William Draves

William Draves is the founder of "The Church of Christ with the Elijah Message", a splinter group of the Latter Day Saints headquartered in Independence, Missouri.[1]  Draves claimed to have been visited by the Biblical John the Baptist, who allegedly gave Draves a series of instructions, or the "Message".  This led to a division in the Church of Christ devoted to the teachings of Otto Fetting,[2] and which officially formed as a splinter group in 1943.[3]

On October 4, 1941, Draves claimed to have been visited by "the messenger of the Lord" at 3:20 A.M.[4]  This "messenger" allegedly gave Draves a series of instructions for the church, some of which detailed the leadership in the church.  In the transcript provided by Draves, several members of the church were appointed to be evangelists,[5] elders,[6] teachers,[7] and more.  One of the members of the church happened to be named "William Branham".

Let H. M. Stonehocker, Robert Wilkins, and C. E. Irwin be set apart as evangelists. Let them be at work; theLord will reveal his will to them. Let C. E. Irwin work among the Indians for this is his calling and place in this work at this time.17 To those that seek to find truth: let them come in by the door and the Lord will bless them, for this is the way to peace and eternity with God.18 Therefore; let John Bracken, Lloyd Ford, John S. Seiffert, George William Draves, George T. Morris, DavidSpitler, William Pearl Brown, and my servant William Branham be set apart as elders. Let them be very humble and swift to obedience, and the greater portion of the Spirit will come over them to lead the way. Let them be at work, for the Lord has heard their prayers.19 Thus saith the Lord, ‘Yea, my servant Glaeser, I have heard your prayers and yours shall have place with me, as I have called them, and their work is great before me when they come into this way. Yea, I have spoken,’ saith the Lord.20 Let the work move on—let William Thomas Pascal be set apart as a teacher. Let him teach the word for there are those to hear.21 Let Rony Paschall remember he is a servant of the Lord and the Lord has called him and will yet bless him if he will continue in humility to look to his way. His home shall be a blessing unto many, for peace shall be there.[8]

In 1951, William Branham claimed that Draves' alleged visitation was found in "the Mormon Word Of God".  According to Branham, a member of Draves' splinter group met him and informed him of Draves' prophecy.  Branham claimed that the prophecy about him was "Thus Saith the Lord", and insinuated that he was the "William Branham" described in the prophecy.

Branham then linked Draves' angelic "messenger" to his own "Prophecy of the Isms", claiming that Draves had also predicted the rise of Nazism through Germany. 

And up here at Santa Rosa not long ago, the minister may be standing present now; they was having a Saturday night of a playhouse. We had several people, about like here. And they was trying to put a man out of the prayer line. And he kept saying, “I'm not wanting in the prayer line; I'm wanting to see this minister.' And I said, “Let him alone,' down like this. “What do you want, sir?' And he said, “How do you spell your name?' And I said, “B-R-A-N-H-A-M.' He said, “Mother, that's it. That's it.' And a lady came forth.

They had an old paper, turned yellow. They were evangelists, belonging to the Assemblies of God. And twenty-two years, that would be about…That's four years ago, it'd be about twenty-six years now. Twenty-two years before that, one said they had a gift of speaking in tongues, the other one had the gift of interpretation. And when they were…Said they were down praying, twenty-two years before that, and the interpretation come. And this was one of their messages they had laying back, said, “THUS SAITH THE LORD, in the last days before the coming of the Lord, I'll send My servant, William Branham, up the West Coast with…'

And there it was wrote on old paper. And then one night, I was coming out of Seattle, and there was a man standing over there. And he had a book under his arm. He kept telling me, “Brother Branham, you're in the wrong church.' And I didn't know what he was talking of. And he put the book under my arm. It was called the Mormon Word Of God. I don't know what it was. It's a—it's one of their prophets of The Latter Day Saint, some bunch of them, that they claims they see the neophytes. And—and back there a hundred and…long long…how long ago it was, it…on a certain page there…I have the book in my library. It prophesied, their prophet, and said, that, “In the last days that Germany would have a—a ism called Nazis.' And it went ahead and said, “In that day, let W-i double l-i-a-m, William Branham be called and set aside in humility for the service that I have called him to.' That's right.[9]