John Collins Featured In Tucson.com Investigation On William Branham And The Message Movement

John Collins, founder of William Branham Historical Research and former member of Branham Tabernacle, was featured in a Tucson.com investigation examining how William Branham grew from a postwar healing evangelist into the central prophetic figure of a global religious movement known as the Message.

The report, titled From Backwoods Boy To 20th Century 'Prophet': How William Branham Gained A Global Following, was published as part of Tucson.com's Twisted Message: A Prophet's Unchecked Global Sect series. The investigation explored Branham's life story, supernatural claims, healing ministry, prophecies, recorded sermons, and the worldwide following that continues decades after his death.

Collins was interviewed as a former Message believer and researcher whose work has examined Branham's biography, sermon claims, historical inconsistencies, and influence on later religious groups. After leaving the Message in 2012, Collins spent years researching Branhamism and authored Preacher Behind The White Hoods: A Critical Examination Of William Branham And His Message.

The Tucson.com report described how Branham repeatedly told stories of supernatural signs surrounding his life, including claims of a pillar of fire at his birth, divine visions, angelic commissions, healing powers, and prophetic revelations. Collins explained that Branham told his life story in multiple ways, making it difficult to determine which version was historically accurate.

The investigation also examined Branham's early association with Roy E. Davis, who ordained Branham and later became a leader in the Ku Klux Klan. Collins' research has focused extensively on Davis, Branham's early religious environment, and the hidden histories that shaped the movement Branham later led.

Collins told the reporters that Branham adopted different "stage personas" over time, adjusting his public biography and spiritual claims for different audiences. The report noted inconsistencies in Branham's claimed birth year, supernatural origin stories, and later prophetic narratives.

The article traced Branham's rise after World War II as a major figure in the healing revival, where his ministry helped inspire other faith healers and revivalists. The report also examined the doubts that emerged around Branham's healing claims, as well as his later doctrinal shift toward controversial teachings that alienated many Pentecostal ministers.

According to the report, some followers eventually viewed Branham as more than a prophet, with some describing him as a messianic figure or "God tabernacled in flesh." Collins described the formation of a "deity cult" among some close to Branham, a belief system that elevated Branham's recorded sermons and prophetic status beyond ordinary religious leadership.

The Tucson.com investigation also addressed Branham's later prophecies and signs, including claims involving driverless cars, spoken creation miracles, a halo-shaped cloud over Arizona, the opening of the Seven Seals, and an end-time atomic destruction prediction connected to 1977.

The report highlighted Branham's enduring legacy through Voice of God Recordings, which distributes more than 1,200 recorded sermons globally. It also described the continued influence of Branham's teachings through multiple feuding groups, offshoots, and congregations that still interpret his sermons as central to their faith.

Collins' work through William Branham Historical Research continues to provide historical context for journalists, former members, families, and researchers seeking to understand Branhamism, the Message movement, and the global religious networks that developed around Branham's teachings.