Since his childhood, this man was accompanied by the supernatural presence of God. There really were men, of whom William Branham was one, who were destined from birth to a special task, men who did not at some point self-appoint themselves and call themselves prophets, but were appointed by God Himself by a direct heavenly calling. Even as a child, William Branham saw visions of events that all came true, often years later.

When he was seven years old, he heard a voice from a whirlwind that seemed to have settled in the crown of a tree, although everywhere else it was windless. It was called to him: "Never drink or smoke, and do not defile your body in any way, for you must do a work for Me when you grow older." (Kägi, p. 15). As a youth, he was repeatedly urged by friends to drink and smoke. They called him a coward, and that was exactly what he did not want to be, because after all, as a boxer, he was not a coward. Every time he tried, he seemed to hear the same sound and the same voice commanding him not to do it. He was preserved by it. Elijah experienced the storm before the Lord spoke to him at Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19). Job heard the voice of the Lord directly from the storm (ch. 38, 1). "Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire." (Heb. 1, 7). This is still true today.

As a young man, he was ordained by Dr. Roy Davis in the Baptist Church. Not long after, he began an interdenominational ministry because he felt to be obliged to all.

In June 1933, several things of greater significance happened. He had his first field crusade. At the end of this series of meetings, on Sunday, 11 June 1933, there was a baptism service in the Ohio River, following the pattern of the original Church. Several hundred new converts were baptised. As the young preacher was about to baptise the seventeenth person, he prayed, "Father, as I baptise them with water, so baptise Thou me with the Holy Spirit." At that moment it happened: a bright light like a star descended from heaven and stopped above him. From that light a voice rang out saying, "As John the Baptist was sent before the first coming of Christ, so you are sent with a message that will precede the second coming of Christ." In April 1966, on the occasion of a meeting in the U.S.A., I myself met about twelve people who were present at this event in June 1933.

The reaction of the crowd of about four thousand people who witnessed it varied. Some prayed, others fainted, others asked what it meant, and others ignored it. The Associated Press in the U.S.A. and Canada in particular reported on the extraordinary event. Each subsequent experience, especially the seven visions he had in 1933 about the future world development until the end, contributed to the other preachers distancing themselves more and more from him. Even those who were close to him admitted that such experiences existed in biblical times, but denied that they still existed now.

When the young man of God was told that he would be sent all over the world to pray for kings and rulers, Br. Roy Davis said to him: "Billy, who will listen to you? You with your little schooling! … You will speak to the pillars in the chapel and preach to empty chairs. People will not come to hear you." The answer was simple: "If it is God who sends me, He will also send the people to whom I will preach…"

On 7 May 1946, William Branham did indeed receive a heavenly visit. In the Old and New Testaments, we find many accounts of angels appearing when there was a special event: from Abraham to Daniel; from Zechariah to Mary. Over Bethlehem's corridors the heavenly hosts appeared, and the angel gave the greatest announcement of all time, that of the birth of the Saviour. Paul and also John, who was exiled to the island of Patmos, testify to it. In Heb. 1 we read of the angels: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"(Heb 1:14)

On the evening of May 7th 1946, William Branham was in a room where he had already spent some time in prayer and Bible reading. Suddenly, at about 11.00 p.m., light came into the room from above, growing stronger and stronger and spreading. Let us let him tell us:

"When I looked up, the great star was hanging there, but it did not have five points, it looked more like a glowing ball of fire shining on the floor. Then I heard someone walking. I was even more frightened. For I knew of no one coming here but myself. In that light I saw a man coming towards me, as naturally as you come towards me. The man weighed about 85 kg and wore a white robe. He had a smooth face, no beard, dark hair down to his shoulders, a rather dark complexion, a very pleasant appearance, He came closer, our eyes crossed. He saw how frightened I was and said: 'Do not be afraid. I have been sent from the presence of Almighty God to tell you that your strange life and misunderstood ways indicate that God has sent you to the peoples of the world with a gift of divine healing. If you will be sincere and make people believe you, no sickness will be able to resist your prayer, not even cancer/words cannot express how I felt."

Also Daniel, Zacharias and Mary angel addressed with the words: "Do not be afraid". Our Lord did the same. Often He said: "Do not be afraid".

The angel went on to tell him: "As two signs were given to Moses the prophet (Exodus 4), so two signs will be given to you. And people do not believe the first sign, they will believe the second." We find almost the same wording in Exodus 4:8: "And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign." Men with a special calling received special signs by which it was to be made clear to the people that God Himself was speaking and working here.

Then the angel explained the first sign to him. After the sermon and the prayer for all who wanted to consecrate their lives to the Lord, he was to pray for the sick. The first sign would be that he would take the patient's hand in his hand, literally showing the patient's own suffering on the back of his hand through discolouration and design. This should be followed by prayer for healing. The patient should observe the process on the back of the hand. If the prayer was answered and God brought about the healing, the marking would disappear before the eyes of the sufferer. This announcement was confirmed thousands of times, especially in the years 1946-1949. Many of those who were thus healed by a miracle of God felt it in their bodies, saw it happen before them, and not a few cried out aloud in overwhelm.

The angel then explained the use of the second gift, using several Bible passages. He referred to the ministry of our Lord and explained especially Joh. 5, 19 and 20, namely that He had worked as the Son of Man, as a prophet, and saw in visions what God wanted to do. "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth…" (John 5:19-20). According to this Word, the Son of Man only carried out His ministry according to what was shown to Him in visions. The angel mentioned to brother Branham the two experiences from Joh. 1 with Peter and with Nathanael. When Andrew led his brother Simon to Jesus, we read, "And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone." (John 1:42) Never before had He seen Peter, and yet He knew his name and the name of his father. A similar thing happened to Nathanael, whom Philip brought to the Lord: "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! … Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee." (John 1:47-48) How overwhelmed Nathanael was and how he reacted to this revelation can be read by all.

The angel went on to refer to John 4 and mentioned the conversation the Lord had with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. By revelation, according to what was shown to Him, He said to her: "… for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband" At the end of the conversation the woman exclaimed: "I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called Christ; when He comes He will tell us everything…" Jesus answered her: The angel also referred to other biblical passages in which similar cases occur where the prophetic ministry of the Son of Man is particularly prominent. It was precisely in this ministry that the Pharisees sinned, saying, "He has Beelzebub," etc. As a prophet, the Son of Man even discerned the motives and thoughts of the hearts, and it was precisely this that did not suit the spiritual leaders of that time. But in this way the spirits were revealed and separated. Lord God had said to Moses: "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their people, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall declare to them all things whatsoever I shall command him" (Deut. 18:18; Acts 3:22-23).

The angel further explained that this same "sign of the Messiah" is repeated now as it was then with Jews and Samaritans in the church from the nations. Before almost each healing service, William Branham referred to these biblical passages which the angel had literally explained to him. The second gift was that based on what he was shown – he could tell people during the healing service what country they were from, what city, what their name was, who they were, what diseases they had, basically everything as it happened in the prophetic ministry of the Son of Man. I personally witnessed it many times in the meetings and was not a little surprised when this man of God told me on December 3^rd 1962 exactly the wording with which the Lord had called me to ministry on April 2^nd, 1962 before sunrise here in Krefeld. Here things are not invented and put into circulation, here it is truthfully testified before Almighty God that Jesus Christ has made Himself known in our generation in the same way as the Son of Man through the prophetic ministry, as it happened at that time when He walked on earth.

Since his childhood, this man was accompanied by the supernatural presence of God. There really were men, of whom William Branham was one, who were destined from birth to a special task, men who did not at some point self-appoint themselves and call themselves prophets, but were appointed by God Himself by a direct heavenly calling. Even as a child, William Branham saw visions of events that all came true, often years later.

When he was seven years old, he heard a voice from a whirlwind that seemed to have settled in the crown of a tree, although everywhere else it was windless. It was called to him: "Never drink or smoke, and do not defile your body in any way, for you must do a work for Me when you grow older." (Kägi, p. 15). As a youth, he was repeatedly urged by friends to drink and smoke. They called him a coward, and that was exactly what he did not want to be, because after all, as a boxer, he was not a coward. Every time he tried, he seemed to hear the same sound and the same voice commanding him not to do it. He was preserved by it. Elijah experienced the storm before the Lord spoke to him at Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19). Job heard the voice of the Lord directly from the storm (ch. 38, 1). "Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire." (Heb. 1, 7). This is still true today.

As a young man, he was ordained by Dr. Roy Davis in the Baptist Church. Not long after, he began an interdenominational ministry because he felt to be obliged to all.

In June 1933, several things of greater significance happened. He had his first field crusade. At the end of this series of meetings, on Sunday, 11 June 1933, there was a baptism service in the Ohio River, following the pattern of the original Church. Several hundred new converts were baptised. As the young preacher was about to baptise the seventeenth person, he prayed, "Father, as I baptise them with water, so baptise Thou me with the Holy Spirit." At that moment it happened: a bright light like a star descended from heaven and stopped above him. From that light a voice rang out saying, "As John the Baptist was sent before the first coming of Christ, so you are sent with a message that will precede the second coming of Christ." In April 1966, on the occasion of a meeting in the U.S.A., I myself met about twelve people who were present at this event in June 1933.

The reaction of the crowd of about four thousand people who witnessed it varied. Some prayed, others fainted, others asked what it meant, and others ignored it. The Associated Press in the U.S.A. and Canada in particular reported on the extraordinary event. Each subsequent experience, especially the seven visions he had in 1933 about the future world development until the end, contributed to the other preachers distancing themselves more and more from him. Even those who were close to him admitted that such experiences existed in biblical times, but denied that they still existed now.

When the young man of God was told that he would be sent all over the world to pray for kings and rulers, Br. Roy Davis said to him: "Billy, who will listen to you? You with your little schooling! … You will speak to the pillars in the chapel and preach to empty chairs. People will not come to hear you." The answer was simple: "If it is God who sends me, He will also send the people to whom I will preach…"

On 7 May 1946, William Branham did indeed receive a heavenly visit. In the Old and New Testaments, we find many accounts of angels appearing when there was a special event: from Abraham to Daniel; from Zechariah to Mary. Over Bethlehem's corridors the heavenly hosts appeared, and the angel gave the greatest announcement of all time, that of the birth of the Saviour. Paul and also John, who was exiled to the island of Patmos, testify to it. In Heb. 1 we read of the angels: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Heb 1:14)

On the evening of May 7th 1946, William Branham was in a room where he had already spent some time in prayer and Bible reading. Suddenly, at about 11.00 p.m., light came into the room from above, growing stronger and stronger and spreading. Let us let him tell us: 

"When I looked up, the great star was hanging there, but it did not have five points, it looked more like a glowing ball of fire shining on the floor. Then I heard someone walking. I was even more frightened. For I knew of no one coming here but myself. In that light I saw a man coming towards me, as naturally as you come towards me. The man weighed about 85 kg and wore a white robe. He had a smooth face, no beard, dark hair down to his shoulders, a rather dark complexion, a very pleasant appearance, He came closer, our eyes crossed. He saw how frightened I was and said: 'Do not be afraid. I have been sent from the presence of Almighty God to tell you that your strange life and misunderstood ways indicate that God has sent you to the peoples of the world with a gift of divine healing. If you will be sincere and make people believe you, no sickness will be able to resist your prayer, not even cancer/words cannot express how I felt."

Also Daniel, Zacharias and Mary angel addressed with the words: "Do not be afraid". Our Lord did the same. Often He said: "Do not be afraid".

The angel went on to tell him: "As two signs were given to Moses the prophet (Exodus 4), so two signs will be given to you. And people do not believe the first sign, they will believe the second." We find almost the same wording in Exodus 4:8: "And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign." Men with a special calling received special signs by which it was to be made clear to the people that God Himself was speaking and working here.

Then the angel explained the first sign to him. After the sermon and the prayer for all who wanted to consecrate their lives to the Lord, he was to pray for the sick. The first sign would be that he would take the patient's hand in his hand, literally showing the patient's own suffering on the back of his hand through discolouration and design. This should be followed by prayer for healing. The patient should observe the process on the back of the hand. If the prayer was answered and God brought about the healing, the marking would disappear before the eyes of the sufferer. This announcement was confirmed thousands of times, especially in the years 1946-1949. Many of those who were thus healed by a miracle of God felt it in their bodies, saw it happen before them, and not a few cried out aloud in overwhelm.

The angel then explained the use of the second gift, using several Bible passages. He referred to the ministry of our Lord and explained especially Joh. 5, 19 and 20, namely that He had worked as the Son of Man, as a prophet, and saw in visions what God wanted to do. "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth…" (John 5:19-20). According to this Word, the Son of Man only carried out His ministry according to what was shown to Him in visions. The angel mentioned to brother Branham the two experiences from Joh. 1 with Peter and with Nathanael. When Andrew led his brother Simon to Jesus, we read, "And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a stone." (John 1:42) Never before had He seen Peter, and yet He knew his name and the name of his father. A similar thing happened to Nathanael, whom Philip brought to the Lord: "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! … Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee." (John 1:47-48) How overwhelmed Nathanael was and how he reacted to this revelation can be read by all.

The angel went on to refer to John 4 and mentioned the conversation the Lord had with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. By revelation, according to what was shown to Him, He said to her: "… for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband" At the end of the conversation the woman exclaimed: "I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called Christ; when He comes He will tell us everything…" Jesus answered her: The angel also referred to other biblical passages in which similar cases occur where the prophetic ministry of the Son of Man is particularly prominent. It was precisely in this ministry that the Pharisees sinned, saying, "He has Beelzebub," etc. As a prophet, the Son of Man even discerned the motives and thoughts of the hearts, and it was precisely this that did not suit the spiritual leaders of that time. But in this way the spirits were revealed and separated. Lord God had said to Moses: "I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their people, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall declare to them all things whatsoever I shall command him" (Deut. 18:18; Acts 3:22-23).

The angel further explained that this same "sign of the Messiah" is repeated now as it was then with Jews and Samaritans in the church from the nations. Before almost each healing service, William Branham referred to these biblical passages which the angel had literally explained to him. The second gift was that based on what he was shown – he could tell people during the healing service what country they were from, what city, what their name was, who they were, what diseases they had, basically everything as it happened in the prophetic ministry of the Son of Man. I personally witnessed it many times in the meetings and was not a little surprised when this man of God told me on December 3rd 1962 exactly the wording with which the Lord had called me to ministry on April 2nd, 1962 before sunrise here in Krefeld. Here things are not invented and put into circulation, here it is truthfully testified before Almighty God that Jesus Christ has made Himself known in our generation in the same way as the Son of Man through the prophetic ministry, as it happened at that time when He walked on earth.