Our Stories - Escape From The Tabernacle of the Lord
One of the reasons I found myself doubting the "message" was the so-called "signs from God." The halo over William Branham's head, the FBI letter, and especially the cloud, continued to create doubt about this religious system. From the first time I saw a photo of the cloud, I was determined to find out its cause or the scam! It appeared man-made from the start and not something produced by nature or the supernatural. I find myself like Thomas of the New Testament, doubting — I guess that’s why I am a cop!
One of the reasons I found myself doubting the "message" was the so-called "signs from God." The halo over William Branham's head, the FBI letter, and especially the cloud, continued to create doubt about this religious system. From the first time I saw a photo of the cloud, I was determined to find out its cause or the scam! It appeared man-made from the start and not something produced by nature or the supernatural. I find myself like Thomas of the New Testament, doubting — I guess that’s why I am a cop!
Our local fellowship "The Tabernacle of the Lord" in Townville SC felt it necessary to do two sermons on this topic. Both sermons were conducted by one of the deacons who is some type of engineer with Duke Power at our regional nuclear power plant. The focus of both sermons was, according to this deacon, how the cloud could not have been formed by THOR missiles exploding over Arizona but by the Hand of God. There were all types of mathematical formulas, meteorological evidence, and of course a statement of James McDonald. As I listen for several hours (sermons are not short within the Message) I kept on wondering why the dog and pony show? No one in this audience or in the TV world (sermons broadcast worldwide) had any ability to reasonably understand what was being said and it caused me to dig deeper into this mystery.
Finding out the cloud really was not the issue, but that WMB was not even in Arizona at the time, that it was not hunting season and so many other inconsistencies I knew I had to dig deep into this cult and find a way to save my family who had been into this cult for over 30 years. I have discovered that the movement has a tendency to not deal with the real issue: where was WMB during this so-called supernatural event; why did it take so many months to tell his audience about the cloud; What about the magazine where he first discovered the cloud.
The tendency is to focus on smoke and mirrors was to keep their following going after a lie! If there is one thing to thank God for, it was the so-called supernatural events in WMB ministry, that caused me more doubt than anything and therefore I was never able to swallow the so-called "message".
- Robert from SC