A Trial (64-0405)

 

^E-1
Our heavenly Father, we thank Thee for the privilege that we have of
gathering under this roof this afternoon again to hear the Word of God
and to see the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. We're under great
anticipations, Father, and we pray that You'll receive us this
afternoon and would respect our efforts that we put forth to come to
worship You. Bless every soul that's here. We realize the good things
are those that's hard to get. So we pray that because of their
sacrifice there won't be anyone left out, but what will be healed this
afternoon. Save the lost and get glory to Yourself. We ask in Jesus
Christ's Name. Amen. Can be seated.

^E-2
Our tin roof kinda makes it hard sometimes for you to hear. We won't
take but just a little bit to speak to you, and then we'll go right on
with the prayer line, 'cause that's what we designated this afternoon
for, was to pray for the sick.
And now, I want to say this. I don't know when I have ever enjoyed of
being with a group of people any more than I have this group here. You
been really fine. I was telling Brother Johnson a while ago that I
don't when I ever enjoyed a meeting any better: such a wonderful spirit
among you people, and believe, faith.
I'd like to stay here about a month so we could really get acquainted
with one another. Usually about time you get acquainted then it's time
you have to say good-bye and go somewhere.

^E-3
I don't know who this little policeman is out here, standing out there
in all that rain just bare headed, trying to direct that traffic. If
anybody knows him, thank him personally for me, will you? I tell you,
he's done a real good job.
I want to thank the men who come in here and cleaned out this place and
fixed it for this–so this meeting could be here today. I'll tell you;
the community owes a great tribute to men of that courage that'll do
that.
I owe a great tribute to you for a people that'll come out on a day
like this; most people would stayed home. I–I appreciate your courage.
And you standing here in the midst of all this difficult, setting under
this roof, can hardly hear what's going on, but yet determined to stay
anyhow. That's–that's the courage. I–I like that. I always think of
that song.

^E-4
Yes, difficult. I preached sometimes not long in South Africa where it
was raining so hard in the time of the monsoon, until women just
setting everywhere, and their hair streaking down: been setting there
all day in that rain. I never seen such a meeting of healing in my life.
In Mexico not long ago I remember standing down there preaching when
it'd been raining like this out in that bull ring there all day, and
them people was there at nine o'clock that morning, setting in the
rain. And a woman with a dead baby in her arms. the baby had died the
night before, and that little baby laying stiff in her arms… A fellow
give out the prayer cards and done give them all out. There was no more
prayer cards.
They let me down on a rope back behind the ring to get into the ring
like this. And Billy come running to me; he said, "Daddy, I don't know
what I'm going to do." He said, "I've got three hundred ushers standing
there.

^E-5
And how many knows Jack Moore? Most all of you knows Jack Moore, here I
guess. He was with me. And there's a little woman out there he said has
got a baby that's dead, died this morning, and that was about nine
o'clock that night: died that morning in the doctors office.
And said, "She wants that dead baby brought into the line." Said, "I
haven't got no more cards, and I got the line lined up." said, "I don't
know." And it was pouring rain just as hard. I was standing there in
it, cold rain. Look out there, and them little Mexican women, their
hair hanging down, just drenched, wet under them lights, and you
couldn't hardly see out through, it was raining so hard. Well, I said…
Well, he said, "I can't hold her." Said, "We got–we got three hundred
ushers." Said, "She climbs right over the top of them, and she got this
dead baby."
I said, "Well, Brother Moore, why don't you go down and pray for her."
And I'd been preaching about ten minutes, I guess, something. And I
said, "Why don't you go pray for her?" I said, "Because she wouldn't
know who I am, or nobody, been several speakers." I said, "She don't
know who I; you go pray for the baby and that'll satisfy her."
He said, "All right, Brother Branham."

^E-6
He started to go off the platform. And there was a rick of old clothes
that high, all the way for, oh, maybe twenty or thirty yards. A blind
man had received his sight the night before. And so they were really
interested: ninety percent Catholic.
So then I started to preach; I said, "As I was saying, faith is the
substance…" I looked, standing before me and there was a little
Mexican baby, a little black face, little gums, no teeth, just shining,
the gums, like that. And I thought, "That must be that baby." I said,
"Wait a minute, Brother Moore. Tell the little lady to bring the baby
here." So they opened up the rule. No–no prayer card, she wasn't
really supposed to get in, but she was persistent. That's–that's what
you want.

^E-7
So she brought the baby up; I said, "Heavenly Father…" 'Course they
don't interpret the prayer. I said, "I don't know whether this is the
baby or not; I just seen the little baby. But if it is, it's Your
respect to that woman making this sacrifice." I laid my hands over on
that little blue blanket and that little stiff frame about that long
hanging out the woman's arms. And the baby let out a scream and begin
to kick himself as–just screaming just as hard as it could. The baby
was… Now, the little lady fell down and started to holler, "Padre,
Padre…" means "Father," you know, had this beads in her hand. And I
said, "That's not necessary."

^E-8
And I said to Brother Espinosa, a Pentecostal preacher… Many, I
guess–I guess you know him, yeah: Brother Espinosa. I said, "Now,
don't you write that baby was dead. I don't know. The only thing I seen
was that there–that vision." I said, "You follow a–a runner after
that woman and let her go and let the doctor sign a statement to it."
And the Christian Business Men's "Voice" just recently packed the
statement: the doctor give testimony, the baby died with double
pneumonia in his office that morning at a quarter till nine o'clock.
And that was ten o'clock that night; the Lord Jesus give it back its
life again, because of a sacrifice.
Now, that is so true, God in heaven knows that's right: doctor's
certified statement. The statement now is in the hands of the Christian
Business Men, which Demon Shakarian is that international director. He
has the statement signed by the doctor: the baby died with double
pneumonia that morning, and at ten o'clock that night the baby was made
live because of a faith of a mother that was persistent to do it.
That's all.

^E-9
Just the same as the little Shunammite woman was persistent to get to
Elijah, just the same as a Greek–the Syrophenician woman was
persistent to get to Jesus. She knowed she had a daughter had epilepsy.
Though she was not even a Jew, the revival wasn't to her people. And
then when He got–she got to Him He said, "It's not meet for Me to take
the children's bread and give it to the dogs." Called her a dog.
She said, "That's truth, Lord." See how the real faith will witness the
Word to be truth. Said, "Truth, Lord, but the dogs is willing to eat
the scraps under the Master's table."
He said, "For this saying, your child's healed. And she got it the same way because she was persistent.

^E-10
Thank you very much friends. The Lord bless each one: the musicians,
Sister Ungren, here. And all of my friends, I see here many of my
friends has come in for this meeting. I see today, Brother and Sister
Evans. I don't know whether they can hear me or not, they're from over
in Macon, Georgia. Sister Ungren, here, and–and all of them from up in
Memphis, Tennessee, and Brother Palmer and Sister Palmer, and their
friends, and Brother Parnell, a minister friend of mine there. I see
them just setting all around here now of friends, personal friends.
Brother J. T. here from–from over in Georgia also, his friend. And
we're certainly thankful to have all of you here and your faith and
confidence. Some of them people drive plumb to Jeffersonville, Indiana,
every Sunday I preach up there, just come up to hear. Then I tell you
that the world's not worthy of such people, to my opinion–me saying
that.
You people here, we're one great unit of Christ. We believe in Him. And
now, it wouldn't be a meeting unless I taken a few minutes to read the
Word and pass a few comments, 'cause if you're faithful enough to set
here that long, I want to be loyal enough to do that to read the
Scripture and pass just a comment or two, and then we'll start the
prayer line.

^E-11
Now, I'm going to read today from the Scripture, from Mark the 16th
chapter, just for a few moments to draw from this a context; I'm going
to begin at the 14th verse.

Now, remember, "all the world, this Gospel, to every creature." Some
says it ceased with the apostles. He said here that His last commission
to the church was all the world, to every creature.

Where? All the world, to every creature. Notice, there's where He give
it to the church. Show me where He took it away. "all the world…"

Now, I believe that Scripture to be the truth.

^E-12
Before I forget it, my son told me awhile ago, some little lady and her
husband from Arkansas, baked me a birthday cake and give it to me. Many
of you has give me cards and things, I haven't even had time to get
into yet. Thank you very much. God bless you. And I hope you have a–we
all spend an eternal birthday over yonder, where we'll set down. And I
want a–I want a ten thousand years with each one of you, just set down
and talk. And we won't have any less time to talk than we did when we
began. That's the truth.

^E-13
Now, I thank you for all that you've done. Now, just for about ten
minutes, or fifteen at the most maybe, the Lord willing, to just pass a
few comments. I want to say this, that I trust that my feeling leading
to come, you pastors' feeling led to sponsor me to come, that give me
an open door… You people were loyal to come out. And Jesus has not
failed but what He's appeared to us each time in the sign of the hour
that we're living in. And I trust that His resurrection, everlasting
eternal Being, and His Presence has influenced you to love Him and
serve Him more than you ever did in all your life: to purpose in your
heart to live true to Him and live closer, better.

^E-14
I heard a story once that was told me, about when they had the slaves
here in the south. They used to sell them on markets, and so forth,
like they did when in the time of the slave day. The Boers brought them
in out here at Jamaica Island. Then the people over here, they smuggled
them in, and they bought them for slaves, which was legal in them days.
And they'd go by and buy them. And they'd find good heavy slaves, why,
they would–they would breed that big heavy slave to a heavy woman.
That would make a better man. That's the reason they're champions of
the world today in things in their fighting. They're just had a–bred
in like cattle and so forth.

^E-15
But then we find a buyer… One time a broker came by to buy on a
plantation, where they had about a hundred slaves. And those slaves
were… They were sad. They'd have to whip them to make them work,
because they was away from home. They were smuggled away, captured,
went into captivity, and was smuggled away. And they'd have to whip
them to make them work, because they were discouraged. They're away
from home; they'll never see papa and mama no more; they'd never see
their wife or children. It was a sad affair.
And this broker one day come by a plantation said, "How many slaves you got?"
Said, "About a hundred." Said, "Look them over."
And he went out there, and he noticed them, how they was all… But one
young fellow, they didn't have to whip him. His chest was out, his chin
was up, right on the dot. And so the broker, the buyer said to the
owner; he said, "Say, I'd like to buy that slave."
He said, "Oh, no. He's not for sale."
He said, "Well," said, "is that slave, is he the boss over the rest of them?"
He said, "No. No, he's not a boss."
Said, "Do you feed him different?"
Said, "No, they all eat out there in the galley together. He's just a slave."
Said, "What makes him so much different from the others?"
He said, "I wondered a long time myself what made him different. But
one day I found out. Over in the homeland, where they come from,
Africa, his father is the king of the tribe. And, yet being an alien,
he knows he's a son of a king, and he acts like one."

^E-16
Oh, what ought that do to us. Though we be alienated, though we're in a
dark world of unbelief, and sorrow, and sickness, and death, yet let's
act like sons and daughters of God. We are the sons and daughters of
the King. It ought to change our attitude, everything. No matter what
the rest of the world is, we must hold up the rights of God. We
remember that this is not our home. We are not of this country; we're
not of this world. We're borned of the Spirit of God, which is above.

^E-17
Going with my wife here not long ago to a grocery store… I seen a
strange thing in the summertime in Indiana, a woman had on a dress.
They don't wear them no more, you know. And so my wife said… I said,
"Well, looky there. Wonder if the woman's a Christian."
She said, "Well, all these women, I know some of them here. They sing
in the choir at the churches." She said, "Why is it, Bill, that they do
that?"
I said, "Of course…"
"And our people doesn't do that."
I said, "Of course, we're of a different nation."
She said, "We're Americans, aren't we?"
I said, "Oh, no. We just camping here. We're not Americans." I said,
"See, we are from above. The Holy Spirit came down, united our hearts
with God. And we professed like Abraham, 'We're pilgrims and strangers.
This is not our home. We're seeking a city whose Builder and Maker Is
God, coming from above.'" Yes, we are sons and daughters of a King.

^E-18
Now, I'm going to bring a little thing that sounds funny just for few
minutes. But I'm going to have a trial, a court trial, here. Can you
hear me? How far back can you hear me? Raise your hand. Well, fine.
Back this way, can you hear me? Good. I'm talking as loud almost as I
can. I'm going to have a court trial, and the case is, the Word of
God's promise versus the world. Now we're going to set it like a court
trial for just a little bit, before you come through this prayer line:
the Word of God versus the world.
Now, the case, the cause for this indictment is a breach of promise,
that of God's promises… They claim that God hasn't kept His promise.
The prosecuting attorney in this case is Satan, and he is the world's
witness, because he is of the world. The defendant in this case is
Almighty God. The defense witness of this case is the Holy Ghost. We're
going to call Him to trial just for a few minutes. The prosecutor's
witnesses, that he's bringing up to defend his case, is Mr. Unbelief,
Mr. Skeptic, and Mr. Impatient. We're going to give them a trial.

^E-19
Court is called to order now. The prosecutor calls his witness, Mr.
Unbelief. He takes the stand first. Can you still hear me? Say, "Amen."
(Amen.) All right, good. Now, I feel a little more relaxed.
Now, you understand? It's a case against God, that Mr. Unbelief, and
Mr. Skeptic, and Mr. Impatient is calling God to a–to a trial because
He don't keep His Word, they say. All right. The prosecuting attorney
in this case, he always represents state, so the prosecuting attorney
in this state is Satan himself. And he's…
We're calling the trial. All right. They call the first one to the
witness stand; that's Mr. Unbeliever. He complains this, that all of
God's promised Word is not true. Now, He's going to be tried for this.
Listen close now; don't miss it. He claims that Mark 16, that I just
read, was ministered to him in a so-called Holy Ghost meeting where
others claimed to be getting healed. And that was ministered to him two
years ago, and there's no difference in him yet, that these signs does
not follow the believer. He said… He made this claim against it. All
right, he sets down.

^E-20
We call the next witness. That's Mr. Skeptic. He takes the Scripture of
God's Word of James 5:14. And he said he was in a place where they
claimed that the elders was called, and he was anointed with oil and
prayed over, and that was over a month ago, and there's been no change
in him yet. So he knows that that's wrong. He's calling God and
indicting God for it.
The next witness is Mr. Impatient. He's a awful guy. All right, Mr.
Impatient, he claims that he read out of God's Word in Mark 11:22 and
23 that when, if you prayed, if you believed that what you prayed for
you received, you should have what you asked for. And he said that he
asked to lay down his crutches. After he read the Word and asked God to
heal him, and he asked to lay down his crutches, and that's been five
years ago. And he's never been able to lay them down since. So they–so
they claim God is not justified in putting such rashal promises in His
Word.

^E-21
Now, do you understand the case now against God? He's not justified in
doing that, placing such Scriptures as Mark 11:23–22 and 23, and Mark
16, James 5:14, and such promises as that. They're indicting God,
because of a breach of promise that He has broken His promise and is
not able to stand by it. And they're indicting Him for putting such in
His Word. For His believing children are not identified by the claims,
and it causes them to be persecuted because they are not… God doesn't
identify His Word after He's made the promise.

^E-22
Oh, we got a real case here now. I… Look at them, how they can
testify. Yet… Hear the witnesses stand up again, and say, "Yet we are
believers." They claim to be believers themselves. "And it said, 'These
signs shall follow them that believe. The prayer of faith shall save
the sick. If you say to this mountain 'Be moved,' and don't doubt in
your heart, it shall happen. And we are believers."
And yet again, one stands up and says yet, "He (that is, God) promised
all things are possible to the believers." What an indictment against
God and His Word.
Yet again, He claims to be alive after He was crucified, and claims
that His Scripture on Hebrews 13:8, that He's just as much God today as
He was yesterday, and will be forever is…?… of the same God. And
they indict Him for that because it isn't so. They can't make it act
right. All right.
Also he claims… This is the complaintant now. He claims that both
heaven and earth will fail, but His Word will never fail. That's
supposed to be believers talking.

^E-23
Now, what an accusation, what a complaint we have against God, that
He's made these statements, and not big enough to stand behind them.
What do you think of that? And Satan, the prosecutor's setting there
representing the world, to claim these–a breach of promise to God.
Because these people has come and been in these meetings, and–and
accepted these things that God said was right, and yet there's been
nothing happen to them. Now, now, let's let the prosecutor's witnesses
step down just for a minute.

^E-24
You know, we got another side. Now, we will call the defense Witness,
the defense Witness of the Defendant; that's God. The defense Witness
for God is the Holy Ghost. Bring Him to the stand. Let's hear His
testimony. My.
First, He calls the attention to the prosecutor's misinterpretation of
the Word to the people (That's right.), for he is the same interpreter
that Eve had. He's the same interpreter that Eve had, "Oh, surely
this… Or this is all right, but that isn't." See, the same
interpreter, the prosecutor is, 'cause he's a devil, the same one
that…
God fortified His children behind His Word. And the very first time you
step from behind It, you're a target to the devil. But he can't get you
as long as you're fortified by the Word.

^E-25
Now, a promise is… He said… Again, I want to call your attention…
says the… Now, this is the defense Witness, the Holy Ghost. He said,
"The promise is only to believers, not make-believers, and skeptics,
and unbelievers. The promise is only to the believers, not to others."
Now, this is the–this is the defense Witness. And the defense Witness
should know, because He is the One that quickens it to them. He knows
whether it's true or not. He also wants to call the attention here,
being the Quickener of the Word, He also calls the attention that the
Word is a Seed. And if the Seed falls into the right fertile ground,
It'll produce exactly what God said it would do. But It's not fell in
the right kinds of ground, so there's not soil enough (faith enough) to
make the Seed grow. I think, as the One Who quickens the Seed, He ought
to know. Don't you think so? How many believe that, say, "Amen." He
should be the One Who knows. He's a real defense Witness. All right.

^E-26
The defense Witness now is going to call his first witness. Now, you
see, the prosecutor called his witness, Mr. Unbelief, Mr. Skeptic, and
Mr. Impatient. Now, the defense Witness has a right to call one of His
witnesses. The Holy Spirit has a right to call it, 'cause He is the
defense Witness for God's Word.
Now, these men claim they believe, but the Holy Spirit knowed nothing
about it. And He's the only One can quicken it. Just like your body
here. See? Your body is dead without the spirit. So is the Word of God
dead without the Holy Ghost to quicken It. The spirit quickens the
body, and the Holy Ghost quickens the Word. You get it? Now, He ought
to know.

^E-27
Now He's going to call the first witness. Let's see who He's going to
call: Noah. He's going to call Noah. Noah said, "In the days that I
lived was a scientific age (way smarter than they are in this day.),
and the Lord God told me there was going to come rain down from
heaven." It had never rained, you remember, upon the earth. And they
could take instruments and prove there was no rain up there. Remember,
it never rained in them days. God watered the earth through irrigation.
"But He said, 'It's going to rain and going to destroy the world.
There's going to come a great flood all over the earth, that'll cover
it over and destroy it.'"
He said, "Yet, I got orders from God to build an ark. I went to work on
this ark, showing my faith that I believed what God said was the truth,
regardless of what science had to say about it." I think he makes a
good witness, don't you? "No matter what anybody else says about it,
God said that it was going to rain. So if there's never been rain up
there, He can put rain up there. I'll build the ark anyhow, making
ready for it."
"Although I had… That fellow on the witness stand here awhile ago,
Mr. Unbeliever, he scoffed at me all along. He made fun of me. And I
seen Mr. Skeptic. He come around and he laughed at me. Mr. Impatient,
all of them, they laughed at me for believing in such a miracle. But I
waited. When I finished the ark, the rain never come. And I waited for
one hundred and twenty years before it come. But it come." Amen.
Set down, witness. That's a good testimony.
Let's call another: witness number two: Abraham. Bring him up. We just been talking about him.
"Also," he said, "I heard the Word of God, when I was seventy-five
years old, tell me something that was absolutely against all reason. It
had to be a super times super miracle, that I was going to have a wife
sixty-five years old to produce a son to me. When she was sixty-five
years old, we went out and got everything ready, because God said so;
we believed it. And I told all of my friends that these things was
going to happen. After… This had to take place because God said so."
"I waited patiently. The first month come along. I asked my wife how was she feeling."
"No different."
"All right, I believed God anyhow. There was Mr. Unbeliever, Mr.
Scoffer, Mr. Skeptic, and all them standing around. They scoffed and
laughed at me, called me father of nations when I had no children. And
I kept believing every month, every month it would happen. She got
older and older all the time. But it… And twenty-five years later,
God kept His Word true. It happened."
Abraham, that's a good witness. The Word never said when. He said He
would. He said, "I'll give you a child, son, by Sarah." Not next month,
He never said, "Next month." He said He would, not when.

^E-28
They… prayer… "They shall lay hands on the sick. They shall
recover." That's the idea. "The prayer of faith shall save the sick,
and God shall raise Him up. Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until
you're endued with power on high." Not for one day, two hours, ten
days, ten years, until the power comes. A real defense witness, these
fellows are.
"He never said when we'd have the baby," Abraham said, "but He said we
would have it. And all the time the odds was building up against me, I
stayed steady. Because I didn't stagger at unbelief of the people. I
held right on."
Good, Abraham. Set down.
Now, let's have another witness, number three witness. Let's bring Moses up, see what he says.
"Now," he said, "I was a scientist. I'd been forty years in the
wilderness after failing on the job. But one day I met God. And that
voice, a Pillar of Fire back in the wilderness, told me, a Scriptural
voice, that the hour was at hand, that He had heard the cries of His
people, remembered His promise, and He was going down to deliver them.
And He was sending me for the job."
"I asked Him for a sign. He give me a sign, and He give me another
sign. Both signs would have voice. He said, 'Then if they won't believe
all those signs, just pour water from the ocean upon the ground, and
it'll turn to blood.' That's it. That's all of it. Pharaoh was finished
then. Said, 'If you… If they won't believe those signs, those
voices…'"

^E-29
"And yet, I went down in the line of duty, just as God told me to do.
Jehovah, the I AM, told me to go down and do this sign. And I took this
sign down before Pastor Pharaoh, and I throwed down my rod. And you
know what? He tried to make it look shady, like it was some magic
trick. And he got some carnal impersonators to go out and mock it, do
the same thing.
"But I knowed it was God's Word. And I come to take those children out
of there. No matter what taken place, I still believed the Word of God
so I held steady with It."
Moses, you're a real witness. Don't make any…?… try to copy it, and
try to make it look like it. He held steady. The magicians come up.
See? Pharaoh said, "See, it's some cheap trick. It's Beelzebub, some
mental telepathy, or something. I got men here, magicians, can do the
same thing: fortunetellers to mock it, whatever it is."
That didn't stop Moses. It was the Word of the Lord, because it was a Scriptural sign following it.
"Oh, yes," and said, "Mr. Unbelief, Mr. Skeptic, and all them hung
around my shoulders. But I stayed right straight with that Word,
knowing it was God that said the Word. It's God that takes care of It,
not them."

^E-30
"He told me I was going to take those children to the promised land. He
told me I was going to take them out of there, and I was going to come
back to this mountain, where it happened. I don't know how. Pharaoh
threatened my life, and everything happened, but I stayed true to the
promise."
"Finally God overpowered the enemy, and I brought them through the Red
Sea as on dry ground. God kept His promise, and I got right them
straight to the mountain, where He told me I would come to, the same
mountain."
He had believed that it was God, and he held steady.
Let's bring witness number four being that we're in a hurry. Let's bring witness number four, Joshua, who succeeded Moses.
Joshua said, "I went down there with the spies. I was sent out. Twelve
of us was sent, one out of every denomination." And said, "We went down
there, and we looked. And here they come back scared, and said, 'Well,
we look like grasshoppers up beside of them fellows. Oh, my, they're
greater than we are. They're mighty men, what all they are. We look
like grasshoppers,'" they said.
"At Kadesh-barnea, I stilled the people." Said, "Wait a minute. You're
looking at a giant in the opposition. I'm looking at the promise of
God." God said, 'I've give you the land.' Amen. I got the people quiet,
because the Word promised it."
"Then day after day, they come around and say, 'Where's the land?
Where's the milk and honey, Joshua? You promised it to us… Where's it
at?' God will take care of it. And He let all them unbelievers die. He
kept me alive, raised up another generation. Forty years later we took
the land. God said so."
And remember, they was only two day's journey away. He held them back
just for forty years because of their unbelief. Your healing might not
be five minutes away. Your unbelief will keep it away from you as long
as you live. Got to believe it.
He's a real witness: Joshua. Yes, sir. They took the land forty years later.

^E-31
We got so many witnesses we could call. But if you'll excuse me, I'd
like to be His next witness. I'd like to put myself up for His witness,
if it don't sound too personal. I'm His witness. I want to be His next,
His fifth witness.
How can God take a cocklebur and make a grain of wheat out of it? A
sinner, come from a sinful family, all of them with guns, and died with
their boots on–bootleggers and whatevermore you have. Well, I had
nothing to do with it.
My mother, that's in glory today, said the hour when I was born that
Angel of the Lord come in the window, stood over the cradle where I was
at. They got the picture of It in the scientific halls of the art of
religion today. It's worldwide known. God promised to do these things.

^E-32
As a little boy, a voice spoke to me, said, "Don't never smoke, chew,
or drink, defile your body in any way. There'll be a work for you to do
when you get older." Scared me, of course. What'd I know about religion?
My people formerly were Catholic. How did I know anything about these
things? I never was in a church in my life. They both married out of
the church, so they just… Mother and father both was Irish, and so
they just married out of the church, and we had no religion. We just
lived like a bunch of dogs…?… all pulled about like campers from
post to post, wherever we could find a little shack we could pay the
rent on for three or four dollars a month. That's the way we lived. A
little old barefooted boy packing water to a whiskey still one day,
when God in His sovereign, still keeps His Word, come down in a
whirlwind and stood there, and said, "Don't you do these things." He
said it.

^E-33
When I become a young man… Visions begin to break over my eyes from a
little bitty boy. It scared me. I got saved, and I joined a Baptist
church. I had–I told my Baptist brethren about going… I didn't know
what to call it a vision. I called it a trance. Now, I went and said to
my brethren about that; they said, "Billy have nothing to do with that.
That's the devil. That's the devil. Don't you have nothing to do with
that."
One night at a little camp where I was fishing way back in the
mountains, I was laying back there about three o'clock one morning. I
seen a Light coming. I'd just been reading the Bible. I thought it was
somebody coming, shining through a knothole a lantern, or something.
Was way in the wilderness. And I thought, "Somebody's coming up."
The light was on the floor, spread greater and greater. I heard of
Somebody walking. When it did, It was a Man. He was barefooted. He had
hair to His shoulders. He had on a robe. And I… Like to scared me to
death. He said, "Don't fear. I'm sent from the Presence of the Lord
God, to tell you that your peculiar life… Don't try to get from these
things. That is your calling. And God will be sending you to different
places all over the world to pray for the sick. And if you'll get the
people to believe, and be sincere, nothing'll stand before the prayer."
It scared me to death. Certainly it did.

^E-34 I stood there, and He kept talking. I said, "Sir, I'm here because of those trances and things like that."
He
said, "There'll be three things happen. First, you'll know by taking
your hand to hold the people. Then it'll come to pass after that, if
you're sincere, that you'll know the very secret in their heart."
And I said, "That's what I'm here to talk about. Was…" I said, "My
brethren told me that that was of the devil. I'm a Christian. I don't
want to be nothing of the devil."
He said, "As it was back there, so is it now. When they were arguing on
what kind of buttons they should wear on their coats, and things like
that, and the ministers saying that Paul and them turns the world
upside down, what was it? But it was a–a evil spirit that said, 'These
men are servants of God that turn the world upside down,' that Paul and
them…" Said "The evil spirit testified that they were true servants
of God."
He told me, said, "Don't you remember in the Scriptures, that's the
thing our Lord did, and that's what He promised. He said it would
happen again in the last days?"
I thought, "Well, what can that be?"
He said, "Well, it's the Spirit of the Lord Jesus. He is the Word. And
He's promised this in the last days. Now, don't be afraid."

^E-35
I went down then to baptize a bunch of people on the river. When I was
baptizing there, where about five thousand people standing on the bank,
right in the middle of the day, two o'clock in the afternoon, hot, they
hadn't had a rain for a week or two, and standing on the bank, here
come that Pillar of Fire whirling out of the air, coming down where I
was standing, and a voice saying, "As John the Baptist was sent and to
forerun the first coming of Christ, your message will forerun the
second coming of Christ."
The newspapers packed it, and it swept into Canada on the Associated
Press, around the world, "A local minister, Baptist minister,
baptizing…" and said, "a mystic Light appears over him," the very one
that they caught the picture of here, and done it in Germany, and
everywhere. And it's done…
My pastor said to me; he said, "Billy, what kind of a dream did you have? Why, you know you didn't see it."
I said, "There were hundreds standing there, witnessed it."
And they…?… said, "Aw, that's a mental delusion." Tried his best.
That's old man Unbelief, and Mr. Skeptic. I held straight to the Word.
Stayed there, because I knowed it was God's promise. Amen.

^E-36
Luke the 17th chapter, He promised, "As it was in the days of Sodom…"
As I seen the world heaping up as it was, I knowed something has to
come to pass. I seen in Malachi 4, where He would restore back the
faith to the Word, that they'd scattered out from. I knowed that had to
come to pass. And I stayed true to the Word. I find Jesus Christ today,
the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Congregation, it's raining. I'll stop right here. I want to say this.
I've brought all these witnesses, my own witness. Many of you are
witnesses this week, that thing is true, the message. How can I?
Dr. Davis said to me, "A boy, a grammar school education, go to pray
for kings and potentates, and light a revival that'll go around the
world? Billy, get next to yourself." But it did it. It did it.
Thirty-three years later, the revival over, and it did it. God said so.
I'm His witness. He didn't say when He would do it. He said He would do
it.
I waited for the time when the Word would be so real, put into my hand,
as it was, a sword, and was going to discern with that, the very
thoughts of the people's heart. I thought, "How can that be?" I waited
believing it, and it happened. The scoffer, the unbeliever, the
skeptic, the impatient still waits and looks on. But God, after
thirty-three years has confirmed it, universal, around the world, where
papers, magazines, and articles has been wrote throughout the world.

^E-37
You be the judge. Your mind is a jury. Every jury has to make up its
mind. I'm closing the court. You be the judge; your mind is a jury. And
your actions from hereafter, this afternoon when we lay hands on the
sick, that'll spell what your verdict was. The way you act after you're
prayed for, that'll tell what your intellectual mind has made up, what
the jury of your mind has made up. That'll tell just exactly, your
action from hereafter.
I declare that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
I declare there's nothing can stand in His Presence, to men and women
who will believe it. Do you believe it? Let us bow our heads.

^E-38
Lord Jesus, just a Word from You now, make the people believe. They're
set here. I wasn't going to do this, Father, but they've been so
patient. And asking now: won't You, on my own witness… We can read in
the Bible the witnesses of those characters, the witness of
unbelievers. We see where they've always condemned it. Them Pharisees,
religious people in them days condemned Jesus Christ, but He proved out
He was the Son of God. They said, "You make yourself God."
He was God. He act like God; He preached like God; He healed like God;
He raised from the dead like God; He ascended on high like God; He is
God. He's coming God. We believe it in the midst of all troubles;
You're still God.
Your witness stands out, Lord. I give witness of the–or spoke have
these other men's witness. Thousands times thousands I could've called
of both sides, the skeptic, the unbeliever, and the men that just can't
wait long enough. You never said when. You said, "If they lay their
hands on the sick, if they believe they shall recover," no matter what
time it is.
You never told Abraham when the baby'd be born. You never told Moses
what day You'd bring the people back to that mountain. You never told
Noah what day the rain would fall. You never told them any certain
time. Neither did You tell us. You said, "If thou canst believe… If
you say to this mountain, don't doubt in your heart, it shall come to
pass what you've said, if you believe it." You said, "These signs shall
follow them that believe. If they lay their hands on the sick, they
shall recover."
Lord, I place it right back in the peoples' lap. It's up to them. I
proved to them by the Bible, and we all know it, that the atonement's
made. He was wounded for our transgressions. With His stripes we were
healed. It's past tense. They shut the skeptic's mouth, and the
unbeliever that said He didn't raise, and trying to make it some kind
of a historical God in the religious.
Lord, I pray that You'll appear again this afternoon among us, and
prove to this audience that You're here, the One that said the Word,
the God that we've had on trial. To me, You're justified, Lord God.
You've proved Yourself God. Make Yourself so real that every man and
woman, these poor people setting here in this dripping barn here,
trying to hear the Word… Make it so real to them, Father. Show
Thyself to be God among us.
How the people in all ages has come, kind of a–strange to people…
When they was on the sea that night in the–and You come to them, they
thought it was scaredy; it was… They didn't know what it was, and
they cried out. But that voice come back, "It's I." The voice of the
Scriptures speaks this afternoon, that this is the hour. This is the
time. Sodom and Gomorrah, and all these other things are setting just
the way they're supposed to be setting. And here You are, showing to
the royal seed of Abraham that You're alive, and the Son of man is
being revealed in this day of Sodom.

^E-39
Heavenly Father, grant that the people see, and when they come by, that
they'll take God's Word just like Abraham did. No matter when the
baby…
We could call Isaiah on the scene, and Isaiah could've testified. He
would've said, "The Lord said to me, 'A virgin shall conceive.'" If he
could rise and talk to us this afternoon, no doubt but what he'd say,
"Every young Hebrew girl, all through my days, looked to be conceived
by the Holy Spirit, every one. But You said it, had it wrote down. You
identified me as Your prophet, and my Words that I said was backed up
by You. My visions were true, and the people believed it for a
generation or two, and then it faded out. Yet after eight hundred years
a virgin conceived and a Baby was born. His Name was Counseller, Prince
of Peace, Mighty God, and Everlasting Father, eight hundred years
later."

^E-40
O Lord God, what's the matter with these people, of us on this earth
today, to call ourselves the royal seed of Abraham, when he waited
twenty-five years, hoping and–and having faith against the impossibles
to see a miracle performed; and You did it. How much more can we take
Your Word, when You're the same visible God that appeared to Abraham
that's appearing here to us in human flesh in the same manner that you
did to Abraham.
God, grant that they'll, everybody will see it this afternoon and
prosper. Every time the people passes through, and get–hands are laid
upon them, may they go from this building rejoicing, and never take it
back, but believe like Abraham and all the rest of the patriarchs. You
said it would happen, and it will happen if they faint not. Grant it,
in Jesus' Name. Amen.

^E-41
I do believe. I believe. You believe. I believe that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God. I believe that He's raised from the dead. I believe
He's more than able to perform any promise that He promised to do. He
can keep every Word that He ever said, and He'll do it for us here this
afternoon if we'll only believe it. Now, He never said, "Go ye
therefore, and jerk the people up out of wheelchairs, and take the hard
cases, and do this…" He didn't say that. He said, "Lay hands on the
sick and they shall recover." That is believers.
Now, the Holy Spirit is His defense Witness here. He knows whether you
believe it or not. Don't just come guessing. Take that guess, and take
that hope, and take that imaginary, and put it under your feet and say,
"I have faith. I know it's going to be." Something will happen.

^E-42
What do you think it is to me, standing here, friend? What do you think
to me, standing here, like it is now, before audiences sometimes up to
thousands and hundreds of thousands? But make our claim that He's
a-living, and His Spirit told me that the Word that He'd give me…
Could God do anything without being able to back it up? He told He
would do it; that's the Word. And stand here before the audiences where
skeptics, unbelievers, and everything else set by the tens of
thousands, and yet see Him calling on the scene. You believe He's here?
All right.
Someone close, not my friends now, if you're, if you're sick, anybody,
my friend… How many right here in front of me, knows that I don't
know you? Raise up your hands like this. Now, there's some in here does
know me (See?) along here; they do know me, right in here. That's
right, isn't it brethren, all you all know me. Look here. See? They
know me. But out in here, you don't know me.

^E-43
How many in this one row here don't know me? Raise up your… Is there
anybody in these three rows here, right in here that does know me,
knows that I know something about you and everything? Raise up your
hand.
Do I know you back there? Do I know you, brother? I don't believe he
understood me, 'cause I don't know him. He don't know me. You don't
know me, do you, sir? You–you–you know me? Do you know that I know
what's wrong with you? Who are you? He don't understand me, 'cause I–I
don't know the man. I, what is… Do you know that I know what's wrong
with you, without being spiritually, I just know you as a man, and know
what's wrong with you? Certainly not, sure. Now, we… See, it's
raining; you can't understand. May the Holy Spirit help us now.

^E-44
All right, start in this section then, you believe in here? That one
man… I–I might not even know… The man setting there, he's got his
hand up (See?) I don't think… He doesn't know me. I know he doesn't,
but he just put, had his hand up anyhow. I won't touch him then. See?
Be you all, the Lord bless. Somebody pray in here…
Do you believe, every one of you? You believe with all your heart?
Here's a little lady. Let me just call one person, start talking, just
talk to somebody, get it, get the Holy Spirit moving.
The little lady setting there, do you believe me to be God's servant,
you little lady setting right here? You? All right. Two of you nodded
your head. All right. We'll just have both of you then. All right. The
lady here, nod your head like this, the pink dress on. If Jesus Christ
can tell me what's your trouble, or something about you, will you
believe me to be His prophet, and know it's Him? Your trouble's in your
back. If that's right, raise up your hand. See? Now, see? All right.
That's right. Now, you little lady out on the end, you didn't get it,
because the weather was bad. You have colon trouble–a heart–a colon
trouble. It's in your colon. This woman setting next to you has a heart
trouble. If that's right, will you three women raise up your hands.
Now, I'm a stranger to you. See? Now do you believe? Have faith, that's
all you have to do.

^E-45
A little lady setting right here, looking right at me. I don't know
you. You're a stranger to me. Do you… You don't know me, setting
right there, with a little white, looking right at me. Yes, you. You
don't know me, but you're suffering, aren't you? You kinda just a
little worried about something. It's a lump that's in your breast. If
that's right, raise up your hand. Now. You say, "You seen a lump."
There's no lump shows, is that right? No lump showing, and I don't know
you.
You believe God can tell me who you are? Will that make you–help you
some? Would it help the audience? Now remember, the woman's got her
hand up. Put your hand up; I don't know you. God, help me. Mrs.
Patterson. That's right. You believe? By the way, that's your
mother-in-law setting next to you there. You believe… She wants to be
prayed for. She come for that purpose. You believe God can tell me
what's the matter with her? Her trouble's in her eyes and in her ears.
That's right. Raise up your hand if it's right. He lives. He's still
God.

^E-46
Here's a lady setting back there, having epilepsy. She has epilepsy,
and she's got female trouble, and her name is Miss Woods. If that's
right, stand up on your feet. Stand up on your feet, if that's right. I
never seen the woman in my life. The devil left you there, sister.
Praise be to God. If thou canst believe, you just believe.
Here's a lady setting right back here. She's very weak; she's sick; she
just come from the hospital. She's got–she's got stomach trouble. Her
name is Miss Kitchen. Stand up and believe with all your heart. Jesus
Christ makes you well. Never seen her in my life.
Here's a lady with gall bladder trouble. You believe with all your
heart too, that God will heal you? A Mrs. Whittiger. You believe with
all your heart God will heal… If that's right, stand up on your feet
if we're strangers to one another.
Do you believe He's here? What is that? That's God's defense Witness.
Hallelujah. Oh, people, believe with all your heart. That's God's
defense Witness. How do you judge Him? Do you believe He's right? You
believe His Word's true? He promised–all week long I preached on it,
and showed it in the Bible that He'd do this in this day. Do you
believe it's the truth? Do you judge… What's your judgment? Do you
believe?

^E-47
Let those who have prayer cards in this side over here, stand up in the
middle of the aisle over here, that's got prayer cards on this line
over here. Stand up in the middle of the aisle this way. Those on that
side who has prayer cards, stand up in that aisle, this way. Those over
against the other side, stand up in that aisle. Those that's up in the
top there that has prayer cards, walk down in front. Those who's in
this line here that has prayer cards, stand over on that side. Those on
this side has prayer cards, stand over in this aisle right here. Those
who has prayer cards here stand over in this aisle. Now, stop right
there now; we'll get the other side just in a minute. Form your line;
come right down. I'm… Now, hold still just a minute, where you are.
Stand just where you are, just a moment.

^E-48
Look. How many ministers are in here that believes, real God-fearing
men that believes that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and
forever, and His last commission to His church was, "These signs shall
follow them that believe. If they lay their hands on the sick, they
shall recover."? How many you ministers believe that? If you do, come
here and stand with me right here while we pray, so that when these
people are healed they'll see it wasn't just Brother Branham; it's you
too. Stand right along here, form a double line, right here where the
line will pass through.
Oh, my. What else could God do? I don't know nothing. Look at the
ministers coming, the witnesses. Go right down, make your line down
this way, ministers. Huh? That's all right. That's okay. We'll do it. [Brother Branham speaks to someone aside.–Ed.]

^E-49
Now, I'm going to have Brother Borders, the manager, to come here to
this microphone. And I want him to keep the line in order so that
they'll come this way, go back around that way, go back to your seat
(See?) when you come.
Now, all that can hear me, raise up your hand. Look. Let these, the
farthest back, come in first and come around this way, and go around.
Then let the next go right around, behind the ministers here. As you're
prayed for, go right back and take your seat. Then let Billy, he'll
motion you right around, and tell you how to get in the line. And then
as soon as this is over, then we'll have them stand down that why, and
come this other way. Now, all understands raise up your hand now. All
right, good.
Now, Brother Borders will be right here at the microphone to give witness on what you must do. All right.

^E-50
Now, look. The reason I'm doing this, is because I want you to
understand. I don't know these brethren here. I know two or three of
them. They maybe Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian. I don't know who
they are. No need of me saying that. See? Now, I want you to know that
after I'm gone… Most time, evangelists come in town, and he does
everything. See? He does the praying for the sick and everything. See,
that's not right. I want to keep out of that picture. I want you to see
Jesus. This week I've tried my best to show you that He's here. And if
you have faith, just reach up and get Him. You don't need to come in
the line. But if you want to follow the Scripture, His Divine Presence,
you've touched His garment. Just look what…
These people standing here awhile ago, God in heaven knows I never seen
them in my life. And I'd start right here; in a few minutes I'd faint.
How many knows that Jesus, when that happened to Him, that woman using
God's gift, s–He got weak? How many knows that? Virtue went out of
Him, was His strength. And I'm a sinner. But Jesus said, "More than
this shall you do, for I go to My Father."

^E-51
Now, we're going to offer prayer, and I want these ministers with me
(I'm going to stand right here too.), lay hands on every one of the
sick. And now, if you…
Remember, listen, hear ye to it. Believe it. Unless you come through
believing, "Right now it's settled forever," don't come. It'll only
make you worse. It'll hinder your faith. But if you believe that you're
in the Presence of Jesus Christ and not we, His servants… And we're
only carrying out witnesses. We lay our hands on you that we believe
this to be the truth. And when we lay hands on you, you believe it, and
go out of here rejoicing, saying, "Thank You, Lord. It's all settled."
Don't you never change your mind.
Now remember, let me quote this again. Listen close. Your mind is your
jury on this case, and your actions from here out will be–will
pronounce what your judgment is. You come in here and say, "Well, I
don't know…" See, you see where you judged Him. He's on trial to each
one of you. He's here in your presence; His Word is here; He vindicates
His Word. You're here. He's–He's on trial to you; He's not on trial to
me. I believe Him. He's on trial to you. If you believe Him, and if you
judge Him faithful to His Word…
Now, they're just about to get the line straightened out so they're
forming around (You see?), just… I'm just waiting till he got it
straightened out. Just move right on out. Form your long line, go right
straight back the way you come, when you get out.

^E-52
If you believe Him, then something's going to happen. Remember, now,
there is no power in none of these ministers. There's no power in me.
There's no power in any man to heal. But we have authority from God to
do this. We don't have power; we have authority. Here is our Authority:
God's Word. And the Presence of Jesus Christ proves that He's here.
What? You should be healed, every one. Now, let's all bow our heads
while we offer one prayer, and Brother Borders will be standing here
leading the songs and directing the people. As you come through now,
pray and believe.
All you gather, brother ministers. You see why I've done this. Then
when I leave, your congregation knows too, these people that get
healed, you're God's servant also. It just ain't one. God don't just
have one servant. He has thousands of them, all that will believe it.
Let's bow our heads. You have just as much right to pray for the sick
as me, or Roberts, or anybody else.

^E-53
Heavenly Father, I thank You again. In my heart, and I know hearts
here, You are justified to put this in the Word, for we've seen it
work, and we know it's the truth, and we know it'll work on every
person. And we're praying to You now, Lord, conditioning our own souls,
while we know You're here. You've answered; You've spoke Your Word out
to us; You're here. Now, may You anoint us, Lord. And when we lay our
hands upon these sick people, poor, sick people, setting here in this
rain this afternoon, may every one of them recover, and go home and be
well. May they be like Abraham, call those things which were not, as
though they were, because God made the promise.
And You was the One said, "If they lay their hands on the sick, they
shall recover." You never said they'd recover right then. But You said
they would do it. And we believe it, Lord. Help every–everybody to
believe it, Lord, as we commit the meeting to Your hands. In Jesus
Christ's Name, we follow Your commandments. Amen.

^E-54 Now, let the prayer line start. Brother Borders, take the place. [Brother Branham prays for the people–Ed.]…
believes? The Lord bless you. The reason I got my hands together with
you minister brothers, that was because some of you all are suffering
too, you know. And you put yourself out here to pray for others, let
alone… It's not right. I believe as we caught our hands together, I
believe that God honored that and just…
Now, here–here's those who couldn't get to the meeting. Now, let's pray for these handkerchiefs.
Heavenly Father, we're taught in the Bible that–that they'd taken from
the body of St. Paul handkerchiefs and aprons. We're not St. Paul, but
You're still Jesus. And we pray, God, that You'll send Your blessings
on these handkerchiefs and heal each and every one of them. Make them
well, Lord, for Your glory. In Jesus Christ's Name we pray, and send
them. Amen.

^E-55
I want to say this, that coming through the line, I've seen women and
men holding babies, and they were wet. You just remember me, my pastor
brothers, that weeks from now, you'll find out there's a great thing
took place here. They will recover. I'll say that ninety percent of
them will recover. That's right. It was… I've never felt such a bond
of faith. It was really wonderful.
I… See? You're now… Just act, go on, act like it was all over. No
matter if you didn't feel… Don't… He never did say, "Did you feel
it?" He said, "Did you believe it?" Did you believe it? And we believe
it. And He's here now. And we believe. We give Him praise and glory for
all that He's done.

^E-56
And dear Christian friends, I know they'll be closing the meeting in a
few minutes, and I want to say this to you. If I don't meet you no more
this side of the river, I'll see you there with this same Gospel, this
same thing. Now, just remember as what you've accepted this afternoon.
Your mind has been your jury; it's made up its mind, made up the
verdict. Now, you just go on acting. I don't care if you was paralyzed
and couldn't move. Just still keep on believing it. He–He said, "They
shall recover." They shall recover. That's what the witness said, every
witness today, all the way down through the Bible. He… 'Less He said
something spontaneously would happen… But in this case, "They shall
recover." That's what laying on of hands… Now, if a vision happened
and said, "This is going happen at a certain time, a certain time,"
then He designates a time. But on this case, He said, "They shall
recover." Believe it with all your heart.

^E-57 Let's sing one time.

Now,
just before… Let's shake hands with somebody near you, say, "God
bless you, Christian friend." Don't move, just stay, shake hands
around. God bless you, Christian. God bless you. God bless you. God
bless you. God bless you, Roy. Now, let's raise our hands to Christ and
sing.

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