Russia or California: William Branham's Double Jeopardy

Before William Branham reversed his end-of-days prophecy of Communist Russia physically invading the United States to become instead the Catholic Church spiritually invading the United States, William Branham used a strategy of fear to convince men, women, and children that God would judge the United States through a Russian invasion.  As part of his alleged 1933 prophecies, Branham claimed to have seen Communist Russia converting Nazi Germany to Communism, invading Italy, and destroying the Vatican.  Once the prophesied war in Europe created a Communist stronghold, Branham claimed that Communist Russian troops would storm the United States and target the daughters of the people Branham was recruiting into his "Message" cult following should they not convert to Branhamism.  Communist soldiers would "grab our girls", "treat them like cattle", and "ravish them".

Listen, friend. There isn’t a thing this very hour, in the next twenty-five minutes, or ten minutes, for Russia to send up its satellite and sweep over here across this nation, train its missile, say, “Surrender, or in two minutes you’ll be nothing but dust.” They can do it right now. Think of it. They can do it right now. What would happen? Plane load after plane load, ship load after ship load, of ungodly communistic soldiers, would swarm our lands, would grab our girls and take them into the street, and treat them like cattle, ram a sword through them. Go into our homes and take our wives out, and bust the baby’s head against the wall, ravish our women. You say one thing? It belongs to them.[1]

Branham's First and Second Red Scare strategy was highly effective.  Before the world began to experience several decades of peace in Europe, Branham told his converts that there would "never be peace again until Jesus Comes".[2]  For new recruits into his destructive cult during that era, fear of Communist Russia invading was so strong that no prophecy was needed — most Americans were already convinced that they would soon see Communist boots on the ground at any time and assumed that Communism would indeed spread throughout Europe.

Throughout the 1950s as Branham became aware that this original prophecy was quickly failing, his End of Days predictions began to shift into more likely scenarios and his prophecies were revised to become more "up to date".[3]  The Communist Germany party fizzled out, never to return.[4]  Russia did not invade the Vatican City and Communism certainly did not "dominate the world".  Branham began claiming that Communism's reign was not part of his original 1933 prophecies, and rebuked ministers who were following his lead in spreading fear of 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]

Towards the end of his life, and after the first version of Branham's threats of God judging the United States by Communist threat had died out, Branham began to claim that God used his voice to declare a series of miniature "Judgments" soon to come as a tool for recruiting into his "Message" cult.  No longer would God Judge the U.S. by ravishing the daughters of those held captive by fear; Branham claimed that God Himself would issue miniature judgments on specific regions.  

The most common example of this was Branham's prediction of "Judgment striking the West Coast" through his Los Angeles Prophecy.  According to William Branham, sharks would be swimming where the streets of Los Angeles once stood before his son Billy Paul was an "old man".[6]  (Billy Paul Branham was born on September 13, 1935, and became 86 in 2021).

For those of us who grew up in William Branham's "Message" cult following, these constant themes of fear and death by cult leaders have been very devastating.  Many members of our support groups are in counseling.  Some cases are severe; the verbal abuse using fear as a "threatening rod of punishment" has resulted in some escapees requiring medication to cope with the trials of everyday life.  During counseling, as therapists help Branham cult escapees talk through the issues Branham's destructive cult theology produced, those in recovery begin to realize the critical flaws that Branham's many conflicting prophecies and doctrines created.  The biggest of these issues may be Branham's "Judgement of the already judged."  If California, part of the United States, was at one time supposed to be judged by God through Russian invasion, what effect would it have and what purpose would it serve to "Judge" them again?

William Branham's Los Angeles Prophecy is Double Jeopardy.[7]  

Fortunately, both cult escapees and cult members alike are beginning to realize the logical fallacy.  We are getting word that even some cult pastors are now refraining from using the current conflict in Ukraine as a weapon of fear against their congregations.  Whether this is as a result of seeing just how difficult it would be for Russia to invade the entire world after struggling so heavily to conquer Ukraine or not, Soviet Communism ended over a decade ago.[8] Germany joined NATO and did not join Communist Russia as Branham allegedly prophesied.[9]  Communism cannot defeat "Romanism" as Branham originally predicted while also being defeated by Romanism as Branham later predicted.  

This usage of fear as verbal abuse does nothing more than creating torment and is not grounded in the love of God.  Not only do the conflicting themes of fear expose William Branham as a false prophet, but they also expose his own imperfection as a "Christian" leader.

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. - 1 John 4:18