Revelation Chapter Five Part I

The Blood of the Lamb came off the Mercy Seat in heaven when Revelation 4, 5 and 10:1-7 were fulfilled at the close of the Laodicean Church Age in 1963. Then Christ opened the Seven Seals and revealed them through His Prophet. As we have explained in the previous three issues of this Newsletter, the Mercy Seat became a Judgment Seat after Christ's Office of Son of God and Mediator was fulfilled. Now He is Son of Man and Judge (John 5:27); in the Millennium He will be Son of David and King.

In the days of His flesh He was Son of Man, "the Prophet of Nazareth of Galilee . . . anointed to preach good tidings to the meek (or elect Israelites who would become the founding members of the Church and inherit the earth as joint heirs with Jesus Christ and the remainder of His Bride); sent to bind up those whose heart has been broken from the world (Matthew 21:43-44), to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound (the sleeping Old Testament saints); to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" or the Pentecostal Jubilee of Abraham's promise Israel rejected and which became the dispensation of the Church made up of both Hebrew but primarily Gentile saints (Matthew 21:11; Isaiah 61:1-3).

After His crucifixion that ended the Hebrew dispensation, Jesus preached to the lost and vindicated the departed Old Testament saints. He ascended into heaven, and cleansed the heavenly sanctuary of the accumulated sins of the Old Testament saints with His own Blood. Then He descended back into Paradise and led them captive of eternal Life (Matthew 27:50-53; Ephesians 4:9-10; I Peter 3:18-22).

At His second or 'parousia' Coming as Son of Man and Judge He was anointed to preach "the day of vengeance of our God (to we Gentiles, veiled behind the prophet of Malachi 4:5-6 and Revelation 10:7, whose ministry revealed "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever" by raising the dead, healing the sick, casting out demons, and discerning the thoughts and intents of the heart "as it was in the days of Lot" (Genesis 18; Luke 17:28-30; Hebrews 4:12); thereafter He will be revealed to Israel through the ministry of the two prophets of Zechariah 4; Matthew 24:31 and Revelation 11:1-12); to comfort all who mourn" - Israel's 144,000 elect and the different classes of the "saved" who will all be martyred by apostate "Jews" and the apostate church (Leviticus 16:29-34; 23:27-32; Zechariah 12:10-14; Revelation 1:7; 12:17; 13:1-18). "To console those (144,000 elect Israelites) who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (by the baptism with the Holy Spirit or new birth); that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified".

We are now approaching a cleansing of the sanctuary with God's judgments coming upon this earth. At the close of the Gentile dispensation the heavens will be cleansed when Satan and his host are cast down to earth in order that the New Testament Church may go Home for the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.

Acts 7:49, "Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool" or Judgment Seat.

So long as His Blood is on the footstool of this earth it is a Mercy Seat and God cannot destroy it for there is an atonement. If you fail to accept that atonement, you have judged yourself: your name is removed from the Book of Life, and like Esau you have come to the place of no more mercy. At the cleansing of the sanctuary of this earth, the Blood goes off the Mercy Seat and the wrath of God falls upon the earth. The Bible calls this the time of "Jacob's trouble," Daniel's Seventieth Week, and the great tribulation.

Messrs. Bush, Blair and Howard, and the puppet masters who pull their strings are doing their utmost to hasten this time.

The end-time Bride of Christ (who will not see death in the flesh but change in the atoms to be caught up together with the Church Age saints to meet the Lord in the air) is the Blood of Christ by the Spirit, because the Life is in the blood. That's the baptism with the Holy Ghost or new birth that baptizes us into His Body and recognizes only His Body, for it is the flesh of His Word. Denominations will never see that because it's a revelation. Eve knew that but she fell. The Bride of the last Adam also knows it and she won't fall because she is ordained to not fall. She is predestinated not to fail. "Blessed is the man to whom God will not impute sin" (Romans 4:8; I John 3:5-9; 5:17-18).

Galatians 3:27-29, "As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Judean nor Gentile, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise".

Yes my Brother or Sister, the Life is in the Blood. So if the Life of Christ is in you, you are the Blood of Christ and without sin. Sin is not smoking, drinking, adultery, etc., these are the produce of sin. Sin is unbelief in the revealed Word, and to unbelieve the revealed Word of God for your day is to reject the Holy Spirit. So long as Christ's "little flock" is on the earth God's wrath is restrained and there is mercy.

II Thessalonians 2:7, "The mystery of iniquity is already at work: only the Holy Spirit Who now restrains will continue to restrain until He is taken out of the way" in the translation of the Bride. Then this earth will be God's Judgment Seat, and it must be cleansed for the thousand-year honeymoon of the heavenly Bridegroom and His earthly Bride. So all life will be destroyed in an atomic conflagration of Armageddon seven years after the end of our Dispensation (Malachi 4:1-3; Revelation 20:5).

This proves we Christians will not go through the tribulation. However the churches most certainly will as they will be responsible for persecuting and killing the 144,000 and the "saved" just as Israel's denominations initiated the slaughter of Christians after the end of their dispensation.

Revelation 5:1-4, "And I saw upon the right hand of Him Who sat on the throne a Scroll written within and on the back, sealed up with Seven Seals. And my attention was attracted by a strong Angel proclaiming with a voice of great authority, Who is worthy to open the Scroll, and to loose its Seals? And no one in heaven, nor on earth, nor under the earth, was able to open the Scroll, or even to look upon it. And I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the Scroll, or even to look upon it".

This Scroll was the Title Deed to the first Adam's inheritance: our inheritance. When he crossed the time line and the Life line to redeem his wife, thereby establishing a type for the last Adam (Romans 8:14), sin entered the world (Romans 5:12), and he surrendered his dominion over earth and nature to Satan who is called Death (Revelation 6:8). Adam was not able to transfer ownership because God retained the Title, but he did forfeit his immortal Life to Satan together with his dominion over the earth and the blessings of its fruitfulness until such time as God has called, tried and chosen the last of Adam's seed foreknown as His elect and written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Then God will redeem this earth and destroy Satan, his works and his children.

This Title Deed is an abstract of the Title-holders or heirs to eternal Life searched all the way back through the Lamb's Book of Life to Jesus Christ, "the beginning of the creation of God" just 2,000 years ago: to Adam and all who are Christ's and foreknown in the Logos. If you are elect, your name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life from the foundation of the world and your sins were all struck from the record when Christ was crucified in God's foreknowledge before a single molecule or peck or star dust was created.

No wonder Jesus said to John (who throughout the Book of Revelation represents you and I, the end-time Bride of Christ), "Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am He that lives, and was dead; and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." What have you to fear little Bride, for even physical death is not going to touch the end-time Bride of Christ!

On Calvary our kinsman Redeemer Jesus Christ paid the price of Adam's redemption. And when He redeemed Adam, He redeemed the "whomsoever will" of Adam's race because all of Adam's seed were potentially in him before the Fall. And the names of all those God foreknew as written epistles of His Word for their day were placed in the Lamb's Book of Life which is the spoken Word seed or offspring of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:28-39; Isaiah 53:10-12; Luke 8:11).

Christ's Bride is joint heir with Him in all Adam lost. In the new heavens and new earth we shall hold that Title Deed Jesus took from the hand of God. By our invisible marriage union (or new birth) we are one in the Word, and throughout eternity the "saved" who will live outside the New Jerusalem shall worship God in the form of Jesus Christ and His glorified Church.

The "strong Angel proclaiming with a voice of great authority, Who is worthy to open the Scroll, and to loose its Seals?" is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The Greek word 'aggelos' means angel or messenger. Angels are not supernatural beings with wings, they are men. We will meet this Angel in Revelation 10:1-3 and 18:21 (Genesis 49:8; Isaiah 31:4; Amos 3:6-8; Malachi 3:1), whose Voice is so loud It penetrates to the utmost bounds of heaven, earth, and into the realms of demons.

This is Christ Who has overcome and is standing before the elders like Boaz (Ruth 4:1-5) advertising for a nearer kinsman to come forth and challenge His right of redemption. "Who is worthy? Let him challenge Me now, if he dare!" Brother Branham called this The Breach Between the Church Ages and the Seals.

In Revelation 5:7, Jesus took the Sealed Book or Scroll He has redeemed with His own Blood from the hand of God, and in Revelation 10:8-11 He commands us to take the open Book from Him, and become one with the Word and eternity as He prayed in Gethsemane (John 17:9,20-26).

Rome has ruled the world from the time of Jesus Christ to the present day, changing its form but not its substance under Emperor Constantine at the First Nicea Council of AD325 from Imperial Rome to Papal Rome. Daniel 2:40-45; 9:27 and Revelation 17 state emphatically that the coming New World Order will be ruled by the Roman Catholic church which has always been a "Jewish" 'front.' The Enemy always controls both sides of the Hegelian dialectic from behind the scene, working under different name and in a different occupation.

Under Roman law a will bore the seven seals of its seven witnesses on the threads that secured the parchment and such a testament could not be carried into execution until all seven seals were loosed. Once opened, it implements the will of the testator. This was a type for the Seven Seals on the Scroll of Redemption and the seven-fold Spirit of God which has sealed the New Testament saints (who all lived under the yoke of Rome) unto the day of their full redemption.

This Scroll contained seven leaves covered with writing on both sides so that all of the available space is occupied implying, like the number seven, fullness and completeness, for in heaven everything is foreseen even to the very end of time so nothing could be added nor taken therefrom (Psalm 119:89; Revelation 22:17-19). It was not physically sealed with threads and wax and it could be read but not understood until the mysteries of the Spiritual Seals were loosed. Only with difficulty was Peter was able to understand Paul who wrote the unsealed New Testament; much less could men understand the Book of Revelation so long as it was sealed (II Peter 3:15-16).

The Seven Seals that kept men from understanding its writings were mysteries. The first Six Seals were written in Old Testament symbols (Revelation 6:1-17) that could not be understood until Christ revealed them "at the time of the end." The Seventh Seal was just "silence in heaven about the space of half an hour" with nothing written at all (Revelation 8:1)! We call the revelation of the Seventh Seal the 'spoken Word' because it is the Voice of the "angel" to the seventh Church Age, the prophet William Branham (1909-1965), revealing the mystery of the first six written Seals that "finished the mystery of God" - what the Voices of the Seven Thunders uttered (Revelation 10:1-4,7).

So the first Seal to be opened was the Seventh which was the spoken Word revealed to the "angel" or earthly messenger by Jesus Christ as He opened the Seals. Thereafter the previous six Seals opened in succession back to the first and were preached from March 17-24, 1963, as Christ revealed them. The revelation of the Seals began the "time of the end" (Daniel 12:4,9; Revelation 10:4,7).

It is these Seven Seals outside the Title Deed of man's inheritance Christ has revealed and not the Title Deed itself that contain the successive steps by which He shall recover it from its usurper and take actual possession of the kingdom already purchased for Himself and His elect. No portion of the roll is said to be unfolded and read, only that the Seals are successively opened and expounded, giving final access to its contents being read as a perfect whole, which shall not be until the events symbolized by the Seals shall have been past. The reason is this: only the names of the redeemed are written in it, and some names have not yet recognized their inheritance.

Revelation 13:8, "All who dwell upon the earth shall worship him, (the beast) whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

Revelation 17:8, "The beast that you saw was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is."

Revelation 20:12-15, "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of Fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of Fire."

You can you see that though there are other books mentioned, there is always the reference to one book containing names. In the Revelation it is called the 'Lamb's Book of Life', or the 'Book of Life.'

Now where is this book located?

Luke 10:17-24, "The seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject to us through Your Name. And He said, (In a vision) I saw Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. In that hour Jesus rejoiced in Spirit, and said, I Thank You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father; for it seemed good in Your sight. All things have been delivered to Me by My Father: and no one knows Who the Son is but the Father: and Who the Father is except the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal Him. And He turned to His disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see: For I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it; and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it."

The Book of Life is definitely located in heaven and will appear at the great White Throne judgment. In these verses Jesus said that their names were written in heaven. They were written in the Book of Life, for that is where names are placed. Jesus was speaking to the seventy (verse 17), but He was also speaking to the twelve (verse 23). These had all been rejoicing that devils were subject to them in Jesus' Name. Christ's rejoinder was, "Rejoice not that spirits are subject to you, but rather that your names are written in heaven" (Book of Life). You will note here that Judas was one of those who were casting out devils in Jesus' Name, but we know that he was a devil, the son of perdition.

John 6:70-71, "Jesus answered them, Have I not chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil? He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon: for it was he who should betray Him, being one of the twelve".

John 17:12, "While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your Name: those whom You gave Me I have kept, and none of them is lost except the son of perdition: that the Scripture might be fulfilled".

John 13:10-11,18, "Jesus said to him, he that is washed needs only to wash his feet, but is otherwise clean, and you are clean but not all of you. For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, you are not all clean. . . I don't speak concerning all of you: I know whom I have chosen: but that the Scripture might be fulfilled, He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me".

Now if language means anything at all we must admit that Judas was chosen by Jesus (John 13:18), yet he was not clean (John 13:10-11). Judas was also given to Jesus by the Father (John 17:12). (Let it be noted that here the "choosing" and giving is an exact parallel to the example of Moses and Pharaoh, Jacob and Esau, for though Esau and Pharaoh were both foreknown, they were predestinated to wrath, while the end of Moses and Jacob was glorification. I Peter 2:8-9a shows both reprobates and elect "even to them who stumble at the Word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But you are a chosen generation.") Judas was numbered with the twelve and actually had a part with them in the ministry previous to Pentecost.

Acts 1:16-17, "Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered with us, and obtained part of this ministry".

The part Judas obtained amongst the twelve and then lost was neither inferior to the ministries of the other eleven, nor was it a devilish foreign ministry interjected amongst the ministries of the others.

Acts 1:24-25, ". . . show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place".

Judas, a devil, lost a God-given Holy Ghost ministry, and killed himself and went to his own place. His name was even in the Book of Life. But his name was blotted out.

When will this Book of names be read as a whole? The section called the Lamb's Book of Life will be read at the Bema Judgment when we are introduced to Jesus to receive our reward for service at the Wedding Supper (Romans 14:10-12; II Corinthians 5:9-10) whilst the names of the "saved" which remain in the Book of Life will be read at the White Throne Judgment (Matthew 25:31-33).

The fact Christ has claimed the Book and opened the Seals proves redemption is over. However there is a Scripture pointing to a future compilation. Psalm 87 speaks of the Lord writing up the names of all those born in Zion. On no account can it be presumed that God has to wait until the end of the ages when He is dealing with Zion in order to know who will be born in Zion. That would preclude His omniscience. He knows all who will comprise that number. But what is it? Is it not the revised roll wherein God places in a new record those names which remained after the second resurrection and pertained to Zion?

As we have said, the mystery of the Book of Redemption is contained in the Seven Seals on the outside of the Book because these are the voices of the Seven Thunders, or the Messages of the angels - Paul, Irenaeus, Martin, Columba, Luther, Wesley and Branham - sent to the Seven Church Ages (Revelation 2-3). The revelation of their Message in its season gave the new birth to the saints of each dispensation.

Now the Seals on the Book of Revelation contain this mystery because Jesus told John to seal up and not write these revelations, but "in the days of the Voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished as He has spoken by His Servants the prophets" (Revelation 10:4,7; Acts 3:21; I Corinthians 13:10). And the Book unfolded its mystery through the ministry of Brother Branham from the opening of the Seals to his death.

Brother Branham did not reveal the names within the Book, but the mystery of the Book while It was calling those names. Jesus said, "I call My own sheep by name . . . and the sheep follow Me, for they know My Word. . . a stranger they will not follow, but will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers. All the Father has given Me shall come to Me; and he who comes to Me I will by no means cast out" (John 10:1-5; 6:37).

These seven distinct mysteries redeemed the elect of seven Church Ages who caught the revelation and acted It out in their lives, becoming written epistles of the Word for their day, read and known of all men. If you have recognized your day and its Message, you have heard God calling your name from the Lamb's Book of Life.

During the Church Ages when the Book was sealed, Christ was a Mediator on account of the ignorance of the saints who had only PART-Word, therefore that ministry was based upon justification and a new birth by faith in the Word for their day. However, since the Seals have been revealed the focus of ministry is on the fullness of the Word. And because the mystery of God is finished we see how the saints were redeemed in each Age, and therefore who they were.

Christ has revealed these things to show us which parts of the Body-Word are already made-up so we will know which part of the Word we are to manifest and not be found impersonating the Word for a day gone by, like the denominationals who fail to recognize their day and its Message.

When Christ had opened the Seventh Seal, Jesus came from heaven with ten thousands times ten thousands of His saints, and the Bible said that the heavens were empty for the space of a half hour. So where is this big fellow, God? He is in Christ. There is no Trinity, my Brother or Sister. Isaiah and Matthew were truly inspired when they declared Jesus' name would be called Emmanuel, meaning "God with us."

When the Seventh Seal was opened, the written Word had all been delivered and the last saint predestinated to the PART-Word body was already redeemed. The "shout" of I Thessalonians 4:16 is the Message of the prophet calling the wise and foolish virgin out from Rome and her daughter churches (Matthew 25:6; Revelation 17:5; 18:4). And while heaven is silent, the Voice of Christ the Archangel is whispering His secrets in the heart of the Bride and placing the Message from Genesis to Revelation to bring her into maturity in the unity of the faith for the manifestation of the Sons of God and the great translation.