Jim Jones' Prophecy About William Branham
Jim Jones's break with William Branham appears to have followed his brief period as a Branham-aligned "Message" and Latter Rain leader in 1956-1957, when Jones worked with Branham and Joseph Mattsson-Boze before later claiming that Branham privately admitted disbelief in the Bible, pressured him to avoid unpopular doctrines, and warned him against preaching the truth; in Jones's later retelling, the rupture centered on Branham's developing Third Pull, Manifested Sons of God, and reincarnation-like Elijah theology, which Jones rejected while placing a curse on Branham's death, showing how Peoples Temple both emerged from Branham's healing revival network and then split from it while retaining dangerous strands of apocalyptic, prophetic, and authoritarian theology.
Jim Jones was a "Message" cult leader involved in William Branham's Latter Rain version of the cult, working with Branham and Joseph Mattsson-Boze from 1956-1957. Sometime after their second annual convention together, Jones had a strong disagreement with Branham. Jones had decided to be an active leader in the cult[1] after William Branham began announcing his "new ministry" in December 1955,[2] which would eventually become known as William Branham's Third Pull Doctrine. Though Jones had sponsored Branham's campaign meetings from Indiana[3] to Chicago,[4] the two suddenly ceased working together with allegedly[5] no explanation from Mattsson-Boze or Branham.
According to Jones, the two split after learning that Branham's religious stage persona did not match his personal convictions; Jones claimed that William Branham informed him that "[he] don't believe a thing in that Bible" and alleged that Branham tried to control Jones' doctrine based on what was popular at the time.
Some are listening. They won’t tell you the truth, because the black book is the easiest gravy train that they’ve ever been on. Yet Allen [A.A. Allen, Pentecostal evangelist] came to me, Oral Roberts [Pentecostal evangelist] spoke this, Billy Graham came right to us – Ijames [Archie Ijames], Jack [Jack Arnold Beam], and me – in Claypool Hotel, said I don’t believe a thing in that Bible hardly. But he said, it’s the way to make a living. Billy Graham, who I prophesied his death, Billy Branham rather, said his head would be— I said he’d lose his head. His head was cut off in Texas. [Editorial note: The reference is to William Branham, an evangelical preacher and acquaintance of Jim Jones during the Temple’s Indianapolis days. Branham died in an automobile accident on Christmas Eve 1965 in Texas, but was not decapitated.] He said you can’t preach the truth about that Bible, he said (tape cuts out about three seconds) preach reincarnation, you cannot preach the truth about the Bible, you will be in trouble. I said, I choose to treat th— preach the truth. He said, well, I’ll be around, while you will be in trouble. Well, I’m still here, and his head is cut off from his body.
Jim Jones, Q612 Transcript[6]
Part of Jones' recording is also missing. Immediately after saying that Branham told him "you can't preach the truth about that Bible", words are missing and Jones ends a sentence with "preach reincarnation". After that, however, Jones repeats Branham's words, "you cannot preach the truth about the Bible", and describes his alleged prophecy concerning the death of Branham, confirming that the reincarnation segment was also concerning discussion with Branham.
Within Branham's "Third Pull" theology, Branham claimed that the Church would enter into the climax of his Manifested Sons of God theology. Branham himself suggested that he was the "return of the spirit of Elijah" from the Old Testament,[7] which is the definition of reincarnation in many forms of religion. As he cursed Branham, Jones mentioned the doctrines of reincarnation. Under the Manifested Sons of God theology, however, this "return of the spirit”, or reincarnation as Jones called it, was to be applied to other members of Branham's religious cult. Members of the cult would become like gods and possess the ability to speak animals into existence.[8]
Jones apparently disagreed with Branham's Third Pull doctrine and decided to part ways. Though Jones would later adopt some very destructive theologies learned from Father Divine and would combine them with doctrines he learned from Branham, it would appear that his 1958 abandonment of Branham's doctrine was an attempt to correct false doctrine; most Christian ministers would agree that Branham's "Third Pull" doctrine and Manifested Sons of God theology were in opposition to the Scriptures.[9] Several ministers in the revivals began predicting Branham's death,[10] Jones included. After Branham died in a horrific accident in 1965, Jones reminded Peoples Temple that he had placed the curse.