Then, you know what? I went to the window, and coming down that street... If I shall live to be a hundred and could be in my mind, I shall never forget that. There come seven big British vans (I don't know what, you know what they are or not, about as long as from here back to that wall.) loaded full of crutches, boards, wheelchairs, instruments, that they had been packed out of the jungles for hundreds of miles, and weeks coming, like that. There they was in them, the seven van loads, piled up to the top. And behind that come Zulus, Basothus, Shangai, Xhosas, and all those, behind it, that was in those--that things the day before, coming down the street, singing in their own native tongue, "Only believe, all things are possible." Oh, what a hour!

These were words spoken by our prophet William Marrion Branham. A sermon he preached called; A Greater Than Solomon Is Here 61-0515.

No doubt, this experience in Durban was one of the highlights of his ministry, one which he clearly mentioned that he would not forget if he lived to be a hundred. 2009 is that hundredth year since the prophet William Marrion Branham was born and he is not here to see it, yet I believe he saw it as we can see the fruits of his ministry.

It is not only memorable, but it turned out to be the greatest event in the history of South Africa. Still today, it is altering the lives of many people across the country and the continent of Africa. There are countless people turning from heathenism and different cultures to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. These people come from many walks of life, including liars, thieves, prisoners, drunkards, prostitutes and religious leaders. His visit to South Africa, as with any other country he visited, caused the fetters of traditions to be broken from off the people. It would not have sounded logical, in a country and continent conquered by the white man from Europe and ruled by apartheid, for the natives of the land to accept the word of a white man from America telling them about Jesus Christ from the east, who died for their sins, to save them from their traditions of their beloved ancestors. Moreover, it would not make sense for anybody from this part of the world to take the word of a man who refuses to be political and to takes side but promises nothing, except salvation and healing.

This was not what we thought we needed, yet God who was mindful of us, sent this prophet over the seas to impart the gifts that God had trusted him with. We, who believe his Message, now living in South Africa in 2009, are the fruits of what began in Durban many years ago. To tell each one’s story will fill volumes upon volumes of books than what is contained in the Holy Bible. It would however, contain similar signs and wonders, miracles, testimonies and great feats of faith, because God is the same in every generation. This is what proves to us that if the Bible was still being written today, we would be in it.

The Message of this prophet, which has been captured on tapes and written in books, has reached us in the darkest jungles of Africa, where you could still hear the Voice of God. It sought us, who were thirsty, found us and made us new creatures. In this unstable, crime-infested country, we thrive only by this Message that thought us of Christ and gave us faith for the Rapture. Never before have we ever seen a ministry in our part of the world that has caused such a stir. It has been an absolute parallel of the ministry of Jesus Christ. This ministry, though demonstrated with mighty signs and wonders, was rejected by the spiritual leaders of that time and yet it was accepted by the maimed, the blind, the poor, the sick and the needy. It challenged the heart of every person to consider oneself, and one’s own thoughts, to see if they be holy and to change the way one lived with haste. Our lives have been transformed from ancestor worship, idol worship, fear, and superstitions to lives lived in freedom of spirit and no fear of tomorrow. His Message has helped us overcome our attachments to even our cultures and traditions in which we were once steeped even when we called ourselves Christians. The doctrine he preached provoked men to study the Bible which resulted in many false doctrines being exposed and caused a great revival in the hearts of the predestinated seed.

A man who continued the legacy of Christ

There are many men who made great changes to the world or their countries. Their names are cemented in history and they receive praise today for the things they did. Abraham Lincoln was considered one of the greatest presidents and world leaders, but that legacy has died with him because there is no man or nation who could continue it. Mahatma Gandhi was considered a great man and humanitarian, who will be remembered for a long time, but nobody lives who could be like him. William Branham’s name and life may not be as recognized by the world but that was not his ambition. His ambition was to continue the life and legacy of someone else – the Lord Jesus Christ. This man took no glory for himself, refusing to even form his own denomination. No one with even a fraction of the gift that he had would have been satisfied with not being recognized in the world. He was totally satisfied with just being “Brother Bill,” living simple and giving all the glory to God.

His achievement during the hundred years

Those who understand the call of this ministry of the Gospel of Christ will understand that our achievements are not important. What is important is what God achieves through us. However when we consider the condition of the world in the 20th & 21st centuries, there is a frightening reality. In the absence of the Ministry of Brother Branham, coupled with his dedicated life, all true students of the Scripture will acknowledge that God would have brought the world to an end like in Noah’s day. This end time age is the worst in the history of mankind, both spiritually and naturally. Literally, as it was in the days of Sodom and Noah, so is it now. The world has legalized every vice imaginable and William Branham was the only servant of God who stood aggressively against all appearances of sin, lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. His voice still rings out in the recorded sermons condemning all forms of unholy behavior. He preached uncompromising, unfettered, unhindered, not considering for once the resistance he would come against, even from those who called themselves his friends and those who forsook him. His only desire was to deliver the pulsating, pounding, bubbling Message that filled his soul.

Therefore the achievement of his life at this hundred year mark is quite clear to those who are seeking God. His life was the standard that God set in this dark modern world and his sacrifice is one that every minister should aspire to attain. It is not an offensive thing to say: Was it wrong in Moses’ day for them to say that they knew Jehovah through Moses? Was it wrong for those in Paul’s day to say they knew Christ through Paul? I therefore don’t consider it an offense to say that I have come to know Christ through William Branham. That is just an unadulterated truth.

I am privileged and honored to be part of a team led by a leader given by our God to continue the legacy and ministry of William Marrion Branham.

Ronnie Pillay
Durban office