Red horse rider.

William Branham.

Read the full account in...
Second Seal.

Now, tonight we are studying this second seal. For the first four seals there is four horse riders. I tell you, today something happened again, and I... something that I... I go and get the old script that I had that I talked on long ago. And I just sat down there, and I thought, “Well, I did the very best I could.” And many writers and things... And I thought, “Well, I'll read a little while and look over, and see this and that.” And the first thing you know, something just happens, and it is altogether different. It just comes in different. Then I grab me a pencil right quick and start writing down just as fast as I can while He's there.

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Now, last evening, as we always like in teaching on the seals, we teach it the same way you do on the church ages. When we got finished with teaching the church age, the last time- when I drawed them out here on the pulpit, on the board- how many remember what took place? He came right down, went right back on the wall, and the light, and drawed it off Himself, right there on the wall before us all. The Angel of the Lord stood right here before several hundred people. And now He's doing something real supernatural now, too. So we're just expecting great things. We don't know... Do you like to just wait for that great anticipation, just don't know what's going to happen next? you know, just waiting?

Now, how great God is to us! How wonderful! We so appreciate Him. Now the first and second verse... I'll read it to kind of give a little background. Then we'll take the third and fourth verse for the second seal; and then the fifth and sixth verses is the third seal; and the seventh and eighth is the... two verses to each horse rider.

I want you to watch how these fellows on this pale horse, maybe... Here it comes. It just keeps changing as it goes down. And then that great last seal to be opened, if God willing, next Sunday night, that when it happens the only thing that taken place was silence in heaven for a half-hour. God help us. Now, I'll read the third verse now.

And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse [fourth verse] that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth,... that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.

Now, a mysterious thing now when the beast told John, “Just come and see.” And he didn't see what it was. He just saw a symbol. And that symbol, the reason it... He said, “Come see,” but he saw a symbol, that he was to symbolize it to the church in a way that they would watch until it came to the last age. And then the seals would be opened. Now does everyone understand that now? See, the seals would be opened.

Aren't you happy to be living in this day? Not only that, friends, but always remember now last Sunday morning where the whole thing was based on: simplicity- simple, humble. It happens in such a way that people will just go right on by, and don't even know it happens. And remember, we are looking for the coming of the Lord any time. And when... we made a statement that perhaps the rapture would be the same way. It will be gone-over -and no one will know nothing about it. It'll just come like that. Usually...

Just go on back through the Bible and look how it happens like that- even as great a thing as the Lord Jesus coming. Nobody knew nothing about it. They thought, “That crank, somebody.” The churches said, “Just a fanatic. He's really crazy.” Said, “He's a mad man. We know thou art mad. [Mad means crazy.] We know you've got a devil, and it has run you crazy. You try to teach us, when you was born out there illegitimately? Why, you were born in fornication and try to teach men like us, the priests [and so forth] of the temple!” Why, my, that was an insult to them.

When John came... been talked about down through the ages from Isaiah to Malachi. That's 712 years he'd been seen of the prophets coming. Everybody was looking for him to come, expecting it at any time. But the way he come, he preached, and done his service, and went on into glory, and even the apostles didn't know it. For they asked Him. They said, “Now, if the Son of man's going to Jerusalem, all of these things to be offered,” said, “why is it the Scripture says that Elias is going to come first?” Jesus said, “He has already come and you didn't know it. And he did just exactly what the Scriptures said he would do, and they did to him just what was listed.” And they couldn't understand it. He said, “It was John.”

Then, “Oh!” See, they woke up to it. Even at last, after all the things He had done and the signs that He had showed them; and had even called them, said, “Which one of you can condemn me of sin [unbelief]? If I haven't done just what the Scriptures said that my office would do when I come to the earth, then show me where I've sinned. Well now, I'll show you what you're supposed to be, and let's see whether you believe it or not,” see. He would have come right back and said, “You are supposed to believe on me when I come.” They didn't do it. See? So they knowed better than to tie in on Him on that. But He said, “Which one of you can accuse me of unbelief? Haven't I done just what it was?”

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Now, he was first called antichrist. The second stage, he was called the false prophet, because that spirit among the people become incarnate. You remember, the white horse rider, now, had no crown when he started. But then he was given a crown. Why? He was the Nicolaitane spirit to begin with, then he become incarnate in a man, and then he was crowned, and received a throne, and was crowned. And then he served that for a long time, as we will see as the seals break. And then we find out after that a long time Satan was kicked out of heaven. And he come down, according to the Scriptures, and enthroned himself. Just think, enthroned himself in that man and become a beast. He had power, supreme power-like, that he done all the miracles and everything that... killings and bloody fights and everything that Rome could produce.

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Now here is my revelation of it. This is Satan again! It is the devil again in another form. Now we know that seals pertain (as I said the other night), and trumpets pertain to civil wars, you see, amongst the people, among nations. But you find out here that this man has a sword, so he pertains to church political war. You might not think that, but just watch it a minute.

Notice the change of color of these horses-same rider, change of color of horses. And a horse is a beast, and the beast in the Bible under a symbol represents a power. The same system riding on another color power, from the innocent white to a bloody red, see. Watch him, now, how he's coming.

When he first started, he was just... well, he was just a little doctrine called the Nicolaitanism. Of course, it wouldn't slay anything! That is Revelation 2:6, if you want to put it down. He wouldn't slay anything. It was just a doctrine. It was just a spirit amongst the people. That wouldn't slay nothing.

Oh, he was so innocent riding on this white horse. “Well you know, we could have a great world-wide church. We could call it the Universal Church.” They still do! Oh, yes, see. Now. “We could have... Oh, it is perfectly innocent! And, oh, it's so innocent. It's just a group of men. We'll all get together for fellowship.” See, it's very innocent. It's white, the white horse was, see.

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Look. Notice when Satan... now everybody that realizes that Satan controls all political powers of the world... He said so. Matthew the 4th chapter, you get it, and the 8th verse. All the kingdoms belong to him. That's the reason they fight, war, kill. Now remember... isn't that strange? They was given this sword to kill one another. Oh, my! Notice now. Now, when he did that he did not have the ecclesiastical power yet, but he started in with a demon of a false teaching. And that teaching became a doctrine. That doctrine became incarnate in a false prophet, and then he went just to the right place. He never went to Israel now, he went to Rome— Nicaea, Rome.

The council was held, and they elected a head bishop. And then by doing this, they united church and state together. Then he dropped his bow, he got off his white horse, he got on his red horse, for he can kill anybody that don't agree with him! There's your seal! Same fellow! Watch him go right on into eternity yonder with it, see. Unites both of his powers together—the same thing they are trying to do right now. Same thing.

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Now. Now remember, he's got a sword. He's going forth with a sword in his hand, riding a red horse, wading through the blood of everybody that disagrees with him. Now do you understand it? How many understands what that seal is now? All right. Now what did Jesus say? “They that take the sword will perish by the sword.” Is that right? All right.

All right. This rider and all of his kingdom subjects that are slain down through the age, that's drawed all of this blood of the martyrs of the saints, will be slain by the sword of Jesus Christ when He comes. “They that take the sword will be slain by the sword.” They took the sword of dogma and antichrist and cut down the real true worshippers all down through the ages by the millions. And when Christ comes with the sword—for it's his word that proceeds out of his mouth—He will slay everything that is before Him. Do you believe it?

Read the full account in... Second Seal.

Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Revelation 2:10