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Fifth Seal: Difference between revisions
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=William Branham's Interpretation of the Fifth Seal= | |||
William Branham’s essential interpretation of the fifth seal is that the souls under the altar represented past Jewish martyrs and their fellow servants and brethren were Jewish martyrs who would die during the tribulation. He basis for saying they were Jewish martyrs was the fact that the fifth seal was in the sixth chapter of revelation, but the rapture of the church had happened in the fourth chapter. | |||
William Branham explained it as follows: | |||
:''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 controver… controversy, so I want you to listen real close now. And you 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 would be in Glory, with the Bride. Now watch. For, '''they are gone in the Rapture, in the 4th chapter of Revelation. They was taken up.''' Now, who are these souls, then? That’s the next thing. Who are they, then, if they’re 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.<ref>William Branham, 63-0322 - The Fifth Seal</ref> | |||
=Comparison to the Views of Clarence Larkin= | |||
[[Image:Clarence Larkin.jpg|right]] | |||
William Branham taught the rapture took place in chapter 4 of Revelation many times, including the quote above from the Fifth Seal. In ''The Book of Revelation'', published in 1919 by Clarence Larkin, note the exact same essential interpretation as William Branham: | |||
:''The removal of the Church at the end of the third chapter opens the way for God to renew His dealings with Israel, and take up the broken thread of Jewish History. That the portion of the Book from chapter three to the end of chapter nineteen is largely made up of symbols taken from the Old Testament, as the Tabernacle, Ark of the Covenant, Altar, Censer, Elders, Cherubim, Seals, Trumpets, Plagues, etc., is conclusive evidence that we are here back on Jewish ground, and that the Parenthetical Dispensation of the Church is complete, and that the last or “Seventieth Week” of Daniel’s “Seventy Weeks” is in course of fulfilment.<ref>Clarence Larkin, The Book of Revelation: A Study of the Last Prophetic Book of Holy Scripture (Philadelphia, PA: Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate, 1919), 32.</ref> | |||
Larkin also taught that souls under the altar were the souls of Jewish Martyrs: | |||
The fact that their “SOULS” were under the “Sacrificial Altar” is proof that they had been offered as a “Sacrifice,” that is that they were MARTYRS. But they were not the Martyrs of the Christian Church, for they had been resurrected and taken up with the Church. These Martyrs are those who will be killed for the “Word of God” and their “testimony” after the Church is caught out. | |||
…Their cry is that of the Imprecatory Psalms (Psa. 35, 55, 59, 94, etc.) and indicates that these Martyrs whose SOULS are seen are mainly JEWS. This is still more likely when we consider that the “Gospel of the Kingdom” is to be preached to the NATIONS, and Israel has never been numbered among the Nations.<ref>Clarence Larkin, The Book of Revelation: A Study of the Last Prophetic Book of Holy Scripture (Philadelphia, PA: Rev. Clarence Larkin Estate, 1919), 59.</ref> | |||
William Branham and Clarence Larkin have an identical interpretation of who the souls under the altar are. They both say those are the souls of Jewish martyrs waiting for their brethren and fellow servants (also Jews) to be killed during the tribulation. William Branham and Larkin both use the exact same reasoning to explain how they know they are Jewish martyrs and not Christian martyrs. They both explain the rapture has already happened before the fifth seal, in the fourth chapter, so these souls could not be Christians who were part of the rapture. It is identical. '''How did Clarence Larkin get that revelation in 1919 when the fifth seal was hidden until 1963?''' | |||
William | William Branham also stated multiple times he spent significant time studying Larkin’s books. Here is an example of William Branham explaining the amount of time he spent studying these books: | ||
William Branham | :''This has been a week of tremendous study. Yesterday, all day, I hardly moved from the room, trying to study. And it’s something in the last time, a many of the old-timers here, that I taught, I just said, “In here belongs the seventy weeks of Daniel,” but I did not try to attack it, to explain it. But this time, by the grace of God, I have taken upon myself to try to ask grace before God, that I might bring it to the people. And in here I’m finding things that I do not know one thing about. And, then, I—I’ve been reading '''Dr. Larkin’s book''', Dr. Smith’s book, Dr. Scofield’s notes, different commentaries from men everywhere…<ref>William Branham, 61-0730M - Gabriel's Instructions To Daniel, para. 32</ref> | ||
A picture of William Branham’s personal library is on the next page which includes a clear picture of Larkin’s books: The Book of Revelation and Dispensational Truth. This photo is from Only Believe magazine published by Rebecca Branham Smith when the library was being turned into a memorial after William Branham’s death. | |||
We have overwhelming evidence that William Branham read and studied the books of Larkin and other men from whom he copied his sermons on the seals. Yet, William Branham goes on to make statements like the following when he preached the seals: | |||
Now notice, now, in the 9th verse, “Souls under the altar.” Now, here is where I’m going to get some real disagreeings. But you just watch just a minute. And just…See? I thought that, too, but it didn’t come that way. We have…I have always thought that these souls under the altar were the—the—the martyrs of the early Church. And I’m sure that, well, Dr. Uriah Smith, and every one of them, says it is. See? But, I thought so, myself. But when the Holy Spirit showed the vision to it, it wasn’t.<ref>William Branham, 63-0322 - The Fifth Seal</ref> | |||
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This Angel simply compared himself to other servants, prophets, and ALL WHO OBEY what's written in the book; thus declaring that he must not be worshipped. Scripture never says that this angel is a man and never states that he is a prophet who walked on the earth either in the past or future. Why would William Branham think that this was referring to him? Doesn't that come across as being just a little presumptuous? | This Angel simply compared himself to other servants, prophets, and ALL WHO OBEY what's written in the book; thus declaring that he must not be worshipped. Scripture never says that this angel is a man and never states that he is a prophet who walked on the earth either in the past or future. Why would William Branham think that this was referring to him? Doesn't that come across as being just a little presumptuous? | ||
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