“Edmund Way Raised from the Dead”
Ten different people were allegedly raised from the dead during William Branham's ministry. (A list of all ten people can be viewed here.)
The ninth person was Edmund Way who William Branham claimed had died of a heart attack at the end of a church service in the Branham Tabernacle in 1963.
Here is the excerpt from the end of the service, as the alleged event unfolded:
Let us pray now. Brother…[A sister in the congregation cries out—Ed.]…
Someone fainted. Just a minute. Sit still, everybody. See? [Brother Branham leaves the pulpit and goes down into the congregation.]
Heavenly Father, let Thy mercy and goodness be with Brother Way. In the Name of Jesus Christ, may he come back. Give him back, Lord, and give him strength and health. So help me, his heart started beating again! Be still, everybody, and just pray. Lord Jesus, let Thy goodness and mercy be with Brother Way, in the Name of Jesus Christ.
It’s over. As I stand here on this altar, where funerals has been preached. Where I stand here, where hundreds of people has prayed through to Christ. I reached out, his eyes was set, his pulse was gone. And no more than called the Name of Jesus Christ, and his pulse started coming…?…As a minister of the cross, I say that in the Name of Jesus Christ. Isn’t He wonderful? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] A heart attack. See? I’m so thankful it happened just now, instead of wait till we got away. See the grace of God? The Lord be blessed! Let us just bow our heads. “Standing In The Gap” (63-0623M).
As is evident above, William Branham immediately recognized and believed that “someone fainted” and, therefore; it is entirely possible that Edmund Way had only fainted and never actually died.
When the audio clip above is played, it is apparent that the situation unfolded very quickly.
So quickly, in fact, that it took only four seconds from William Branham's last word on the platform until he reached Edmund on the floor and began praying for him. In those few seconds, there certainly was not also time for him to have checked or looked for Edmund's pulse and determined that it was gone.
In the next eleven seconds of the audio, it is also apparent that William Branham prayed
a short and quick prayer for Edmund and his complete focus and concentration was devoted to that prayer. As such, it is further evident that he was not checking or looking for Edmund's pulse at the time.
For all of the preceding reasons, William Branham's assertion that Edmund's “heart started beating again”, which immediately followed his quickly delivered prayer, is unfitting and unfounded. (Simply stated, fifteen seconds was not enough time for William Branham to have left the platform, reached Edmund on the floor, determined that Edmund's pulse had stopped, prayed an eleven-second prayer and determined that Edmund's pulse returned.)
Just three days later, William Branham nevertheless went on to claim that he not only first took Edmund's “pulse at his arm” and determined that his pulse was gone, but he also checked Edmund's pulse again after he prayed for him and observed that “his heart beat four or five times, and it started off beating regular again”, as follows,
“I come over the platform, try to get the audience quietened. Many people was trying to help the sister, of course, in that condition with her husband. Someone had laid something over his head, or under his head rather.
And I took a hold of his (heart), his pulse at his arm—and no more pulse than there is on that piece of wood.
And then I knelt down, and prayed: 'Lord Jesus, I pray Thee give back our Brother Way his life.'
And his heart beat four or five times, and it started off beating regular again. And he come back up again. And he was trying to talk; he couldn't talk. He was ... the blood stops, you know, when the heart stops. And it was quite some time before his blood got circulating just right. And I heard him call my name. And then I got back on the platform.” “Why?” (63-0626).
That evening, William Branham also went so far as to claim that he checked Edmund Way's pulse three times, as follows,
“And I know heart attacks. I--I know what they do and how they turn. Anybody else that's ever seen it... So I put my hand upon his pulse, and there was no more pulse than there is on this desk, not a thing. Here's his wife, a registered nurse who checked his pulse; there was no pulse there.
Then the other day while I was with Brother Way on a discernment in here, I seen that he had a murmuring heart anyhow. So then I thought, "This is it." So I laid my hands upon him; I said. "Dear God, I call in the Name of Jesus Christ, the soul of my brother, his life back again. And the Lord Jehovah knows and His Bible here before me, it felt like when I had my hand on his pulse, and as I know I'll answer for this at the day of the judgment if it be wrong, and the--felt like his pulse beat four or five times quickly, went, "Pump, pump, pump, pump, pump," and then started off going, "Pump-pump-pump-pump."
And he was trying to open his mouth to say something to me--and--trying to get his mouth and gurgling kinda to try to say it. And he got out the words, "Brother Branham." Then he looked like he would go back to sleep or something, and I waited just a moment again, checked his pulse again; it was beating normally. And then, again I looked, and he looked over at me. And he was kinda... I seen him beside himself; he didn't know where he was at, but his heart, beating normal... And God had called back his life to him again.” “The Flashing Red Light of the Sign of His Coming” (63-0623E).
The above claims of William Branham are clearly false since there was not enough time for him to have checked Edmund Way's pulse three times once he was with him on the floor and before declaring him to be alive again at the end of his eleven-second prayer,
“Heavenly Father, let Thy mercy and goodness be with Brother Way. In the Name of Jesus Christ, may he come back. Give him back, Lord, and give him strength and health.
So help me, his heart started beating again!” “Standing In The Gap” (63-0623M).
Because William Branham falsely depicted the event, he discredited his claims of God and the “supernatural” operating through his ministry. Had God truly performed the greatest of all miracles and raised Edmund Way from the dead, there would have been no reason for him to have embellished, exaggerated or lied about what occurred.
Eyewitness account of the alleged event:
A former follower of William Branham's ministry by the name of Sylvia Perkins was present
when Edmund Way allegedly died and returned to life.
During a June 24, 2017 interview with former follower, Rod Bergen, she provided her eyewitness testimony of what she witnessed at the time, as follows in the audio clip below.[1]
Footnote:
[1] Source: http://offtheshelf.life/page/2/
(Click here to listen to all three parts of Sylvia Perkins' interview with Rod Bergen.)