FIVE RAPTURES: THREE, HISTORY – TWO, PROPHECY
Now, what I am preaching to you here tonight is not a new doctrine, and it‟s not something that is new in
the Bible. Friends, there are other Raptures that took place in the Bible. So now, these Raptures that took place in the
Bible: they took place in order to give the end time Bride faith that she could look back in the Bible, and also the
prophets and the preachers could look back in the Bible, and see that there were other people raptured before us.
There were two major Raptures that took place in the Old Testament time, and there was a major Rapture
that happened in the Old Testament and the New Testament time, alright, and they are now history. They were
fulfilled from the time of Genesis right up to the Lord Jesus Christ. Three Raptures are completed.
Now there are two more Raptures that are prophesied to come on the scene, and the next two Raptures did
not take place yet, one however is very imminent, and is going to take place in our generation. Right in our
generation it is going to take place. The one that I am talking about is called, „The Great Rapture‟, and then there is
another Rapture to take place in the Bible.
These five Raptures, we are going to first get them out of the way in the scriptures. Three Raptures are
typing out how the great Rapture is going take place in the end time. They were put there for types and shadows, and to help us to understand about the Rapture of the Bride.
THE FIRST RAPTURE - ENOCH
So now this here is taken from Genesis; do you see a Rapture way down in Genesis? In the 5 th chapter of
the Book of Genesis: it speaks of a man called, ―Enoch‖. I am going to call that number one Rapture. Alright, now
here is a man going away in a Rapture alone. He was a special man. Glory to God!
Genesis 5:24-25 <And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked
with God: and he was not; for God took him.>
Now, many a man probably read that scripture throughout the ages, and could not understand because they
did not have much Light on what happened to Enoch. Brethren, we learned something there that if you walk with
God one of these days He is going to take you away. These things here are types and shadows. Yes.
Now, Enoch was the seventh from Adam; and types the end time Bride, that went through the seventh
church age and is going to walk with God, and the Lord will take her up:
Genesis 5:23 <And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years: And Enoch walked with
God: and he was not; for God took him.>
Many a man must have read that scripture and said, “Well, the Lord took him, he died and they buried
him”, but that scripture needed revelation, it needed understanding. So here, in the New Testament when they
learned and seen what the Lord had done Himself, they understood better.
Hebrews 11:5 <By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because
God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.>
Alright, the Lord took him. Those two scriptures put together, friends, speaks of the translation and the
Rapture of Enoch.
Before you go in the Rapture you must be translated. Before Enoch went in the Rapture he had to be
translated. So he walked with God, he reached into a certain place where he pleased Almighty God by faith, by
divine revelation, and then what happened? One day he walked the face of the earth, and his feet just got light, and a
change came over him, yes, my brothers, the gray hairs fell off, it became black and there came a change over the
man, and then after that change came upon the man then he started going up into the heavens, and the Lord called
him straight up into heaven; he alone.
Now, watch something here and watch the type, my friends: Enoch was translated and he is a type of the
end time Bride that is raptured before the floods come; the floods of judgment. So now, why must there be a Rapture
in the end time? Even because there is a destruction going to come upon the face of the earth and God has prepared a
Rapture to take us off the earth before the judgment falls. So now that‟s the type and that‟s a shadow. Enoch is a
type of this Rapture, and Noah is a type of the tribulation people. If you notice that they went through the flood and
although God saved them they had to be inside of that boat with all the hardship through that water, for a hundred
and fifty days. NOAH WENT THROUGH THE TRIBULATION OF THE FLOOD
Quote W.M.B.: 43 But after Noah was pressed into that condition that he was in, to float forty days and
nights in a storm and the little ark pitching up and down in the water, it was after the flood was over that he saw the
rainbow for its first time, the covenant of hope, the covenant of promise. After he'd went through the tribulation,
then he saw the promise. (I Know 60-0417S).
ENOCH WAS A TYPE OF THE RAPTURED CHURCH
Quote: E-20 And Enoch, of course, was a type of the raptured group of the church. And Noah is a type of
the carried over or the elect of the Jews that will be carried through the tribulation period. And we're now living in
that day. (The Great Coming Revival 54-0718A.).
Quote: E-28 Noah was a type that was carried over like the sleeping virgin. But Enoch was translated
just before the tribulation struck. And Enoch was took up, and was found not, because God took him: the type of the
going forth of the going forth of the church. And Noah watched him. When he seen Enoch go, he knew it was time to
enter the ark, for to be carried through the tribulation. (Lamb's Book Of Life 56-0603).
Noah and the brethren that were saved there typed the tribulation saints, the foolish virgins. But Enoch out
here types the Bride of Christ. This one man types the Bride of Christ that is going to be raptured in the end time. So
now that is why the Lord took this man away, the seventh from Adam. He took him away, way back then in order to type out the translation of the Bride in the end time to escape the judgments of God. Why must there be a Rapture?
THE SECOND RAPTURE - ELIJAH
Now there is a second Rapture that took place; everybody knows it. I never said that you have to go up in
five Raptures. I said there are five Raptures; you only have to go in one.
II Kings 2:9-11 <And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I
shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be
upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it
shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire…”
“…there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a
whirlwind into heaven.>
Is that a Rapture? [Congregation says, “Amen!”] Alright, that‟s a Rapture.
II Kings 2:12-14 <And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the
horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.>
I love that. My brothers and sister, let me read it a little bit again.”
<…He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of
Jordan; And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD
God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.>
That is what we are asking, ―Where is the God of William Branham?” We are going to see the God of
William Branham by a double portion of the Spirit when it comes upon the end time Bride. There we are friends;
that‟s Rapture number two. Is that correct? [Congregation says, “Amen!”]
Alright, here is a man again who went away in a Rapture alone. Observe how that Rapture took place,
there, it is going to come up a little later. There came down chariots of fire, UFOs. All that they saw was a big UFO
coming down to the earth, and it got brighter and brighter, and the Lord wanted only Elijah not Elisha, and that UFO
sped between the both of them, and pushed down Elisha and took up Elijah. Yes sir, and Elisha barely seen it, it was
horsemen of fire. Glory to God! Chariots of Fire and horsemen of fire, and he cried out, and said, “My father, my
father: I see it. I see it. I see it!” Oh glory to God! He said, “I‟m going to get a double portion of the Spirit: I see it. I
see it.” Yes sir. UFO came down. My Lord!
And those UFOS just came down there and the Lord opened up the eyes of Elisha and He realized that they
were men. It was a Chariot of Fire and Horsemen of Fire. The Horsemen of Israel, resembling the Israelites. They came down for him. They looked like Israelites, picked him up and they went. That‟s Rapture number two and it
was a mysterious something.
ENOCH & ELIJAH – TYPES OF THE RAPTURE
Quote W.M.B.: E-40 Enoch, before the world, the antediluvian destruction, if He wanted to show a
type, how could He do if He didn't want Enoch to die? He had to make a translation for him. So God just made a
rapture for him. God had to do it in order to make a type out of Enoch. That's right.
When Elijah come to die, He'd already showed His type in that, so He had to show a way. So when Elijah
crossed over and was going to be taken up, God had to make a way of escape for him. So He just set him down a
chariot of fire and horse of fire, took him on up into glory. (The Infallibility Of God's Spoken Word 56-0404).
THIRD RAPTURE - JESUS AND OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS
Now there is a Third Rapture in the Bible.
Acts 1: 9-11: <And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up;
and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he
went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why
stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so
come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.>
I am talking about the Rapture, the Catching-Away, There are other things that are to happen before the
Catching-Away. There came a time in Jesus Ministry when He was talking to the disciples. He was upon the earth
for about forty days and forty nights breaking bread, eating fish and bread and all these other things.
They asked Him Lord, “Are you going to restore the Kingdom now”, are we going to overcome the
Romans, are we going to overthrow Caesar, now that you have great power because you came back from the dead?
They asked, “When are you going to restore the Kingdom?”
Acts 1:7-8: <And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father
hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be
witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. >
I Corinthians 15:6: <After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater
part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.>
Five hundred people were gathered upon a mountain and all of a sudden our Lord feet start lifting off the
face off the earth. I guess it confused them; they never heard an engine started. Do you hear what I am telling you
little girls? No. He never started to wave His hands like that. He had the Holy Ghost Power in Him.
The same power that raised Him from the dead was able to rapture Him. He was talking to them casually
and then all of a sudden His feet started raising off the ground. I believe it confused the disciples. They expected
Him to go and take over the Kingdom of the Romans and get swords and kill out all those Romans and here he was
lifting off the ground. I imagine one fellow that was standing level to him said: “Boy Jesus got taller than me, he
looked down said: “But wait, his feet is not on the ground!” yes sir, I guess one person held on to Him. “Lord, my
Lord”. And the power was so great, He just slip out of the fellow hands and kept going up. No Grave shall hold my
body down. [Congregation rejoices].
I believe it confused the five hundred and they looked there at this great miracle, probably some of them
backed off a little bit, because there was so much Power in our Lord. Then after he raised one foot from off the face
of the earth, he looked like a tall man, he raised two feet. Now, he was not going up very fast like a rocket; no sir.
Some things that God does is very slow, you know it takes time, with many of these things, and He continued going
up, and when he crossed the height of the head, they had to lift up their heads. They said, “What in the world is
this”.
I am telling you the Rapture is a mystery. Isn‟t that a mystery? How on earth can a man break the force
of gravity without jumping up, without moving his hands like that, without getting a motor? It‟s a mystery, and
there was so much power in our Lord, His Power was inside of the soul, and that Power inside of our Lord, kept
pushing Him upward. Nothing could hold Him down! Nothing could hold Him down!
Now He was rising, He was going up, His feet above them, and the disciples gazing up saying: “Jesus.”
They were confused. “Any how, maybe He is showing us a miracle. He will come back down”, they imagined. It
was not just a miracle. They gazed up into heaven at that human being. Can you see His celestial robe, the old robe that they gambled for? He did not have on that again. The Lord gave Him a celestial robe and He kept going up.
“Can you see Him?” He was going up, and the disciples lifted their heads. I do not know what was their mood, but
they were amazed, they were scared, they were confused, and kept watching and they saw this man going up higher
and higher and higher, yes.
I guess many of them were calling, many of them were crying, many of them were asking: “Lord where are
you going?” And up and up and up they saw the Lord moving gradually. I do not believe according to the Scripture,
it was something that went like a rocket. No, the chariots probably did that, but not this. He went gradually, even as
the Holy City, New Jerusalem will be coming down as a bride adorned for her husband, yes sir. [Congregation
rejoices].
It was not coming down with great speed friends, no sir, and He gradually moved up and He was looking
smaller and smaller and smaller and then all of a sudden a white cloud came and He went inside of that cloud and
they saw the last part of His feet going into the cloud, and the cloud received Him out of their sight. And they were
so confused that the Lord had to send two angels dressed in white apparel standing at their side. They said: “Men of
Galilee why gaze ye up into Heaven? Oh my, you are so confused; you do not understand what just happened. I am
sorry for you men of Galilee, why gaze ye up into heaven? The same Jesus, who went up shall return in like
manner.”
Now speaking of the physical return of our Lord Jesus, my beloved, our Lord Jesus will come in a cloud
when He returns to meet us in the air. Now you see what I am talking about. Now do not get confused with the
Shout and the Voice, I am talking about, the physical return of the Lord, when the Lord return to catch His Bride
away, He comes back in the same cloud that received Him out of their sight, yes, and he comes there waiting in the
clouds.
I Thessalonians 4:17: <Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.>
That cloud is going to engulf us, and so shall we ever be with Him. Oh my! Now that is your Third
Rapture, that Rapture stood between the Old Testament and the New Testament. Why did it stand between the Old
Testament and the New Testament? I am going to be scriptural. It was not Jesus alone that went in that Rapture.
There was a Rapture of the Church during that time, but the disciples were only seeing Jesus, yes but there were a
lot of people following Him, and also going up, but invisible to the disciples. Ephesians 4 and Psalm 24.
Matthew 27: 50-51: <Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold,
the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;>
Now that was an earthquake and the rocks broke in two and what happened.
Matthew 27: 52-53: <And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And
came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.>
Are you following the course of what is getting ready to take place here on earth? That was
and Old Testament Resurrection, friends, and that happened just before the Rapture of Our Lord
Jesus, and what happened there is that during that time of the Cross, our Lord, He cried with a loud
voice, gave up the ghost and then the temple was rent in twain, and then what happened, after His
resurrection there were others that arose with Him.
Psalm 24 depicted that in a great way, that was prophesied by David and it says:
Psalms 24: 7 <Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory
shall come in.>
And somebody answered when they reached up into glory and said: Psalms 24: 8 <Who is this King of
Glory>, and then they said:
Psalms 24: 8-10 <The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye
gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The
LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.>
Now the scripture that ties with that says:
Ephesians 4:8 <…When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.>
THE OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS ASCENDED WITH CHRIST
Quote W.M.B.: 100 You say, "Brother Branham, is that mythical?" No, sir. I'll show you the Scriptures
in a minute. When He begin to go up, they only seen Him, but the Old Testament saints went with Him, for the Bible
said that He led captivity captive and give gifts unto men. And I can see Him as He goes up, and joins with His
church. (Entombment 57-0420).Quote: E-21 I can see Abraham and Sarah, as young people walking down the streets, looking the old city
over, and the priest say, "I seen them people somewhere." And they disappeared just like Jesus coming through that
wall, the same kind of a glorified body. Yes. But brother, on that last day, after the Pentecost, before Pentecost,
when He ascended up on high, as He went up, the Bible said, "He went with them." He went up and they went with
Him.
I can see Him going on above the moon, the stars, Him and the Old Testament saints, going into the
Presence of God. When they get way out there somewhere, millions of miles beyond where any scope could ever see,
way in there, it come close to the city. I can hear the Old Testament saints when they see the city say, "Lift up, ye
everlasting gates, and be ye lifted up. Let the King of glory come in." (Expectations 53-0507).
So now all that Satan was holding in the place called Paradise and holding them in custody, they were
captives to Satan, to a certain extent. That is why at the time of the Resurrection, they arose with our Lord because
He went down to Paradise. He also went down to hell. He redeemed the Old Testament Saints. Oh my!
He redeemed the Old Testament Saints. So when He arose that is why they appeared to them in the city at
His Resurrection. They went away in a rapture together with Him. Do you see where the Resurrection is first and
then the Rapture? They appeared unto many in the City. Old Abraham appeared. Sarah appeared. Old John the
Baptist arose. He said: “Man I got my head cut off, but I got it back”. Oh glory to God! Think of how many
appeared in the City of Jerusalem. That is why the Jews wanted their bones to go back to Jerusalem.
That is why Joseph down in Egypt, he made them swear to carry his bones back to Jerusalem, because he
knew the Resurrection was going to take place in Jerusalem. The Power of the Almighty burst the rocks in two, they
had a grave right there no doubt and big stone on top the grave, so the rocks rent in twain when the Resurrection
came. The Power of the Lord raised them. And they started appearing unto the living through the City.
Jesus was walking forty days and nights upon the earth. They also was about forty days and nights upon the
face of the earth walking and appearing to brothers and sisters. I am telling you this thing is a reality.
[Congregation says, “Amen!”] Brother this thing is not a made up story. [Congregation says, “No!”] The Rapture
that we are looking for and the Resurrection that we are looking for happened before in scriptures. How can a man
doubt the Rapture? We cannot doubt the Rapture. How he could doubt the Resurrection, we cannot doubt the
Resurrection, it happened before in scriptures.
THE FOURTH RAPTURE – BRIDE OF CHRIST –
1 THESSALONIANS 4:15-16
Now there is a fourth Rapture.
1 Thessalonians 4: 15-18: <For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and
remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord
in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.>
That is The Great Rapture; that is our Rapture. That is the Bride‟s Rapture. That is the rapture that is
coming to bring all the elected Bride from the time of that resurrection of Jesus, and the time He went up. There
were people who died for the Gospel who served the Lord, coming right down through the Seven Church Ages, to
the end of the Seventh Church Age. They are waiting and waiting for this great rapture to take place. It is going to
be the ransomed body of the Lord. So now that is the fourth rapture, which I would come back to just now.
FIFTH RAPTURE – TWO WITNESSES – MOSES & ELIAS – REVELATION 11: 9 - 12
Alright, now there is a fifth rapture in the scriptures and let me clear that up. It is found in Revelation
chapter eleven. It is speaking of Moses and Elias:
Revelation 11:8 <And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called
Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.>
That‟s Jerusalem. Oh my, that‟s the same voice that the Bride is going to hear.
Revelation 11:9-12 <And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead
bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to
another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and an half the
Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw
them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven
in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.>
Now this is your fifth rapture that is yet to take place. The one that we are looking for is about to take place
right here in our generation. I will prove to you why it is supposed to take place in our generation, so don‟t put this
thing off for another generation. This thing is going to happen in our generation.
I notice that at the resurrection of our Lord Jesus there was a great earthquake and that earthquake was
connected with the resurrection of the Jews of the Old Testament. And here in the resurrection of these two
prophets. They had already killed the 144,000 that are supposed to be Temple Eunuchs for the Bride in the
Millennium. The only place that I could put that resurrection of the 144,000 is to relate it to this earthquake that
takes place. I believe that this earthquake that takes place at the resurrection of these two prophets also resurrected
the 144,000, because we found them upon a mountain, with the Father‟s name on their forehead.
Revelation 14:1,4 <And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty
and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads… These are they which were not defiled with
women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed
from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb.>
And just as certain as an earthquake took place when Jesus rose again from the dead, and an earthquake
takes place when the two prophets arises when they are caught-up, I believe the 144,000 also was raptured, and
went into glory.
Now, case proven, there are five raptures. Is that right? I say, there are five raptures. And three are history
and two are prophecy. Alright, your first rapture was Enoch, your second was Elijah and the third was Jesus and the
Old Testament Saints. And the fourth will be the Bride of Christ and then the fifth will be Elijah and Moses. Five
raptures in your Bible. After we see and recognize in scriptures that there were three raptures that took place, I don‟t
think that we should have any doubts about the other two that are to be fulfilled because the thing happened in the
Old Testament.