William Branham's Failed Prophecy of the Isms

In the early 1950s, William Branham began claiming to have prophesied that in the last days, there would be three "isms", referring to Communism, Fascism, and Nazism and that Communism would continue to battle until it consumed the three.[1]  At the time, Russia was "Communist Russia" and part of the Soviet Union.  Over the years, as William Branham continued to introduce details to his alleged vision, Branham made it very clear that he was certain that Communist Russia would be the country leading the others into communism.

And how many in here remembers me just keep…have you stand, and say it over, I’d tell you, “Watch Russia! Watch Russia, the king of the North! Watch Russia, king of the North! Watch Russia, king of the North!”?[2]

During the time in which Branham introduced this prophecy into his stage persona, the world was still reeling from WWII, and looking for a repeat battle for the same ideologies.  The fear was that through Russia, communism would continue to spread into the United States.  Hitler was no longer a threat and the military power of Germany diminished, and the world saw Nazism disappear.  The next greatest threat was Russia, which at the time, was Communist.  Branham claimed that he saw the Communist battle plan by vision, and Italy was in the path leading to a global Communist State.  According to Branham, Communist Russia would invade Italy and consume Fascism.

And I said, “There’ll be three great isms, Communism, Fascism, and Nazism.” And I said, “They’ll wind up in one ism, and that one ism will dominate the world and will burn the Vatican City.” You remember me saying that years and years and years ago.[3]

And how that “Then the three ism: Nazism, Fascism, and Communism, would all wind up in Communism.[4]

For decades after his death, cult leaders in William Branham's "Message" cult have tried to continue the same themes of fear, carefully omitting details of Branham's vision.  In the cult churches that I attended from South Carolina to Arizona, cult leaders have for years proclaimed the soon-to-come global Communism which would be the result of a Russian invasion.  Some cult leaders see the current Russian invasion of Ukraine as the early stages of the fulfillment of Branham's prophecy, holding their congregations in fear of the past Communist Scare.  Even among members of our support groups, families still victims of the cult use the Communist Scare to try and re-recruit escapees back to the "Message".

Many cult members are unaware that the world stage has shifted in a much different direction than Branham's alleged vision, and that even during Branham's lifetime, the vision was starting to fail.  The Communist Party of Germany fell in 1933, and Nazi Germany was not consumed by Communism as Branham predicted.  Germany is a Socialist State.  Even Branham himself was aware of this, and as a result, began to change the direction of his vision to claim that a fourth "ism", "Romanism", would consume Communism.

Any Prophecy don't stay with that Word... That's exactly. That's the reason I say today; no matter how good it looks, how many preachers are saying this, that, or the other, "Communism is going to take the world and throw it down." Don't you never try to fight Communism. Fight Romanism. For, that's THUS SAITH THE LORD. The Lord said Romanism is going to rule, not Communism. It's just a puppet.[5]

As it relates to the failure of the original version of Branham's prophecy before it was reversed, the current crisis is further proof of failure.  Details are emerging as analysts are examining the motive behind Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and there are hints of religious intent — the opposite of the platform of fear tactics that Branham used to build his cult following in the 1950s.  Christians in the 1950s feared that Communism would stamp out Christianity.

Many people in Branham's cult following are unaware that Communism was a fundamental part of Branham's alleged prophecy.  When most "Message" cult leaders use the same themes of fear in their sermons, they carefully omit the details Branham described of his vision that failed.  Worse, some cult members are either unaware that Russia is no longer communist; either due to the cult's strong stance against education or the manipulation of members to believe in a different world history that does not exist.  Former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev removed the constitutional role of the Communist Party, leading to the dissolution of the Soviet Union on 26 December 1991.[6]

While it is clear that many analysts believe there are mental health issues behind President Putin's current actions in Ukraine, the religious motivations are very interesting and might be contributing to his megalomania.  Unlike Branham's original vision of Communism invading Italy to consume the Roman Catholic Church in atheism, Putin appears to be eying Kyev for its significance to Christianity in Russia: Kyev is the origin of the Russian Orthodox Church.

At the heart of this post-Soviet revival of Christianity is another Vladimir. Vladimir Putin. Many people don’t appreciate the extent to which the invasion of Ukraine is a spiritual quest for him. The Baptism of Rus is the founding event of the formation of the Russian religious psyche, the Russian Orthodox church traces its origins back here. That’s why Putin is not so much interested in a few Russian-leaning districts to the east of Ukraine. His goal, terrifyingly, is Kyev itself.[7]

Years ago, when Russia was part of Soviet Communism, the heart of Ukraine was at risk.  Soviet Russia tried to crush Christianity, and the attack on religion started from within.  Ukraine, once part of the Soviet Union, was no exception.  After the fall of Communist Russia, what was destroyed was quickly restored.  From a government standpoint, Branham's "Message" has a difficult time spreading within Russia due to the brainwashing techniques identified in Branham's sermons,[8] but from a religious standpoint, Branham's cult doctrine has a difficult time spreading in a country that has watched the exact opposite of Branham's alleged prophecy being fulfilled.  While Branham claimed that Communism would consume the Christian world, Russians were watching churches being built at a pace like never before.

Soviet Communism tried to crush all this — but failed. And in the post-Soviet period, thousands of churches have been built and re-built. Though the West thinks of Christianity as something enfeebled and declining, in the East it is thriving. Back in 2019, Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, boasted that they were building three churches a day. Last year, they opened a Cathedral to the Armed Forces an hour outside Moscow.[9]