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Part One Section B
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WILLIAM
BRANHAM
Inscribed on a pyramid-shaped
tombstone in a Jeffersonville, Indiana cemetery, are the names
of the seven churches of Revelation, "Ephesian" at
the base representing the beginning of the Church Age, "Laodicean"
near the top the end of the Church Age. On the opposite face
are the names of seven men whose impact on the Church throughout
its history has been significant.
Were the two faces of the pyramid juxtaposed
one over the other, we would see the names of the churches superimposed
over the men's names in the following order, from bottom to top:
Ephesian - Paul
Smyrnean - Ireneaus
Pergamean - Martin
Thyatirean - Columba
Sardisean - Luther
Philadelphian - Wesley
Laodicean - Branham
Among most major proponents of Kingdom Theology these men are
considered the great reformers of the various stages of Church
history. To many Kingdom Theology proponents William Branham
was perhaps the greatest "prophet" for the Church's
final age.
In 1948, Branham, a Baptist preacher
turned Pentecostal, and influenced by Franklin Hall, gained notoriety
for his teachings on what he called, "God's Seventh Church
Age" (supposedly the final move of God before the manifestation
of His Kingdom on earth). Branham based this teaching primarily
on Joel 2:23 and Revelation 1:20-3:22, the latter recording Jesus'
messages to the seven churches in Asia Minor.
Branham claimed that the angels (messengers)
to the churches were men who appeared at various times throughout
Church history to usher in revelations that would lead the Church
in new directions according to the purpose of God. As indicated
on his tombstone, Branham was thought to be the angel to the
Church of Laodicea - the end-time Church.
In his teachings on Joel 2:23, Branham
defined the "latter rain" as the Pentecostal movement
of his day. God's promise to restore what the locust, cankerworm,
caterpillar, and palmerworm had eaten, he defined as the "restoration"
of the Church out of denominationalism (which he equated with
"the Mark of the Beast").
Although denying he was a believer in
the "oneness" doctrine, Branham had his own form of
"oneness" teaching that defined God as one person who
manifested Himself as three different "attributes":
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, rather than three Persons
comprising one Godhead.21 He believed the doctrine of the Trinity
was the "Babylonian Foundation" of the denominations,
inherited from Roman Catholicism.22
Branham also believed that the Word
of God was given in three forms: the Zodiac, the Egyptian pyramids,
and the written Scriptures.23 The Zodiac theory was not new,
having been put forth by Franklin Hall previously, and as early
as 1893 by historian E.W. Bullinger in his book, 'The Witness
of the Stars.' The idea that the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt
was constructed by God (possibly through Enoch) is at least as
old as the Zodiac theory, and is popular with the Dawn Bible
Students, an offshoot of the Jehovah's Witnesses.
It can be said of Branham that he had
a simplicity and apparent humility which attracted many followers.
"Gordon Lindsay told of how he impressed audiences with
his utter and complete consecration."24
The Serpent's Seed
In spite of his apparent humility and consecration, Branham
had great difficulty controlling a strident, hateful attitude
toward women. In his own poor English, transcribed from a sermon,
Branham stated, "But I remember when my father's still up
there running, I had to be out there with water and stuff, see
young ladies that wasn't over seventeen, eighteen years, up there
with a man my age now, drunk. And they'd have to sober them up
and give them black coffee, to get them home to cook their husband's
supper. Oh, something like that, I said, 'I...This was my remarked
[sic] then, THEY'RE NOT WORTH A GOOD CLEAN BULLET TO KILL THEM
WITH IT.' That's right. And I hated women. That's right. And
I just have to watch every move now, to keep from still thinking
the same thing."25
This attitude toward women may have
played a part in the development of Branham's bizarre "Serpent
Seed" teaching. This was based on a twisted interpretation
of Genesis 3:13, where Eve is recorded as saying, "The serpent
beguiled me, and I did eat." The word "beguiled"
Branham defined as "seduced sexually." He claimed that
Satan and Eve engaged in an adulterous affair out of which Cain
was born. Since that time evil has passed from generation to
generation through women, who keep the seed of the serpent alive.26
He seemed to think that women are responsible for the evil in
the world because of their enticements.
The "Serpent's Seed" teaching
obviously indicated that Branham didn't take the Scriptures literally,
where we read, "And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived
and bare Cain..." (Genesis 4:1).
His animosity toward women led to the
preaching of a rigid moral code that lambasted them on their
manner of dress, and may have been responsible for his "revelation"
that allowed for divorce.27
Supernatural Manifestations
From the time of his infancy it was evident to his parents
that William's life had upon it the touch of the supernatural.
Born in 1909 in a mountain cabin near Berksville, Kentucky, William
Marrion Branham's childhood was spent in extreme poverty. His
father was only eighteen years of age, and his mother fifteen
when he came into the world weighing a scant five pounds, the
first of nine boys and one girl.28
The following account may be legend
or fact, but it was part of Branham's testimony from the start:
On the day of his birth, after being washed, he was placed in
his mother's arms by the midwife who then went to a window to
open the shutter. (There was no glass in the Branham house in
those days.) As dawn broke sending a few rays of light into the
room, there was seen a small circular halo about a foot in diameter,
above the bed where little William lay in his mother's arms.29
Thousands of people have supposedly
seen this halo, which is ostensibly revealed in a photograph
taken in Houston, Texas, during a January, 1950, campaign. (The
best we've been able to obtain is a photostatic copy of a copy
which, though poorly reproduced here, will allow the reader to
see what has been taken for a "halo." Whether this
is a halo or a flaw in the negative - whether it is a manifestation
from God or Satan or poor photography, we will leave to the reader's
judgment.)
When he was three years of age, Branham
experienced for the first time what he called "the Voice."
At age seven "the Voice" commanded him, "Don't
you never drink, smoke, or defile your body in any way. There'll
be work for you to do when you get older."30
This "Voice" accompanied Branham
throughout his lifetime, and eventually made itself known as
an "angel" that directed him in every aspect of his
personal life.31 During healing services Branham would often
fall into a trance during which his angel would work through
him. Asked once if the healings were done by the Holy Spirit,
Branham replied, "No, my angel does it."32
Branham was one of the foremost proponents
of the theory of healing and imparting the Holy Spirit through
the "laying on of hands." He would often feel a heat
in his hand as he touched affected parts, and exhibited a remarkable
clairvoyancy in knowing intimate details of the lives of people
he had never seen before. No doubt this was due to the angel's
possession of his mind.
Difficulties With The Brethren
Branham's unorthodox methods of healing and allegedly imparting
the Holy Spirit by the laying on of his hands came under severe
criticism by the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. These practices
became major sources of controversy between the Latter Rain Movement
and the established Pentecostal denominations who held to their
belief that one must "tarry" in prayer for the gift
of the Holy Spirit.
In spite of his bizarre healing methods
and aberrant doctrines, Branham enjoyed remarkable popularity
among many Pentecostals, and was warmly received by such notables
as Demos Shakarian (founder of the Full Gospel Business Men's
Fellowship International), Oral Roberts, W.V. Grant, A.A. Allen,
Gordon Lindsay (founder of Christ for the Nations), O.L. Jaggers,
George Warnock, and Franklin Hall.
Although many Pentecostals were willing
to embrace Branham as an "apostle" and "prophet"
while overlooking his aberrant teachings, his popularity declined
in the late 1950's after his numerous bold proclamations of "thus
saith the Lord" to establish his doctrines. Many Pentecostal
churches became reluctant to allow him to speak.33
No one conversant with Pentecostalism
will deny that, for better or for worse, William Branham had
a tremendous effect on the neo-Pentecostalism of his time. From
all accounts, he did exhibit remarkable healing powers which
no doubt played a significant part in giving credibility to his
teachings.
Branham was warmly welcomed by Pentecostal
churches and organizations such as the Full Gospel Business Men's
Fellowship International. This organization in particular provided
his most reliable support. In 1961, the editor of FGBMFI's magazine,
'Voice,' wrote, "In Bible Days, there were men of God who
were Prophets and Seers. But in all the Sacred Records, none
of these had a greater ministry than that of William Branham."34
It should be noted that often what Branham
taught as a guest speaker differed from what he taught at his
own church, Branham Tabernacle, where he felt freer to disclose
his more aberrant teachings.
Toward the end of his career, however,
Branham's public espousal of his strange doctrines became even
more controversial and he was used less and less by the FGBMFI,
though for several years his speaking engagements were underwritten
by local chapters. For years he had been a frequent speaker at
regional and national conventions.
Eulogies
Branham's life ended abruptly. While on a trip to Arizona,
his car was hit head-on by one driven by a drunken driver. For
six days he lay in a coma and, on Christmas Eve, 1965, he passed
away.
The entire Pentecostal world was shaken
by the tragedy. "A number of old friends - Oral Roberts,
Demos Shakarian, T.L. Osborn - telephoned their concern."35
When Branham died, Demos Shakarian wrote,
"Rev. Branham often made the statement that the only Fellowship
to which he belonged was FGBMFI. Often, when called upon to speak
at various conventions and chapter meetings, he has traveled
long distances to keep those engagements. His spirit of service
was an inspiration."36
Many of Branham's followers believed
that he had truly come in the spirit of Elijah; some believed
him to be God, born of a virgin.37 They fully expected him to
rise from the dead and come back to them at the end of three
days.
Five days after his passing, William
Branham was buried, and his grave was soon marked by the pyramid-shaped
tombstone.
To date, William Branham's body is still
in the grave. But his occult approach to healing was picked up
by hundreds of pastors and teachers who have traded on it to
a greater or lesser degree.
THE SHARON BRETHREN
In the fall of 1947, two former pastors for the Pentecostal
Assemblies of Canada, George Hawtin and Percy G. Hunt, joined
with Herrick Holt, a pastor of the North Battleford, Saskatchewan,
Church of the Foursquare Gospel, in an independent work. That
work - Sharon Orphanage and Schools which Holt had originally
started in a large residence in North Battleford - had come to
occupy about one thousand acres of farmland about ten miles distant
from the city limits.
With Hawtin and Hunt came seventy students
from Bethel Bible Institute where both had formerly taught before
Hawtin was asked to resign for lack of cooperation, and Hunt
resigned out of sympathy. George Hawtin's brother-in- law, Milford
Kirkpatrick, and Ernest Hawtin, George's brother, soon joined
in ministry at Sharon.38
Herrick Holt had been preaching that
God was going to be doing a "new thing" in accordance
with the prophecy of Isaiah 43:18-19:
"Remember ye not the former things,
neither consider the things of old.
"Behold I will do a new thing;
Now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even
make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert."
Of great influence upon the work at
Sharon were the teachings of William Branham. Several of the
school's brethren visited one of his campaigns shortly after
George Hawtin and P.G. Hunt had come on staff. With renewed fervor,
the brethren took Branham's teachings back to Sharon, unaware
that the supernatural power bestowed upon them by Branham would
make their ministry the focal point of the Latter Rain Movement
for several years to come.39
Another influence, on the Hawtin brothers
in particular, was J.E. Stile's book, 'The Gift of the Holy Spirit,'
which asserted that if one were truly repentant, and believed
on the Lord Jesus Christ, all that was necessary for him to receive
the Holy Spirit was for another believer to lay hands on him.40
Franklin Hall's book was especially
utilized at Sharon. Ernest Hawtin wrote: "The truth of fasting
was one great contributing factor to the revival. One year before
this we had read Franklin Hall's book, entitled 'Atomic Power
With God Through Fasting and Prayer.' We immediately began to
practise [sic] fasting. Previously we had not understood the
possibility of long fasts. The revival would never have been
possible without the restoration of this great truth through
our good brother Hall."41
On February 11, 1948, a young woman
at the Bible school prophesied that a great revival was about
to break out. The next day, according to Ern Hawtin, the Holy
Spirit fell with great power. "Day after day the Glory and
Power of God came among us. Great repentance, humbling, fasting
and prayer prevailed in everyone."42
Because of the manifestation of power
at North Battleford, news of the outbreak spread, and soon people
were coming from everywhere to receive that power. They believed
that the long drought was over for Pentecostals, whose use of
the gifts had gradually declined since the advent of Pentecostalism
at the turn of the century.43
A striking characteristic of the Sharon
revival was the effort to avoid the establishment of another
denomination as had happened during the earlier Pentecostal Movement.
George Hawtin was especially adamant about this and labored to
instruct those who were touched by his ministry not to fall into
that trap. He felt that the unity of the Church was essential
to bring about its restoration, and therefore encouraged the
establishment of
autonomous, local congregations.
It became a hallmark of the Latter Rain
Movement that innumerable independent churches sprang up with
no denominational affiliation. This did not set well with the
Pentecostal denominations, who lost many members to this "new
thing."
A major point of controversy between
the North Battleford brethren and some Pentecostal denominations
was the teaching by the former that there are present-day apostles
and prophets for the Church.44 And though George Hawtin wrote
in the June, 1948, issue of 'The Sharon Star' (the school's newsletter)
that "no church exercises or has any right to exercise authority
of jurisdiction over another church, its pastors or members,"
the traveling "presbytery" from Sharon, of which he
was a part, did indeed exercise authority over people in other
congregations through personal "directive prophecy."45
In spite of the Sharon group's insistence
upon autonomy, they eventually became sectarian to the extreme,
holding to the notions that no teaching was valid unless it originated
with them, no fellowship was to be engaged in with anyone outside
their own confines, and they alone were the purveyors of God's
truth. If anyone would be an "overcomer," it must be
through obedience to their authority.
Even some who were endorsed as apostles
and prophets by the Sharon group eventually became disillusioned
and broke ties from Sharon. Among these was Reg Layzell who wrote:
"At the first camp meeting you were made a member of the
Body of Christ by the Spirit of God. And even if you said you
were not in the Body you still were. No man could put you in
or take you out. Now the error: they claim you are only put in
by them and can be put out by them."46
A significant event in the history of
Sharon Orphanage and School was its July 7-18, 1948 Camp Meeting,
during which thousands of people from Canada and the United States
flocked in hopes of receiving something special from God. Residents
from at least twenty states attended, and the great Latter Rain
Movement burst upon the world.
From that time the movement spread rapidly
and Sharon shortly became just one of many centers of teaching
for the Latter Rain Movement.
In his thesis on this movement, Richard
Riss states: "It should be noted however, that prior to
the revival, these practices [laying on of hands and acceptance
of apostles and prophets] were already commonplace in some places,
including Elim Bible Institute, which was at that time in Hornell,
N.Y., and which, until the revival, had not had contact with
North Battleford."47
"It should also be noted...that
prophecy was a major distinguishing mark of the Latter Rain Movement,
whereas, in the case of the healing evangelists, healing was
more prominent, and in the case of the early pentecostal revival,
tongues had prominence."48
Elim Bible Institute was for years prior
to the outbreak of the Latter Rain Movement a center for neo-Pentecostal
teachings. Although it was Sharon Orphanage that gave real impetus
to these teachings, it is Elim Bible Institute that has continued
even to this day with its influence, while the Sharon group has
largely been relegated to obscurity.
GEORGE WARNOCK
Among those present at the Sharon Camp Meeting in July, 1948,
was George Warnock who at one time had been personal secretary
to Ern Baxter (an associate with William Branham's healing ministry).49
At this meeting one of the teachers, James Watt, made a passing
remark that the third of Israel's feasts, the Feast of Tabernacles,
was yet to be fulfilled.50 This struck Warnock and he began to
associate it with the end-time ministry of the Church, and the
concept of restoration.
In the fall of 1949 Warnock took up
residence at Sharon, "assisting in the office work, and
helping in the Bible School and in the local church."51
In 1951 Warnock wrote his book, 'The
Feast of Tabernacles,' in which he layed out a specific doctrine
for the Latter Rain Movement, and those who came after. He taught
that the Church was about to usher in the completion of God's
feasts for Israel, through perfection of the saints and their
dominion over the earth.
Essentially, this Latter Rain teaching
implies that the three great annual feasts of the Lord in Israel's
worship (Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles) pre-figure and
typify the whole Church Age, beginning with the death of Jesus
on the cross, and consummating in "the manifestation of
the Sons of God" - the "overcomers" who will step
into immortality and establish the Kingdom of God on earth.52
Warnock teaches that this will be accomplished
through the restoration of the Church in unity and, once done,
the saints will "eat the Lord's Supper in reality."53
(as if we are not doing so now).
"Unity" as defined by Kingdom
Theology entails the putting on of "the mind of Christ"
so that we all think, say, believe, and confess the same things.54
What we will think, say, believe, and confess will be told to
us by the apostles and prophets.
Unity without regard to "doctrine"
(except the doctrine of those imposing the unity) is the great
cry among those today who think that the Body of Christ has thus
far failed in its commission. We will deal with these teachings
in more detail later.
THE LATTER RAIN CONTINUES
Many teachings of the Latter Rain Movement have been retained
in the Church through the influence of various men and women,
many of whom are still alive, and active in groups that spun
off from the Latter Rain Movement.
Although the Latter Rain Movement has
had lasting effects upon Pentecostalism in general, its effects
upon the major Pentecostal denominations was minimal after the
mid-1950's. This was due in part to the role the Assemblies of
God played in confronting the Latter Rain extremes. That denomination,
as well as others, lost many pastors and members to the Latter
Rain as a consequence of their opposition.
Today, the influence of the Latter Rain
Movement upon traditional as well as Pentecostal denominations
is growing. And although by all appearances the name has died
out, the Latter Rain Movement has surfaced under other names
and is held together by a network of teachers and organizations
which are finding new acceptance on a wide scale in the Christian
media.
(To Be Continued in Part 2)
NOTES
1. Franklin Hall, "Miracle
Word" (Phoenix; Hall Deliverance Foundation, Inc., Summer,
1985) p.10.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid, p.9.
6. Ibid.
7. Franklin Hall, 'Atomic Power With God Through Fasting and
Prayer' (Phoenix: Hall Deliverance Foundation, Inc., 5th Ed.,
1975), p.19.
8. Ibid., p.9.
9. Franklin Hall, Catalogue of Publications (Phoenix: Hall Deliverance
Foundation, 1986).
10. Franklin Hall, 'The Return of Immortality' (Phoenix: Hall
Deliverance Foundation, Inc., 1976), pp.2-3.
11. Ibid., p.3.
12. Ibid., Inside Front Cover.
13. Ibid., p.10.
14. Ibid., p.48.
15. Ibid., p.20.
16. 'Atomic Power With God Through Fasting and Prayer', pp.29,31.
17. Ibid., p.7.
18. Ibid., p.53
19. Ibid., p.55.
20. Catalogue of Publications.
21. William M. Branham, 'Adoption' (Jeffersonville, IN: Spoken
Word Publications, 1960), p.21.
22. William M. Branham, 'The Serpent's Seed', taped sermon, undated.
23. 'Adoption', pp.31,104.
24. David E. Harrell, Jr., 'All Things Are Possible' (Bloomington:
Indiana University Press, 1976), p.162.
25. William M. Branham, 'My Life Story' (Spoken Word Publications,
undated), p.27.
26. 'The Serpent's Seed'.
27. 'All Things Are Possible', p.162.
28. 'Brother Branham' (Jeffersonville, IN: Spoken Word Publications,
undated), p.19.
29. 'My Life Story', p.21.
30. Ibid., p.24.
31. Kurt Koch, 'Occult Bondage and Deliverance' (Grand Rapids:
Kregel, 1972), p.50.
32. Ibid.
33. 'All Things Are Possible', p.159.
34. Ibid., p.161.
35. Ibid.
36. Ibid.
37. Ibid., p.164.
38. Richard Riss, 'The Latter Rain Movement of 1948 and the Mid-twentieth
Century Evangelical Awakening' (Vancouver, B.C.: Thesis), p.79.
39. Ibid., p.80-81.
40. Ibid., p.83-84.
41. Ibid., p.86.
42. Ibid., p.89.
43. Ibid., p.89-90.
44. Ibid., p.101.
45. Ibid., p.102.
46. Ibid., p.154.
47. Ibid., p.108.
48. Ibid., p.116.
49. Ibid., p.104.
50. Ibid.
51. Ibid.
52. George Warnock, 'The Feast of Tabernacles' (Cranbrook, B.C.:
George Warnock, 1951), p.14-20.
53. Ibid., p.22.
54. Ibid., p.23.
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