THE RED HORSE - THE CALF BEAST

Tell me, Saints: Can you now see what that lion beast symbolizes here under the first seal? It guarded the true revelation of the word of God, when that white horse rider rode out to deceive the world. At first glance, you would think it was Jesus riding that white horse, but that is where the revelation lies. It was a deceiving, perverting spirit, that used fear tactics to accomplish its purpose, but that lion spirit protected the church in that first age. When you move from the first church age into the second, you have a different situation altogether, so the spirit of that age is symbolized by a different beast. Notice, as we read the second seal, in verse 3. "And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the SECOND beast say, Come and see." In chapter 4, John numbered the four beasts, so the second beast was LIKE a calf. I want to dwell mostly on this calf now. What is a calf? Well, it is in the family of animals that, under the law, were used on the altar of sacrifice. It is also a species that is used as a burden bearer. So the type here is two fold. It characterizes how the Holy Spirit worked in the church, as it passed through a transition period, from the first age into the second. Let me say this though, We do not have a horse rider and a beast for every church age. We have a beast for every horse rider, but their affect upon the church spanned more than one church age, for we have four beasts, four horse riders, and seven church ages. The whole thing started with the first church age, naturally, but that spirit of antichrist that these four horses represent, has been riding right on through seven church ages, and as we continue, you will see how it is riding even in our day. This calf is symbolic of how the church, as she moved into the second age, faced martyrdom. The lion is no longer on the scene. The horse is now red. Deception and fear tactics failed to overthrow the church, so now Satan is going to try to kill all the Christians, but all of this presents a different picture. He changes his identity, and gets him a red horse. That red horse speaks of how he intends to bathe this thing in blood. Did he succeed? He killed a lot of Christians, but he certainly never accomplished what he intended to. As fast as those imperial rulers would rise to arrest them, humiliate them, try to frighten them, and put them in prison, and then put them to death, up would step another bunch to take their place, Let me die for my Lord next. What was it? The Holy Ghost was giving them grace to face martyrdom with great joy. They could step up, and lay their life down in martyrdom, shouting and praising God all the while. Just thankful to be counted worthy to die for the name of their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That is that sacrificial calf spirit exemplified in the way they faced death at the hands of their enemies, in the second age, and thereafter. That shows how God can give you grace to overcome, even in the face of death. It is a completely different picture, but the church survived.

GOD GAVE GRACE TO FACE DEATH WITH

In the first age, God gave those preachers boldness to preach, even in the face of what seemed like sure death, and when they were arrested, God would send an angel to set them free again, and right back to the same place they were arrested, they would go. But in the second age, the age of martyrdom, God did not get them out of prison; He just simply gave them grace to die while shouting praises to their God. Do you see the difference between the lion Spirit that guarded the word of God in the first age, and the calf Spirit that guarded it in the next age? No matter what the devil did, he could not get rid of the church. When they would kill one, three would step up to take his place. Many times, we have heard people say, How could those people die so willingly? Well that just shows what the Holy Ghost can do. He can so completely take over your faculties, that you will lose all fear, and when death comes, you do not even feel the pain. That is how so many christians have been able to endure such sever torture, and still live, and retain their sanity to tell about it. God just simply gave them sufficient grace to bear whatever was put upon them. There is nothing impossible with God, but what He does is to fulfill a purpose of His, He never meant for the true church to use the power of His Spirit to satisfy the whims of their flesh, as you see going on out here in the Charismatic gatherings. They present the Holy Ghost as an option, a bonus for Christians, if they desire to have that power of God in their lives. Most of them will never hear this, but I have news for them. Without the Holy Ghost, they are not even Christians in the first place. They may be sincerely following some concept of Christianity, but what the Bible calls Christians, are believers that have been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and filled with His Spirit. It takes that Holy Ghost seal, to give you that eternal security that a lot of them believe they have without being baptized by the Holy Ghost. I guarantee you one thing, without the Holy Ghost in your life, you will never face martyrdom for your faith in Jesus Christ, the way those christians in the second church age faced it.

TESTIMONY CONCERNING POLYCARP

Conditions in the church at Smyrna exemplified conditions that would be present in the second church age, so let us turn to the 2nd chapter of Revelation, and read what John was told to write to that church. Verse 8, "And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; (9) I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. (10) 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." Jesus told those saints to be faithful unto death, and I assure you, He will never tell you to do anything that He will not enable you to do. Now as I said, This is a church, in the line up of seven churches, that portrayed the second age, an age of martyrdom. I have read some of the history written of that period, and Polycarp was one martyr that really left an impression on me, as I read what he went through. It is believed that he was the pastor of the church of Smyrna, during the time this red horse rider really began to reach out, and bathe the earth in martyr's blood. He was a student of the apostle John; therefore he had heard John preach. But I read an article giving the account of his arrest and martyrdom. When they finally arrested him, and brought him into the arena, it was late in the day. Now normally they would just let the lions rip and tear those Christians to pieces, but Polycarp had already seen in a vision, his coat engulfed in flames. They brought him before the Tribunal and those magistrates actually begged him to recant, and deny his faith in Christ. But he said, Never! I will never deny Him. The elders of the church at Smyrna had gone along, and were witnesses of the gallant testimony he left. The more they urged him to recant, the more determined his answer came back, I will not. Then the officials called for the lions to be turned loose, but the caretakers told them they had already been caged for the night, so they determined that he should be burned at the stake. (So there was the fulfillment of his vision.) When they brought the wood and tied him to the stake, he did not resist and wrestle with them; he walked out with his head held high, and the peace of God in his heart. Brothers and Sisters: when they tried to light the fire, it just did not want to burn. Then when it finally did get started, it still would not burn as they wanted it to, so one of the soldiers determined to hurry the process along, and he just rammed a sword right through Polycarp's side. But do you know what happened? The beat of his heart caused the blood to gush out, and it was putting the fire out. That so infuriated the officials, they then went to extreme measured to build a fire hot enough to accomplish their purpose, something they had never before had to do. Needless to say, they finally succeeded in burning him, but witnesses declared that as he burned, his face lit up with a glow, and nothing but the peace of God was displayed on his part. That just shows what that calf Spirit did for those saints in that age of time; it made them willing to lay their lives down for the name of Jesus Christ. The revelation, power, and influence of the gospel was preserved in that age, because the true Christians were willing to die for what they believed. Those Christians died with such victory in their souls, even pagans many times, would come rushing down from the bleachers to take their place alongside them. Why? Because the fear of God would get hold of them. God's convicting power could deal with them under those circumstances, and were ready to take their stand right alongside the martyrs. The calf was on the slaughter block, but did the church perish? No. The church thrived. The red horse rider was galloping at will, and the blood of martyrs ran like wine from a winepress, and it continued like that for many decades, but the church of the living God still survived. Oh yes, there were periods when the intensity would subside, but then it would start up again, and during all that time, the calf nature was present to give those saints grace to die.

GOD IS STILL REVEALING TRUTH

Brothers and Sisters: I feel that this is an important message; especially at a time like this, when so many others are preaching and printing their versions of it, and all of them are going in the wrong direction. They have people looking for these horsemen to bring something upon the world, yet at a future date, when actually everyone of them have already gone forth to produce their effect on society, but mainly upon the body of believers. Satan's deceptions affect everyone, but they are designed as an effort to overthrow the church of the living God. Therefore I want to say, at this point, I am not changing anything that was a divine revelation spoken by God's servant, Bro. Branham, in 1963, when he preached on the seals. I will say though, I could not care less what the critics may say, when I feel led of God to present something that Bro. Branham did not touch on, or something that was not given a full explanation at that time. We are living more than twenty years beyond what he taught, and I am fully persuaded that there are things in some of those verses left untouched by him, in this present hour of time. God did not go to sleep, just because He took His prophet messenger from the scene, and laid him to rest. There is still church to perfect, and He is still on the scene to give revelation and enablement to all who follow Him in truth. People of every major denomination, have always been prone to look back to what the founder or messenger brought, that their denomination is built upon, never seeming to realize that God continually moves on. He does not stop for 50 or 60 years, and just let the church exist on what they already have. The Reformation was inaugurated to restore the church to the apostolic truth that Satan's deceiving and overthrowing efforts got her away from, so the Spirit of God is working constantly to that end, and revelation for the body of Christ did not end with the death of Bro. Branham. That is why He said, I am the same yesterday, today, (present tense) and forever. That means that, no matter how many days, weeks, months, or years we have left, the Spirit of God will remain the same to the church. He will continue to update her revelation until she is restored to the place where she is supposed to be before Jesus comes, to call her to the marriage supper. Therefore I ask you to keep an open mind, and allow Him to do His work in each of you, for the hour is late dispensationally. No one should even allow themselves to think, that the bride of Christ will just glide through life, carefree, and then be ready to meet Him when He comes. The Bible lets me know that she is going to get herself dressed up in a revelation of His word, and make herself ready to meet Him.

SATAN'S FAILING EFFORTS

We have spent quite a bit of time on the calf beast, that said to John, Come and see, and when the second seal was opened, so let us read verse 4, and say something more about this red horse and his rider. "And there went another horse that was red: and power was given to him and sat thereon to take peace from the earth, (Brother, the only peace anyone had when this rider went forth, was the peace of God in their hearts.) And that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword." Remember now saints, when the Lamb opened that first seal, we saw a man portrayed in white, with a crown upon his head, and a bow in his hand. That bow is his weapon, but it really is not a weapon, because he had no arrows for it. Without the arrows, there could be no hurt from the bow. The rider is a bluff. All he can do with his bow is scare some people. He portrays the kind of men John and Paul wrote about, false apostles, and false prophets, men who would come among the congregation of the saints, pretending to be of the same belief, but looking for every opportunity to slip in a false teaching something contrary to what the apostles of Christ taught. The church at Ephesus was commended, because they were diligent to put such men to the test, and prove that they were false apostles. Nevertheless it was the devil in disguise, trying to overthrow the church by deception and fear. It was that same old spirit that you find in a lot of these people who go around preaching Bro. Branham, today. They will say, If I were you, I would be afraid to say anything different than what the prophet said it. Just remember, saints, the gospel is good news; therefore if what a person brings to you is good news, why should they have to threaten you, and try to frighten you into receiving it? God never meant it to be so. True saints love truth; they do not have to be threatened, to get them to receive it. The aim of Satan, was to conquer and subdue the church, and get in control. But the Spirit of God in those true saints of that first age, caused them to react to that antichrist teaching with the boldness and authority of a lion. They were not afraid to stand up for the truth, no matter what the circumstances were, and God backed them up all the way. Brother and Sister: let me tell you, Anyone who dresses up in a lion skin, and gets into a cage with a lion, trying to fool him, is going to get hurt. Do not ever think that lion will not know the difference. He will, and he will soon let you know that he knows the difference, But this setting portrays how Satan worked in that first age. That antichrist spirit embodied itself in a lot of men, and they hit the road professing to be great, anointed teachers, apostles, and prophets, and the Holy Ghost in those Christians stood up against them with a lion-like boldness. That is why the devil had to change his tactics. He finally realized that he could not get control of the church like that, so he changed his identity, and his tactics. Realizing that he could not get in the church, and control it, he determined to destroy it, so now he is portrayed on a red horse, with a sword in his hand. A sharp sword is a lot different than a bow without any arrows. A person with a sword can do a lot more than just bluff; they can cut heads off with one swing, and that is exactly what took place in that second age. That is the reason those saints were given a calf-like spirit; it enabled them to die without fear. In other words, when Satan changed horses, and changed his disguise, God was still one step ahead of him. Hallelujah! Satan; You may kill them, but I will give them grace to die with victory in their souls, and there will always be others to take their place. The church was here to stay, no matter what Satan did, trying to get rid of her.

SATAN'S TOOLS IN AGE OF MARTYRDOM

Alright now, let us observe this figure sitting on the red horse. It is important that we see how this same devil keeps changing his tactics, keeps using different types of characters to do his work for him, but always with the same purpose in mind, the overthrow of the church as a spiritual force led by God. When he was riding the white horse, he used preachers to do his dirty work. But now that he is on a red horse, preachers are out of the pictures. He is now going to use politicians, magistrates, dictators, and all men of authority, and they are to take peace from the earth. Remember, Satan always uses men to do his work for him, just like God uses men to do the work of the Lord. Now those who he (Satan) used in the first age were not commissioned to take peace from the earth; they were sent, to slip into the church and plant false doctrine. But these men sent out in the age of martyrdom, portrayed by the red horse, have swords in their hands, and a commission, to take peace from the earth. They definitely are not preachers; they are various officials of the Roman Empire. Read the history of that period of time, and see how there was constant unrest in the Roman Empire, rebellion and revolt in every direction, and the Christians got the blame for it all. Those political men, in their various providences, who were not able to keep everything running smooth, were always looking for someone to blame the nervousness and political unrest on, and anything that went wrong, was blamed on the Christians. Therefore millions of them were led into the arenas where they were tortured and butchered, and the bleachers were filled with blood thirsty, degenerate souls, that enjoyed watching this sort of thing; it built up gradually, and lasted for many, many years. Christians were treated like that, just to appease politicians, kings, and potentates. Where people now go to bull fights, to satisfy their bloodthirsty craving for violence; in those days, they went to the arenas, to watch Christians being tortured and killed. But as I said already, some of those Christians died with so much victory in their souls and left such a testimony of the power of God in their lives, it got hold of many of those who came, just to be entertained, and they would run to their side, and accept the same fate. Every time they killed a bunch, another bunch would fill the ranks, so the Church could not be wiped out like that. The convicting power of God would sweep over those spectators, when some well known saint would stand so bravely, and face those blood thirsty pagans, that many of them would just rush to their side. Only the Spirit of God could do a thing like that, and only the spirit of God could enable those saints to bear such cruel and inhumane treatment. So by and by, Satan finally realized that he was not going to be able to destroy the Church like that, and that forced him to change horses again, and take on still another identity. Time has moved well into the fourth century, when the third horse comes fully into the picture. But let me say this, Do not picture this as though suddenly, one day, the rider jumps off of one horse, and leaps upon another one, and away he goes. No, each change was a gradual one. But the third horse rider, had the longest ride of any, all the way through the Dark Ages.

THE BLACK HORSE - THE BEAST WITH A MAN'S FACE

Let us read verse 5, and catch the first seal now, "And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, (the third beast is the one that had a face as a man.) 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. (6) And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine." Again, Saints: We want to pay attention to the type of fellow that is riding the horse. The first one, had a bow, the second a sword, but this one has a pair of balances, scales. He is going to sell something. Naturally it is the devil in each scene, but he used men to accomplish what he wants done, and in each setting, he uses a different type of men. Therefore these balances in the hand of him, who sat upon the black horse, helps us to understand the kind of men he will be using during this period. Is that understood? We do not see kings out trying to sell something, carrying a set of scales with them, but someone is sure going to, for the voice said, "A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny, and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine." Billy Graham, and all those who are writing articles about these four horsemen, have them all riding at the end of the Gentile dispensation, bringing famines, pestilences, and all sorts of calamity upon mankind, and causing worldwide starvation, and all sorts of things. It is true, such things will occur, as time closes out, but it will not be caused by these four horsemen riding out in the sky, and dumping it upon humanity. As for the famines, that has been going on for many years already. In Africa, and in other places also, people are starving to death by the thousands. The western world hears little about it, for as a rule, they are politically unconcerned, but it is happening just the same. Nevertheless these four horse riders have nothing at all to do with any of that. This is a different picture altogether. So as we look at these weights and measures in the hand of this black horse rider, we realize that this types a certain kind of man, and the position he holds, and we know also, that what this black horse rider attempts to do, will be counterattacked by the third beast John saw in heaven. The one that had a face as the face of a man. Now you realize of course, that regardless of whether we speak as though this is still some future event to be, it is all in the past already. All of these horses have already gone forth, and the effects brought about by their riders, has already been manifested in the earth, so what did that third beast characterize? It could be none other, than what the Holy Spirit would do to preserve the church, throughout all the time this black horse rider would be riding. God's first concern is for the church, so this beast with the face as a man, characterizes the men that were unctioned of God to write letters of rebuke, and to speak in public places, condemning the Catholic Church, and exposing her sins, throughout all of that long Dark Age period. It is true, each church age had its messenger, a man that stood out above all the rest, in defending the word of God, but God used many men for that same purpose in every age. As you read the history of that long period known as the Dark Ages, you will find that man after man, rose to expose that old antichrist church system, and to preach against the sin and corruption of it, but none of them had a revelation as to how to destroy the system. Everything they did was ordained of God to preserve the faith, the confidence, yes even the soul of a few people, who in that dark hour, would make up God's true church, and all the rest were just left to go their own way, which leads to destruction. I have read a few of those letters, written by those men whom God raised up just for that very purpose, and some of them were very lengthy. If you think we have educated men in the world today: let me tell you something, I know of no one that could even compare with them. They could write to emperors and magistrates, with such Holy Ghost boldness and wisdom, it makes you think of the scripture where Jesus said, When they deliver you up to the council, take no thought for what ye shall say, for the Holy Ghost shall give you words in that hour, that shall confound the gainsayers. That is not exactly how it is written, but you know what I mean; the Spirit of God can put words in your mouth at a time like that, that man's education could never come up with. Nevertheless in connection with what we are dealing with, wherever the effects of that black horse rider were felt, this beast with a face as a man was always on hand to oppose it. In other words, we just have to say that this is how God preserves His true church in every age, by opposing Antichrist teachings and the sinful and corrupt ways of religious systems. To some, it looks like the whole plan of God has fallen apart, but I am here to tell you, nothing ever happens, that is a surprise to God, for He is omniscient, He knows it before the world was ever created. Why did He allow it to go as it did? Some will say. You just have to realize the fact, that God receives glory from those who overcome the devil, so the devil has to be given an opportunity to take as many as he can. When you start asking, Why? Why? Why? You have to go all the way back to the garden of Eden. Why did God ever allow the devil to get the first man and woman out of the perfect will and purpose He had set before them? But after the Serpent's seed became a reality, everything else since then has been more or less a sorting out process. God always does something to save those foreknown of Him, and He allows the devil to take all the rest. God has His church, and Satan has his.

CATHOLICISM IN THE DARK AGES

Brothers and Sisters: Let me say this, Once the red horse rider changed to a black horse, and became identified as the black horse rider, he had successfully established what is now called the Roman Catholic Church, and the figure sitting upon that black horse is none other than the figure that is exemplified through all those old popes, that began to change the doctrines and ordinances, and the things of the gospel, that the first church preached, and those black robed priest's that sold the word of God. That is what actually brought on the spiritual darkness. Black symbolizes darkness and death, and brother and sister, history sure calls it, the Dark Ages, all the way from the closing of the fourth century into the fifteenth century. During all that time, the Catholic Church held poor souls under bondage by every means imaginable, and everything that pertained to the gospel was sold to them. That is why the balances are in the picture; they symbolize trade, or the buying and selling of merchandise. But praise God for the last part of verse 6, see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. That is what the third beast was guarding all that time, God's predestined seed. I will never forget the night Bro. Branham was preaching on this, and said, The wheat and barley, naturally is speaking of the two main elements of grain that man, throughout the whole world, has always used as a basis of the staple food of life, which is bread. "A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine." The word of God is man's spiritual bread, and that is what those popes and priests were selling, but brothers and sisters, they could not sell the Holy Ghost nor a pure revelation, and neither could they hurt it; for the third beast was at his post of duty. But we do need to see that all of these ingredients are symbolic of something, and then we need to apply them where they belong.

AFTERMATH OF NICENE COUNCIL

Let me take a minute, and just sort of fill in some details that will allow you to better see how the Catholic Church got such a hold on people in the first place. Coming out of the age of martyrdom, where the church had lived under such pressure, it is easy to see how everything just suddenly turned right around. The devil finally realized that he could never kill all the Christians, for as fast as he would kill a bunch of them, a bunch of pagans would get converted, and take their place. That is why he changed horses, and put on a different disguise. He completely changed all of his tactics. By using a political figure, sitting on a throne, an imperial throne, to make a decree that took all the pressure off of the church. All of a sudden, they were to be no longer persecuted, but accepted, recognized, and respected, along with all the other religions of the Roman Empire. To the Church, that was almost like a shock. You take an element of people that has lived in danger for so long, and their minds have been braced for the ultimate of that which they feared: do not tell me that it would not be a terrible shock, to suddenly hear that their persecution is over with. A thing like that creates a tremendous psychological reaction. For years the Church had lived under great tension, looking upon the terrible atrocities of martyrdom, and knowing from what caliber of men their persecution came, then all of a sudden, here is one of them that extends his hand, and says, We accept you, and respect your religion. What do you think that did to the Christians, to hear news like that? Remember, by that hour of time, Christians were not of the same quality as those of the first century. They did not have the same degree of revelation the Church started out with. In fact, many of them did not even live clean lives, and therefore were not sensitive to the Spirit, so they could receive revelation. They were very conscious of the fact that they needed salvation, and they could see that this was the way. That is why they were so willing to die for it. But as far as revelation, they had very little. Therefore when they heard that the persecution was over, they breathed a great sigh of relief, and right at that moment, the devil was standing, ready to bring on the great numbing shock. Throughout the whole Roman Empire, that decree was fully in effect, and pretty soon, they would begin to see various dignitaries coming into their services. What a surprise. The Church began to feel honored, to have such men coming into their services, and the devil was loving every bit of it, for it was all playing right into his hands. Soon the black horse rider would be selling his merchandise. Naturally it took a process of time, for all of that to build up to the point where it really stood out, but when you study history, how the power of the papacy came to be what it was, you just have to realize that the bishops of Rome took advantage of every opportunity to exercise themselves in things that would draw attention to themselves in things that would draw attention to themselves. During the age of martyrdom, those bishops of Rome were men of prayer, but now that the state has shook hands with the Church, and the bishops have an opportunity to be recognized by political figures, they are a completely different quality of men. As the old imperial throne began to weaken, those bishops stood ready to influence decisions pertaining to state business. History shows that they were outstanding voices of decision, pertaining to political as well as military affairs. In the many invasions by barbarous tribes from the north, it was the decisions made by the bishops, many times, that enabled Rome to stand, and survive. That happened over and over again and again, not just with one man, but with the many that succeeded each other. They all used the power of that chair, to gain every possible political advantage. This is how they managed to get completely in the saddle. By this time, they are called popes instead of bishops, and they will ride that black horse throughout the long period known as The Dark Ages. Everything pertaining to the gospel was sold to those who could afford to pay, but what the poor souls bought, was never even heard of in the first century. The one God that the apostles of Christ preached, was cut up into three pieces. They made a trinity out of God, and turned justification, sanctification, and baptism of the Holy Ghost into rituals that could be sold, instead of personal experiences administered by the Holy Ghost to the individuals. This is that leaven Jesus spoke of in Matthew 13:33, the fourth parable of the seven. The old Roman emperor Constantine, should be alive two hundred years later, to see what his Nicaea Council has turned into. Brothers and Sisters, the farther it went, the worse it got. By one decree, the whole situation was turned around. Where the state used to be over the Church, the Church is now over the state, and the Roman emperor is just a figurehead. They can be put up, or taken down, by the pope. No, it did not get that way in one century. It took many centuries for the pope to get into such a place of dictatorship over the state, but the point is, the devil was in no hurry, just as long as he could get a system of religion set up, that he could rule, and brothers and sisters, he had it. By the time Martin Luther was raised up to protest that old system of religion, there was very little left in the church, that could even be associated with the gospel of Jesus Christ, that the first church was founded upon. The Lord's supper was sold all over Europe. They call it a mass. It is now sold worldwide. The Reformation did not destroy Catholicism, it only wounded its head for a while, but that wound is healed, and all the Protestant daughters of that old mother system are returning home to fellowship with her.

NO PROGRESS MADE IN DARK AGES

It is sad to see people who are so devoted to that old system of religion, how they are robbed by the priests. A little Catholic mother takes her little baby to the priest, to have it christened, and that mass costs her money, and at every stage of its growth, there is another mass to be paid for. Then when that child grows up and becomes self supporting, if that person remains true to the Catholic belief, he, or she will go through life, paying some black robed priest to pray for them. That is that black horse rider, selling the bread of life, at least what they call, the bread of life. That is what brought about the darkest era that the history of the human race has ever recorded. There was not one bit of materialistic advancement in Europe during all that time. However they went into the Dark Ages, that is how they still were, one thousand years later. Their life style did not change during all that time. Poverty was considered to be a virtue of true spirituality. I read where one fellow that believed like that, had a pole set up in a certain part of his city, and a platform erected on top of it, and he sat up there every so many days, dressed in old burlap, and eating old stale bread, and drinking water, nothing else. Then it told of the great miracles that took place, when visitors would pass by that spot. Now brothers and sisters, I do not deny the miracle power of God. Neither do I deny His acts of mercy. But I will say this, Whatever acts of mercy and grace God may have bestowed upon some of those people, it was not because that dirty thing was sitting up there on top of that pole. God, many times, looks upon the ignorance and sincerity of certain people that try so hard to please Him, and He meets their need, and comforts them, but I assure you, none of these self inflicted tortures and denials of the flesh have ever moved God to do anything. The world of religion cannot use that though; they still believe God is persuaded to move on their behalf, because of what they do, when the Bible clearly teaches us, that God is moved only by our faith that is exercised toward Him, and that kind of faith is not something that a person just suddenly decides to have. It must be built in us, and cultivated, by a personal relationship with God and by studying His written word. That has nothing at all to do with what God does sovereignly to accomplish some purpose of His. God does many things just simply to further deceive those who have no love for the truth. Would God do that: You may say. In II Thessalonians, Chapter 2, Paul said He would. "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they might be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." In other words, what I am saying is, God by His own sovereign will does many things for many people but the only scriptural provision we have, to receive anything from Him, is to ask in prayer, believing that we shall receive it, because we see a provision in the scriptures. As for this old burlap, If the Pope of Rome wore it, no one would say a word against it, but a while back, the news media looked at the queen of England, and because they did not think she was dressed according to their perception of how she should be dressed, they made remarks about it. I just thought to myself, The devil has this world so blinded, they have completely left reality. He is playing with their minds, and they are too far gone to even realize it. Thank God for those precious souls that have always cherished whatever little measure of truth they could get hold of, or this world would be completely given over to insanity.

THE OIL AND THE WINE

God let those old priests sell the gospel in its bits and pieces, but He refused to let them touch the Holy Ghost. "See thou hurt not the oil and wine." Oil and wine are opposite ingredients from what the bread is. These are liquids, that serve a different purpose, but when we make a spiritual application, they go with the bread. The bread, being the word of God, must be taken with the Holy Ghost, (which is signified by the oil and wine)or else it is just dead letter. It takes the Holy Ghost to cause it to be a life giving substance. As we said, Oil speaks of the anointing quality of the Holy Ghost, and wine speaks of the revelatory quality of the Holy Ghost, because revelation of God's word causes the same stimulating affect upon our spirit, that natural wine does to the natural body. You let the natural man of the world get a little discouraged, and the weight of depression starting to burden him down, and many times, you will see him take a little wine, because it has a stimulating, relaxing affect upon his natural body, and makes his heart merry. In other words, It just sort of lifts his spirit, if he does not take too much. Too much of it will cause him to pass out, but you will have a type of the Holy Ghost there, for I have seen people pass out when they drank of the Spirit of God, also. They do no wake up with a hangover, when they pass out like that, though. Hallelujah! If you are going to drink, this is the kind of wine to drink, for it is still the same as when those first disciples of Christ drank of it on the day of Pentecost, almost two thousand years ago. You cannot change it. As I said, God permitted the papacy to change the letter of the gospel, and sell it to all who would buy, but they could not touch the oil and the wine, for that is the Spirit of God, and God never changes. He reserves that same stimulation for His true people, in every age, if they seek all that is available to them. But during those Dark Age years, you will have to admit, there was very little revelation. They just simply existed off of the grace and mercy of God without the stimulation, except for a very few individuals. The Catholic Church has their confirmation, but it is totally void of any spiritual benefit to the persons partaking of it, for the Holy Ghost is not in it. They can line students up before the altar who have studied all the catechisms and the apostles creed (so called) and when they put that little wafer on their tongue, they receive no more stimulation from it, than they would from eating popcorn. On the other side of the picture, you let a soul get hungry for the true bread of life, and the Holy Ghost will be right on hand to anoint that person. The anointing comes first, for that is how He leads you to truth. Hallelujah! Praise God! It is a beautiful thing, the way God works. As your soul reaches out to God, the Holy Ghost just comes down and gets inside of you, and begins to open up the avenue of your understanding, and when you begin to see the truth of something you have wondered and wondered about, you experience that stimulating affect in your spirit, like the natural man has in his natural emotions from taking a little wine. Alright, I hope this has helped you to understand the terminology used, in connection with the black horse, and his rider that carried the set of balances (scales) in his hand.

THE REFORMATION

We have one more horse and rider to look at, but there is a transition period in between the black horse rider and the pale (grey) horse rider, that we will need to talk about first. The gray horse rider comes fully upon the scene in the Laodicean age, but there are some men who come into the picture before that gray horse rider rides out. The Holy Ghost began anointing men like Martin Luther, Calvin, Knox, Huss, and others, and giving them a revelation of some great truth that had been taken from the Church during the Dark Ages, and the years leading up to what is commonly referred to as the Dark Ages. Nevertheless their revelations were always for the purpose of restoring back to the Church, something that had been lost. Actually John Huss was sort of a forerunner of the reformers of the sixteenth century, for he was burned at the stake in the year 1415 A.D., for refusing to recant, long before Martin Luther came into the picture. But God used all of those men, in a very real and dramatic way, as they would get a revelation of His word, and would take their stand against the opposing forces of the devil. Those years in between the Dark Ages and the Laodicean age, are known as the age of Reformation. Years in which various Protestant movements came into being, as a result of God's dealing in the life of their founders. The Reformers are not the ones that built the denominational fences around the truth they received from God; it was their followers, that did that, after they had finished their work on earth, and gone on to their reward. Furthermore, it was not until around the World War II era, that any Protestant denomination even had any thoughts about merging back with the Catholic Church. As a matter of fact, those denominational preachers were strongly opposed to any favorable mention of the Catholic Church, from Lutheranism, right on down the line. But prior to 1948, there began to be a compromising spirit move among them, as more and more of them lost their founder's original revelation, and stimulation, and could no longer see clearly why they were apart from the Catholic Church. Therefore in 1948, there came the birth of a movement of Protestantism, The World Council of Churches, and that brings us up to a point where I believe we should get this gray horse rider into the picture. I call it a gray horse, because there is no such think as a pale horse. Pale is a word that is used in connection with skin color and such like, but never in connection with the color of a horse. What John saw, was a horse that was neither white nor black, so he referred to it as a pale horse, but we all know that such a horse is commonly referred to as a gray horse. We used to call that a blue steel gray. If you pull one hair of the body, from a certain distance to the body, it is still white, but at the end of the hair you will find that blackish color. Why could John see a horse like that? Well the devil had to change horses, for the last ride, and the horse that is neither all white, nor all black, could signify nothing else but the fact that Roman Catholicism and apostate Protestantism is merging back together in a great world-wide ecumenical move. Satan's church is being unified for the remainder of this Laodicean age. That gray horse rider will ride right on out to the end. Let us read the scripture we are talking about, the fourth seal, found in Revelation 6:7-8. (7) "And when he (Jesus) had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast (the eagle) say, Come and see. (8) And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth."

THE PALE (GRAY) HORSE - THE FLYING EAGLE

Alright let us take a close look at the figure sitting on that horse. When it first appeared on the scene, it truly was the Pope of Rome sitting in the saddle, but coming into the 1960's Pope John 23rd took the prayer of Jesus, where he was praying that we all might be one, and he began inviting the Protestant daughters, to come home to mama. Saints, I am so glad we had a prophet messenger on the scene, that said, Beware of that thing. That is the pale horse rider of Revelation 6:7, it is not the Holy Ghost. This is the devil's counterfeit. To a lot of people, and especially at a distance, it looked like a white horse, but that just goes to show how color blind they are. As I said, you could look at a white horse, and a gray horse off in the distance, and you probably could not see much difference between them. That is the way world religion is today; they are so spiritually blind; they cannot tell the difference between right and wrong any more. No wonder Jesus said, When the blind lead the blind, they all fall into the ditch. None of them can see well enough to guide anyone else. They are all color blind, or we should say sore eyed Christians, as it is described in the letter to the church at Laodicea, in Revelation 3:18. Why call them sore eyed? Simply because Jesus said to the church at Laodicea, "Anoint thine eyes with eye salve that thou mayest see." They have sore eyes. They cannot keep them open; therefore they cannot see what is coming down the road, spiritually speaking. I had sore eyes once, speaking from the standpoint of my natural eyes. It was hot and dry, and I was riding a combine every day, combining grain, and sweated excessively, around my temples, and was continually just wiping across my eyes, so I got up one morning, and could not get my eyes open. Sitting there on that old tractor every day, with the hot sun beaming down on me, sweat running into my eyes, and all that dust boiling up around my head, finally got to be almost more than I could stand. My eyes were bloodshot and irritated, and finally got to the point where I just literally had to pry them open. It got to be so painful, I said to my wife one morning, Honey, If I don't get some relief from this condition somehow, I am just going to have to stop for a few days, and let this irritation clear up. I only had a few more days of work, and I wanted to keep going, if I could, but my condition got a littler worse every day. That morning, I went on to the field, and my wife got in the car, and went to see the doctor for me. She told him the shape my eyes were in, so he said, We'll fix that up for him. He sent me a little tube of ointment, no larger than my little finger, and said, Tell him to rub just a small amount of this on his eyelids, when he goes to bed. The very next morning, my eyes felt ever so much better. I know first hand, what Jesus meant by anointing eyes with eye salve, and I also know how to apply that same thing spiritually. When Christians spiritual eyes get in the shape my natural eyes were in, how can they even know that they are naked, spiritually speaking? That gray horse is galloping, It has apostate Protestantism and Roman Catholicism all sleeping in the same bed. That ecumenical spirit is gathering them all together. The Protestant daughters are forming into an image of what their mother has always been. That is why John could see an image to the first beast, in Revelation, chapter 13. Pope John started this whole thing, and those that have succeeded him are still carrying on the program he started, and for the same purpose, to get the Protestant daughters back home again. Now Catholics themselves, do not care whether the horse is black, white or gray. But those poor blind Protestants say, It looks white. This must be Jesus. Surely it is the will of God for us all to be one. Sure the Bible says that, but Jesus was speaking of all those that the Father had given Him, so I am terribly afraid there are a lot of people using that scripture, that were not even in the mind of Jesus, when He spake those words.

ECUMENICALISM - GROSS DECEPTION

David Duplessis, who used to be the president of the Pentecostal World Council of Churches, is the one that took the Charismatic Pentecostal message to the Vatican Council, and taught those priests how to speak in tongues. That is why the book titled "Mr. Pentecost" came to be written. The Pope pointed his finger at David Duplessis and said, Mr. Pentecost! Brothers and Sisters, from that time ever since, practically all of the Pentecostal movements have one way or the other, managed to align themselves with the overall body of this unification fellowship. They have all helped to form the body of this powerful horse, that is presently being ridden right on through the world of religion, and will continue right on to the end. The Pope of Rome is riding the gray horse, and the church world in general looks at it, and thinks it is a white horse. Pope John 23rd passed off the scene, and the next one stepped up and said, I will carry on what he started. He passed from the scene, and the next one went one step further; he said, We know that the Catholic Church, in the past, has made many errors. Oh, that sounded good to the Protestants. It sounded so good to them, they did not even notice that this was as far as he ever went. They automatically took what he said, as though the Catholic Church had repented, but that was not the case at all. In the letter to the Thyatira Church, God said, "I gave her space to repent of her fornication, and she repented not." So I thank God for that eagle Spirit, that spake through His prophet, and said, Watch out for that gray horse rider. It is one thing for a man to say, I have done wrong, but is quite a different thing when he repents, and turns from his wrong ways. That was not the case here, for that was as far as he ever went, but it did serve its purpose. Psychologically it had a very persuasive influence upon a lot of people. That Pope has just concluded a visit to various nations, and he is liked everywhere he goes. He is the most influential figure in the world today. That is why I have to say, If he is not the pope to fulfil Daniel 9:27, he sure is getting everything set up for the one who will. But regardless of how much he is liked, the Bible says His name is, Death, and Hell followed with him. That is the end. Every person who allows themselves to be influenced, and incorporated into the body of that thing, death and hell is their end. Now notice the weapons, still in verse 8, "And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, (This is all still ahead.) And with death, and with the beasts of the earth."

THE EAGLE SEES DANGER UP AHEAD

Brother and sister, let me tell you, The pope that is in the saddle in the dark tribulation hour yet ahead, is going to initiate a bloodbath like this world has never yet seen. That is when sword, famine, and everything will be used, all at the same time, trying to rid the earth of every soul that believes in God, both Jew and Gentile. That is when that gray horse rider, rides right off the scene, right into death and hell himself, at the end of the 3½ years of great tribulation. Now let me ask you this, Who was it that introduced that horse rider? It was the fourth beast, the one that was like a flying eagle. He was sitting high enough to see what was coming. Therefore by the authority of God's word I will say, That is why God had a prophet on the scene when He did. For before that gray horse rider really got going, doing what he is doing now, he was already exposed to the true saints. We knew what that horse would represent, and we knew what to watch for. In 1963, where was that eagle? He was high up, where he could see the storms coming. He was looking beyond the natural horizon, beyond where our natural vision reaches, and when he told us to beware of that gray horse, that was God's way of warning His true people to stay free from all of that ecumenical compromising. Of course you cannot expect denominational people to heed such warnings though, for if they had a revelation of Bro. Branham's part in the plan of God, they would not still be in those denominational systems. Nevertheless knowing that the other three beasts fulfilled their role corresponding to the horses that were rode in their particular era of time, there is no reason in the world for anyone to doubt that God had that eagle Spirit on hand, in the physical form of a little man we loved and respected, to combat the activities of this gray horse rider, as he rode out to gather up the harlot daughters of Roman Catholicism, and deliver them into the hands of their old mother, the great whore of Revelation 17:1. Of course some will say, But Bro. Branham is gone now, and you say the gray horse rider is still riding, so how is that Antichrist spirit being combatted in this hour of time? Well even though Bro. Branham has left the scene, the message he delivered to this Laodicean age is still very much with us, and so is that Eagle Spirit that was in him, still very present in our day, for it is the Spirit of God, working through the true ministry, on behalf of the bride of Christ, to perfect her revelation. In other words, God took the man that first exemplified the eagle Spirit in this age, but He certainly has not taken the eagle. It will be here as long as the church is still here. For as long as the Church is still here, it will need Holy Ghost guidance and protection. God will always have his instruments on the scene, to look at present situations, and say, Church! Don't go that way! Therefore as the World Council of Churches and Roman Catholicism unite together, all incorporated in the body of that horse, you can be sure of this one thing, That eagle is going to by flying close by the side of the Church, and anytime it sees danger, around the curve in the road, it is going to scream, and its screaming will always be in harmony with the scriptures. Just do not allow yourselves to become relaxed and careless, for that gray horse rider is still riding full speed ahead, and he will not give up his relentless efforts to mislead or destroy the church of the living God, until she is lifted up from this old earth in the rapture. Let us just be thankful in our hearts, that we had spiritual ears, to hear that eagle scream.

SPIRIT OF TRUTH

Brothers and Sisters: We still have the 5th seal that we cold go on into, where John saw souls under the altar, asking, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on earth? But my main concern, in the light of all that is being published on the subject lately, is to show who the rider is, on these four horses, so that people who are just sort of caught in the middle, will be able to make up their own minds, which way they want to believe this thing. Those who are capable of receiving a true revelation, will have their opportunity to do so, and all the rest can just go on with Billy Graham, Jimmy Swaggart, or any one else they choose to. If they want to believe that all the horses are yet to be ridden out in the last days, causing terrible catastrophic occurrences in the world, let them do so, for these things are only for the true bride of Christ anyhow. Fifty years ago, it was a common thing for folks to believe like that, but when people still choose to believe like that, after they have had their chance to hear the true revelation of these things, then there is little hope for them. God did not place His Spirit within us, to keep us in darkness; it is supposed to lead us into the light of His revealed word. In other words, into all truth, not into error.

SUMMARY OF THE FOUR HORSEMEN

Let us run back through the four horsemen. Nineteen hundred years ago, the spirit of Antichrist went forth, symbolized by a white horse and a rider that had a bow in his hand, but no arrows to shoot in the thing. He was a bluff, and the Spirit of God, to combat that spirit was symbolized as a lion, because that first church age had men who spoke against that Antichrist spirit, with the boldness of a lion. Then came Satan in another disguise, symbolized by a red horse, because he had decided to try to kill all the Christians, simply because he could not get control of the church by sowing false doctrine in it. But the power of God that gave those saints grace to die a martyr's death, was symbolized by a calf beast. Simply because a calf is a beast of sacrifice, and a beast of burden. Therefore Satan was still defeated in his attempts to get control, for as fast as he could kill a bunch of Christians, another bunch of pagans would get converted, and step up, to take their place. The martyrs went to their death, singing praises to the God of their salvation, so Satan could have no victory there. That brought on the black horse, darkness, and the gospel of Christ was sold to the people, in its perverted particles, by the Catholic Church. That is where we see the Spirit of God portrayed in the beast with a face as a man, as men were inspired and unctioned by the Holy Ghost, to speak against that religious dogma, and to write letters condemning and denouncing it. This covered all the Dark Age period of history and brought time to the Reformation. The Reformation produced all these harlot daughters, that stand out so prominently in the age of Laodicea, and that gave Satan the opportunity to send another rider out, the Pope of Rome, on a gray horse. This horse is neither all white, nor all black, but contains a mixture of both white and black. Remember, horse speaks of power, so we are looking at the power of the Antichrist, pulling off a gross deception on the harlot daughters of Roman Catholicism, but the Spirit of God, symbolized by an eagle, is watching over His true Church, and warning her, not to have any part in this ecumenical Council of Churches. He is also revealing His true plan for the ages to her, by getting her back into His written word, and back to the faith of her apostolic fathers. So we will conclude this message by saying, We know what the four horsemen of the Apocalypse are, we know when they went forth, and for what purpose, and we know what the final results of it all will be, but the battle is not over yet, for Satan is still on the loose, and he will not give up until he is chained up for a thousand years. Therefore let us be faithful to our heavenly Father, and to the revelation He has so abundantly given us, and when that last trump sounds, we will be ready to go with Jesus, to the marriage supper. God bless you. Amen!