India Prophecy

In 1954, William Branham prophesied that his upcoming revival tour in India would result in such an overwhelming success that people in the United States would hear of tens of thousands times thousands being saved.  According to Branham, it was "thus saith the Lord", and he wrote it in his Bible.  It was predicted to be such an overwhelming success that Branham’s revivals were allegedly how the “Gospel” would spread throughout India "just overnight".

Mark my word; write it in the pages of your Bible, for it's THUS SAITH THE LORD, "Remember, when we land in India, you're going to hear of tens of thousands times thousands being saved." The Holy Spirit has said it; I've wrote it here in my Bible; it's wrote in tens of thousands of Bibles right here, like the resurrection of the little boy. By a vision that He said, "There's three hundred thousand of them in there." And you see if that isn't right. There's how the Gospel's going to be preached just overnight. She'll just sweep like that from place to place.
Branham, 54-0515

This prophecy never came to pass, and tens of millions were not converted to Branham's version of Christianity as the Lord allegedly spoke through Branham.  It is one of the multiple times that William Branham claimed to speak "thus saith the Lord" that ended in failure, though Branham often claimed that "thus saith the Lord" never failed.[1]

In 1957, Branham was forced to admit the failure, and did so during a sermon entitled "India Trip Report".  According to Branham, God failed because of the travel itinerary.  The excuse Branham used during the "India Trip Report" speech was that the alleged vision described going to Africa first and then to India.  In fact, some of the blame was shifted to Oral Roberts; the campaign team instead went to India first and then to Africa:

as many of you might know, the Indian trip wasn't the success that it should've been, because I failed to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, and never recognized it after He give me a vision to go to Africa first and then to India. And—and some of the brethren said, "Oh, just... We can't get Africa together, so... Brother Roberts has just been down there, so take off to India." And under the influence of my brethren, well maybe taught... But no matter what someone influences you, if God has told you something different... And now, judge it by the Word (See?), by the Word, and then go.[2]

This excuse was not necessarily true, assuming that the alleged vision did occur.  According to Branham, he had written the vision down, and the vision did instruct Branham to travel to India first and then to Africa.  

Then, not only till a few days ago, when I made arrangements for Africa this year, they're over there making it now. And last night, I was reading in the vision, and God knew that I would fail that. And in the vision…I never seen it till last night. And I called Brother Sothmann, Leo, and all of them, around. The vision said, 'You'll go to India first, and then back to Africa.' 95 See, I—I wrote it, myself. I wrote the thing, myself."[3]

In 2000, William Branham's partner and publicist, Lee Vayle, offered some clues as to the real reason Branham considered his India trip to be a failure. According to Vayle, Branham's campaign manager, Ern Baxter, conducted himself poorly to the people of India.  Vayle claimed that Baxter was a "womanizer" and that Baxter had a drinking problem that was embarrassing.  At the same time, William Branham had for some reason hired homosexual men to help run his campaigns — even though Branham preached strongly against homosexuality.

In 1954 Brother Branham went to India where there was a Mount Carmel showdown, for all the great religions of the world were there. The Buddhists, the Mohammadans, the Christians, Catholics, Roman, no doubt, all the various types, protestants, what have you. They were there for the great showdown. When Brother Branham went to India, he took with him some people. And I believe unknown to Brother Branham was one man, I'm not sure that DuPlessis got him there, or Ern Baxter. And I'm going to speak very plainly, and I've said it before, and I'm not the least alarmed to say it because it's the truth.

Baxter was a womanizer. He even got drunk on the plane and came off doing the goose step and everybody laughing at him. In India, he consorted women, they came to Brother Branham, and said, "Is it right for the father to have these women?"

But even more alarming than that was the fact that there was a man among them, called Count Frairy von Blomberg. Von Blomberg was the adopted son of evidently a count and a countess. And he was recognized as a Christian, evidently in Full Gospel Businessman circles, but he was a homosexual. And he approached a young man who was a Christian Pentecostal preacher named Siegfried Inky. I know what I'm talking about because I know Siegfried Inky. Met him in Columbus. He knew that I was a friend of Brother Branham's, or worked with him, so he amazingly told me his story, how that this man did everything he could to engage him in some illicit sexual affair. And believe me, I sweat to get around the problem and let him know that Brother Branham had nothing to do with anything like that. That was in 1954, when the showdown came.

What am I trying to tell you? the homosexuals were there before, this is the first time one was really around Brother Branham where the light was whereas Brother Branham said, "the prophet is the revealed word of god made manifest." Actually, the prophet is the human vessel wherein god resided to bring forth his word. Not like in Jesus, but like Moses, we'll read some of that tonight.

Now, that was a very bad situation. 1954. A Pentecostal man, supposed to be a great Christian. Noble, nobility — a homosexual. I believe it was about 1956 and no later that Leo and Gene, Leo Mercier and Gene Goad, God told Brother Branham to hire them, two homosexuals. So I want you to get the drift of what I'm saying. This what I'm talking about here where God made Himself known, and through a prophet is where men turn back and the homosexuals were standing right there to take over.[4]
- Lee Vayle