Christ is the Mystery no 221
Twins no 19
Understanding the Seven Seals
Brian Kocourek, Pastor
Tonight I would like to take a subject that at first
might not seem to fall under the scope of TWINS, which we have been examining
for the past few months, but I keep getting questions concerning the Seals from
all over the world. Some have been teaching that there is no more mercy because
they do not understand the Seals and the chronology of the seal. They believe
in point that what took place in 1963 when the Seals were opened is that the
Lamb came down at that time to open the seals.
What they have done is to look at the opening of the
Seals, which I would rather use the term Revelation of the Seven Seals of the Revealing
of the Seals, because when you use the term opening, it appears to some that
what is in those seals indeed does not come to pass until they are opened, and
that is not true at all.
We are talking about Bible Truth that has been hidden,
and now revealed. The word Opening in the most simplistic definition I can come
up has three meaning:
1. a hole or empty space that
you can go through or see through
2. the first part of
something
3. the first time that
something happens
Now, most people see the opening of the seals as the
first time that something happened, namely the Seals are opened.
I choose rather to see the opening of the Seals as a
hole that the prophet was able to pull Himself up into and look threw it like as
he illustrated to us concerning how visions are.
Brother Branham gave an illustration of what it is
like to have the visions working in his ministry. In his sermon, Jehovah Jireh 61-0212M P:11 and again
in his sermon, Be not afraid 60-0717 P:14 he
said its kind of like when you were a boy and wanted to see the circus and
couldn't afford to get in, so you and your friends went over to the fence and
because you were the tallest you could pull yourself up to a certain place on
that fence, and look through the peep hole and then your friends would say,
what do you see, and you would look and strain and then say, I see a
giraffe. Now, you might have had some
friends that were with you that might even have been stronger than you, but
because they were shorter, they couldn't jump high enough to reach the top of
the fence to hold on, so they would have you do it just because you were
equipped to do it.
And so you would pull yourself up and hold on and look
through that hole in the fence and they would say what does
it look like, and so you would begin to describe it to them. But the
longer you were holding yourself up there the more tired you become, and so you
would have to come down (like coming down from the vision) and then when you
came down you would tell it to them, every detail you could think of. Now, it
is much easier to tell it if you are planted on your own two feet or you are
sitting around and talking about it, but then you are depending on your memory.
But if you can hold on up there, and keep looking while you are talking, then
it becomes more clear to those who are down below.
And so when you come down and then tell it,. You are depending upon your memory, and so after awhile
the details become a little unclear, and so they would say, go back up there
again and tell us what else you can see. And so you would jump up again and
take hold of the top of that fence and lift yourself up to peep through again
and then they would say, what do you see now, and you would say, I see a camel
or I see an elephant, and then they ask you what they look like, and you begin
to tell them, but your arms are getting so tired and so you come back down to
earth and then tell them what you saw. And that is how the people pull on that
gift. They desire to see what you alone can see, and so you tell them.
Therefore concerning the seals, and the opening of the
Seals, let me put it to you this way. remember, the
first definition of the word "opening" means "a
hole or empty space that you can go through or see through".
Now, the Seals were written way back before the
foundations of the World. John had stepped into a vision or perhaps he was
translated up into the Lord's day via a vision, like looking through that hole
in the fence and John saw what God had to say about how Satan would work within
the confines of the church, and beginning with the doctrine of nicolaitianism
when it was first just a doctrine, then how Satan worked that doctrine into the
minds of the people until they came to the place where they accepted that
doctrine in the flesh of a man, making him pope, and then once that was
accepted, then he began to enforce that doctrine through murdering those who
did not go along with it.
That was the first horse rider, just a doctrine, it
was a white horse (a white power) showing it looked like purity, virtuous,
after all it was after all only a doctrine in the church, but then when that
doctrine became incarnate in a man, it switched to a red horse, and that is
when that doctrine became forced upon the people in a forced religion all in
the name of Christ.
And so what John was seeing while looking threw that
peep hole of a vision, was a history of the Church and Satan's attempt to
control it, and John
was commanded to write what he saw, and then he was commanded to seal up what
He saw until the last days.
Now, I have painted a picture for you of the whole
scene of the Seals, and the opening of those seals. Where men have gone wrong
in this hour is to look at certain statements of brother Branham's and try to
place a chronology on them as though these things were taking place in 1963,
when it is very apparent that what John saw and wrote, and William Branham
looking through the same portal or time, the same hole in the wall, so to speak
was the entire scene of what took place concerning Satan's attempt to destroy
the True church of the Living God.
But these men, many calling themselves ministers of Christ but are
more like ministers of confusion, they began to teach that since the seals were
opened in 1963, then the lamb must have left the mercy seat to do so in 1963.
In other Words they look at the events concerning the
Seals as events taking place in 1963. And thus when brother Branham describes
the Lamb coming froth from the Mercy seat to open the seals, they mistakenly
think that took place in 1963.
NO, that is not correct. What took place in 1963 is
that the prophet by God's order was pulled up to the fence of time to look
through the portal of a vision, to see what took place since the early church
and that doctrine of nicolaitianism first began and how it spread and how Satan
gained control of the church. It was like watching a movie and telling us what
he saw so in essence we could look also through the yes of the prophet and see
what he was seeing.
But what so many failed to see is that the Seals were
only a play by play detail of what has taken place throughout the last 2000
years of church history and the scene does not stop at 1963, but actually goes
right up until the last child of God is in and child trained. And the Lamb of
God comes to meet us in the air. And that is why the Seventh seal was quiet,
because there was nothing there to tell us the time the second coming would
take place.
So the prophet told us the first four seals how that
doctrine changed horse, (which are powers) and each color showed the nature of
that power and how it controlled the people. notice
however that the fourth now had a name, it was called death.
Then the fifth seal takes us up to the time of Nazi
Germany and the souls under the altar revealing what happened to the Jews under
Nazi Germany when those hundred thousand times thousand demons were let loose
on them. The sixth seal deals with the judgments of God on the church and the
world for turning Him down.
Brother
Branham said in his sermon, Feast of the trumpets
64-0719M P:71 Under that Sixth Seal, these two hundred thousand spiritual
demons, started in
So we see all the dictators coming forth under the
sixth seal as part of the judgments upon man. We have one in this country now,
and he has completely destroyed what this nation used to be. That's Deuteronomy 28:18 18. The foreigner that is within thee shall get up above thee very
high; and thou shalt come down very low. 19. He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the
head, and thou shalt be the tail. We
put in place a foreigner who is the president
of this country by fraud, thus fulfilling the promised curse of
Deuteronomy 28:18
Now, the Seventh Seal concerns the coming of the Lord.
That's when God is through dealing with the Gentiles, takes the gentile bride
up and turns to the Jews.
Now, all of this was given to us by John and sealed away,
and by looking beyond the curtain of time, William Branham was able by Vision
to see it all and each night he came down and gave the church a play by play of
what took place with each seal. We then in a sense are now looking through the
eyes of the prophet and able to see the entire history of the church.
Now, where men have messed this up is that they just
will not say what the prophet said, and take it back to the Scriptures. So they
continue that Nicolaitian control of the people by telling them that there is no
more mercy, because the lamb has left the mercy seat when the lamb has
not yet left the mercy seat. But the reason for their error is that they see
the opening of the seals as a 1963 event when it most definitely was not.
It is true that William Branham was allowed by God for
our sake in 1963 to look beyond the curtain of time, and in so doing could look
through that opening of the seals and give us what he saw, but what he saw did
not happen in 1963.
All these men have succeeded to do in teaching the
nonsense that Christ is off the mercy seat is to bind the people by fear to
them, and hold them under their spell by getting them to take their focus off of
Christ and place their focus on a hierarchy of some supposed five fold minister
who now becomes their mediator. All this is a continuation of that same
nicolaitian doctrine in the brindle horse power.
Now the word brindle means a dark
spotty, streaked, grayish in color. In other
words, there is such an admixture, it appears
tawny, dark, grayish and dirty in color, etc. And that is what the
church has become. They no longer wash their robes in the washing of water by
the Word, but every thing to them must come through the filter of their camps
doctrine. And remember, the promise is that they who have washed their robes by
the washing of Water by the Word will be without spot or wrinkle. Therefore
they will not be brindled in color in there robe, But will have on pure white robes
without spot or wrinkle.
But that brindled horse represents that same
nicolaitian spirit all the way down since it first became incarnate in a pope
all the way down until the end time to where there is such an admixture that we see it not
only in the Catholic church but all her harlot daughters as well.
And remember all that live on the earth at this time
will either receive the Seal of God which is the Baptism of the holy Spirit, or they will take the mark of the beast.
Now, to understand what has taken place, and what
William Branham saw, let us never forget that the
Lamb of God is the son of God. He is not God the son. There
is no God the son, that is Catholic mythology. The Lamb is not God. God Himself is on the
throne with the Book that is sealed. John sees God in Revelations chapter 5 handing the Book to the
Lamb, (His first born son) the lamb who is the Son of God, then opens the
book, hands the open book to Father, then steps up onto the throne while the
Father steps off His throne and comes down with the book open, Revelation 10:1-7 and 1
Thessalonians 4:13-18 and God hands the open book to the seventh
angel Messenger.
Revelations 5:1 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. (Ok, so who is setting
on the throne? It is God Himself.)
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a
loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? so the question comes up.
God has this sealed book in His hand, and the question arises, who is worthy to
open it?
3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither
under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
4 And
I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book,
neither to look thereon. 5 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. 6 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.
Now, notice John
beholds this lion, This King, but when he turns to see this Lion, this King, he
sees who this king is in reality, it is the lamb of God that was
slain before the foundations of the World. And the lamb is the son of God. Now,
we know in the constellations the first sign is the virgin and the last sign of
the zodiac is the Lion. This speaks of the first and second coming of Christ. we will get to that a little later on.
7 And he (The Lion, who in reality is the lamb of Go, the son
of God) came and took the book out of the right
hand of him that sat upon the throne. So the lamb takes the
book out of the right hand of God, 8 And when he (The
Lamb who is also the lion) 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.
Now, when does this
happen? people say 1963, but that is not true at all. brother Branham in 1963 was looking through the great portal
of time, but what he saw was when the Lamb becomes the Lion, that's the second
coming of Christ.
The Breach 63-0317E P:136 Notice, here He
comes, leaves the throne as an Intercessor, as a slain Lamb to become a lion,
King, to bring
the whole world into judgment that's rejected. Our Kinsman Redeemer then
is King over all. Why? He's got the Title Deed of Redemption. It all lays within His hand. I'm glad I know Him...?...Then claims His inheritance; that's the Church, the Bride;
He claims it. What does He do then? He disposes of His contestant, Satan.
He throws him into a lake of fire with all those who was inspired by Satan
to reject His Word of redemption. 137 He's King now. Mercy's still on the throne. Don't you reject His offer. See? The riders know just who you are. And now, His
contestant, who's give Him trouble for two thousand years, claiming, "I
can do with them what I want to. I still have them; they're mine. I... They
forfeited the title back there"; but He's the Kinsman Redeemer. He said...
He's back here making intercessions now, but someday... He say,
"I'll put them in the grave." But He told the Church, "I'll bring you out (See?), but first I've got to be an
Intercessor."
Now, back to Revelations 5:9 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; 10 And
hast made us unto our God kings
and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. 11 And
I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the
beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten
thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying
with a loud voice, Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom,
and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13 And
every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and
such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and
honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever
and ever. 14 And the four
beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders
fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.
Sardisean Church Age 60-1209 P:52 When they seen
Him setting on the altar, and had the Book in His hand, and no man on earth or
beneath the earth, or anywhere was able or worthy to even look at the Book; but
a Lamb that as It had been slain from the foundation of the world, way back
at the beginning when He first started this redeemed body, come and took it out
of the right hand of Him that sets upon the throne, and set down
Himself. Amen. There you are. That's the Scripture. It's just
beautiful. See?
Notice the picture goes way back to before the
foundations of the world when God elected to predestinate you to adoption and
chose his son the become the bleeding dying lamb.
Brother Branham said that the lamb who
is seen here in Revelations 5 who
opened the book is not seen again until he comes in Revelations 19 with his saints. First seal the 63-0318 121 Notice, it is a Lamb that opened the Book, and the
Lamb is Christ; and Christ
is not seen anymore from then, but He is seen in the Book of Revelations the 19th chapter,….
So Who came down? If the lamb
is not seen in Revelation 10, then who
came down in Revelations 10?
The answer is God Himself came down with a Shout as we
see in 1 Thessalonians
4:14 For
if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which
sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (Who is Him? God Himself.) 15 For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we
which are alive and remain unto the coming (Parousia,
Presence) of the Lord
shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For The Lord himself
(That's God) shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump
of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet The Lord in
the air: and so shall we ever be with The Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one
another with these words.
Therefore the lamb does not leave that throne until
the Father takes us up in the Rapture to meet the son in the air. He is there
making intercession for our confession until the last name that was in the
Lambs book of Life comes in and is child trained. Then he leaves the throne to
come and redeem them.
First seal the
63-0318 P:135 Notice, and when this Holy Spirit that we
have, becomes incarnate to us, the One that's in our midst now in the
form of the Holy Ghost, becomes incarnate to us in the Person of
Jesus Christ, we'll crown Him King of kings...?... That's right.
See?
Now, I would like to read a
few more quotes in closing to nail this down sot hat we can see that Jesus
Christ is still on the mercy seat until that last child has come in and is
child trained.
It Wan't So From The Beginning 60-0306 53 His flesh
sets at the right hand of the throne of God in majesty in glory. "And He that
overcometh shall set with Me on My Throne, as I have
overcome and set down on My Father's throne." Oh,
what a wonderful thing. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, setting in the heavens,
and all these mortal souls that's just under the altar, look up and see that
body setting there, that corporal body. Oh, I feel religious. That
corporal body...
The First
Seal 63-0318 P:30 Now, in the
Bible times, the mysteries were there, and they seen these things happen the
way John saw it here. Now, he said, "There is a
white horse rider." But what the mystery of it is, there's a
mystery that goes with that rider. Now, what it was, they didn't know; but
it's to be revealed. But it is to be revealed after the Lamb leaves the
Father's throne of His intercessory as Kinsman Redeemer.
The Third
Seal 63-0320 P:15 And then we
went back and got the kinsman redeemer and picked him up to see what his work
was. And now, for all these years, Christ has been doing the Kinsman Redeemer
work. Now, all that understands that, say,
"Amen." He has been doing the work of the Kinsman Redeemer,
but there will come a time that when the redeeming work will be over, and
when the redeeming work is over, then He leaves the throne of God, where He's
seated now, but that's not His throne. "He that overcometh shall set
with Me in My throne as I have overcome and have set
down on My Father's throne." That is not His throne. That belongs to
Spirit, God. Christ, the Lamb, it doesn't belong to Him.
Souls in
Prison Now 63-1110M P:78 See, it wasn't
revealed when that Seventh Trumpet sounded, or the Seventh Seal was opened,
then there was silence in the heaven: See? It wasn't give away, what would take
place. But under the Sixth Seal where these Trumpets opened...
Remember, under there
we find out that the Lamb came forth, appeared on the scene. He had left the mercy seat. His work of redemption was
finished. And He came forth and took the Book out of the right
hand of Him that set upon the throne, and time was no more. And immediately an Angel
appeared in the 10th chapter and 7th verse, saying, this Angel came down and
swore that time was no longer. But you see, in this Book was what was
redeemed; it was the Book of Redemption. And everything that He had
redeemed was written in that Book. All that He died for was written in the Book,
and He could not leave His mediatorial seat until
He had thoroughly redeemed, and He couldn't redeem it at the cross, because
they were predestinated in the Lamb's Book of Life, and had to stay on there
to make intercession until that last person was finished. Glory.
And remember he just got
done telling us it was somewhere during the sixth Seal, which is what is going
on right now. So, one of these days soon, he which is
righteous will be righteous still, and he that is filthy will remain filthy.
The Breach 63-0317E P:148 Why? When the revelation come that the
Lamb, the Redeemer, our Kinsman had come back from the throne of mediatorial and had walked out here to take His possession.
Oh, soon the Lamb will
take His bride To be ever at His side,...
Now, as I said there are those who believe that there
is no more mercy. They believe when the seals were revealed that the Lamb left
the Mercy seat and is now on the judgment seat. They believe there is no more
mercy. And yet we find brother Branham right up until his last sermon letting
us know that the doors of mercy were still open.
On
Notice
that the doors of mercy are still open at that time. Therefore when the seals
were opened Jesus did not step off the mercy seat. He stepped up onto His Father's
Throne of Mercy and is still making intercession for our confession.
And of course in
The Breach 63-0317E 107-2
{269} He leaves the throne to be an Intercessor as a slain Lamb to be
a Lion, King, to bring the world to
judgment who has rejected His message. He's not a
Mediator. Remember the Old Testament teaching now, as we hurry. When the blood
went off the mercy seat, what was it? Judgment seat.
And when the Lamb slain walked forward from eternity out of the Father's
throne and took His rights, it was a judgment seat. Then He become not a Lamb, but a Lion, King. And He calls for
His Queen to come stand by His side. "Know ye not the
saints shall judge the earth?"
And that is Revelation
19 when he comes on His White Horse as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
And He comes at that time with His Saints. So the rapture has done long
happened, and the saints have crowned the Incarnate Son of God, King of Kings
and Lord of Lords. I hope this has been helpful for you to see the order of
events of the seals.
Let
us pray...