The mark of the beast

Denominationalism is the mark of the beast

William Marrion Branham taught that denominationalism is the mark of the beast spoken of in the book of Revelation. Here is what he said in his sermon called The Ten Virgins And The 144,000: ‘And he had power to give life unto the image... (Now, that is, unto the Protestant churches, the Protestant churches.)... The image of the beast, the Protestant denomination, not the Catholic …. Jesus died; you don't have to serve sin no more. You don't have to be bowed down to creeds and denominations. "He who the Son has made free is free indeed." If you want to go free and be free in the Son, cut loose from all things and serve Him. Come on. Amen. But if you don't want to, then your organization, your master, whoever you're serving, will put a mark on your ear and you won't be able to hear it anymore. If God ever speaks to your heart to "Come, this is the time," and you refuse it, then you receive his mark, hardened from the truth. There's the seal of the Devil, mark of the beast. You see? What does the mark of the beast do? Puts you right back to Romanism, denominationalism, and you'll never come in and be free: serve that forever. There's the mark of the beast’ (Excerpted from his message called The Ten Virgins And The 144,000, which he delivered on Sunday morning, 11th December 1960 at the Branham Tabernacle in Jeffersonville, Indiana, U.S.A.). And here is what he said in his sermon called Broken Cisterns: ‘That's a whole lot like our churches today. I think that we have left... One of the great sins that the church has done today, just like Israel then, it left Him, the Fountain of living Water, and has hewed themselves out manmade cisterns. And it become a habitation of everything that loves that kind of water. Lizards, frogs, and all kinds of unclean germs live in it, because it's a manmade tank; and in this tank these things stay. A perfect example of our denominationals today. "Now," you say, "Brother Branham, why do you strike at those people so hard?" It ought to be struck at. It's got to be struck at. Flee it, because it will finally form the mark of the beast. Remember, that is the Truth. It will be the mark of the beast; denomination will lead right to it. It's on its road right there now to force by power... Look, in the old Roman empire that's exactly what led them to that mark of an apostasy. You found out that no man could buy or sell without the mark of the beast. He had to have it. There's only two classes of people will be on the earth; those with the Seal of God, and those with the mark of the beast, only two classes. So you'll have to have one or the other. And it'll be an apostasy, a--a mark of--of religion, apostate religion. And it's going to have a image unto the beast. As we study we find out that Rome was, is, and always will be the--or the beast. Exactly. There's no way to get anything else. Rome... And what did Rome do? Was converted from pagan Rome unto papal Rome and organized a system, a universal system, that forced everybody to that one religion or be put to death. And it's a strange thing that this United States appears on the scene, and it's a--like a lamb. And a lamb has two small horns, civil and ecclesiastical rites. And after while when that was a lamb, we found out that it spoke then like a dragon and exercised all the power the dragon had before it. And the Bible tells us that they said, "Let us make a image unto the beast." A image is something like something else. And we can see it right now that in its apostate condition the church is forming the World Council of Churches, which is the image to the power of Rome, and will force upon the people the same thing that pagan Rome done--or papal Rome did. So there's no other way, no other thing, but that is the Truth. And that's why I'm striking it in my age, in my time, is because it's got to be struck at. The call come to "Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins." Now, I'm liking that to these dirty, filthy cisterns. He is the Fountain of Life; He is the living Waters. And men leave that and dig for themselves cisterns which can only catch the filth. That's the only thing it can catch. And that's what denominationalism does; it catches everything that comes along, that wants to join. They're willing to take it in if it's got some money or can dress in a certain way. No matter who they are, where they come from, they take them anyhow’ (Excerpted from his sermon called Broken Cisterns which he delivered on Sunday evening, 26th July 1964 at the Branham Tabernacle in Jeffersonville, Indiana, U.S.A.)

Confutation

Here is what the apostle John wrote about the mark of the beast, which the false prophet will cause many people to receive on their right hand or on their foreheads: “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” (Revelation 13:11-18). As you can see, the mark of the beast is the name of the beast or the number of his name (that is, 666) which will allow those who will receive it to buy or sell. God warns us not to receive the mark of the beast, for it is written: “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name” (Revelation 14:9-11 - NKJV). In the light of the Scripture, therefore, the mark of the beast has nothing to do with denominationalism.

Brothers and sisters, beware of the followers of William Marrion Branham, who through this false teaching on the mark of the beast want to frighten you and to cause you to forsake your Church and to follow the teachings of Branham, who claimed to be the last messenger of God but he actually was a false prophet for he rejected the Trinity, he taught that Eve had sexual intercourse with that old serpent, he taught that God wrote three Bibles (the first was the Zodiac, the second was the pyramid, and the third the one we have on paper), and he taught many other heretical teachings. I say it again, beware of them, for they are deceivers of minds and idle talkers.

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