss that blessed hope
and find ourselves in the time of the great tribulation that is soon to
come upon the world. This new millennium must certainly be the Lord's.
Prophetic signs point to His Return, perhaps within the first
decade. [The first and second decades have passed. O, how long will He
tarry to take His Bride away?]
The churches today
are so organized and even commercialized that many Christian people do not
know the Word of God. I have personally known many Christians who do
not even know the basic fundamental teachings of the Word. Basic
fundamental truths are only what they had gathered from their church
creeds and dogmas. They have never grown in the faith and in the
Word even after attending church services for several years.
Many times I have
been told that doctrines only separate Christian people. Well, this is
true only when love and understanding are lacking in the Christians, after
all when a Baptist presents his doctrines to a Lutheran, or a Charismatic
presents his teachings to a Presbyterian, they are bound to argue and
debate. God's Word is what we live on and the Apostolic teachings
are our foundations of the Faith. [Click here for our
Statement of Faith.]
There are some
30,000 or more denominations, sects and groups in the Christian World and
each one claims to have the Truth. We know that is just not
true. Jesus once asked this question:
"When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the
earth?" So then, what is Truth?
What is Faith? [Read the message
Speak The
Word!]
There has been
a good response to this website since it was put up in September 1998.
With the first two messages � the doctrine of THE ORIGINAL SIN and the doctrine of THE
SERPENT SEED (two doctrines which are
practically lost to the denominational churches) � we have since added many
others.
Though I am a
firm believer of the Spoken Word Ministry and Message of William M.
Branham, I am not a Branhamite. I do not agree with the many
teachings taught by many of his followers whom the organized churches have
given the name Branhamites. William Branham did not
create the Branhamites nor did he bring about Branhamism. Those
foolish followers did when they failed to hearken to his simple admonition
to: "Come back to the Original! Back to
Pentecost! Back to the Apostolic Fathers' Faith! Back to the Absolute, the
Word of God, the Holy Scripture!" Branham's Absolute is the Holy Bible.
But to his followers it is Branham's words on magnetic tapes. Some of
those followers have called Branham
� Lord Branham Christ
� and are
even baptizing converts into his name.
Also, I am
aghast at the many articles written against William Branham that are
posted on the Internet by the Trinitarians and so-called Apostolic.
Most of these writers have no true knowledge of Branham's teachings. They
blamed Branham for all the confusions and false teachings, publishing only
what they have gathered from the Branhamites who, in the first place, are
in error. (Talk about the blind leading the blind.) Read this article:
BRANHAMISM
� How Some
Christians View & Distort Branham's Teachings.
Feel free to email
me your comment or question. I sincerely believe that a Truth Seeker and
True Worshipper will find the Truth and the Spirit of God in His
Word.
May God bless
you.
Richard l. s. Gan February 1999
PS: Please do
not email questions which seek to draw out a lengthy debate over the
statements of Bro. Branham or in the defence of Branhamism. There
are other websites for that. This is not one of them.
In these sharp, cutting
Messages, if I have intentionally tried to hurt somebody, God forgive me. I wouldn't do that, for nothing. But yet
I'm a prisoner to this Word, see, I--I must stay right with It. I don't
speak hard things to make people feel bad. I speak things sharp,
sometimes, to make people look, see, an exclamatory, "Oh,
look!" See, to make them look at it, to see. Then if you get
them, maybe sometimes it provokes them. And about nine times out
of ten, if they get a little bit provoked, they'll go to searching the
Scriptures, and God does the rest of it then. You see?
[Calling
Jesus on the Scene. Chicago. Il. 63-0804E - Wm.Branham]
Hello...Message Period
Believers..., read what Wm. Branham said:
You poor
degenerated, backslidden... What's the matter? Miserable... How can you
follow God? How can you go where the Spirit goes?
Your organization'd be fine if
you end your doctrine with a comma.
"We believe this,
plus what God can add to it."
But you end it with a
period.
"We
believe this, and you toe the mark to this, or that's it." That's what Luther done. That's
what Wesley done. That's what John Smith done. That's what Alexander
Campbell done. That's what they all done. And that's what Pentecost done.
There you are: dead forty years on your tracks. And the promised land of
the fullness of God's blessings lays right before you.
[Choosing Law for Grace-1961 - Wm.Branham]
Why, as I was speaking the other
night at Shreveport in
those--the communion when they'd kill that sacrificial lamb, there was to
be no leaven among them through the entire seven days. And no leaven, no
leaven bread, everything had to be unleavened. That represented the seven
church ages that we get in the book here. And there's no leaven what
it
� it's something mixed with it. And we've the
mixed creed, and denomination, and everything else
with the Word and still try to call It the Word. No leaven shall be
the entire seven days.
And even what is eat today,
don't try to keep it for tomorrow,
burn it with fire before the daylight comes, for
there's a new message coming forth and a new thing.
[The Rapture - Wm.Branham]
We mustn't condemn individuals,
but as a minister, I have to strike
that serpent out there that's biting into those people.
You see? And I don't... There's... I don't even... Just me in myself, I
wouldn't do that if it wasn't a commission from God that I'm duty bound
to do it (See?), and I must hold that true and faithful.
But if a
Catholic, Jew,
or whatever he was, come here... If he was a
Mohammedan,
Greek, or
Orthodox,
or whatever he might be, if he come here to be prayed for, I would pray
just as sincerely for him as I would for my own. That's right.
Certainly, because it's a human being. I've prayed for
Buddhists, and
Sikhs,
Jains,
Mohammedans, and--and every kind (You see?), like that. And I don't ask
them no questions; I just pray for them because they're somebody, a
human being, that wants to get well, and try to make life a little
easier along the road for them.
[The
Fifth Seal - Wm.Branham]
What is a Branhamite?
Several readers
have written me to say
that I should be ashamed of myself for
calling followers of William Branham, Branhamites. Should
I? [Click to open] |
Bro. Gan, we
have been taught by many Endtime Message preachers that all
mysteries have been revealed by Bro. Branham from Genesis to
Revelation.
If that is true, ask them to tell
you what had Bro. Branham reveal about the Mark of Cain, the Sin
of Ham, the true location of the Garden of Eden, the Holy City New
Jerusalem, etc.?
Be careful what you hear. There are many voices in the Message
movement today and a good number of them are Pharisaical in spirit.
Is
the Baptism of the Holy Ghost the same as being Born Again?
Click for video (33min.)
Why
did Adam have nipples?
Where is the Garden of Eden?
To whom does the Mighty Angel of the Covenant relate to:
the
Jews or the Gentiles? What does the vision of Rev.10 speak of?
Is
it true that after the fall of mankind Satan still had access to
heaven
and there participated in the meetings with angels?
Expanded
THE
ENIGMA
OF WILLIAM
BRANHAM
�
What are your thoughts on this article....?
When was Jesus born
�
December, April or September?
Bro. Gan, why do the
Branhamites refuse to look closely into the Sacred Scriptures?
Are
Christians required to give TITHE in the New Testament?
NEW
|
The Lies of Cohen Reckart
[an anti-Branham
preacher]
Updated:
22 Jan. 2020
The Lies
of Dalton Bruce
[a Branhamite
preacher]
The
Lies of Dalton Bruce...Part 2
An Exposition of The Lies of Ronald
Watson
[A disciple of Dalton Bruce]
Dr. Lamsa to W.M.Branham:
"These American people don't even know
what." ... "They are trying to take an Eastern book and make a Western
book out of it. They don't even know their Bibles."
[Adoption III]
|
FROM THE MAILBOX
Dear
Brother Gan, In 1981 I saw this light, but when I saw these
Message believers I became confused because all they would say the
prophet, and they can't go no further and because of many other
reasons. There are sisters sitting at home and others started
drinking, so that proves what you said is true; the leaders in Cape
Town has lost their visions, they have become weak and I see our
young men and women falling into sin, young brothers falling. We
need your prayers.
Dear Bro.
Gan: ...The Lord has been good to us. We are striving to
present the Word in such a way that is glorifying and edifying to
Christ rather than exalting His prophet above Him. We have so
appreciated your blessed ministry and the many wonderful Truths
that the Lord has allowed you to articulate so well. As
I've mentioned in several emails in the past,
the Branhamites in this area have really waged an
all-out battle against us due to our stand for the Word and present
ministry of the Holy Spirit. Keep us in your
prayers, my precious brother. We would still like to see about
possibly coordinating with your schedule when the time presents
itself and arranging some meetings here in the States. I
believe that your ministry would be a blessing to many who have been
bound down by the Message denominational spirit that has permeated
the so-called End Time Message Churches. Also, we are
constantly working to add content to our website as the Lord permits
and we have time. Keep us in prayer that we will put the
comments and discussion that will be edifying to the Bride of
Christ.
Hello to you! Jennie and I have been reading some
in the "big book" on the Revelation of Jesus Christ. You did
an excellent job putting all that information together. I am
sure it took much study. I really like the way you placed some
of the information. You are correct in saying that some things
have been misplaced by "message believers". They put the
emphasis in the wrong place. I don't understand how they think you
are not a "message believer". You certainly give Bro. Branham his place in God's Word. I don't think Br. Branham would be
offended. You keep pointing back to Christ. Isn't that what he
told us to do?
Hello Brother! I sure
have had lots of food for thought since meeting you. I have
been very blessed in reading your materials but more importantly I
have been challenged. I have not thought or considered some
things for many years and have had to go back and reevaluate what I
believe. When I come across something I am not sure of, my
wife reminds me to check your scripture reference. In other
words, read it for myself. As we both agree, it isn't what you
say, or I say, or what Bro. Branham said. It is what the Word
says. Over the years I have come across some teachings that I
didn't feel the scriptures supported. However, it was what
everyone seem to be teaching. Based more on quotes then
scriptures. But taking a scriptural stand didn't make us
popular! I am sure you understand. hahahaha
All I was doing was going from
quote to quote to put together my understanding of the Word of God. I was
not in any way doing what brother Branham himself said to do. "�if you're a child of
God, you'll stay with
the Prophet of this Bible."
I was looking so much at quotes and statements that I could not receive a
spiritual revelation of the word in my heart. Any quote and statement
has to be pointing us to a true understanding of the Bible. So many
times I would just put together a bunch of quotes like a jigsaw puzzle that
was all mixed up. [A
Testimony]
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All over the world, millions of
Christians are waiting for the Rapture. They are
waiting for their bodies to be changed (into glorified ones) and
then suddenly disappear from this earth. It has been widely believed
that the Rapture of all Christians will, and can, take place at any
time on any day. Many preachers have painted a breathtaking scenario
of what they believe will be the outcome of the
�sudden� rapture
� the disappearance � of
millions of Christians. They teach that chaos will rule the day when
Christians suddenly disappear from homes, schools, office-buildings,
cars, buses, trains, ships, planes and other private and public
places or vehicles. The �sudden� catching away will cause their
clothing, shoes, money bags, pens and other personal belongings to
fall off from their bodies as they fly heavenward to meet Jesus
Christ in the air. The non-Christians around will become frantic as
they see Christians disappear before their eyes. They will witness
chaos all around them. Vehicles without drivers will collide with
other vehicles on the roads; likewise, ships without pilots on the
seas. Pilot-less airplanes will crash into each other in mid air or
crash to the earth. Also, there will be riots as looters grab goods
from shops and properties owned by Christian families who have
disappeared. And all over the world thousands, perhaps millions, of
people will die or be injured as a result of these vehicular
crashes, riots and lootings.
But is there a Scriptural
basis for this scenario? [Click
here to find out]
For some years now there's
been another strange teaching propagated by some Branhamites. They
alleged that William Branham actually taught that there were 2 sets of "SEALS" in the Book of Revelation � one
set on the inside and the other on the outside. I find it hard to
follow their arguments which come with dozens of the quotes of the
prophet. One group makes the 7 Thunders as the SECOND SET of SEALS
which, according to them, were revealed in 1963. With that they
claim that the Rapture has taken place. Another group teaches that
the "little book" of Rev.10:2 is not the one in Rev.5:1; and that
each book has 7 Seals on it. Many quotes, taken from different
sermons of the prophet, are used to force-fit their so-called
revelation.
Of recent years there has been a
teaching which have caused many Endtime Message believers to no
longer come together to partake of the "Lord's Supper".
False
teachers and false prophets of Branham's Message have been going
around spreading the teaching that since the Lord, or the Word, has
come in 1963, there
is no longer a need to gather around the Lord's
Table; there is no longer a need to "remember the Lord's death
till He comes". Are those preachers demon possessed?Do they not
know that Bro. Branham even had communion services after
1963? Because of a lack of a "Back to the Word!
Back to the Absolute! Back to the Apostolic Fathers' Faith!",
the PAROUSIA of Christ is totally misunderstood. The coming
of the Spiritual Word and the coming of the literal Person of Christ
(for
the Bride in the Rapture), which are entirely two different
events, are interpreted
as a single event. And that this event has
already been fulfilled. May the Lord have mercy on
those preachers who have taken away the blessing
of the Lord's
Supper from the people by spiritualizing the ordinance set down by
the Lord � a memorial of His death until He returns literally.
I have had several believers
who left the Branhamite camps here in Singapore to fellowship with
my little assembly. After some time, they openly testified of the
blessings and revelation they received during the fellowship.
However, one day they just stopped coming. Some of them had been
with us for a good few years. When asked why they left, they gave
different reasons and excuses each time. They were afraid of
telling the truth. However, the truth about their leaving later
surfaced � they were fed fear by those
"concerned believers" from the camps they had once left. They
were told evil things about me and my teachings. But the end result
was that they were so confused that they "feared" coming to
fellowship with us, and even did not want to go back to the camps of
those Branhamites. So, they either go to a denominational church, or
stay home. It seems that the Branhamites just love to confuse people
by putting fear into their hearts.
Some Branhamite preachers are real hypocrites.
They address a man very "politely and sweetly" as "a brother"
because they want the man to embrace their teachings. "O brother,
we want you to know that you have a false doctrine. We are here to
help you understand the truth." But in the next minute they show
their true nature by calling the man "a devil", "seed of the
Serpent", etc. What contradictions! They
have a devil for a
brother! Are they confused? Not at all. They just
pride themselves to be some great men of God with the power to judge
others, having a gift to smell out 'heresies' and then
hunt down the
'heretics' with their venom. They are always out on a 'witch hunt'.
They are out to proselytize. Like the Pharisees, they are nothing
but religious snakes-in-the-grass. Their tongues are
forked. I would never address a man as "a brother"
if I know him to be a heretic and a blasphemer of God's Truth
(cf.Tit.3:10; 2 Jhn.1:10-11). Neither would I call him
"a devil" or
"Serpent's seed". I would just leave him alone.
As to what the Branhamites claim, that the
Rapture has taken place and that they are now in the Millennium
since 1977, has nothing to do with Bro. Branham. That's purely a
Branhamite's doctrine, not Bro. Branham's. Some of them have even
misinterpreted Revelation chapter 10 and claimed that the Mighty
Angel was Branham. Foolishness!
(Read
BRANHAMISM) |
●
SUPERNATURAL
LIGHT... IS IT?
●
Was William Branham�s Death Foretold in
1964?
●
THE ENIGMA OF WILLIAM BRANHAM
●
BRANHAMITE PREACHER STRUCK DEAD
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGE
A pastor who worshipped William Branham drops dead
after he challenged Jesus Christ to kill him.
[Note: Followers of Wm. Branham who make his words
to be THE ABSOLUTE, are under a cultic religious spirit;
they are making the man to be THE CHRIST, God Himself.]
●
LETTER TO PASTOR PETER WAN
●
A once ETM Preacher
practicing deceit on me
●
LETTER TO
PASTOR JOHN BEN TAY,
Tema-Ghana
|
* Is there a
difference between the Message (of William Branham) and the
Bible?
A great number of Branhamites proclaim that they are the same thing. They said that
"the Message is the Bible and the Bible is the Message". This is
foolishness. Oh, how blind and deceived are these Branhamites! Of course there is a DIFFERENCE between THE
MESSAGE and THE BIBLE! The Message points to the Bible. The Message
points us back to the Original Apostolic Fathers' Faith. The Bible does
not point to the Message. It only verifies that the Message is
true. For example, you drive down a highway and come to
a junction where you see a sign-post with a message pointing in a
certain direction
"To New York City, 70 miles".
You obey the sign and follow the direction the message provides. An hour
later you reach New York City. Now, in New York City, will there be a
sign that actually points you back to that road sign, at that junction, on
that highway? Of course not. Why? Simply because a sign, a message,
always points to an important thing, place, etc. Not vice versa! Also a
sign does not point to itself. You can park your car at that road
junction, stare at the sign, point to it and say to yourself,
"All right, that's 'New York City'".
And if you do not follow the instruction on that sign, but
"admire"
that sign the whole day, even into weeks, months or until you die, you
will still not be in New York City. Because the sign (message) is NOT
New York City, it only POINTS to it � New York City. Then again, when
you follow the instruction of the sign and finally reach New York City,
do you still need that sign? Do you have to drive back to that road
junction ever so often just to make sure that you are in New York City?
Only a fool does that.
* Inspiration �
Inbreathed
I have been told by extremist
followers of the Message of William Branham that, just as
THE BIBLE WAS
INSPIRED OF GOD, THE MESSAGE WAS SIMILARLY INSPIRED OF
GOD and therefore should be accepted
without reservation. They were satisfied to state that the very Holy
Spirit Who inspired holy men of God to write the BIBLE inspired Bro.
William Branham to speak the MESSAGE. However, is there
a difference
between "THE WRITTEN WORD OF GOD IS INSPIRED" and
"THE MESSAGES OF
WILLIAM BRANHAM ARE INSPIRED" ? To put it in another way, what difference is there when a person says
"THE BIBLE IS WRITTEN UNDER
THE INSPIRATION OF GOD"
and "EACH MESSAGE OF BRANHAM IS
SPOKEN UNDER THE INSPIRATION OF GOD" ? To answer the
question we must first ask WHAT IS MEANT BY
"THE INSPIRATION OF GOD" ? The word
"inspiration" in itself
simply means "emotion, arousal, or reaction of the mind, feelings,
etc., stimulated by someone or something to a special activity or
creativity". For examples: a man may say,
"I was
inspired
to
read the Word of God daily after I heard that great sermon
preached." Job says
"But there is a
spirit in man: and the
inspiration of the Almighty giveth them
understanding" (Job
32:8). However, the word
"inspiration" used in these
Bible verses: "All
scripture is given by
inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect,
thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim.3:16-17) has a different meaning. It came from the
Greek word: 'theopneustos' meaning
'divinely breathed
in'. The word appears
ONLY
ONCE in the Bible here and no where
else. Because of their cultic belief (their eyes focus
upon the flesh of the man, William Branham) these extremist followers of
the Message believe with all their heart that the spoken words uttered
by Bro. Branham in his messages are the same as the words written in the
Sacred Scripture (the Bible). They claimed that just as every written
word in the Bible was penned down by the movement of God's hand upon the
writers, so too every word uttered by the tongue of Bro. Branham was
controlled by the Spirit of God. Bro. Branham never taught that nor did
he ever say that the words he uttered were infallible.
Blindness has certainly come upon these people. Too long have their eyes
been upon the messenger, Bro. Branham, that they can no longer see THE
CHRIST. They see God's messenger, an anointed one, a christ, as THE WORD
Himself. How foolish they can be. To say that the message preached by Bro. Branham was
inspired of God does not point to every single word uttered by him. It
is the revelation contained in the message itself, NOT the oral words
that came forth from his mouth. Consider a
believer who was inspired by God to take the revelation of the Godhead
and Water Baptism in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ to a Trinitarian
Christian friend. And the latter, upon receiving the revelation of the
Word, might exclaim,
"Thank you for the exposition! God has indeed
sent you to me with such a wonderful message concerning the Godhead and
Water Baptism in Jesus� Name! Surely, that message is inspired of
God!" Does his exclamation mean every word uttered by the
believer was inspired of God OR does it refer to the truth he received in the message
brought to him by the believer? The apostle Paul stated
very clearly that
"all scripture is given by
inspiration
of God, and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good
works" (2 Tim.3:16-17). He never said that
his (or any prophet's or apostle's) spoken words (used during their
preaching) were "INBREATHED" though his messages (or those of the other
men of God) were inspired
of God. The Sacred Scripture,
the WRITTEN WORD, is
INBREATHED of God in that God chose each word to
build a picture from Genesis to Revelation. Over a period of about 1500
years God anointed some forty different men, regardless of their
position in life, to pen His Word. All the original
writings of the Sacred Scripture were written by ANOINTED MEN of God.
But the WORDS they penned were selected by the Holy Spirit and
positionally placed in the Volume of Books and therefore they can in no
way be DISLOCATED, MISPLACED and MISINTERPRETED.
The WORDS were "DIVINELY BREATHED IN",
'THEOPNEUSTOS'. And, only
an anointed man of God could take those words and BREAK OPEN THE TRUE
REVELATIONS OF THOSE WRITINGS. Remember that Paul said
"ALL SCRIPTURE IS GIVEN BY
INSPIRATION
(INBREATHED) OF GOD..." He did not say anything
about the ORAL WORDS USED IN HIS PREACHING BEING GIVEN BY THE
INSPIRATION (INBREATHED) OF GOD. Yes, the Apostle Paul was inspired of God to preach His
WORD, that is, he was emotionally and spiritually moved by the
stimulation (anointing) of the Holy Spirit to preach God�s Truth. But
his oral words (words he used in utterance to expound God's Truth) were not INBREATHED of
God. The SCRIPTURE is like a computer (compact) disk.
Out of it an anointed man can take out the necessary expressions and
rightly divide them to reveal a TRUTH. Whatever truth he expounds lies
in there but the oral words he uses (though some words might be prompted
by the Spirit) to expound the truth are his. But they are not equivalent
to the "INBREATHED" WRITTEN WORDS of the Scripture. Let me illustrate
with this: THE WRITTEN WORD is like a
SEED, say an apple
seed. Planted the seed will reveal certain portions of itself from day
to day. But each portion is a
PART of the seed. It is not equivalent to
the seed. Again a leaf, though a part of the seed, is unlike the seed in
any way. Therefore our preaching or even our own writings, about the
truth we have, is unlike THE SCRIPTURE which was INBREATHED of
God. THE WRITTEN WORD is actually
THE LOGOS in written
form. All that God is � in revealing Himself � is in the
LOGOS. All that God
wants us to know is given to us in THE WRITTEN WORD. Yet, the WRITTEN
WORD is not arranged systemically like, for example, a law book that
contains the laws of the land. God had it written in a story-telling
form, expressing Himself (even in songs and proverbs) in His
relationship with His creatures. He quoted and put the words of Satan,
Pharaoh, Korah, Ruth, the Pharisees, Herod, Jesus Christ, etc. in His
Volume of Books. Yet, those words were
INBREATHED and POSITIONALLY
placed by Him. The words that a preacher uses in his
preaching or writings of God�s Truth cannot be said to be INBREATHED of
God even though he is greatly anointed to teach or write the Truth of
God. We cannot add anymore to THE INBREATHED WRITTEN WORD. We can only
expound what is inside there. And Bro. Branham certainly did that just
as Jesus hinted in Matthew 13:52:
"Therefore every scribe which is
instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an
householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and
old." We thank God for Bro. Branham. But we need to
get back to THE ABSOLUTE to find our place and our Faith in those pages
of the Holy Script. It�s one thing to listen to or read Bro. Branham�s
words, it is another to know where the Truth lies in those pages of the
Scripture. Otherwise, we don't have a foundation. Like Paul, Branham
said, CHECK IT OUT WITH THE WORD. But the problem with those extremist
believers of the message is they do not have the revelation of the Lord
Jesus Christ, so they just take the oral words of Bro. Branham as their
final authority. Remember: "All scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be
perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim.3:16-17).
That�s the absolute truth. No other written words or spoken words of men
OUTSIDE OF THE SCRIPTURE are so.
Concerning the Bride and the Message
The word "Bride" in the Bible has been
taken too lightly by many Christians. It is true that in every age a
message was given to call the elect. But not all who claimed that they
believed the message of their respective age were truly members of the
Bride. That is the reason we have the different Church Ages because the
people organized themselves into denominations after each message was
given. The same is true of the 7th Church Age. In each age
there were some true elect who followed the light of the message into
the Word, and then continued on in the light of the Word as the Spirit
led them. On the other hand those who denominated within the message
would died just like those who followed the message of Moses without the
leading of the Spirit. Only Caleb and Joshua were the "bride" members
who were led by the true faith and went on into the Promised
Land. Now, since we are living in the last Church Age, the
ministry of Ephesians chapter 4 must have its fulfillment -- because it
is a "last day" ministry. Paul's words must be fulfilled. The word
"perfecting" means "complete furnishing". The saints, under the present
5-Fold Ministry, will be shaped and equipped by God thoroughly. This is
a continuous process. In Heb.6:1, Paul used the word "perfection" to
denote its consummation. That's why he said not to "lay again". Simply,
it means
"don't stay put and go over and
over the same things you have learned, but go on until we are completely
consummated in Him." You must be obedient
to the Word after you have heard the message. Bro. Branham himself said
that the FULL WORD would come after Rev.10:7,
not before or during his ministry. Amen. As you read or hear
the words of the prophet, you are encouraged to check out the Scripture.
Since the prophet cannot contradict the Word, you have to find the
Scripture verses to support your answer you give to every one who asks
of your faith. We cannot just say "Because Bro. Branham said so, I
believe." The denominationalists can also say the same: "Everything that
is in the Bible, we do believe." But what do they believe?
See? Can the message of the messenger, Bro. Branham, perfect
the Bride? The messenger with his message is only A SIGNPOST
which shows the way, A POINTER that points to something! Did not Bro.
Branham say that? Bro. Branham preached many messages, but there is only
ONE MESSAGE behind them. That is, "COME BACK TO THE APOSTOLIC FAITH,
COME BACK TO THE ABSOLUTE, ETC." He never pointed to himself. He never
pointed to his own words. He always pointed to God and His Word.
Therefore, the message cannot perfect anyone. Why? Because only the
SPIRIT and the WORD can do that. 1 Jhn.2:5; Gal.3:3; Eph.4:11-16. And
that is where the messenger and his message pointed to. The message
tells you where and how you can be perfected. It is in the
WORD that the Spirit of God will take His Own WORD and through the
Ascension Gifts (5-Fold Ministry) perfect the members of the Body of
Christ. The saints will line up with the Word set in order by the
apostles. They will be edified and built up in the faith by those in the
prophetic office. Through the working of the evangelists, the Church
will be strengthened. Lastly, the saints will be carefully nourished and
taught by the pastoral and the tutorial ministries. As every
part of the Body of Christ does it work, these GIFTS will work in the
saints until they come to complete maturity and the unity of the faith
in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. When they do attain the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ they will no longer be as children so
easily tossed and carried about with winds of strange doctrines. And as
the love of God permeates every lively stone, the Body of Christ, with
Christ being the Head, will be joined and held tightly together with the
full expression of love in the whole Body.
"Let us be glad and rejoice, and give
honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath
made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed
in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the
righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they
which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith
unto me, These are the true sayings of God." -
Rev.19:7-9 |
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�Say
what the tapes say.�
Many times I have
been told by some so-called Endtime Message preachers that "the Spoken
Word is the Original Seed and is thus above the Written Word". They
believe that all the words spoken by the messenger are �Thus Saith The Lord� and that they are �The Absolute�. As such, the
Bible, is almost completely forsaken by these people. They would only �say what the tapes say� � no more and no less � for fear of being
called unbelievers. Those so-called leaders often clone other followers to
be like themselves and lead them in a cultic direction. Yet, among
themselves they often squabble over the words and statements of the
messenger. They argue over the discrepancies in the oral words of Bro.
Branham. And unbeknown to them demons are in their midst. (Remember:
demonic spirits hang around false doctrines.) One such spirit is that
which promotes the 'deity doctrine' that William Marrion Branham was
either God or the Lord Jesus Christ. And since the death of Bro. Branham,
many have publicly confessed to that belief. Many more will do so. [Excerpt from THE FOUNDATION &
THE WALL]
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BEYOND WORDS
Without the revelation of the Word of God from the Holy
Spirit it is impossible to understand God. Jesus the Christ said, "I am
the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by
me" (Jhn.14:6 cf. 14:9). The Holy
Spirit was given to the saints to teach them all things and to bring all
things to their remembrance, whatsoever God had taught them
(cf. Jhn.14:26). And without the Holy
Spirit one just cannot comprehend the Word at all. No wonder the Apostle
Paul prayed earnestly for the saints at Ephesus "that the God of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of
wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him" (Eph.1:17).
Today, the religious denominational Christians and
the Branhamites alike are without any revelation from God as to what their
Heavenly Father is doing in this hour. They may think they do but all that
they have are their passionate indulgence in their own creeds, dogmas,
books and consensus.
That you might understand what spoken words are and
what spiritual revelation is to a Christian, let me share with you an
adage from an oriental homily.
A group of disciples, with their wise
teacher, was seated in a field. The wise man began the discourse by
making a statement and asking a question, �'Two persons walking with
raindrops falling from the sky, and heaven does not drench one
person.'
Can you explain
this?�
For a moment there were whispers among the
disciples. Then one of them stood up and answered,
�Because one of them is wearing a straw coat and the
other is not.�
Another disciple got up and responded
happily,
�Because the rain is scattered
and does not fall onto both, so one of them got drenched but not the
other.�
Seeing no reply from the wise man to the two
answers, a disciple quickly jumped up and explained gleefully,
�Because one of them is walking along the
middle of the road while the other is walking under the shelter of
buildings.�
A silence followed. The wise teacher then
replied,
�All of you based your answers on
'does not drench one
person,'
so of course you cannot figure
out the meaning. Actually, by
'does not
drench one person,'
does it not mean that
both persons got wet?�
The disciples were jolted by the words of the wise
man. They were ashamed. Why didn't they think of it? Of course they
didn't think of it. Why would they?
The adage is this:
�A finger
points to the moon, but the moon is not at the tip of the finger. Words
point at the truth, but the truth is not in words. To seek illumination
through words is to get lost in the web of words and not see the
truth.�
Yes,
as Bible Believers we must look beyond the written or spoken words and let
the Holy Spirit lead us into the God-breathed Logos of the Sacred
Scriptures and illuminate us with the light of His Truth. Many Christians
are lost in the web of semantic confusions. It is particularly true of the Branhamites. They are groping in the dark when they search the words of
William Branham instead of the Word of God. They get trapped in the web of
semantic confusions when they begin to weave the words of the messenger as
the Absolute Truth and the Authority of a believer's life that they fail
to recognize the Truth of the Logos. Truly, they are lost in the midst of
words just as the Scriptures say, �And in them is fulfilled the
prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not
understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive�
(Matt.13:14). [Excerpt from THE FOUNDATION &
THE WALL] |