Branham held his first meetings as a faith healer in 1946.[33] His healing services are well documented, and he is regarded as the pacesetter for those who followed him.[34] At the time they were held, Branham's revival meetings were the largest religious meetings some American cities he visited had ever seen;[35] reports of 1,000 to 1,500 converts per meeting were common.[35] Historians name his June 1946 St. Louis meetings as the inauguration of the healing revival period.[36] He said he had received an angelic visitation on May 7, 1946, commissioning his worldwide ministry.[37] In his later years, in an attempt to link his ministry with the end time, he connected his vision with the establishment of the nation of Israel, at one point mistakenly stating the vision occurred on the same day.[38][38][lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 5]