“Africa” Prophecy
William Branham claimed that God showed him a “prophetic vision” in which he saw “three hundred thousand” people in Africa in one single meeting of his, as follows,
“I'm going home now, to get ready for Africa, and India, and Palestine, Germany, many places overseas. Our Lord just give us the greatest meeting in Africa. We had thirty thousand converts in one day, and thirty thousand in one day. . . . So we're going right back to the same place again, where the Lord has promised me by a vision... Many of you wants to hear about if a vision speaks and what it will come to pass. Now, you write this in your Bible, . . . We're going to have a meeting there, which will--will be three times the size of the other one. There will be three hundred thousand people in the meeting. See if that isn't true.” “God's Provided Way” (53-0513).
“And I just want say this, the many who knows me, and my friends are in here tonight, I just got my telegram back this morning from Durban, South Africa. The vision where three hundred thousand people will be gathered pretty soon for a meeting which is coming up right away...” “Jesus Christ the Same Yesterday Today and Forever”(58-0323).
“And I--I'm going to South Africa after this. For, oh, my, you know how it is down there where you can't even talk to the people. And there'd be... We're at least expecting three hundred thousand, one single meeting.” “Does God Change His Mind” (65-0427).
However, he completely contradicted his “prophetic vision” of Africa above, by making numerous claims that the “prophetic vision” was of “three hundred thousand” people in one meeting of his in India such as these,
“And then the Lord gave the vision, and said, "In India, that three hundred thousand people attend one meeting." You write that down, see if that's right or not.” “Israel and the Church 2” (53-0326).
“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.” “Questions and Answers” (54-0515).
“And as soon as our Lord tells me the hour, the time to move, I'm going into Africa, and from there to India, where I will fulfill a vision that God has given me of three hundred thousand people. And you remember to keep that in mind. And you'll see it appear in different places. And now, you remember, that is the truth. God has spoken that, and it will be so.” “Who Has Believed Our Report” (52-0720E).
He also completely contradicted all of his claims above by claiming that the “prophetic vision” he saw was of “three hundred and fifty thousand” people coming to God in India,
“See if there isn't three hundred and fifty thousand people comes to God in India when we get there. See if that isn't right. See if it don't appear in these magazines and things just the same way. Just like the little boy in Finland and so forth, it's God foretelling things what will come.” “Faith Without Works Is Dead” (53-0905).
Whether the alleged “vision” was of “three hundred thousand” or “three hundred and fifty thousand” people or to be fulfilled in “Africa” or “India”, the following admissions of William Branham indicate that he did not succeed with his trips to either part of the world,
“I had planned on, so hard, coming back; burdened in the heart. I just returned from Africa, as you all know. And when I got over there, I had a restricted visa, and wouldn't let me, wouldn't let me preach because it gathers too many together. “Ashamed” (65-0711).
“And yet, 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.” India Trip Report (57-0126B).
After making those statements, William Branham never returned to Africa or India and had a meeting with “three hundred thousand” or more people before he died in 1965.
Therefore, his alleged “prophetic vision” was never fulfilled despite him declaring, “Thus Saith the Lord” and “God has spoken that, and it will be so.”
Because the “vision” was never fulfilled, it is not possible for it to have ever been shown to him by God, as he claimed, or for any of his claims to be true that his visions have never failed, including these,
“But when you speak, 'THUS SAITH THE LORD,' it's not you. Watch on the platform. Have you ever seen it fail? THUS SAITH THE LORD is perfect, never has failed. And as long as it is THUS SAITH THE LORD, it can't fail.” . . .Remember, not one time has those visions ever failed.” “Is This The Sign Of The End Sir?” (62-1230E).
“A vision has never failed. Now I'm going to tell you, Jean, it's THUS SAITH THE LORD! See?” “The Evening Messenger” (63-0116).
“Now, I'm an old man now, and I've--I have never one time, and can call the world to a--to a standstill, and ask them, 'Put your finger on one thing that He ever told me as THUS SAITH THE LORD, in the Name of the Lord, but what was absolutely the truth and fact, and come to pass," out of the thousands times thousands of things.'” “Spirit of Truth” (63-0118).
“And I remember I went there in Arizona and everything; I was trying my best to... scared to death. I went to Phoenix meeting. And you remember I preached the sermon, "Sirs, What Time Is It?" You remember that? I said that I seen that, I said, "Before it comes to pass, remember, THUS SAITH THE LORD, something's going to happen." You've probably got the tapes in your library of tape now. And there I said, "You remember now the visions that never fails. Something's going to happen. Remember." “Trying to Do God a Service Without Being the Will of God” (65-1127B).
“Now, those things are not mythical. In contact with the Holy Spirit, I'm an illiterate person. That's true. There's nothing to me. But when I come under His anointing, and He takes me away and shows me things, I just got perfect confidence that it's just exactly right, 'cause it's never failed. And He will never say one thing outside what's written in this Bible. That's right. You watch it. Through the years, He's never said one thing at any time, unless it was absolutely Scripturally based on the Bible, THUS SAITH THE LORD.” “Shepherd of the Sheepfold” (56-0403).
“Many, many years before it happened perfectly on the dot... And it's never failed, and it won't fail, because it's THUS SAITH THE LORD. And it's not contrary to these Bible. It's got to be.” “Once More” (63-1117).
“I prayed for a woman at the platform who had a horrible stomach disorder and could not eat nothing. And the Holy Spirit told her, 'THUS SAITH THE LORD ...' You have your record here, if you want to see what He says. Said, 'THUS SAITH THE LORD, you're healed of that stomach trouble.'
When you hear that come forth, brother, I lay my life right there, it's going to be just that way. I'm forty-five years old, seen visions since I was a baby, and have never seen one time or challenge anybody to mention one time that it never spoke in that way, that it did not come to pass just exactly the way He said it. That's right. Just ask anywhere; take any recordings you want to and find out. When you hear Him speak out like that, it's not exactly exactly that way.” “Divine Healing” (54-0620E).
Here is a video that further demonstrates the untrue nature of William Branham's “prophecy” about Africa: