Poor not Rich Bro Branham Family Background

“I remember our first experience here, we were very, very poor. That’s the reason today that I, my choice… And I–I say this with reverence. My choice is to be a poor man. I could’ve been a multi-millionaire if I had wanted to be. One person brought me a check, FBI agent, for a million, five hundred thousand dollars, a bank draft, and I refused to look at it from the Mission Bell Winery in California.” “Life Story” (53-1108A).

“And I–what little money I get a hold of, why, I put it in foreign missions, all we don’t just have to eat on, and we–we live poor. Come to my home and find out, or let the investigation find out anything you want to know. I come poor; I will return poor. My people are poor, and I–I’ll desire to remain that way.” “Divine Healing” (54-0620E).

“I’m a poor man. I haven’t got no capital. And I go along. I’ve never took an offering in all my life, never did, just what people freely send me. Then I take that and hold it together, what I can, and then, as soon as I get enough built up, I take right off to the heathens and preach the Gospel with it, so… I’ll have to answer for your tithing, the people that give it to me.” “The Faith of Abraham” (59-0424A).

“Looky here today, what they’re going on now. Hollering at me about spending some money out yonder for Christians, and wanting to give me twenty years in the state prison for spending money to operate a religious move. . . .They send me to penitentiary for preaching the Gospel taking a few dollars out here to–to preach the Gospel, that people give me to preach the Gospel with. I’m not rich, and I can’t write that out. But yet they want to send me to the penitentiary, hold me two years, and got a trial coming soon. Oh, how lowdown, how filthy. God, be merciful.” “Hearing, Recognizing, Acting on the Word of God” (60-0221).

“All expenses was made. You had to sponsor that. You had to pay for it. Wish I could’ve just paid for it myself, but I–I can’t do that. I can’t afford it; I haven’t got money like that. And I… The reason I can come to small meetings, as I have explained…Now, there’s some of our brethren, such as Brother Roberts, and many of those men, who have great business, and they have radio and television, and so forth, that they’ve got to make so many thousands of dollars every day to sponsor that. See? They have to have it.” “To Take on the Whole Armor of God” (62-0701).

“Out into the land where this Message is going, from the East Coast to the West, from California to New York, down into the South, up into the North, out into the missions, and wherever It’s going, and in this tabernacle. We are poor. We don’t have these great, big, flowerly things, and television casts. We’re just trying to do the best we can.” “The Anointed Ones at the End Time” (65-0725M).

He also claimed that he took “no money from no peoples” and “could have been a millionaire”if he “took the money”, as follows,

“And friends, it’s the truth tonight. I’ve had as—as much as a million five hundred thousand dollars give me at one time. And if I had to rake up tonight anything over… If I had to rake up over five hundred dollars tonight, of my own personal money, I’d have to be shot. If—if that’s what it’s taken. That’s…

Somebody over in Calgary, Canada give me enough money, twenty-eight thousand dollars to build a house. And here’s my people right here from the church, who knows it. And here’s the trustees. Some of them setting right here that’s acting on the board right now.

And when they built that house, I looked at. A nice little picture room and house up there and I thought, “That’s beautiful.” And I—I said, “I don’t deserve that, Lord.” And I turned it over to the Tabernacle. And it belongs to them, not me. I’ve brought nothing in to this world; I’ll take nothing out but my soul before God. And I want it to be clean and pure when I hit in that day.

And I have taken no money from no peoples. That’s exactly. And could have been a millionaire tonight, if I’d took the money. It’s not what I beg but, what people offered me, to give me. And I wouldn’t do it. No, sir.

And I feel the same way tonight. Before God, I tell the truth. God knows it. And I’ve shu… And I have—covet no person’s money or anything they got. The only thing I want is your favor, so I can tell you about Jesus Christ and—and His glory. That’s true.”
“Palmerworm, Locust, Cankerworm, Caterpillar” (53-0612).