Revelation chapter 1-3 encompasses the revelation of Jesus Christ concerning His Gentile Bride of the Seven Church Ages. In the last age, a prophet brings a message that turns the hearts of God’s people back to the original truths of the apostles. It is in the seventh age that the resurrection and promised rapture transpires. The seven ages are comprised of the time of God’s dealing with the Gentile bride from its infancy until its rapture. This rapture while having spiritual applications, cannot be something solely spiritualized, it is a literal physical translation. The coming in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 speaks of the descending of Christ as does Revelation 10:1. As He descends, He does three things. There is a shout, the voice of the archangel and the trumpet. In Revelation 4:1-2, John symbolizes the Bride of all seven ages who receives the call, “come up hither”. This symbolizes the catching away, the rapturing up or physical translation of the Bride. Though there may be a spiritual aspect to this call that has allowed us to see by revelation the events described therein, it should be noted that Bro. Branham only speaks of its fulfillment as a literal and physical translation when the resurrected and living saints are caught up to meet the Lord at the end of the Seventh Age.
It is true however that God has allowed us to see so much of chapters 4 and 5 by revelation. We also understand that a good portion of the Seals are happenings of the past, since we know the antichrist as the horse rider went out to conquer in the first age and continues his ride in this present age. Some of it is past, some of it is happening now and yet some of it will happen in the future. Prior ages could read of the Seal and its rider, but it was very much a symbol that was not yet understood. Its rich symbology remained unknown until this age when the 7th angel sounded his message. But now, by revelation, the Book has been taken and opened and the contents revealed.
In Revelation chapters 4 – 5 the scene shows One who is sitting on the throne with a Book in His hand. This was the Book of Title to everything Adam lost. There is also a Lamb rich with symbology with seven horns and seven eyes. The One on the throne and the Lamb do not represent two gods, there is but one God. The Lamb described in Revelation 5 with seven horns and seven eyes is symbolic of the One upon the throne who left His throne to become our Kinsman Redeemer. The Lamb symbolizes His redemption work from Calvary until His work as Redeemer is finished. The redemption initiated at the cross has continued through every church age as the Lamb interceded on the behalf of every name on the Book. Even after the rapture of the Bride, the work of the Lamb will continue because included in the work of Kinsman is His role of Kinsman Avenger. During the tribulation period the world will face the wrath of the Lamb as His judgments are poured out.
The little Book held in His hand is symbolic of His redeemed people. The Book is a title to every predestinated seed and the earth that Adam sold into sin. No man was worthy to take the Book and restore it back to man so God became a man thus becoming kinfolk to us and purchased us by His blood. He takes it first and reveals its contents by revelation to a prophet but one glorious day in the future, the worthy Lamb will literally and physically leave His seat of intercession and will “take His Book” by rapturing His people to the wedding supper. This can only happen after the last name has been redeemed and dipped in blood. At that time, Jesus will leave the Father’s throne to come in a physical form with a corporal body to meet his redeemed ones in the air.
The First Seal (March 18, 1963)
Now, the Lamb, in the time of intercessory back here, He knew that there were names in there that was put in there from the foundation of the world. And as long as them names have never been manifested on earth as yet, He had to stay there as Intercessor. Do you get it? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] Perfectly, predestination! See? All right. He had to stay there, because He came to die for those that God had ordained to Eternal Life. See? See? By His foreknowledge, He saw them. Not by His Own will; His will was that none should perish. But by His foreknowledge He knew who would and who would not. Therefore, as long as there was one name hadn’t, never yet been ’clared—declared in earth, Christ had to stay there as an Intercessor, to take care of that name.
60 But as soon as that final name had been splashed in that Clorox or bleach, then His intercessory days was over. “Let him that’s filthy be filthy still. Let him that’s holy, he is holy still.” See? And He leaves the sanctuary and then it becomes a Judgment Seat. Woe unto those outside of Christ then!
Before the catching away, the seals are opened and their contents revealed to the 7th angel of the 7th Church Age. This happens to impart rapturing faith to His people but it is more than a spiritual event, for the taking of the Book also symbolizes the physical rapture of the church. If we can understand that the rapture is a process that unfolds in three phases, shout (message), voice (bride), trumpet (resurrection, translation and corporal coming), then we should see Rev 4-5 also unfolding in three phases: First, as symbolic form to John, Second, revelation form to us, and finally a literal fulfillment with Christ leaving the throne by physically and literally descending to meet us in the air rapturing the Bride into glory. With His corporal coming, He completes His work of intercession for the Gentiles and will literally take possession of the Book by resurrecting, glorifying and rapturing the Bride. His role of Lamb then continues well into the tribulation as the plagues are poured out. That is why Revelation 5 should not be seen as a singular event that happened on a certain day in March of 1963 when the seals were opened by revelation to the prophet, but rather a process of redemption. Revelation chapters 4 and 5 is a scene full of symbology to show the redemption process of “how He did it.” The revealing of the Seals shows how the antichrist opposed the church and sealed up the truths of God’s Word through the dark ages and God’s power to overcome him with the four expressions of His anointing, the Lion, Calf, Man and Eagle. In all reality, it is a drama, acting out the plan of redemption and not a “moment and a twinkling of an eye” event. You simply cannot place all of Revelation 4 and 5 in a 24 hour event.
The Book of Revelation is full of rich symbology that we can now understand through the prophet’s eagle eye. Just as the woman of Revelation 12 was given two wings of an eagle, even so have we been lifted into Eternal realms by spiritual revelation and now see things that other ages could not see. For its truths can only be seen with a prophetic eye. Looking through the eye of a seer, we can now understand what was only mysterious symbols in prior ages. From the Eternal realms, John describes various scenes that show the antichrist, the Jews, the foolish virgins, the Beast, and the whore and her judgment. Also seen are spiritual events, unseen by the naked eye because they are of a spiritual dimension. These events foretell the presence of Christ and His work that transpires within the Seven Gentile Church Ages.
While there are definite things that happen for the Bride within Revelation chapters 4 through chapter 19, if it is to the Gentile Bride, it must happen within the seven church ages. For example Rev. 10:1-11, Revelation 18:4 (come out of her my people), and other significant scenes such as the revelation of the Seven Seals, transpire during the chapters of Rev 1-3, the seven Church Ages. Revelation chapter 4 is where John is caught up into the Eternals. John as he leaves the ages and is caught up into the Eternal types the Bride when she is physically raptured at the close of the 7th Age.
Revelation 4:1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. 2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
On Sunday morning, March 24, 1963 after preaching the first through sixth Seal, Bro. Branham answers questions. One question is concerning Revelation 5:9, and the question is asked “are these the raptured saints”? Bro. Branham reads part of the verse and answers, No. These are not the saints, He has not claimed His property yet. These are the heavenly group, not yet the redeemed. As he continues on to the next question, the Holy Spirit stops him, commanding him to “Go back”! Asking his congregation if there is something wrong, or if someone is sick, a brother (Ned Iverson) from the congregation asked him to read the Scripture again. When he does, he reads the remainder of the verse and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation. and Bro. Branham exclaims “I was wrong on that!” He rejoices that the Holy Spirit was present and so mindful to stop him and then says, “Sure that’s them.” And continued rejoicing saying, But He was so determined that I wouldn’t make that error that He called me back to read the rest of that verse.
If God was so determined that this was not misplaced and misunderstood, it might be wise to go back and review what God was correcting.
REVELATION 5:8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE SEALS (March 24, 1963)
267 23. In Revelations verse 5 to 9, who are these found sing–singing when the Lamb takes the Book out of the–out of the… takes the book… Are–Oh, are these the raptured saints?
No, Revelations 6… 5 and 9, rather, no. If you notice, these are not the saints. He has never claimed His property yet. See? This is not the saints. If you notice, they’re the elders and the beast, and they sing.
268 Let’s read it so that person… And then I’m going to try… I’ve got about half a dozen more here, and I think I can get them in few minutes. Let’s see. Revelations 5:9. Now, let’s read just a little bit before, so… The person now is honest about this and they want to know. Watch.
And when he had taken the–taken the book, the four beasts and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps,… golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
And they sang a new song… (See, see?)…, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open it.
See? Thou has redeemed us and made us priests and kings; that’s the heavenly group, not yet the redeemed. All right. Now.
269 Brother Branham, if all the… (Now, just a moment. I guess what… Pardon me.) Brother Branham, if–if all the godly (Yeah.)–godly be taken up in the rapture, where will Elijah and the–and Moses come from?
270 There’s something wrong. There’s something wrong. Now, that’s just all there is to it. There’s–there’s something’s happened. See? There’s something that went wrong somewhere. Everybody feeling all right? There’s no–there’s no sickness or nothing? [A man in the congregation requests that Brother Branham read Revelation 5:9 again–Ed.] Let’s see, Revelations, where was it, brother? 5… The… Oh, the question. Oh, the question I was answering. Now, let’s see. “Thou…” [Continuation of Question 23–Ed.]
And when he had… the book, the four beasts and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints.
And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seal thereof: for thou has–wast slain,… (And here it is. Here it is. I was wrong on that. See?)… thou has redeemed us to God by the blood of every kindred,…
271 That’s right. Now, what do you think about that? Oh, if the Presence of the Holy Ghost isn’t here, what is? He wouldn’t let… See, I only read the first part of that verse. See, it’s just–it’s just a–or something wrote here, and I was trying to get through, looking at that clock. But you see Him stop me on that? Glory. I never read the other part of that. See, I got here: “and…” Look here. “And they–and they sang a new song,” and I stopped. See? But look here, “the song they sang, saying, You have redeemed us out of every kindred, tongue, and nation.” Sure, that’s them. My, oh, my, oh, my. See it? And by the way, there’s another question down here too.
272 24. Could you (c-o-n-t-r-o–) control those given–Oh, control was given white robes of Revelations 6:11 with those who washed their robes in the Blood of the Lamb?
Now, let’s see. Revelations 6… I just can’t hurry on this, folks, like…?… this (See?), because it’s going… I’m going to answer something wrong. Now, He didn’t like–He didn’t want me to do that. That’s the truth. So help me, the Holy Spirit of God knows that’s the truth. See? I just… There’s something just… I–I just–I was looking at–I was looking at that clock, 11:30, and I thought, “If I don’t hurry up now, I won’t get to pray for the sick,” and I’m–I’m trying to get that because I, in my mind is so… you… I can’t…
You remember, you’ll just have to understand now; I–I’m a human (See?), and I–I’ve been in there for seven days, and my–and I got something yet this afternoon I’ve got to find from God. But He was so determined that I wouldn’t make that error that He called me back to read the rest of that verse.
274 I just… It just felt like something just rolled over me there and said, “Go back; go back.” And I thought, “Go back, what? Stop right now and start praying for the sick? What–what is it? What have I done?” And just as I started to reach for that, somebody said, “Read the verse over again.” I read it over, and there at the bottom of this question, there it was (See?) Revelations 6.
See, I read the first; it does sound like it at the first (See?), “And they sang a new song…” But down here, see what it was? the next, coming on down, “has redeemed us.” Sure it was the Bride, the raptured saints. Could you… And here… Certainly, the–the Lamb had the Book in His hand. He’d done left the Throne of mediatorial grace. See?
276 You see how the Holy Spirit watches that? ‘Cause exactly, that’s the same thing I said the other night, when He had talked to me in the room, and I come down here and preached to you all: that when the Lamb left the place (Oh, my. Now, I believe we’ll just take a text. See?)–the Lamb had left His seat and come forth (See?), as I got up there when He was present, that Light, which is Christ… When He was present, told… When the Lamb leaves that seat of the throne, to–being a Mediator, He becomes down here, and the day of redemption for the church is finished.
277 The next redemption is opened is for the Jews, the hundred and forty-four thousand. Is that right? ‘Cause He promised He’d cut the tree off, you know. Now, here… Now, here He comes out, the Lamb, and then the day of redemption is finished, and all that’s going to be redeemed is already been redeemed and put on the Book, and He’s out here opening the Book. That’s right.
Oh, thank You, Lord. Forgive Thy nervous servant for trying to run over something.
He explains that he was in a hurry to get through the question and why he made that assumption.
See, I read the first; it does sound like it at the first (See?), “And they sang a new song…” But down here, see what it was? the next, coming on down, “has redeemed us.” Sure it was the Bride, the raptured saints. Could you… And here… Certainly, the–the Lamb had the Book in His hand. He’d done left the Throne of mediatorial grace. See?
You can see from God correcting the prophet that this was an extremely important point that God did not want us to miss. The Holy Spirit made sure that we understood that the rapture has already taken place in Revelation 5. This scene happens after the Rapture. Yet, how could this be when we know the Seals have been revealed? Could it be that the Seals are opened first as only symbols, then by revelation to the 7th angel, and finally in reality AFTER the bride is raptured? Could it be possible then that the Book is taken by the Lamb and John saw it happen symbolically, yet this did not happen in time but yet something happening out of time, within Eternity? Could it be possible that William Branham received revelation of the mystery of redemption without the Lamb literally leaving the throne because we know Christ leaves the throne with the corporal coming?
While it is true that the mighty angel descends in Revelation 10 with the open book, this does not require Christ to leave the throne of intercessory to do so. This is not the first time something happened like this, for on the day of Pentecost, Jesus who was at that time sitting on the throne (MARK 16:19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.) descended as a pillar of fire. Jesus truly “came again” as the Holy Ghost. This coming was a spiritual coming as was Revelation 10.
Bro. Branham indicates that there is a future unfolding of Revelation 5:8-9 for it lays in the future and then adds, Tonight He’s a Mediator, but He’s coming to this. Without a doubt it was shown in symbols to John and by revelation through the 7th angel, but there still remains a future unfolding of this event before the raptured Bride as represented by the twenty-four elders. It also speaks of a future ministry of the Bride in the millennium for they are anticipating their return to the earth where they will reign with Him for it says: And has made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
THE BREACH BETWEEN THE SEVEN CHURCH AGES AND THE SEVEN SEALS (March 17, 1963)
292 Here it lays in the future. Tonight He’s a Mediator, but He’s coming to this; watch.
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of the saints.
That’s those that’s under the altar that have prayed for long ago (See?), they had prayed for redemption, prayed for resurrection, and here he–these elders are pouring out the prayers before, ’cause “Now, we’ve got a representative. We got a Kinsman in heaven that’s come forth to make His claims.”
And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou was slain, and hast redeemed us to our God… (Watch)…by thy blood out of every kindred,… tongue, and people, and nation;
And has made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
293 They wanted to come back, and here they are going back to be kings and priests. Glory to God. I feel good enough to speak in tongues. Look. Watch. Here, it seems like I ain’t got enough language I could praise Him with it. I need one that I don’t even know, notice.
And I beheld… (Listen to this.)… And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels…
THE SIXTH SEAL (March 23, 1963)
63 When the Lamb was slain, the names were put on the Book. He’s standing in the holy place tonight in glory as an Intercessor, making intercessions for every one of those souls whose name is on that Book. And nobody knows that name but Him. He’s the One that’s got the Book in His hand. And He knows when that last one comes in, then His intercessing days is over. He comes forth then to claim what He’s interceded for. He’s–He’s doing the Kinsman Redeemer work now and comes forth to receive His own.
Examine how that he relates the events of Revelation 4 & 5 as happening or unfolding as revelation:
GABRIEL’S INSTRUCTIONS TO DANIEL (July 30, 1961)
50 Now, in the 3rd chapter the Church was gone up, but now redemption is to be revealed, how the Church was redeemed, the revelation of what taken place during the church age. See, the Church is gone. So He is now showing in the 5th chapter how He did it, what taken place, how He sealed the Church off: The revelation of His Name, water baptism using His Name, Eternal Life, no eternal hell, serpent’s seed, eternal security; all the great doctrines, predestination of the Church that was revealed to the Church. He’s showing how He done it.
Revelation 4-5 shows how the Lamb redeemed His subjects – so it is a revelation of redemption. First it’s with God; next It’s in a symbol; then It’s revealed: three things. …. the First Seal when it was open in the symbol form it thundered
THE FIRST SEAL (March 18, 1963)
146 Then when the Lamb took the Book and broke that First Seal, God spoke from His eternal throne to say what that Seal was to be revealed. But when it’s placed before John, it was in a symbol. When John saw it, it was still a mystery. Why? It wasn’t even revealed right then. It cannot be revealed until what He said here at the end time. But it come in a symbol.
When the thunder… Remember, a loud clapping noise of a thunder is the voice of God. That’s what the Bible said (See?), a clap of thunder. They thought it was a thunder, but it was God. He understood it, for it was revealed to Him. See? It was a thunder.
And notice, the First Seal opened–the First Seal when it was open in the symbol form it thundered. Now, what about when it’s opened in its reality form?
THE FIRST SEAL (March 18, 1963)
148 It thundered as soon as the Lamb struck back the Seal. And what did it reveal? Not all of Itself. First it’s with God; next It’s in a symbol; then It’s revealed: three things. See? It’s coming forth from the throne. First It can’t be seen, heard, or nothing. It’s sealed up. The Lamb’s Blood paid the price. It thundered when He spoke it out. And when He did, a white horse rider started out. And it still was a symbol.
THE FIRST SEAL (March 18, 1963)
150 Now, watch, He said it would be known in the last day, but it comes forth in a church symbol. Do you understand it, church? It comes forth in a–a symbol of a church that they know there is a Seal, but just what it is yet, they don’t know, because it’s a white horse rider.
And it only is to be revealed at the last day when this actual Seal is broken. Broken to who? Not to Christ, but to the Church. Notice, now. Oh, my, that just makes me tremble. I–I–I hope that the Church truly understands it (See what I mean?), you people. I’m going to call you Bride. (See?) That you’ll understand it.
THE FIFTH SEAL (March 22, 1963)
87 But the reason that He reveals, that I–as I understand, that it is because the mystery of the Book of Redemption, as far as the antichrist being revealed… And at the same time the Church is gone, and these things don’t even happen in the church age at all. That’s right. They’re–they’re away from the church age. The Church absolutely is raptured at this time. The Church goes up in the 4th chapter of Revelation, and does not return until it comes back with its King in the 19th chapter. But these Seals here are revealing what has been, what is, and what will be. See? And now, what was to be for the church age was revealed by these Seals, and now, watch what takes it.
Is not the Book of Redemption symbolic of the Redeemed? The taking and opening of the Book has happened for revelation purposes but there remains the “taking of the Book” which is the rapturing of the redeemed.
Please note the following references explaining there is not a single reference in the entire message where Bro. Branham spiritualizes this event. In every single case, he uses it to type the physical rapture of the Bride-church.
Revelation 4:1
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
53 Now, we find out that Revelation is blocked off in three parts. The first is the first three chapters, pertains to the Church, the Message, the angel… to the angels of the Church. And from… And then She disappears right there in the 3rd chapter, does not appear again until the 19th chapter, in the 19th chapter She returned. Between this time, God is dealing with the Jews. Then, from then on, it’s between the coming of the great city of Jerusalem, and the–the sealing away of the people of Israel, and so forth, at the end time.
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
58 Now, begin the 4th chapter:
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were… a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
We’re going to take It verse by verse. And I’ve got a lot of Scriptures wrote down here, a book of them, and I don’t know how far we get into It. May the Lord lead us. Now, watch, the Word is:
After these things (after the Church age)…
And all this from hereafter, now, will be pertaining, will take place on earth after the Rapture of the Church. See, after the Rapture. This is going back now to pick up Israel. After the Church age, after the ages of the Church, and they… The Church never appears again until Revelation the 19th chapter when She returns with Her Bridegroom. Praise God for the Wedding!
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
92 So, you see, She appears again now in Revelation 19: After these things… (After he had seen the Church age.)After these things I looked, and, behold, a door…
Now, remember, John is still on Patmos. And after he had seen all the church ages go through:
… I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven:…
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
100 This Door set in Heaven, that Door, when he looked up he saw the Lord Jesus. Just watch the following part of it. That Door, the Lord Jesus.
…I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice… I heard was… a voice of a trumpet…
Now the scene is changing. John’s been watching Patmos, and now he looks up. Why? He sees something went on on earth here (these church ages), all down the Seven Church Ages, and then after he got through seeing the church ages, after that, after the church ages has ceased, he heard a Voice. And he looked up towards Heaven and he seen an open Door, and the first Voice sounded like a trumpet. All right, scene changed from Patmos to Heaven.
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
109 Now, he… After the church ages was over, and everything was come ready, made ready the setting of the 4th chapter here, the church ages was done. He had done left the earth, you see. Remember, the Voice that spoke to him, behind him, in the seven golden candlesticks, the work was finished. And now that same Voice was speaking up in Heaven. What was it? He had done redeemed His people. His earthly work was finished, and He was in Glory, calling to John, “Come up hither!” Uh-hum. Amen! That makes me feel like shouting on the eve of New Year. Oh, my! There you are. See, ready, “Come up here!”
War! This is the setting of the great battle; the people that rejected God’s Message, rejected the Holy Spirit, the Messenger of the seven churches. The one that had rejected this Message of His grace had nothing left, but judgment was ready; oh, while He was making ready to pour out the plagues upon the earth now. “Come up hither and I’ll show you what’s fixing to take place. Christ-rejecting, godless sinners, I’m going to pour out My wrath upon them.”
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
114 Now, “Heard the Voice of the trumpet.” All right. Note, note what John said, he said here, in the last part of this 1st chapter:
… first voice… was… like a trumpet that talked with me; and said, Come up hither,…
Come up here! I showed you the church ages on earth; now come up here, I’m going to show you something take place up here.
See, Christ had left earth then, He had gone up into Glory, The Church age was through, showed that His Spirit was finished here. And He had gone into Glory and was calling for John to come up, and He showed him what else was going to take place. “Come up hither.“
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
119 John said:
… immediately I was in the spirit:… (What spirit? The Holy Spirit. Oh!)… I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on that throne.
See, John had left the earth now. Christ had left the earth (in the form of the Holy Spirit) and had returned back to the Body again. Today the Body sits there as a memorial, as a sacrifice. We get to that right on down through the chapter here. But the Spirit of Christ come back to live in the Church, to live in us.
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
121 Now, immediately after He showed the end of the age of His work here, He went on up into Heaven, He said, “I’ll show you what’s going to be after this, after the church ages.” He said, “John, I can’t talk to you down there no more, ’cause I’ve left down here, I’ve come up higher. Come up here with Me!” Amen! “And I’ll show you what’s going to take place hereafter.” Oh, my! Hmm! Oh! Caught up in the vision, caught up into Glory.
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
125 Oh, and notice, John, being taken up immediately after the church age, was a type of the raptured Church. Immediately after the church age is over, this Laodicean Church Age, then comes the Rapture. The Church goes up like John did, into the Presence of God. Oh, my! Whew! That just winds my soul around. Caught up, at the Rapture of the Church! And It said… This place, the Book of Revelation, was written, see, at the end of the church age.
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
149 Notice now, let’s see what was this:
And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat upon it, upon the throne.
There was a “Voice” that called him. Oh, that Voice! Oh, I can’t get away from that, that Voice of that One behind him. Then he looked around there, and He showed him all the church ages, ’cause he was standing in the church ages, the seven golden candlesticks. Then he heard that Voice after the church ages ceased; that Voice left the earth, went up. When He got into Glory, he heard Him say, “Come up here! I’m going to show you what’s going to happen from hereafter.” Oh, my!
Bro. Branham refers to I Thess 4 and that Scripture does have a spiritual aspect of His coming, it gives way to a physical return of Jesus Christ and a physical translation of the Bride of Christ. The shout is the Message coming to a prophet, the voice of the archangel manifests through the living Bride but the dead in Christ and the catching away of the resurrected ones and the living is a physical change and rapture. You cannot spiritualize that event.
THREE KINDS OF BELIEVERS (November 24, 1963)
97 That’s the reason I do believe that when that Bride is called out and elected, and set in the Book of Life, there will come a sound from Heaven that’ll take such a baptism of the Holy Spirit into that Bride that’ll take Her from the earth, in a Rapturing grace. God promised it. Don’t care how many science, and how many astronauts they signed up, and everything else, and how many million miles they can see; I don’t care nothing about that. There is a Heaven, and there is a literal Jesus Christ There that will come in a body form to receive His Church to Himself. No matter how old the story seems, it’s still the Truth. God said so. That’s–that’s what believers believe.
I CORINTHIANS 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
150 That Voice! Let’s speak on that Voice a minute; I got some Scriptures wrote down here. Let’s go to First Thessalonians 4, and just listen over here what this Voice is going to say. Oh, we all know what It’s going to say, without… before we read it, don’t we? We know what’s going to happen. “The trumpet of God shall sound and the dead in Christ shall rise.” Is that right? You who are putting it down, in First Thessalonians 4:16 and 17, “the Voice,” that Voice was the Voice of Christ. Is that right? The Voice of Christ!
For the… trumpet of God shall sound, and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
… we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them… to meet the Lord in the air: and forever be with the Lord.
151 The same Voice that summoned John, “Come up,” the same Voice that said to John, “Come up,” is the same Voice that’ll summons the Church someday (Amen!), summons the Church.
Also, the same Voice that summoned John to come up, is the same Voice that summonsed dead Lazarus out of the grave, that same Voice of the archangel. Christ is the Voice of the archangel, “Voice of the archangel,” see. Oh, that trumpet Voice of Christ summonsed John to come up, the same Voice summoned Lazarus. Did you notice at the grave of Lazarus, He spoke with a loud Voice. (Not just said, “Lazarus, come forth.”) “Lazarus, come forth!” It summonsed him from the dead.
And he answered, “Here am I.” And he come from the dead, after he was dead and his body rotten.
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
154 That same Voice said to John, “Come up here, I’ll show you some things that’s fixing to happen.”
That same Voice that shall sound when the dead in Christ shall rise, “For the trumpet… ” The trumpet! What is a trumpet? The Voice of Christ, the same One sounded and summoned him up. He heard the Voice like a trumpet sound and said, “Come up hither!” See how the resurrection will be? It’ll be in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. That clear sounding Voice, and He’ll summons the Church, calling, “Come out of it.” That great summonsing Voice. God, help me to hear It that day.
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
156 As I’ve often said… I know, as a mortal, Rodney, I know that there’s a big dark door set before me, it’s called death. Every time my heart beats, I’m one beat closer to that door. Some of these days I got to go into it. But I don’t want to go in like a coward, screaming and hollering. I want to go in this, wrapping myself in the robes of His righteousness, knowing this, that I know Him in the power of His resurrection; that someday when He calls, I’ll come out from among the dead. When He summonses me to appear on High, when the trumpet of God shall sound and the dead in Christ shall rise. If I’m alive, I’ll be changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, and shall go with the rest of them, up to meet the Lord in the air. That trumpet Voice, sound clear, loud. Hmm. Oh, it will be the same, the same at His Coming.
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
167 Now, let’s get back to the verse:
And a… behold, a throne was set in heaven,… (2nd verse)… and one sat on it.
Note, “the Throne,” He sat on the Throne. He wasn’t no more back down in the candlesticks now, on earth. The Rapture had done come. He was in Glory, sitting on His Throne. I want you to notice on down, we’ll find even in the 5th chapter, it was not the Throne of mercy. It wasn’t a Throne of mercy anymore, it was the Throne of judgment. It wasn’t a Throne of grace, it’s a Throne of judgment because fire and lightning and thunders issued forth from it; no more, mercy is over, the Church age is finished. “He that’s filthy is filthy still; he that’s righteous is righteous still; he that’s holy is holy still,” no more a Throne of mercy.
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
169 Tonight, the Blood lays on that Throne and it’s a mercy seat for every sinner that’s seeking mercy. But on that day, it won’t be a mercy seat then, it’ll be a judgment seat with a angry God sitting there.
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
170 Oh, my, what a lesson! No uncertain sound! And His Throne:
… and He sat on His throne. (He’s no more here.)
Now, that’s another thing, it’s a proof that the Church is caught up before the Great Tribulation. See? Why? Here He is on the Throne in Glory, and the Church is gone, and then comes in the Tribulation.
I always said that in the days of Noah, Noah was in the ark before one drop of rain fell. Lot was out of Sodom before the fire fell. And the Church will be in Glory before the atomic falls. That’s right, before the atomic falls.
Say, “What about that first one?” It was on heathens, not Christians.
174 Now, notice. Oh! He’s finished His work in earth and He’s took His Church, and now He sends the judgment. The world rejected Him, and He send His judgment. He and His Church has gone to Glory.
John, there on the isle of Patmos, a revelator to the church, has been the type of the Church which is lifted up into Glory, “Come up hither!” Showing…
You say, “He represented the Church?”
To every one that hears this Word, John represented him. Amen! John was the representative of the Blood of Jesus Christ, testimony of the Word. He was a witness of the baptism of the Holy Ghost, with a personal fellowship with Christ, and he represented the entire Church; that, every man or woman, boy or girl that ever believed in Christ, accept Him on the same grounds, he’ll be summonsed someday, “Come up hither!” be caught up before the Tribulation. Remember, the Tribulation time hasn’t set in yet.
This is being the time, setting of the judgment. John is being showed now what’s going to take place after the Church age. See? So, it was.
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR (December 31, 1960)
188 We’ll mark it on the 2nd verse. The Lord willing, we’ll begin the 3rd verse in the morning.Let us bow our heads.
How many tonight, in this church, that knows, my brother, that, (sister), that you’re going to be summonsed someday, whether you’re ready or not? Whether you are prepared or not, you’re going to be summonsed to meet God. That trumpet’s going to sound; and when it does, it’ll sound to condemnation to you, at where you’ll never live again and you’ll be tormented in a devil’s pits of hell for maybe in millions of years, or it’ll summons you on High to meet the glorious Saints.
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR – Part 2 (January 1, 1961)
39 Then, the Lord willing, then if we’re around, maybe next Sunday we may try that again; try, down, see if we can finish up this 4th chapter before we get away. We don’t know exactly yet where the first start will be.
Now, we find that after, “After these things.” After meant that “After the church ages had ceased.”
Then John was summonsed to come up higher, “come up hither,” which means “come up here.” He showed him all that was going to happen in the world of the–the Church age. Then after the church ages was over, we find then that John was a type of every true believer that will be summonsed by Christ on High. That right? Summonsed, “Come up hither.”
And we find out that the Voice that spoke to him was the Voice of a trumpet, clear, distinctly, and it was the same Voice that spoke to him here on earth. See, as long as He was in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, He was speaking to… or from. Oh, I like that, “speaking from the candlesticks.” See, He was in the candlesticks, speaking from them to His Church. Then when the church age had ceased, He left the earth and moved up into the Heavens and He called His Redeemed up with Him. Oh, isn’t that beautiful? I–I… Oh, it just makes my heart jump.
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR – Part 2 (January 1, 1961)
66 That’s the same thing that takes place right here. The Church was taken up into Heaven, and John now is brought up with It as a type of the resurrected, as we took it last night. And find out that this same Voice that summonsed him to look back on earth, was the same Voice that summonsed him to come up.
Oh, every Christian! The very Voice, Charlie, that summoned you one day down there in Kentucky, to “Turn around,” is the same Voice that’ll summons you, “Come up!” Aren’t you glad of that, Brother Evans? The Voice that said, “Turn around,” same Voice said, “Come up!” Oh, my! There, what a summons! What a reality! Clear, distinct like a trumpet, “Turn around, serve Me! Come up to where I am.”
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR – Part 2 (January 1, 1961)
166 And there was a–a “living Creature.” What John represented, the entire Church, was taken up. I told you. One person here in a vision can represent the entire Body of Christ, covered!
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR – Part 2 (January 1, 1961)
291 So, Daniel 7, he… what did Daniel do? He foresaw the Judgment, seen the seated thrones was empty. See, they was supposed to be empty. As John in his time, after the raptured Church, they were occupied by the redeemed elders. Hmm.
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR – Part 3 (January 8, 1961)
68 Now, in the 4th chapter of the Book of Revelation. We ended up the 3rd chapter, and let us kind of be reverently and I’ll try not to keep you too long. But in this 3rd chapter, the Church went up as a type, when John was taken up. The Church went up, and from that time on it’s dealing with Israel, until the Coming again. Don’t you see how it is? The people today, how they’re, “Great something’s going to shake the whole world and everything.” That’s unscriptural! No, sir. The next thing in order is the going of the Church. Read in the church ages, you see what…
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR – Part 3 (January 8, 1961)
69 Now, these other things that’s to take place, is during the time of the Wedding Ceremony when the Church is in Glory. God returns back with great wonders to perform, international miracles and things, by the Jews, don’t go to the Church at all.
On the 3rd chapter ends up the Church age. That’s right. And the Church age goes out with such a little bitty minority that we find… Just listen here. I–I read this again this morning, it just nearly tore me to pieces, the place and the attitude of Christ at the end of the Church age, found from the 20th verse to 22nd verse of Revelation 3. Think of it Christ, at the end, where He’s at! Where is He at the end of the Church age? Outside His church, pushed out by denominations and creeds. What’s His attitude? Trying to get back in. That’s a pitiful condition!
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR – Part 3 (January 8, 1961)
71 Then we find out here, “after these things,” he heard a Voice that was speaking to him that… Oh, what was it? The Spirit left the earth. “After these things,” starts out the 1st chapter, or–or the 1st verse:
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven:…
Revelation 4:1, after the Church was gone, then a–a Door was opened. And we’ve went through all of that and found that that was Christ, was the Door. And the same Voice that was walking in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks also was the same Voice he heard in Heaven, saying, “Come up hither.” John went up. It represented the Church going in the Rapture.
John went up in the Spirit, was took away into Heaven and foresaw all the things that God promised and said to the disciples, “What is it to you if he tarries till I come?” He saw the coming of the Lord and what would take place. He saw on earth what would take place on earth to the Rapture of the Church, and was taken up and showed plumb on down even to apast the Millennium. Oh, isn’t that wonderful?
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR – Part 3 (January 8, 1961)
92 Now is the day of mercy! Now, let’s go back in the Old Testament here just a little bit and find out what mercy is. Go on back and see what happened to this Throne. This Throne, of course, is the–the judgment seat. And be… the reason today that there is mercy, is because the mercy seat is sprinkled with an atonement. Blood! And as long as Blood is on the judgment seat then it is not judgment no more, it’s mercy, because Something died to stay judgment. If you see it, say “Amen.” [Congregation says, “Amen!”–Ed.] As long as Blood is on the mercy seat, showed that Something died to hold judgment back. But when the Church is raptured, the mercy seat becomes a judgment seat!
REVELATION CHAPTER FOUR – Part 3 (January 8, 1961)
197 How do we come? We’ve got to come (this Gentile Church) to this Word, sea of glass, water, water of the Word (Is that right?), recognize the Word the way It’s written. Then the sacrifice is received and filled with the Holy Ghost from the inside, shining through the Light of that age. From this… Here It comes out of the holy place into here, out of the star into here. Get it?
Notice, now, at the end of this age, John, when he saw the sea of brass there, it was “clear as crystal.” What was it? The Word had been taken from the earth, raptured in the Church, and it was “clear as crystal,” no more Blood, the Church age was over.
THE MESSIAH (January 17, 1961)
E-77 [Blank.spot.on.tape–Ed.]… will never put foot on this earth until the church is gone. How many knows that? “We which are alive and remain shall not prevent or hinder them which are asleep. Trumpet of God shall sound; we’ll rise and be caught up to meet Him in the air.” That’s right. Then He returns back to make Hisself known to–to–like Joseph did to his brethren, the hundred and forty-four thousand. But the church is raptured, and gone in. Remember, when Joseph made hisself known to his brethren, his wife and all of them was in the palace, no Gentiles around. He dismissed them all.
And so they are–the church age dismisses at the 3rd chapter. John was caught up, representing the church. And from there to the 19th, she’s not–or, doesn’t appear again till she comes to be wed with her Bridegroom. Now, it’s the going of the Jews from the 4th on in, the outcome of the Jews.
REVELATION CHAPTER FIVE (June 11, 1961)
54 Now, in the 4th chapter, we find out that John was caught up into Heaven after he seen the church ages.
REVELATION CHAPTER FIVE (June 11, 1961)
56 Now, now, in the 3rd chapter of Revelation, we find the ending up of the Church Age, which ended with the Laodicean, the lukewarm church age. Then we find out that, immediately after that, John was caught up in the Spirit, up into the Heavens. And he saw things that was, and was to come, and things that had been. Now, we find out, the church doesn’t appear anymore until the 19th chapter of Revelation, then she returns with her Lord, gloriously washed in the Blood.
REVELATION CHAPTER FIVE – Part 2 (June 18, 1961)
79 Now, we find out then that in this first beginning of the chapter, that we find that the fir-… the 5th chapter is just a tie block, it’s–it’s a–a diamond hitch that ties the last part of the Church age, of the 3rd chapter. The 4th chapter tells what John was taken up into Heaven. And the 5th chapter is preparing for these… Where you went through the Seven Church Ages, then John’s lifted up in the 4th chapter. And the 5th chapter, he’s just setting a scene here for the opening of the Seven Seals. Just as he did in the 1st chapter of Revelation, opening the way for the Seven Church Ages (there He stands in the seven golden candlesticks, and He’s to look upon as Jasper and Sardius stone), and He’s preparing for those Seven Church Ages.
GABRIEL’S INSTRUCTIONS TO DANIEL (July 30, 1961)
41 Now, in the 4th chapter John was caught up immediately after the Church. John, going up, he saw the complete church age. There’s where I’d like to stop just a second to say that many peoples who are expecting some great, tremendous, powerful something to happen in the Gentile age are certainly wrong. The church age and all that will happen during the Gentile reign is recorded from Revelation 1 to Revelation 3, inclusive. Then the Church was raptured and taken up, and the rest of this unto the 19th chapter is what happens to the Jewish race, after the Church is gone up, and it is the time of the great tribulation, nothing to happen amongst the Gentiles, only the slaughtering and so forth, as we’ll get to that and see.
But the Church itself has gone on the 13th–on the last verse of the 3rd chapter of Revelation when the Laodicean church age end, which was the last.
GABRIEL’S INSTRUCTIONS TO DANIEL (July 30, 1961)
45 How many of you heard Kennedy’s–President Kennedy’s speech, the comments and so forth? How many heard this prediction that by January the 1st it’s predicted that both the United States and Russia will be volcanic ashes? That’s all we need. It’s later than we are thinking. See? So if we are so near to even men of this earth are predicting this tremendous thing to happen, we better be on the alert, everything right up to date, all confessions made, everything ready, ’cause we don’t know just what time our Lord’s going to summon us. And when He gives the summons, “Come up higher,” you’d better be ready. It’s going to come in the hour that you think not.
GABRIEL’S INSTRUCTIONS TO DANIEL (July 30, 1961)
47 Now, in the 5th chapter in the 5th verses, we find in our previous lesson that we talked of that Kinsman Redeemer, which we found out was Christ. Typed it up with Ruth: Ruth deciding, Ruth serving, Ruth resting. Deciding was justification; serving, making herself ready, sanctification. Resting was with the Holy Spirit until the wedding supper came. How beautiful.
The Church come through John Wesley, justification–or Martin Luther, justification; through John Wesley, sanctification; through the Pentecostal, baptism of the Holy Spirit; and now, resting, waiting for the coming of Her Lord. Perfectly.
Our Kinsman Redeemer, the elders was right when they called Him a Lamb, about to become a Lion, his judge. He was a Lamb, you know, with the seven sealed Book. When the Book was taken, the mediatorial work was finished.
Note here, he explains the church is gone up, “raptured” in the 3rd chapter at the end of the ages. The 5th chapter of Revelation is showing “How He did it!” It is showing how the Lamb as Redeemer won the right to take the Book and remove its seals.
GABRIEL’S INSTRUCTIONS TO DANIEL (July 30, 1961)
50 Now, in the 3rd chapter the Church was gone up, but now redemption is to be revealed, how the Church was redeemed, the revelation of what taken place during the church age. See, the Church is gone. So He is now showing in the 5th chapter how He did it, what taken place, how He sealed the Church off: The revelation of His Name, water baptism using His Name, Eternal Life, no eternal hell, serpent’s seed, eternal security; all the great doctrines, predestination of the Church that was revealed to the Church. He’s showing how He done it.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (May 27, 1962)
164 Now, someone wrote me here not long ago, and asked me, said, “If you do not believe that the church goes through the tribulation period, how about Revelations 13, how they overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and their testimony?” The person asked that question. I wonder. Do you realize that the first three chapters of Revelation deals with the church in the church age? That’s the tribulation period, not the church age; the church raptures and goes up at the 4th chapter of Revelation, never comes again till the 19th chapter when it comes with Jesus. That’s right. That’s in the tribulation period, not nothing to do with the church at all.
165 All these great promises of great things that you’ve seen in the Bible, like what’s going to take place, that’s over into the Jewish kingdom, not here amongst the Gentiles. I believe that they’ll have a rally by this one that’s supposed to come to restore the faith of the people, which is promised. And the only way I can get that, because He said immediately after this message that the earth will be burnt with heat, fire. Let me just read that to you while we’re right here, and watch what It says.
TAKING SIDES WITH JESUS (June 1, 1962)
55 Now, what I would think, would be this, brethren, that like in the church here now. I… the… My ministry has, the best of my thinking, four things that can be done. And it might not be either four, but that’s the only outlook I can think of; if that One that spoke to me down there on the river, if this is all that was left for the Gentile church.
Which, we realize, in Revelations, it’s just one, two, three chapters to the Church. The Church goes up, in the 4th chapter. It does not return anymore till the 19th chapter, that’s after the Tribulation Period when God calls out the Jews. That’s right.
56 And like Enoch, he went up before one drop of rain ever hit the earth. He was gone, then the tribulation set in. See? Noah was in the ark before any tribulation set in. Lot was out of Sodom before any tribulation set in. See? And the Church will be gone before any Tribulation Period.
57 Now, during the Tribulation that will be, the sleeping virgin will be hunted down by the dragon, and spurts water from his mouth, which means, “multitudes and people,” armies that will search down and take this woman, remnant of her seed, and will kill her. Now, that will be in the Tribulation Period.
But the Church will go Home. Now, if–if that take, would take place tomorrow, it wouldn’t hinder us from just keeping on today. Let’s make today count.
GOD HAS A PROVIDED WAY (July 28, 1962)
E-80 The Bible plainly shows that we’re in the last day and the last sign. I’m fairly young yet; I’m fifty-three years old. Watch this: In the Name of the Lord, you’ll never see nothing greater. I know you’re looking for something great, but watch out. You got your eye… You’re on the wrong track right there.
Read the first three chapters of Revelation. There wasn’t too much promised to the Gentile church. That’s right. Those things that you’re reading, that’s coming over there in Israel after the church is gone. So be careful, brother. It passes right over you, and you don’t know it.
We might dismiss these thoughts as pre-seals’ understanding but he continues these thoughts during the Seals and after the Seals.
THE BREACH BETWEEN THE SEVEN CHURCH AGES AND THE SEVEN SEALS (March 17, 1963)
23 Now, now, we’re going to turn to the 5th chapter. Now, this is not the Seven Seals. It is the “Breach Between the Church Ages and the Seven Seals.” Now, there is also a 6th chapter of… and there was a 4th chapter, rather, of Revelation, and in that it kind of revealed something that would take place after the Church going up: that the Church goes up on the 3rd chapter of Revelations and does not return until the 19th chapter of Revelations. See? Therefore, the Church misses the tribulation. I know that’s contrary to–to pretty near every teacher I ever talked to, but I–I don’t mean to be dis–disagreeable. I–I mean to be your brother, but I–I must teach just as I can see it. If I don’t, I can’t put it together. You see? And now, whether it goes up before the tribulation or after the tribulation, I want to go up with it. That’s the main thing.
THE FIRST SEAL (March 18, 1963)
18 Now, those first three books is the first seven church ages, and then we find out in the 4th chapter of Revelations John is caught up. See? We see the churches… There’s not too much said about the church ages. There’s where I think that people are going to be so surprised. They’re–they’re–they’re applying the church way over into the tribulation to those things that’s a-happened. And as I said Sunday (yesterday), “The first thing you know those tribulations will break in, and you’ll wonder why was not the–the first coming was the rapture. And it’ll be as it has been; it’s passed and you didn’t know it.” See?
Now, there’s not too much promised to that Church, that Gentile Church, the Bride.
Please note the prophet’s language here is consistent all the way through. He does not spiritualize the event in Revelation 4:1 but declares the church is caught to meet the Lord in the air. This is the physical change and rapture of the Bride-Church.
THE FIRST SEAL (March 18, 1963)
24 John caught up in the 4th chapter to see things which was, which is, and which is to come. But the Church finishes at the 4th chapter, and Christ takes up the Church, caught up in the air to meet Him, and does not appear again until the 19th chapter when He comes back with–as King of king and Lord of lords with the Church. And now… Oh, I hope someday that we can get through it all, maybe before He comes. If we don’t, we’ll see it anyhow; so it doesn’t matter.
THE FIFTH SEAL (March 22, 1963)
87 But the reason that He reveals, that I–as I understand, that it is because the mystery of the Book of Redemption, as far as the antichrist being revealed… And at the same time the Church is gone, and these things don’t even happen in the church age at all. That’s right. They’re–they’re away from the church age. The Church absolutely is raptured at this time. The Church goes up in the 4th chapter of Revelation, and does not return until it comes back with its King in the 19th chapter. But these Seals here are revealing what has been, what is, and what will be. See? And now, what was to be for the church age was revealed by these Seals, and now, watch what takes it.
THE FIFTH SEAL (March 22, 1963)
218 Now, for they at this time, if you notice, this Fifth Seal being opened (See?), the Church is gone. It just can’t be the souls under–the–the early church. Now, now, please, if you ever did give this attention now, ’cause this is a great controversy, so I want you to listen real close now. And you’ve got your papers and things to write with. Now, I want you to notice.
Now, these cannot be them souls, because the–the souls of the–of the righteous martyred and the righteous people, the Church, the Bride, has done been took up; so they wouldn’t be under the altar. They’d be in glory with the Bride. Now, watch. For they are gone in the rapture in the 4th chapter of Revelations; they was taken up.
Now, who are these souls then? See? That’s the next thing. Who are they then, if they are not the early church? This is Israel that’s to be saved as a nation, all them that are predestinated. That’s Israel. That’s Israel itself.
You say, “Oh, wait a minute.” You say, “They can’t…”
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE SEALS (March 24, 1963)
35. After the rapture has been taken place, will any of the church be saved in the end who was not taken in the rapture?
No. Huh-uh, ’cause the Blood’s done left. You see, there’ll be no intercessions; the Gentile age is finished. There’ll be no one saved after the rapture, none of the church. Huh-uh. The church… “Let him that’s filthy be filthy still, him that’s holy be holy still.” See? That won’t take place, not after the Church is gone.
THE SEVENTH SEAL (March 24, 1963)
63 Now, remember, after the 4th chapter of Revelations, the Church is gone. After the–the four horse riders has went out, Church is gone. See? Everything that happened to the Church happened up to the 4th chapter of the Book of Revelations; everything that happened in the antichrist move, went up to the 4th chapter, and the Fourth Seal of Revelations (both for antichrist and Christ) ended up; and antichrist comes to his doom, and–with his army, and Christ comes with His army.
It should be noted that Bro. Branham refers to his whole teaching on the Seals as a look Beyond the Curtain of Time. According to his statements, he was looking beyond time into Eternity. This fits perfectly with John’s experience of being called to “come hither” in Revelation 4 in order to see events after the ages are over. For the bride of the last day, she leaves the ages to go into Eternity in the Rapture.
THE BREACH BETWEEN THE SEVEN CHURCH AGES AND THE SEVEN SEALS (March 17, 1963)
251 But now, in this Sevenfold Book of Seals of Redemption that the Lamb took within Himself–was the only One Who could do it. And He took it from the right hand of Him that set upon a throne; now, to claim His redemptive, to claim His rights, to claim for me and you what He redeemed us from, to (See?), back to everything that Adam lost in the garden of Eden; He has redeemed us back to that.
252 Now, with the Lamb, with the Book in His hand, we are ready to ask His grace and mercy upon us to open these–seven-sealed Book to us and let us look a past the curtain of time just a little bit. Oh, my.
Notice, when He took the Book, the Title Deed, sealed (Just get that in your mind, now.) and broke the Seals of the mystery to reveal them, to bring them to His… See? All of His redeemed subjects…
THE BREACH BETWEEN THE SEVEN CHURCH AGES AND THE SEVEN SEALS (March 17, 1963)
299 Talk about a jubilee, talk about a time when that Lamb walked forth… See, the Book’s even sealed in heaven, the mysteries are. Say, “Is my name there?” I don’t know; I hope it is. But if it is, it was put on the Book before the foundation of the world. But the first thing that represented that redemption, come the Lamb that had been slain from the foundation of the world. And He took the Book (Glory.) opened the Book, and tore off the Seals, and sent it down to the earth to His seventh angel to reveal it to His people. There you are. Oh, my, what happened? The screams, the shouts, the hallelujahs, the anointed, the power, the glory, the manifestation…
And old John, who had been standing there our brother, crying; “Why,” he said, “everything in heaven, everything in the earth, and everything in the sea heard me holler, Amen, blessings, honor, and might and power be to Him that lives forever and ever.”
303 Talk about a happy time when them Seals broke… John must’ve looked in and seen a past the curtain of time and said, “There’s John.” Oh, he was so happy. He said, “Everything in heaven.” He must’ve really cried out, didn’t he? “Everything in heaven, everything in the earth, everything beneath the earth, every creature, and everything else, heard me saying, ‘Amen, blessings and glory and wisdom, and power, and might, and riches belongs to Him. Amen.’”
305 Why? When the revelation come that the Lamb, the Redeemer, our Kinsman had come back from the throne of mediatorial and had walked out here to take His possession.
Oh, soon the Lamb will take His bride
To be ever at His side,
All the host of heaven will assembled be;
O, it will be a glorious sight,
All the saints in spotless white;
And with Jesus we shall reign eternally.
Note: when Bro. Branham makes the statement: our Kinsman had come back from the throne of mediatorial and had walked out here to take His possession. He immediately breaks out into a song referencing the rapture of the bride.
Oh, soon the Lamb will take His bride
To be ever at His side,
For the 2nd Seal, once again, it is a look beyond time to see what lies ahead for us.
THE SECOND SEAL (March 19, 1963)
1 Good evening, friends. Let’s all stand just a moment for prayer if you will.
Our heavenly Father, we have assembled again in this solemn assembly tonight in the service of the Lord. And Thou hast promised that wherever we would meet together, as many as two or three of us, that You would be in the midst of us. And we can be assured that You are here, for we have assembled in His Name.
Now, we pray, Father, that–that You will come tonight and will break this Second Seal for us. And as the–the poet has said, that he would like to look a past the curtain of time. And that’s our desire, Lord, is just to–just to look a past and see what lays ahead. And we pray that the Lamb that had been slain will come among us now and break the Seal and–and reveal it to us, the things we have need to see.
Once again for the 6th Seal, it was a look past time into eternity
THE SIXTH SEAL (March 23, 1963)
1 Let’s bow our heads just a moment now. Lord, we are again gathering for the service. And we think of the time in the early days when they all come up to Shiloh for the blessings of the Lord.
And now, tonight we have assembled here to hear Your Word. And as we have been studying in this certain portion of the Scripture, that the Lamb was the only One that could open the Seals or to loose them… And we pray that tonight as we have under consideration this great Sixth Seal, we pray, heavenly Father, that the Lamb will open it to us tonight, that we are here to understand it. And when no man on earth or in heaven was sufficient, only the Lamb was found sufficient. So may the all sufficient One come and open the Seal for us tonight that we might just look a past the curtain of time. It would help us, we believe, Father, this great dark sinful day that we’re living–would help us and give us courage. We trust now that we find grace in Your sight. We commit ourselves with the Word to You, in Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen.
As Bro. Branham finishes up the Seventh Seal, he speaks of grace that let him look beyond time and see the future.
THE SEVENTH SEAL (March 24, 1963)
349 May you always bear that in mind: to be a gem in the crown of Jesus Christ. Paul said to the church, “You are–you’re the jewels, gems of His crown.” We want to be the gems of the crown of Jesus Christ. We don’t want never put a man in it. You forget anything about me. I am your brother, a sinner saved by grace, not fit to live; that’s exactly the truth; and I ain’t saying that to be humble; that’s facts. There’s nothing in me, not one sound thing at all. But the grace of God has let my poor dimming eyes look beyond the curtain of time and see those things yonder, and I come back…
After the Seals are preached, Bro. Branham continues to set forth the thought that the Bride is raptured in Revelation 4. It should be pointed out again, that this is not an event that he spiritualizes but rather the literal and physical rapture of the Bride.
THE FEAST OF THE TRUMPETS (July 19, 1964)
36 Now, I begin to notice at the preaching of the Seven Church Ages, which is the–the pattern, or the forecast of all that God was going to do for the churches, and through the churches, and positionally setting them up.
37 The first three chapters of the Book of Revelations reveals all the happenings unto the Church. Then, from the 3rd chapter unto the 19th chapter of Revelation, there is no more seen of the Church. The Church goes up at the 4th chapter of Revelations, and returns back at the 19th chapter of Revelations, the Bride and the Groom, together, coming to the earth. And then from the 19th chapter to the conclusive of the 22nd chapter, it’s all on the Millennium and what will be in the years that is to follow it. During the 4th to the 19th, God is dealing with Israel.
THE FUTURE HOME OF THE HEAVENLY BRIDEGROOM AND THE EARTHLY BRIDE (August 2, 1964)
510 Just a little while, we’ll be summoned, then the Rapture will come. Just a little bitty group, like Enoch, will be taken up.
511 Then, “the remnant of the woman’s seed, that keep the commandments of God,” Jews, “have the testimony of Jesus Christ,” Gentile, will be hunted down like dogs, “and shall give their life for their testimony.”
512 Then, one great morning, the break of the Millennium, for the–the Honeymoon will start.
He continues to use the term “summonsed” that he uses in explaining Revelation 4 for the rapture. Once again, he doesn’t spiritualize this event.
THE HARVEST TIME (December 12, 1964)
50 And we have come here this morning to fellowship around the natural foods of life, which we have taken, to get that out of the way. And now we are desirous of Thee to give us of that Heavenly Manna, that Food that would give us strength in the Life that’s in us. As the blood carries away this food now, to strengthen it, to make more cells, to build us strong for the day; may we receive of Christ, that He might get into our spirits, this morning, through the Word, and–and strengthen us for the hour that we’re living in. Cause, the day is far spent and the evening shadows are falling, the evening Light is here, and we are soon listening for the summons to “come on High,” and we are wanting to be ready at that hour. So, help us, Father.
DOORS IN DOOR (February 6, 1965)
103 When He was dead, resurrected, and went into Heaven, and returned back and gave John… which He said there after His resurrection. Said, “What if…” Said, “What will happen to this man?”
104 Jesus said, “What is it to you if he continues till I come?” Knowing not exactly his life would, but his ministry would continue. And He lifted him up, in the 4th chapter of Revelation, and showed him all the things that was to come, that we live in, even to this text today.
105 And then on the 22nd chapter, the last chapter, the 18th verse, He said, “Whosoever shall take one Word out of this Book, or add one word to It, his part will be taken from the Book of Life.” See? So we believe that man lives by every Word of God. I believe it and I know it’s true. How little, it doesn’t matter. It just takes one word, to do it.
THE INVISIBLE UNION OF THE BRIDE OF CHRIST (November 25, 1965)
29 O God, knowing, seeing how fragile we are, knowing that we’re walking on the brittle threads of life, of this mortal life, not knowing what time that we’re going to be summoned to answer on High. Let us, O Lord, lay aside everything in our heart, everything in our mind, and look straight to Your Word, tonight, and for You to come and interpret It with living oracles. Grant it.
I think it is important to note that Rev 18 – happens during the last age before the rapture even though it lays between Revelation 4 and Revelation 19. The call to “come out of her my people” happens in the 7th Church Age. This is Bro. Branham’s point over and over again.
LAODICEAN CHURCH AGE (Church Age Book – Chapter 9)
“Buy of Me, gold tried in the fire, that you may be rich.”
Now these people had plenty of gold, but it was the wrong kind. It was that gold that bought men’s lives and destroyed them. It was the gold that warped and twisted human character, for its love was the root of all evil.
Revelation 18:1-14,
“And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power, and the earth was lightened with his glory.
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.
And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to her double.
How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine: and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God Who judgeth her.
And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning.
Standing afar off for the fear of her torment saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city, for in one hour is thy judgment come.
And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:
The merchandise of gold, and silver, and precious stones, and of pearls, and fine linen, and purple, and silk, and scarlet, and all thyine wood, and all manner vessels of ivory, and all manner vessels of most precious wood, and of brass, and iron, and marble,
And cinnamon, and odours, and ointments, and frankincense, and wine, and oil, and fine flour, and wheat, and beasts, and sheep, and horses, and chariots, and slaves, and souls of men.
And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty and goodly are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.”
This is exactly the organized churches of the last day, for it says in verse 4, “Come out of her MY PEOPLE”. The rapture has not yet taken place. The bride is not yet gone when these terrible conditions in this rich, false church exist.
Today there are some who make the assumption that the Lamb has to be off the mercy seat because we have received the revelation of the Seven Seals. It is assumed that there only two options: either the seals were opened and he’s off the mercy seat or the seals are closed and he’s on the mercy seat. First of all, we don’t see such a stark reality painted by the book of Revelation. Second of all, Brother Branham was comfortable saying Christ is the mediator, high priest and intercessor AND the seals are open.
Jesus didn’t go from a mercy seat to God’s throne. Jesus overcame, ascended to heaven and sat down on his Father’s throne, this is the reality since the ascension of Christ and emphatically declared in Revelation 3:21To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. This shows us that Christ is seated even now upon His Father’s throne as our approach to God.
Furthermore, to do away with His work of intercession negates and does away with most of the New Testament and you cannot find where the prophet teaches this or makes that conclusion. Rather, he reassures us constantly that Jesus is still there interceding on our behalf and that. One reference listed below is before the Seals, but his teaching never wavers from this principle that the corporal body Christ remains present in Heaven upon the altar as our sacrifice until the day He returns.
AWAKENING JESUS (January 17, 1963)
224 Now, we want to see Jesus. I want to see Him. Now, we know that His body will not return to the earth until He comes for the Church, because it must remain There for a sacrifice. Is that right? [Congregation says, “Amen.”—Ed.] It must be on the altar. He sets on the Throne of God, tonight. And it must remain there, for, by His stripes, He is the Sacrifice, and the Sacrifice is on the altar. See? And His body cannot come. But His life returned, that was in Christ, come back upon the church, in the form of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit…
To say that Jesus is not at this minute, presently atoning on the altar of sacrifice goes against hundreds of statements within the message before and after the Seals were preached. It also goes against much of the Bible. The evidence of his present office as High Priest, Lamb, Redeemer, Savior, Propitiation, Sacrifice, Advocate, and Mediator is overwhelming not only in the Scripture but so prevalent in William Branham’s teachings that to deny this foundational truth one would have to be willfully blind. Here are just a few statements.
THEN JESUS CAME AND CALLED (February 13, 1964)
106 And then Jesus came on the scene. He was the Pillar of Fire. That’s right. He come down and He hung between him and the danger. Amen. He is our go-between. He’s the stand-between, amen, a mediator. There He stood, standing there; darkness to the Egyptians, those who were coming to try to do something about it. He was light to them, to walk by. Then in the morning when the wind started blowing real hard, that night, then what did He do? He had come in the form of the Pillar of Fire.
STANDING IN THE GAP (June 23, 1963)
58 And when Jesus was on earth, He said that He was that God. He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” And “I AM” was the Pillar of Fire that was in the burning bush, that spoke to Moses in the—the days gone by. I think that’s correct, Brother Vayle. Then He said, “I come from God and I go to God.” And when He was crucified, died, and rose, and ascended on High, and laid His body down upon the great altar of the Eternal God, to there ever be present to act in our place, to know that He had paid our sin debt. And there He returned back to the earth again, in a form of a great Pillar of Fire.
THE INDICTMENT (July 7, 1963)
367 With a—with a love of Christ in my heart and a feeling for the needy, I present them, Lord, to You, upon the altar of sacrifice, where the Bloody body of that Lamb lays as a propitiation for our sins and sickness, laying there. I plead for mercy for the people.
HE CARES, DO YOU CARE? (JULY 21, 1963)
There’s no one cares like Jesus. Knowing that His body, as a High Priest, in a mediatorial work that He’s doing now, that Body must be in the Presence of God at all times, for intercession, that God cannot see the sinner’s sin; He sees only the Blood of His Own Son. And knowing that, He sent back the Holy Spirit to continue to comfort His people. Does He care? Certainly, He cares. Now, He was to continue to care for the people, His people here on earth, in the same manner that He cared for them when He was here. Because He said in Saint John, the 15th chapter, if you want to make…I got notes laying here with these Scriptures where I’m referring to, Saint John 15:26 and 27.
The mercy seat is merely an expression for God’s throne, the place where mercy originates because it is the place of the merciful God’s presence. God became a man so that for man He could make an approach to God. Another thing, it is obvious from the Scripture that Revelation 5 is not a moment and twinkling of an eye event but rather, it is a process. It is first something given in symbol form to John and later unfolds as a revelation given to a prophet (Bro. Branham) and finally ends with all creation worshipping God. As of yet, all creation groans and travails and will until redemption is finished – so how can we say that it is concluded?
Revelation 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Until the physical rapture of the Bride-church, mercy and intercession remains as one of the privileges afforded to the Gentiles until the Gentile dispensation closes
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE SEALS (March 24, 1963)
35. After the rapture has been taken place, will any of the church be saved in the end who was not taken in the rapture?No. Huh-uh, ’cause the Blood’s done left. You see, there’ll be no intercessions; the Gentile age is finished. There’ll be no one saved after the rapture, none of the church. Huh-uh. The church… “Let him that’s filthy be filthy still, him that’s holy be holy still.” See? That won’t take place, not after the Church is gone.
The picture of Jesus can indeed be formed as no longer being the intercessor. However this can only be made from a collage of a few select quotes and leaves a lot of pieces of the puzzle conveniently discarded and truly, it is not a few quotes being discarded but hundreds.
For example, in the discard pile are the numerous quotes where Bro. Branham teaches emphatically that the bride is raptured after the church ages have ended. The Bride is not presently standing before the throne, watching the Lamb take the Book and loosing its seals as described in Revelation chapter 4 and 5. She is not there physically. Indeed, She has received the knowledge of it by revelation but the prophet tells us repeatedly that the Bride leaves the earth and is raptured in Revelation 4:1 after the Church Ages are over. Bro. Branham NEVER teaches that this “come up hither” is a spiritual happening but rather that John types the physical translation of the Elect Church, the Bride AFTER the Church Ages are over. Admittedly however, there is a spiritual forerunning to the rapture for truly, the Bride by revelation has been “caught up” to see what some of the other ages were not privy to, effectively returning us to Paul’s Gospel. This does not however remove the Bride from the Laodicea age because she only leaves the age by the resurrection, the change and the rapture.
In this quote from Christ Is The Mystery listed below, he places the “getting of the book” as a day in the future, saying, “some day He comes forth to get this Book that He’s redeemed”. He indicates that the rapturing of the Bride is the taking of the Book for if the Believer is the Book, then taking the Book is the rapturing of the Believers.
CHRIST IS THE MYSTERY OF GOD REVEALED (July 28, 1963)
When He’s in His mediatorial work back there, redeeming, but some day He comes forth to get this Book that He’s redeemed. And all that’s in this Book would be Him, for that’s the believer, the words in the Book, and the Word is Him. And all that’s in that, He come forth for this Book of Redemption, whose names are written on the Book before the foundation of the world, when He was slain as a Lamb.
Only in light of his explanation above can you consider this following quote in its proper light where he states “that the mediatorial work is done” as he has explained this already in the reference above when the mediatorial work is done or accomplished. It is accomplished only at some point in the future when He takes His bride in the rapture.
Christ Is The Mystery
See what I mean? He has begin to give Life unto His Body, (why?) the One that He has redeemed. The mediatorial work is done; He’s bringing His Life to Body, in a vindication for the Rapture. Remember, now, in the last day.
Even then, this statement must be reconciled with this sermon preached just a few weeks earlier asserts:
HE CARES, DO YOU CARE? (July 21, 1963)
There’s no one cares like Jesus. Knowing that His body, as a High Priest, in a mediatorial work that He’s doing now, that Body must be in the Presence of God at all times, for intercession, that God cannot see the sinner’s sin; He sees only the Blood of His Own Son. And knowing that, He sent back the Holy Spirit to continue to comfort His people. Does He care?
Then afterwards in 1964
CHRIST IS IDENTIFIED THE SAME IN ALL GENERATIONS (April 15, 1964)
12 So we’re–we’re trying to get every soul saved, so that Jesus can come. And He cannot come until that last one that has the name of the Book of Life, that was put There before the foundation of the world; when that name is called, that’s the last one then. He came to redeem, to bring back. Redeem is “to bring back.” And when He brings the last one in… He is setting at the right hand of God, tonight, doing His mediatorial work. And when that last soul is saved, that was redeemed, and seen and knowed by God before the foundation of the world; when that last soul is saved, that closes the Book. Then the Lamb comes out, takes the Book out of the right hand of Him that sets upon the Throne. Then it’s… He’s coming then, He’s coming to the earth. I think that God is…
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (August 23, 1964)
173 306. After the Bride is raptured will any of the foolish virgin be saved or will they all be lost?
No. See, everything will be finished for the Gentile church when the Bride is taken from the earth. The Spirit of God leaves the earth: “He that’s filthy is filthy still; he that’s righteous is righteous still; he that’s holy is holy still.” In other words the sanctuary becomes smoky, where the–the Attorney stands to plead the case. Christ leaves the sanctuary; His day of mediatorial is over. The rapture comes; He leaves from the sanctuary, goes forth and takes the Book of Redemption, and claims everything He redeemed. There’s no more mediatorial work. How many understands that? I got it on one of the Seals–or one of the… Yeah, the Seals, I believe it was, that Christ comes forth to claim His mediatorial work.
Look at the points and sequence of events that he makes in this quote and it is consistent with many other statements he makes, not just an isolated quotation.
- Everything will be finished for the Gentile church when the Bride is taken from the earth [AFTER THE RAPTURE]
- The Spirit of God leaves the earth
- “He that’s filthy is filthy still; he that’s righteous is righteous still; he that’s holy is holy still.”
- In other words, the sanctuary becomes smoky, where the Attorney stands to plead the case.
- Christ leaves the sanctuary; His day of mediatorial is over.
- The rapture comes; He leaves from the sanctuary, goes forth and takes the Book of Redemption, and claims everything He redeemed.
- There’s no more mediatorial work
The sequence of the events as the prophet placed them shows the actual taking of the Book of Redemption happens AFTER the rapture. I wonder if we could consider that this whole scene is a process and not a moment and twinkling of an eye event.
Perhaps we should take all he said about a subject before making our doctrine that requires much of the message and scriptures to be discarded.
The question then must be answered, “How can Israel be saved when the Lamb has left the seat of mercy as intercessor and Christ’s corporal coming has already happened?”
It is apparent that He does not sit on the seat of intercessory for the Jews – rather He brings the Atonement to them by appearing among them showing them His wound whereby he paid redemption price. When they recognize this, then they are sealed by accepting Him as the true atonement. Because they were blinded, a special grace is given. Like the leftovers or remnant of the Gentiles a special grace is given to them where after His work of redemption is finished, the Lamb leads them to living waters. This takes place at the White Throne Judgment. This places them and the 5th Seal believers as well as the 144,000 in a separate covenant from the Gentile Bride.
THE FEAST OF THE TRUMPETS (July 19, 1964)
231 Now here is the calling-out time. At the Sixth Seal, when it’s–when it opened, the persecution struck the Jews, in the literal standpoint; and here comes the persecution to the church, in the ecclesiastical standpoint; because, the Bride is already called. The sabbaths are over, and ready for the Jews to be called. Where to? The feast of Atonement. Oh, church, don’t you see that? Called to the feast of the Atonement, (what?) to recognize the Atonement; not no more chickens and geese, and what they been doing. “The Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world,” Israel is going to know That.
THE FEAST OF THE TRUMPETS (July 19, 1964)
247 Notice, here is Leviticus 23:26. How in order is the Scripture! After the long period of pentecost, which Israel did reject back there; and He called the Gentile Church out, through this pentecostal feast. How many understand what the pentecostal feast is? It’s the fruit of… firstfruit of the harvest, the firstfruit of the resurrection, the pentecostal feast.
Don’t miss this, people! And, you on tape, listen close!
248 This has been the time of pentecostal feast. The Jews has laid silent; they rejected It. Now they’ve got to be called back to the Atonement. We know Who the Atonement was; they didn’t. And the Trumpet sound, after the pentecostal jubilee, calls the Jews together. Can’t you see how that Trumpet, of persecution under Hitler and them, blasted? And the Jews was forced to come together, to fulfill the Scriptures.
THE FEAST OF THE TRUMPETS (July 19, 1964)
250 Notice here in Leviticus, 26 now, the order of the Scriptures. After the long period of pentecost, which ends in the calling out of the Bride, the Bride is called out by a servant. The Rejected, next, to be known to Israel, the feast of the Atonement. Notice, here is the same as in Leviticus the 16th chapter, now, when He ordered the feast of pentecost… or the feast of atonement, but in this place they are called…
251 Oh, how perfect! Get it, preachers. See? Don’t miss it, ministers.
252 In this feast of pentecost, which is represented in Leviticus 23:26, or 23 and 24, is a feast of mourning, not a killing, of a feast. The feast was killed… The atonement was killed, rather. The atonement was killed. Leviticus 16, it’s exactly a parallel to it. Only, in this place, it’s called Israel to mourn for their sins. How perfect it is, today! It’s not the rekilling of It; which, Moses symbolized, by striking the rock the second time; it didn’t work. Not a killing, of a feast; but a mourning, of rejecting the Atonement. Oh, my! This will be the Trumpet; the feast, be rejected, then their Messiah made known.
253 Notice, they’ll know their Messiah when they see Him. He is coming in power, this time, the One they looked for. He is coming in power, for the Gentile Bride, and the Jews are going to recognize Him. And then the Bible says… We just got through preaching on it here, about six months ago, or more. The Bible says, when they say, “*Where did You get those wounds*?” How many remembers the Message? Raise your hand. Sure, you… See? “Where’d You get those wounds?”
He said, “In the house of My friends.”
254 Remember me preaching on the–the time when Jacob had sent the children of Israel down there to get the stuff, and the food and stuff, and how Joseph act like he didn’t know them; and how all these things went on, then he made himself known? You remember? And they were so scared, they went to weeping. Same as Jacob’s trouble.
255 And here we find the Jews under persecution; don’t know where they stand now, but they’re coming back.
256 And when they do see the Atonement appear, the Bible said, “When they seen it,” they said, “they would separate one home from another, and weep for days, like a–like a family that’s lost their only son. ‘Where did you get those wounds?’”
He said, “In the house of My friends.” See?
257 Remember, the Bride is already in Heaven; Joseph’s wife was in the palace. And Joseph dismissed everything from around him, and he made hisself known to his brothers; you see, His Wife and children and them was in the palace when He returns back to make Hisself known to the Jews. There is the Atonement. There is your sound Trumpet. There is where they say, “Oh!” What is it? *There’s the Atonement. “Where’s them wounds come from?” There it is.
“In the house of My friends*.”
258 Remember what Joseph’s brothers said? Why, they said, “Now we’ll be killed, sure enough. We did that. We did the evil like that.”
259 He said, “No, God did this to save life.” You remember the story, in Genesis? See? See? So did He do it this way, to save the life of the Gentile, the Bride. Said, “I got them in the house of My friend; but don’t be angry, see, don’t be afraid of yourself.”
260 They say, “Oh, my! Did we actually miss seeing Him? Was that the Atonement, and we’ve missed It? O God!” And they said, “They just separate themselves, and mourn for days.” What is it? The Atonement; sadness. This time, the coming of the making known, Atonement, is not the regular atonement being killed, like in Leviticus 16. But Leviticus 23 is a mourning time, of their sins. And, their sins was, they rejected It.
261 Oh, don’t you see where we’re at? Don’t you see why them Trumpets means nothing to us? They all sounded under our Sixth Seal. You see now why the Holy Spirit wouldn’t let me speak it? And the Heavenly Father knows, with this Bible before me, that’s the Truth. Didn’t know it till yesterday, day before yesterday; in my room there where He revealed it, come to me and spoke to me. I come back, I said, “Wife, I got it now. He just met me in there and told me. Here it is, honey.” See? See, there it is, see, perfectly just in harmony.
262 Oh, people without Him, get in quick! It might be the last opportunity you’ll ever be able to have. You don’t know what time He might come.
263 The Feast of the Trumpets. The Bible says, “They would separate themselves, one for another, and pray and weep, because like a person with their only child being lost.”
THE FEAST OF THE TRUMPETS (July 19, 1964)
273 Think of it! It’s the end time, folks. Hallelujah! The great Day of the Lord is at hand. Gather yourselves together. Feast of the Messiah; they’ll reject Him, and they’ll find out that there is their Messiah. The Bible said them striking things like this would take place.
274 In Revelations 11, call, their ministry will be the ministry of Moses and Elias calling to Israel, out of the Jewish traditions; just as the seventh angel’s Message called the Bride out of the Pentecostal tradition. Remember, Moses and Elijah is to call Israel out of the old atonement of the lamb, and sheep, and blood, and goats, and sacrifice, to the real living Sacrifice, to the Word.
So, in conclusion, we can see that Bro. Branham taught consistently that Revelation 4:1-2 is the physical rapture of the church.
That the scene was shown
- As symbols to John
- As revelation to us
- And one day will take place literally and in complete reality.
THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST (Church Age Book – Chapter 1)
In Revelation 15:3 it says, “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the LAMB, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of Saints.” Do you see it? The LAMB, the High Priest holding His blood as an atonement on the mercy seat for our sins is the Lord God Almighty. That is His present office. That is what He is doing now, pleading His blood for our sins. But one day that Lamb will become the Lion of the Tribe of Juda. He will come forth in power and glory and take His authority to reign as King. He is the coming King of this earth. Of course, that does not say He is not King now. For He is our King, King of the Saints. Right now it is a spiritual kingdom. It is not of this world system even as we are not of this world. That’s the reason we act different from the world. Our citizenship is in heaven. We reflect the Spirit of the world of our rebirth where Jesus is the King. That is why our women do not dress in men’s clothing or cut their hair or use all those cosmetics and other things that the world likes so much. That is why our men don’t drink and smoke and carry on in sin. Our dominion is the dominion over sin and it is in force through the power that is in the Spirit of Christ That in-dwells us. Every kingdom on earth is going to be torn down, but ours will remain.
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