Fourth Seal
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 | Revelation 6:7-8 |
|---|---|
| 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. | 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. |
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.
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:
- Introduction
- First Seal
- Second Seal
- Third Seal
- Fourth Seal
- Fifth Seal
- Sixth Seal
- Seventh Seal
- Videos
- An Analysis of William Branham's Plagiarism
- ’’“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.”
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.
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!”
William Branham then makes some very strong and strange statements about his role as Elijah:
- 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.”
“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.
- 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.”
- 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 in the fifth, sixth and seventh seals.
The Lamb opens the fourth Seal
Jesus, the Lamb of God, opens the fourth seal just as he opened the first three seals.
The fourth beast
The last six-winged beast, which looks like an eagle, says "Come and see." William Branham taught that like the Gospel of John (the fourth book protecting the testimony of Jesus Christ, and giving witness to the book of Acts), the eagle declares that a prophet will arise to anounce the coming of the Lord and expose the Devil. Under the anointing of the eagle the Church is carried by the wind of the Holy Spirit above persecutions and false doctrines, and back to the faith of the Apostolic fathers.
| 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. |
The pale horse
William Branham taught that a horse is a power, and pale is a mixture of the three previous colours. Pale is a mixture of religious, demonic, and political power.
- “He had three powers or three--three jurisdictions: the earth, heaven and purgatory. He is himself a trinity. That's what he's made up of, and he rides in a trinity. His power's in a trinity. His crown's in a trinity. His horse is in a trinity.”
(Sermon: The Fourth Seal)
The rider named Death
William Branham taught that this rider is the same Antichrist spirit that rode the white horse, and the same false prophet that rode the red and black horses. This rider is the mature Nicolaritan spirit in the form of a man, but could not be identified without the vision of a prophet.
- "First, antichrist, white; second, false prophet, red; third, vicar of heavens and earth and--and purgatory, black; fourth, the beast, pale horse, Satan being kicked out of heaven. You want to read that? Revelations 12:13, Satan being kicked out of heaven...Then in Revelations 13:1-8, he is incarnate in the person of the beast."
- he's Satan representative on the earth; that he now is head of the kingdoms of the world, the very same kingdoms that he offered to the Lord Jesus in Matthew 4, Satan now becomes a full king.” (Sermon: The Fourth Seal)
Power over the fourth part of the earth
Currently, 33% of the world's population claims to be Christian (http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html), while 17% of the worlds population claim to be Catholic (http://cara.georgetown.edu/bulletin/index.htm). One interpretation would be to expect this 17% to increase to 25%, or to expect an alliance between Roman Catholic and certain Protestand or Orthodox churches to increase this to 25% by association.
Just as the white horse rode conquering and to conquer, the pale horse is given conquering power over a fourth part of the earth through his doctrine.
The sword, hunger, death, and hell
William Branham taught that the sword is the power of the red horse, hunger is the power of the black horse, and death is the power of the pale horse. Hell follows natural death, and reveals the end of the Antichrist's rule on the earth. Hell also signifies spiritual death.
- Revelation 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
- Revelation 2:23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
- Revelation 13:10 He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
The sword by which Satan will be killed is the Sword of the Word of God.
- “Jezebel, the wife of the false prophet which is supposed to be the genuine prophet of God: the pope (Right.), the genuine prophet and his wife Jezebel. Now, Ahab was supposed to be a genuine Jew, but he was a rascal; you know that. Because his wife just led him anyway he wanted to. We find out Jezebel takes her money and leads these the way they want to too.”
- "“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.”
William Branham taught that:
- The white horse rider started without a crown,
- The red horse rider started without a sword,
- The black horse rider started without boundaries, and
- The pale horse started without power over a fourth part of the earth.
William Branham prophecied that the fourth horse rider is on his last ride now, but has not yet been given power over the earth, the sword, bread, or death. Some of his comments indicate exactly when he will rise with this power:
- “Judas took the place as treasurer and fell by money. So does the church of this day...here's where he fell, and there's where the Protestants fall.”
- “and that's exactly the same thing that the Protestant church becomes a harlot is because she rejects the vindicated Truth of the Word of God, and that gives the devil a place to come right in and incarnate himself, and he will make an image unto the beast when they can consolidate together,”
- And now, seeing the holy Bride, he is against her, but he forms his own bride called antichrist by antichrist teaching, which is contrary to Christ. See how shrewd he is? And now, instead of having a unity of love controlling worship under Blood, he's got a denomination.
- “This pale looking, grizzled colored horse, mixed with black, red, and white, coming into the battle, gathering his subjects from every nation under heaven. Did not Daniel interpret the dream and seen that streak of iron running to every kingdom, of Rome?”
- “Rides a pale horse as he appears on his ride, this last ride. He's on his last now. Now, that is not in our day. That will be on down. It's the Seal foretold. 'Cause, see, the Church has done gone up when this happens.”
- Now, the battle started in heaven. It'll be finished on earth in the form of Armageddon.
William Branham also pointed out that when Jesus comes, he will ride a white horse, and his name will be "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (Revelation 19:16) Out of his mouth will go a sharp sword, which is the Word of God, and he will call the fowls of the air to a great feast of the flesh of man (Revelation 19:15, 17). This prophecy reveals that the last Pope and the Christian denominations will be eaten by wild animals just like Ahab and Jezebel were eaten by animals as prophecied by Elijah.
Plagiarism
| What William Branham Said | What Clarence Larkin Said |
|---|---|
| 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.
To the best of my revelation that was give to me by God and foretold that it would be done, this is the Truth of the four horse riders to the best of my knowledge. THE.FOURTH.SEAL_ JEFF.IN THURSDAY_ 63-0321 Fourth Seal, pestilence and death... 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. THE.SIXTH.SEAL_ JEFF.IN SATURDAY_ 63-0323 |
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. But awful as those days will be, they will be only the “BEGINNING OF SORROWS” for those who are left. Matt. 24:6–8. Clarence Larkin, The Book of Revelation: A Study of the Last Prophetic Book of Holy Scripture, 57-58 (Philadelphia, PA: Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate, 1919). |