Seven Seals Doctrine

Though the Bible states that no human was worthy to open the book sealed with seven seals in Revelation 5,[1] William Branham claimed to have "opened the seals" binding the book that was in the right hand of "him that sat on the throne" in Revelation 5:1.  According to Branham, God spoke to him and each "seal" was a "mystery" which formed an extra-biblical "sevenfold mystery of the Bible".  Then, God allegedly revealed these "mysteries" to Branham in his room.[2][3]

He spoke to me, and said, 'The Seven Seals will be opened. The seven mysteries, sevenfold mystery of the Bible, that's been closed up since the foundation of the world, will be revealed.' And we, yet a humble little group, compared with all the world, we've enjoyed these blessings, a hearing those mysteries[4]

Branham claimed that these alleged "mysteries" had been hidden from the church through time.  When he explained what God allegedly "revealed", however, Branham plagiarized Clarence Larkin's 1919 book, "The Book of Revelation: A Study of the Last Prophetic Book of Holy Scripture",[5] Charles Taze Russel,[6] and more.  Branham re-branded their combined works as his "Seven Seals Doctrine", and claimed it for his own.

Interestingly, Branham could not seem to decide which of his sources to copy for the "mystery" of the Seventh Seal.  In a two-hour sermon, about the seal that received only a half-hour of silence in heaven according to Revelation 8:1, Branham never revealed the "mystery".  As a result, Branham's cult of personality splintered over divisions between leaders in his sect that believed their interpretation of Branham's "mystery" was more accurate.  

Branham's Seven Seals doctrine is closely related to his Church Ages doctrine, also heavily plagiarized by Clarence Larkin.  Like Larkin, Branham added the word "ages" to the Seven Churches of Asia Minor from Revelation 1:11.  Then, using Larkin's dates with two minor adjustments to link himself to the Apostle Paul, Branham appointed "Church Age Angels" or "Church Age Messengers" to each "Church Age".  Also interestingly, Branham does not appear to have spent much time in study; St. Columba was not alive during his alleged "Church Age".[7]

According to Branham, the list of ages and messengers was:

1. Ephesus (A.D. 53-170), Messenger: Apostle Paul[8]
2. Smyrna (A.D. 170-312), Messenger St. Irenaeus[9]
3. Pergamos (A.D. 312-606), Messenger St. Martin[10]
4. Thyatira (A.D. 606-1520), Messenger Columba[11]
5. Sardis (A.D. 1520-1750), Messenger Martin Luther[12]
6. Philadelphia (A.D. 1750-1906), Messenger John Wesley[13]
7. Laodicea (A.D. 1906-Rapture[14] ), Messenger "Elijah" (himself)[15].

Over time, the Seven Seal doctrine also became closely connected to the 1963 Mystery Cloud doctrine. Branham claimed to have traveled to Arizona to receive a "message from the lord" from five angels (and also for a hunting trip), and then returned to preach the Seven Seals series.  After preaching the entire series, and a cult member shared a magazine article of the 1963 cloud formation over northern Arizona, Branham began claiming that the cloud formation was actually seven angels that left the earth after giving him the alleged "mysteries".[16]

And no more than the second group of birds come by, I looked to the West. And looked like in the form of a pyramid, like two on each side, with one in the top, came five of the mightiest Angels I ever seen in my life … I couldn't see Them, but I had been brought into this constellation of a pyramid of Them, inside this constellation of - of Angels, of five. And I thought, "Now, death Angel would will be one. Five would be grace. " I was thinking that. I thought, "Oh! It's - It's coming with my Message. That's my second climax. They're coming to bring me the Message from the Lord. " And I screamed out with all my might, as loud as I could, "O Jesus, what would You have me do?" And when I did, It just - just went away from me.[17]

I saw seven angels come. Didn't "Life" Magazine pack it, just a fog of It floated across here twentyseven miles high and thirty miles across. Is not Fred Sothmann and these others, Gene Norman and them setting back there, stood right there when them seven Angels appeared right there on the hill? It shook the hills for miles around like that. There stood seven Angels and throwed a sword in a hand and said, "Go home and open these Seven Seals that are given.[18]

More Information:

First Seal
Second Seal
Third Seal
Fourth Seal
Fifth Seal
Sixth Seal
Seventh Seal