Several readers have
written me to say that I should be ashamed of myself for calling certain followers of
William Branham, Branhamites. Should I?
I have been asked
to
show the existence of a
Branhamite or a church called Branhamite where the man called Branham is
worshipped.
How blind can one get! First,
show me an antichrist or a church
called Antichrist where a man called Antichrist is worshipped!
No antichrist will declare openly that he is an antichrist, nor will they call
their church Antichrist Church. Second, does an antichrist know or believe
that he is an antichrist? Does a Branhamite know that he is a Branhamite? To
deny the fact about the existence of Branhamites is to deny the existence of
antichrists! Their fruits declare who they are. [Note: There are many
Branhamites who boastfully declared that they are PROUD to be Branhamites in
upholding the oral words of Branham as ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY in faith and life.
These people have their "conscience seared with a hot iron" (1
Tim.4:1). They are dead to the Truth of God.]
I am not a
Branhamite though I
have often been accused of being one just because I believe his message. The name
Branhamites is given by denominational
churches not to those who follow Branham's teachings but to those who
actually lift him up above Christ and His Word. Whether or not I use the name
for such fanatical followers, the fact remains that there is such a group of
followers, who by their creating an ism around the man and his message,
have brought a reproach to the Faith he stood for.
There is no place in an assembly or the life of a True
Bible Believer for an ism. An ism is created by men upon whom
false spirits dwell. And there are many isms in Christendom. However,
these isms are not created by true men of God. (Self-styled men of God
like Jim "Jonestown" Jones and David "Waco" Koresh created
their own. Such kinds are dangerous.) Isms are created usually by men
who are acquainted with the men of God in their lifetime and even by those who
believed them after their death. History shows plenty of such religious men
who were not able to see the Word of God in the men of God. In their religious
zeal they would lift up a man of God and make him the absolute for their life
and religious faith. Claiming to have the truth, they would move away from the
Word of God and into the words uttered by the man of God. They would give
their interpretations which, by and by, would become the religious traditions
they would uphold. They could never fall back upon the True Word though they
may claim It. The Pharisees and the Sadducees, in their isms, are such
examples. So, are the Roman Catholics in their Roman Catholicism. Likewise,
the Branhamites in Branhamism.
Lastly, there
is an ecumenical spirit moving among the different camps of those in Branhamism.
Though they differ in their interpretations of the words of Branham and in
their doctrinal stands, they do have one thing in common — "say only
what the prophet said". Like drunken men leaning on one another so as
not to fall, they will argue against one another over the various statements
of Bro. Branham in defence of their own interpretations. Amazing!
Wm. Branham was blamed for creating
Branhamism.
The truth is that he had nothing to do with it. Many of his followers did it.
Branhamism
is listed in a number of books as a false cult. Lutheranism was not
created by Martin Luther and Methodism was not created by John Wesley.
Both these isms are never listed as false cults. Why? Because these
followers do not "say only what their prophets said" like the
Branhamites do (when they take the words of Branham and formulate
doctrines). Unlike the Branhamites, they look at the Word of
God as the Absolute. Shame on you, Bible believers, if you cannot look at the
Word of God!
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