Third Seal
Where did William Branham say he got his revelation from?
William Branham said this about his "revelation" of the third seal:
- And I want to say this. That, each time, even till this morning, about… Oh, I get up real, real early and go to prayer before things stir, and just keep on praying through the day. But this morning, early, the Holy Spirit came to where I was. And just as plain as anything, I—I seen this other Seal open up now, just exactly. Now—now—now, He hears me, I know. And I’m very grateful.[1]
William Branham's Revelation of the Second Seal
For the third horse rider, the red horse, William Branham said the following:
- Same rider, now. This first stage, he was innocent. And second, now, if you went a little bit higher, a little more than that; the second stage, the Bible said he’d be “given a crown.” And they crowned a man, a superman. See, crowned him! And, then, the Bible didn’t call him a pope. The Bible called him a “false prophet.” Why? Yeah. Of course, he must be a false prophet, by his antichrist spirit, that taught antichrist against the original Word. Cause, if he taught against the original Word, it was antichrist. It was. And the Word is God, see, Christ. All right. Now, after that, we find him then crowned. And when he got crowned, now, he’s very innocent and helpless. He’s just a little fellow.
- But then in the Nicaea Council, he was made it, and Constantine give him all the property. And then what did he do? Then he, see, Satan, give him his throne and authority. The Bible said so, as we’ve went through it. 275 Now, the next thing we find out, that the devil controls all politics that ever has been or ever will be. We find that in Matthew 4:11. And now we find out, then, that Satan already had politics.
- And wine symbolizes stimulation of revelation. Oh, I—I like to a run all over the place. Wonder I didn’t wake up the neighborhood, when the Lord showed me that, see, “stimulation of revelation.” See?
Comparison to the teachings of Charles Taze Russell
As with the first two Seals, we want to look at Charles Taze Russel’s explanation of the third horse rider (from his 1918 book, The Finished Mystery). You will again see that William Branham is again copying Russel:
- And I beheld, and lo, a black horse.—Complete disregard of the Scriptures by clergy and people alike, and in their place the ugly creeds and bulls of popes and councils.
- And he that sat on him.—The same rider, the Antichrist.
- And the wine.—Wine is a symbol of doctrine, true or false, and its accompanying joys.[3]
Plagiarism
| What William Branham Said [4] | What Clarence Larkin Said [5] |
|---|---|
| Now, we're going to open the Third Seal. It's found in Revelations 6:5 and 6.
And when he had opened the third seal, I--I beheld the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that set on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts saying, A measure of... penny--a measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and... wine. Famine, see? Exactly the same Seal, same thing Jesus said. All right. |
When the “THIRD SEAL” was broken John heard the third or “Man-like Living Creature” say—“Come,” and a “BLACK HORSE” appeared... The “BLACK HORSE” signifies famine... |
Avoid other Christians
During this sermon William Branham also encourages his congregation to dis-fellowship from other Christians, saying “The Message going out right here is to “Stay away from that poison thing!” See? See? 'How can two walk together lest they be agreed’”?
Questions you should ask yourself
If William Branham discovered the errors of Denominations during the Third Seal, why did he preach “Why are we not a denomination” (also titled “The Great Harlot”) on September 27, 1958 and identify “the mark of the beast, which is Romanism; and the image of the beast, which is Protestantism” in a sermon on March 18, 1962?
- “That denominational System, now I see it right here. I never knowed it till now.”
Moving to the Next Seal
Click here to go to the next article - The Third Seal
Footnotes
- ↑ William Branham, 63-0320 - The Third Seal, para. 20
- ↑ William Branham, 63-0320 - The Third Seal, para. 273-275, 306
- ↑ Russell, C. T. (Charles Taze), The Finished Mystery, Brooklyn : International Bible Students Association, 1918
- ↑ William Branham, March 23 1963, The Sixth Seal
- ↑ Clarence Larkin, The Book of Revelation: A Study of the Last Prophetic Book of Holy Scripture, 56 (Philadelphia, PA: Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate, 1919)
Links to other articles in the series
This article is one in a series of studies on the Seven Seals - you are currently on the topic that is in bold: