William Branham Historical Research

In 2006, Nico Horn, professor in Human Rights and Law for the University of Zambia, published an article in the December issue of The Studies in Ecclesiastical History on the subject of Pentecostalism’s role in apartheid, the South African political system of segregation and discrimination on the grounds of race. Horn took notice of the political power held by Pentecostals in South Africa and, upon investigation, found that the intersection of the Second Wave of Pentecostalism and Apartheid during the decades from the 1950s to the 1980s was beyond coincidental. When the British-Israel-inspired Latter Rain Movement began to spread into Africa, Pentecostals in South Africa began to adopt the themes of British Israelism and Christian Identity that flowed from the United States. Similar to the US version of the movement, the South African Pentecostals politically aligned against “communism” in apocalyptic themes while implementing racial segregation. It wasn’t until 1994 that the black churches began to integrate, and the AFM started to to unify itself with the black churches. Horn established a timeline from the early Apostolic Faith Missions to Apartheid and noticed that Pentecostal leaders heavily influenced South African politics. Under the leadership of A. J. Schoeman and J. T. Du Plessis — Brother of “Mr. Pentecost David Du Plessis — the AFM had established a New Order, an unofficial group of young pastors focused on war and politics. During the 1950s, the most active years of Latter Rain, Pentecostal “empowerment” meant “state recognition, and Pentecostals were appointed as chaplains in the South African Defense Force. Wessels was very vocal in his support of the National Party, which promised (to an all-white electorate) that it would implement apartheid. You can learn this and more on william-branham.org Apartheid: https://william-branham.org/site/research/topics/apartheid Power and Empowerment in the Political Context of Some Afrikaans-Speaking Pentecostals in South Africa: https://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/4421/horn.pdf?sequence=1 Quote: And so, then, after we got back up there…What was that duPlessis’ name? Not David. [A man says, “Justus.”—Ed.] Justus. Justus duPlessis, which is one of the smartest men there is in South Africa, to my opinion, and a real Christian gentleman. He was one of the sponsors of the meeting on the internat-…on the national committee. Branham, William. 1952, July 26. Faith (Africa Trip Report) (52-0726).

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/branham Available on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts: https://william-branham.org/podcast In this episode, Charles and John begin to examine the complex history surrounding William Branham's "cloud of seven angels" and their alleged meeting with Branham to reveal the "mysteries" of the Seven Seals of Revelation. We discuss: * What was happening in Houston, Texas on February 28, 1963 * Where William Branham was during the cloud event and why * William Branham working with John Osteen (Joel Osteen's father) to save a life * William Branham "winning an oscar" from the "humane society"

Participants in the Latter Rain revivals of the late 1940s and 1950s recall seeing “evil spirits” cast out of people as they approached the “healers” on stage. This phrase, “evil spirits,” is critical to understanding the nature of the illness that attracted people to the revivals. While most afflictions in the revivals were given specific terms such as “bladder trouble,” “heart trouble,” “one leg shorter than the other,” and more, seldom were the named conditions categorized as “evil spirits.” All types of Mental illness in the Latter Rain movement were typically categorized as an “evil spirit,” and the mental health condition was seldom named. It was very uncommon to hear a “healer” proclaim “healing” of “chronic depression,” “bipolar disorder,” “schizophrenia,” or other terms we hear today. Mental health education was taboo, and many mental health issues that people of today would recognize by name were not commonly named. Instead, terms such as “crazy,” “nuts,” or “loony” were used by the uneducated public. Those terms were insulting both then and now, but the label given to people suffering from mental health issues by the “divine healers” was much worse: “infested with an evil spirit.” Gordon Lindsay, one of the most prolific figures in the healing revivals, moved mental health struggles out of the natural realm and into the spiritual in his literature. When William Branham had a mental health crisis in the late 1940s, Lindsay claimed that it was a result of the “kingdom of hell” attacking Branham. The response from Latter Rain participants was so overwhelming that Lindsay was forced to publish an explanation in the October 1948 issue of The Voice of Healing. Lindsay refused to call Branham’s condition an “illness” and instead responded that it was the result of “exhaustion.” He attempted to be more forthcoming in his book “20th Century Barnabas” by admitting that Branham did, in fact, have a nervous breakdown, but instead of classifying Branham’s condition as an illness, Lindsay spiritualized the struggle with mental health and claimed that Branham was later healed of his “evil spirits.” According to Lindsay, “In no sense was Brother Branham ill from a disease, but was in a state of nervous exhaustion.” Branham’s “evil spirit,” however, remained until the end of his life. Branham admitted in November 1965, one month before his death, that he had been a neurotic all of his life. This was in direct conflict with his 1953 position. Like Lindsay, Branham claimed to have been healed from what Mayo Clinic declared him to be incurable: his mental health disorder. In the end, the “evil spirits” (unnamed mental health disorder) plagued Branham for the duration of the Post-WWII Healing Revival. You can learn this and more on william-branham.org Struggle with Mental Health: https://william-branham.org/site/research/topics/struggle_with_mental_health#_struggle_with_mental_health_ftn2

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/branham Available on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts: https://william-branham.org/podcast In this episode, Charles and John examine the sources of some of William Branham's "divine revelation" claims. We discuss: * Branham's introducing conflicting theologies into the "Message" that originated with other cult leaders * William Branham's plagiarism of the Jehovah's Witness "Seventh Angel Messenger" theology * "Message" cult leaders who assisted Branham in the strategy * How critical about the conflicting themes were suppressed by cult leaders

Why do ministers in William Branham's "Message" cult of personality stomp out the holiday cheer? Let's examine the source! Available on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts: https://william-branham.org/podcast ______________________ – 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

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/branham Available on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts: https://william-branham.org/podcast James and John examine the weird doctrines about a "superhuman race", how ministers dance around that doctrine, and where it came from. We discuss: * Ministers agreeing with Hitler's concept of developing a super race * British Israelism * Pyramidism * King's Chamber doomsday theology ______________________ – 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

Flying Pyramid investigates a pagan temple where a "preacher" is ruining Christmas for the children.

The birth of the Nation of Israel had a profound effect on both political and religious systems of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Many Pentecostals of the early 20th century had ties to British Israelism, and as the first wave of Pentecostalism transitioned into the second wave and the Voice of Healing and Latter Rain revivals merged to become the unified Post World War II healing Revival, revival sermons and literature frequently included the nation of Israel as “Biblical” confirmation. When the “Voice of Healing” segment in W. E. Kidson’s Pentecostal Church, Incorporated magazine “Herald of Truth” transitioned to The Voice of Healing publication published by William Branham and edited by Gordon Lindsay, British Israelism became an integral part of the publications’ End-of-Day “prophetic” message. Lindsay was deeply involved with the British Israel organizations and spoke at conferences for the Anglo-Saxon Christian World Movement and Howard Rand and William Cameron’s Anglo-Saxon Federation. Branham and Lindsay created charts and timelines based upon the charts and timelines common among British Israel converts. These timelines were often the result of “Christian Pyramidologist” lectures about the relationship between the Zodiac, the measurements of the inner chambers of the Great Pyramid of Giza, and world history, which Branham referred to as the “Pyramid” and “Zodiac” Bibles. You can learn this and more on william-branham.org. “Christian” Pyramidology: https://william-branham.org/site/research/topics/pyramid British Israelism: https://william-branham.org/site/research/topics/british_israelism Gordon Lindsay: https://william-branham.org/site/research/people/gordon_lindsay Voice of Healing: https://william-branham.org/site/research/topics/voice_of_healing

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/branham Available on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts: https://william-branham.org/podcast In this episode, Charles and John examine the sources of some of William Branham's "divine revelation" claims. We discuss: * Branham's sources for his "Seven Seals Doctrine" * Branham's sources for his "Church Ages Doctrine" * Branham's blatant plagiarization of Clarence Larkin's works * Branham's plagiarization of Charles Taze Russel's works * Various other instances of Branham stealing the works of others

Gordon P. Winrod was a white supremacist leader from the Midwest who gained notoriety in the 1990s for spreading the Christian Identity doctrine through evangelism and thousands of "Winrod Letters" mailed to multiple states in the U.S. The letters declared that America was facing a "Jewish problem", and that the only way it could be solved was with bloodshed. Winrod was eventually arrested for the kidnapping of six grandchildren from North Dakota, and is serving a 30-year prison sentence. According to former members of Branham's "Message" cult of personality, Winrod actively worked with churches in Branham's sect until his arrest. Gordon was the son of Gerald Winrod, nicknamed the "Kansas Hitler" and "Jayhawk Nazi" for his antisemitic propaganda and spread of white supremacy. Gerald worked closely with several key figures either involved with or who strongly influenced the Latter Rain and New Apostolic Reformation movements. His organization, "The Defenders of the Christian Faith", held nationwide conferences that attracted several prominent figures in Christian Fundamentalism, including Charles Fuller and Paul Rader. Gordon Winrod graduated from the Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield, Illinois, in 1955. He then served as pastor of Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) congregations in Mount Carmel, Illinois, San Antonio, Texas, and in Little Rock, Arkansas. At the time of his arrest, Winrod was the central figure for a destructive Christian Identity cult in Gainesville, Missouri. You can learn this and more on william-branham.org Gordon Winrod: https://william-branham.org/site/research/people/gordon_winrod Gerald Winrod: https://william-branham.org/site/research/people/gerald_burton_winrod Defenders of the Christian Faith: https://william-branham.org/site/research/topics/defenders_of_the_christian_faith Charles Fuller: https://william-branham.org/site/research/people/charles_fuller Paul Rader: https://william-branham.org/site/research/people/paul_rader

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/branham Available on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts: https://william-branham.org/podcast In this episode, Charles and John examine Paul Cain's close relationship with William Branham. We discuss: * Paul Cain's sexual orientation * Paul Cain's aggressive style of "discernment" * William Branham using Paul Cain as his "proxy" into certain countries * Paul Cain's work with the "Kansas City Prophets" * Paul Cain spreading Branham's theology into the third wave of Pentecostalism

Gordon P. Winrod was a white supremacist leader from the Midwest who gained notoriety in the 1990s for spreading the Christian Identity doctrine through evangelism and thousands of "Winrod Letters" mailed to multiple states in the U.S. The letters declared that America was facing a "Jewish problem", and that the only way it could be solved was with bloodshed. Winrod was eventually arrested for the kidnapping of six grandchildren from North Dakota, and is serving a 30-year prison sentence. According to former members of Branham's "Message" cult of personality, Winrod actively worked with churches in Branham's sect until his arrest. Gordon was the son of Gerald Winrod, nicknamed the "Kansas Hitler" and "Jayhawk Nazi" for his antisemitic propaganda and spread of white supremacy. Gerald worked closely with several key figures either involved with or who strongly influenced the Latter Rain and New Apostolic Reformation movements. His organization, "The Defenders of the Christian Faith", held nationwide conferences that attracted several prominent figures in Christian Fundamentalism, including Charles Fuller and Paul Rader. Gordon Winrod graduated from the Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield, Illinois, in 1955. He then served as pastor of Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) congregations in Mount Carmel, Illinois, San Antonio, Texas, and in Little Rock, Arkansas. At the time of his arrest, Winrod was the central figure for a destructive Christian Identity cult in Gainesville, Missouri. You can learn this and more on william-branham.org Gordon Winrod: https://william-branham.org/site/research/people/gordon_winrod Gerald Winrod: https://william-branham.org/site/research/people/gerald_burton_winrod Defenders of the Christian Faith: https://william-branham.org/site/research/topics/defenders_of_the_christian_faith Charles Fuller: https://william-branham.org/site/research/people/charles_fuller Paul Rader: https://william-branham.org/site/research/people/paul_rader

From the Podcast: Available on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts: https://william-branham.org/podcast ______________________ – 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

From the Podcast: The Voice of Healing Prosperity Gospel Available on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts: https://william-branham.org/podcast ______________________ – 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

The National Rifle Association has been at the center of debate for decades. Founded in 1871 to advance rifle marksmanship and true patriotism, the modern NRA has become a prominent gun rights lobbying organization blending politics and sometimes religion with its original patriotic objective. The Battle against Civil Rights profoundly affected the NRA and similar organizations. As the Christian Identity movement advanced its own blend of religion and politics to declare the political leaders of the 50s and 60s to be “Communists,” membership in organizations protecting the Second Amendment became very popular within white supremacy. So much so that organizations such as the Louisiana Rifle Association were fronts for Klan organizations. The LRA was a front for the Ku Klux Klan organization led by Roy E. Davis, William Branham’s mentor and Healing Revival evangelist. Identity groups leveraged the power of these organizations to lobby for their Second Amendment rights. At the same time, they exercised those rights to arm themselves against Blacks, Asians, Jews, and even United States law enforcement and military officials. Political movements such as the National States Rights Party were formed to spread propaganda that both Republicans and Democrats had failed the “white race” and the Bible and linked that propaganda to fears of global conflict with China, Russia, and more as an alleged battle between government systems and “enemies of Jewry” Interestingly, the States Rights Party had a PO Box in Jeffersonville, Indiana, where Davis planted what would later become the Branham Tabernacle, the “Mecca” for the “Message cult and its many splinter groups. You can learn this and more on william-branham.org Louisiana Rifle Association: https://william-branham.org/social/research/topics/louisiana_rifle_association National States Rights Party: https://william-branham.org/site/research/topics/national_states_rights_party The Surprising History of the NRA: https://theweek.com/articles/761135/surprising-history-nra How the NRA Became a “Lobbying Juggernaut”: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/01/podcasts/the-daily/nra-gun-rights.html The Secret History of Gun Rights: How Lawmakers Armed the N.R.A.: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/30/us/politics/nra-congress-firearms.html ______________________ – 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

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/branham Available on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts: https://william-branham.org/podcast In this episode, Charles and John examine William Branham's influence on Kenneth Hagin and T. L. Osborn We discuss: * The Word of Faith origins and Branham's "conduit" of this theology to Kenneth Hagin * T. L. Osborn's undying support of William Branham and the Manifest Sons of God theology * Kenneth Hagin's promotion of William Branham's "Message" * The "religious entertainment industry" and Hagin/Osborn's participation * The theatrical style of Kenneth Hagin's alleged "prophecies"

From the Podcast: William Branham Goes Overseas Part 1 Available on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts: https://william-branham.org/podcast ______________________ – 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

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/branham Available on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts: https://william-branham.org/podcast In this episode, Charles and John examine one of the cult's biggest secrets: homosexuality. Many men in William Branham's inner circle were homosexual, many more participated in homosexual acts, and many people accused William Branham of being homosexual. The problem was so widespread that William Branham was forced to address the issue in public. We discuss: * Audio recordings of confessions by men who slept with William Branham * The key figures in William Branham's ministry who were homosexual * Paul Cain's public confession of engaging in homosexual acts with prostitutes * William Branham's campaign team visiting homosexuals in Paris * Covenants of abstinance, and abstinance drives * Unusual covenants made by men touching other men inappropriately * Secret activities during William Branham's hunting trips

George Jeffreys was a Pentecostal minister and founder of the Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance. Jeffreys was a Welsh Congregational Church minister who converted to Christianity in the Welsh Revival of 1904. When the Welsh Revival ended and Pentecostalism began to spread into Wales, George and his brother Stephen were converted to the Pentecostal faith. The timing of his conversion coincided with the First World War; Jeffreys was ordained as a minister in 1913 and therefore exempt from military conscription when war broke out in 1914. In 1915, Jeffreys was invited to hold meetings at the Temperance Hall in Monaghan, Ireland. The meetings turned into a revival, and eventually into a "full gospel" movement that emphasized healing and glossolalia. By 1916 the first Elim Church opened its doors in Belfast. From there, the movement spread quickly into other parts of the world, attracting thousands of converts. It began as Elim Evangelistic Band and was later officially named the Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance. By 1929, Jeffreys held revivals as large as 150,000 people boasting of over 3,000 converts. The revivals were often advertised as having free admission, but an offering was collected, and converts gave hundreds of dollars each (in today's money). In his faith healing revivals, Jeffreys used a strategy similar to that of John Alexander Dowie, one later adopted by William Branham in the Latter Rain revivals. "healings" were "of the gradual type." When asked if healings would last, Jeffreys responded that the healings would only last as long as the people concerned "walked in the light of God's word." This "light of God's Word," according to Jeffreys, was the "Four Square Gospel" — not to be confused with Aimee Semple McPherson's Foursquare Gospel sect. When McPherson staged her kidnapping, however, Jeffreys sent a cable to assist in the plot. According to Jeffreys, McPherson had drowned. McPherson later emerged after having spent a vacation on what appears to have been a romantic tryst with her lover. Like many other leaders of the Pentecostal Movement, Jeffreys was a strong supporter of the pseudo-archaeological doctrine of British Israelism. This is the notion that Europeans were biologically descended from the ancient Israelites of the Old Testament. British Israelism eventually birthed the Christian Identity doctrine that was used by many terrorist groups. In the early 1930s, Jeffreys began holding open discussions with ministers, attempting to recruit them into the British Israelism philosophy. He was not successful in convincing them, however, and a majority of them rejected it. During a ministerial conference in 1934, Jeffreys appointed John Leech to debate in favor of British Israelism. This resulted in disaster when Leech backed out of the debate. The disaster was made worse when Jeffreys began making unwise financial decisions. Shortly after the debate, Jeffreys took his campaign team on a five-week vacation to the Holy Land, starting with an excursion to the pyramids and making his way north. Upon reaching Jerusalem, Jeffreys claimed to have seen a vision of British soldiers defending Jerusalem immediately prior to the Battle of Armageddon and went on a revival tour raising money to pay off debt. As part of this strategy, Jeffreys proposed dividing the Elim churches into two sections: the most prosperous in a "Jubliee Concentration" and the less prosperous in a "Forward Movement". Leaders in the Elim churches saw this as a threat, however, and assumed that Jeffreys was attempting to transition Elim churches into a denomination that adopted British Israel teaching. This eventually led Jeffreys into parting ways with the denomination that he created. In 1939, Jeffreys resigned. George Jeffreys https://william-branham.org/site/research/people/george_jeffreys

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/branham Available on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts: https://william-branham.org/podcast The Serpent's Tail Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1648734049 Part 2 of the Interview with Deborah Thibodeau. In this episode, Charles and John interview Deborah Thibodeau, author of "The Serpent's Tail" and survivor of "The Park". Until recent years, "The Park" was one of the biggest secrets in William Branham's cult of personality. The tragic events that happened in the park, which Deborah witnessed first-hand, were all the result of William Branham's praise of Gene Goad and Leo Mercier and his instructions to those who migrated to Prescott with them.

From the Podcast: Birth of the New Order of the Latter Rain Available on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts: https://william-branham.org/podcast ______________________ – 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

Joanna Southcott was a doomsday prophetess and central figure for the Southcottian sect from England. The Southcottian movement was heavily influenced by Christian mystic Jane Lead, and Southcott's prophecies were often compared to Lead's prophetic writings. Southcott was repeatedly exposed as a charlatan in newspapers, inspiring Charles Dickens to mention her in his book A Tale of Two Cities. Her religious teaching is still practiced today by two groups: the Christian Israelite Church and the House of David. Southcott published "poorly spelled and ungrammatical prophecies" which had a "tremendous sale". The prophecies alone made her a comfortable living, but combined with the sale of "seals" issued to the "elect", Southcott made a small fortune. The seals sold by Southcott allegedly guaranteed the owner entrance into heaven after the Apocalypse. They were limited to 144,000 — placing them in high demand and resulting in exorbitant prices. One of these seals was sold to Mary Bateman, the English criminal and alleged "Yorkshire Witch" tried and executed for murder during the early 19th century. Bateman had joined the Southcott sect in 1806 and began attending meetings. Southcott's converts publicly admitted that Bateman had one of the seals, but described Bateman as the "Judas" to Sothman's "Christ". At age 64, Southcott announced that she was pregnant by immaculate conception with the new Messiah, the "Shiloh of Genesis". Southcott's stomach had enlarged and her converts were convinced that she was, indeed, carrying "Shiloh" as had been prophesied. Southcott's Dr. Want of Tottenham Court Road, however, advised her that there was no foundation for any belief in pregnancy; she was suffering from a terminal illness that caused excessive flatulence and swelling of the stomach. You can learn this and more on william-branham.org Joanna Southcott: https://william-branham.org/site/research/people/joanna_southcott ______________________ – 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

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/branham Available on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts: https://william-branham.org/podcast The Serpent's Tail Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1648734049 In this episode, Charles and John examine one of the "Message" cult's best kept secrets: "The Tape Boys". Leo Mercier and Gene Goad, and the commune called "The Park" that the two set up in Prescott, Arizona. Branham sanctioned the commune and instructed victims of abuse to stay with their abusers. We discuss: * The sudden and unexpected decision by Branham to choose little-known Leo Mercier and Gene Goad * The unusual aspects of that decision, considering their sexual orientation * Branham's false claims of "FBI Agents" * Leo Mercier's sudden fame in the Latter Rain through Joseph Mattsson-Boze * The migration to Prescott, Arizona * The horrific abuse that occurred in the "Message" cult commune

Smith Wigglesworth was an evangelist and faith healer from Yorkshire, England, who was very influential in the Pentecostal movement. From 1924 to 1929, Wigglesworth toured the United States, ministering under the auspices of the Assemblies of God sect that F. F. Bosworth helped promote and establish. In some of those revival meetings, Wigglesworth toured with Bosworth. Wigglesworth is infamous among the early faith healers for his brutality on stage. His methods often involved hitting, slapping, or punching the afflicted part of the body. On a number of occasions, his approach to persons suffering from stomach complaints was to punch them in the stomach, sometimes with such force that it propelled them across the room. When challenged on this, his response was, "I don't hit them; I hit the devil". William Branham appears to have plagiarized key elements from Wigglesworth's history when creating his stage persona, including Wigglesworth's campaign theme, "Jesus Christ the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever". Some versions of William Branham's stage persona claimed to have been commissioned to heal the sick the day after Wigglesworth died, March 13, 1947, in an attempt to spiritually link his ministry with Wigglesworth's passing and conflicting with previous versions such as the persona described in Branham's tract, "I Was Not Disobedient to the Heavenly Vision". Both Branham and Wigglesworth shared a similar problem for a "faith healer": Wigglesworth and Branham were unable to prevent the death of their wives. As a result, Wigglesworth claimed to have spoken with his wife, Polly, after her death and Polly informed him that she did not want to return to life on earth. When William Branham altered the historical timeline to include his wife, Hope Branham's death as part of his stage persona, he did so using similarities to Wigglesworth's stage persona. Wigglesworth claimed that when his wife Polly died, he stood by her bedside and brought her back for one last conversation. William Branham used a similar story in his stage persona after the death of Hope Branham. Unable to heal Hope of tuberculosis, Branham claimed that he spoke to her in either a dream or a vision. According to Branham, he toured the "big palaces" in heaven and Hope told him that his deceased daughter Sharon Rose and she were "better off than you are". Smith Wigglesworth: https://william-branham.org/site/research/people/smith_wigglesworth ______________________ – 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

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/branham Available on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts: https://william-branham.org/podcast Books Mentioned In Video: La Secta Perfecta by Carlos Basso: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BHBZ8Q7W Weaponized Religion: From Latter Rain to Colonia Dignidad by John Collins: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BXKF37ZQ In this episode, Charles and John invite Colonia Dignidad expert and author of La Secta Perfecta, Carlos Basso, on the show to discuss the connection between William Branham and the human rights violations that occurred in Colonia Dignidad We discuss: * The connections between Ewald Frank, Paul Shafer, and William Branham * The mysterious "Mr. Krefeld" that was involved in arms deals with Colonia Dignidad * The United States government working with DINA for Operation Condor * Weapons manufacturing at the colony by Latter Rain converts * Espionage in Chile, intelligence operations, and James Bond-style gadgets * Hartmutt Hopp and his significance as it relates to leaders in the "Message" such as Ewald Frank