Part 3b: 1960 – Rev Ch. 1-3 (The 7 Church Ages)

Bro William Branham under the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit preached a series of sermons titled, The Seven Church Ages, in which he expounded various doctrines and truths that had been almost forgotten. This series was preached in 1960 and he continued in 1961 with Rev. Ch. 4. Bro Branham teaches that the 7 Church Ages of Apocalypse that run from Ch. 1 to 3, though they had typified the earlier churches located in Asia Minor, they also had a prophetic extension of being the actual historical development of the Apostolic Christian Church. The revelation thus puts the 7 Church Ages as a Prophetic Utterance of things that were to happen in the future. It was taught that not even Paul or the Apostles knew that the Church of Christ would go through 7 historical periods. But according to the Revelation given to Bro Branham by God Himself, the Church, it was revealed, had gone through 7 historical ages up to the present. Another important revelation was that each Church age had an angel-messenger, a man of God, a leader of that age. The Lord Jesus revealed to Bro Branham the actual names of those messengers, and the dates that each of those ages corresponded to. Thus, this great Revelation of the 7 Church Ages and the 7 Stars of Revelation is one of the most major prophetic revelations of our time. Christians from many denominations have disagreed with this prophetic vision. But William Branham’s teachings have been vindicated throughout his life by the signs and wonders of Mark 16. (-MORE-)

Besides the identification of the names of these angel-messengers, which by itself is quite an astounding proclamation along with the specific dates that the Church had to go through, there are various fundamental truths that I would like to approach and that many times have been highly misinterpreted by some in the ministry. These fundamental aspects that are dealt with in The Seven Church Ages are: 1) the dark and white areas of the church ages, 2) the Pentecostal Experience as the Key, 3) the deeds and doctrines of Nicolaitans, and doctrines of Balaam, 4) the unity of God and the name of Jesus Christ, 5) the composite Church as both Jewish and Gentile, 6) the 9 Gifts of the Spirit and 5 Fold Ministry, 7) the Rapture of the Church and the Great Tribulation. Other doctrines will not be included in this discussion since they have been clearly understood by all as fundamental tenets of Christianity: holiness, Holy Ghost baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and others.

--- Serafin Roldan-Santiago