Dena Dahl sent the following letter to a couple from her past with whom she had attended a Branhamite church. Dena had answers from the Lord that addressed the false doctrines taught by William Branham, and wanted to share with them.
To: Linda
From: Dena
Sent via Messenger
Oct 7, 2024, 9:28 PM
Hi Henry and Linda,
It’s been a long time since we have talked. Since it appears unlikely that we may see each other, at least in the near future, I decided to write to you. I’ve had thoughts/concerns I’ve never shared before and I believe it is important I do so.
They’re from long ago, back when I was at James’ church. Hadn’t thought about anything from there for years but recently things came to mind again. So, here I am.
For the last year or two while attending James’ church, I began having several questions about what he was preaching. There were teachings that didn’t make sense or seemed contradictory. However, I kept nearly all my thoughts to myself. There was enough upheaval there without me bringing forth any questions or concerns.
Had I asked Cody about them, surely it would have quickly made its way to James and the pulpit. Bad enough to have questions about William Branham’s teachings but being a woman to boot would have likely caused a bit of an uproar.
Hundreds of times we heard that if Branham said it, we need to accept it by faith. We didn’t have to understand anything in order to believe. After all, Branham was vindicated and had “thus saith the Lord”. Based on that alone, having questions was concerning at first.
I’ve learned a couple of things since then. One is that the Lord doesn’t condemn us for having questions or leave us bereft of answers. The other is faith isn’t blind, which in essence is what “acceptance by faith” boils down to. There is substance to faith which means you will actually “know by faith”.
Heb 11:1 KJV
(1) Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
I’ll number my concerns/questions below to hopefully make it easier to follow.
Mal 4:5-6 KJV
(5) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
(6) And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
Mat 17:10-13 KJV
(10) And his disciples asked Him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
(11) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
(12) But I say unto you, 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.
(13) Then the disciples understood that He spake unto them of John the Baptist.
I realize Branham stated John fulfilled the first portion of Mal 4:6 and someone else would be the Elijah in the second part. I was unable to reconcile that thought with these Scriptures but didn’t have an answer at the time for what Branham said. Today, the Lord has granted me some understanding and I know how John fulfilled and continues to fulfill Mal 4:5-6.
We know John turned the hearts of the fathers to the children but how does he turn the hearts of the children to the fathers? The Scriptures authored by John and those that testify of him are what turns the hearts of the children to the fathers. Believers are spiritual Jews, as the fathers were Jews, it has nothing to do with Pentecostal fathers as Branham stated.
A simple answer, as Branham said sometimes, “God hiding Himself in simplicity”. Even so, Branham’s answers weren’t usually simple, they were a bit complex, confusing, and sometimes contradictory. The Lord is not the author of confusion.
1Co 14:33 KJV For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
James preached often about the Godhead and how the Lord is one and the trinity is false, which is true. Dozens, if not hundreds of times, James stated in his sermons that Branham said the Catholic church is responsible for the trinity doctrine and they declare they have it in their records.
But what about other things the catholic church is responsible for, such as changing the Sabbath to Sunday, or Christmas? Not a word. Yet, the catholic church not only takes credit for changing the Sabbath to Sunday but declare it shows they have God’s authority on earth. And most Christian churches follow along with many catholic doctrines, Branham churches included!
“No, sir, there’s not, not a Scripture in the Bible, nor in the New Testament, for us to keep either Saturday or Sunday. But the reason we keep Sunday, is a memorial of the resurrection.” (QA.ON.GENESIS.title JEFF.IN COD 53-0729)
Exo 20:8-11 KJV
(8) Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
(9) Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
(10) But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:
(11) For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Mat 5:17-19 KJV
(17) Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
(18) For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
(19) Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 15:9 KJV
(9) But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
Heb 13:8 KJV
(8) Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.
Since the Lord is the same, wouldn’t He keep the Sabbath the same? We don’t go around killing people because the law is supposedly done away with, why would we stop keeping the Sabbath?
I know Branham had other things to say about the Sabbath. He described the Sabbath as an internal rest which we need to have, though I think he worded it differently. While this is true, it by no means negates the keeping of the physical Sabbath as a rest day. The Sabbath was made for man, as the Lord declared.
Did you know Scriptures do not declare the Sabbath as a day of worship but as a day of rest? Worshipping the Lord isn’t about going to a church service, it is about faith and becoming a new person in Him.
Rev 18:24 KJV
(24) And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth.
Gen 4:8 KJV
(8) And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
Mat 23:34-35 KJV
(34) Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
(35) That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
Mystery Babylon isn’t the Catholic church and denominations her daughters, Mystery Babylon is all false religion, Christianity included. There are only 2 churches, the false and the true. While the false is there to mimic the true, the true does not look like the false.Indeed, a true believer will come out of the false.
Rev 18:4 KJV
(4) And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
Churches that follow Branham look and act like any other church or denomination, they just hold to some different doctrines. Life is not found in doctrinal teaching; life is found in the Lord alone.
Joh 5:39-40 KJV
(39) Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
(40) And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
While it was hard to pin some of these down, based on having to remember different things James said, or hearing and comparing different Branham sermons, I recall catching a few back then. Here’s a simple one that would have happened in our time if true:
“Before Billy Paul is an old man, sharks will be swimming in the very spot he stands in Los Angeles.” I don’t know if Billy Paul is still alive or not but certainly would be an old man if so. Los Angeles is still around, too.
As far as healings go, Branham declared that people could lose their healing. In essence, a person could have enough faith to be healed, the Lord would heal them through Branham, who would declare so, and then their faith would waiver and the Lord would take away their healing. Do you believe God is so petty and fickle? I don’t.
I believe it was a way for Branham to declare someone healed that wasn’t, and it also happens to be a besmirching of the Lord. I don’t recall a single time in Scriptures that this ever happened. When someone was healed by the Lord Himself or the Apostles, they were healed, no question.
Look up Alfred Pohl. He was Branham’s assistant in Saskatchewan. He went from believing all the healings and believing in Branham to walking away, knowing Branham was a charlatan. There are others besides him.
1Jn 1:5 KJV
(5) This then is the message which we have heard of Him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.
Joh 4:24 MKJV
(24) God is a spirit, and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.
Joh 16:13 KJV
(13) Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.
The Lord doesn’t leave us in darkness, He will give us all truth. It isn’t partial based on what supposed “church age” we are in or else the Scripture above is false.
The Lord tells us to have no other gods before him and what is the trinity but other gods? Why would the Lord use various trinitarians as the messenger to the churches to bring forth some truth without correcting them on something so basic?
Regarding the “7 church ages”, Branham didn’t have a revelation, he had a ‘plagarization’. A book authored by Clarence Larkin in 1919 was about 7 church ages and Branham’s “revelation” is nearly identical to Larkin’s. The same goes for some of the doctrines that are attributed to Branham. I think you would be surprised to learn where some of them come from. Look up William Branham and Rev. Roy Davis.
James would share a question from the pulpit with us whenever someone, such as those from that Pentecostal group came along. “If not Brother Branham, then who?” I believe that question needs to be reworded, or actually changed.
“How is William Branham a true prophet with all of his false doctrines, false teachings, false healings, and false prophecies?” The answer: he isn’t.
As the Apostle Paul said:
Gal 1:8-9 KJV
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
How about Deut 18:20-22?
20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in My Name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?
22 When a prophet speaketh in the Name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
Branham made much to do about Elijah and John, describing what he thought they were like, in terms that described himself. However, his death and their deaths are totally different. Elijah was taken up by the Lord and John was beheaded by Herod, while Branham died in a car crash. The only examples given in Scripture of a death like Branham’s were not prophets or other believers, they were sinners.
Luk 13:4-5 KJV
(4) Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
(5) I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
I didn’t know back then but today I see how arrogant and presumptuous some of Branham’s teachings were. One example is about water baptism (although he made similar statements about other things). Branham said that if you repented and were water baptized according to Acts 2:38, then the Lord was obligated to give you the Holy Spirit. Obligated.
The Lord is not obligated to do anything for us at any time, ever. We, on the other hand, owe Him our very lives.
Luke 17:10
10 So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.
There is a Scripture that perhaps makes it clearer about receiving the Holy Spirit, one I never heard about within Branham’s teachings:
Acts 5:32
And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey Him.
So, it’s not about a water baptism formula, but about obedience to Him. In all things in life.
When Cody and I left James’ church, we did so because we knew that keeping the Sabbath was the right thing to do. Neither of us believed in the Lord though we thought we did because we had correct doctrine. Even so, the Sabbath was way more restful than keeping Sunday ever was.
Many years later, it was made known to me that I didn’t believe in the Lord. At all. That came through believers and wasn’t because of doctrines I was wrong in but because I was wholly wrong in my life. (As far as where Cody is at, I have no idea, we’ve been divorced many years now.)
However, I didn’t change with that knowledge. I was a bitter, angry woman, as I had been for most of my life, although I didn’t recognize it at the time. I was proud and self-righteous, most of my life I didn’t want to be who I was, so I pretended otherwise. The Lord doesn’t keep things hidden, though, He lets things be known to others, particularly those who are His. While I was the first victim of myself, I caused much harm to many. Bitterness defiles everything.
Not only that, if you are in bitterness/unforgiveness towards anyone, then the Lord doesn’t forgive you. Doesn’t matter what religion teaches about everything “being under the blood”.
1 Pet 1:15
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;
Matth 18:32-35
Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
A couple years ago, I paid my price in full and was let out of the prison of my own doing. I forgave everyone and the Lord forgave me. As much as I can look at my life and be ashamed of things I’ve done, I’m even more thankful to the Lord for His forgiveness, something He will do for everyone.
I’ve heard various things regarding belief while in Branham circles:
“I believe in the message of the hour”
“I believe the end time message”
“I believe the Bible is the infallible word of God”
“I believe in William Branham as the end time prophet”
There are several variations of these themes.
There is something I didn’t hear and as such I would like to share it with you, as it is my belief:
I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is Lord God and Saviour of all mankind. It is He Whom everything is about and Whom we all need to come to believe in. No one or nothing else will do, not even the Bible.
I am now learning how to live, in all facets of life. The Lord gives us the real deal; reality and not religion. While we will learn correct doctrine, walking with the Lord isn’t about getting doctrines right but about getting ourselves right before Him. It’s a process, not a done deal when we repent. It turns our lives upside down, but for good.
Act 14:22 KJV
(22) Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
I’ve now shared with you a portion of the things I saw back when we were attending church together. There are way more falsehoods than I mentioned above, which are easily found online. Seriously consider and confirm these things for yourselves.
More importantly than just sharing falsehood, I know where the Truth can be found. There’s been much made available by the Lord’s servants at www.thepathoftruth.com. A few places that might be good to start with are: The Church, God Heals Today, His Way, The Restitution of All Things, and The Lovely Essence of Satan.
Perhaps you’re dismayed or even angry with me. Maybe you have questions but don’t want to ask me, as women aren’t teachers. You may ask anything you like at The Path of Truth and, Lord willing, Victor Hafichuk will have an answer for you. It could be about anything; not just about doctrine. However, you may find it already answered in the numerous writings available on the site.
If you would like to discuss this or anything else with me, I believe I am willing. I’m not bound up in fear and silence as I once was. My email is ddahl33@hotmail.com and I can also be reached by phone/text. I hope we will be able to be free to share with one another.
Dena
To: Dena
From: Linda
Sent via Messenger
Oct 8, 2024, 1:25 PM
Hi Dena, Thank-you for the long letter. I just have to think about my response, there’s a lot in it to go through. Thanks for taking the time to go through each point.
To: Linda
From: Dena
Sent via Messenger
Oct 8, 2024, 3:08 PM
Hi Linda, I appreciate you letting me know you’ve read my letter. Take whatever time you need, I know there’s lots to go through.
I’ve been there myself with lots to digest. It’s always good to take the time needed for everything.
To: Dena
From: Linda
Sent via Messenger
Nov 13, 2024, 1:27 PM
Hi Dena
Thanks for the letter.
I believe God has predestinated people to believe & accept the Word of God. Everyone comes at their own time. If the ground is fertile in the heart, the seed of God will come to life when the light of God’s Word shines on it. So when the Word is preached, it may not be understood completely but if there is a predestinated seed lying there, the person will say, Amen!
The Jews are saved as a nation, the Gentiles are saved as individuals. It’s an individual walk with God. Only the ones with the seal of God will be raptured. Jesus said ye must be born again. The blood token of the Israelites in Goshen is the shadow & spiritual type of today. It’s beautiful. Rev 10:7 … the mystery of God will be finished Just like a wheat plant growing up, wheat stalk, tassel, shuck, there are stages of growth until the seed matures. Martin Luther brought Justification by faith, John Wesley brought Sanctification, the Pentecostals had gifts of the Holy Ghost. After these organized & died, the Lord moves on. A person can have a denomination of 1 person. Simple fact is that we need a comma instead of a period. Like saying this is what I believe, plus whatever else God is willing to reveal to me.
Repenting & getting baptized is the start. Getting baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ is the prescription given to us for receiving the Holy Ghost.
Father is not a name, son isn’t either. If we get the prescription right, we’ll have the right outcome.
In God’s mind he wanted to be worshipped so He created angels. He wanted to have fellowship so created mankind. He wanted to be a savior so he gave free moral agency knowing they would choose wrong. Adam wasn’t deceived but Eve was, because she wasn’t in the original creation. She was taken out of Adam. After the sexual sin, the serpent had been in its upright form but God cursed it to lay on the ground to eat the dust.
Cain was of that wicked one. His lineage mixed with Seth’s line eventually until Noah was the last pure seed.
Adam & Eve lived God’s garden of Eden. The devil now has his, but his end is soon to come
Linda
To: Linda
From: Dena
Sent via Messenger
Nov 13, 2024, 9:44 PM
Hi Linda, Thank you for writing back to me. I will take a bit of time to go over your letter. Lord willing, I will be back in touch soon.
Dena
To: Linda
From: Dena
Sent via Messenger
Nov 25, 2024, 8:23 PM
Hi Linda,
Thank you for responding to my letter. For ease of reading, I will intersperse my response within the body of your letter. I will use different colored text to differentiate.
I believe God has predestinated people to believe & accept the Word of God. Everyone comes at their own time. If the ground is fertile in the heart, the seed of God will come to life when the light of God’s Word shines on it. So when the Word is preached, it may not be understood completely but if there is a predestinated seed lying there, the person will say, Amen!
One of the issues with false religion is people can become “so heavenly-minded they are no earthly good”. Simply, their speech is full of religious phrases which makes it difficult for others to understand what is said unless they are also part of the same denomination.
Ironically, people who believe they are predestinated to heaven while all others go to hell, think the lack of understanding of what they are saying prove others are predestinated to hell. They don’t understand the fog of false religion clouds what they say. It’s the lack of clarity/reality that causes problems for their hearers, not predestination.
It took me a little bit to get the gist of what you are saying but since I have some familiarity with Branham’s buzzwords, I believe I understand. Some things, anyway. There are some things I don’t have a clue about, so I have asked for clarification below.
Rev 10:7 … the mystery of God will be finished Just like a wheat plant growing up, wheat stalk, tassel, shuck, there are stages of growth until the seed matures. Martin Luther brought Justification by faith, John Wesley brought Sanctification, the Pentecostals had gifts of the Holy Ghost. After these organized & died, the Lord moves on.
I had a few questions in my first letter about the church ages and messengers that Branham preached about but you haven’t provided an answer. Instead you mention the same Branham “revelation”, or what is supposedly “revelation” that “only” Branham was given. As nearly everything Branham taught, his Church Age stuff was lifted from someone else. In this case, Clarence Larkin, from his 1919 book Dispensational Truth.
You can download a free PDF of Dispensational Truth here. If you’d rather just compare the charts Larkin produced against Branham’s so-called revelations, they are available at Clarence Larkin Charts. Again, Larkin’s book was published in 1919, well before Branham brought out these supposed truths.
In fact, Larkin’s book is in Branham’s personal library, of which there is a picture available online, so you can verify that if you wish. You’ll also find that Branham copied a lot of Larkin’s information verbatim. Like I said, he had a plagiarization, not a revelation. In simpler terms, Branham lied.
Regarding the 7 seals, Branham said: “Now, I want to make this real clear. Every time, every time that these Seals has come to the place, everything that I ever believed on them and has read of other people, has been contrary to what come to me in the room.”
He lied about this also, as it was nothing more than plagiarizing. A couple of the seals were taken from Larkin, but most of them are from Charles Taze Russell. The Finished Mystery, Russell’s book is also available online. Read both authors and see for yourself if what Branham “has read of other people, has been contrary to what come to me in the room”. Ask yourself, “if these were sealed until revealed to Branham, how is it he has the same teachings, wordings, and so forth of others before him?” Especially when he claims they were unique to him. He’s a false prophet and a liar.
Now for my questions:
Why would the Lord only bring out one truth in each church age, effectively leaving His believers in the dark until the last age when it is all put together (if that is what actually happens)?
Why would the Lord expect believers to accept the messenger of their particular church age in order to be saved, especially when they promote falsehood in His Name? Aren’t we supposed to be perfect like our Father in Heaven is perfect? Believing lies isn’t being perfect. Satan is the father of lies, not the Lord.
According to Branham, the Bible is the infallible Word of God and mustn’t be changed. Why believe Branham when he states this but teaches many things opposite Scripture?
Scripture says:
Joh 4:24 MKJV God is a Spirit, and they who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.
Joh 16:13 KJV Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.
If Branham is the end time messenger who “ties up the loose ends”, why is there so much falsehood in his message? Wouldn’t a man who is supposedly to bring forth the Bride of Christ, without spot or blemish, have all truth as part of the “capstone”? Either the two Scriptures above are false or Branham is false.
Rom 3:4 CEV No, indeed! God tells the truth, even if everyone else is a liar. The Scriptures say about God, “Your words will be proven true, and in court You will win Your case.”
A person can have a denomination of 1 person.
I don’t understand what you are saying. Would you be able to elaborate on this for me? Please offer specifics; this is an important conversation and I don’t want to speculate about what you mean.
Simple fact is that we need a comma instead of a period. Like saying this is what I believe, plus whatever else God is willing to reveal to me.
A confusing Branham quote that doesn’t line up with what I’ve said. Life is not about doctrines, which is what the quote was actually about, it is about reality, not religion. We don’t need doctrines, we need the Lord. Period. Having right doctrines nets us nothing without Him. There is no life if we do not have Him.
Joh 5:39-40 MKJV
(39) You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life. And they are the ones witnessing of Me,
(40) and you will not come to Me that you might have life.
2Ti 3:7 MKJV ever learning and never able to come to the full knowledge of the truth.
Repenting & getting baptized is the start. Getting baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ is the prescription given to us for receiving the Holy Ghost.
Father is not a name, son isn’t either. If we get the prescription right, we’ll have the right outcome.
Receiving the Holy Spirit isn’t about a prescription, as you put it, or an obligation the Lord has to us, like Branham but it. You’re trusting in an external act, based on specific wording, which doesn’t negate what I brought up in my first letter.
You are comparing the following Scriptures:
Mat 28:18-20 LITV
(18) And coming up Jesus talked with them, saying, All authority in Heaven and on earth was given to Me.
(19) Then having gone, disciple all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
(20) teaching them to observe all things, whatever I commanded you. And, behold, I am with you all the days until the completion of the age. Amen.
Act 2:38 KJV Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
While nominal Christianity, including Branhamism, fusses about the difference in the wording, the reality is these Scriptures say the same thing, just in a different way. However, Mat 18:20 also talks about obedience to the Lord (in all things), which is what I previously pointed out with:
Act 5:32 MKJV And we are His witnesses of these things. And so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.
People can go ahead and get water baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, but if they aren’t obedient to Him, they won’t receive the Holy Spirit. It’s all about the inward not the outward. Besides, water baptism was just a shadow of things to come. We need to take up our cross and die to ourselves (going down into the water) and come to life in Him (coming up out of the water). This isn’t done externally but needs to happen internally.
Perhaps you think by following a “prescription” a person is obedient to the Lord. Or that they are repentant. Is it so? Branham taught that a person can “accept Jesus” and that’s what people think repentance is. Not so. For clarity on what they really are, read Obedience and Repentance.
Not only can we not accept Him, it’s not even in us to seek Him out. The Lord draws each person at their time and it is He Who does the accepting, not us. Thinking that people do the accepting is nothing more than self-righteous claptrap, ascribing to man the ability to do something good, even, or especially, those who subscribe to predestination leading to heaven or hell.
The only ones that think themselves more special than those who simply “accept Jesus” are those who believe they are the only ones God created to go to heaven while others are created to go off to hell, either forever or until the Lord deems it time to put them out of their misery and annihilates hell. Horrid notion and besmirching of the Lord!
I know what it’s like, I’ve been there. I’ve probably been more proud than most people, likely more vile, too. I also believed those horrible things at one time or another until the Lord showed me otherwise. I’m so thankful He’s turned me around!
In God’s mind he wanted to be worshipped so He created angels. He wanted to have fellowship so created mankind. He wanted to be a savior so he gave free moral agency knowing they would choose wrong. Adam wasn’t deceived but Eve was, because she wasn’t in the original creation. She was taken out of Adam.
After the sexual sin, the serpent had been in its upright form but God cursed it to lay on the ground to eat the dust.
Are you aware of the origins of Branham’s serpent seed doctrine? It didn’t originate with Branham but he popularized it somewhat. It came out of the “Christian Identity” doctrine of the Ku Klux Klan. Of which Rev Roy E. Davis was a high ranking member, making it up the ranks to Wizard.
The same Rev Roy E. Davis that baptized and ordained Branham, and in whose church Branham served as an elder before taking it over as the Billy Branham Pentecostal Tabernacle. Rev Roy E. Davis was in jail several times for theft, forgery, fraud, cross burning, among other crimes, plus he was married twice but abandoned both families, then in his 40’s had a 17 year old girlfriend. (Davis was arrested on some charges, which is when Branham took over his church.)
Despite all of these things, Davis and Branham were part of each other’s revivals, from the beginning and even through the 60’s. They had a long friendship. You may hear Branham mention Davis in some of his recordings although he calls Davis “doctor,” not “reverend.”
I recall now James had mentioned something about Branham saying the serpent was as black as the ace of spades. I don’t remember whether it was something from a Branham sermon or whether it was a Lee Vayle Branham story though. Not that it matters.
What matters is that the serpent seed nonsense is a completely vile and disgusting misrepresentation of the Lord and His ways!!
Gen 4:1 KJV And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
According to William Branham, who said the Bible is the infallible word of God, and that you aren’t to change a single word, said that Eve bare Cain because she had sex with the serpent. Totally opposite of what the above Scripture says!
William Branham was full of carnal reasoning and often made things out as “perfect types”. He said since the Bible can’t change, the types are perfect. He used this in numerous ways in his teachings.
Branham made a case to say that Jesus Christ is the tree of Life in the Garden of Eden and therefore it must be a man that is the tree of knowledge. He said that Eve’s eating from the tree of knowledge was having sexual relations with the serpent.
Scripture says:
Gen 2:16-17 MKJV
(16) And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree in the garden,
(17) but you shall not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.
Gen 3:1-3 MKJV
(1) Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said to the woman, Is it so that God has said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
(2) And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden.
(3) But of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.
Following Branham’s logic about how things are always done according to perfect type in the Bible, let’s apply his typing and what he has said as related to the above Scriptures:
Jesus Christ is the tree of Life in the Garden of Eden;
That means Satan is the tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden.
Adam and Eve could eat from any tree in the Garden but the one in the middle, which was the tree of the knowledge (of good and evil).
Eating from the tree of knowledge meant having sex with Satan.
Therefore, Branham’s logic dictates eating from the tree of Life meant having sex with the Lord.
Can you see how utterly vile and disgusting this doctrine is? Frankly, I had a hard time typing the above because the idea is so abhorrent but I believe it important to make things as plain as possible. I hope it will help open your eyes to the Truth.
I don’t know whether the fruit that Adam and Eve were not to partake of was literal or figurative, but I don’t need to know. The Lord hasn’t made it plain but there are things He has.
What is plain is what we do need to know. Eve was deceived by Satan, ate the fruit, went to Adam, who in turn followed his wife and disobeyed a direct commandment of God. Disobeying the Lord is sin and sin brings death. Spiritual death.
And that is how in Adam all died. Simple. “God hiding Himself in simplicity.” How simple is the serpent seed crap? It’s twisted.
A minor point regarding one of his claims, just to be thorough in addressing some of his errors:
Branham claimed, “He (Satan) could not have a child directly by Eve as did God by Mary, so he entered into the serpent and then beguiled Eve.” However, Scripture shows that the serpent and Satan are one and the same, Branham veers away from Scripture yet again.
Rev 12:9 ASV And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.
Rev 20:2 MKJV And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.
Regarding the notion that the serpent is now the reptile that slithers around on its belly, the Lord cursing the serpent (Satan) and it now eats dust, it isn’t literal like you believe and Branham taught. It is an accurate but figurative description of how things have been since then for the serpent as well as mankind.
Adam & Eve lived God’s garden of Eden. The devil now has his, but his end is soon to come
I don’t understand what you are saying here. Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden of Eden, spiritually dead. How was it possible for them to live God’s garden of Eden, whatever that means?
The Jews are saved as a nation, the Gentiles are saved as individuals. It’s an individual walk with God. Only the ones with the seal of God will be raptured. Jesus said ye must be born again. The blood token of the Israelites in Goshen is the shadow & spiritual type of today. It’s beautiful.
What do you think the seal of God is, Branham’s capstone of lies?
The rapture is another lie although it didn’t originate with Branham. The rapture isn’t a literal thing the way nominal Christianity teaches, it is about what happens to us internally when we are changed by the Lord and formed into His Image. And we go through much tribulation through this process, we aren’t taken away from it.
Act 14:22 MKJV confirming the souls of the disciples, calling on them to continue in the faith and that through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God.
The Lord knows what He is doing and we can rest in that, regardless of what comes our way. Everything is deserved or needed, by every single one of us. It is a wonderful thing although it doesn’t feel like it at times.
Pro 26:2 MKJV As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse without cause shall not come.
1Th 5:18 MKJV In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Did you read any of the links I provided in my first letter? The writings answer many of the mistaken notions you have, including about the devil. Satan is not how Branham or other denominations portray him.
Branham had various lying signs and wonders in his ministry. Branham said “God sends ministers and preach the Gospel. He sends signs and wonders among men to a vindicate it to be the truth”. Not so; He doesn’t give a wicked generation the signs they seek, other than the sign of Jonah. The Lord does not vindicate BS, especially BS done in His Name. Satan does, though.
Mat 12:39-40 MKJV
(39) But He answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign. And there shall be no sign given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
(40) For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the huge fish, so the Son of Man shall be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
2Co 11:13-15 KJV
(13) For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
(14) And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
(15) Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
You’re right, it is an individual walk with the Lord. He calls each of us in our own time, starting with the first fruits and He goes from there, until the very last enemy is put under His feet. And do you know how He does it? He saves every single being, one at a time, though it doesn’t all happen in this life. Unlike Branham’s notions, this is something you could call beautiful.
Here are just some of the Scriptures that show the reconciliation of all things. There are others.
Luk 3:6 KJV And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
1Co 15:22 KJV For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
Joh 3:16-17 MKJV
(16) For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
(17) For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through Him.
Col 1:20 MKJV And through Him having made peace through the blood of His cross, it pleased the Father to reconcile all things to Himself through Him, whether the things on earth or the things in Heaven.
2Pe 3:9 KJV The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
1Ti 2:3-6 MKJV
(3) For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
(4) who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
(5) For God is one, and there is one Mediator of God and of men, the Man Christ Jesus,
(6) who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
I’ve shown several ways in my two letters how Branham is an utterly false prophet. There is more evidence besides this but I think this should be plenty enough. The question now is what are you going to do about it?
It’s one thing to realize someone is a false prophet. That’s not where it ends, though, especially if one has been following the false prophet. I’ve been there too, Linda. Not only facing the fact that I believed falsehood but also that I myself was false.
That’s how the Lord’s name is taken in vain. Claiming to be a Christian when it isn’t true. Your beliefs and profession of faith are based on William Branham, not the Lord Jesus Christ, no matter that you think otherwise. So, will you turn away from the false in order to seek the True?
Dena
To: Dena
From: Linda
Sent via Messenger
Nov 25, 2024, 9:55 PM
Hi Dena, there’s so much I could say. But as a little life story, I gave my heart to Jesus when i was about 7. I grew up as a Mennonite in MB. When I was about 12 or 13 was when we stopped going to the Mennonite church.
It was a turning point in my life. I knew the Lord was helping me to grow in him & I felt deep in my heart that I wasn’t right with him because I wasn’t baptized yet. I had a close call to drowning & I became more sincere with God. I was 17 when I got baptized. I moved to SK when I was 20, my priority was to go to a certain church where I knew real Christians were getting spiritually fed.
There came a time where I got a better job & everything seemed great. But in my heart I felt like I didn’t belong in SK. My continual prayer was Lord, where would you like me to live & what job would you like me to have & I just want to please you. Help me not to marry the wrong person.
A few years later I married Henry (moved to AB.) We stopped going to James Mayfield’s church shortly after you & Cody left.
I have been meaning to give you another letter, but anyway, I don’t want to say things that I don’t mean & give the wrong impression.
I’ve seen the Lord answer prayers so many times. I believe when we sincerely pray, the Lord answers.
I feel bad that you & Cody split. We had some nice times with you.
I send more of a letter some other time.
Linda