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| William Branham |
No, the accompanying picture hasn't been photoshopped. That halo of fire above William Branham's head actually appeared while the celebrity evangelist delivered a sermon in the Houston Coliseum during the 1950s. While many people interpreted Branham's ring of fire to be a sign from above--indeed it was--but it came from an unlikely source.
What source was that? That source came from a fluorescent floodlight that shone from a ceiling high above the evangelists's head. Nevertheless, Branham's devotees believed the halo to be a miraculous sign from above and they've promoted the heavenly halo myth for many years.
However, there are supernatural signs that come from the heavens that don't have a fluorescent source. But not all of them are good. Let the apostle Paul explain: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12)
Branham's been dead for 50 years, and considering some of the bizarre teachings he delivered from the pulpit during his lifetime, he's probably gotten used to a different ring of fire since he departed the land of the living.
Whoa! That's no way to talk about a brother in Christ, is it? Well, consider the source that in this case was Branham who wasn't exactly a bible-thumper in the historical sense that dogmatic preachers have sometimes been described. Branham was anything but a bible-scholar, but that didn't hinder his immense popularity with his legion of followers who believed him to be a genuine prophet.
Chad Creamer is a man who followed Branham closely throughout his life, so let him explain what he learned about the popular evangelist: "Branham claimed to have an angel present with him throughout his life. I have always asked people what the name of this entity was, and to this day, nobody can give an answer. The reason for this is because Branham never disclosed the name of this angel. The angel apparently tutored him on numerous things, explained his visions to him, and on some occasions, told him certain things were THUS SAITH THE LORD. He even received THREE HIGH WORDS from this entity. Branham claimed these words were unknown to any living man but himself. He would use these words to cast out evil spirits and cure diseases." apostasywatch.com
Branham rejected the Trinity and called it a doctrine of the devil. He also claimed that he was visited by the seven angels mentioned in the Book of Revelation who possess the seal judgments. (Revelation 6-8) And he claimed that the Rapture was to occur in 1977. Why do so many people continue to embrace him as an anointed servant of God? Because they follow an experiential form of Christianity that's based upon sensual experience rather than biblical truth.
And that's extremely dangerous because without the Bible, people have no way to determine whether something's from God or from the demonic. Do miracles occur in the modern church? Yes they do. But not all of them come from God. Rather, some of them are demonic.
But how can we tell? By testing them according to the scriptures. If a miracle gives glory to anyone other than God or Christ--for example, to Mary or a Roman Catholic saint--then its source is demonic no matter how powerful the event is. And counterfeit miracles often accompany unbiblical teachings.
Paul issued a prophetic caveat that in the end times, demonic doctrines would invade the church under the guise of Christian teaching. Here's what he said: "The (Holy) Spirit clearly says that in later times, some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (1 Timothy 4:1)
But why is this happening? Paul gave us the answer in his second letter to fellow apostle Timothy: "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
William Branham was one of those false teachers that many folks gathered around. He tickled their ears with false prophecies and the doctrines of devils. He was a con artist who told people what they wanted to hear rather than what they needed to hear. In exchange for his heretical whoppers, his followers rewarded Branham by feeding his enormous ego with their adulation. That sounds like idolatry, doesn't it?
Certainly, Branham wasn't the only one. There's an army of false teachers and phony prophets out there who make their living by deceiving gullible people who are desperate for hope and meaning in their lives.
For example, there's Morris Cerullo who travels around the world in his private Gulfstream jet. He's worth about $100 million. What's wrong with that? He's gained his fortune by vacuuming the wallets of his deluded followers who believe he's an anointed prophet. Some folks may still remember the healing crusade Cerullo held in Africa several years ago when he brought a desperately ill girl on stage before thousands of people and declared her healed. The girl died a few days later.
That's what's wrong with that. If you're a true prophet anointed by God, you teach sound biblical doctrine, and when you declare someone healed by God, they don't die a few days after you've packed your gear and flown off in your private jet to the next stop to fleece the gullible sheep.
Oh well. Phony halos and phony healings. They come from con men and clowns who'll discover there's nothing phony about hell, because that's the place where they'll be preaching when the Gulfstream finally burns its last drop of jet fuel, paid for by your generous donations.
And that's extremely dangerous because without the Bible, people have no way to determine whether something's from God or from the demonic. Do miracles occur in the modern church? Yes they do. But not all of them come from God. Rather, some of them are demonic.
But how can we tell? By testing them according to the scriptures. If a miracle gives glory to anyone other than God or Christ--for example, to Mary or a Roman Catholic saint--then its source is demonic no matter how powerful the event is. And counterfeit miracles often accompany unbiblical teachings.
Paul issued a prophetic caveat that in the end times, demonic doctrines would invade the church under the guise of Christian teaching. Here's what he said: "The (Holy) Spirit clearly says that in later times, some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (1 Timothy 4:1)
But why is this happening? Paul gave us the answer in his second letter to fellow apostle Timothy: "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
William Branham was one of those false teachers that many folks gathered around. He tickled their ears with false prophecies and the doctrines of devils. He was a con artist who told people what they wanted to hear rather than what they needed to hear. In exchange for his heretical whoppers, his followers rewarded Branham by feeding his enormous ego with their adulation. That sounds like idolatry, doesn't it?
Certainly, Branham wasn't the only one. There's an army of false teachers and phony prophets out there who make their living by deceiving gullible people who are desperate for hope and meaning in their lives.
For example, there's Morris Cerullo who travels around the world in his private Gulfstream jet. He's worth about $100 million. What's wrong with that? He's gained his fortune by vacuuming the wallets of his deluded followers who believe he's an anointed prophet. Some folks may still remember the healing crusade Cerullo held in Africa several years ago when he brought a desperately ill girl on stage before thousands of people and declared her healed. The girl died a few days later.
That's what's wrong with that. If you're a true prophet anointed by God, you teach sound biblical doctrine, and when you declare someone healed by God, they don't die a few days after you've packed your gear and flown off in your private jet to the next stop to fleece the gullible sheep.
Oh well. Phony halos and phony healings. They come from con men and clowns who'll discover there's nothing phony about hell, because that's the place where they'll be preaching when the Gulfstream finally burns its last drop of jet fuel, paid for by your generous donations.
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