William Branham was a notable American Christian evangelist whose followers thought him to be “a man sent by God.” He is largely considered as the founder and forerunner of the post-World War II “Healing Revival,” a religious revival movement that began in the late 1940s and persisted until the 1950s. His supporters placed him at the heart of a Pentecostal personality cult in the middle of the 20th century, when he was an incredibly popular, albeit somewhat controversial, religious figure. Born to a teenage mother living in terrible poverty, he asserted that supernatural occurrences at the time of his birth indicated that he was not an average child, but a particular messenger from the Lord. Many accounts of his early life sound outlandish and weird, yet to his followers, his word was absolute truth. Since early boyhood, he had prophetic visions and could hear God’s commands. The loss of his younger brother had a profound effect on him, and he accelerated his search for God. After being exposed to Pentecostalism for the first time, he recognized that his life’s mission was to serve people via faith healing and by preaching God’s teachings.
Youth and Early Life
He was born in Cumberland County, Kentucky, on April 6, 1909. He was the firstborn of Charles and Ella Branham’s ten children. His parents were subsistence farmers, and he grew up in abject poverty. His suffering was exacerbated by the fact that his father was an alcoholic.
Later, Branham stated that around the time of his birth, a bright light entered the room, circled it several times, and then hovered over the bed, hovering over the new mother and kid. It was a sign that the infant boy was destined to achieve greatness in life.
The youngster had glimpses of the otherworldly and heard “voices” speaking to him. As a child, he heard a voice instructing him to abstain from drinking and smoking because God has a mission for him as he matures.
William Branham’s Career
He left home at age 19 and began working on an Arizona ranch. Then his brother passed away, and William, in his grief and confusion, began his search for God.
In his search for solutions to life’s challenging problems, he turned to God and began attending Jeffersonville’s First Pentecostal Baptist Church. During this period, he became gravely unwell and feared he was dying. In the hospital, he once again heard the “voice” calling out to him. Desperate to survive, he assured God that he would spread the gospel if HE spared his life.
As soon as he made this pledge to God, he was instantly healed, and he began his spiritual journey to impart the teachings of the Good Lord to the masses. He began to preach the gospel and organize prayer gatherings for the ill. He converted a large number of individuals.
In 1933, he had a series of prophetic visions that foretold the emergence of Nazism, Fascism, and Communism. In the same year, he built a church with the name “Pentecostal Tabernacle,” which he later renamed “Branham Tabernacle.” He served as the church’s bi-vocational minister until 1946.
In 1946, he began his career as a faith healer. His dubious healing treatments were immensely popular with the populace. Historians largely agree that 1946 marked the beginning of the current healing revival. In May 1946, according to Branham, he received an angelic visitation.
He joined the Oneness Pentecostal groups and participated in various healing campaigns with them. In 1947, he met Gordon Lindsay, who became one of his most influential advocates and assisted with the promotion of his works.
His claim that he has healed a large number of individuals through his services is highly contested. His reputation as a healer was called into question as a result of the deaths of a number of patients he allegedly treated.
Long-time handicapped U.S. Congressman William Upshaw was miraculously healed at a Branham conference in 1951 and became an avid follower. Many others, including church leaders with whom he worked, stated that Branham possessed remarkable mental abilities.
In the late 1950s, however, his career began to decline and he became an increasingly controversial figure. In order to provide for his family, he continued his ministerial duties in Arizona. In 1964, he had a vision of riding into the sunset and interpreted it as a portent of his imminent death.
Personal History and Legacy
In 1934, he married Amelia Hope Brumbach. The couple’s children were William and Sharon. In 1937, his wife and infant daughter perished in a flood.
In 1941, he remarried Meda Marie Broy. His second wife gave birth to three further children.
On December 18, 1965, while returning to Jeffersonville with members of his family from Tucson, Arizona, he was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle. The accident seriously damaged him, and he passed away on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1965.
His followers were astounded by his premature death and held out hope for his resurrection. Even though his funeral was held on the 29th of December, his burial was postponed for a considerable amount of time because his supporters could not accept that their beloved pastor had died. He was finally laid to rest on April 11, 1966.
Estimated Net Worth
William is one of the wealthiest Religious Leaders and is ranked among the most well-known Religious Leaders. According to our investigation of Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider, William M. Branham has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million.