Video available here: http://youtu.be/T74goguRJH0

William Branham preached nine sermons with the scriptural reading a Canaanite woman from the district of Tyre and Sidon, the trade hub that spread the influence of pagan gods into the land of Greece and Rome.  This story describes a statement made by Christ that is easily mistaken when taken out of context of scripture, but one must ignore the rest of the New Testament in order to take it out of context.  Each of these nine sermons, starting in 1962 and spreading through 1964 were given titles based on the word “Perseverance.”

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.  And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”  He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”  And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.”  She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.”  Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly.

Matthew 15:21-28

While having the listener focus on the faith of the woman, and Christ’s words that would seem as though the woman’s faith in “faith” had brought healing, a subtle thread of deceit was planted that would be built upon until 1965 when God removed William Branham from the ministry.  This single idea would continue to grow long after his death, branches from the seed that fell from the tree.  The Branham movement bases their reasoning for severing themselves from other Christians on this one single statement in the passage, Jesus speaking:

“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 

This seed was not simply planted with one single statement from William Branham, however.  If one examines the ministry, we find many similar statements, all given with the sole intent to lead the follower to believe that they are looking for a single human being to give them “rapturing faith.”  In this twisting of scripture, even Jesus Christ, the Son of God that the Bible describes as fully man, fully God, must be altered.  William Branham, promoting the teaching of Charles Taze Russell, claimed that Jesus was just a man, a human life form, when he died on the cross:

The Spirit left Him, in the garden of Gethsemane. He had to die, a man.

65-0418M  IT.IS.THE.RISING.OF.THE.SUN

And while the scriptures describe Jesus as the Son of God that was made manifest in human flesh, a child so filled with the Word that John described Christ as the Word that was God and was in the beginning with God, the Word that stood in the temples as just a young child and reasoned out the scriptures with the scribes and Pharisees, the Divine nature of Christ had to be twisted to support this theology.  Again, taking Russell’s theology of the “Mohammed-style Jesus,” Branham claimed that Christ was not born the Son of the Living God:

God always vindicates the truth. No matter what man--man... {…} Jesus, a carpenter's Son, physically speaking, when He come to the earth here that's all He was known of, and the day that when John baptized Him, God a vindicated Him. God spoke from the heavens. John saw Him coming in the form a dove, and said, "This is My beloved Son in Whom I'm pleased to dwell." The right translation there is, "In whom I am pleased to dwell in." Jesus immediately anointed with God, He was just a man till that time, but now He becomes the God-man.

55-0806  JESUS.CHRIST.THE.SAME.YESTERDAY.TODAY.AND.FOREVER

This was 1955, and very subtle.  I truly do not believe the followers of William Branham caught this, many Christian brothers and sisters caught unawares by the deception of the spirit of antichrist.  And that’s a harsh word, “antichrist.”  We must be careful using this word, and only use it according to scripture.  In Russell’s theology that Branham promoted, there was no Father and Son – only the Father.  Oneness Pentecostalism promotes the idea that Russell taught, “Jesus of the New Testament is ‘Jehovah’ of the Old.”  Branham took Russell’s catchphrase and reversed it, saying, “Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus of the New,” and claimed that this ‘revelation’ came to him in a squirrel story instead of the writings of Charles Taze Russell:

Well, it all happened up where the Angels of the Lord appeared to me one morning, and them squirrels was spoke into existence. All of you remembers when it taken place. And, also, just at the top the hill where I was standing, was where... just before preaching the Seven Church Ages, going hunting one morning before daylight. There stood... I thought the sun was coming up, about four o'clock in the morning. Unusual; I seen that Light, and I turned around, and there stood the Seven Golden Candlesticks standing up there on top of the hill, with like a rainbow was coming up through the pipes and feeding out.

Immediately after that, the Lord Jesus appeared to us. And right then I heard a Voice that said, "The Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus of the New." And there He was, after a while, revealed after those Seven Golden Candlesticks. Then notice that. How many remembers that text? I wrote it on the back of a--of a box of--of cartridges I had in my pocket. "Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus of the New." God in Heaven knows that that was true.

65-0822E  A.THINKING.MAN'S.FILTER

But not only does the book of John call William Branham and Charles Russell a liar, the book of John calls these men antichrist.  We cannot deny the existence of both the Father and the Son without removing one or the other.  If we twist scriptures to make Jesus into “just a man,” we have removed the Son and left the Father.  If we say that Jesus was Jehovah, and Jehovah left the heavens to “dwell in” Jesus at the baptism, then we have removed the Father and left the Son.  This, John says, is antichrist:

Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.

1 John 2:22

And the truth must be upheld.  All of the many fictional stories that Branham promoted as a new “gospel,” are just that: fiction.  A man cannot have three birth years, two of which are tied to spiritual events.  Branham claimed to have been born in 1907, 1908, and 1909, associating 1907 with the false prophet Dowie’s “Elijah mantle,” and 1909 to a fortune teller and worship of the sun, moon, and stars.  Anything that is not truth is a lie, and this same chapter of John describes the antichrist coming with fictional stories when he denies the Father and the Son.

Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.  But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge.  I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth.  Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son.  No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.  Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.  And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.  I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you.  But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

1 John 2:18-27

Remember, when Branham promoted this idea, he added to the Word of God.  While the Book of Revelations tell us that unto any that would add to the Word, they would also be adding the plagues described in the Book, the antichrist spirit does not fear the plagues.  Like satan in the garden of Eden, Branham simply added three words to scripture pertaining to the baptism of Christ:  “to dwell in.”  Those words are not found in scripture – any translation you wish to use.

And at the baptismal service when he was baptizing, he saw Jesus coming with a Light following Him. And He said, "Behold, the Lamb of God that take away the sin of the world." And Jesus was baptized; the Holy Spirit came from out of heaven, and a Voice from It, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am pleased to dwell." The original translation says, "In Whom I am pleased to dwell in." Which God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. He was God in flesh.

56-0200  CONTENDING.FOR.THE.FAITH

The Gospels give account of the words of the Father speaking to His Son, and only an antichrist could deny the Father speaking while the Son was being baptized.  Some Gospels describe the words “Hear ye Him,” while others stop at the word “pleased.”  None of them have the words “to dwell in,” and there are no additional words to be translated in the Gospels.

But to elevate yourself to the level of an antichrist, you must lesson Christ.  Christ must become nothing more than a man, and prophets must be raised in power to be above the high priests – which is contrary to scripture.  Prophets were just men, nothing more, and Christ was the Son of God.  Branham planted seeds to say that God only sent one “man” to each generation, lowered Christ to nothing more than a human, and then claimed that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was limited to the Jews – and a new gospel would be sent to the Gentiles:

Now, if He has appeared to us in these last days... Now, remember, when He appeared to the Jew, He--He told His disciples, "Don't go to any Gentile. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." And we find out that Jesus Himself never manifested Himself in the presence, or to show Hisself to--to the Gentiles, or sent His Church to the Gentiles.

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This seed planted grew to maturity in 1963, when he described the Apostles.  While the Gospel of Jesus Christ was the greatest Message this world has ever known, Branham claimed that Matthew had nothing of importance, and that we must have “signs and wonders,” or our “message” is nothing:

Look, even the apostles, after they tried to choose one, because of Judas falling, they cast lots and it fell on Matthias. That was the best that they could do with the keys to the Kingdom. And there is not a Scripture wrote where he did anything. But God chose Saul, an ill-tempered little fellow, but He had to throw him on his back one day and--and let him look up a while. And He said, "I'll show him what great things he has to suffer for Me." See? See, the church chose Matthias, but God chose Paul. See, that's the difference. God always does His choosing, His election. God does that by election, by His foreknowledge.  Now we find that God always dealt with the people, with signs and wonders. He has promised signs of the last days. God cannot change His policy.

63-1113  THE.SIGN.OF.THIS.TIME

Followers of William Branham believe and promote this idea.  The Gospel is made of non-effect, because they are trained to believe that the Gospel was only sent to the Jews, and that the “Message” to the Jews was different than the message to the Gentiles.  They have accepted the idea that a “new gospel” would go forth, and that it would be sent by a man rather than the message sent by the Father through His Son.

But this is false, and God does not work through one single man for an “age.”  While Branham assigned the Apostle Paul to the “Church Age” dates that he copied from Clarence Larkin, we must remember that there were more than one Apostle, and they were not spreading a new message – they were spreading the same Gospel of Jesus Christ.  And not simply to the Gentiles, making Jesus the “man messenger” to the Jews so the “messenger” could go to the Gentiles.  Paul says in Galatians that the same Good News he was spreading was being spread by Peter to the Jew.

For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:

GALATIANS 2:8

To deny the apostles spreading the Gospel, Branham would plant another seed that would blind the people: the idea that God only sent one prophet at a time.  In Branham’s theology, the prophet was the focal point – not the God speaking through him:

However, God always makes a--a way for His Church. When He's finished with one man, He has another one waiting. And God takes His man, but never His Spirit. He always got somebody else He can put His Spirit on.  And it's strange, but through the Bible, He never had two prophets, major prophets in operation at the same time. He always had one prophet. Then when He got through with that one, He--taken him away and put another one in his place.

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But scripturally, this is not true.  One must deny several scriptures to say that the prophet was the focus, and deny even more to say that the prophets were not speaking at the same time.  Take, for instance, the prophets on the scene during the days of King Darius:

So this Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

Daniel 6:27-28

In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest:

Haggai 1:1-3

In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying,

Zechariah 1:1-3

This is a copy of the letter that Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and his associates, the governors who were in the province Beyond the River, sent to Darius the king.

Ezra 5:6

When I first left the Message of William Branham and his “god of wrath” that denied the cross to smite his wife and child, to surrender my life to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the God of the Bible, I did not realize the impact that these planted seeds had on my life.  It was not for some time that I realized the harm it can cause, and the deception that would be spread.

Every man that William Branham promoted as a "spiritual leader," was promoted by taking the leadership from the hands of the Almighty God and into the power of a man.  The people were trained to look to a man, instead of the Holy Spirit that Christ said that He would send after He ascended to the Father.  The Holy Spirit that Branham denied when he denied the Father and the Son.

William Branham copied the "church ages" and their dates from Clarence Larkin, and he assigned "messengers" to each age.  But Branham did not care enough for his doctrine to examine these dates and ensure that he chose messengers that were living during their “church age.”  Columba was not even alive during the dates that Larkin laid out for Branham to claim as “divine revelation.”

For me, this is heart breaking. The world had just received its greatest Gift, and the one single Message that would go forth. To say that Paul's "Message" was greater than the Gospel that Matthew knew is the worst of heresies.  To say that the "Message" would get stronger and stronger until I, myself [William Branham] comes to restore, you must not only deny the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but also replace Christ with yourself, which is exactly what William Branham did.   In 1965, Branham said that the "Elijah of this day is the Lord Jesus Christ." He said specifically, "Not a man, God."

Voice of God recordings was named based on a statement by William Branham, “I am God’s voice to you”:

If I offended you by saying that, forgive me. But I felt that might been resented. But I am God's Voice to you. See? I say that again. That time was under inspiration.

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And while pretending to be that voice, William Branham stuttered.  Not God – God does not stutter, this voice of this human pretending to be God made a mistake.  God makes no mistakes:

“I'm the Lord that raised up Christ from the grave.

I'm the One that sent the Holy Ghost.

I'm the One that give the promise.

BROTHER BRANHAM HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS.

I HAVE--HE'S surrendered his life to Me.

I'm using his Spirit;

I’M TALKING THROUGH HIS LIPS.

That's Me; I'm the Lord.”

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To do this, to deny the Father or the Son to lift yourself into the “god prophet” for the 20^th Century while pretending that you are the fumbling voice of the Almighty God, one must deny the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  And there is only one spirit that would deny the Gospel, one spirit that would deny the Father and the Son, one spirit that would base a ministry on fictional stories.

And that spirit is the spirit of the antichrist.