Souls under the altar.

William Branham.

Read the full account in...
Fifth Seal.

Revelation 6:9-11,
9 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:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou... judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also ... their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Now, this is rather mysterious. And now, for the sake of the tapes, and clergymen, and teachers that are sitting present.... Now if you have a different view from this, I did too. But I'm just taking it from the inspiration which completely changed my view of it. Then I find out, as you see these revealed, it's sticking right back and bringing those church ages and the scriptures right together and tying it up; and that's the reason that I believe that it comes from God.

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Notice, there is no mention of another beast or a living creature to this announcement of the fifth seal. Now remember, there was on the fourth seal. There was on the first seal, second, third, and fourth, but none here. See? Now, if you notice.... Let's just read back one of the seals. Let's go back to the fourth seal, and at the 7th verse. “And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come ... see.” “...when he had opened the third seal, I heard the voice of the third beast say, Come and see.” Or “the second beast, Come and see,” and the first beast say, “Come and see.”

But then when we get to the fifth seal, there's no beast. Now just notice. “And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar....” Right quick, see, there's no beast there, and a beast represents power. We know that, see. There's no living creature. Now, one of those creatures.... We find out in studying the revelation in the churches, that one of them was a lion; and the other one was an ox; and the other one was a man; and the other one was an eagle. We find out in the church ages that those four beasts, meaning four powers, was gathered around the Acts of the Apostles just the way that the tabernacle in the wilderness....

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Notice. But here when we come to this fifth seal now, there's no rider goes forth, and there's no beast to announce it. John just ... the Lamb opened it, and John saw it. There was no one there to say, “Now, come look; come see.” Notice, no power of the living creature. And on the sixth seal, there is no beast to announce it. And on the seventh seal, there is no beast to announce it-no powers to announce it, see. No one does it. On the ... look ... on the.... After the fourth seal, there's no announcement by any beast power from the fifth, sixth, or seventh seal. Not at all.

Now notice (I love this), as in the times of the rider of the four horses-the rider, singular, of the four different horses-there was a beast that announced the power. Every time the rider straddled another horse and come forth to ride, another kind of a beast come out and announced it. That's a great mystery. That is the mystery.... Why? ... announcing the mystery. Why isn't there one here on the fifth seal to announce it? Here it is. According to the revelation that the Lord Jesus gave me today, or this morning early, that is that the mystery of the church ages are already finished at this time. The mystery of the antichrist is revealed at this time. The antichrist took his last ride (and we find him on the pale horse mixed with his many colors), and rides all the way into perdition. (We get it on the trumpets and so forth when we teach that. I'd go into it now, but we'd get plumb off the subject again.)

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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 early church. Now, please, if you ever did, give this attention now, because this is a great controversy. So I want you to listen real close now, if you've got your papers and things to write with. Now, I want you to notice. Now, these cannot be them souls because the souls 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 were taken up. Now, who are these souls? That's the next thing. Who are they then if they are not the early church? This is Israel that's to be saved as a nation, all of them that are predestinated. That's Israel. That's Israel itself. You say, “Oh, wait a minute.” You say, “They can't....”

Oh yes, they are to be saved. Here let's settle it. I've got four or five scriptures. I'll take one. Let's take Romans, just a minute, to find out if they are. Let's take the book of Romans and go to the 11th chapter of Romans, and we'll find out. Let's just read it and then we'll have it by ourself. Romans the 11th chapter, the 25th and 26th verses. Now, listen at Paul here. And Paul said if anyone else, even an angel, preached any other gospel what he was to be? Cursed. Watch. For I would not, brethren, that you should be ignorant of the mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits [there you are]; the blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulfilling... fullness of the Gentiles be come in.

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Notice now, I want you to watch this real close. They were given robes. They didn't have them. They were given robes-white robes, each one of them. Now, the saints now have ... already have one. They get it here. But there they were given robes; and the saints already had theirs and gone on. See? See, they had not a chance because they were blinded by God, their own Father, so that the grace of God could be fulfilled, so the bride could be took from the Gentiles. Is that right?

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Now watch. They had in their blindness martyred their Messiah, and now they were reaping for it. They realized it. They recognized it after it was gone on. They seen then, when they come before the altar of God. But now the grace of God is to them. Now watch. Now they could not, by no means, be saints, because they would already be robed. But here they are now, just souls under the altar for the Word of God and the testimony they held for being God's people, the Jews. But now watch. The grace of God comes to them, and Jesus gives them each one a white robe -watch! plumb over after the church has gone-because they were loyal to their cause and they were blinded, and they didn't know it. They didn't know it. They were playing exactly the part that God had ordained for them to play. And here, John looked over and sees souls under the altar. Now watch. He sees those souls. Watch what he calls them. They cried, “Lord, how long?” Watch! “Just a little while longer.” (Let's get that as we go down right through the scripture.)

They realized they had murdered their Messiah, see. And they didn't know it, but then they realized. They got murdered back to pay for it, for doing the wrong. And now, look what a thing they had to do. See, they was guilty of murder, so they got murdered, see. They cried out, “His blood be on us!” That's right. And they were blinded. Now, if they hadn't have been blinded, God would have said, “Let them alone. They are not worthy.” But being that they was blinded by God, his grace reached down to them-amen! Talk about amazing grace!-and give each one of them a robe, because all Israel will be saved. Everyone has his name written. That's right.

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Now notice. These Jews.... I have to do this in order to let you see the revelation of this seal, see what it is, these souls under the altar and who they are. Now notice. In the time of Daniel, now, the second half of the seventieth week.... Now remember, Messiah was to be cut off in the midst. That's the middle. Well, what's half of seven? Three and a half. How long did Christ preach? Right. But there was determined yet to the people what? Another three and a half years.

But during this time, why, see what happens is the Gentile bride is selected in the seven church ages and goes up. And when it does that way, all these Jews that's martyred along there, because of blindness (laying under the altar), God comes over and says, “You see what it was? Now, I'll give each one of you a robe.” They said, “How long, Lord? Are we going in now?” He said, “No, no, no, no. Your fellow men, the Jews, have got to suffer a little bit, yet. They've got to be martyred like you was martyred. The beast has got to get them when he breaks his covenant.”

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I just feel a little funny, see. Look. If some think.... I want you to get this now. If some still think that Malachi 4, to restore the people, is the same thing he's going to do down there to the Jews, and think it's all the same, let me straighten that out for you just a minute. See, it will be a little bit confusing, because you remember in Malachi 4, it says “return the faith of the fathers... of the children back to the fathers.” See, “back to the fathers.”

Now, let me show you the difference of the ministry. If he comes to return the faith of the children back to the fathers, he would deny Christ. He would go back to the law. Is that right? The fathers kept the law. Do you get it? Notice. When Elijah, when he comes to fulfill his ministry in Malachi 4, see, as Malachi 4, Elijah was by himself. But when he come to minister to the Jews of Revelation 11, he has Moses with him. So there's no confusion, not a bit. Get it? When Elijah comes of Malachi 4, he's by himself. Elijah will (not Elijah and Moses), Elijah will arrive.

But the same inspiration that said Elijah will come for the last part of the church age to restore the faith of the children back to the original faith of the fathers, apostolic faith-which were supposed to go back, and the antichrist has got them all pulled out.... To restore back, as all the rest of the scriptures has blended together, see, he comes by himself. See? But when he comes to the church, the Bible... comes to the 144,000, the Bible plainly states that both he.... There's two of them. Not one of them; two of them.

And his first ministry couldn't take the Jews and put them back to the law, because he comes preaching Christ to the 144,000 (Amen!), that Messiah that was cut off. Amen! That's it! So don't have it confused. It's not confusing. The scriptures don't lie, not a bit. Glory! Oh, when I seen that light I just.... I said, “Thank you, Lord,” when I was watching it take place out there—seen that Elijah walk out there for that first age by himself. Then he was by himself. Then when I seen him come again, way on over somewhere else, there was two of them there. I said, “There it is. That does it, Lord. Amen! I see it now.” Hallelujah! It might have been a little confusing to somebody, but He told me to mention it. So I did. Notice, these men are kept alive by God from their original ministry for future service, they served it so well, see. Just think, that spirit of Elijah ministers five times; Moses, two. Watch, kept alive for further service. They were neither one of them dead, now. Don't you believe that. They were both seen alive, talking to Jesus on Mount Transfiguration. But remember, they must die.

Read the full account in...
Fifth Seal.

What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded.

Romans 11:7