The King's Sword

In November of 1965, after convincing his cult of personality that he was the return of Elijah the Prophet from the Old Testament, William Branham openly declared that he was the promised return of Jesus Christ, in the form of the "Son of Man".  As part of his Manifested Sons of God doctrine, Branham claimed that the Son of Man was to reveal himself through Elijah the Prophet and that the "Elijah Son of man" (himself) was God.

The Elijah of this day is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is to come according to Matthew the seventeen-…Luke 17:30, is, the Son of man is to reveal Himself among His people. Not a man, God! But it'll come through a prophet.[1]

During the same sermon, Branham claimed that a magical sword was given to him while meditating and that a "Voice" (suggesting the Lord who sent him into Sabino Canyon), told him that it was "The sword of the King".  When Branham asked the "Voice" why he had been given a magical sword, the "Voice" told him that the sword was actually "the Word" — suggesting that Branham's recorded sermons were from that point forward to be the equivalent of or superior to the King James Bible.

And one morning the Lord said, 'Go up in the top of Sabino Canyon.'

And I was up there holding up my hands, praying. I felt something strike my hand. It was a sword. Now, you can just imagine how you'd feel, standing there by yourself and here's a knife in your hand about that long. I pulled it down and looked at it. It was just a knife, one of them…and I'm scared of a knife, anyhow. And it had a—it had a—a metal, something like one of these knifes, like pot metal or something, real sharp and narrow. Had a sheath around it here, where the dueler's used to, to keep from cutting one another's hands, and—and it had a pearl in the handle here. Just fit my hand exactly. Well, I rubbed my face and looked back. Right on that same spot, the other day, I saw a little, white dove come down. I'll tell you about that later.

And I was holding that in my hand, I thought, 'That's strange. Now, Lord, I…am I losing my mind? There's no one here. I'm miles from anybody and here is a sword. I had my hand up, and where did it come from?' And I thought, 'That's the strangest thing. Now looky here, it's a sword.' See, hit it, and it was a sword. And I said, 'There's nobody here standing here. I'm up on top of these rocks, plumb on top of the mountain.' And you couldn't even see Tucson from there, it was so far down.

I thought, 'Now, that's a strange thing. Now, it's got to be in this vicinity somewhere, Somebody that could create and make a sword and put it in my hand.' I said, 'It could only be the very God that created a ram for Abraham, could create those squirrels,' that you've heard. And I said, 'Here is the material, three different kinds of material in it, and I'm holding it in my hand just as real as anything else I could hold in my hand.'

And I heard a Voice, said, 'That's the King's Sword!' And I thought, 'Now, where did That come from? Was right along there in them rocks somewhere.' And I held it in my hand like that, and I said, 'A king's sword.' And I looked around, and the sword was gone. And I said, 'A king's sword.' That's to…they knight with—with a sword, I think that's right, the army or some way, they knight with it, you know. And I said, 'Well, that's what that was probably for. It means that maybe I'm to lay hands upon ministers, or something like, that, to make them ministers.' And then I…

A Voice spoke back again, said, 'The King's Sword!' Not a king; the King's Sword! See? I thought, 'Now, I'm either beside myself, my mind has slipped, or there's something taking place, there's somebody standing around here by me.'

And brethren, these things are true. I don't—I don't know how to tell you, you've always seen it always happen that way. And it's…I couldn't understand it. So…It's the strangest feeling.  And I stood there. I thought, 'Now, ever Who that is that's talked to me all my life, since a little, bitty baby boy, is standing right here, and I can't see Him at all.' I said, 'The King's Sword?' That would be…God is the King. 'And what is this sword?'

'The Word, It's been placed in your hand.' Said, 'Don't fear of death, it's your ministry.' Oh, my! Down off that mountain I went, crying, screaming, top of my voice, jumping over rocks. I went down, told my wife, I said, 'I'm not going to die, see, it's—it's—it's my ministry.'

(I told her to get with Billy Paul here, and take the children. I said, 'Now, I don't have anything, but the church will see that you all don't go hungry and things, and I'll—I'll meet you across the border.') And—and she…I said, 'No, I'm not going to die, it's something about my ministry.'[2]

The story of the magical sword had been previously used by Branham's stage persona.  In earlier versions of the story, however, Branham was not yet openly declaring himself to be the return of the "Son of Man" and the experience was not meant to be understood as literal.  When the "Sword of the King" was introduced to his cult of personality in 1963, Branham claimed that his experience was most likely during a trance or possibly even a dream.

See, if I'm going away, let me go, Lord.' And I had my hands out. And, all at once, something hit my hand. I don't know. I can't say. Did I go to sleep? I don't know. Or did I go into a trance? I don't know. Was it a vision? I can't tell you. Only thing I can say is what I…Just the same thing like them Angels was!

And it struck my hand. And I looked, and it was a sword. And it had pearl handles, real pretty; and had a guard over it, with gold. And the blade looked like something like a chrome, like silver, only it was real shiny. And it was so feather-edged sharp, oh, my! And I thought, 'Isn't that the prettiest thing!' Just fit my hand! I thought, 'That's awful pretty. But,' I said, 'hey, I'm always afraid of them things, a sword.' I thought, 'What will I do with that?'[3]