Malachi 4 - William Branham Cult Strategy

Throughout time, there have been a number of men who claimed to be the return of Elijah the Prophet from the Old Testament. William Branham’s prototype, John Alexander Dowie, for example, convinced his cult of personality that he was Elijah. Frank Sandford, who along with Dowie was fundamental to the formation of modern Pentecostalism, also claimed to be Elijah.

Men who manipulate congregants into this Elijah claim do so by taking advantage of their victims’ level of understanding of biblical history and text. These “Elijah” con-men use a vague passage from Malachi 4:5 describing sending the prophet “Elijah” before the “great and dreadful day of the lord”, claiming that 1) this book is written to Gentiles, 2) the 4th chapter is intended for the End of Days, and 3) this “great and terrible day” is referring to Armageddon. Yet the scroll of Malachi had no chapters and was titled, “The burden of the Lord TO ISRAEL (Mal 1:1), and the reconciliation of Israel to the Father is fully described in the Gospels. These “Elijah” con-men also avoid key passages from the Bible in order to make their “Elijah” claims. The most significant passage they avoid is found in Luke 16:16: “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.”

When William Branham transitioned his stage persona from a “Moses” figure to an “Elijah” figure, this is the strategy that Branham used. Today, Branham’s cult of personality has largely forgotten Branham’s “Moses” persona and gives Branham the title, “The prophet of Malachi 4”.

You can learn this and more on william-branham.org.

Malachi:
https://william-branham.org/site/research/topics/malachi_4

John Alexander Dowie:
https://william-branham.org/site/research/people/john_alexander_dowie
https://www.amazon.com/Militant-Christian-Extremism-Examination-Alexander/dp/173516092X

Jim Jones and the Malachi 4 Elijah Prophecy:
https://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=70743