The following interview was conducted at Brother Branham’s house in 1951 by one of his campaign managers and a longtime associate minister: Rev. Gordon Lindsay.

An Interview with Rev. Branham

QUESTION: Brother Branham, in the light of recent world events, do you believe that world judgment is at hand?

BROTHER BRANHAM: Yes, I do. I believe that with unsettled peace, wars and rumors of wars, that the time of judgment is close at hand.

QUESTION: Do you have any comment to make on the situation in Korea? Do you think world conditions are going from bad to worse, or do you think that they will clear up, and we will have an era of peace?

BROTHER BRANHAM: I do not believe we will have any real peace any more until Jesus comes. At that time, the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord, and then there will be peace on earth. Until that time, I do not look for any peace, but for times to grow worse and worse.

QUESTION: It is evident that God has used you in an extraordinary way in the initiating of this great world-wide Salvation-Healing Revival. Do you believe that anything greater than we have seen is on the way?

BROTHER BRANHAM: Yes, I do, Brother Lindsay. I believe that greater things are ahead for us. I truly believe that in the light of God’s Word, we are near something greater than we have ever seen – a repeat, I would say, of the Apostolic days, as it is written, “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.” (Isa. 59 :19). The days are getting more wicked, but God’s Church is making herself ready.

QUESTION: Do you believe that there is any need for a new religious organization?

BROTHER BRANHAM: No, Brother Lindsay, we have plenty of religious organizations. Some of them are good ones too. I believe that many are based to a great extent upon God’s Word. I really don’t believe that there will be another successful organization, for I believe that we are living in the end of time. Using Moses of old as a type of the organization which was the Law, we recall that Moses glorified himself before the people, instead of glorifying God, and he wasn’t given the privilege of going over into Canaan with the children of Israel. But after Moses came Joshua. He is a type of this great revival that is carrying the Church into the Canaan land experience. Joshua is a type of that which was right with the Church all the time. These things have been with the Church, but not recognized. Moses was taken out of the way, and Joshua took the children of Israel to the Promised Land. Many of the organizations today – I do not say all – have tried to glorify themselves, and see which could get the most members, and criticize one another, and proselyte, etc. Today, God is dealing especially with individuals, calling out from every church, the true in heart, getting them ready to go into the Promised Land, by looking upon the signs and wonders of this latter-day ministry that is going forth now.

QUESTION: This question concerns your ministry: Some have reported that you declared that your power was in your left hand. We have always heard you say that God was the Healer, and that God merely enabled you to detect the nature of disease through your left hand. Is this correct?

BROTHER BRANHAM: I am happy to answer this question for you. Many times, this has been misunderstood, and has caused people to think that there was some kind of magic in my left hand. This is an error – there is no power in any man to heal anybody. Healing was purchased by Christ’s death at Calvary, the same as He secured our salvation. The only thing that men can do in the way of Divine healing, is to point people to Christ’s work at Calvary, and help them to get faith for what He has already done for us.

When the Angel of the Lord met me, He did not say that I would have power in my left hand to heal people. If you will check my testimony, you will see that He told me that I was to be given a mission to pray for the sick and carry this message to them all over the world. Then when I questioned my ability to do such, after He had told me that I would be praying for kings and statesmen and so forth, He told me that there would be two signs given me to vindicate my ministry, as there were two signs given to Moses. I was to take hold of the person’s left hand, and I would be able to tell him what was wrong with him. This has been greatly misunderstood by many people, who supposed that I felt some kind of healing power go through my hands. This is, of course, a great error.

The angel also told me that later it should be given to me to discern the secrets of people’s hearts – to tell them what they had done in their life. This is Scriptural, for when Christ was on earth, He perceived the thoughts of people, as was the case when He met Nathaniel and the woman at the well.

QUESTION: Brother Branham, the devil always has his counterfeits. Spiritualism, which is obviously of the devil, pretends to reveal hidden things in a person’s life, and perhaps in some cases is able to do so. Is it not true that the working of the Word of Knowledge, and the working of the Gift of Discerning of Spirits, are to be sharply distinguished from the manifestations of spiritualism, in that they declare sin, not covered by the Blood of Jesus, and they also warn the careless individual that he must serve Christ with all his heart if he wishes to receive and keep his healing?” Is not this something very different from spiritualism!

BROTHER BRANHAM: Yes, Brother Lindsay, it is very much different than spiritualism. If we go back to the Old Testament, we find that God, when He spoke through the prophets in days gone by, often revealed the sins of individuals. This was the case when Elijah met Ahab. David, when he was met by the prophet, had his sins revealed to him. The gift of God is the original. The counterfeit that the devil uses in spiritualism is merely a make-believe, a bogus, an imitation of the real thing.

If sin is under the Blood, you will notice that it is never mentioned. The Holy Spirit never calls it out. But if there is unconfessed sin in a person’s life – a besetting sin, or something that would keep him from getting healed, it will be revealed.

In a way, I believe that my ministry has been given to prepare the way for others that are coming – that the people may know, when they come for their healing, that they must confess their sins and get right with God, if they would obtain deliverance. When our Master met the woman at the well, He asked her to give Him a drink. Then He went straight to the point, and told her to get her husband, thus revealing a situation that was hindering her from drinking of the Water that He had offered her. Jesus said, “The works that I do shall ye do also.” (John 14:12). And this ministry today is but a continuation of the works of Christ through the Holy Spirit. It has no connection at all with spiritualism. I am sure you have noticed how spiritualists are condemned when they get into our meetings.

QUESTION: In view of the great miracles of healing taking place under your ministry, such as the healing of former Congressman Upshaw, who was unable to walk alone for 66 years, we believe that the authenticity of your ministry cannot be successfully challenged. The question we would ask is this: We observe in many cases that you declare a healing of an individual. In many of such cases, later investigation proves that the person did get his healing. However, would you say, that because this declaration is made that it would be impossible for such a person to lose his healing and get sick again!

BROTHER BRANHAM: Yes, it is possible that the person could lose his healing and be sick again, because Divine healing is based altogether upon faith. For this reason, if any should disbelieve God’s Word that was spoken in the Scriptures, it could cause them to fall back into their sickness, or into sin. I, myself, would be secondary, but God’s Word spoken by a Gift through me would be God’s Word to the individual. But, if that person should permit a superstitious thought, or permit the devil to put doubt into his heart, God’s Word would be of no effect to him.

Not all sick people are healed who seek healing, just as not everyone who comes to get saved is saved. Sometimes I see death around the person. But even when death is near, prayer changes things. Do you remember the time that King Hezekiah was told by Isaiah the Prophet to set his house in order, for he was going to die? But the king turned his face to the wall and wept bitterly, and asked God to spare him. God heard the cry, and sent him Word of his healing, thus changing the program.

There is a great amount of ignorance when it comes to real practical things concerning the ministry of the Spirit. For instance, many suppose that if a miracle occurs, God will surely finish it in every case. But there is the case of Peter, walking on the water – clearly a miracle; but the moment his faith wavered, he began to sink.

QUESTION: Brother Branham would you mind informing us what your plans are for the next six months? I am sure that many would like to know.

BROTHER BRANHAM: As far as I know, I am to have five nights, after the meeting here in Shreveport, in New York City at the St. Nicholas Arena. From there I go to Africa, returning at the first of the year, God willing. Then I’m depending upon the Holy Spirit to guide me in the future.

Some have written me, asking if I intend to leave the ministry because I have said that I would have no itinerary after the first of the year. As Paul of old said, “Woe is me! – if I preach not the Gospel,” or neglect to perform the duties that God has given me to perform here on earth. Very much to the contrary, I believe that God will grant me a greater ministry than I have ever had – something else that will go beyond this present revival. My intentions are to go home, get alone with God and find out what the next move is – not to quit the ministry. I feel that the end-time is near, and I wish to find out what God’s will is, and I pray that God will reveal it, and also that the Church may become a better and stronger Church in spiritual things than ever before.