- 14 hours ago
John Collins and John McKinnon examine how religious leaders can manufacture divine authority and gradually place themselves beyond questioning. Using William Branham’s correspondence with C. Parker Thomas as a case study, they discuss supernatural biographies, prophetic claims, self-promotion, claims of biblical fulfillment, and the way apparent humility can coexist with increasingly extraordinary claims to spiritual authority.
They also explore what happens when a movement becomes centered on its messenger rather than subjecting leadership to accountability and examination. The discussion follows C. Parker Thomas’ later warnings about idolatry, competing successors, loyalty to William Branham, and the fragmentation of the movement, while emphasizing transparency, critical thinking, testing religious claims, and the dangers of making any spiritual leader effectively untouchable.
______________________
Weaponized Religion: From Christian Identity to the NAR:
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735160962
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCGGZX3K
______________________
– Support the channel: https://www.patreon.com/branham
– Subscribe to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBSpezVG15TVG-lOYMRXuyQ
– Visit the website: https://william-branham.org
– Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WilliamBranhamOrg
– Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@william.m.branham
– Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wmbhr
– Buy the books: https://william-branham.org/site/books
They also explore what happens when a movement becomes centered on its messenger rather than subjecting leadership to accountability and examination. The discussion follows C. Parker Thomas’ later warnings about idolatry, competing successors, loyalty to William Branham, and the fragmentation of the movement, while emphasizing transparency, critical thinking, testing religious claims, and the dangers of making any spiritual leader effectively untouchable.
______________________
Weaponized Religion: From Christian Identity to the NAR:
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735160962
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCGGZX3K
______________________
– Support the channel: https://www.patreon.com/branham
– Subscribe to the channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBSpezVG15TVG-lOYMRXuyQ
– Visit the website: https://william-branham.org
– Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WilliamBranhamOrg
– Follow on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@william.m.branham
– Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wmbhr
– Buy the books: https://william-branham.org/site/books
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:31Hello, and welcome to another episode of the William Branham Historical Research Podcast.
00:36I'm your host, John Collins, the author and founder of William Branham Historical Research
00:40at william-branham.org, and with me I have my co-host, researcher, and friend, John McKinnon,
00:46author of Godhead and Their Own Words, Voices of Oneness Preachers of the End-Time Message.
00:52John, it's good to be back and to talk about this subject that honestly is the theme that
00:57you can identify through almost every single person that I have on the podcast, whether
01:02it's a person who's co-hosting with me or a person who's sharing their story, and this
01:07is the theme, how a religious leader makes himself untouchable.
01:11You have found some evidence that I actually had not yet seen, which I'll let you introduce
01:17that and talk about that a bit.
01:19But the evidence really is just a case study of the broader issue that we have in all of
01:25these movements that have sprung up from the latter reign post-World War II healing revival.
01:31There is just simply no accountability in some of the religious groups.
01:36And what happens whenever you take out the guardrails of accountability, the religious leaders who
01:42are intent on creating a name for themselves will often make themselves untouchable because
01:48they know inwardly they're not who they claim to be, but they can't let the people find that
01:53out.
01:54And that's really what we're dealing with here.
01:56William Branham was not who he claimed to be.
01:58And as we'll go through in the evidence that you have to share with the people, this is just
02:04an example of what is continuing to happen, even still today.
02:08So even though this letter might not seem relevant to the broader audience who's listening from
02:13the charismatic movement, Pentecostal movement, et cetera, you'll be able to identify exactly
02:18what I'm talking about whenever you hear what John McKinnon has to say.
02:22And anyway, I'll let you introduce it.
02:25Well, hello, John.
02:26It's great to be back here again with you today.
02:28And just want to say that we've gone through quite a few episodes and had quite a journey here
02:34discussing how cults are born.
02:36And the podcast will educate and reform anyone who's interested in learning more of these
02:41background of the creation of cults and why people stay in them, and in particular, showing
02:48how these elements that we've talked about are within this very cult that we came out
02:52of.
02:52But I want to get to one item of business out of the way first.
02:57My recent two books that I published, it was pointed out to me in my recent book, Godhead
03:01in Their Own Words, that I mistakenly said that Seth Coffey was the son of Barry Coffey.
03:07I want to openly apologize for that mistake as I do not know them personally, but I am
03:12very familiar with Brother Barry Coffey's church at Hickory Bible Tabernacle.
03:17But I do not know anything about how many sons are in the ministry that he had, but with
03:22Seth having the same last name and living in the same area within 10 miles, say, of where
03:28the church is, I assumed he was related.
03:31And the saying goes, we know what happens when we assume something.
03:35So once again, that's confirmed to be true.
03:38But to set the record straight here, you know, the family living in North Carolina are not related
03:43to Brother Barry Coffey, who I think is originally from Canada.
03:47They just happen to be in the message and share the same last name.
03:51It's a lot like my former pastor, Brother Green.
03:55He was not related to Perry Green of Arizona.
03:57But a lot of times the overseas work that my pastor did was credited to Perry Green because
04:04they shared the same last name.
04:05And I'd like to say this.
04:07Usually whenever a co-host or myself makes a correction or offers an apology for something
04:13that is either misstated or just simply got wrong in either a publication or a podcast,
04:20usually I take that segment and I put it to the end because people listening to a podcast,
04:25they really want to get to the subject matter quickly so they can see what the podcast is
04:29about and then they continue and then they may or may not make it all the way to that segment.
04:34That's usually how it works if you look at the analytics of how a podcast is presented to
04:39the people and the response to the podcast.
04:41However, this is the subject matter.
04:45This is exactly what I'm talking about.
04:47Transparency.
04:48You do not want to make yourself something that you're not.
04:51We're all humans.
04:52We all make mistakes.
04:54But whenever you have leadership that are trying to cover up their mistakes, usually what they're
05:00doing is they're trying to make themselves untouchable in a way that people can't find out.
05:03And that's really the sad truth of what happened to both you and I and others who have left the
05:10message following William Branham.
05:11We found out.
05:12And when we found out, oh, my gosh, why in the world did not only William Branham, but
05:17so many other people that followed him?
05:20Why did they continue to cover this up for so many decades?
05:23So this is the subject matter that we're talking about.
05:26You know, this kind of thing happens more than we think.
05:29So I just made the correction.
05:30And so I think no future books that are published or purchased will be correct.
05:37I actually think this information makes the argument even more powerful because it now
05:42shows that two unrelated message churches with unrelated relational relationships within
05:4910 miles of each other are really teaching things that are contrary to the message.
05:53as far as our teaching of the Godhead's concerned, because I know William Branham taught the Godhead
06:00strictly outside of the oneness or Trinity doctrinal interpretations of it.
06:07And these teach more of a oneness concept in those two churches.
06:11It seems like from the outside looking in, that's just my opinion.
06:15But I think that says a lot is what's happening within the message.
06:19You know, they're not, for the most part, sticking with the true message doctrine.
06:26And when they don't, then what can you really call them?
06:28Are they really being true to the message?
06:31So to get back on our topic today, you know, we'll be putting the finishing touches on the
06:36discussions of how cult leaders get started and sway people.
06:39So I have just one more letter from a minister who William Branham corresponded with and had
06:45meetings together with him in 1962 and even earlier in North Carolina.
06:51We've been talking about how cults form and the elements that go in this toxic recipe.
06:57And like any recipe that's been handed down generation to generation, it can be replicated.
07:02Cult leaders adopt the same recipe and get mostly the same results, you know, one degree or another.
07:08But it's a tragedy for everyone and even becomes more tragic, you know, when people are harmed,
07:14you know, in the process.
07:15I was listening to a sermon by John MacArthur recently on false prophets, which he delivered
07:21about two years after the tragedy of Jonestown.
07:25But he preached in the verses of Matthew 7, verses 15 to 20, which say,
07:30Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing.
07:33Inwardly, they are ravening wolves.
07:35You shall know them by their fruits.
07:37Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles?
07:41Even so, every tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth bad fruit.
07:46A good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit.
07:49Neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
07:53Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, cast into the fire.
07:59He said, Wherefore, by their fruits you shall know them, Jesus speaking.
08:05So he begins exploring some of the people's lives who became part of the church of the Jonestown church.
08:11And, you know, these people were not destitute people.
08:14They were very smart, intelligent, professional in a lot of cases, and strong church goers before they met up with
08:22Jim Jones.
08:22And that's what's so ironic about this.
08:26And MacArthur goes on and says, You know, these people were raised in Christian environments.
08:31And yet the subtlety of the man deceived even these people that were Christians.
08:37And he says, Such is the deceitfulness of false prophets, and such is the reason why our Lord says, Beware.
08:43They're not something superficially discovered.
08:47It's very hard to detect who the false prophets are in some cases because of this subtlety.
08:52That's how those of us who came out of the message could stay in it for 20, 30, or 40
08:57years before realizing really anything was wrong about it.
09:02MacArthur goes on and elaborates further.
09:04He said, He, which is Jones, used the language and the forms of faith to gain His power.
09:10He used fundamentalist Pentecostal trappings and always spoke in a biblical language.
09:16He had His people sing and give testimonies as to how He had miraculously healed them.
09:22He created a warm, loving, pseudo-Christian community without Christ.
09:27He demanded absolute and total loyalty.
09:30He replaced Jesus as the authority figure and went so far as to say that He was Jesus.
09:36He used the Bible, quoting it very often, but perverting it to His own ends.
09:41He gave away anointed gifts, miracle blessings, prayer cloths, and always demanded money in return.
09:48You know, as we know, Jones did work with Brother Branham for three to four years together,
09:54so I'm sure Jones became well-versed in these techniques that he was using that MacArthur is elaborating on,
10:01and which made him a successful cult leader.
10:04You know, we're not going to focus on Jim Jones today,
10:06but on a letter that I do have from William Branham to a man named C. Parker Thomas,
10:14and then C. Parker Thomas' reflection on the ministry of William Branham years later.
10:20So it just goes to show that all these techniques that I just read about here that Jones was using,
10:27we see those very same techniques in the ministry of William Branham.
10:31And I want to pause and talk about something that you said with regards to the music.
10:36Music fascinates me.
10:37As you know, I'm a musician, and this type of thing I've studied quite a bit.
10:42There is an interesting aspect.
10:43Whenever you ask any follower of William Branham, do they worship William Branham,
10:48most will say no, even though some, like my grandfather, would say,
10:52he was God tabernacled in human flesh.
10:54So clearly they're worshiping him, but they don't really realize it.
10:57And it goes so far as to people will introduce songs into the music lineup in some of the churches
11:05where they're singing about the central figure of the cult, in our case, William Branham.
11:09I grew up hearing songs about William Branham,
11:12and it's like the traveling minstrels who are telling a tale.
11:15They're creating a mythology, and that mythology is part of the worship service in the church.
11:20So when you're singing about your central figure in a church, you are worshiping that central figure.
11:25We did that, and yet at the same time, while I'm singing about our precious brother Branham,
11:30that's how we would say it, we never really stopped and thought about the fact
11:34that we're actually worshiping him and creating a mythology.
11:38More to the point, it goes back to the accountability of the leaders
11:42and them trying to become untouchable.
11:44Once they've entered into a mythological state, they're truly untouchable.
11:49What person in their right mind, what minister in their right mind,
11:52would allow a congregation member to write a song and sing songs in the church about themselves.
11:59There's just not a person to do it.
12:01If I was a minister and somebody did this, I would call them outside and say,
12:05don't ever do that again.
12:06This is not the way that we worship Jesus Christ.
12:09You don't sing songs about me, your pastor.
12:12William Branham allowed this.
12:13There were songs about him while he was still alive,
12:17and he never put a stop to it.
12:20And this is just something, in my opinion, is just so wrong and people don't realize.
12:24But it all comes down to this.
12:26They're worshiping a false god, and that false god is the central figure
12:30that they're venerating through all of these songs and undue reverence.
12:35What I want to get into is that C. Parker Thomas here was a minister.
12:39He was in Southern Pines, North Carolina, and he actually hosted William Branham a couple of times
12:44in the late 50s, around 1958, and the early 60s, around 1962.
12:49But C. Parker Thomas' church was where the famous 1962 shadow of death picture was taken.
12:57And William Branham was a little deceiving, you know,
12:59when he actually spoke of this picture that was taken later.
13:02He claimed it was during a service when he was discerning the lady who had the cancer,
13:08and a voice told the woman to snap the picture at that instance.
13:11But I think he said later on that a second picture was taken which showed the hood of death gone.
13:17But I've never seen that one, you know, produced.
13:19But this picture doesn't look as though it was taken, you know, during a service at all.
13:23Because you could think about during a service, you know,
13:25people would be attuned to the minister and quiet and reverent.
13:30But you see a floodlight, you know, shining on the audience
13:33and the people looking toward the floodlight as if they knew a picture was going to be snapped.
13:38Back in those days, when you took home movies or photographs,
13:42you actually have to shine a light to lighten the subjects that you were taking.
13:48So because the lighting was poor in those days,
13:50and the camera lens was not like we have today,
13:53where they can be a lot sharper, even in low light settings.
13:56So you see a floodlight on the audience just shining down.
14:00And then you see people's heads turned in this picture toward each other,
14:03and even a woman laughing.
14:06So during a prayer service, you know, that wouldn't really be going on,
14:10you know, even in such a service like this,
14:12when he was discerning, you know, the sick and the afflicted.
14:15You even see an usher taking a person to a seat in this picture
14:18and putting his head down to talk to a person seated at the edge of the aisle.
14:21Now, so this could not be the picture that William Branham was describing here.
14:27You know, it's just another example of how he took things and just embellished them
14:31and how he took pictures and made them something that they were not.
14:35But the same thing really happened, you know, years later,
14:38not many years later, with pictures taken in his ministry.
14:42A few years before he passed off the scene,
14:45pictures were taken in the Arizona desert with a defective camera,
14:49and his deity followers were trying to prove that this orangey-looking thing blob
14:56in the photograph was actually the pillar of fire that was appearing in the photos
15:00taken in the desert when they saw the orange-colored light on the film.
15:05But given Perry Green's credit, to his credit,
15:09he exposed this as a hoax,
15:12as a defective camera letting the light into and exposing the film along with the picture.
15:17So I have to give him credit for being honest, you know, about this
15:21and not trying to embellish the picture as others were doing
15:24and not trying to carry on the legend.
15:27Because he actually had a camera.
15:28He said, I can show you exactly how this is done.
15:30And he took several photos and he even testified to this
15:34and was showing the brothers that were trying to make Brother Branham a God
15:38that, hey, this is just a defective camera.
15:41Don't take it as something supernatural.
15:43So we see that happen a lot through the ministry there.
15:46But getting back to the second letter that we have
15:49that William Branham sent to C. Parker Thomas in June of 1958,
15:54it was probably after he toured in the area where his church was.
15:57He went back in 62 in North Carolina to solidify this following
16:02that he had gathered after this letter
16:04and had a chance, you know, to take the effect that he wanted it to have
16:07with C. Parker Thomas.
16:09But incidentally, it was in 1962, William Branham preached
16:14in an area in Western North Carolina as he was touring
16:17where the church I attended, you know, called my home church
16:20for many years, had begun.
16:21And that was in Spindale, North Carolina.
16:24So the church in Western North Carolina became a prominent church
16:27in the message for many years.
16:28And it was and is well known throughout many foreign lands,
16:32you know, in the work that has been done since the 1960s
16:35and continues today.
16:38But C. Parker Thomas admits later on in the ministry,
16:42this is probably through the 70s and 80s,
16:44that he respected, you know, William Branham as a minister
16:46and as a brother, as almost everyone did.
16:49But however, you know, Parker Thomas was quite smart
16:52to examine what was going on in the ministry.
16:55And it was years later that he came out and said
16:58William Branham's message was just a cult.
17:00You know, one ironic thing that happens happened to me
17:04when I was first writing, you know, other ministers in the message
17:07to try to find out some recommended ministries close to me
17:11that I could attend to.
17:13And this was around 1986.
17:15I was heavily discouraged from seeking out C. Parker Thomas's church.
17:19I didn't know the history.
17:21I didn't know what C. Parker Thomas had said
17:23about the ministry of William Branham.
17:25But these ministers were telling me
17:27that C. Parker Thomas got off the word
17:29and was going into worshiping of angels.
17:33And I laugh at that today because I was so naive at the time,
17:37you know, 30-something years ago.
17:38And I trusted people, you know, too much to really tell me the truth
17:42because I was trying to absorb everything I could
17:45and try to examine it the best I could with the information I had.
17:49But so here was one minister saying this
17:51and at the same time, you know, telling me C. Parker Thomas was deceived.
17:55But then he was deceived also by being in the message.
17:59You know, I can't blame anyone for all these mistakes that happened back then,
18:03but I can only blame myself because I chose the path that I went on for that time.
18:08And maybe it was for this very reason that I'm doing what I'm doing today
18:12because maybe my experience can help someone find their way.
18:16Now, I believe this letter that was sent is just as important
18:21as the letter William Branham sent to Lee Vail
18:24and represents two examples that we have on record
18:27of William Branham planting ideas into other ministers' minds
18:31about himself and his ministry.
18:34So in other words, William Branham was telling people
18:37what to say in their own newsletters
18:40and about his ministry and what people ought to be believing
18:43about him being the Elijah of today.
18:46And that's really the hard part about it for me.
18:48See, I was born and raised in this,
18:50and I did not know anything different.
18:53When people ask me,
18:54how could you believe that this person claimed to be Elijah
18:58and had the authority of Elijah the prophet,
19:01and why did you even give Elijah that much authority?
19:03He did not really have that much authority in the Bible.
19:07I didn't really have a response
19:09because I was born and raised to believe this.
19:11It wasn't until long after I left,
19:13I started re-evaluating all of this
19:15and understanding that that was just absurd.
19:17Why did we do that?
19:18And I started thinking about my family
19:21who was not born and raised in it.
19:23How did they come into that mindset?
19:26And what I've learned is this.
19:28These leaders manufacture divine authority.
19:30They don't simply come out and say,
19:32I'm the guy.
19:33They don't simply say,
19:35I have the best interpretation of the Bible.
19:37You must come hear me
19:38because nobody would listen.
19:40Instead, they established a supernatural biography.
19:43God chose me.
19:44I have a prophetic history.
19:45God vindicated me.
19:47He sent an angel.
19:48This prophecy points towards me.
19:50Can't you see it?
19:51Miracles.
19:52These prove me.
19:53And the letter that you found is really valuable
19:56because it shows that he was actively trying
20:00to manufacture this divine authority.
20:03And as we've looked and examined
20:05the Leveille letter, et cetera,
20:07it's just one of many hundreds,
20:10probably of instances where William Branham
20:13was trying to manufacture something
20:15that did not exist.
20:16The sad truth is nobody really had critical thinking
20:19to turn it off and stop him and say,
20:21no, man, you can't do this to me.
20:24You're not going to make me submit
20:26and bow down to you and worship you.
20:28But that's exactly what happened.
20:29There were people that over time,
20:31they began to bow down
20:32and sing songs to him in the church.
20:34And it's just so wrong when you think about it.
20:36And it is not a Christian church
20:39once you start worshiping the minister
20:40who is on the platform.
20:42I want to take a minute now
20:44to just analyze the letter
20:46that was written to C. Parker Thomas.
20:48It's in a tone that's very similar to that
20:50which was sent to Leveille.
20:52And this letter was sent on June 30th, 1958.
20:56And anyone can get this off the internet.
20:58But the letter starts off, you know,
21:00very polite and pastoral
21:02and relational on the surface.
21:03But as soon as that is over,
21:06it quickly transitions into a self-authorizing
21:10autobiographical manifesto
21:11that William Branham was relating to Parker Thomas.
21:14You know, the letter from William Branham
21:16to C. Parker Thomas is more formal
21:18and concise than the letter to Leveille
21:21because Leveille's was an audio letter
21:25and Parker Thomas's was written.
21:27But it's framed as a thank you note
21:29for hospitality during his convention,
21:31you know, in 1958 and expressing regret
21:34for his fatigue and his optimism
21:36about future collaboration.
21:38But it quickly shifts into a detailed
21:41autobiographical account of William Branham's life,
21:44his ministry, his divine calling,
21:47which he explicitly asked to be published
21:49in Thomas's paper.
21:51Because Thomas has published a paper,
21:53End Time or Midnight Call Messenger
21:57or something like that.
21:59And he wanted that to be published
22:00in Thomas's paper
22:01because that had a distribution
22:03of who knows how many thousands of people.
22:05So William Branham was trying to insert himself
22:07into Thomas's ministry
22:09and present himself as the,
22:11you know, the head Elijah of the day
22:14so that people would start following,
22:16you know, William Branham
22:17was all about self-promotion.
22:19He said this in the letter,
22:21he said,
22:21If you do not mind,
22:22it would go so even as far
22:24as to publish this letter.
22:26So he was even wanting Parker Thomas
22:29to publish the letter in his publications.
22:31And that's why he was so careful
22:32to be very particular about it.
22:34So this makes it feel like
22:36a promotional testimonial or a manifesto.
22:39It blends gratitude and theology
22:41and personal testimony.
22:43His tone is always polite,
22:45humble in spots,
22:46because he admits his weakness
22:47and credits God with things
22:49that are done in his ministry.
22:50But he's also confident and authoritative.
22:53He positions himself
22:55as a predestined prophet
22:57with the biblical parallels all throughout.
23:00He uses the scriptural references,
23:02bringing that in from Jeremiah,
23:04Ephesians, and John
23:05to validate his experiences that he had.
23:08And the narrative emphasizes
23:10the supernatural events
23:12as evidence of authenticating his ministry.
23:16William Branham emphasizes
23:17in this letter to Parker Thomas
23:19that he has a divine election,
23:21which is unique.
23:22He had supernatural vindication from birth.
23:25He had commissions through angels.
23:28He had exclusive revelatory authority.
23:31And his eschatological or end times
23:35is very significant to his ministry.
23:37It's also centered on his ministry.
23:40So it's not just correspondence
23:41to see Parker Thomas.
23:43This letter functions
23:44to credential William Branham's ministry.
23:47But I'll say that
23:49as it was in Lee Vell
23:50and that audio transcript,
23:54it's also evident here.
23:56There's very narcissistic traits
23:59evident in this letter.
24:01First of all, there's grandiosity,
24:04but that's also framed as
24:06God had to do this
24:08to get the people's attention.
24:09He repeatedly insists
24:11that he did not choose
24:12the role he's in,
24:14but he was actually born into it,
24:16called into it from birth.
24:17He also has a origin,
24:20self-origin narrative,
24:22which is very mythic.
24:24He talks about the light
24:25over the cradle
24:26that came in through the window.
24:27He talks about visions
24:29he received as an infant,
24:30which always came to pass.
24:32He talks about a childhood voice
24:34that spoke to him
24:35and also his moral separation
24:38from the ungodliness
24:39of the world,
24:40such as smoking and drinking
24:41very early on,
24:43that God was preserving the vessel
24:44for some work in the future.
24:46But that functions,
24:48all that background functions
24:50to place his authority
24:51beyond ordinary testing.
24:53It makes him the prophet
24:55from birth,
24:57even prior to his conversion.
25:00And what this does, John,
25:02it gives him immunity
25:03to correction.
25:04He's laying the background
25:05for I cannot be corrected
25:08for my doctrine
25:08because I have all these things
25:10that vindicate who I am.
25:12You know, the claims
25:13are structured
25:14so that disbelief
25:16is implicitly
25:17spiritual blindness
25:18to the other person.
25:20The reader's instructed
25:21to just accept it
25:22and not evaluate it.
25:24His weakness in ministry
25:26is reframed
25:26as proof of the authenticity,
25:29but not as something
25:30that was a human weakness
25:32that he had,
25:32such as the times
25:34that when he went off the field,
25:35having nervous breakdowns
25:36and so forth.
25:39So, in this letter,
25:40he seems to try
25:42to remain in humility
25:44by saying,
25:46the letter ends
25:46with your humble servant
25:48you know,
25:49in the Lord.
25:49But the content
25:50of the letter
25:51just contradicts
25:52that totally.
25:54The evidence of pride
25:55in the letter
25:56is that he positions himself
25:58as uniquely
26:00the same
26:01as other biblical prophets.
26:02I'm talking about
26:03major prophets
26:04like Isaiah,
26:05Jeremiah,
26:06Elijah,
26:07and no one
26:08can get greater
26:08than Elijah.
26:10He draws direct
26:11typological parallels
26:13between himself
26:13and Christ's
26:15messianic signs,
26:16even saying that
26:18he's done more signs
26:19and wonders
26:19in his ministry
26:20than Christ did in his,
26:21and that his sign
26:23that he's showing
26:24in the services
26:27are the same
26:29as Jesus showed
26:30in his ministry.
26:32So, he presents
26:33his ministry
26:33as marking
26:34the close
26:35of the Gentile age
26:36and so there's
26:38an important distinction
26:39here about
26:40the pride factor.
26:41It's not emotional pride,
26:43it's not his boasting,
26:44his arrogance
26:45within himself
26:46because he's very humble.
26:48But the pride
26:49goes much deeper
26:50than that.
26:50It's actually
26:51claiming a role
26:52in salvation history
26:54and that scripture
26:57reserves for only Christ
26:58and the apostles' witness.
27:01It doesn't place it
27:02on any other person
27:03in history.
27:04But William Branham
27:05is taking
27:05all of salvation history
27:07and saying it's culminating
27:09into his ministry.
27:11Have you ever wondered
27:12how the Pentecostal movement
27:14started
27:14or how the progression
27:16of modern Pentecostalism
27:17transitioned through
27:18the latter reign
27:19charismatic
27:20and other fringe
27:21movements
27:22into the New Apostolic
27:23Reformation?
27:24You can learn
27:25this and more
27:26on William Branham
27:27Historical Research's
27:28website
27:29william-branham.org.
27:31On the books page
27:33of the website,
27:34you can find
27:34the compiled research
27:35of John Collins,
27:37Charles Paisley,
27:38Stephen Montgomery,
27:39John McKinnon,
27:40and others
27:41with links
27:42to the paper,
27:43audio,
27:43and digital versions
27:44of each book.
27:46You can also find
27:47resources and documentation
27:48on various people
27:50and topics
27:50related to those movements.
27:52If you want to
27:53contribute to the cause,
27:55you can support the podcast
27:56by clicking
27:57the Contribute button
27:58at the top.
27:59And as always,
28:00be sure to like
28:01and subscribe
28:02to the audio
28:02or video version
28:03that you're listening to
28:04or watching.
28:05On behalf of
28:06William Branham
28:07Historical Research,
28:08we want to thank you
28:09for your support.
28:10What happened in
28:11Branhamism
28:12set the standards
28:13for many,
28:14many movements
28:15that spun off
28:16of the latter rain
28:17post-World War II
28:18healing revival.
28:19As I said,
28:20they're manufacturing
28:21divine authority
28:22and they're using
28:22all kinds of
28:23supernatural signs
28:24and wonders
28:24to do this.
28:25But then,
28:26what they do
28:27is they take it
28:27a step further
28:28by making that
28:29authority self-sealing.
28:31In other words,
28:32every single outcome,
28:33right or wrong,
28:34good or bad,
28:36vindicates
28:36the self-promoting
28:38leader.
28:39And so,
28:39what happens
28:40when you do this,
28:41it doesn't matter
28:41if you're right
28:42or wrong,
28:42a prophecy can fail,
28:43it doesn't matter.
28:44You try to show
28:46the human side.
28:46If a prophecy fails,
28:48they say,
28:48well,
28:48he was just a human,
28:49he makes mistakes.
28:50If something happened
28:51and they guessed it right,
28:53well,
28:53that was a prophecy,
28:54that was divinely
28:55inspired by God.
28:56And so,
28:57when you try
28:58to criticize
28:59any of this,
29:00you are labeled
29:01and branded
29:02as somebody
29:03who just
29:03is a critic
29:04who doesn't believe.
29:05You lack discernment,
29:06in other words.
29:07And that's really
29:08what's going on here.
29:09He's trying to set
29:10himself up
29:11as this mythological figure
29:14in the minds
29:14of the people
29:15and think of the terms
29:16that are used
29:17just as subliminal messaging.
29:21Spoken word publications,
29:22for example,
29:23that's the name
29:24of the entity
29:24that's distributing
29:25his message.
29:26What do you think
29:27when you think
29:28spoken word?
29:28You think word
29:30and you associate it
29:31with the Bible
29:31if you're in a Christian church.
29:33Well,
29:33this is the spoken word.
29:34It's the spoken Bible.
29:35And there's many churches
29:37that ran with that.
29:38I sat in services
29:39where they would hold up
29:40the spoken word publications
29:42printing of a transcript
29:44of Branham Sermons
29:45and say,
29:45this is the word
29:46for our day,
29:47meaning this is the Bible
29:48for our day.
29:49So,
29:50it doesn't matter
29:51what happens
29:52once you have set yourself
29:53up to that standard
29:55that everything,
29:56good or bad,
29:56right or wrong points
29:57to the authority
29:58of the central figure
29:59that has become worship
30:01of the central figure
30:03in so much
30:03that they become
30:04a deity to the people.
30:06All outcomes
30:06validate him.
30:08Every story
30:10resolves itself
30:11with his legitimacy
30:13reinforced.
30:14So,
30:15nothing that happens,
30:16it all funnels
30:17into him
30:18and to him
30:18and his ministry
30:19being reinforced
30:20before the people.
30:21So,
30:22that's how we got
30:23duped into this
30:23is because
30:24over and over again
30:25we heard
30:26things that were
30:28said to be
30:28vindications
30:29of his ministry
30:30and when you bring
30:31in the fact
30:32that he distorted
30:33the stories
30:34and brought it all
30:35back to himself
30:36saying he did
30:37some great thing
30:38then that made us
30:40get duped even more
30:41but once we learn
30:42the truth of this matter
30:43it knocks it all down
30:45and we can get back
30:46to where we should be
30:47and being critical thinkers
30:50like we should be
30:50and also questioning
30:52men like this
30:53and finding out
30:54if what they're
30:55really saying
30:55you know
30:56is really true
30:57and we find
30:58most of the time
30:59it's not
31:00so even when
31:01he claims reluctance
31:02you know
31:03the result
31:04is still
31:04exaltation
31:05of himself
31:06in one case
31:07in this letter
31:07he said
31:07I didn't want this
31:09but God
31:09forced it on me
31:10so even when
31:12he tries to say
31:13I backed away
31:13from this
31:14he's still
31:15in the result
31:16you know
31:16God is pushing
31:17this so strongly
31:18he can't
31:18he can't get away
31:19from it
31:20so that's
31:21what's called
31:22classic
31:22self-elevating
31:24deflection
31:24and there's a
31:25there's a term
31:26that's the term
31:27for it
31:27he deflects away
31:28from himself
31:29but in the end
31:31he says
31:31it was evident
31:33that I had to
31:33I had to do this
31:35and you know
31:36so that's
31:36that's how he gets
31:37away with this
31:38is that he feigns
31:39humility
31:40but in the end
31:41this is all about
31:42promoting himself
31:43earlier in the podcast
31:46earlier in the podcast
31:47you mentioned
31:48the bible passage
31:49talking about
31:50you'll know
31:50the tree
31:51by its fruits
31:52well look at
31:53the fruits
31:53of the message
31:54today
31:54people like
31:55my grandfather
31:55who was a key
31:56figure in the movement
31:57is saying things
31:58like William Branham
31:59is God
32:00tabernacled
32:00in human flesh
32:01I mentioned this
32:02also before
32:03in the podcast
32:03what he's saying
32:05is we see
32:06the deity
32:06right there
32:07bottled up
32:08in this human
32:09vessel
32:09and what happens
32:11whenever a leader
32:12is promoting
32:13himself to that level
32:15it's far beyond
32:16even some of the levels
32:17of the other
32:17destructive groups
32:18that we examine
32:19on this podcast
32:21the movement
32:22becomes more concerned
32:23with the messenger
32:24than it does
32:25even the message
32:26that the messenger
32:27has brought
32:27the messenger
32:29becomes everything
32:30to them
32:30that is the mythology
32:32the messenger
32:32it's all wrapped up
32:33into the messenger
32:35for us
32:35William Branham
32:36was our everything
32:37and that's really
32:39where this letter
32:39becomes useful
32:40because you can see
32:41this didn't happen
32:42just by happenstance
32:44William Branham
32:45had a strategy
32:46of promoting himself
32:47and he was doing it
32:49actively with other
32:50people who had
32:51publications
32:51when he found out
32:53C. Parker Thomas
32:53has this publication
32:55hey here's my story
32:56I would like for you
32:57to print it
32:57and he is bold enough
32:59to make these claims
33:00directly to C. Parker Thomas
33:02thinking that
33:03he's going to print it
33:04in this newsletter
33:05well what it does
33:06once it's printed
33:07in the newsletter
33:07many readers
33:09back in that era
33:09would read it
33:10and think it's fact
33:11I see it printed
33:12therefore it must be true
33:13the problem is
33:15it wasn't true
33:15there was so much
33:16of it that was false
33:17as we've examined
33:19and in the end
33:20like I said
33:20it is a mythology
33:21and like the mythologies
33:23of old
33:23it's filled with
33:24elements of fiction
33:25and so the people
33:26literally become
33:28worshippers of fiction
33:29while taking the
33:31central figure
33:31and turning him
33:32into the deity
33:33you've said it
33:34right on point there
33:35and we want to get
33:37further into this
33:38and I want to talk
33:39about really
33:39in this letter
33:40that people can go
33:41read for themselves
33:42and maybe you can
33:43even take this
33:43and post it on your
33:44website if you don't
33:45have already
33:46but there's a serious
33:47issue here
33:48and I would say
33:48it's the most
33:49serious issue
33:50of the letter
33:51his claims to
33:52authority
33:53and that's the
33:54central problem
33:55throughout
33:56because the letter
33:57asserts his
33:58predestined prophetic
33:59identity
34:00it asserts
34:01angelic commissioning
34:03with exclusive signs
34:04given to him
34:05as say was
34:06with the prophet
34:07Moses
34:07or some other
34:08major prophet
34:09it assigns to him
34:12the ability to read
34:13hearts universally
34:15as unique
34:16and any other person
34:18that would come
34:18and do the same
34:20would be called
34:20a jans and jambress
34:22or a carnal
34:23impersonator
34:24his ministry
34:25at the same time
34:26in history
34:26fulfills scripture
34:27and that's another
34:29thing that points
34:30to claims
34:30to authority
34:31he says he fulfills
34:33Malachi 4 or 5
34:34he says he fulfills
34:36Luke 17 30
34:37Revelation 10 7
34:39and you know
34:40many others
34:41these claims
34:42are really just
34:43self-authenticating
34:44they really lack
34:45pure verification
34:46because they
34:47don't allow it
34:48they bypass
34:49discernment
34:50or criticism
34:51and that's why
34:52it's so dangerous
34:53that's why
34:53it's a most
34:54serious issue
34:55and they also
34:56exceed New Testament
34:57boundaries
34:57for post-apostolic
35:00ministry
35:01even he claims
35:02to have more
35:03than the apostles
35:04had
35:04he said
35:04their word
35:05will not
35:05work
35:06in this day
35:07you know
35:08the letter
35:08does not
35:08invite
35:09testing
35:10of the spirits
35:10as the scripture
35:12says we must do
35:15and you know
35:16that brings
35:16to the question
35:17should he be
35:18trusted at all
35:19you know
35:20the short answer
35:20is no
35:22you know
35:22not as a
35:23spiritual authority
35:24of any kind
35:24that he's claiming
35:25in this letter
35:26and it's a good thing
35:28C. Parker Thomas
35:28did not publish
35:29this letter
35:30and promote
35:31William Brown's
35:31ministry
35:32it's a good thing
35:33he had a good
35:33head on his
35:34shoulders
35:34and thought
35:35through these
35:36things before
35:36he just
35:38went all in
35:39with it
35:39and became
35:41another
35:41Branhamite
35:43so it's not
35:44a spiritual
35:45authority
35:46of the kind
35:46that he's
35:47claiming here
35:47and why is that
35:48it's because
35:48his authority
35:49is only flowing
35:50from his
35:51personal revelation
35:52alone
35:53the scripture
35:54is selectively
35:55used
35:55to validate
35:56his personal
35:57experience
35:58and Christ
35:59is really
36:00overshadowed
36:01by his role
36:03as the messenger
36:03of the hour
36:04and accountability
36:06structures are absent
36:07he's the prophet
36:09and he says
36:09prophets cannot
36:10be judged
36:11and disagreement
36:13is implicitly
36:14rebellion
36:15against God's
36:16plan
36:16because
36:17as he says
36:18I'm God's
36:19man of the hour
36:19and to go
36:20against that
36:21is to go
36:21against God
36:22so the letter
36:24actually presents
36:25William Branham
36:25or he's presenting
36:26himself as a
36:27salvation
36:28historical figure
36:29in church history
36:31and so that's a
36:33dangerous escalation
36:34pattern
36:34you know
36:35Jim Jones
36:35took it to the
36:36extreme very quickly
36:37and made himself
36:38a salvation
36:39figure
36:40which it led
36:41to people's deaths
36:42but in William
36:44Branham's case
36:44it's led to a
36:45movement
36:45that has continued
36:46to this day
36:47so
36:48the gravest
36:50concern
36:50is not his
36:51tone
36:52or his
36:52sincerity
36:53in the letter
36:53because he
36:54makes sure
36:55that comes
36:55across
36:56but the
36:57greatest
36:57danger
36:58here
36:58the concern
36:59that I have
36:59and that we've
37:00all had
37:01is that a ministry
37:02that cannot be
37:02questioned
37:03is not safe
37:04it cannot be
37:06safe for the
37:06people
37:06it's not safe
37:08and here's where
37:09it gets really
37:09scary
37:10whenever
37:11people are in
37:12this type of
37:13movement
37:13they have a
37:13central figure
37:14everybody who's
37:15not in the
37:16group who's
37:16not in the
37:17indoctrinated
37:17mindset
37:18can easily
37:18see
37:19they're giving
37:20this person
37:20so much more
37:21authority
37:21than they
37:22should
37:22for a
37:22church
37:23leader
37:23and they're
37:24probably going
37:25to end up
37:25in error
37:26but then the
37:27prophet or the
37:27leader dies
37:28what happens
37:29most people who
37:30are on the
37:31outside will
37:31think okay
37:32this guy died
37:33therefore
37:33everybody's going
37:34to realize
37:34this person
37:35is not who
37:35they claim
37:36to be
37:36but just
37:37the opposite
37:38happens
37:39because the
37:40way in which
37:41the historical
37:42version of
37:43this movement
37:44has patterned
37:44itself
37:45time after
37:46time after
37:46time through
37:47history
37:47think passing
37:48of the
37:49mantle
37:49whenever a
37:50prophet dies
37:50you have to
37:51think okay
37:51who's going
37:52to inherit
37:52his authority
37:53because that's
37:54really what is
37:55happening here
37:55Branham is not
37:56the first person
37:57to do this
37:58Branham copied
37:59so many elements
38:00of Dowie-ism
38:01and Dowie was
38:02not the first
38:02person to do
38:03this
38:03John Alexander
38:04Dowie
38:06Thomas predicted
38:07in this letter
38:07the next stage
38:08after Branham
38:09died there will
38:09be people who
38:10brush the
38:10coattails of
38:11the prophet
38:11I think is how
38:12he put it
38:13you can see
38:14the succession
38:15happening not
38:16just in the
38:17years leading up
38:18to Branham
38:19ism or even
38:20you know shortly
38:21after you can
38:22see it happening
38:23now people who
38:24were connected
38:24to Branham
38:25they felt like
38:26they had some
38:27sort of a
38:27spiritual revelation
38:28or authority
38:29and they spun
38:30off a new group
38:31well after this
38:32they died or
38:33they fell to
38:35some unknown
38:36sin and then
38:36suddenly another
38:37group spins off
38:38and another and
38:38another and this
38:40is like you said
38:41in the very
38:41beginning this is
38:42a tree that's
38:43creating branches
38:44but it's branches
38:45on top of branches
38:45on top of branches
38:46and every single
38:48one of them
38:48is bearing
38:49bad fruit
38:49so take
38:51Jesus'
38:52you know the
38:53statement he made
38:54about the tree
38:54bearing the fruit
38:55take that and
38:56amplify it by
38:57a hundred fold
38:58and you still
38:59can't touch
39:00the way this
39:00movement has
39:01grown over time
39:02in error
39:03and nobody really
39:04goes to examine
39:05the tree itself
39:06and that's really
39:07the historical value
39:09of looking at
39:10these ministries
39:11seeing what they
39:12did how they
39:12operated how they
39:13presented themselves
39:14how they promoted
39:15themselves
39:16how the leader
39:17claimed authority
39:19in ways that he
39:20should have never
39:20done and how the
39:21people allowed it
39:22in ways that they
39:23should have never
39:24done it all comes
39:25back to this
39:26if people were to
39:27enter the church
39:27using critical
39:29authority I don't
39:30care who the
39:30minister is let's
39:32question and see is
39:33what he says
39:34actually biblical or
39:35is he trying to
39:36lead me to believe
39:38that I should
39:39submit myself to
39:40him if you start
39:41with that mindset
39:42you can prevent
39:43a lot of this
39:44and like you
39:45just gave the
39:45examples of
39:46Jonestown it can
39:47lead to death
39:48so this is very
39:49very scary stuff
39:50you know I'm in
39:51full agreement
39:52you know with
39:53that John and
39:53those are very
39:54excellent points
39:55and to go further
39:56with this thought
39:57now I believe we
39:58can be affirmative
39:59you know when we
40:00say that a
40:01ministry that
40:02cannot be
40:03questioned
40:03cannot be
40:04safe
40:06so what we
40:07want to talk
40:07about here is
40:08accountability
40:09accountability
40:10is your
40:11biblical
40:11safeguard
40:12you know to
40:13make something
40:14safe you have
40:15to have the
40:15Bible standing
40:16behind it every
40:17step of the
40:17way
40:17scripture
40:18consistently
40:19affirms that
40:20you test the
40:21spirits
40:21you examine it
40:22and you examine
40:24what is true
40:25and what is not
40:25and correct
40:26leaders and
40:27teachings in
40:27the process
40:30unquestionable
40:30authority
40:31concentrates
40:32power
40:32and that's
40:34dangerous too
40:34you know when
40:35leaders are
40:35beyond scrutiny
40:36abuse becomes
40:37harder to detect
40:38and even stop
40:41and truth
40:42by itself
40:43if this
40:44message were
40:44truth it
40:45would withstand
40:45examination
40:46and welcome
40:47it in the
40:48process
40:49if a ministry's
40:50claims are
40:50true questioning
40:51only strengthens
40:53the credibility
40:53of the ministry
40:54rather than
40:55undermining it
40:56like we've
40:57seen
40:58another point
40:59spiritual harm
41:00often precedes
41:02moral or
41:02financial harm
41:03you know the
41:05doctrinal control
41:06typically appears
41:08before overt
41:09misconduct
41:09so in the early
41:11days of the
41:11ministry you had
41:12William Branham
41:13presenting his
41:13doctrine his
41:14gift and
41:15claims of all
41:16this vindication
41:17and it got
41:19people won over
41:20but later on
41:21you see the
41:21abuse the
41:23misconduct the
41:24financial harm
41:25that is occurring
41:26so the spiritual
41:27harm precedes
41:29the moral
41:30collapse the
41:32financial harm
41:33that it does
41:34to people
41:35you know
41:36healthy ministries
41:37also invite
41:38correction
41:38you know any
41:39healthy ministry
41:40would welcome
41:41you come and
41:42show me where
41:43I'm wrong
41:43and we'll
41:44correct and
41:45move on
41:45so openness
41:46to questions
41:47is a marker
41:48of spiritual
41:49maturity
41:50it's not
41:51rebellion
41:51you know because
41:53we had questions
41:54of the message
41:54it wasn't
41:55that we were
41:56rebelling
41:56against the
41:57message
41:57we're just
41:57trying to get
41:58to the truth
41:59of the matter
42:00let's look at
42:01it we're not
42:01trying to
42:02poke holes
42:03or anything
42:03but if the
42:05message is full
42:05of holes
42:06so be it
42:06we need the
42:07truth
42:09another thing
42:10is there's
42:10biblical evidence
42:11that the
42:13passages do
42:13contradict the
42:14idea that
42:15spiritual leaders
42:15or ministries
42:16should be immune
42:17from questioning
42:18and there's
42:19many
42:20these are just
42:20a few
42:21Acts 17
42:2211
42:22the Bereans
42:23were praised
42:24for examining
42:25Paul's teaching
42:26daily
42:261 Thessalonians
42:285 21
42:29tells you to
42:29test all things
42:30and hold fast
42:32to what is
42:32good
42:331 John 4
42:341 says
42:35don't believe
42:36every spirit
42:37but test
42:38the spirits
42:39Galatians 2
42:4111 to 14
42:41says Paul
42:42publicly
42:43corrected Peter
42:44he withstood
42:45him to the
42:45face
42:46because Peter
42:47was wrong
42:47so even
42:48Peter
42:49you know
42:50the great
42:50apostle
42:51the one
42:52that declared
42:52that Jesus
42:53was to
42:54Christ
42:54and the
42:55father had
42:56revealed that
42:56to him
42:57he still
42:58had to
42:58withstand
42:58correction
42:59from the
43:00apostle
43:00Paul
43:00because
43:01he was
43:01in the
43:02wrong
43:02so we
43:03can never
43:04be to the
43:05point that
43:05we're not
43:05willing to
43:06be corrected
43:08Proverbs 27
43:09verse 5
43:09to 6
43:10said
43:11open rebuke
43:12is better
43:12than hidden
43:13love
43:13so I think
43:15John within
43:15the message
43:16there's a lot
43:16of hidden
43:16love
43:17and a lot
43:17of cover
43:18up going
43:18on
43:19whereas
43:19they need
43:20open
43:20rebuke
43:22and that
43:22would be
43:23more healthy
43:23to them
43:23in the
43:24long run
43:25but there's
43:26dangers here
43:26to individuals
43:27and communities
43:28and we've
43:29gone through
43:29this over
43:29and over
43:30there's
43:30spiritual
43:30abuse
43:32control
43:32over
43:33people's
43:33consciences
43:34you know
43:35when they
43:35feel guilty
43:35about doing
43:36something
43:37that's just
43:37a man-made
43:37rule
43:39they have
43:39control
43:40of their
43:40personal
43:40decisions
43:41in their
43:41lives
43:42family
43:42relationships
43:43then the
43:44psychological
43:45harm that
43:45comes with
43:46that
43:46there's
43:46guilt
43:47there's
43:47fear
43:48they live
43:49in fear
43:49dependency
43:50on the
43:50group
43:50and then
43:51they lose
43:52all their
43:52critical
43:52thinking
43:53then there's
43:54moral
43:54cover
43:55cover-ups
43:55whether it
43:56be sexual
43:57financial
43:58emotional
43:58abuse
43:59concealed
43:59just for
44:00the sake
44:00of keeping
44:01the ministry
44:01intact
44:02that's those
44:03hidden things
44:04that need
44:05to come to
44:05light
44:06there's also
44:07financial
44:08exploitation
44:09you know
44:10this unchecked
44:11authority
44:12gives men
44:13power to do
44:14things with
44:14money
44:15that they
44:15wouldn't
44:15otherwise
44:16have to
44:17do
44:17they can
44:17misuse
44:17funds
44:19then in
44:19the end
44:20the most
44:20damaging
44:21to the
44:21people
44:21is their
44:22loss of
44:22faith
44:23when they
44:24realize
44:24the ministry
44:25has duped
44:25them
44:25they can
44:26they often
44:27reject
44:27christianity
44:28altogether
44:30entirely
44:30after they
44:31know they've
44:31been betrayed
44:32and thank
44:33goodness that
44:34most people
44:34are not
44:35doing that
44:36because that's
44:37that's also
44:38dangerous to
44:39do
44:39but we
44:40need to
44:41realize that
44:42you know
44:43mistakes
44:43happen
44:43we make
44:44mistakes
44:45and we
44:45just go
44:46on and
44:46correct it
44:47and we
44:48may have
44:48to go
44:48through a
44:49grieving
44:49process
44:50and so
44:50forth
44:50but we
44:51don't want
44:52to lose
44:52our
44:52faith
44:52we
44:53got to
44:54hold
44:54on
44:54to our
44:55faith
44:55in the
44:55end
44:56that
44:57would
44:57be
44:57the
44:57most
44:57devastating
44:58to
44:58any
44:58person
44:59that's
44:59a concept
45:00that people
45:00who are
45:01in the
45:01movement
45:01really
45:02can't
45:02grasp
45:03i remember
45:04whenever i
45:05first began
45:05to publish
45:06some of the
45:07things that i
45:08had found
45:08not nearly
45:09to the level
45:10that it
45:10exists today
45:11people were
45:12saying yes
45:13but john
45:14what if you're
45:14wrong what
45:15does it hurt
45:15you to believe
45:16this anyway
45:17and they
45:18would say
45:18things like
45:19we're preaching
45:19jesus what
45:20does it harm
45:21you to
45:21believe this
45:22well the
45:22real harm
45:23is this
45:23and i
45:24have seen
45:24it time
45:24and time
45:25again with
45:25people in
45:26the support
45:26groups
45:27when you're
45:28being taught
45:28a version
45:29of jesus
45:30that is
45:30bonded with
45:31another
45:32human being
45:33and that
45:33human being
45:34is found
45:34to be
45:35gravely
45:36in error
45:36huge problems
45:38with the
45:38supernatural
45:39claims
45:39many things
45:41just simply
45:41were not
45:42true that
45:42he said
45:42when that
45:43bond
45:44is created
45:44in your
45:45mind
45:45now when
45:46you find
45:47the fiction
45:47you start
45:48to associate
45:49the fiction
45:50with christianity
45:51because you
45:52have been
45:52taught that
45:53both are
45:53one and
45:54the same
45:54for that
45:55reason
45:55many people
45:56who are in
45:57this group
45:57can't go
45:58to another
45:58church
45:59because they
45:59they don't
46:00even see it
46:01as a christian
46:01church
46:02to be christian
46:03in their minds
46:03you have to be
46:04christian and
46:06branimism
46:06there's no way
46:07that you can
46:08separate the two
46:08in the minds
46:10and like i said
46:11it is worship
46:12of a false god
46:12you have created
46:13a new god
46:14anytime that you
46:16take jesus
46:16and you mix it
46:17with somebody else
46:18there is no
46:19other way
46:20to explain
46:20it
46:20you are
46:20worshiping
46:21a god
46:22that does
46:22not exist
46:23in the bible
46:23you know
46:24even 10 years
46:25you know
46:26after uh
46:26william branham
46:27had died
46:27so i'm gonna
46:28move forward
46:28into something
46:29later that
46:30c parker thomas
46:31did
46:31the move
46:32the movement
46:32was gaining
46:33ground in the
46:34message and
46:34some people
46:35were contacted
46:36uh uh
46:37c parker thomas
46:38was contacted
46:39by some people
46:40uh
46:41that were
46:42others that
46:43were followers
46:43of william branham
46:44that were trying
46:45to convert them
46:46to the message
46:47and it happened
46:48in south dakota
46:49and the people
46:50who wrote the
46:51letter to parker
46:51thomas
46:52you know
46:53had some dear
46:53friends
46:54and they had
46:55become followers
46:56of the message
46:56and parker thomas
46:58had actually
46:58preached in their
46:58home you know
47:00at one time
47:00as the letter
47:01says and they
47:02trusted parker
47:03thomas to tell
47:04them what to do
47:05since he had
47:06meetings with
47:07william branham
47:07and they said
47:09they were completely
47:10worn down from
47:11all these people
47:12trying to get
47:12them to convert
47:13to the message
47:14and they didn't
47:15want to reject
47:15things that
47:16might have
47:16had some
47:17truth to
47:17them
47:18so parker
47:19thomas responded
47:20uh by producing
47:22another letter
47:23and saying
47:24that an
47:25idolatrous spirit
47:26had taken
47:26hold on the
47:27movement
47:27years before
47:29william branham
47:29had even
47:29died
47:30and the
47:31contents of
47:32the letter
47:32you know
47:33these seem to
47:34belong to
47:35the deity
47:35crowd
47:36best i could
47:36tell
47:36and parker
47:38thomas said
47:38that his
47:39followers believed
47:40only that william
47:41branham had the
47:42word and could
47:43interpret the bible
47:44correctly
47:44and as this
47:45sounds familiar
47:46familiar to us
47:47parker thomas had
47:48nailed it on the
47:49head back then
47:50you know once
47:51people became
47:52convinced he said
47:53it causes them to
47:54despise and
47:55discount every other
47:56church ministry that
47:57doesn't follow what
47:58they believe
47:59and so again parker
48:01thomas really knew
48:02what he was talking
48:02about there
48:03but john i could
48:04interject here that
48:06that's just another
48:06piece of rotten fruit
48:07in the message you
48:08know william branham
48:09was spewing hatred
48:10of organizations
48:11which believers
48:13just soak this up
48:14in the tapes
48:14and it makes them
48:16take on the same
48:16spirit
48:17they start condemning
48:18women
48:19we saw the two
48:21preachers in london
48:22that were out there
48:23just condemning
48:23women left and
48:24right because
48:25they've soaked up
48:26the message and
48:27that hatred
48:28that boils out in
48:30them and just
48:31spews over
48:31and we saw them
48:33they also have
48:34hatred of
48:35denominations
48:36and people who
48:37claim that they
48:38claim are nominal
48:39believers
48:40you know in fact
48:41you know every
48:42christian that does
48:43not follow you
48:44know the message of
48:45william branham is
48:45considered nominal
48:46in their eyes and
48:47walking in just a
48:48partial truth or a
48:50light of another day
48:51or a glare of another
48:52day as it said
48:53you know so what
48:54park parker thomas
48:55says next in this
48:56letter you know it
48:57also hits the nail on
48:58the head for me
48:59so he says this he
49:00says followers are
49:02more interested in
49:03convincing you that
49:05william branham was
49:05god's prophet major
49:07prophet than they
49:08are that jesus is
49:10the christ he says
49:12the main thrust of
49:13teaching some
49:14something other than
49:15christ and him
49:16crucified which is
49:17the gospel parker
49:19thomas goes on to
49:20say that after
49:20william branham's
49:21death the would-be
49:23leaders would rise
49:24up even if they
49:25only brush the
49:26coattails of william
49:27branham at some
49:28point during his
49:29ministry and they
49:30would claim special
49:31importance of that
49:32because they got to
49:33touch the prophet's
49:34clothes while he was
49:35alive they could
49:36make something on
49:37themselves just in
49:39their close proximity
49:40to william branham
49:41so he mentions this
49:42led to infighting among
49:44believers and mentioned
49:45that in columbia south
49:46carolina alone which
49:48i'm very close to
49:49there were three
49:50different groups of
49:51the message and i
49:53believe we could count
49:53even more of them
49:54today i know of at
49:56least three in
49:56existence right now in
49:57columbia but parker
49:59thomas says cults are
50:00born and that's what
50:01his whole letter is
50:02about how cults are
50:03born you know when
50:04men come to believe
50:05in a man or a
50:07manifestation more
50:08than they do god
50:09even after parker
50:11thomas says this he
50:12says believers he
50:14says he believes that
50:16william branham really
50:17had a gift of
50:17discernment as a seer
50:19but even with a gift
50:20it was never intended
50:21to supersede the
50:23wisdom of the overall
50:24church world who are
50:26walking in truth you
50:27know one group is not
50:28an island to himself
50:30so i can say even
50:31even with this letter
50:32that parker thomas
50:33wrote he still
50:35believed william
50:36branham had a gift
50:37but then he places it
50:39in the right place
50:40that is not to
50:41supersede the truth
50:42of the overall church
50:44so i thought this was
50:46significant because
50:47it shows that parker
50:49thomas was on the
50:50side of william
50:51branham in fact that
50:52he loved him and
50:52acknowledged him he
50:54never gave him the
50:55spotlight or platform
50:56that william branham
50:57craved however by
50:59promoting his
51:00ministry as the
51:00ultimate authority
51:01so that's really what
51:03i think the reason is
51:04why my first pastor
51:05really cautioned me
51:06never to visit the
51:08church of c parker
51:09thomas even though it
51:11was only an hour from
51:12my hometown you know
51:13at the time i was i
51:14was living there you
51:16know i even took uh
51:17back in those days i
51:18drove by the church and
51:19see where it was but
51:21because i'd put my
51:21trust in man rather
51:22than god i never went
51:23to visit that church in
51:24southern pines and
51:26had i done that my
51:28life may have went a
51:30different way but c
51:31parker thomas provides
51:32a great argument for
51:34calling out for
51:35discernment of
51:35ministries comparing
51:37their teaching with
51:38scripture holding them
51:38accountable avoiding
51:40placing anyone on an
51:42infallible platform you
51:45know these are all good
51:46things and finally he
51:48closes out this letter
51:49to those people up in
51:49south dakota uh
51:51explaining that william
51:53branham's teaching was
51:54vague and contradictory
51:56he said many people
51:57with a high regard for
51:58william branham had the
51:59same reaction and even
52:01a friend of thomas's
52:02told him he said
52:03someone admitted to him
52:05one day saying
52:06sometimes it's hard to
52:07understand what bill
52:07branham believes so i
52:10guess that pretty much
52:11sums up the matter you
52:12know when you follow the
52:13message you never really
52:14figure out you know
52:15what william branham
52:16believes sometimes and
52:18how can you have faith
52:19enough for the rapture
52:20when you don't even know
52:21where you stand and that
52:23was one of my reasons
52:23john for publishing those
52:24books on the godhead
52:25because i wanted whether
52:27whatever whatever stand
52:29you take in the end i
52:31wanted to be sure message
52:32people know what william
52:34branham taught and what
52:35they should be standing
52:36upon even when their
52:38churches are hiding the
52:39truth and hiding those
52:41things that he taught
52:42because those things need
52:44to be exposed because how
52:46else as they might say am
52:47i going to make the
52:48rapture except i know the
52:49revelation and even in the
52:51latest book booklet i
52:52published which i'm not
52:53going to put out on amazon
52:55or kindle the minister has
52:57said that the key to the
52:58rapture was in the godhead
53:01so there's another
53:02confirmation and that just
53:03happened back in june of
53:04this year in 2026 so john i
53:08think it's just all kind of
53:09coming together to a point
53:11here and uh it's been it's
53:14been a great ride talking
53:15about these things because all
53:16these things have kind of come
53:17together at the right time
53:19you know for me it's this
53:20simple we have not only
53:23branhamism but all of these
53:24different groups that we're
53:25examining we have men and
53:27women who really want you to
53:29sing songs about them publish
53:31books about their miraculous
53:34histories their abnormal
53:36histories as they call it
53:37branham would say i have this
53:39unusual history and he would
53:41talk through it and he wanted
53:43people to know that history why
53:45did he not put the same
53:46emphasis on the bible and why
53:49would he do that in the first
53:50place what minister would say
53:51i want you to know more about
53:52me let's go to church and
53:54let's talk about me you just
53:56don't do this in a christian
53:57church you do this in a church
53:58who's dedicated to worship of
54:00the minister and it's really
54:02that simple if a minister truly
54:04is a christian minister they will
54:06point to the christian bible they
54:08would say i want you to know
54:09nothing about me i'm just here to
54:11point you to this bible and the
54:14simple simple truth is this he
54:17wasn't pointing people to the
54:18bible you know this to summarize
54:20what we've been talking about
54:21here you know any ministry that
54:23forbids you know questioning they
54:26remove the very mechanisms that
54:28god designed in his word to
54:30protect his people from false
54:32doctrine you know scripture
54:34everywhere you look invites
54:36examination history you know warns
54:39us against unchecked authority we see
54:42that in dictators and we see it in
54:43religious dictators and experience
54:46confirms that the damage will be
54:48done if we don't take our own
54:51discernment and use it you know
54:52wisely you know safety in anything
54:56requires transparency truth does not
55:00fear scrutiny by any means so john
55:03these last several episodes we've done
55:05they reveal why people need to be
55:06vigilant and discerning and use their
55:08own critical thinking when it comes to
55:11groups like these so if you want to
55:13follow sound doctrine you know it
55:16will not be found in the high control
55:18religious groups i would recommend
55:20finding a good bible believing church
55:22who preaches from the bible avoids
55:24these cultist techniques that we've been
55:27discussing seek out good christian
55:29fellowship with people but always
55:31examine everything by scripture put
55:33your trust in god alone and not man you
55:37know then you can be sure you're on
55:38solid ground so until next time until
55:40we have some other topic to discuss
55:42john i just always appreciate the
55:44platform that you've provided here
55:45and appreciate the work that you're
55:47doing and continue to do well if
55:50you've enjoyed our show and you want
55:51more information you can check us out
55:52on the web you can find us at
55:53william-branum.org for more
55:55information about the message teaching
55:57of the godhead you can read godhead in
55:59their own words voices of oneness
56:01preachers of the end-time message and
56:03for more about the dark side of the new
56:05apostolic reformation you can read
56:06weaponized religion from christian
56:08identity to the nar available on
56:11amazon kindle and audible
56:24you
56:25you
56:26you
56:27you
56:28you
56:30you
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