Fourth Seal

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This article is one in a series of studies on the Seven Seals - you are currently on the topic that is in bold:

• Introduction
• First Seal
• Second Seal
• Third Seal
• Fourth Seal
• Fifth Seal
• Sixth Seal
• Seventh Seal
• Videos
• An Analysis of William Branham's Plagiarism

William Branham preached a series of sermons in March 1963 on the Seven Seals of the book of Revelation, and said that each seal identifies a religious disturbance. William Branham compared Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:7-8 with the Fourth seal.

Matthew 24:9-13 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. Revelation 6:7-8 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

A Perverted Horse

The Fourth seal is rider on a pale horse, death and hell follow him, and he could kill with the sword, hunger, and animals. During this sermon he identifies the rider as the spirit of perversion, a mixture of the three previous horse riders of religious (white), military (red), and political (black) powers. William Branham goes on to teach that pale is eternal separation from God, and Rome will lead the world to Armageddon.

“It’s a perversion to mix colors with white. You pervert the original color…Truth and error cannot mix. It cannot mix. Its either the THUS SAITH THE LORD or its wrong. …gathering, on their mixed-colored horse. And, see, he is gathering this thing together, mixed with creeds, denomination, man-made doctrine. … I've seen witches speak in tongues, seen wizards speak in tongues and dance in the spirit.”

Perversion changed to Pestilence

What William Branham does not point out is that the word for “Pale” is “Green” in Greek (Chloros). So it wasn’t a skin-colored horse, it was a green (or sick) horse. What William Branham does do is change the meaning of the Fourth Horse Rider from perversion to pestilence when he reviews all of the Seals during the Sixth Seal.

Why does William Branham do this? Could it be that he was once again plagiarizing from Clarence Larkin. Here is an excerpt of what Larkin said about the Fourth Seal:

When the “FOURTH SEAL” was broken John heard the fourth, or “Eagle-like Living Creature” say—“Come,” and a “PALE HORSE” appeared and went forth. Note the “corpse-like” color of the Horse. We are not surprised then when the Rider upon the “PALE HORSE” is called “DEATH,” and that “HADES,” the “Grave,” not “Hell,” follows after “Death” like a great “Voracious Monster” to swallow up the victims of “DEATH.” It is worthy of note that the Riders of the first three Horses are not named, but it will be very clear when the events they chronicle occur, who and what is meant. Here however the Rider is personified and called “DEATH,” and his consort is called “HADES,” they are inseparable companions. The reference here is clearly to some great PESTILENCE that shall come upon the earth. After a devastating war, followed by famine, during which the dead are left unburied, a PESTILENCE is sure to follow.

It should be noted that the capitalization of the word "PESTILENCE" was done by Larkin himself.

The Eagle Angel, Elijah

William Branham taught that the beast that counters this rider is the eagle-angel. He also takes the time to point out the prophets are eagles, and he is the only one to this age.

“God always likens His prophets to eagles…now we find out, that eagle age was promised in Revelation 10:7 and in Malachi 4. …There never was two major prophets on the earth, prophesying the same time. Look back and see if there was. No sir, too much scrupled up!”

Learn from the Bible why Eagles do not represent Prophets.

William Branham then makes some very strong and strange statements about his role as Elijah:

1. He says that his own words are a divine source of life when he quotes John 6:63, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” then says “God revealed to Moses what to do. Moses spoke it, and it happened… Just as He can create squirrels the same as He can create flies or frogs or anything else. He's God, the Creator.”
2. “He strongly suggests that he will never die when he says “Elijah was a prophet that prophesied and condemned Jezebel, in that particular generation. And Elijah never died. He certainly didn’t."
3. He strongly suggests that anyone who rejects Elijah will be eaten by wild beasts like Jezebel, “The first Elijah was a rejected man, but the churches. And Jezebel and Ahab was the head of them churches…now if you want to see their bodies, let’s turn over here to Revelations 19.”
4. And he says that God opened the seals to Elijah. “Elijah…thought he was the only one saved, until God opened one of the Seals and showed him the mystery in the Book, that He had seven hundred that never bowed down to them creeds…Whew! God opened the Seals.”

With these statements William Branham lays the foundation for stronger statements of judgement in the fifth, sixth and seventh seals.

"“Before He passed judgment upon her, He gave her a place to repent. And it's in the Name of the Lord I say this: He's give the Protestant church the same thing, and she won't do it. These messages shook everywhere, and she won't do it. She's going to have her own dogmas and creeds; I don't care how much you explain it...Like He give Egypt, He give Egypt place to repent. What was that last plague? Was death. That's the last plague that's hit the Pentecostal church. It's spiritual death; she's dead. That's in the Name of the Lord. She's spiritually dead.”

Plagiarism

William Branham’s secret source of information for this sermon was the writings of Clarence Larkin. Here is a comparison:

What William Branham Said	What Clarence Larkin Said
"Pale is red and--and white and so mixed together. See? He... It's--it's all mixed in this one horse… Sure, a mixed color--the mixed color of the dead , pale horse of the world... Now, that's right. Mixed colors of the dead , worldly form of the pale horse.	Note the “corpse-like” color of the Horse.
Now, notice, none of the other rider... None of the other horses or no time that this rider ever rode, they didn't have--that man had no name, but now he is called death. It's not mentioned. See? He's revealed now what he is--is death.	We are not surprised then when the Rider upon the “PALE HORSE” is called “DEATH,” and that “HADES,” the “Grave,” not “Hell,” follows after “Death” like a great “Voracious Monster” to swallow up the victims of “DEATH.” It is worthy of note that the Riders of the first three Horses are not named,
Fourth Seal, pestilence and death...	Here however the Rider is personified and called “DEATH,” and his consort is called “HADES,” they are inseparable companions. The reference here is clearly to some great PESTILENCE that shall come upon the earth.
Matthew 24:7 and 8. I'm sorry. Now, that opens up the rain... or the famine, opens up the famine. All right, now the pestilences and death... Yes, sir, now we're going to it; 7 and 8, now, that would be the Fourth Seal.	But awful as those days will be, they will be only the “BEGINNING OF SORROWS” for those who are left. Matt. 24:6–8.

Quotes and Questions

• “I don’t doubt but what Joseph Smith saw the vision, but it wasn’t according to the rest of the Word. So therefore, to me, it’s wrong.” (William Branham, The Fourth Seal)
• Do you believe all of William Branham’s visions are true? What about the one that says there is nothing wrong with the doctrine of the Trinity? If you don't know that vision, click here to read it.

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