A Trumpet Gives An Uncertain Sound (63-0114)
|
E-1
Thank you very much, brother. It's a great privilege to be here in this
Christian assembly tonight, down here in this icy country. I called
home awhile ago, and it's about twenty degrees warmer way up there in
the North than it is down here. I must have brought that with me. I'll
hurry out and get back again right quick. All the plants are freezing
up. What do you think about that, Creechy? [The brother says, "It's cold."–Ed.] It certainly is.
So happy to get to meet this fine pastor tonight, and to see you
people. I've just been in a few moments. I come up from Tucson, where I
had to go today. Drove down last night, and got in about 2:30 this
morning down in Tucson. And then was up all day down there, and left
just a few moments… Well, I got in–just been in about
hour-and-a-half, I guess something like that, up here. And so, I
haven't had too much sleep. But I'll try not to go to sleep here. But
we're happy to be here.
This little boy playing around with these microphones here, he… I set
down back there on the–one of the little children's seats. Little boy
come, looked at me real sad. I said, "All of us kids can set together,
can't we?" Now, I sure love them little fellows though.
E-2
And it's a… Oh, it's really nice to be here tonight and have this
fine audience of people and standing around. And I–trusting now that
Brother Williams has told you all about (and Brother Rose here)–about
the oncoming convention (I guess you're well acquainted with it.) to be
at the Ramada right away: the Business Men's convention. And we're
expecting a great time there. Brother Velmer Gardner, a wonderful
forceful speaker, and other ministers, Oral Roberts, and many will be
there. And we're expecting a great time in the Lord.
I hope some of these times, let us have a healing service in that
place. I–I'd like to–to get Brother Oral and me together. Yes, sir.
Wouldn't that be just fine? That would be a real breaking-in for it,
wouldn't it? A healing service down at the Ramada, that would be fine.
We're… So we might do that, you know. The Lord might provide that for
us, have a healing service. So now… We'll… Going around now from
church to church to try to spread the good tidings, and to associate
one with another, and have fellowship in all the different churches.
That's what we believe in: that we are one in Christ.
E-3
I was speaking the other day to a doctor. I'm fixing to leave for
overseas, and you have to have a physical examination. So I was in for
an examination. And he put me on one of those wave… I… Don't ask me
what it is. And he found something strange. And he come back and
couldn't make it out, and he got a council of doctors, and he just
couldn't understand that. He said, "I never seen that before." And so
he showed me the picture of it, how that where ordinarily the
conscious, and you have a subconscious, and they are way wide from each
other. But he noticed on mine they was both right together. Said,
"You're a real odd fellow."
I said, "I've always knowed that, and everybody else does."
Said, "We've never seen that before." So he got to telling me about it.
And I said, "Well," I said, "you know, I guess the good Lord, when He
makes us up, He just makes us a little different. We don't look like
one another, and so… Sometimes we don't even act like each other.
But–but He makes it to Him–His own way of making it. We just go into
His big molding machine, and if we'll just set still, He'll mold us the
way He wants us to be."
And I–I know no one would want to be anything but what you are. Only
thing that we all can desire… After we have been saved and become the
children of God, the only thing we want is just a little closer walk
each day. That's what we long for, for that great fellowship. How
wonderful it is. Would you ever stop to think just what would we do if
we didn't have that? What will… What… If that great hope didn't
rest in us, what would we do?
E-4
I was saying in one of the churches, maybe I… First one place, and
another, and around the country I make a remark sometimes, think I
might repeat it in the same church. But I was going out of the building
where I'd been kinda laying pretty heavy, about these people today
doing this here new dance they got, they call the twist, or something.
And I said, "I just don't know what in the world people want to break
their legs and–and act like that for."
So, there was a fellow about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old met me at the back, said, "Just a moment, Mr. Branham."
I said, "Yes, sir?"
He said, "You know, you just don't understand."
I said, "I hope I never do."
So he said, "You see," said, "I can see your point." Said, "You're a
man fifty years old. But if you was my age, it would be different."
I said, "Wait a minute." I said, "I was preaching the Gospel when I was
ten years younger than you. I still believe that same Gospel. I've
found something that takes the place, and is more joy in serving the
Lord than all the things that the devil could manufacture anywhere."
It's a… It gives a satisfaction.
E-5
You know, David said one time, "As the hart thirsts for the water
brook, my soul thirsts after Thee, O God." And if you've ever seen one
of the little fellows when he's–he's been hurt… Maybe the dogs has
got ahold of him, and jerked a big piece out of his side, or something,
he's bleeding, and he… The dog can trail him. He's not like a man,
and he can hunt that deer whether he's bleeding or not. And so the only
way… If that deer's a bleeding, the only way that he can ever live is
to get to where there's water. And if he can ever get where there's
water, he'll drink that water, it'll stop the bleeding, and–and he can
get away. He's pretty smart.
E-6
But now, you can imagine seeing one of the little fellows wounded and
bleeding, and just how his little head up, and all the sense that he
has of detecting where the water is with his nose, just… He must find
the water or perish. And now, it's just life and death to him, he…
He's… Just every–every–every bit of the sense that he has, he's
trying, longing; he must find it.
Now, that's the way we ought to be thirsting for God. See, "As the hart
thirsts for the water brook, my soul thirsts for thee, O God." Be hid
away with Him somewhere, my heart's desire. And I trust that that is
the desire of all that's in here tonight.
E-7
And now, night after night… And I like to see the faces you see at
one place you see them at another. I–I like that. You're showing your
fellowship and expressing what we are here for. Oh, I'd sure love to
see an old fashion revival in Phoenix. Oh, my. That word "Phoenix" has
thrilled me since the very first time I read it–of it: Phoenix,
Arizona. From a little boy I thought if I could ever get to that spot,
if I could ever get there to Phoenix, and now seeing it, and when we're
here we find it grossed in deepness of sin, like all the rest of the
places: tourists falling in, and drinking, carousing, immorality,
everything on hand.
But yet, in the midst of all of that you find some genuine jewels that
God shook forth in this desert here, that's shining in the crown of
God's glorious people. And that's what I'm here for tonight; to put
myself with you brethren, and you sisters, to try to shine the light of
the Lord Jesus to others, that they might be found also, in this great
turmoil. And many of them are out there yet. I'm satisfied of that.
There's still more to come in, and we must do everything we can to get
them there, and live a life that will reflect Christ.
E-8
Now, just before we read a little text of Scripture… I got in so late
I jotted down a few notes in about five minutes time. And the federal
income tax has just sent me some returns I had to get in right away,
and it's got to be postmarked, I think, maybe today yet. And so I got
to get in the post office. And when I got in Billy said, "You better
hurry." And so here…
I just had it around, and around, and around with them fellows. My, oh,
my. They talk about justice on the courthouse doors. I wonder where
it's at. Yes. I never seen such. And they wanted me to pay income tax
on every check that had been given me for the past six years to pay off
the debts of the campaign–with delinquency on it (See?): $355,000.
I said, "Just shoot me." How would I ever do that? I said, "I haven't
got hardly over 55 cents." I said, "How could I ever do that?" And
they've held my nose to the wheel for five years.
E-9
The people putting in… Like we're having a campaign, and–and people,
they just know my name's William Branham; they just make out a check
for the expenses. The ministers take care of that. I never took a
offering in my life. And so, they get a… I get a salary from my
church, a hundred dollars a week.
And this offering… But every one (See?), that they put that in… And
the next morning, the–the one that was the head of the finance
committee, he would come over and say, "Brother Branham, you have to
sign these checks." And why, I'd just sign them; he'd put them in. And
then they checked all that through, and not one cent was ever spent for
myself. But when I signed that check, they said it was mine. The people
give it to me, then I give it to the church. Oh, my.
E-10
I felt real bad at first, then I come to find out that every man in the
Bible, I believe, that ever held a spiritual office for God was
connected with the federal government. Check it back and find it out.
That's right. Moses, Daniel, John the Baptist, Jesus Christ died by the
hand of the federal government under capital punishment. Peter, James,
John the Revelator, all… Every… All suffered persecution. Why? It's
the seat of Satan. Do you know that?
Do you know Satan took Jesus up and showed him all the kingdoms of the
world in a moment of time, and he said, "They're mine. I do with them
whatever I want to. (See?) And I'll give them to you if you'll fall
down and worship me." So you see who they belong to? We hate to think
that about our own, but it is.
So He said… Jesus said, "Get thee hence, Satan." He knew He'd fall
heir to them in the millennium. He knowed they'd be His when–when…
If these countries were governed by God, the millennium would be on.
E-11
But there will be a time. They're got U.N.'s and Leagues of Nations and
everything to try to bring peace. But as long as Satan's at the top of
it, and politics, what's going to happen? They'll fight just as sure as
the world. But there'll come a time when all arms will be stacked. And
the taps will sound, and the morning breaks eternal bright and clear;
our King shall take His throne. Oh, there'll be singing; there'll be
shouting. And there'll be one flag, one people, one nation speaking one
language: heavenly. Amen. I long for that time, and I'm pressing
towards that mark, trusting to God someday when it's finished I can
say–I can hear Him say to me, "Come up higher."
E-12
I'm here in Phoenix tonight in the Name of the Lord. I would–would not
try to explain what's happened. Many of you people that take the tapes,
be sure to get that one, "What Time Is It, Sir?", that was just before
I left home. A vision sent me here, and I don't know what. Now, I
don't… I'm not a tape salesman, and I don't stress those things. We
get them, and we got a tape business around the world. Way into the
jungles and everywhere, they have a little something they put in their
ears, they got, and can tape it into a tape and stand there and
translate that right into the language. And it goes around the world.
E-13
And… But one that I had–that "What Time Is It, Sir?" or "Is This the
Time, Sir?"–some… I was… Saturday night three weeks ago at the
church, after… All my life I've seen visions. I never had anything
like this before in my life. Now, I don't know what it is. I'm just
here. But He sent me here. I don't know what it means. I just… I'm
just here, and I'm… Must be honest and sincere, and that's the only
way we'll ever get anywhere with God, is to be sincere, 'cause… Men
will know. God knows in the beginning you're not, whether you are or
not. And the men will know, because…
One time there was a man trying to prophesy, and God told… Or the
real prophet told him, said, "Let's remember. There's been prophets
before us. The prophet's only known when his prophecy comes to pass."
So we better be sure that we know that God said so before we say
anything about it. Be honest and sincere.
E-14
Now, let us bow our heads just a moment for prayer. Now, let's lay
aside every care now for the next few minutes. I wonder… In this
lovely little group of people here tonight, I know that there are those
jewels setting here that Jesus shall come to get someday that'll awake
out of the dust.
And there might be some here that's not too sure whether they'd be
there or not. You might have need of other things. If there is a need
in your life tonight, let it be known to God as you just lift your
hand, just saying, "God, You know what I mean now, and bless me. I–I'm
sick; I need healing. I'm–I'm wayward. I need to come back to a
fellowship. I–I want to come back. I've–I've erred. I'm coming back.
I want You to help me tonight to come back." God bless you.
E-15
Heavenly Father, now as we are approaching Thy throne by the way of the
Blood, for… And Aaron went in before the mercy seat he took first the
blood in his hand, then he went forward; and we by faith tonight
receive the Blood of the Lord Jesus, and walk towards the throne of God
boldly, knowing that we have a right to come, not in our own
righteousness, but in His. The Blood represents our cleansing. And I
pray, heavenly Father, that You will grant our petition. First we would
ask You to be merciful to us, pardoning us of all of our transgressions
as we confess our wrongs, and our little errors, and our secret sins,
and our unknown sins. And we confess also as ministers, being priests,
the sins of the people. Together, Lord, we stand. We love the people.
We feel like Moses when he threw himself in the breach to hold the
people… The wrath of God… What a display that was of the
righteousness of Christ, when Christ throwed Himself in the breach to
save the people.
E-16
And, Father, we as His servants with His Spirit in us, every Christian
here tonight, hold hisself before the sinner; God, be merciful to them.
We cry for the sick and the needy, for those precious hands, some of
them old, and some young, and some middle-aged, raising their hands.
You know all about that, Lord. We pray that You'll answer according to
Your riches in glory.
May there be many tonight, Lord, go away from here that come in that's
sick, may they go away well, healed: just something takes place. They
can't even explain it, but they know that they're well.
May those who are wayward go away justified, Lord, knowing that they've
come back and picked up Christ where they left Him at. May they go,
make restitution. Grant, Lord, that those who have never come will find
that precious freedom of being free, turned out of the cage, no more
bound by the things of the world and the cares of this life, but's been
made free in Christ. Grant it, Father.
Bless all we have need of now, and bless Thy Word and Thy servant, and we'll give Thee praise. In Jesus' Name we ask it. Amen.
E-17
Now, if we should read a text of the Scripture, or a Scripture for a
text, rather, I Corinthians the 14th chapter, the 8th verse, reads like
this–in I Corinthians 14:8:
Now, this would be enough text that we could be preaching two weeks
from now on it, and yet never touch the edges of it. There's something
about the Word that's inspired. You're constantly on that one text. You
can tie the entire Bible with it. That's correct.
E-18 One day a fellow asked me, said, "How can you take the same text…"
I
said, "Oh, my. You take a context of anything from it." I picked up a
little three-leaf clover laying on the ground and held it up. The man's
setting here tonight from Tucson, and we was over in Pasadena,
California. And I said, "I could take this three-leaf clover and preach
twenty-five years on it: how it is the life that's in it, how the three
blades being the trinity in one. And oh, oh, there's just so many
things that we could say about it. And how about a Scripture? It's
God's Word. It's eternal. It–it had… It has no end. It just keeps
going on, on, on. It's a refuge to us.
And now tonight I want to speak on this, "A Trumpet Gives An Uncertain Sound."
E-19
In thinking of it just a few moments ago, when I was thinking on
the–that income tax affair, I thought, "There's hardly anything today
that's certain. Everything's got such an uncertainty to it." And
anything that's uncertain cannot be trusted. Anything that's uncertain
cannot be trusted. Stay away from it if it's not certain.
If you've got a business (and which we got businessmen present, maybe
many of them)… If you are running a business that's not certain,
you're not going to put very much in it, because the–the dividend is
uncertain, and you wouldn't make very much investment in it. For if
you're a good, shrewd, businessman you'll wait and search out, if you
got some money to invest, until you find something that's certain,
something that's reliable, something that you can depend on. Because
you don't want to lose that little money that you've saved up to,
because with that you have to make your living out of the remuneration
from–from the dividends that's drawed on this investment. Why, you
have to–to get something to live by.
E-20
And this little money that you've got saved up, don't put it in your
pocket and leave it there, because thieves will steal it. See,
don't–don't do that. If you've got it, invest it in something. And
then you want to be sure of the certainty of your investment. If you
don't, why, don't invest it at all.
So business is certainly on a shaking stand tonight. Any business,
practically, in the world is in a shaking condition, because the
world's in a shaking condition. You just can't allow yourself… "Now,
I'm going to save so much money to build me a nice little home
somewhere." And that's–that's pretty shaky. I'll tell you it is,
because the government could take it all over overnight. Oh, the things
that's got our democracy so corrupted until it's real shaky…
E-21
We used to could put a lot of confidence in our democracy, and which I
do think it's the best form of government. But still, our democracy is
shaky, because we are… This nation, our people, we have a
constitution and this constitution is–is our ultimate. But yet in
that, our constitution is shaky because it's already been broken many
times. The late Mr. Roosevelt made havoc out of it. So, see, you see it
can be broken. It's not much confidence you can put into it.
Politics, oh, my, how shaky… People just argue, and argue, and argue
about politics. And neighbors will fall out about it, and people that
were once good friends… Some president will raise up, or somebody run
for the sheriff, or something, and the other fellow on the other side
of the political fence, and they'll fuss with one another until they
fall out about it. Politics… And I don't… I hope I don't hurt
anybody's feelings, but I think the whole thing's rotten. Yes, sir. So
why would you fuss and fall out about something that ain't no good
anyhow? That's right. It's just awful bad.
E-22 Someone said to me the other day; he said, "Are–are you going to vote this election?"
I said, "I done voted."
Said, "Oh, in this election?"
I
said, "In… I voted for Jesus." I said, "I'll tell you. There was two
people voting for me." I said, "God voted for me, and the devil voted
against me. And I voted for God so I'd get my vote right." Depends on
where you cast your vote how you're going to come out. So…
Notice. Just recently… To show you just a little spot and then we'll
leave it. In this last presidential election, when it was absolutely
proven in Chicago and different places, that the machines that they got
to vote by, that… They was set up by the Democratic party that every
time you voted for Mr. Nixon, you had to vote for Mr. Kennedy the same
time. So you don't have a chance. And proved it…
E-23
And you heard "Monitor" the other night, when they put a–a survey
across the country from the Mississippi east. Mr. Nixon had taken
the–this calling-in vote four to one. How can a man win? If it'd been
Mr. Kennedy, it'd have been the same way. I don't have either party. My
party's in heaven, and I'm right with them here tonight. We're setting
in heavenly places talking of our King.
But you see, I'm trying to tell you these things of the earth is
shaking. There's… you can't put no confidence in them. They're
uncertain. And any thing that's uncertain I'd just rather leave away
from it. I don't like that negative thing. I don't like to get mixed up
in the negative side. I like it positive: be on the positive side.
E-24
Now, home life has become uncertain. You know I seen a piece the other
day in one of the journals somewhere, that the American divorce rate is
higher than any other nation in the world. And we're supposed to be a
religious nation. Yes, it could be that, religion all right. But it's
not the right kind. See? Religion is just a covering. It's hard to tell
what we make our covering out of. Adam tried to make some out of fig
leaves, and it didn't work. It got awful shaky when he had to come out
to meet God. So religion doesn't meet it all. But could you think that
our divorce rate, higher than–than all the rest of the countries–our
divorce rate? We find immorality on the move in our homes.
E-25
It was astounding to find out that a great percent on the survey of the
nation and in the… I believe it was in Ohio that a survey was taken
of Christianity, and it was alarming what a percent that did not even
go to church. And then, about eighty percent of those that went to
church didn't know why they went. They don't know why they go. They
just go to church.
"Why do you go?"
"Well, mother took us when we was a kid, and we just keep on going."
And–and then how another percent of that said that they went just for,
oh, to meet their neighbors and talk awhile. See? Why, it's alarming.
No wonder the home life is gone. See? Any home life that's not stable…
Any woman that's going to marry a man, and she's not certain of that
man, she'd better leave him alone. And any man that's going to marry a
woman, and not certain, you'd better leave her alone. You'd better pray
through on it, until God gives you the answer. And then what God joins
together let no man put asunder. But we–we… First we must pray
through on that. Yes.
E-26
Now, we find out that we have tried to convert the world by an
educational program, and we've really made a mess out of it, sure
enough. You cannot convert the world to Christ through education.
Education draws him away from God more than it draws him to God,
because he tries to think he's smarter and knows more than somebody
else. As good as education is, Christ never did commission His church
to educate the world. He never did educate them to make seminaries. He
never did… Oh, they're good. He never did tell them to go and build
hospitals. That's all right. But the church's business is to preach the
Gospel. "Go ye into all the world, preach the Gospel to every
creature." See? But anything different from that gets shaky, because
it's out of the program of God.
E-27
The national life is uncertain, with the world is uncertain. We're just
living in a place to where the whole world's having a nervous
prostration, looks like, shaking all… Every nation, everybody, one's
afraid of the other one. They talk peace.
They had one time they said, "Oh, when we fight the first World War
out, that… All of our boys must go over there, and that'll settle
wars." Why, they didn't even get the artillery smoke fanned out of the
air until they was on another one. Then they had the League of Nations,
and that was going to police the world. And it fell through. Now they
got the U.N., and it's just the same thing: it's done fell through.
There's nothing to it. Everything's shaking: national life, political
life, voting machines. Oh, my. They're just… The whole thing is shook
up, everything.
E-28
Now I want to bring it down a little close to home. See? Church life is
shook up and uncertain. Now, that's what Paul was speaking of. See?
That's where he meant, if the trumpet gives an uncertain sound. Church
life is shook up. The people don't know hardly what to do. They go
wandering from church to church, trying to find out which has the right
thing: from pillar to post, trying to find what is right, where is the
right doctrine.
And one'll come around and they can explain it, just almost to the very
point of their creed is right. And then the first thing you know, they
find so much corruption in that, until they try another church to see
what their creed is, doctrine. Oh, all this. We find out that we have
broken ourselves up then by these things to hundreds of different
orders of church.
Now there's nothing against that. That's just that they can do the
other things then, that they do do, and there's bound to be some good
come out of it somewhere.
E-29
But you see, you can't put your confidence in saying, "I belong to the
Methodist association of churches. And I–I'm all right, because I
belong to it." "I–I–I belong to the Baptist association, and I'm all
right." You can't do that. You can't even do it when you say you belong
to the Pentecostal association of churches. You can't do that. You
mustn't do that, because it's not.
We find out that when our first Pentecostal association, the General
Council, was set in order, it wasn't very long till they began to break
from there, and break from here, and issues, and doctrines. And now
just look at it everywhere. See? It goes to show that it's uncertain.
Those who trust in just organization alone, it's–it's uncertain.
E-30
Now, you would say, "Brother Branham, you're taking us out on a big
limb out here. You're painting a awful dark picture." And I intended to
do that. I–I wanted to do it. I did it for a purpose, that I might say
this: Is there anything certain? Yes. There's one thing that's certain.
Oh, I'm so glad of that, that there's one thing that you can put your
confidence in and be sure that it's right. Oh, when everything else is
gone, this will be standing. If you'll read St. Matthew 24:35, He said,
"Heavens and earth will pass away, but My word shall not fail." God has
a certain foundation.
E-31
An old fellow said one time, an old darkie down south… He packed a
Bible, and he couldn't read. And they said, "Why are you packing it
for, Sam?"
He said, "It's the–it's the Holy Bible." Said, "It's written on it."
And said, "I believe it from 'kiver to kiver,' and believe the 'kiver'
also," he said, "because it's got 'Holy Bible' wrote on it."
And the fellow was talking to him said, "You don't believe all's in it?"
Said, "Yassuh, I sure do."
He said, "Now, well, you mean you'd do anything that Bible said do?"
He said, "Yes, sir."
Said, "What if that Bible said for Sam to jump through that stone wall there? What would you do?"
He said, "I'd jump."
He said, "Well, now. How you going to get through the stone wall without a hole being there?"
He said, "If the Bible said for Sam to jump, there'd be a hole there
when Sam got there." So that's–that's just about right. There'd be a
hole there. Only thing you have to do is take your stand upon God's
Word, and God will make the way for the rest of it. Oh, that great
foundation.
E-32
I believe He said over in Luke, I believe it was, where coming down off
the mountain He said to the disciples, "Who does men say I, the Son of
man, am?"
And one said, "Jeremias," and the prophets, and so forth.
And He said, "But who do you say that I am?"
That's when Peter made that notable statement, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
He said, "Blessed art thou, Simon, the son of Jonas: for flesh and
blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father which is in heaven
revealed this to you. And upon this rock I'll build My church; and the
gates of hell will not prevail against it."
What is it then? Upon the revealed truth of God's Word… For "In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among…" And it was
revealed to Peter that that was God's a-vindicated Word. Amen.
That's the reason He could say, "Who can condemn Me of sin? Who can
accuse me? Everything the Word's written of me, I've performed it." God
had vindicated it, that He was the Word. Oh, that's it. God manifested.
The Word says so, and then God makes it real, brings it to pass, shows
it.
E-33
Years ago when they said to the church, "There's no such a thing as the
baptism of the Holy Ghost. That's just an emotion that people got
themselves worked up," but those who received it knowed that was the
truth. They knowed God was real. And it's been proven, until today the
Pentecostal move of God across the nations has brought more into Christ
than all the rest of them has.
"Our Sunday Visitor," not long ago, the Catholic paper, said (I believe
year before last, or last year, one) that the Catholic church only
registered a half a million converts, where the Pentecostals registered
1,500,000. Amen.
What is it? It's a growing thing. God's Word's spreading abroad. How
thankful we should be. It's so much till even now the Episcopalians,
Presbyterians, Lutherans, and all are coming to get some of it.
E-34
You notice in the Business Men's meetings; you hear them speaking of
different ones: the Episcopalians, Lutheran, Presbyterian. Why, you
very seldom ever hear of a Pentecostal doing anything any more. That's
right. It's all the others. Because why? They have seen their weakness
of their creed, and they've returned back to the Word. There you find a
foundation, something that cannot be moved, finding there the Holy
Spirit living His life in human beings, manifesting Himself to the
world. And it makes men thirst for Him: unshakable, undisputable, the
Word of God manifested and showing Himself, the Word itself being lived
out through human life. What a wonderful thing. There's nothing
uncertain about that. You can see where God made a promise, and here it
is being made manifest. Hundreds of years ago the prophets spoke of it,
and here we see it coming to pass.
E-35
All through the criticism, all through the differences, all through the
creeds, how they've tried to stomp out that Word of God. How they've
tried to substitute education. They've tried to substitute and make
denominations. They have confused themselves. And out of all of it, the
Word of God still stands just as bright and shiny as she ever did. What
is it? It's that thing that is certain. God said, "Both heavens and
earth will pass away but My word shall not fail." Then that's something
that's certain.
If you want to anchor yourself, anchor that Word in your heart. David
said he hid it in his heart that he would sin not. He wrote His laws
upon the bedpost, and tied them to his hands and everywhere, put His
Word always before him. That's the way. Keep your mind constantly…
E-36
God told Joshua, "Don't turn to the right or to the left from it. Then
thou shall make thy ways prosperous. Then you shall have good success."
And when the church all unites itself together away from its creeds and
upon the Word of God, then the church will have good success. That'll
be the thing that'll stomp out communism.
What made communism? The very thing… You think communism when it's
spreading their propaganda, and growing by the leaps, by the millions,
and people scared about it… That communism will fade and die. It's
got to. Communism–they may do this, and they might do that. I believe
God's going to use it. But that's right, just like He did
Nebuchadnezzar. He'll storm out the–the–the–all the tares out with
communism. But that… No, so much for that.
E-37
But look. But the same communism will have an end. Communism will come
to its end. But the Word of God has no end because It had no beginning.
Amen. It's eternal with God. And if you're anchored in the Word, and
the Word is anchored in you, you're eternal with the Word. Amen.
It's got to come to its end. All those things are shaking. No matter
how big they're building a pillar, it's got to fall down. All things
that's not of, or against that Word, or contrary to it, will have to
move. It'll have to give place, because the Word's coming triumphantly.
There's nothing can stop it. God's done said so.
When He speaks it, heavens and earth will pass away, but it'll never
fail. Hide that Word in your heart. How to take that Word and let It
grow… Keep It in your mind always, because It will never fail. God's
Word will never fail, because He said It wouldn't. So we want to keep
it on that.
E-38
Now, Paul said in the Scriptures, it… Like training a soldier–a
soldier to a sound… Now, a soldier's got to learn the sound of
his–of the bugle, or the trumpet. He doesn't know if the trumpet
goes–blows, whether to–to charge or whether to retreat. If he doesn't
know the difference, what kind of a mixed-up army would you have? The
enemy would certainly triumph over a bunch of soldiers that was no
better trained than that. Amen.
That's what's the matter with our churches today. We're trained them on
creeds, different one to the other. We got to be united, We've got to
know a trumpet.
"Then which is the trumpet?" they say.
The Gospel trumpet, that's it. The Word of the living God is the
Trumpet. Don't mix nothing with it. Don't try to somebody play a French
harp, and the other one blow a bugle. Nobody knows what to do. It
brings a confusion. And Paul was talking about training a man to a
sound. And just as that sound is, he knows exactly what to do, because
the bugler has got orders and–from the chief captain. And when he
sounds his trumpet the army knows just exactly the place to–to
advance, and where to withdraw, and whether to turn right or left, or
what to do by the sounding of the trumpet.
E-39
Now. Army, war, it's always been war. We never joined the church, or
come into the church to come to a picnic. We must realize we are coming
to a battleground. I never come for people to pat me on the back and
say, "Brother Branham, you're a wonderful person." No, sir. I come
there with a shield on. I don't need a shield for that. I come with a
helmet and the armor. I come to fight, fight every inch of the ground.
God told Joshua, "Every place the soles of your foot treads upon, that
I give you." So footsteps meant possession.
And when the church gets to a place that compromises with creeds, and
compromises with the Word, and compromises with the world, I mean, then
it's losing ground. It's taking back.
E-40
What we need tonight is soldiers to possess every Divine promise of
this Bible that God promised to the church–whole armor of God–and to
stand. What we need… Soldiers. Not get a uniform for a dress parade,
it's always different.
When a man, or any nation… We got spies through every nation. We got
German spies here; we got English spies here. We got–we got spies over
in England. What are they trying to do? They're trying to find out what
kind of a material, what kind of a bomb the other one's got. F.B.I.,
pretty near every nation… They're watching to see; that's how they
survive. They watch and see what kind of a bomb the other one gets.
Then they come by and make it a little better, or make something to
counteract it. They don't trust one another in the nations, 'cause that
shows that nations are shaking.
E-41
Why, England would blow us up in a hour if we'd cross their path, or
we'd blow them up. Just takes somebody up at the head of the thing
there, to get a little drink or two too many, or fall out with
something, and then away it goes. Here not long ago, they'd… Say a
little piece of goods made in Japan during the war, they'd slam it on
the floor and walk around patriotic. And now you'd pay a bigger price
for it than anything you buy in the nation. What happened? Will that
pay back the lives of those boys that died over there? Certainly not.
What is it? I don't care how much you fight to the material things,
you're going… It won't mean one thing. It'll shake. But there is one
fight that you can get into and gain grounds that can never be taken
away from you. That's the Gospel sound of the trumpet of God's Word,
and His… Possess the gifts and promises that He give to the church.
Certainly it is. Now we find… We find giving this trumpet sound…
E-42
Now every nation tries to arm their boys with the very best of defense
that they can have. Now, I know sometimes these armors are not easy to
pack. I had a brother… "Rookie" they called him, goes out here, and
the army gives him a ninety-pound pack on his back. And that was pretty
near as much as he weighs. They give him a shovel to dig a hole with, a
rifle, and a whole bunch of hand grenades, and, oh, I never seen such a
pack. The poor little fellow couldn't hardly move. And they took him
down the road for a five-mile hike. It like to killed him.
He said, "What's this nonsense for? What do I need with this great big old helmet?"
Now, look. Army knows he's going to need that sometime.
"What do I want with a shovel out here on the highway, walking?"
Better get used to using it. You might need it. The government isn't
going to issue those things unless you know–they know you're going to
have to use it. You must train for that. They find the best things that
they can find to protect you with, because they're interested in the
nation. They're interested in you being fortified the best that you
can, away from the bullets. That's always been that. It started in the
garden of Eden. And God trains His church, and the…
E-43
You know, we're always have to improve. Now, the old airplanes we used
to use back in the first World War… The second World War, why, them
little knockers in the air was altogether out when they put up these
nice big super planes they had. Why, they were nothing. And now, the
ones that they just used in this last war, now they're obsolete. They
don't need them anymore. They've got jets. And see, you're always
trying to improve, to improve on the thing for defense.
But you know what? God don't have to improve. God gave His children,
His soldiers, the very best thing that could be given them. When He
give them, what did He give them? He give them His Word at the garden
of Eden, and man was to fortify himself behind the Word of God, and no
devil can get him. Stay in the Word.
E-44
Now, the enemy spy, Satan, tried to find out what could he do to break
into that. So he–he knowed he just couldn't come out and bluff her, so
the only thing that he could do was to get her on reasoning. And that's
what God uses today to fortify His church is His Word. And Satan comes
around with reasoning power. Satan knowed that was a loophole. That was
a place that people would break the easiest, was at reasoning.
You say, "Now, let me just reason with you. Now is it necessary?" If
God said it was necessary, it's necessary, whether we have to cry, and
boohoo, and do all this. If God said that the baptism of the Holy Ghost
is necessary, I don't care how heavy it is, and how much of the world
you have to give up. You're going to have to use it one of these days
to stay alive. It's the only way of survival.
E-45
"Now, should we practice Divine healing when we've got the best doctors
in the world?" God gave you Divine healing 'cause He knows you have to
use it. He gave you the gifts of the Spirit.
And as soon as Satan got around Eve he begin to reason with her. Now,
"Surely, surely God wouldn't do that." The people say today there's no
such a thing as hell. A lot of them tell you that. See? "Oh, surely God
wouldn't burn His children." Certainly He doesn't burn His children,
but the devil will his. Who's child are you? That's the next thing.
Hell was created for the devil and his children, not God's children.
Not one of them's going there. That's right. It depends on whose child
you are.
E-46
Now, God gave Eve and Adam His Word, and He's never changed it. He's
always had… The Christian, or the believer, his Defense is the Word.
Heavens and earth will pass away. Every creed will pass away. Every
denomination will fail. Every nation will sink. But God's Word will
stand eternally. There'll be a time when the morning star won't shine
any longer. There'll be a time that the sun won't shine, and the moon
won't shine, and the world will spin in its orbits. But God's Word
forever will remain the same. Yes. That's something that cannot be
moved, something that you can depend on. It's certain.
God says anything, it's certain to happen. If He said in the garden of
Eden for a Redeemer He would send a Messiah, it was certain to come.
Though four thousand years they waited, but He got there. He had to
come, because it was the promised Word of God.
E-47
God promised to send Him back again. He'll be here; I don't care how
many infidels and skeptics rise, whatever they do, how much communism
spreads, Jesus Christ will come, and will get a church that's
blood-washed, and will take it on a sky-ride into heaven. Why? It's
certain to be. God's Word said so.
"If thou canst believe, all things are possible." That's certain. God
said so, and it can't move, can't be shook away. God said so, if you'll
just stay with it. Now… And have faith in it, believe it. It's not an
uncertain sound. God cannot give an uncertain sound. Creeds can give an
uncertain sound. Denominations can preach an uncertain sound. But God
cannot utter an uncertain sound. And this Word is God. And it's not
an… No uncertainty about it, It's every bit certain.
E-48
Now. The great church is armored by the Word. Now, when Jesus come, did
He use that same armor? He certainly did. When Satan come to Him in all
of his strength, and he said, "If thou be the Son of God do certain,
certain things," He said, "It is written…" Right back to the Word.
Satan tried Him a little higher, but Jesus, right back with the Word,
"It is written." There He remained upon that Word, showing to us as an
example.
As He said in I Corinthians, "I give…" or first–St. John 14:13, "I
have given you an example," and that is an example that we should
emphatically, we should perfectly put our trust in the Word of God, and
let everything else be a lie. That's one thing that's certain. God made
the promise. God's going to keep the promise.
They say, "How can this thing happen? How can He get a bunch of people together with rapturing grace to go up?"
I don't know how He'll do it. It's not my business to ask how He'll do
it. It's my business just to be ready for it. He promised it. It's
going to happen.
E-49
Fortified His church by the Word… And the first thing was reason. Now
they say, "Isn't it just reasonable now? If I belong to this church,
isn't that just as good as that church?"
There's only one church you can belong to. You'll never join it. You
might join the lodge: Methodist lodge, and a Presbyterian lodge, and a
Baptist lodge and a Pentecostal lodge. But you're borned into the
church of Jesus Christ. So there's the church. Those are lodges, where
people come together, and like crows set on this limb, and doves on
this limb, and–and so forth. That's your fellowship you have together
on–you're sharing on the same diet.
E-50
But when it comes to the church of Jesus Christ, there's only one
avenue. That's birth: birth. It's just like a person–like I've said
many times, like a blackbird setting on a limb, trying to put peacock
feathers in his wings, and say, "You see, I'm a strutting peacock."
See? He stuck them feathers in himself. If he was genuine peacock, his
nature would put forth that kind of a feather.
If the church of the living God is the church of the living God, it'll
put forth the Word of the living God. You don't have to add peacock
feathers nowhere. And every feather in there will be joined to a
peacock. You can believe that. And every feather that's joined into the
Church of God will be the Word of God, He'll never inject anything else
but the Word. Amen. 'Cause the nature of the Spirit puts out only the
Word. Amen. I'm getting to feel religious. Right.
E-51
Not nothing you try to do, nothing you manufacture… You can't
manufacture reli… You can't manufacture salvation. You can't
manufacture the gifts; you got to bear the gifts. Certainly. See,
the–a sheep doesn't–he doesn't manufacture wool. He has wool because
he's a sheep. He just bears wool. The–the–the cherry tree doesn't
manufacture cherries. It just bears cherries because the life of it's
that way.
And the church of the living God doesn't inject this to try to make
themselves look like something. They're already what they are by the
grace of God, and the Word of God is joined with them, and they're
joined with the Word. And the works that was brought forth in that
perfect one, Jesus Christ, God manifested in flesh, will produce itself
through every borned again believer. He said so. Amen. Nothing else.
Now that's something certain.
E-52
Now, it would be a bit confusing to a man if he never knew the real
sound of the trumpet. Now the man that's never been trained to the
trumpet, and never heard it, well, he might be a bit confused when he
hears something sounds different from what he's heard. He's always
been–heard, "Join the church. Take your letter over here, and over
here." That might be all right. That's all he knows.
But then when you look–coming back about the baptism of the Holy
Spirit, speaking about the power of God and the things that He does,
and how it makes the women and men both clean themselves up from a life
of sin, how it makes them walk godly, honestly, and the things that it
does, and brings forth the baptism, speaking in tongues, healing the
sick, casting out devils, prophesying, gifts, oh, visions, everything
in the Church… Hallelujah. That's right. When it goes then, it's a
bit confusing to them that never heard that kind of a trumpet.
E-53
"Well," you say, "my church doesn't teach that." Then it isn't blowing
the Gospel trumpet. Glory. Right. But to them trained soldiers
(Hallelujah.), when they hear that trumpet sound, they know how to
stand in order. Onward, Christian soldiers. Glory! Oh, that's certain.
"How do you know it's certain?"
It's on the Word.
"Well," you'll say, "our church doesn't teach that."
But the trumpet sounds it. I don't want to be trained to a church
creed, 'cause it'll shake and fall. But if you're trained to the Word,
heavens and earth will pass away and this Word will never pass away.
Every creed, everything else will fall. But this Word will never fail.
Amen. That's the sound. That's the sound I want to hear. Yes, sir.
"Oh," you say, "how do I know?"
Jesus said, "My sheep hear My sound. They know My trumpet." He said in
St. John, 14th chapter and 12th verse, "He that believeth on Me, the
works that I do he'll do also." Now, He said that.
If a man said, "Well…"
Hebrews 13:8 said, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."
"Oh," they say, "in a certain way."
E-54
Now a real sheep will say, "Oh, oh. Oh, oh. No, something squeaks in
that. That didn't sound right. Oh, that must've been a French harp.
That wasn't a trumpet, 'cause the Bible gives no uncertain sound." It
says you shall receive the Holy Ghost, not you might–you will, every
one. How long? To your children and your children's children, and them
that's far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. He'll
sound the trumpet in every race and every generation, and they'll hear
His voice. They'll believe it, those that's ordained to life. Amen.
They'll believe it because they know it's the Gospel trumpet sounding.
It's not uncertain. Every soldier knows how to stand.
E-55
Now, you seen Peter, and John, and James, and the early church marching
forward this way, because the trumpet… Jesus said, "Go ye into all
the world and preach the Gospel (Mark 16, see). These signs shall
follow them that believe." We see Peter, James, John, and the rest of
them lining up, marching to that. And we turning some other way away
from it? One going forward, and another one going backward? One saying,
"Well, that was for that… That sound was for another…" Oh, no. It
can't be that.
The whole Christian army hears the trumpet. God said that was the
trumpet. He can't change it. That's the sound that He said would sound
by. This will all men know, and away goes the church.
E-56
Some of them don't believe in His literal coming. The Bible said He
will come. So we're looking for His coming. If He isn't here tonight,
we'll be looking in the morning. If He isn't here in the morning, we'll
be looking tomorrow night for Him, and we'll keep on looking. If we
fall asleep, or–or we haven't fainted in vain, for the trumpet of God
shall sound that final trumpet, and the dead in Christ shall rise. And
we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them to
meet the Lord in the air and forever be there. That's the sound of the
trumpet. Whether I live or whether I'm gone, don't make any difference.
I'll hear the sound. I'll rise: rise, oh, yes. Yes.
Jesus said that "My sheep hear My voice." He was the Word made manifest when the… That's how His sheep know Him.
E-57
Now, look at the Pharisees and them in that day. "Oh," they said, "this
man's Beelzebub," when He told the woman at the well where–about her
sins, her husbands she had, when He told Nathanael where he was under
the tree where Philip called him, out under the fig tree praying. Why,
those teachers of that day said, "This man's Beelzebub. He's a devil.
He's a fortuneteller."
But that wasn't so with Peter, James, and John, the rest of them. They
knowed it. Why? They knowed that God said that when the Messiah would
come, under the inspired voice of Moses, He will be a prophet. And when
they seen those things that He said being manifested and made perfect,
they knowed that was sheep food. They knowed that was the trumpet. And
they started following it. "My sheep know it," 'cause they seen the
Word of God being manifested.
E-58
Now the people today, they don't believe there is such a thing as the
baptism of the Holy Ghost. Drop in here or somewhere where they have
the Holy Ghost, and they see the promise of God being fulfilled just
exactly, why, "My sheep hear My voice." They know the sound of that
trumpet because it's the Bible: Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today,
and forever. He's still Hebrews 13:8 exactly.
I don't care, not–don't make a bit of difference how many church horns
is blowing. We got a lot of church tooter horns, you know, tooting
around and everything saying, "Oh, the days of miracles is past.
There's no such a thing as Divine healing." Oh, the real sheep don't
listen for that. But they listen for that trumpet. That's positive.
E-59
That church horn might sound anything. You might have… Look what it's
got today: the church horn. One's running this way, and one's running
that way. And the devil's setting back and say, "Boy, they're just
fighting one another. That's all. I don't even have to move my hand."
But, brother, let them all come to arms one time, come back to general
orders (Oh, my.), then you're going to see a "Onward, Christian
soldiers" right, not listening to horns, but listening to the trumpet.
E-60
Let's just stop, just for a minute, and go back and look at a few now.
We're fixing to close, 'cause I don't want to keep you here so long.
But let's go back and look at some that heard this sound. Let's take…
And they were certain. Now, I've showed you everything else is
uncertain.
E-61
Let's just take one old character for a moment. Let's take the prophet
Job. Now, that man went through a test, but he knowed that God required
a burnt offering. That's what God required, and that's all He required.
And no matter how much disaster happened to his home… God don't
always… When you see something going wrong for a fellow, that don't
mean that he's being whipped by God. It might not be that he's out of
the will of God. He knows in his heart whether he's listening to the
trumpet or not. God required this burnt offering, and Job stood right
on it. That's all.
They said, "Job, you're a secret sinner. You're doing something that's wrong."
But he knowed better. He stayed right there, because he had heard the sound of the trumpet, and he stayed right there with it.
E-62
And finally, right down at the last end, when he was… The devil had
been turned loose on him, and took his family, and he took his
children, took his camels, and took all of his wealth, and broke his
own health down; he set on the ash heap. Looked like everything was
gone. But he still said, "I know my Redeemer liveth. At the last days
He'll stand on the earth. Though the skin worms destroys this body, yet
in my flesh I'll see God." Nothing uncertain about that, was there?
Not, "I–I–I–I kind of think He lives." He said, "I know He lives,
and He shall stand at the last days upon the earth. Though the skin
worms destroys this body, yet in my flesh I'll see God." Oh, my. It
happened. He was very certain.
E-63
Abraham, out walking in the field one day, heard God say, "Abraham, I'm
going…" He met Abraham before the written Word, and He said,
"Abraham, I'm going to give you a son by your wife, Sarah." And she was
sixty-five years old at that time, and Abraham was seventy-five. And
they made ready for it, and he wasn't ashamed to testify. He knowed he
was going to have a son. And the Bible said, "He staggered not at the
promise of God through unbelief, but was fully persuaded." Amen. Fully
persuaded, that means that he's met the ultimate. Amen. That's it. The
ultimate's the end of the road; it's the last thing. It's to the–it's
all of it. He said, "I'm fully persuaded that what God promised, God is
able to perform." Are you tonight? Are you fully persuaded that this is
the Holy Ghost? Are you fully persuaded this is the way? Are you fully
persuaded He's a Healer? Are you fully persuaded that He's coming
again? Are you fully persuaded He's the same yesterday, today, and
forever? Amen. Fully persuaded? Yes.
E-64
Let's carry another one: Elijah, standing up there on the mountain.
He'd fussed with Jezebel and her painted face, and he was kind of
getting tired of it. About all the women pattern after the first lady,
maybe water-head hair cuts, and whatever they had in that day. He'd
fussed at it so much till it–it about to get him down.
Directly God said to him, "Get down there. You know it rains about
every two or three days a week around here. But you stand to Ahab, and
you tell him, 'THUS SAITH THE LORD, the dew won't fall from heaven till
I call for it.'" Oh, my.
He didn't say, "Now, Ahab, perhaps, maybe, it might work out this way."
Oh, no. He was fully persuaded, nothing uncertain. "The dew will not
fall; the rains will not come until I call for it." Amen! Glory!
Oh, why? He heard the trumpet. It was certain. He knowed his God. He
knowed something was… When God spoke that word, all heavens and earth
would pass away until it happened. It'd have to happen. He was surely
persuaded.
E-65
Now, He said, "Elijah, I want you to get up there in the driest place
in the country, plumb up on the mountain where there weren't no
springs. But I have one up there for you."
He was fully persuaded. He climbed up on the mountain and set down by
the brook Cherith and, "Now, what am I going to do up here?"
"I've already commanded the ravens to feed you."
"Now, how's them ravens… Now, wait a minute, Lord." No, no. The
trumpet sounded; that's enough. "How's it going to happen? I don't
know. I don't care. See? It isn't for me to worry about that. That's
God's business. He said He commanded the ravens."
"Well, Lord, would you please break it down to me, and tell me just
where them–what school those ravens went to there, learned to speak
Hebrew? What kind of a… Do they cook on gas stoves, or do they have a
wood fire, or how do they do it? And where will they… Or what kind of
a animal will they kill? They're just a small bird. How they going to
kill a beef for me, to bring me a beef sandwich?" See, see? That wasn't
questioned.
E-66
God…?… The trumpet of God, His voice, sounded forth and said, "I
have." Not, "Elijah, I might do it"–"I have done it," "I will do
it"–"I've already done it." Amen. That's our God tonight. Not, He will
do it; He's already done it. Amen. He's already done it. Amen. Not He
will, He might, probably He will. He's already done it. "I've commanded
the ravens."
He commended His Spirit to all men. He commended His blessings. He
ascended on high, and give gifts to men; somebody's going to get it.
Somebody'll turn it away. It's not my business how it comes. It's just
so it gets there. God said it would be so, and it's so.
E-67
Peter said on the day of Pentecost, "Repent, every one of you, and be
baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins,
and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." How's He going to
come? I don't know. "The–the promise is unto your children, to them
that's far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Now, you
couldn't explain that away. The trumpet's done sounded, and I believe
it. I obeyed it and got it. Amen. Now try to argue me out of it once.
Amen.
E-68 Oh, I'm not perfect, no. Like that night the old colored sister, she said, "Elder, can I give a testimony?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She
said, "I wants to say this one thing." She said, "I hain't what I want
to be," and she said, "I hain't what I ought to be. But there's one
thing I know; I hain't what I used to be."
So, that–that's the way we feel about it now. I'm not what I used to
be, because I'm saved tonight by the grace of God, and received the
baptism of the Holy Ghost upon the commission that was poured out there
on the day of Pentecost, the promise given, and I believed it. Nothing
uncertain, I heared the sound; I obeyed it, and I'm certain that's what
it is. Certainly. I know it is. Sure.
E-69
Simeon, an old sage about eighty years old (hundreds of years since
even a prophet being on earth) but walking around with a great
reputation. The Holy Ghost spoke to him one day, said, "Simeon, you
know, you're not going to die until you see the Lord's salvation."
Glory.
Perhaps the high priest, rubbing his beard a few times, he said, "Simeon, you should comb your beard on the other side."
He said, "That don't make a bit of difference."
"How do you know you're right?"
"The Holy Ghost told me so. I'll not die."
"Why, Simeon, why, you're–why, you're ready to die right now."
"Oh, I don't care what you say, but the… God told me that I would not
see death until I seen His salvation." Nothing uncertain. "I won't die.
I can't see death till I see Him." Amen. That's it.
"How you going to do it, Simeon?"
"I… That's not my business."
"Where's He at, Simeon?"
"I don't know."
"How you know you're going to see Him?"
"God said so. That's it. It's the Word. I'm not going to see death until I see Him." Oh, my.
"Oh, poor old fellow. 'Course he's off at his head, you know. So just let him alone."
But he saw Him, anyhow. Yes, sir. God makes a way for them people who'll take His Word.
E-70
Jesus, when He was here on earth, and He was standing there at the
grave of Lazarus… Or, before that, when He was in the discourse with
the–with the people, of talking about how He, yet being not fifty
years old and said that He seen Abraham–did you notice how positive He
was? He said, "Before Abraham was, I AM." "I AM." Not, "I was," or "I
will be," but "I AM." "I'm positive." Then he said at the grave of
Lazarus… Before He went down there, He said–told Martha, He said, "I
am the Resurrection and the Life." Not "I ought to be," or "I will be,"
but "I am." Amen.
"My brother, if You'd have been here, would not have died. But even now, Lord, whatever You ask God, God will give it to You."
He said, "Thy brother shall rise again."
"Oh, he'll rise in the last days at the general resurrection. He was a good boy. Yeah, I believe he'll rise."
But Jesus straightened His little self up and said, "But I am the
Resurrection and the Life." Not "I will be," "I ought to be," or so
forth. "I am." There's nothing–there–there's nothing wavering,
shaking about that: nothing uncertain. It was positive.
"I am the Resurrection and Life. He that believeth in me, though he
were dead, yet shall he live. Whosoever liveth and believeth in Me
shall never die." Now, not "they might not," "they perhaps won't,"
"They won't." Nothing–nothing uncertain about it. They won't die.
"He that heareth My words and believeth on him that sent Me has
Everlasting Life, and shall not even come to the judgment, but's
already passed from death unto Life." They should not come to the
judgment… They won't come to the judgment. Amen. He took my judgment.
I got no business there. Amen. There you are: passed from death unto
Life.
E-71
Oh, now, she said she believed it. Now, Jesus never said, "Well, you
know, being that you believe that, and you know that I am the Word,
and–and I–I–you know that I am He that was to come, you've confessed
that, and you've lived… I tell you what we might do. Let's go get the
elders together, and go down, and see if we can do anything about it."
No, no. He said, "I…" Not, "go down and see if I can raise him up."
"I'll go wake him." Amen. Not "I–I'll try," "I will." Nothing
uncertain. That was no uncertain sound, when He said, "I will." "I
will."
And the same one said, "I will," made you a promise. Hallelujah. Oh, my. Amen. "I will go and wake him."
E-72
Again He said, "Destroy this temple…" "And I'll see what I can do
about it." "You destroy this temple, and I will raise it up again in
three days." Nothing uncertain. "Now, I'll try. You all might stand
around and see if I can do it or not." Oh, no. "I will raise it up."
Nothing uncertain. "I will raise it up. You–you destroy it; I'll raise
it up." Oh, my. Why? He knowed that He was that Person in the Scripture
that David spoke of, "I will not leave His soul in hell, neither will I
suffer my Holy One to see corruption." And He knew He was included in
that Scriptural promise. So therefore, He was positive.
E-73
Now, can't we be that positive? We take Him example for other things.
As long as God's Word said it, can't we be as positive about the Word
as He was about it? "I am the Resurrection and Life." "I will raise it
up again." Amen. Why? He knowed the Word spoke of it, and He was sure
to come forth. If I'm that person over there in John 5:24, "He that
heareth My Word and believeth on him that sent Me has Everlasting Life,
and I will raise him up again at the last days. He'll not come into
judgment… pass from death unto life"; that's–that's us. And what are
we scared about? What's the matter?
What difference does it make what brand you're wearing? You call
yourself a this, that, or the other. We're children of God by the grace
of God. We've been filled with the Holy Ghost by the grace of God. What
difference does it make about whether this one's that, or that. If he's
a Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, if he's filled with the Holy Ghost,
he's got resurrecting life in him. Amen. Yes.
E-74
Now, on the day of Pentecost… Jesus told them in Luke 24:49, "Behold
I send a promise…" Not, "I might do it. I'll see what I can do about
it." "I will send the promise of My Father upon you. But go up there to
the city of Jerusalem and wait until you're endued with power."
Now, what if they'd waited along, say, oh, six days? They'd say, "What
are we waiting on? I believe we ought to accept it by faith. Don't you
think so?"
What if James said on the–on the ninth day, said, "Simon, come here a
minute. You know, the other day I had kind of a peculiar feeling. See?
And you know what I believe? I–I believe He just don't want us to wait
around here. I believe we've–we've already got it. Don't you think so?
Let's go on with our work. Let's continue on with our ministry." Oh,
it'd never happened.
E-75
Why? They knowed that the prophet said… Now, listen, the prophet
said, "Precept must be upon precept, line must be upon line upon line,
here a little and there a little. Hold fast to that what's good. For
with stammering lips, and with other tongues will I speak to this
people. And this is the rest, the sabbath." They knowed something had
to take place when it come.
"I'll pour out My spirit in the last days." Joel 2:28. "It shall come
to pass in the last days, saith God, I'll pour out My spirit upon all
flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy. Upon My handsmaids
and maidservants will I pour out of My spirit in that day. I'll show
signs in the heavens above, and–and in the earth below, and fire, and
smoke, and vapor."
E-76
They knowed that there had to be some experience accompany that coming
of the Holy Ghost. They wasn't taking an uncertain sound. But when they
felt that something move, and seen the Bible evidence moving with it,
they wasn't uncertain. Right out into the streets they went. Oh, my.
They were certain it was the Holy Ghost.
You know how certain they was? Till Peter, that little uneducated
fellow, jumped upon a stump, or a box, or somewhere, said, "You men of
Judaea," little chest stuck out like a banty rooster. He said, "You men
of Judaea, you that dwell at Jerusalem, I was scared of you awhile ago.
I'm not now. Let this be known unto you and hearken to my words. These
are not drunk like you suppose it is. But this is that…" "We hope
this is that, we believe this is that…" He said, "This is that that
was spoke of by the prophet Joel." Hallelujah. Nothing uncertain about
it. "This is that that was spoke of by the prophet Joel." Oh, my.
E-77
Jesus said in Mark 16, commissioned His church, "Go ye into all the
world, preach the Gospel. These signs ('Perhaps, ought to, they will
once in a while, maybe.'), they shall accompany those that believe."
"These signs shall follow them that believe. In My Name they shall cast
out devils; they shall speak with new tongues. If they take up serpents
or drink deadly thing, it wouldn't harm them. If they lay their hands
on the sick, they shall recover." Not maybe, "They shall." "These signs
shall follow them that believe."
E-78
Let me sum it up in saying this, brother, sister, for the next few
minutes. I believe it. I believe that everything else, anything that's
contrary to that is not right. I believe everything that's against that
will fall. I believe. I don't care how many communisms, or how many of
these isms, and that ism, or churchism, and Romanism, and all other,
Americanisms, and everything else will fall. But that Word will stand
eternally, because it is a Word. And before it was a Word, it has to be
a thought. And a word is a thought expressed. And God, in eternity, it
come into His mind. He expressed His thoughts, and it become a Word,
and the Word has to be made manifest. That's the reason when He spoke
of a Messiah, there had to come a Messiah. He spoke that there would be
a church in the last days without spot or wrinkle, and there will be a
church there. Hallelujah. He said it. I take His Word. I believe it.
E-79
I believe that He promised the Holy Ghost to every believer that would
believe. I believe Peter on the day of Pentecost, when he preached that
notable sermon, and told them all to repent and be baptized, that these
signs would come and this, that whoever called upon the Name of the
Lord would be saved. I believe that is the truth: stood on it. I've
seen it manifested. I know I'm battling at it. And I know I'm trying to
make a footstep. Before I make a footstep, I have to cut loose every
tangle, greenbrier, everything else, to get it out of the way. But
every time you make a step, you're advancing forward. Amen. Just take
the knife and cut it there.
E-80
Many of you remember Paul Rader, very precious friend. I was just a boy
preacher, kid. I used to come to Fort Wayne and listen at him at the
Rader Tabernacle. Great big fellow, he'd get way back, pull up his
trousers, raise up his hand, and growl like a bear. And I'd think,
going jump through the pulpit, when he'd… He'd start with a text,
yeah, in Genesis, and wind up in Revelation, all back and forth. Paul
was quite a man.
E-81
Talking one day, he said, "I used to be a logger up in Oregon," where
he come from. Said "One day, you know," he said, "I–I just was in the
mission fields, way over…" somewhere I forget now where it was at.
And he was doing missionary work. He believed in God, believed in
Divine healing. And Paul said right here at the–where the world church
stands today, he said, "If I would've sold my message of grace to the
red hot Pentecostals, instead of doing what I've done here with you
bunch," said, "and caused myself to worry–called to a place of
thousands times thousands of dollars of debt… I've worried myself
till I got a cancer and dying now. If I'd have sold my message of grace
to the red hot Pentecostals God would've blessed me abundantly for it."
Right.
E-82
He said he was down there in the–in the jungles, and he got blackwater
fever, or something. It was terrible. And he was way back out into the
jungles, and a firm believer in Divine healing. And he said he got
sicker and sicker. He prayed and prayed. And some of the missionaries
said they was just go take a boat and go get a doctor. Why, it'd take
them days to get a doctor. And he said, "I–I… Don't do that. Just
let it alone." Said, "If God don't heal me, then I'm coming home."
So he said his wife stayed in the room with him; it kept getting darker
and darker. And he said he called his wife and said, "Honey, take hold
of my hand." Said, "Just keep praying for me. It's getting dark now."
Said, "I–I believe the shadows are falling around me." He said,
"Hold… Just hold my hand and pray, while I go out." He braced hisself
to meet God. And he just kind of fell into a trance.
E-83
And he said he dreamed that he was back over here in Oregon again as a
young man, cutting timber. And said the boss of the camp said, "Paul,
go up here on a certain side of the hill, and fell a certain tree,
certain size."
He said he ran up the hill with his youthful legs, and knocked the tree
down, and trimmed it up, stuck the axe down. He said how that soft
pine, his sharp, big, double-bitted axe went into the pine so nice. And
said he got ahold of it and thought, "Well, I'll just pack it down the
hill."
Good strong man, said, "I used to train how to put my knees together,
and pick up with my back the biggest part of a man." His muscles was in
his back, shoulders, and the back of his legs. Said, "I'd pick up a big
log," lay it on his shoulder, walk away. But, said, "that was just an
ordinary log," but said, "I just…" (I'm sorry. [Brother Branham hits a microphone–Ed.])
Said, "I just simply couldn't move that log." (I'm sorry.) He said, "I
just simply couldn't move that log." He said, "I tussled, and I
tussled, and I tried to pick it up, and I just couldn't do it." He
said, "I sapped all my strength out of me." He said, "I just couldn't
move that log."
And he said, "Finally I got so weak I just set down against the tree
and begin to wipe the perspiration off, and I was just all wore out."
And said, "After while I heard my boss's voice." But said, "It was the sweetest voice I ever heard."
And said, "When I turned around, the voice said to me, 'Paul,' and I said, 'Yes, boss, what is it?'"
"Said, 'What you tugging at it for?'"
He said, "Well, you commanded me to bring it down to the camp, and I've
just wore myself out with it. I just–I just can't do it, boss."
He said, "Paul, don't you see that stream of water running right there?"
Said, "Yes."
Said, "That stream comes right down to the camp. Why don't you just
throw it in the water, and jump on it, and ride on down to the camp?"
Said, "I never thought of that."
So he just rolled it over in the water, and jumped on it, and said,
"Oh, my." He begin to splash water and jumping, and screaming to the
top of his voice, as he went over the ripples, and down through the
water and everything, riding on this log, going along hollering, "I'm
riding on it, riding on it."
He said the first thing he come to himself, he was right out in the
middle of the floor, and his wife shouting with him, and he'd holler,
"I'm a-riding on it. I'm a-riding on it. I'm riding on it."
E-84
Brethren, "Nations are breaking, Israel awakening, the signs that the
Bible foretold; Gentile days numbered, with horrors encumbered; return,
oh dispersed, to your own." This message of God's Word is the truth.
Live or die, I'm riding on it. I don't… I'm not fussing with it; I'm
not trying to fuss about it. I've just took it, and I'm riding on it.
Let the critics rise. I'll shoot every ripple. I'm coming into camp one
of these days riding on the Word of God. Amen. I'm certain to arrive
there. Let us pray.
E-85
Why would you tuggle with your load of sin? Why would you be the
condition you are, don't know where you're standing, running from
church to church, and from place to place? Why don't you just pitch it
in on the cross tonight and ride on the Word? Why don't you just take
God's promise tonight and ride on out of the mess, on out into the big
blue open like that? Don't tussle with it; don't worry with it. Just
believe it; accept it. It's a Kingdom that cannot be moved. Ride on it.
E-86 If you're sick tonight, take God's promise, "I'm the Lord that heals all thy diseases."
"How
am I going to get well, Brother Branham? The doctor says I got heart
trouble, I got cancer, I got this, that, ever what it is. I'm deaf,
dumb, I'm blind–whatever."
What difference does that make? Just accept God's promise and ride on it.
Let's take a great big stick, and drive it down here, and write on the
top of it, "The prayer of faith has been prayed tonight. I'm going to
ride on it. The Bible said, 'The prayer of faith shall save the sick,
and God shall raise him up. If he has did sin, it shall be forgiven
him.' I'm riding on it. I believe it."
E-87
If you've done wrong, if you're wayward tonight, "He that covers his
sin shall not prosper. But he that will confess his sin shall have
mercy." Why not confess it?
"Well, what must I do, Brother Branham?"
Confess it and then ride on it. God said so. It'll take you right away from your sin.
Is that person here tonight, that's never put their real trust in God
for the salvation of your soul, and you'd like to be remembered in
prayer as we close? Would you just raise your hand, say, "Pray for me,
Brother Branham. I want to cast my cares." God bless you, God bless
you. "I want to cast…" God bless you, ma'am. "I want to cast my
cares." God bless you, brother. God bless you back there, sir. God
bless you, young lady. All right. That's right. God bless you. "I want
to cast my cares upon Him and just ride on His promise now. I believe
that He promised, 'He that will come to Me I will in no wise cast him
out.' Not how I feel…"
E-88
"I was prayed for last night, Brother Branham; I don't feel any
better." That don't have one thing to do with it. I'm not riding upon
my feelings; I'm riding upon His Word. It's His promise.
"Brother Branham, I've been to the altar four or five times, try to receive the Holy Ghost. I never got it."
That don't mean one thing. Just stay right on the log. It'll bring you
right straight down to the camp, in the camp of the firstborn, in the
camp of the saints. You'll arrive there. Just stay on your log, and
scream, and shout the praises of God just as hard as you can. That's
the way to do it.
While we got our heads bowed, do you really want to ride on it? Then
that little thing that's tickling at your heart, would you want to come
here and stand before the altar a minute, and let us pray, and lay
hands upon you? We'd be glad for you to come.
E-89
Let's take that little something that's put around your heart tonight,
and say… "You know you're wrong. Now, raise up your hand." All right.
You stepped on the log, the log of His promise, the tree, the cross
that was cut down. Put your arms around this cross now. Walk right up
here and say, "Now I'm going to ride on it. Right now I'm going to
believe it. I'm going to accept it. I believe it. I'll never change.
I'm going to stay right with that Word until that one's confirmed. And
then after that one's confirmed, I'm going to reach right over and get
on another one, and start riding right on." See?
And word by word, step by step, you'll possess everything that God
promised you. For all things are possible to him that will ride on it.
Ride on His promise, for it's certain to bring you to the camp. It'll
bring you to the Presence of God.
Will you come now while we have our heads bowed, and ask for anyone
that would want to stand at the altar, just for a moment for prayer.
"I'm riding on it, Lord. Lord, I believe; all my doubts are buried in
the fountain. Lord, I'm coming. I believe it. I'm stepping right on the
Word tonight, and I'm going to believe it with all my heart. I'm taking
You at Your word."
E-90
One precious woman stands here at the altar to–to vindicate to God
that she meant business. Won't you come, who had your heads bowed, and
your hands raised up, and wanted to be remembered in prayer? Will you
just walk up here? God bless you. Just come up. That's it.
Come right up and stand here, say, "I'm going to ride on it. God, You
made the promise, something knocked at my heart, and I'm coming right
now to ride upon that. And I'm going to stay right on it till it brings
me right to the camp. I'm coming right down to the camp of the saints
of the Most High." God bless you, that's good. Come right on now, you
who wants to ride on it, just the way you are. "Just as I am, without
one plea."
You remember, you say, "Is that a tree?"
Yes, there was a tree cut down one time, and it was reset again on
Calvary. Just jump on that tree tonight with the promises of God, the
Word that was hanging on the tree. I'm riding on it. I am going to
believe it with all my heart.
E-91
I want to do as much as come here and shake the hands of my brethren.
God bless you for your gallant stand. I want you to stay here just a
moment while we pray. God bless you, my brothers, my precious sister.
God bless you. God bless you, my brother. God bless you, brother. You
tried hard… Guide you over the river.
Remember, as a servant of Christ I'm responsible for the preaching of
the Word. I'm responsible for my testimony. And would I stand here
tonight, and a man of fifty-five, fifty-three years old, will be
fifty-four in April, and stand here and know that even this last
vision… It might be my last few days on earth? I–I might leave you
in a few days. I don't know what it means. Just listen to the tape and
draw your own conclusion. I don't know what it means.
E-92
Would I stand here in a… halfway believing that it might be my last
message that I'm ever preaching, is right here in Phoenix, and say
something that was wrong, and know that my destination lays out yonder,
and I'll be judged by my word? My brethren, let me say this to you and
my sisters, you've been in the meetings. You know what the discernment
and the things… Have I ever said anything to you in the Name of the
Lord but what come to pass? I'll ask anybody. No, sir. Around the world
of thousands of visions, never has it been. And I tell you the truth
tonight. The blood of Jesus Christ is plenty sufficient that it wipe
away every stain and sin. Amen.
"There is a fountain filled with blood (and you're standing at it now),
drawn from Immanuel's veins (the only sure thing that's left on earth)
where sinners plunge beneath the flood lose all their guilty stains."
E-93
I'm going to ask these ministers now, and brethren, if you'll walk out
here among these people, ever who is… Is that the way you call
ministers to pray with the people? All ministers in here then, that
will want–is interested in seeing souls saved, come here and stand as
a prayer group, where we can bind ourselves together, get away from
everything else, and separate ourselves. This is men and women that's
sealing their destination tonight, by the Blood of Jesus Christ, taking
Him at His Word, riding right up into His Presence on His Word, and
say, "Here I am, Lord. I have nothing to offer but myself, and take
me." Will you come stand with them if you will, anyone who'd want to
come and stand. God bless you, my brethren. That's mighty fine. I like
to see men that's gallant, that's interested in souls.
I guess, my brethren… That's fine. Drop right around. That's good.
Stand around. Let's just now… If the pianist will get to the music,
if she will, let's sing this hymn, sweetly now, sanely, reverently.
E-94
We're coming not to some mythical something. We're not coming to
something that's just a make-belief. But we're coming into the Presence
of God, the omnipotent Jehovah God, Who's promised that "Wherever two
or three are assembled in My Name, there I am in their midst." Talk to
Him like you would your friend, say, "Lord, I'm sorry. I've sinned."
And we're going to sing,
Just be real little now. You're nothing. None of us are nothing. And
just sincerely now, with all your heart, just bow your hearts and heads
everywhere over the building.
E-95
Our heavenly Father, I know that Your words are so true. They can't
fail. They are the Word of God. They are God. And You said, "He that
comes to Me I will in no wise cast out." And these men and women under
conviction, knowing that they're not right, they've walked forward
tonight, Lord, to confess that they're wrong, knowing that they have
been pulsated by some inward motion that bid them come to the fountain.
And here they stand with bowed heads, and hearts, to drink of the
waters of life freely that's been promised by God. Receive them,
Father, into Thy Kingdom. They are Yours.
You said, "No man can come to Me except My Father draws him first. And
all that the Father has given Me will come to Me." And it shows that
God has give these to Christ for a love gift. And here they stand,
Lord. "No man can pluck them out of My hand," and I pray, God, that
You'll secure them tonight as they stand here, and give them the
baptism of the Holy Ghost while they are here at the altar.
May the great power of Christ so saturate their lives now. They made
their confession. They come forward. You said, "He that will confess Me
before men, him will I confess before My Father and the holy Angels."
We know that work as being done. Now, Lord, seal them into the Kingdom
of promise of the Holy Ghost. Grant it, Lord. Pour out Your Spirit upon
them, and fill them with the Spirit of the living God, that they might
be living testimonies all the days of their lives to the Kingdom of
God.
E-96
Now let the audience stand. Everybody in prayer now. We're going to
pray that these… Now, each one of you that come up here tonight,
feeling that you had sin on your heart… Now, there's nothing you can
do but believe that. The Holy… You accept this by faith. This is
faith that you accept. Jesus said, "No man can come to Me except My
Father draws him first. And all that comes to Me…" He will receive
it. He can't do nothing else, because He promised it. See? Don't rest
upon a sensation now. Rest upon His Word. See? The Word said so.
"He that heareth My words and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath
(present tense) Everlasting Life, and shall not come to the judgment,
but's pass from death to Life." The Holy Spirit is an experience of
being filled and endued with power for service. But confession and
receiving Christ is to have faith, and make your confession, and feel
free that God has forgive you of your sins.
E-97
And upon the basis of His Word, He said, "No man can come except My
Father draws him first"… See? Now God drawed you first and, "He that
will come to Me, I will in no wise cast him out." See, see? You–you
have received it. Only thing you have… He–He died for you. Your sins
were forgiven nineteen hundred years ago. You just come now to accept
what He did for you. See? And do you believe that He died for your
sins? Will you accept Him as your Propitiation–in other words you
accept Him, as He took your sins? Will you be glad and thank Him for
taking your sins? You believe He did it? Then just raise up your hands,
say, "I believe that He takes my sins (Amen.), takes my sin." All
right.
E-98
Now, you are now a candidate for the baptism of the Holy Ghost. If you
haven't received Christian baptism, one of these men here will see to
that, that you get Christian baptism.
But now, while Peter yet spake these words, before they was baptized…
While Peter spake these words the Holy Ghost fell upon them. Why? They
were all under expectation. Now, you're under expectation. You want
something now that'll–that'll seal you into the Kingdom of God,
something that'll be real to you. You want to… Don't you want to
receive the Holy Ghost, every one of you? Don't you want it? Sure you
do. That's your keeping power. See?
E-99
"They were gathered in the upper room, praying in His Name,
the–baptized with the Holy Ghost and power for service came." See? Oh,
that's what you want now, and you can have it right now. It's for you
right now.
Now, brethren, walk up, let's everyone now, and lay our hands upon
these brethren, and pray that they receive the Holy Ghost. Walk right
up, brethren, walk right up.
Now, the whole congregation, raise up your hands now, everybody…?…
Our heavenly Father, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, fill every
heart here with the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Receive the Holy Ghost.
Receive the Holy Ghost. These people here, that's standing and waiting
for the presence of the power of God to saturate their lives…
