Fake Miracles: The Bait on the Hook | John McKinnon | Podcast Episode 646

John and John McKinnon expose how fake supernatural experiences, staged healings, miracle props, and unverifiable signs became "bait on the hook" for high-control religious movements. In this episode, they examine William Branham, John Alexander Dowie, Jim Jones, healing-revival spectacle, gold dust, oil Bibles, staged wheelchair healings, and other claims used to build loyalty around revivalists instead of Jesus. The discussion follows the rise of signs-and-wonders culture from early healing movements into modern charismatic and N.A.R. patterns, showing how spectacle can replace Scripture, critical thinking, and the gospel itself. 00:00 Introduction: How Cults Are Created Through Spiritual Bait 01:48 Branham’s “Bait On The Hook” Strategy 04:35 Fake Supernatural Experiences And Healing-Revival Showmanship 10:06 Cunning Craftiness, Deception, And Why People Stay 12:07 John Alexander Dowie And The Expansion Of Healing Trickery 14:14 From Bible Study To Spectacle-Based Religion 22:05 Leaving Branhamism And Re-Reading The Bible Without The Filter 24:36 Biblical Miracles Pointed To Jesus, Not To The Prophet 28:58 Roy Davis, Dowie, Money, Widows, And Early Supernatural Rackets 32:37 Donnie Morton, Failed Healings, And Branham’s Changing Stories 35:38 Bigger Miracles, Bigger Crowds, Bigger Offerings 37:08 Branham, Jim Jones, Fake Tumors, Wheelchairs, And Resurrections 42:17 Branham’s Unverifiable Supernatural Life Stories 45:18 Failed Healings, Congressman Upshaw, The Cloud, And Other Claims 49:32 Testing Branham’s Claims And The Bridge Prophecy Problem 52:20 Final Warning: Do Not Build Faith On Signs And Wonders 59:04 Deception Proves The Claim Is False 1:00:33 Closing And Book Mentions ______________________ Weaponized Religion: From Christian Identity to the NAR: Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1735160962 Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCGGZX3K ______________________ – Support the channel:   / branham   – Subscribe to the channel:    / @leavingthemessage   – Visit the website: https://william-branham.org – Follow on Facebook:   / williambranhamorg   – Follow on TikTok:   / william.m.branham   – Follow on Twitter:   / wmbhr   – Buy the books: https://william-branham.org/site/books