A Testimony On The Sea (62-0720)
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E-1
Thank you, Brother Borders. Let us remain standing just a moment while
we bow silently before God for prayer. Is there any request tonight
you'd like to make known by lifting up your hand to God and asking Him
for mercy? Let us bow our heads now.
Gracious heavenly Father, we are coming again into Thy Presence for
mercy, knowing that Thou has promised us that we should obtain mercy if
we would show mercy. The merciful shall obtain mercy. And if we have
sinned and did that which was wrong in Thy sight, God, be merciful to
us, because that we love Thee and we believe Thee, Lord, with all
that's in us.
And we stand tonight between the living and the dead, and ask that
You'll be kind to us and wash away all of our unbelief, that tonight
the great Holy Spirit might do the work of God among us, and would
bring reality to the people of the resurrection of God's beloved Son,
the Lord Jesus.
E-2
We thank Thee in the past that how He has never failed us. We can all
witness that who are Christians, that He's with us always. And we pray
tonight that sinners might know Him as their Saviour; that those who
are now become Christians on believing on Him, that they would seek the
deeper experiences, to have Eternal Life granted unto them through the
baptism of the Spirit; that they might be harnessed soldiers for the
great battle that lies ahead.
We pray for the sick and the afflicted, that there'll not be a feeble
person among us when the service closes tonight. Grant it, Lord. Hear
us, we pray. You seen every hand that went up. You know every request
beneath that hand in the heart. We pray, Father, that You'll grant each
and every one of them their request.
And when we leave tonight, may we be able to say like those coming back
from Emmaus after they had acknowledged and seen the resurrected Jesus,
may we say, "Did not our hearts burn within us as He spake to us along
the way." For we ask it in His Name, and for His glory. Amen. You may
be seated.
E-3
We are so happy to be here again tonight. And I see the people are
bringing in their handkerchiefs. We–we advocate that. We believe that
God does answer prayer for those who are–are sick and needy, and that
He will grant the requests of people who believe in Him and will ask
for mercy.
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Now, we've been having a great time in the worshipping with you
Christians here in Oregon. And I've been trying to keep the message
just as simple as possible. But of course, that's so that no one will
miss it. There's great, deep, spiritual teachings to it, but sometimes
you can't do that before an audience. We must keep it simple, so that
the newborn babes will not miss it, because I believe that we're too
close to the end time for us to miss anything. We must be real sure
that we're–we're right, and doing that which is right, what God has
commanded us to do.
E-5
And now we got two more after tonight, gracious meetings, tonight being
third. That closes Sunday afternoon. And we're expecting, I am. This is
my last American meeting for a while, till I take some rest. This is my
ninth straight meeting; I'm getting pretty tired. And I got two yet in
Canada before I have some rest. And then I'm going overseas, the Lord
willing, over into the countries beyond, so that they too or… Take a
trip around, perhaps, this time.
E-6
I got a note this morning from a friend of mine that was here in the
meeting last night. If he's here tonight, God bless you, Sam. I'm very
glad that you're doing well here in Oregon. I baptized this fellow many
years ago. He runs a nursery here somewhere, according to his card:
Sammy Sanders from Milltown, Indiana. I baptized him, I was pastoring
the Milltown Baptist church, at Milltown, Indiana.
Are you here, Sam? Raise up your hand, if you are. I like to… Yes, I
hear him somewhere. Yes, what? Yes. Oh, oh, back over in here. All
right. The Lord bless you, Sam. Way up in the corner. I remember the
day, that cold day, taking Sam down to the river to baptize him. His
people thought he went off on the deep end, but he hadn't. Keep holding
on, Sammy boy. I hope I can get out to see you before the service in
here.
E-7
You know, it's such strain. I–I… You have to stay under prayer,
expecting to see what the Holy Spirit would tell you to do at any
moment. See? You don't know just what to do. Many times He calls me, go
down stand on the street corner, a certain person will come by, tell
them this and watch what happens. See? And you have to be ready.
And that's the reason I've been trying to keep the message just as
simple as possible. What I'm trying to do… Maybe some of you might be
wondering why I'm not calling prayer lines each night. Here's my
purpose. In doing this, I want to build faith in the people in a
resurrected Jesus, so that you don't have to wait till some special
gift passes through the neighborhood. You just believe Him wherever you
are, because He's God.
It don't take an evangelist's hands. Which, that's all right; they
place their faith. But when the services is over… And each night here
I see things happening. I can't call it fast enough, of course not,
just happening too fast. But you will know, after I'm gone, the things,
disease that you've had, is gone. You might not recognize it now, but
it's gone.
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Here some time ago I was in a meeting, couple of states from here, and
there was two ladies that attended the meeting. Each one of them… One
of them was on the platform, the other in the meeting out in the
audience. And the Holy Spirit told the lady, who had a serious stomach
trouble (She couldn't eat at all. She hadn't been able to eat for many
years.), told her, said, "Go home. You are well. Jesus Christ makes you
well."
Now, watch what He says. Don't rush off. Wait a minute, see what He
says. That's your own faith pulling that, but then that's what you,
yourself, are doing. Then wait and see what He tells you. See,
that's–that's when… Then that's… You hear that comes out, THUS
SAITH THE LORD. Then you write that down. It's going to happen that
way. So it happened.
E-9
I guess Brother Borders has explained to you. I'll leave that up to the
manager to tell you how these things are recovered, how to get your
prayer card, how we come and mix those cards up and pass them out to
anybody that wants them like that, and then just call from different
places to like… That's to keep people from saying… Well, they don't
get number 1 or number 2, or somewhere along there, they throw their
card down. They don't want it.
No one knows where the prayer line's going to start. God chooses that
Hisself. And the boy that gives out prayer cards stands before you
first, and mixes them cards all together, then hands them out to you
as–as you want them. So you might get number 1. You say, "I'm going to
be the first one in line." You may be the last one. And the one get
next to you might get number 90, and he might be the first one. See,
you can't tell. And that gives everybody a chance.
E-10
And Brother Borders explains that; then how that after that prayer has
been made over this demon disease that you've got (and all sickness is
of the devil). And then when that prayer has been made, it's impossible
for it not to happen, as long as you believe that it does happen. Now,
you go to doubting it, "When the unclean spirit's gone out of a man, he
walks in dry places, then he returns back with seven other devils worse
than he was at the beginning." Now, people, watch that.
They say, "Oh, well now, I–I got worse." Now, wait a minute. If you
haven't doubted, still hold on, because… If it's like a tumor or
something, it's a group of cells; and them cells has got to die, the
life in those cells. Then the cells rot, and the heart beat has to pack
that infection through the blood stream. See? And you get ten times
worse than you were. But faith holds right there, no matter what takes
place. You got to be instructed on these things.
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If God willing, I'm giving a try now of evangelism. We know the
revival's over. Everyone knows that. I predicted that back in '56 when
it would started ending. Billy Graham come back, and Tommy Osborn, and
them. I said, "This is it. America will receive it or reject it this
year." And they rejected it. We're nothing waiting but judgment. Now,
you mark that down and see if Brother Branham's right or not. That's
THUS SAITH THE LORD. We're headed for it, and we're going to pay for
what we've done. We got too much glamour in the church, and Hollywood
and everything. God's sick and tired of it. The last one will come in
after while, and that'll be it.
E-12
I would like to have a time if God permits before the end time, when I
could set up a tent in a certain vicinity, and just come like, and stay
there for about four or five weeks. Just stay there where you could
have a morning session, just with minister brothers, and so that they
could teach their congregation afterwards.
Then stay in there. And someone be prayed for, and then get worse, and
don't know what it is, bring that person back into an instruction room,
and let them know. Examine them over and see what's happened. See?
That's when you–I believe we get a better results on it, like that.
But now you've just got to catch it in a night or two, and keep it real
simple so that everybody will get a hold of it. Baby to the clergymen
and so forth, but it isn't baby form.
E-13
But we want to get this before the people. This is my purpose, is to
believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is not dead, but He is alive. The
prophets came. They killed them one by one. The prophets and monarchs
and so forth, they was killed. When the Son came, they said, "He's
heir, so we'll kill Him."
But when they killed Him, He raised up again. And so He's alive
forevermore, and He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. And if I
could only get the people to realize that, you'll see something
spontaneously happen here that'll–it'll shake the whole country.
E-14
Now, remember, when we talk "shake the country," that don't mean shake
the cannon fodder out here. There's millions up and down this coast
here that profess Christianity, will never see nothing. That's right.
When–when John came, there wasn't one-hundredth of the people ever
knowed he was on earth. When Jesus came, I doubt there was that many
that–of the people living on earth that ever knowed He was there. He
was just sent to those who He was call…
"All the Father has given Me will come. And no man can come except My
Father has called him." See? So it's just for that elected group that's
been called. The message will go forth, but it'll just go right on
over. Just like He said, "Some fell by the wayside, and some this way,
but some went over." And a lot of it's just filler, to fill in the
time. Millions of people that's professing Christianity will miss it a
million miles. That's right. It's all in the making of God. Now, we
don't want to go into those details. It's here in the Bible, and It's
the Word of the Lord exactly.
So the thing for you to do, and I have to do, is seek out our own
salvation, not just haphazardly. It means more than everything there is
on the earth, and anything to you. This is your chance, and don't you
take any chance of missing it. Heaven is great.
E-15
Not long ago, many of you read in the magazines about the little
translation the Lord give me. Not translation, I won't say it that way;
it stumbles people. The vision, I would say. I seen that place. I was
there. I ought to know what visions is. I've seen them since I was a
little boy. And I ask anybody ever tell me where one was wrong. It
can't be wrong and be God. God can't be wrong. See? It isn't me. I'm
wrong all the time, but He's never wrong. So when He speaks, it's true.
E-16
I seen not long ago… I was standing in a lobby waiting for an
airplane, and I seen where they had sent down into… a mile deep in
the sea, and had took–down there where those fish with no eyes…
And they–and they had a light there. They was showing the most hideous
looking marine life. And those, some of them had phosphorus on the
front of them. And I was thinking. One came by, looked like
a–something with a stovepipe hat on. I never seen such a hideous
looking thing. Now, if… That thing had no eyes, but yet it has
another sense that's its direction to find its food.
E-17
And I was thinking, when I was looking at that, "What if I could use my
eyes, and let that little fish surrender itself to me, with my sense of
sight, how I could guide it." I could see its food way over here and
say, "Don't pay any attention to your own radar, or whatever you're
going by, 'cause you have to be close to it. I can tell you where your
food's at." And it would just listen to me, to… My sense of sight is
so much greater than his sense of how he has to direct himself, how
much better off he would be, how he could feed. What difference… He'd
be a odd little fish, but he'd be following a sense of sight that was
far better than the sense he was controlled by.
That's the way it is by the Holy Ghost. If we can just let the Holy
Ghost, that great sense of the Holy Spirit direct us, and show us
things that is to come, way beyond the things… See?
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Now, what if that little fish would… He never seen daylight. What if
he would try to come up through the water. He couldn't do it. He's
pressurized for that depths of the sea. If he'd come up he would
explode.
We are pressurized for the earth. We cannot go… A little piece up and
we would explode. That's right. But now, what if that little fish could
ever become me, would I ever want to go back in that midnight-ink down
there, and ever be that kind of an animal again, with them kind of
sights or senses? No, sir. I'd want to be a human.
Now, multiply that by a hundred million, and then God has to change
this mortal being that we are. We're repressurized and taken up into
His Presence where it's a–we never want to have this kind of a thing
again: far beyond. We're changed from the creature.
E-19
Listen, my dear friends, you people here. I'm not here because of no
place to go. I'm here because I felt led to come here. Here sets the
manager with a book full of places, world around. See? But I felt led
to come here. I come here through difficult. The brethren here, as we
was in the meeting the other morning, I hope you caught what was going
on in the breakfast. And there, seeing under difficult, they brought me
here, knowing that even before I left home, by vision seeing it.
And we're here because that God's got something here. This morning,
about eight o'clock this morning, I was caught away in a vision, and
seen… I was worried about the meeting, and I seen a woman come before
me and set down.
And she said, "It's wonderful above anything that we can think."
And I thought, "What is this?"
And I heard Him speak to me, said, "Just keep pressing on. Don't fear.
Keep moving on." So I know. I know beyond any shadow of doubt. That's
THUS SAITH THE LORD. There's something fixing to happen, or going on
here. You're either going to see a great spontaneous revival, or you're
going to see a judgment, or there's somebody that He's seeking for.
There's something. I don't know. But He's pleased with doing what we're
doing right now. Keep pulling every one you can, and try our best.
That's all we know. And if you believe me to be His servant, remember
that's in the Name of the Lord. Now, simple–trying to make it simple,
keep it that way…
E-20
Here not long ago, a very fine religious man with a great standing in
this nation. And he called me into his room, and he said, "Reverend
Branham, I want to say something to you."
And I said, "Yes, sir. Say on."
And he said, "I admire you as a servant of Christ, and that I believe you are."
I said, "Thank you, sir. I can pay the compliments to you. We're two
different ideas, but yet we recognize one another as servants of
Christ."
He said, "I brought you in here to pray for you."
"Thank you, sir." I said, "I certainly need it."
And he said, "I want to ask you something." Said, "Why don't you quit picking on them people?"
I said, "What do you mean, sir?"
Said, "You're going on to them women about bobbing off their hair,
wearing immoral clothes, and their husbands how little they are to let
their wo–wives do such things, and carrying on like that." Said, "The
people regard you as a prophet."
I said, "Did you ever hear me say I was?"
He said, "No, but the people regard you as that." Said, "You see, you
ought to be teaching those people how to receive great spiritual gifts,
and be lifted up, and have heavenly things like that, and great
manifestations of the Spirit. You ought to be teaching that, instead
about their bobbed hair, and wearing clothes the way they do."
I said, "Sir, if they can't understand their ABC's, how am I going to
teach them algebra?" That's right. Not the common decency to act upon
the Word of God… You know what ABC stands for? Always believe Christ,
and He is the Word. That's right. Yes.
E-21
What makes people do that? Just a minute. What makes people do that?
It's because that you are giving vent to the very thing that God placed
in you. You're thirsting for something, and you're trying to satisfy it
with the pleasures of this world.
God made a man to thirst. When He made his heart, He made him to thirst
because He made him to thirst after Him. And dare anybody to try to–to
satisfy that holy thirst with the things of the world. That was put in
you to thirst after Him. "As a hart panteth for the water brook, my
soul thirsts after Thee, O God."
E-22
It's not that I'm angry with the church; I'm in love with the church.
And I know that–that something's fixing to happen. And that's why I–I
say, "Get ready, people. You can't do those things. Your outward
expression shows the inward work of grace hasn't been done yet."
No matter how much you shouted, how much you spoke in tongues, danced
in the Spirit, whatever you might've called your emotions, unless that
life copes with this Word… And you hear that Word, and turn away from
it, something's wrong. The Holy Spirit in you will always punctuate the
Word with, "Amen." It's the truth. See? It's right.
So that's what I'm trying to do, trying to cast everything I can. It's in love.
E-23
When Eliezer was sent from Abraham to find a bride for his son, Isaac
(a type of the Father, and the Son, and the servant, and so forth),
Eliezer sweated it out until he found character. And when he found
character, he had it. And that's what the Holy Spirit's trying to find
today, is character. You can't have character until you got faith. And
faith produces character.
And when he found the beautiful Rebekah… Notice. When she come to
Isaac, she veiled her face. Why? She had no more head. The man was the
head. When a woman gets married, she puts a veil over her face. Why?
She's coming to her head.
And the church, when the Holy Spirit finds the church, She veils
Herself. Christ is Her Head, and Christ is the Word. She cares no more
about Her traditions and things. Christ is Her Head. Character…
E-24
Many years ago they used to have the slaves down in the south, and
those slaves were sad. And they sold them like you would a used car out
here on the lot: auction them off, get a bill of sales with them: human
beings. That's not right, never was right. I'm a southerner, but it
wasn't right.
God made man, and man made slaves. No race is to rule over the other.
We are brothers, off of the same tree, Adam. And we are brothers. We
can give one another a transfusion, a red man, black man, brown man,
whatever it might be. We're human beings, and we should not make slaves
of one another.
But they'd come along, auction off. And they'd take the big heavy slave
away from his little spindly wife. Set him over here, and breed him to
another woman that was bigger, to bring forth bigger slaves. That was
ungodly, never was right.
E-25
Some time ago I was in a certain museum. I was noticing, going through
the museum there was an old colored man, and he had just a white rim of
hair around his head. It's been about twenty-five years ago, I guess,
maybe thirty. I was looking at this fellow, and he was looking all
around.
I was wondering, "What's the old darkie looking for?" He was watching everywhere as he went along.
And after while he come to a certain place, and he stopped all at once, stepped back, bowed his head, and begin praying.
E-26
I watched him for a few minutes. I walked over close to him. I said…
Tears was streaming down his black cheeks. I said, "Pardon me, uncle
(as we call them, mostly, the colored brethren 'uncle')," I said,
"Pardon me, uncle, but I see you were praying." I said, "I'm a
minister. I'm a Baptist minister, and I would like to ask you why you
were so excited. What excited you?"
He looked at me, and wiped his eyes out, took me by the arm, said,
"Look laying there." I looked over under a glass, and there was nothing
but just a lady's dress, an old fashion dress.
And I said, "What's so strange about that would excite you?"
He said, "Sir, you see that stain on there?"
I said, "Yes, sir."
He said, "That's the stain of the blood of Abraham Lincoln." He said,
"On my side is a mark of a slave belt. That blood freed me from that
slave belt. Wouldn't that excite you?"
I thought, "If that would excite–the blood of Abraham Lincoln would
excite a slave because he was taken off of a slave belt, what ought the
Blood of Jesus Christ to do to the church? It ought to throw us to our
knees in tears." We were Satan's slaves. He took the belt off of us.
E-27
One day on an old plantation, a buyer came by. There's many slaves, and
they'd have to whip them because they were sad. They were brought from
Africa by the Boers, and sold to the southern people for slaves. And
then when they noticed that… Always that they were sad. They'd never
be back home. They'd never be with papa, mama, and no more with the
wife, with the children. They were… They were sad, and they'd have to
whip them to make them work.
But this slave buyer… One day he noticed on there, there was one
young man they didn't have to whip: chest sticking out, chin up, right
on the dot at any time. And the buyer said, "I would like to buy that
slave."
But the owner said, "He's not for sale."
He said, "What makes him so much different from the other slaves?" Said, "Is he the boss over the rest of them?"
Said "No, he's a slave. I bought him, and he's just a slave."
He said, "Well, maybe you feed him different from the rest of them."
He said, "No, no. He… I… They all eat out there in the galley just like the rest of the slaves."
He said, "Then what makes him so much different from the rest of them?"
And the owner said, "I wondered that for a long time, but one day I
found out. Over in the homeland… He's an alien here, but over in the
homeland where he came from, his father is the king of the tribe. And
though he be an alien and in another land, he conducts himself as a
king's son."
E-28
God have mercy upon us. If we are the sons and daughters of God, yet
we're an alien in this life… God's looking for character from men and
women who can conduct themselves as sons and daughters of the King. God
have mercy on us, that we will do it.
That's what I'm after friends: character. That's what God's pulling
for, character for that Bride that will be taken out. And as sons and
daughters of God, let's act like it; be sons and daughters. God help
us.
E-29
I want to say something. I want to announce my subject tonight. That's
why I'm keeping it simple. Now, be real reverent, and listen just for a
few moments. And remember my purpose, is to by prayer and faith, bring
Jesus Christ, the God that you love and serve, right into your midst.
Why can't you accept Him and believe Him, when He's right here with
you, with the Bible promises behind? That's the reason I made it the
way it is, just real simple, so that you won't miss it. See?
E-30
Now, when He's right here with you, moving right along through, proving
Himself right there with you as the Scripture said He was, and what He
would be… What He was He still is and will forever be. And watch Him
moving around among you, and then that… To me that ought to thrill
you in such a way you'd–you'd just plow through every unbelief, lay
aside everything that was ungodly, stand up and make your confession.
Grass Valley, not long ago, a few weeks ago, I spoke on the immorals of
the church today. And every bobbed-haired woman in the place stood up.
and ministers stood up, and cried out for mercy. Then God, the very
next night, emptied every seat, every wheelchair, every cot, everything
else, and made everybody perfectly whole.
Brother, God's got conditions you've got to meet. See? You must meet
those. And if you can't do the little earthly things, how are we ever
going to get up here and have heavenly things taught to us? So let's
keep it earthly, until that part's over. Then we'll get up in the
heavenlies.
E-31
I'm going to announce my subject before I read the Scripture. My
subject tonight is, "A Testimony On The Sea." And my text tonight is,
"Be Not Afraid. It Is I." Now, remember, my subject is "A Testimony
Upon The Sea," and my text is, "Be Not Afraid. It Is I."
Now, to you that wants to read the Scripture, let's turn in the Bible
now, the Word of God. Each one has his Bible, I want you to turn and
read with me Matthew, 14 chapter, and begin with the 22nd verse.
disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him to the other side,
while he sent the multitudes away.
went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come,
he was there alone.
E-32
It must have been getting late. They'd had a great meeting that day.
The sun was going down, setting across the little Galilee lake. And
they was all tired, they were worn out, a great day meeting peoples.
(I'm making this a drama so children can catch it.) And everybody was
weary and tired.
I can see the great brawny back of that big fisherman, as he tugged at
the boat, pushing it out across the sand until he got it in the water
so that it would float under the–in the water, climbed up into the
stern of the boat, and took his seat by the side of his brother, Andrew.
And all on the bank–there must have been thousands of people, all,
some of them wiping their eyes from tears and saying, "Come back. See
us again. Bring Him back again."
E-33
You know, there's something about having a meeting that… When you
have a good spiritual meeting where something's gone on, great things
has took place, you just hate to leave the people, and the people hates
to see you leave them.
That's always been a great heartache to me after a great meeting to
say, "Bye, bye." I know there's many there I'll never see again in this
life. And what I've said is recorded on the books. I'll have to meet
them with that in that day of the judgment. So I be careful what I say;
keep it with the Word.
E-34
Now, as they picked up their oars, and begin to move away, they'd
probably… Now, them days the boats wasn't–wasn't powered by motors
as we have today. Sometimes it was a sail. They used both sail and oar.
And it wasn't a ship like we have, as the Bible puts it here "in the
ship," but they were large boats, more like a–a fish boat. And they
had oars, great, huge oars. And the man that handled these oars had to
know what he was doing, because the waves…
Anyone knows that if you get in the storm on the lakes, or the sea, you
can't just let that boat drive itself, and chop; it'll sink. You've got
to know how to catch these waves, and ride them up sideways, and down.
If you take your boat right up, and it comes over the whitecap, you
better watch, it'll sink it. It'll go right, fill up full of water. So
you have to know how to ride those waves with the boat.
E-35
So therefore, they usually put, maybe a man on each side, in the small
boats. Sometimes they had two on an oar, but usually one man on an oar
in a small fish boat like this was, and they kept time. And then, when
they got into a storm they had to know just exactly how to pull these
oars to make this boat ride the waves, that they could ride it out.
Then they had a sail. When the winds was blowing, the waves not too
great, they could take this sail and tack sometimes. And you know how
it is, in sailing. But this was real smooth. It was a beautiful day,
and the–and the old sea was just as quiet, not a ripple in it.
E-36
And what a pleasure it must have been to dip those oars down into that
fresh water, and bend those backs to that, and just in time, each oar.
It's like a rhythm. Then they'd make two or three oars, and somebody
would stop, and all them wave good-bye, and on and on till the little
group on the bank begin to get smaller and smaller. And to them, the
little boat got smaller as they went out. Finally, they were past
seeing each other, out into the sea. The sun was getting well down now,
just red streaks up in the sky from the sun, from the distant Galilean
mountains.
E-37
And then we notice as they went along, it must have been young John; he
was the youngest of the bunch; he got tired. He wasn't as able to oar
as those big old fishermen, who had lived on the sea all their life,
and strong arms, and used to that oaring day and night.
Young John, in his–probably in his thirties, or twenties or thirties,
must've stopped and wiped the perspiration, throwed the hair back out
of his face, and said, "Whew. Brethren, let's–let's rest a few
minutes. My, this is kind of wearing me down. I'm tired." And they
pulled the oars in, must've set quiet for a few minutes, nobody saying
nothing.
E-38
And after while young John must've turned around and said, "I would
like to testify while we're resting here." You know how it is. After
you've had a meeting, something has happened, thrills you, you must
testify about it. You've got to tell somebody about it.
So young John said, "I'd like to give a testimony. That is one thing:
that after today we can say truly that we're not following a false
prophet. It certainly was convincing to anyone today to see that we are
not falling a fal–following a false prophet, as many teachers of our
days are telling us that we are. We're following a Man that don't
belong to any great organization. He condemns them and so forth. And
they tell us that we're just off on the deep end, but we're not. For I
can clearly remember when I was a little boy." (Now, we're going to
listen to a testimony meeting. Let's join in with them now, thinking of
ourself.)
E-39
John says, "When I was a little boy, I can remember when my mama would
get me on the porch. We were raised down near Jericho. And in the
springtime when I'd pick my mother a bunch of flowers… And–and I'd
see her pretty brown eyes as I would bring them to her, and she would
put me in her arms, and rock me, and sing me songs about God. And she
used to tell me Bible stories. And how I loved to hear those Bible
stories."
"And she told me about just down below the ford there, the great mighty
Joshua stood there one day and commanded that water to move back, in
the month of April, when the waters was flowing down. And the Jordan
held her peace while our people walked into the land that they were
promised."
"How that he met the great Warrior, when he pulled His sword standing
against the gate. And he, Joshua, the great warrior, pulled his sword
to meet the Man, and he said, 'Who are you? Are You for us, or are You
our enemy?'"
"And He said, 'I'm the Captain of the host of the Lord.' And Joshua threw off his helmet, fell down on his knees."
E-40
"And I remember Mama telling us–telling me, rather, as she rocked me,
she said, 'Listen, John, my little boy, always believe God. One day
when our people were slaves down in Egypt, great Jehovah God sent His
prophet down there. Following, we did, a Pillar of Fire, our people,
and they come out in the wilderness without anything, just what clothes
they had on. And God brought bread down every night and laid it out on
the ground. And our people eat bread in that wilderness for forty
years.'"
"And I used to be enthused as a little boy. I said, 'Mama, does God
have a whole big row of ovens up there in heaven, and a bunch of Angels
working night work, that they get up there, and bake all this bread,
and run down, and lay it on the ground?'"
"She'd say, 'No, son. You understand as a child. God doesn't have to
have bake ovens. God is a Creator. And all that God had to do was just
speak the Word, and the bread fell on the earth.'"
E-41
"And now, my brethren," he said, "today when I seen them bring that
little boy up there with those five little biscuits and two fishes, and
I seen Him break that bread, and multiply that to feed five thousand
people, I knowed that was no false prophet. He had to be associated
with Jehovah God, because here again, the very God that we believe in
was right here doing His same works again. He was creating bread. It
must be the same God that led our people into this land. Sure."
I want to ask you. That little boy, probably playing truant from school
with that little biscuit or two in his hand… See, that little biscuit
didn't mean nothing. It could only take care of him as long as he had
it. As long as it was in his hands, it wasn't very much. But once
placed into the hands of Jesus, it fed five thousand.
And that little faith that you've got in God, as long as you hold it to
yourself, it won't mean very much. But once give it to Him, see what
takes place. If there would happen to be a scientist along, I'd like to
ask you, what kind of an atom did He let loose there? Not only was it
fish, but it was cooked fish; not only wheat bread, but it was cooked
bread.
E-42
I can hear John say, "I stood and looked at Him. Did you notice Him,
how calmly and quiet. He wasn't scared. He said, 'How many of the…
How much bread have you got?'"
"Said, 'We got five loaves and two fishes.'"
"He said, 'Bring them to Me, and cause the companies to set down by
fifties.'" Oh, my. Not excited. He knowed exactly what He was going to
do.
And he said, "Brethren, didn't He look like Jehovah? Did you notice His
eyes, how strong, how they looked? He looked just like Jehovah." And He
was Jehovah, standing there breaking this bread, multiplying these
fishes and things, and feeding five thousand people."
"Therefore, brethren, we are not following a false prophet, because if
Jehovah ever was Jehovah, He has to still be Jehovah. And if this Man
is what He claims to be, the Son of Jehovah, He will do the works of
Jehovah." Amen. How sensible that testimony was. Must have really
thrilled them.
E-43
And it must've been Simon (You know, he always had to put in his part
anyhow.), he said, "Wonderful, John. I appreciate that testimony. Let
me put mine in right now. Andrew, now you just keep still a minute (his
brother setting next to him). Andrew went to stay all night with Him.
The next morning, here he come back telling me, 'We found the Messiah.'"
"Now, I'm a Bible reader. I know what Messiah's supposed to be, and I
know there's been lots of them coming around saying, 'Messiah,' but,
and this was the Christ, and the time was at hand, and so forth."
As it predicted to be in the last days again… "Many will come, false
prophets, saying the time's at hand, and I… The Messiah's out in the
wilderness; the Messiah's here." Said, "Don't you believe it. See?
Don't you listen to that."
E-44
Now, notice. But he said, "My father told Andrew and I one time, that
when the Messiah cometh, He'd have to come according to the Scripture:
the Scriptural Messiah. And when I walked up into His Presence that day
with my brother Andrew (setting here), and He looked at me in the face
and said, 'Your name is Simon. You are the son of Jonas,' I knowed that
that was Messiah."
"I knowed that we hadn't had a prophet for four hundred years. And my
father showed me in the Scripture, according to the Scroll of
Deuteronomy that Moses wrote, that Moses, our prophet, that we've lived
all these hundreds of years faithful to his teaching, that he said,
'The Lord your God shall raise up among you a prophet liken unto me.
And it'll come to pass that whosoever shall not hear this prophet will
be cut off from the people.'"
"Now, I knowed, and my father taught me by the Scriptures, that that
Messiah would be a prophet. And when I saw Him do the sign of the
prophet, I knowed that was the Messiah." Oh, how that must have done
something to them. Yes.
E-45 And Philip said, "I'd like to testify. Is it all right, Nathanael?"
He said, "Well, go ahead. Give your testimony." And Nathanael said, "May I say a word first?"
And
everybody, you know, and–and Nathanael jumped up. And–and he said,
"Set down. You're rocking the boat." You know how it'd get in a
testimony meeting. Everybody's just got to say something, you know,
right quick. And said, "You–you can get your turn. But set down; wait
a minute. Stand still. You're rocking the boat." And said, "Now, set
down and tell us your testimony."
E-46
And he said, "When Philip came to me, I was back there under the tree a
praying. And when I was praying for God to send the Deliverer… And
when Philip walked up to me, and said, 'We have found the Messiah.
We've got Him. We–we know Who it is. It's the Son of Joseph, Jesus of
Nazareth, the Son of Joseph,' I doubted him."
"I said, 'Now, wait a minute. Nothing good could come from Nazareth,
from that group of people.' But he encouraged me. He said, 'You come,
see for yourself.'"
Now, that's a good answer. Don't stay home and criticize it. Come, take
your Bible, and search it, and see if it's right, for it's your soul,
you know.
So then he said, "We come up to the meeting. And as soon as we got to
where Jesus of Nazareth was, He looked me straight in the face and
said, 'Behold, an Israelite in whom there's no guile.'"
"And I said, 'Rabbi, when did You ever know me?'"
"He said, 'Before Philip called you, when you were under the tree I saw
you.' And it was very convincing to me. That settled it. And brethren,
you all know what I did. I fell right down at His feet, and said, 'Thou
art the Son of God; You are the King of Israel,' because I knowed
Scripturally that was the Messiah that we were looking for. I knowed it
by the sign that He told us."
E-47
Must have been Andrew said, "Just a moment. Let all of us think of
something for a few minutes. Do you remember the day that we were going
down to Jericho?"
"Yes, I remember it."
"And you remember some strange thing: He had need to go by Samaria?"
"Yes. We remember that."
"And He got up there to this city, Sychar. And when He did, He sent us
into the city to buy vittles. And you know how they treated us in the
city. And when we come back up to where He was, we were astonished. Our
Master was being entertained by a ill-famed woman."
Now, in them days they had them marked. You could tell them. Nowadays
they're not. But they could tell they were ill-famed the way she was
doing.
"And we were astonished, you know, brethren, that our Master would be
caught with such a person, an ill-famed person like this woman was.
Why, she was nothing but a–just a common street woman. And here our
Master was, out there by Himself by the side of this well, entertaining
this woman. So we were all astonished."
And all of them said, "That's right. That's right."
So he said, "We moved around behind the bushes to find out what He was
talking about, and we heard Him when He said, 'Woman, bring Me a
drink.'"
And we thought, 'Now, isn't that strange, that our Master would ask the
service of a prostitute?' (That shows what He was to me. He was God.
Sure. He asks whoever… Every mortal, no matter what condition you're
in, whosoever will…) 'Isn't it strange,' we thought, 'that our Master
would ask this ill-famed woman to do Him a favor?' And we were
surprised."
"And we found out that quickly she spoke back to Him, and she said,
'Sir, it's not customary, You being a Jew, asking me a–a woman of
Samaria.'"
E-48
And Mark started to say something. Andrew said, "Keep still just a
minute." So then he said, "Listen," said, "you remember what He said?
"He said, 'If you knew Who you were talking to, you'd ask Me for a
drink. And I'd give you waters you don't come here to draw.' And they
carried the conversation for a while about their religion."
"And then for the first time we thought our Master was caught in a
trap, for our Master said to the woman, 'Go, get your husband and come
here.'"
"And quickly she turned and looked Him in the face and said, 'I don't have a husband.'"
E-49
"You remember how our hearts like to failed us? We thought, 'Now, now,
there's something wrong. Here our Master says to that woman, 'Go, get
your husband.' And we had seen the Messiahic sign over Him, and
everything, and we knowed He was the Messiah, and here–see His works,
and knowed He was that prophet that God said He would raise up. We
knowed He was, but yet here's a woman denying that He's telling the
truth. Just like Sarah denied before the Angel, 'I never said it.' But
you see what the Angel said.
So they stood there just a moment, "and He… Said, 'I have no husband.'"
"And then our Master looked her straight in the face and said, 'You have told the truth.'"
"Now, we couldn't understand that, why it was, here one minute He said,
'You have a husband,' and she denied that she had a husband, then He
turns back, and said, 'You told the truth.'"
"Then you remember how all flusterated we were? And then He said to
her, 'You have told the truth, because you've had five husbands, and
the one that you're now living with is not your husband. So you have
told the truth.'"
E-50
"How we were all alarmed, see what the woman would say. We know when He
did this, the Pharisees, the church, the unbelievers, they said, 'This
man is a fortuneteller, Beelzebub, a devil.' But this little woman in
her condition, turned, and looked Him in the face, and said, 'Sir, I
perceive that You are a prophet. We know when Messiah cometh, He will
tell us these things, but Who are You?'"
"And He said, 'I am he that speaks with you.' And on that she ran into
the city and begin to tell the men of the city that 'Come, see a Man
Who's told me the things that I've done. Isn't this the Messiah.'"
E-51
Now, that would go right over the top of an unbeliever. They'd never
know it. They were predestinated to disbelieve the Word. You believe
that? Jude said so. "Men of old, foreordained to this condemnation," to
rise up in the last days to disbelieve God's Word. How many knows
that's the Scripture? Sure, foreordained of God to be unbelievers. What
a pitiful shape. Unbelievers, can't help it, no more than Esau could
help being Esau, or Pharaoh being Pharaoh. What a pitiful condition.
And if you are a believer tonight in the Word of God, how blessed your
eyes are to live in this day to see the glory of God, how it's shed
abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit throughout the world, if you're
not so churched together, and wound together by creeds and
denominations, that you can't even listen to the Word of God.
What a horrible condition to be into: twice dead, plucked up by the
roots, not a hope of ever being saved. That's what the Scripture says:
so dead that they don't even understand nothing but their creeds.
E-52
Notice that woman. She wasn't dead. She caught it quickly. She was a
seed predestinated to Eternal Life. And as soon as that flashed over
her, quickly she caught it. She knew. She said, "Sir, we know when
Messiah cometh He will tell us these things. Who art Thou?"
And He said, "I'm He."
And she believed it, and went and told the men in the city. And they
come out and invited Him in. He never did it one more time. But the
Bible said that they believed Jesus because of the testimony of the
woman.
Now, that's as much Scripture as I know how to place it. It's right
here before me and you read it the same. Saint John, the 4th chapter is
where you find it.
E-53
Then, it must have been Matthew, said, "Let me testify. Do you remember
that day we were going down into Jericho, and we were going down there
to visit some friends? And you remember our friend down there, Rebekah?
And she is–was the–the wife of Zacchaeus. And she'd told us her
husband was a businessman, and how that he had–was a doubter, because
he was a member of the synagogue, and the synagogue said that anybody
that believed this man to be a prophet was excommunicated from the
church. And he belonged to all the societies of the–of the day, and so
they… He–he knowed if he ever confessed it, he'd be put out."
"But Rebekah, his wife, the disciple of our Lord, she was a believer.
And she used to tell him all the time, 'Zacchaeus, this man, according
to the Scripture…'"
"'Oh, you have no right to interpret the Scriptures. The Rabbi is the
one who tells it.'" But the Rabbi was wrong. "The Rabbi's the one who's
to tell it."
Notice. "But Rebekah said, 'I stood, and I saw Him work, and I know that He is that Messiah. He's a prophet.'"
E-54
So the morning that He was to appear, Rebekah must've prayed all night
for her husband. She wanted him to be saved. (That's the way you've got
to pray for people. Prayer changes things.) So she must've prayed all
night. Along about daylight, little old Zacchaeus got up and put on his
best clothes that he had, you know, and stepped out, and told Rebekah
he was going to get a fresh breath of air.
But that night maybe the Lord had been dealing with him, according to Rebekah's thoughts and prayer.
Now, if you want God to save your husband or your wife, just keep
praying for them, just keep praying. That's all you have to do. Just
keep praying and believing. If there's any spark of life there at all,
God will put something across the path that they'll see it. Then if
they reject it, then that's up to them. But notice.
E-55
Then that morning, she'd prayed hard that something would happen that
would convince Zacchaeus that this was that Prophet that they were
looking for. (The Jews always believe their prophets, and the Messiah
was to be a prophet, 'cause God had told them to believe nothing but a
prophet. So then He had to be the prophet.) So then, that morning
Zacchaeus went out.
And I imagine Rebekah just laughed up her sleeve and said, "Praise God,
he's going down there sure as I'm laying here in this bed."
Zacchaeus went–goes down there. And he gets to the front gate where he
knowed Jesus of Nazareth was coming. But there was so many there he
couldn't even get close to Him. He was small in statue. So he went up
Glory Avenue to Hallelujah Lane. That's usually where He crosses. And
he climbed up in a sycamore tree and set down. (You want to find Jesus,
you'll find Him on Glory Avenue or Hallelujah Lane, or something like
that.) So he knowed He'd cross there, so he climbed up and set down in
this tree.
Said, "I'll watch Him. And when He turns the corner, I'll pass my
opinion about Him. I don't believe He's any prophet. I don't believe
it. And so, I'll just get up in this tree, and I'll get my own
conception of Him when He passes by." (Remember, he'd never saw Him.)
So he thought, "You know what? He might see me up here."
E-56
So I can just see old Zacchaeus up there, pulling all the limbs and
leaves around him so he'd be well camouflaged. Nobody would see him.
And after while, a noise came up the street. (Strange, wherever Jesus
is there's usually a lot of noise.) And here come a lot of noise up the
street. He said, "Well, He must be approaching."
And he noticed coming around the corner a great big fellow,
bald-headed. Said, "I'm sorry, folks. You have to step back. Our
Master's very tired. He's been here…" others passing by.
Now, which one of them would be Him? After while a little meek-looking
Fellow come by. He thought, "And that's what they call a prophet?
That's what they call the Messiah? Why, He's no prophet. Look at Him.
He don't even look like one. He don't even dress like one."
But He walked quietly, till He got right under the tree, and He
stopped, and He looked up, said, "Zacchaeus, come down. I'm going home
with you today."
"You remember what Zacchaeus said when he joined the Full Gospel
Business Men down there after he got saved? He said that he was took
off of his feet when not only did He know he was up there, but knowed
who he was, and said, 'Zacchaeus, come down from that tree. I'm going
home with you.'"
"Zacchaeus fell down, and said, 'Lord, if I've done anything wrong, I'm willing to make it right.'"
E-57
How we need more Zacchaeuses today. When they can see the
manifestations, and the Presence of the very God that's promised in the
Bible, and get up and walk away from it, what a pitiful condition this
nation is in. What a ripened judgment condition.
And many times you say, "I don't have to listen to that," go listen to
somebody will pat you on the back, and let you live in sin. Then meet
it yonder at the judgment bar and see what's going to happen. You flee
from the wrath that is to come. Repent, or perish.
God, when He does things like He's doing today, nowhere in Scripture
did He ever send such until judgment followed it. Exactly right.
Judgment's going to strike, as certain as I'm standing here on the
platform as a servant of Christ. Certainly. You remember that.
E-58
What a testimony meeting. Oh, my. And then he said, "Do you remember
when we went out of the city too?" Said John, "When we went out of the
city, there was an old blind man setting out there, named Bartimaeus.
And he was setting on the rock, and we was about a hundred yards from
him. And out of the city came a great roar. Remember how Bartimaeus
testified to us and told us how it happened?"
"He was setting there studying about, 'Oh, if could've lived in the day
when great prophets walked down this road, when Elijah and Elisha,
arm-in-arm, came down this road going to the Jordan to pull back the
waters to cross over. If I would've lived in that day, I'd have run out
on these cobblestones, and fell down before them, and said, "O, great
prophet of God, pray for me that I receive my sight."
"'But alas, they taken me over to the synagogue, I asked the priest
about it. He said, "Now, wait a minute, Bartimaeus. You're an old blind
man. There's nothing can help you. The days of miracles is past. Just
belong to the church, and you'll be all right some day, when you go to
heaven.'"
"'But you know, I've always thought in my heart,' he said, 'that if there was ever a God, He has to still be God.'"
E-59
Oh, brother, how we need some more men like that. And it's usually when
you're thinking on things like that that He appears. Search the
Scriptures. It's when people are thinking and believing. When you got
your mind on staying home from the prayer meeting on Wednesday night to
see "We Love Sucy," or some of them silly television things they got
and dodging church… How are you ever going to do anything with a
class of people like that?
You know the birds make their nest in spring of the year. But if that
male bird hasn't been with that female bird, them eggs won't hatch. She
can just hover them, and be so loyal, and stay there until she gets so
poor she can't fly off the nest. But if that female bird hasn't been
with the male bird, the mate, them eggs won't hatch. They'll rot right
in the nest.
E-60
And that's as bad as it is today. We've taken people by confession, and
letter, and so forth, into the church, that knows no more about God
than a Hottentot knows about Egyptian night. And what have we got? A
big nest full of rotten eggs, men and women who knows no more about God
than nothing else. It's time to clean the nest out, and start from the
pulpit to the janitor, and get them people in contact with God, who
knows what the power of God is, who's been born again by the Holy
Ghost. Right.
You can't make deacons out of them, and them married four or five
times, and all kinds of stuff like that, because it's a meal ticket.
It's a shame. That stuff's coming right amongst our Pentecostal people,
and in the weakness of the message to let the people glamour in sin,
and carry on, and then still call themselves saints. We need a shaking
revival.
E-61
Not long ago talking with the great–or hear him talk rather, the great
evangelist, Billy Graham. When he was in Louisville, Kentucky, he raked
them preachers. I was setting there. Dr. Mordecai Hamm, the one that
led him to Christ, he's a good friend of mine… He just passed into
glory at ninety-something years old, a few mo–about a year and a half
ago. And Brother Hamm was setting there by me.
And Billy got up there, and he said, "You bunch of lazy preachers." He
said, "I come in a city and stay there six weeks. And when I do I'll
have thirty thousand confessions." You know, they call it… I believe
that's what they call it, "Decisions." Decisions is all right.
Decisions is confessions, stones. But what good does it do to have
stones if you haven't got a stonemason to cut them out in the shapes of
sons and daughters of God?
What good does a million decisions do, when there's still glamour in
sin, and act like everything, and never have a–never have a change of
heart? Still smoke, chew, drink, dip snuff, watch television, stay home
from church, and put their name on a book, and call themselves
Christians? Men, letting their wives out in the yard with little old
things on.
E-62
Here the other day I seen the most hideous sight I ever seen. I was
down at Clifton's Cafeteria, and I was waiting for Brother Arganbright
to come up. And here come a woman. I–I never seen anything like it in
my life. I… She had green in here, and red, and all different colors.
Might've been a nice looking woman. But the way she had one of them
water-head haircuts, like the first lady, you know, and all that
nonsense. And there she was standing there.
And I–I'm a missionary. I've seen pellagra; I've seen leprosy. I never
seen anything like that in my life. And I was going over to her to ask
her if I could pray for her, tell her that I was a missionary, and I–I
felt sorry for her. And I wanted to pray for the woman. I thought,
"I–I never seen leprosy on a person like that." A human being with
green eyes, blue, and all kinds of nonsense, with enough manicure on
their lips to paint a barn with.
E-63
Women, there was only one woman in the Bible that ever painted her
face, and that was Jezebel. And God fed her to the dogs. So if you see
a woman wearing that, you can say, "How do you do, Miss Dogmeat?"
That's exactly what God called her. He fed her to the dogs. Exactly
right.
What we need today is a house cleaning for the Kingdom of God. Right.
Yes. And I was going to go over and pray for that poor girl. If she'd
been washed up, and let her hair grow down, she'd have been a fine
looking young woman. And I started to go over, pray for her, and here
come two more. I said, "I better keep still. I–I don't know.
Something's happened since I've been out here."
And then, I noticed it all around everywhere now. What a… Oh, my. How
can this thing go on any longer? God forbid them to do that. Yes, sir.
E-64
Now, back to our subject. That morning Zechariah said, or blind
Bartimaeus said, "I was setting there listening, and I heard a noise
come out the street, and everybody was tumbling over one another. And I
heard the priest that had told me the days of miracles was past." He
was the head of the association down there. He said, "I heard him say
that morning, 'We're going down to stop this nonsense. We're not going
to have no such a meeting as that around here.'" You know, the–the
devil takes his man, but not his spirit. God takes His man but not His
Spirit too. Remember that.
"So when he come out there, said, 'We're going down to… ' We… I
heard that same priest coming out and saying, 'Say, you who can raise
the dead, we got a whole graveyard full of them up here. Come up and
raise one for us. We'll believe you.'"
E-65
He don't clown for nobody. Remember, when them Romans had Him in the
courts that morning, they put a rag around His face, over His eyes, and
hit Him on the head with a reed, and said, "Tell us who hit you. If
you're a prophet, we'll believe you." You know He knowed who did it,
but He don't clown for the devil. He does His works to magnify the
Father, He said. And His–and His own Spirit today don't do to clown.
He only magnifies God to bring His Word to pass.
Jesus said He did these things that it might be fulfilled what was
spoken by the prophets. And today He does those things to fulfill what
He promised He would do. He don't have to do it, He could let you go on
in without it, but He promised to do it. And that's what He's doing.
E-66
But Blind Bartimaeus, John went on with his testimony. "Blind
Bartimaeus, he said, 'You know, I didn't know; I never heard of Him.
The first thing you know, the people were being staggered, and I was
knocked down and everything. And I said, 'What's all the noise about?
What is all the noise? I–I just don't understand. What's all the
noise?'"
"'And finally a nice woman said, 'Oh, fellow, what is the matter?'"
"Said, 'Lady, who–who… What's all the noise about? I'm blind. I can't see.'"
"'Oh, have you never heard of the prophet of Galilee?'"
"'No, ma'am, I haven't,' he said."
"'Well, Jesus of Nazareth. You–you know, you're a Jew.'"
"'Yes.'"
"'Well, you know our Bible tells us, our Scrolls, that the Lord our God
is going to raise up a prophet like Moses. And He's going to do like
Moses did.'"
"'Yes. I know that. It'll be the Son of David.'"
"'Oh, that's exactly right,' said the young… 'I am this man's
disciple.'" You know, all the disciples of Christ always wants to have
pity on those who are blind and those who are needy. A meeting can come
to the neighborhood, they'll go get every sick person they can, to
bring them in. See? They'll do… Every sinner that they can get,
they'll always want to show mercy.
"And this young lady said, 'Why, He is that Prophet of Galilee. He passes by, and…'
"'You mean He is the Messiah?'"
"'Certainly, He's the Messiah.'"
"Then he said, 'Where is He?'"
"'He's about a square… Now, that's where they point you, where He was at, about a city block down the road.'"
E-67 "Well, He… blind Bartimaeus said, 'You know, I just… I–I… He done passed me.'"
"So many hundreds following Him, and one throwing overripe fruit at
Him, and saying, 'Hey, you Galilean prophet. If you're a prophet, do
this. Hey, we got a sick man down here. Let's see you heal him.' Others
saying one thing, and some hollering, 'Hail the King of the Jews,' and
the other one saying, 'Glory to the great God of heaven, Who's raised
up the Son of David among us.' And every… Some was singing, 'Hosanna'
to the prophet, to the King. Others was making fun of Him."
E-68
That's the way it is. It's always a mixed crowd: believers,
make-believers, and unbelievers always conglomerated together. There
they are, even when the sons of God come up before God, in the book of
Job, it said Satan was setting among them (Exactly right.) when the
sons of God appeared in the Presence of God. Certainly. They're always
there. Now, here they were there, and one saying one thing, and another.
"And blind Bartimaeus said, 'I remember that the Scripture said that
the Son of David, that Moses said that this Messiah, this prophet was
to be raised up, would be a prophet. And if He'd be a prophet, He will
understand. O Jehovah, have mercy, have mercy. Thou Son of David, have
mercy on me.'"
And his faith touched Jesus. Hallelujah. His faith. He'd have never
heard him above all that crowd carrying on, some of them shoving him
down, saying, "Set still," and so forth. But his faith touched Him. And
the Bible said Jesus stood still. I want to preach on that one time,
"And Jesus Stood Still."
Yes, Jesus stood still. What was it? The faith of–of a blind beggar
stopped Him, and asked him what he wanted. And he said to Him, "That I
might receive my sight."
He said, "Thy faith (like He did the woman that touched His garment),
Thy faith has saved thee. Receive your sight, because your faith has
saved you." He turned, starts on down the road.
Blind Bartimaeus stood there. "He told me I would receive my sight.
Here I am." First thing, he seen something move before his hands.
There. He could see his hand. Here he went down the road, glorifying
God. "You remember that, brethren?"
E-69
Oh, the testimony meeting was just getting stirred up good. Oh,
everything was… And you know, the devil happened to look down across
the hill and found them without Jesus. They'd went off without Him.
That's when the devil had his chance. He said, "Now, I've got my
opportunity to sink them, because they'd gone off without their master."
Now, let me say this lovingly, reverently, and brotherly. Don't you
think that's just about today? I think it's the same thing, that during
the time of this revival, the churches has become nasty-rich.
Pentecostals are no more on the street beating a tambourine. They
haven't got the spunk to stand out there and have a street meeting
hardly, very seldom you see them. That's right.
Instead of having the old God-saved preacher, they got some kind of a
intellectual student from some Bible school, trying to pattern after
the world. Did not, when Israel wanted to denounce their king, or
denounce their King God… And when the prophet walked up before them,
Samuel, he said, "You don't…" They wanted to be like the rest of the
world.
And Samuel said, "God is your King. God has sent me to be your prophet.
Have I ever told you anything in the Name of the Lord but what come to
pass? Have I ever begged you for your living? Have I ever took your
money?"
"No."
"Have I ever told you anything, THUS SAITH THE LORD, but what come to pass?"
"No, Samuel. Everything you said come to pass just exactly. We believe you to be God's prophet."
"Well, then stay away from your king."
But they said, "But–but we want to act like the Joneses." You see, they wanted to act like the rest of them.
E-70
And brethren, with all godly respects to our organizations, that's the
same thing that our churches are doing. They're trying to act like the
rest of them, like Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterian and Lutheran:
classy, starchy, well-dressed, biggest church in the city, big building
programs. What a disgrace, when millions of missionaries would be on
the field today. And many of them, they're not supported, with no shoes
on their feet, trying to preach the Gospel. And we are building
millions of dollar buildings, great big outlets, and schools, and
preaching, "The time is at hand, the coming of the Lord." Something's
wrong somewhere. (I better… I'll stay back with the simple message.)
All right.
Notice. Something was wrong. And there they were. What a time for Satan to come in.
E-71
We went off on a big program. The meeting started, money flowed in.
Everything, "We got to increase our groups." Each one, "You come over
here to this one," proselyting, everything else, making a bigger
organization, building bigger schools, learning theology, so forth.
Mercy goodness.
You have to go ten years in school before you can be ordained a
minister nearly. And then, what do they do with you there? In pump that
embalming fluid into you, take all out of you God ever put in you.
That's right. It's true. God just had them ten days, and done more with
them than the schools can do in ten years. He put something in them,
and a school takes out what God put in, lots of times. Learn them
psychology, and all that kind of stuff.
And some of our great organizations, in Pentecost I'm told, that has to
stand there, and 'fore a missionary can go on the field, take a
psychiatrist's test. Mercy, goodness sakes. Did you see such a thing as
that? God's our test. The Scripture's our test: "These signs shall
follow them that believe."
You haven't got a Ph. D., LL. D., they won't even let you in the
pulpit. That's right. And Peter was so ignorant he couldn't even sign
his own name, and God made him the head of the church. Sure. What a
difference.
E-72
Setting in Jamaica, a few weeks ago, or months ago, I was setting there
with the Christian Business Men. We'd had a meeting. And all they'd
done that night was testify, when they had the celebrity of the
islands, even some of Castro's people up there, and everything, great
men. Our Full Gospel brethren… I speak for them. I like them; I love
them; they're my brothers. I have nothing against them.
And I was standing there. I said, "You men made me ashamed of the message I was preaching."
And they said, "Why was that?"
I said, "The only thing you testified about was you had a little
business down on the corner doing a hundred dollars a month, and (Glory
to God) all at once now you got a fleet of Cadillacs." I said, "You'll
never compare with them men. You can't bring the world in, or you can't
compare with the world. The only thing you've got to do is not to–to
compare with the world, like the churches and everything are trying to
do, with their glamour and stuff out there. You've got to invite them
on your grounds, not act like them. Let them come act like you." Oh,
God, help us. Whew. That's right.
E-73
Here we are in that kind of a mess today, setting: the coming of the
Lord drawing nigh, everybody asleep just like the Bible said it was.
Here we are in that condition, Laodicean church age, the only church
age of all the ages that Christ was put outside of His own building,
knocking, trying to get back in again. That's right. The Laodicean age,
and that's this age–put out by our creeds and dogmas, and adding to
the Bible, and taking away from It. And there He stands on the outside
trying to get back in. And the church in there thinking that they're
doing something. Having a form of godliness…
The Bible speaks of an intellectual age. It said they'd have a…
Heady, high minded, lovers of pleasure more than of God, truce
breakers, false accusers, incontinent, and despisers of those that are
right, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from
such turn away. For this is the sort that goes and leads silly women
along with divers lusts, all kinds of things, pattern after some
prostitute of Hollywood instead…
Christ is our Example. Hollywood has nothing to do with it, and the
fashions of the world and things. We need a clean up. Come back to God.
I know I'm holding you, but I'm intentionally doing this. Notice. We'll get to the point, what I want to say to you.
E-74
Notice, the winds begin to blow. The sea begin to get rough. They'd
gone off without Him, gone off on a big program somewhere, gone off to
do this, all so interested in this, and that, and the other. And they'd
left without Him.
A mixed multitude went up with Moses that caused the trouble. And I
think that's about the same thing that's happened today. The
Supernatural's been done, and we've brought in a mixed multitude: same
thing. That's what causes the trouble. Notice.
E-75
Then the roaring. Satan begin to blow his poison breath across them.
"Whew. Whew. Days of miracles is past. There's no such a thing as this.
You need a intellectual education. We cannot put our ministers in the
pulpit unless they have a great education." Whoever said so? Where did
that come out of the Bible?
Like to them Business Men that night. I said to them, I said, "Where'd
you ever get such stuff as that? The first Pentecostals went forth,
sold what they had, left their homes, and become poor, the rich did, so
that they'd have Eternal Life. And today, you all try and say how much
you got. They tried to see how much they could get rid of."
And a certain little singer from Chicago, that wouldn't… Brother… I
forget the Italian's name, a little preacher. And he said… He said,
"But, Brother Branham, I want to call your attention to something. That
was a great mistake that they made."
I said, "What did you say?"
He said, "They made a mistake when they did that."
I said, "The Holy Ghost make a mistake, brother?"
He said, "Why, they made a mistake by selling their property. After
while a confusion come up among them, and the people didn't have no
place to go."
I said, "Just exactly what God wanted. They went everywhere publishing
the Word. They'd did… If they'd had a home, they'd have went back and
settled down to it. But God scattered the Gospel by it."
God don't make no mistakes. He might to the intellectual mind, but not to His own way of thinking. Sure.
E-76
Off on a tantrum… Now, we find out that they'd gone off on one, so
excited because they seen the bread made, and stuff like that. They
thought, "Oh, we're just rowing out here. And go on without Him; it'll
be all right."
And the first thing you know the sea begin to get worse and worse.
Satan said. "Now, I got them. Now, I'll get rid of every one of them,
out here on the sea."
And she begin to dash, and the whitecaps, and the little boat become
waterlogged. The mast pole broke down, the oars broke off, and there
they was letting her drive just any way they could. They were screaming
for fear. Every wave… Satan setting on every wave there, glinting his
glittery eyes, and showing his fangs, and saying, "I'll sink them on
the next one. I'll sink them on the next one."
E-77
All hopes was gone. But you know what? He was still watching them. The
Bible said He climbed up the mountain. And He was standing up there
watching them, seeing what they was in trouble. I'm so glad that grace
is still in existence. If it wasn't, we'd all be gone.
When He left us, He climbed the highest mountain that there could be,
Calvary. And then climbed on a past the moon, stars, Jupiter, Venus,
Milky White Way, plumb on in, till He went so high till He even has to
look down to see heaven. He can see everywhere. And His eye is on the
sparrow. I know He's watching tonight. Amen. I believe that with all my
heart. He's watching tonight.
E-78
What happened? When the dark hour come along, that they realized they
had not had Him with them. And the first thing you know, here He come
walking to them on the sea, the only thing that could help them. And
what did they do? They cried out. They were scared of Him. Now, listen
close. I'm closing.
They were afraid, scared of the only thing that could help them,
because it looked spooky. They said, "He's a spirit. That's a spirit
walking on the water. Nothing could do that but a spirit." Oooh, they
were scared. And the only hopes they had, they was afraid of.
E-79
That's the same thing tonight. The hope of the coming of the Lord Jesus
is appearing amongst the people. And when they see it they want to call
it mental telepathy; they want to call it fortunetelling; they want to
call it every kind of a devil that can be called; and it's the only
thing that can help you. What was the voice that come from Him? "Fear
not. Be of a good courage. It's I." Looked kinda scary at first, but,
"It is I. Be not afraid."
Now, we've had a lot of testimony meetings, and we see what's happening
to the church. Don't be scared. He's still God. He's just as much God
as He ever was. Do you believe that? The same testimony that He was of
them in that day, we can believe that Him being the same testimony to
us today. Can't you believe that?
E-80
Let's bow our heads just a moment now. I want you to pray and say,
"God, I want You to be merciful to me." You pray in your own way now.
God, be merciful. Have mercy. Now, don't move out; please don't. Just
wait a minute. We're going to dismiss in a minute. Be real reverent.
Heavenly Father, as we are quietening ourselves now after a stirring,
scratching, hard meeting where I've tried with all that's in me, Lord,
to give a testimony of what men would–seen in You in the days gone by,
what they could testify, and say that they had seen happen, and was
sure it was You. You fulfilled the Scripture.
Now, You promised that return again just before the end time. Honor
Your Word, Lord. Make Your Word live again. Find some heart in here
that You can prove Your Word by, Lord. Search me, O Lord. Try me. Help
me. Be merciful to me, Lord. Be merciful to all of us. We're needy.
I pray, God, that men and women here tonight, that don't know You as
their Saviour, that–that they'll–they'll find a room in their heart
tonight, stop for a few minutes and take inventory. Church members that
don't–that knows they can… They can chase their own life. No matter
what they've testified to, they look at theirself and see that there's
something wrong. Test theirself against the Word of God and see how it
comes out. Let us all test, just now, Lord, and find where we're needy,
and then call to Thee for mercy.
E-81
While we have our heads bowed, and each one of you praying, now we'll
never ask you to join a church. You join any church you want to. But
we're asking you this; I am tonight as a servant to Christ: If you
don't know Him as your Saviour, and you would like to know Him, and…
You're not raise your hand to me now, you raise your hands to Him.
Now, remember, here's what Jesus said, "He that heareth My Word…"
Saint John 5: 24. "He that heareth My Word…" I've said it tonight as
plain and simple-like form as I know to say it. "He that heareth My
Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me hath Eternal Life."
You've never believed or accepted It before, but you would like in the
Presence of God to raise your hands, and say, "I now accept It, God. I
believe on Jesus Christ as my Saviour, and I accept Him now as my
personal Saviour."
I'm going to start. Last night I missed some hands. The rows to my
left, to my left, the right of the building, as you come in, to my
left. How many in there will raise your hands to God? Now, with your
heads bowed (Everybody praying, don't raise your head. Pray.), will
raise your hand, and say, "God, I hold my hand to You and want to
accept You as my Saviour. Have mercy upon me. I truly believe the time
is at hand, and I'm not ready to go."
E-82
The other night I asked that down here in California. A seventy-six
year old woman raised up her hand when the altar call was made, had a
glorious conversion, went home, and laid on her pillow, and went to
meet God: seventy-six years, and right at the last moment was brought
in. What if she hadn't have come? No hope. Will you raise your hand and
make that one all-sufficient stand?
The–the row to my left, isn't there a one in there somewhere? God
bless you, sir. God bless you, lady. Would there be another that would
raise your hand? To the center row here to my left, is there any in
that row that would feel that you're not pleasing God, and you haven't
believed Him? Now, there's only…
E-83
Now, smoking, drinking, committing adultery, cursing, that's not sin.
There's only one sin. That's unbelief. You do those things because you
are a unbeliever. If you was a believer, you wouldn't do those things.
There's only two things: one of them is faith, and the other one's
unbelief. One of them possess you. And if you're a little doubt about
the Word of God, every Word of It being true, then you're an
unbeliever. The Holy Spirit doesn't dwell in you. If you dispute one
Word of God's promise or question it, there's something wrong. Would
you raise your hand, say, "Be merciful to me, God?" Let no one look.
Just let the Holy Spirit. God bless you, sir. God bless you, ma'am. God
bless you, my sister. All right. This center row here to my left.
That's one, two, three, four there.
E-84
The row… Center row to my right, would you raise your hand, say,
"God, be merciful to me. I want to believe." God bless you back there,
my brother. You might've done many great things in life, but that's the
greatest you ever did. A little boy about twelve years old raised his
hand. God bless you, sonny. The Bible says, "A child shall lead them."
He hasn't pulled his little soul through old "True Story" magazines,
and things, and what's called true stories. There's only one true story
that I know, which is that's the Bible.
People… little kids today know more about David Crockett than they do
about Jesus Christ. Every ten cent store has got all kinds of cowboy
stuff? And there's what the little children of America swallow it up,
instead of…?…
E-85
Would there be some there you'd say, "God, be merciful to me. I'm not
raising my hand to Brother Branham; I'm raising my hand to Jesus
Christ. You're the one searching my heart…?… right now."…?…
Would there another, raise their hand say, "God, be merciful to me. I
don't want to…?… God bless you, back there. God sees you. God be
merciful.
Now, in the balcony to my right, is there any in there around this rows
in here would raise your hand, say, "God, be merciful to me." Raise
your hands.
Through the balconies to my center here, some in there would raise your
hand, say, "God, be merciful to me." I can't see too good up there. I
seen the Angel of the Lord in there last night, but I couldn't call it.
It moved right down. Somebody struck something and went down. Raise
your hand. He will see you, whether I do or not. He will see you.
Have you really got that much courage? Is there that much real
something about you, man or lady, that would raise your hand, and
confess that you're wrong, and ask for mercy? Raise your hand. To the
left then, in the balcony to the left. God bless you. God bless you,
sir. That's a wonderful thing. God bless you, ma'am. That's good. God,
be merciful.
E-86
Father God, I commit them into Your hands. They–they broke every
scientific rule. According to science, gravitation holds our hands
down, like it keeps our feet on the ground. According to their rules
our hand could not raise, because they're going downward, because the
weight and gravitation holds them down. But these people raised their
hands. It shows that they got a spirit in them that can control the
body. And they broke the rules of scientific law, and raised up their
hands to the Creator, said, "Be merciful to me."
Now, Lord, I'm saying this in the Presence of God, Christ, Holy Spirit,
holy Angels, all the host of heaven, and this company. You promised if
that was sincere from their hearts, "He that heareth My Words, and
believeth on Him that sent Me, has Everlasting Life, and shall not come
into the judgment but's passed from death to Life." I give them to You,
Father, as the trophies of Your Word being made manifest, preached by
the Spirit of the Lord. And they are Yours.
Keep them from the judgment, and fulfill Your will in them. Give them
the baptism of the Holy Spirit. If they've never been baptized with
Christian baptism, may they receive it, Father. And may they receive
Holy Ghost baptism and become workers.
From these little children that raised their hands, to the oldest, men,
women, boys or girls, the teen-agers that raised their hands, God grant
it, through Jesus Christ's Name.
E-87
I give them to You, Father. They are Yours. It was Your Spirit that
called them. I spoke Your Word, and they heard It, and believed. And
now, they raised their hands that they accepted It, and You promised
it. I want to meet them in a better land where there's no death nor
sorrow. And at that day, how we'll hug one another around the neck, and
scream for joy, and remember, this night in Salem, Oregon, when the
meeting will be brought upon the canvas of the great screen of God, and
they'll see those hands that went up, how happy those people will be.
How thankful I'll be to present the trophies to You. Grant it, Father.
They're Yours in the Name of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
E-88
Now, in the quietness and in the Presence of the Almighty, we still
have about ten minutes. Let's… We couldn't call too many prayer
cards. Tomorrow night, I'm just going to come in and call the prayer
cards, if the Lord willing. I want you to believe it without prayer
cards. I'm going to do something else, just in a moment.
But how many in this building that does not have a prayer card, and you
believe that Jesus Christ is the same Christ that I gave that testimony
after testimony, had those disciples to testify how they knowed He was
the Christ… And Hebrews 13:8 says, He's the same yesterday, today,
and forever. How many believe that you have faith enough to touch His
garment? Just raise your hands up, say, "Pray for me. I believe," you
without prayer cards, without the prayer cards. Now, please, be
reverent, just a moment more.
E-89
I know it's–it's late, but it's not too late. It's twenty minutes
earlier than we was last night. But just be reverent. Now, pray. Just
each one bow his head in his own way, and then you pray while I watch,
committing myself to God. If you're interested in God and your
salvation, and to see the signs and wonders that I have said here in
the Bible that He did, and you want to know whether the One that you're
professing your faith in… And you that raised your hand awhile ago,
lay–may He come tonight because of this altar call, and prove to you
that He's your Saviour, that He does know your heart, and it was Him
that spoke to you, and He's the One that can speak back now.
Just be reverent. Just pray. Don't doubt. May you raise your heads just a moment?
E-90
Peter and John, passing through the gate called Beautiful, said, "Look
on us." That… Not that they were something to attract. Now, you was
confessing to God, praying for some certain trouble. Now, you believe
with all your heart now. Be alert. The Holy Spirit is very timid (How
many knows that?), very timid It just won't tolerate nothing wrong. So
as soon as It's called, answer quickly. Just pray. Believe.
Now, the Bible said that Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and
forever, and He's right now a High Priest that can be touched by the
feeling of our infirmities. Do you believe that? Well, if He is the
same High Priest, if you touched Him, He'd act the way He did
yesterday, the day that when He was on earth. Do you believe that? Sure.
See, the woman touched His garment, and she went off and set down. And
He said, "Somebody touched Me." He looked around till He found the
woman, told her what her trouble was, and her faith had healed her.
Now, He's the same today.
E-91
Please, please, don't move around. I'm not scolding, but look. See,
here's what the devil keeps saying to me, "They don't believe you or
they'd listen to you." See?
You remember what He told me at Green's mill? How many in here the–is
here when I was here the first time? All right. You remember me coming
to you, and I put my hand out, and you'd touch my hand, and I… And
then if I just kept still, don't try to use my own thinking, It would
tell you what was wrong with you. You remember that?
You remember me telling you that He told that it'd come to pass that
I'd know the very secret of their heart? You remember me telling you
that? Now, raise your hand, if you remember me saying that what–that
He told me if I'd be real reverent… See, there you are. Now, it has
come to pass. See? So that makes it true.
The Bible said, "If there be one among you who's spiritual, or a
prophet, and what he says comes to pass, then you hear him. If it
doesn't come to pass, then don't you fear him, 'cause I'm not with
him." That's no more than sense (See?), because if God's there He will
make it true. Now, you just pray.
E-92
You without prayer cards. You with the prayer cards, God willing, I'll
get you in the line tomorrow night up here on the platform. Without
prayer cards, be real reverent. "They that wait upon the Lord shall…"
All right. He's here now. Did you ever see that picture of It, the
Pillar of Fire, Light. When I meet you at the judgment bar, It's not a
foot from where I'm standing right now. That's right. He's here. See if
It's the same Christ. See if that's His Spirit or not. You pray. Touch
His garment, say, "Lord Jesus, let me touch You. Speak back through
Brother Branham. It'll prove to me that You're the same yesterday,
today, and forever."
E-93
I can't make… Yeah, I see a woman just bowed her head right here.
There's the Light right over the little lady. Look this way back there,
lady, second one setting in back there. You're suffering with stomach
trouble, complications. Do you believe that God will make you well? Do
you do it? The little lady setting second one in, with her head down
yet. If she'll believe with all of her heart, she may have it. Do you
believe it? You missed it. It's gone from you. Shame on you. That…
It's over this little lady setting here. You believe me to be God's
prophet or His servant? The lady setting back there. You believe? Look,
thin looking woman setting there by the man. You believe with all your
heart. You're suffering with heart trouble. That's right. Let me tell
you something about yourself. You've got heart trouble so bad till they
have to keep oxygen in the house, whether if you have an attack or not.
Now, that is true, sir. You know that. You believe it with all your
heart? You can have your healing. It's up to you.
E-94
What's the matter with these people? No wonder you're dead. You'll
always be that way. There's a numbness of your spirit. Can't you awake
unto Christ? Don't let the innocent suffer for the guilty, God. Grace
and mercy provided and still won't even recognize it, what are you
going to do?
Lady setting right there seems to have faith, looking right at me,
suffering with diabetes, diabetes. She might not understand me very
well because she's a Scandinavian, a Dane. You believe me to be God's
prophet, lady? Thank you. Thank you, lady. You believe with all your
heart and the diabetes will leave you. You're not from here anyhow.
You're not from the group around here. You're from up in Oregon, but
you're up on the Columbia River (That's right.), a place called Dallas,
or something like that. Uh-huh. Your name is Mrs. Lund. That's exactly
right. That's THUS SAITH THE LORD. You accept it, and believe it, and
it'd be over.
E-95
What's the matter with the church anyhow? That man setting there
looking at me from Eugene, got eyes and ear trouble. If you… Is that
right, sir? Stand up on your feet there and accept your healing. Have
you got a prayer card? You don't need one. Jesus Christ makes you well
by your faith.
What's the matter with the church? Has it gone numb to the Gospel?
Hallelujah. Let's praise Him. Hallelujah. Thank You, Lord Jesus. How we
praise You for Your goodness. You that raised your hand awhile ago, and
you believe me to be God's servant, come down here. Let's have a word
of prayer together. Walk right out of your seat, every one that raised
your hand, and you that–that don't think that you're right with God.
In the Presence of God come right down here now, and stand here at the
altar. Let's have a word of prayer together. Every soul that wants to
be saved, come.
Now, that's it. That's right. Come out of the balcony up there, in the
Presence of Christ. We got to break this old cold spirit in here,
friends. We're never going to have a meeting till we get this thing
broke out of here. There's–there's–there's too much devil unbelief
around here. That's exactly right. Run for your life. Get to Christ as
quick as you can. Something's going to happen. Judgment will follow
this. Don't you believe it? Shake away from that cold, formal devil
that's trying to bind you down. Let every soul that's not right with
God, get around this altar right now. In the Presence of God I call you
in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Come now.
E-96
You know the song, "Oh, Why Not Tonight?" You know that chorus? "Oh,
Why Not Tonight?" Help us to some song that you want to…?… Where's
different ones? That's fine. We got the old…?… All right. Give us a
song for your altar call. We're going to sing an invitation song, while
these precious people are gathering up here.
Friends, I speak to you in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. You
might've done a many thing in your life that's been good. No doubt but
what you have. But this is the greatest move you've ever made, is to
come to Christ. That's exactly right.
While we're singing now, I want every person in here that's not right
with God to get–come around the altar right now. You come up here and
get right with God, and get that coldness away from you. Get that
unbelief away from you.
Why are you afraid? Jesus was standing here tonight He'd say, "Do not
be afraid. It's I." Isn't that the same way He did when He was here
before? Look at the grace of God when them people wouldn't accept it.
They'll probably die with them troubles. And there He went right out
through the audience and pulled them anyhow, to show that He's God.
Certainly. All right. Let's sing.
Won't you rise up now and come? Where else can you go? Go to your
church? It'll perish with you. Go to your friends? They'll die, and rot
like you will. Go to your creeds? God will ignore it. But you come to
Christ…?… Then you have Eternal Life. To know Him is Life, to know
Him. And His Presence, when He's here proving He's the same God that
was with them out there that night. Won't you come? One more time we're
going to call. Come on now. If there's any condemnation in your life,
come on.
E-97
Now, while these people are still coming, I want some of you that's
real–and on praying grounds with God. I want some of you pastors, go
down here now. And I want the pastors, and those Christian women that
knows God, to come around these women here, you men who know God and
interested in souls.
You know what the Bible said? In this last days the prophecy said that
the people would be so cold and indifferent that… And when the Holy
Ghost come through just to seal those who sighed and cried for the
abominations done in the city.
I want each one of you ministers to point out to me in your
congregation that person that sighs and cries, day and night, for the
sins of the people in the city. Could you put your hand on that person?
And remember, the Holy Spirit is commanded to only seal those. Touch
not the others; they're going to perish.
E-98
What are you playing church for? There's no need of playing. Don't play
with God. God's not a play instrument. He's God. Now, you that's got
enough strength and believe, and wants to see souls saved, come around
here and stand by these women, you women, and around these men, you men
that really know God, and wants to see souls saved, and wants to see a
revival, wants to see something happen. Come stand around them now, and
let's show them that we love them, and we want to see God save them.
Minister brothers, get right among them. That's right. Hallelujah.
Now, listen. I want to talk to you while they're coming. Have faith.
You come up here. "He that will confess Me before men, him will I
confess before My Father." Now, you confess what you–where you're
dilatory, how dilatory, how you've neglected God. You confess that as
wrong, and say that "I'm sorry, God, that I did that." Find favor with
Him, then watch what He will do for you. You just confess that you're
wrong, and He will take care of the rest of it.
E-99
Now, let's let the whole audience bow our heads. And every person,
wherever you are, if you're interested in these people, pray. Everybody
now. Walk up close, you all here, and lay your hands upon somebody
that's standing there.
Our heavenly Father, we are deeply grateful to see the Holy Spirit in
the hour of grace and understanding, break through the shackles of
unbelief, tear down and shake the very subtags of hell into the devil's
eye, blinding from the Gospel, and yet go beyond that and pick out them
souls and bring them in.
You're still God. You're still Jesus, the risen one. We thank Thee for
these. They're standing here. They're Your children. There's only one
thing they can do, is come and confess that they're wrong. And he that
will confess his sins shall have mercy. He that hides his sins shall
not prosper. You said so, God. And pray, God, that You'll break up the
old cold, formal spirit that tries to hold this revival in captivity.
We take it over in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and break the powers of
Satan by the Gospel of the resurrection, and the Presence of Jesus
Christ in this dark, evil hour.
E-100
Satan, turn the people loose. Come out of them. You're a loser, and
there's not a one that God's ordained to Life that you can hold.
They'll come anyhow, no matter what you do. They're coming anyhow. God
said they would. "All the Father has given Me will come to Me, and none
of them is lost." I pray, God, that You'll hear now. And make the
Satan, that evil one, turn these people loose. Make each one of their
homes springs of…?… Save their loved ones. May their hearts be on
fire.
May they pray all night tonight, all day tomorrow. May there be such a
thing take place, until the shaking of the Holy Spirit will start a
revival in their hearts, in their homes, in their churches, in the
community. Grant it, Lord. We love You. We believe You, that You are
the Son of God. May they understand that they're wrong. May they
understand that they are…?… May the enemy of their soul…?… You,
Lord…?… [Brother Branham moves away from the microphone–Ed.]…?… the enemy…?…
E-101
Every one of you that's standing here that accepts that God's forgiven
your sins and your unbelief, raise up your hands, say, "I accept it. I
feel it in my heart that God forgives me." Raise up your hands, people
that are standing around here. That's it. Right along, fine.
Now, right on the same grounds you're standing, receive the baptism of
the Holy Ghost. Turn your heads down. You that's got the Holy Ghost,
the Bible said they laid hands upon them, and the Holy Ghost
came…?… and He's here, here's the place to receive the Holy Ghost.
Amen.
Each one pray. Everybody out there in the audience don't… Just put
your head down, pray, and keep sincere…?… God bless you. O God,
grant, Lord Jesus, have mercy, dear God. Grant it, Lord. Have mercy.
Let the Holy Ghost fall.
