The review you are about to read combines the topics preached on the seventh seal titled: The Seventh Seal and the Unbroken Seventh Seal.
We are privileged to be numbered amongst those who would be in God’s program at this end of time. More than ever before, the Holy Spirit is insistent on His children having an accurate understanding of His plans for the end time, the essence is so that we will be furnished unto every good work, established in the truth, and ready for the full salvation that lays ahead of us -the redeemed. Hitherto, there is a longing for that redemption of the purchased possession that is to the praise of God’s glory, and the church of the firstborn is marching forward to burst out in the glory that Jesus saw ahead of himself and endured the cross. In light of this glorious hope, we want to understudy this subject, because it holds the mystery of God’s full redemption for mankind. Hallelujah!
When John was summoned up hither, he saw a great number of things, the majesty of the Supreme One that sits on the throne, the orderliness of the angels and elders that surround the throne, bowing in awe, worshipping, the four living creatures with eyes all over them and gird about with six wings, chanting holy, holy to the Highest. No one would be in that atmosphere and would not revere God; John indeed would have been in awe, wide-eyed and mystified, gazing at the glowing majestic processions, truly as verse 11 of Revelation 4 says thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure, they were created. After this, another scene flips into view, and John saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, which none was worthy to look upon.
And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. Revelation 5:1-3
Sovereignly, God who is answerable to no one encrypts His Book in symbols (especially the book of Revelation). God didn’t write the scriptures to acclimatize to the ideologies of scientists, God was neither hungry for recognition nor vulnerable to please a man with information to prove that He exists. Whether you believe or not, He cannot deny Himself. He wrote every word with signatures of His authority; He encrypts lots in symbols, others, He wrote them literally, as it pleases Him. Whether in symbols or in plainness of writing, any man that carries the book cannot by education interpret it. As unequivocal as they are, you will need the Spirit of the Living God to interpret them for you. The greatness of God is that He hides in simplicity, you need to be a babe if He must unhide His mysteries to you.
There is no literal book in heaven written within and on the backside, God revealed it to John in symbol, since that was what was relatable to John. The question therefore should be what is this book sealed with seven seals?
THE SEVEN-SEALED BOOK
It is the title deed of the earth that Adam lost when he reasoned with the knowledge of good and evil. That is the book of redemption. God created man to have dominion over the earth.
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Genesis 1:26-28
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:16-17
When God created man and put him in the garden, he covenanted with him, having made him in his image and likeness to be the god of the earth, he was to keep it for the One who put it in his care. But to keep having dominion and authority over the earth, He was to operate by the tree of life, and the law of mixture of good and evil. Paul explained what these two trees are, he called it the Law of Life in Christ Jesus, which has made him free from the Law of Sin and Death. The day Adam eats of that tree (partake of that law of sin), he will die. Right and wrong will always be placed before everyone, this was placed before Adam in the garden. This was what Adam and his wife disobeyed -they disobeyed the Law of Life that would have given them the dominion of the earth forever, and partook of the Law of Sin (which had an element of good in it, but evil also). Because of this, God banished them from His Presence and they lost the RIGHT to TRUE WORSHIP OF JEHOVAH.
Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. Genesis 3:23-24
Because their true relationship with God was lost, their rulership over the earth was lost as well. Satan became the god of this world and made it his Eden, man was stripped, and since then, the true worship of God is being sought after. The title deed (right of ownership) of the earth went back to God, and He sealed it up such that no one could dare to look at it or open it. Anyone who wants to do this must pass through the flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of life, not just that but have to be qualified to redeem man. This was why John saw that no man was worthy because sin had contaminated everyone from Adam. And according to the law of God, a kinsman redeemer had to pay the price for this redemption. The man had sinned; angels cannot redeem him back to God. Let’s see what the prophet said concerning this title deed:
154 Now we find out. Where is the Book at now? To Its original Owner, because It has been forfeited by a son, the first son of God, in a human race. And when he forfeit his rights, to listen to Satan, he give up…What did he do? He accepted Satan’s wisdom instead of God’s Word. Now, couldn’t we stop here a while! Sons of God will take a seminary’s idea about It, instead of the Word of God. See, same thing Adam did, forfeited his rights. And when it did, it went right straight back. Can’t you see where those ages has been? See? Went right straight back to the original holder.
63-0317E – The Breach Between The Seven Church Ages And The Seven Seals
Rev. William Marrion Branham
And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. Revelation 5:4-5
It pleased God to release unto us, His only begotten son, who was our kinsman to redeem us back to God and restore to us the right to God’s true worship. The redemption that this Lion of the tribe of Judah would do is not only for man but even for the earth. He prevailed because he wasn’t produced by the mating of man and woman. He was immaculately conceived. (This should let you know that the sin in the garden of Eden is not eating any fruit that grew out of the ground).
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
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. 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; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. Revelation 5:6-10
BREAKING THE SEALS
For this book of redemption to be accessed, that is, to be restored back to the garden of Eden, into the glorious presence of God that Adam and Eve once enjoyed, the seven seals must be opened. These seals are not like our own seals. They are mysteries to redemption that must be fulfilled before the full redemption of the earth and man. At the opening of each seal, there is usually an occurrence. Interestingly, only six of those seals were opened, the seventh wasn’t. Let’s find out in this chapter that contains these seals, Revelation 6.
And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. Vs.1
And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. Vs.3
And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. Vs.5
And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. Vs.7
And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: vs.9
And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; vs.12
The chapter ended without the opening of the seventh seal. The next chapter talked about the sealing of the 144,000 Jewish manservants (this is when the gospel returns to the Jews). Nothing was said about the seventh seal until the 8th chapter of Revelation, and there is a reason for this.
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. Revelation 8:1
John saw in the spirit the opening of these six seals. And when their meaning was to come to us, seven angels appeared to William Marrion Branham, the messenger of the seventh church age. This happened in 1963, and through him, we understood the meaning of the seals and their fulfillment. The prophet revealed six of those seals to us, but not the seventh as well. He merely talked about the seventh but did not say what it was. We will please ourselves with scriptures and also quotes from the sermon books to understand that truly the seventh seal is unbroken.
145 And the whole thing Here is Seven Seals, got the mysteries of God from the foundation of the world all sealed up in There, and revealed by seven different Seals, that, if God willing, let Him let us pull back these Seals and look down through the Book and find out what’s It all about. See? Oh, I hope we have a great time! There the mystery of redemption is sealed until…This Book could not be broken until the last angel’s Message.
146 The scroll is there. We knowed It was there. We know that It was redemption. We believed It was redemption. Jeremiah said, “This scroll must be kept…” As you read it there, he’ll say. He must be kept in an earthly vessel. See? Oh, what a beautiful thing there I could talk about, a while. This scroll was kept in an earthly vessel, a vessel that once became flesh (glory!), died, rose again, and kept in an earthly vessel until the time of the purchase. Oh, my! Beautifully! All right.
63-0317E – The Breach Between The Seven Church Ages And The Seven Seals
Rev. William Marrion Branham
The Prophet is saying here that this scroll is kept in Jesus Christ -an earthly vessel, but had to be revealed in John as a book just so he could have an understanding. This means therefore that the seal in heaven is a spiritual seal, same is the scroll. There is an opinion that the whole seal has to be opened before the prophet could see the contents because they believe the seal is like the literal seal we have on earth, for you to see the content of the book, you have to loose the seven seals. But this is a natural way of interpreting it. The seal is spiritual, and the way it was opened to John and revealed to Bro Branham, a seal carries its own message. When the first seal is broken, there is a revelation and fulfillment, but the book still has six seals left. When another one is broken, you have five left, and so on
152 Notice. Now, the Book, remember, is sealed. Here is one, here It is, this seal. Then another One is wrapped, a Seal. Another One is wrapped, a Seal. It’s a Book of Redemption. And the whole thing, together, makes the Book, and It’s sealed with Seven Seals. And, then, it’s on the backside, is because it’s wound up. The Seal mystery is on the inside. And It only says, “The white-horse rider,” or, “The black-horse rider,” and what-more, on the outside. But the mystery of the whole Book is in them Seals, from Genesis to Revelation. The complete plan of redemption is revealed in these Seven Seals. Oh, it’s an important time. God help us to get It! See?
63-0317E – The Breach Between The Seven Church Ages And The Seven Seals
Rev. William Marrion Branham
There is another school of thought that if the seals must be opened at the last times, and Bro Branham is the last church-age messenger, then he has revealed it anyhow. They just want to believe this anyhow without solid scriptural understanding thinking that if Bro Branham did not open it, no one can. But we know according to scriptures that it was Jesus Christ that opened the book, Bro Branham only revealed it, and he said himself that the seventh seal is not opened.
176 The Seventh Seal hasn’t opened yet, you know. That’s His Coming.
64-0719M – The Feast Of The Trumpets
Rev. William Marrion Branham
The seventh seal will be opened at the coming of Christ Himself. It holds the names of the redeemed ones that’ll be raptured, and the seven thunders that’ll bring about their transformation and other things even is the end of the earth.
231 We must remember that this Seventh Seal is the end of time, of all things. That’s right. The things written in the Seven-Seal Book, sealed up, of the plan of redemption from before the foundation of the world, it every bit ends. It is the end; it is the end of the struggling world. It’s the end of struggling nature. It’s the end of everything. In there, it’s the end of the Trumpets. It’s the end of the Vials. It’s the end of the earth. It’s the…It’s even the end of time.
63-0324E – The Seventh Seal
Rev. William Marrion Branham
238 Notice, the breaking of this Seal was so great, that, Heaven was hushed by It, “in silence, for the space of a half hour.” Now, is It great! What is It? It was hushed, Heavens. There wasn’t a thing moved, for a half hour.
63-0324E – The Seventh Seal
Rev. William Marrion Branham
Jesus Christ was the One that paid the price for redemption, the book which is the title deed was given to Him, and like earlier said, there was glory ahead of Him after the cross. He will rise one day to claim His possession according to the bible, this is when the seventh seal will be opened.
And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. Revelation 10:1-4
Since it is not time yet for the seven thunders to sound, and the seventh seal contains the seven thunders, it pleased Him to seal it still until He comes to claim His possession. It is the message of these seven thunders that will transform our vile bodies. That is why it is kept secret, until the time of its fulfillment. The little book in the hand of this Mighty Angel is the seventh seal.
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Philippians 3:20-22
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 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. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1Corinthians 15:51-52
The transformation of this vile body is feasible only for those who have the earnest of salvation in their heart. For such, what they wait for is the redemption of their body because their soul has been redeemed. You cannot be expecting the redemption of the body when you do not have the Holy Spirit that is supposed to transform your soul. The Bible says those who have the first fruit of the Spirit are groaning, eagerly waiting for the redemption of this body. The subject of the Holy Spirit should be emphasized here, with power, with much stress. In fact, do you know that the seal of God is the Holy Spirit?
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Ephesians 1:13
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30
You’re still vulnerable to the devil when you don’t have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is what seals you into Christ and seals the devil out of you. Just so you know, The Holy Spirit is God Himself, not the third person of the Trinity. God is Spirit, and if Spirit, He must be Holy. When you have the Holy Spirit, you have God inside you. Apparently, it is different from morals, it is different from the spirit of your church. The proof that you have Him will be seen in your life, not how you jump or dance in the spirit, but the transformation of your life. The Holy Spirit in itself is a seal, this is the token that every redeemed of God gets as proof that they have been baptized into the body of Christ, these are the cadre of people waiting for the adoption of their bodies. The seventh chapter of Revelation further expounds on the seal.
And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Revelation 7:1-4
The seal that God is going to seal these servants with is nothing but the Holy Spirit. There are four wicked spirits that are tied down at River Euphrates, they will not be able to hurt the earth, nor the sea according to God’s command. But after the hundred and forty-four thousand are sealed, and at God’s predetermined time, at the sounding of the sixth trumpeting angel, another phase of woe will fall on the earth again.
And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. Revelation 9:13-16
Blessed are you if you’re sealed!
244 All the host of Heaven was silent for this half hour, when this Seventh-Seal mystery in the Book of Redemption was broke open. Think of it. But, It’s broke. The Lamb breaks It. You know what? They were awed by It, I believe. They didn’t know; there It was! They just stopped.
63-0324E – The Seventh Seal
Rev. William Marrion Branham
And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. Revelation 8:1
What will bring about the silence is this: the seventh seal holds the mystery of Jesus’ mystical appearance for the rapture of the bride. Now, he is on the mercy seat interceding for you and me, until the last member of the body comes in. The five-fold ministry will continue with their work until this is accomplished, then Christ rises from His mediatorial seat to claim His possession, this will be so revered that the whole angel will be awed, for they have not seen Him out of that seat before; they know that something is about to take place. At this point, grace has ended for the Gentiles, Christ is risen to take His possession.
My appeal to you is that you should ensure that you are baptized into the body, it’s no guesswork. Do thy diligence to make your calling and election sure.