Marriage Of The Lamb (62-0121E)

 
 

^E-1
Thank you, Brother Edward. The Lord bless you. Good evening, friends.
It certainly is a privilege again tonight to be here in Fellowship
Tabernacle. When I passed by this afternoon, and looked at where it was
at, and I seen the word "Fellowship," that suited me just right. I like
that, Brother Edward, "Fellowship." That's what we believe in.
An old friend of mine, which has just gone home to be with the Lord…
Many of you might've knowed him: Dr. F. F. Bosworth. Many of you… He
was here in Phoenix, I believe, with me one time, a very gallant soul.
And he was–had a–he was a sainted old man, but had a sense of humor.
And he said to me once; he said… I kept talking about fellowship.
And he said, "Brother Branham, you know what fellowship is?"
And I said, "Well, I think so, Brother Bosworth."
He said, "It's two fellows in one ship."
And so that's… And that's about right, sharing room with each other.

^E-2
And I seen many of you put up your hands of knowing Brother Bosworth.
Being that you knew him, I'd just like to speak a word of his last
moments here on earth. I'd knowed him for some time. And he was out
here preaching the Gospel and praying for the sick before I was borned.
So you can see what age he was. The Lord let him live, I think, about
eighty-five years, something like that, and still a gallant old man
when he died.

^E-3
When he was seventy-five, I believe it was, he and I were at the, I
believe the Edgemont Hotel in Miami. And we'd had our–our supper, and
walked out to the seashore where the waves were coming in to watch the
moon come up. And here I was about forty years old, my shoulders
drooped down, walking out like that, and him, about seventy-five, just
as straight as he could be. And I looked at him, and I admired him. And
I said, "Brother Bosworth, I want to ask you a question."
He said, "Go right ahead, Brother Branham."
And I said, "When were you your best?"
He said, "Right now."
Well, then I felt ashamed of myself.
And he said, "You forget that I'm just a kid, living in an old house," he said.

^E-4
And that was Brother Bosworth. When I heard that he was going to meet
the Lord, I just almost burnt the tires from my car going down to Miami
to see him. And when wife and I got there… And the Bosworth family
and our family had been great friends. And we went in. The old
patriarch laying on a little couch, and he'd raised up his little bald
head, little thin arms held out to me like that, the tears running down
my cheeks, I grabbed him in my arms, and I cried, "My father, my
father, the chariots of Israel, and the horsemen thereof." Because if
there ever was an old man that ever put dignity in the Pentecostal
move, it was Brother Bosworth. He certainly was. He was a great flower.

^E-5 And, you know, the first thing he wanted to do, is tell me a little joke–like that, you know.
And I said, "Brother Bosworth, are you going to get well?"
He said, "No, Brother Branham. I'm not sick to begin with." He said, "I'm just going home."
And I said, "Well, that's very fine."
We'd just come off the mission fields of Africa, he and I.
He said, "I'm just too old to live any longer." He said, "I'm going home."
And I said, "Brother Bosworth, what would you advise me to do?"
And
he said, "Stay with the Gospel." And he said, "Get back to the mission
fields as quick as you can." Said, "That'd be my advice."

^E-6 And I said, "Brother Bosworth, one more thing I would like to ask you."
He said, "What is that, Brother Branham?"
I
said, "Now, you've put in about sixty years for the Lord in service, or
maybe more." And I said, "When was your happiest time in life?"
He said, "Right now."
And I said, "Brother Bosworth, you know you're dying?"
He said, "I can't die. I died many years ago." And I… He said,
"Brother Branham, all that I have loved and cared for for the past
sixty years, I'm watching for Him to open that door at any time, and
come, get me."
I think of that "The Psalm of Life."

And he certainly left footprints to me.

^E-7
Before he died, or went on into glory, about one hour, or maybe more
before he passed away. He'd been kinda asleep for a few hours; and his
wife, his sons, loved ones standing around, and the old man woke up,
looked around, raised up, and run across the floor, and shook hands
with his mother who'd been gone for many years, with his father. And
for over an hour, he shook hands with people, saying, "This is Brother
John. Yes, you came to Christ in my meeting in Joliet, Illinois. Here's
Brother…" shaking hands with his converts that had passed on for many
years.

^E-8
I–I tell you, sometimes I believe that in the hour we pass from this
earth into the other, I believe sometime when… The river's going to
be hard to cross anyhow, you know. I believe maybe the Lord says to our
loved ones, "Go down to the river and meet them down there." For as
Jacob said, we'll be gathered with our people someday. I too am looking
for that day to come. And then, when I get through with this life here,
or God gets through with me here, and I see that I have taken every
fort that I could, went through every briar patch, and climbed every
hill, I want to look back, see where I've been. When I come down to the
river, I've always said, like… The colored folks here, they have a
little song they sing, "I don't want no trouble at the river." I want
to get it all straightened up now.
Just maybe put the sword back in the sheath, and take off the helmet,
and lay it down on the beach, and raise up my hands, and holler, "Bring
out the lifeboat, Father. I'm coming home this morning." He will be
there. Don't worry. I believe that. I think that's the desire of every
one of our hearts.

^E-9
Now, it's indeed a grand privilege to be here tonight with this lovely
pastor and his church, and this wonderful work, and these who are
sojourning in Christ in this end of Phoenix. For truly, we are
sojourners. We are pilgrims and strangers here; we're seeking a city,
as I was speaking this morning down to Brother Fuller's tabernacle, on
the Royal Seed…

^E-10
Now, if you got tape recorders, I never make mention… But there was
something happened this morning that I… If you've got a tape
recorder, if you'd get one of the tapes, I'm sure you'd appreciate it.
Brother Maguire has them. And… "The Royal Seed of Abraham."
See, Abraham's seed was Isaac, which is Jewish, natural. But the royal
Seed was Christ, through the promise. And, that Christ was God's Word
made manifest. And it's in our hearts today as we… "If I–ye abide in
Me, and My Word in you, then ask what you will, and it'll be done for
you."

^E-11
Now, I expressed at–of Phoenix, many times since I've been here… My
first time coming was thirty-five years ago. And up on 16th and
Henshaw, I lived, worked on the Circle R Ranch out here out of
Wickenburg. And I went with a little girl there on 16th and Henshaw. I
went to look for the place the other day, and it isn't even Henshaw no
more; it's Buckeye now. And it's a big city, right in the metropolitan
area of Phoenix here. Everything is changed so.

^E-12
And wife and I went up on South Mountain to look back over Phoenix. And
I thought, about three hundred years ago there probably wasn't nothing
here but coyotes, cactus, and so forth. And now it's a great fabulous
city.
Now, I said, "Honey, is it converted or perverted? You can use your
choice. To me it's perverted. Now, because these great buildings, and
beautiful structures, would be fine if men and women were walking up
and down the streets with their hands up to God, praising God; and
brothers and sisters living like… instead of drinking, gambling,
smoking, lying, stealing, beer joints, everything that's evil. In the
midst of all that though…"
Then wife said to me, "Then, Billy, what are you here for?"
I said, "But, honey, since we've been setting here fifteen minutes, how
many lies has been told through that valley? How many oaths has been
taken, the Lord's Name in vain? How many cigarettes, how many whiskey
drinkings, how many adulteries has been committed, and all through
there, just in the last little while, while we're here?"
She said, "Isn't that awful?"
I said, "Here's what we're here for, honey. How many faithful prayers
has went up since we've been here? 'Ye are the light of the world.'
That's we're here for, to put our shoulders with these little churches
here, do everything we can to help it to move on, to be a…"

^E-13
You all… You saints are a blessing to me. I hope that I'll be a
blessing to you in visiting here. And I… When I found out that I get
to visit the different denominations and organizations, and–and the
different churches, and so forth, the brethren through the Phoenix
valley here, my heart was thrilled. That comes before the convention
that I'm to speak, at the Christian Business Men's convention on I
think Saturday morning breakfast, and then the Sunday afternoon meeting
the follow–the following Sunday. And it's always a privilege to meet
with those brethren. I think they have about twenty-five hundred seats
there. Be plenty of seating room for all of us. We hope to meet you
there.

^E-14
And then, to have this time of fellowship, to go from church to church
and speak… I think I preached this morning till I preached myself
hoarse, for about an hour and a half; and that was a short one. I
usually don't get out before three or four hours of it at–at the
church at home. I just… I'm not a preacher. So I–I just make a
joyful noise to the Lord. I like to do it so well, that I–I guess I
just love it, so I just keep on doing it.
I've been… had four or five different expressions I'm holding the
people too late. So I–I know that is true. And tonight, honestly,
we'll be out of here before one o'clock. I–I'll just almost assure you
of that. I just, almost… Such a fine feeling spirit, and everything
so lovely, I'm sure the Holy Spirit will have a blessing for us.

^E-15
Now, I haven't been having any healing services in the meetings. I…
One night, down at Brother (Jesus' Name brother?) Brother
Outlaw–Brother Outlaw's church, there was so many there wanted to be
prayed for. And I had my son to give out some prayer cards. And then a
couple of nights, the Holy Spirit so falling in the building until…
You all know. You've been in my meetings. All of you have. You see how
the discernment, and so forth… But now, I've noticed it's
accumulating many to be prayed for. And I noticed that the first, by
beginning Wednesday and Thursday. I thought I'd wait till after Sunday,
because, if you're having healing services in the church… You see,
I–I announced everywhere I went for every person to stay at your post
of duty on Sunday. You see? These special meetings is just visiting
with the brethren. And we–we want everybody to keep your place of
duty, 'cause your pastor's waiting for you. And that's where you should
be.

^E-16
So then… Then, I think tomorrow night, if the Lord willing, I
don't… (Where are we to be tomorrow night? Brother O'Donnell, at
Tempe, Arizona.) Now, if you don't have any–any special thing going on
at your church, and you got sick people, why, I'm going to pray for the
sick tomorrow night, just have a regular prayer line, pray for the sick
maybe–maybe Monday, Tuesday… Let's see. I'm supposed–I'm… I don't
know. Have I got church for Wednesday night too? Wednesday night, then
it–then it starts on Thursday (Is that right?), the convention? All
right, Brother. You'll make the announcement?
[The Brother announces; "You are here
tonight. And tomorrow night we're at the Tempe Assembly of God; and
then the Mountain View, and Sunnyslope on the 23rd; and then at the
Central Assembly on the 24th."–Ed.]
All right, that's fine.
[Brother says, "I couldn't remember myself. I kinda got messed up there."–Ed.]

^E-17
Don't think of that. I was talking the other day, about I couldn't
remember, and Brother Jack Moore said to me, said, "You think you're
bad." He said…
I said, "Brother Jack, I go to talking; I can't remember just what I was talking about."
He said, "Why, don't think that's bad." Said, "I call up on the phone, call somebody, and say, What'd you want?'"
Well, that's getting pretty bad…?… Well, my, that might sound
jokey, which I don't think it's right to say at the pulpit here. But
God's children is just happy children anyhow, you know. So we–we just
like to… I thought that was kind of cute.

^E-18
You all… Many of you know Brother Jack Moore. He's from Shreveport,
Louisiana, Life Tabernacle, very fine brother. And so, he was telling
me that. He's a contractor also.
And he said, "Don't think that's bad, Brother Branham." Said, "I called
up somebody the other day, and called their number." And said, "They
answered, said, 'Hello.' I said, 'What do you want?'"
I thought, "Well, I… That's getting way down, Brother Jack." I…
So now, I think it would be good. And these friends that wants to be
prayed for, and bring their sick people in, then we'll pray for them.

^E-19
Now, tonight, I have thought on what would I say tonight up here in
this lovely little church. And I thought, "Well, I don't know what." I
just have to just take a little text, and trust that the Lord will mix
up the words somewhere, and let it fall where it'll help somebody to
be… I never try to take a text. I always try to feel led, and write
down a bunch of Scriptures, and so forth. And–and then, if the Lord
leads different, then I just go as He leads. And I think that's the way
we all should do, don't you, do the same way?

^E-20
And now, there's one thing that I–that I–I want every one of the
church (I announce this to every local body.), and that is that if…
When you're through praying for your pastor and your loved ones, don't
forget me, 'cause I realize daily, more than ever, that we're coming
down to the end of the road.
And I just buried my mother a few weeks ago. And held her in my arms,
until God taken her breath and her soul to heaven. I watched that
gallant death of a woman filled with the Holy Ghost, and see her come
right to the end of the road. I thought, "Oh, I just must have every
mother like that. I just must do something to get to–do what I can to
get people to see what it really means."

^E-21
And friends, I am persuaded that it's a–maybe a little deeper; and I
think we take it a little too light than what really it is. I think
that we should remember, if God is so holy till the Angels look dirty
in his sight, how do we look? See? That's right. So we want to
remember. And remember, God's setting way there in eternity, that
outshines all the suns in the solar system. "Holy, holy, holy," the
angels with wings over their faces and over their feet, flying in His
Presence, crying, "Holy," what should we be? So we… That's what we
try to do.

^E-22
And–and I feel like that this–the Kingdom of God is like a man that
taken a net and went to the sea (Jesus said), and he cast in. And when
he had drawed, he taken many kinds. But the good fish, of course, was
kept; and the other scavenger fish was–went back to the water, such as
crawfish, and–and snakes, lizards, and terrapins, and so forth. But
the Gospel nets catches all of it. And we're… There'll someday will
be a time that we'll cast our last net, Brother…?… That's right.
It's not you or I to say which is fish and which is not. We don't know.
We just cast the net and pull it. That's all. God knows His own. Those
who He foreknew He called: and those who He called, He has justified,
and those who He has justified He hath glorified. So we're waiting,
just casting the net. And it's my privilege tonight to stand in Brother
Edward's church here to help cast the net at this place, to see if
there be any fish that God has for His Kingdom.

^E-23
Now, just before we read the Word, let's talk to the Author of the Word
just a little bit as we bow our heads. With our heads bowed, in the
sacredness of this moment that we're approaching the Word of the living
God, which is God, I wonder if there would be any people in here that
has requests on their hearts, that they'd like to be remembered in this
prayer. Make it known by a lifted hand.

^E-24
Lord Jesus, look at the audience, knowing every heart. Thank you. Most
gracious and holy God, the Almighty, El Shaddai, that appeared to
Abraham in the Name of the Almighty, the breasted God, the strength
Giver, the Nourisher of the weak, come to us tonight, Father. And we
realize our weaknesses and our mistakes. We confess our sins before
Thee, and lay them on thy brazen altar of judgment, and ask that the
Blood of Jesus Christ take them away in the sacrifice that we make.
Grant it, O God.
We submit our lives, and all that we have. And what little talent is
given us, Lord, use it to the glory of God. Bless this church, its
lovely pastor, deacons, trustees, and all the board, and every member
that comes into this church called "Fellowship." God, I pray that men
and women, as they walk in that door of this place, that they'll fall
under convictions because of the lovely order of the Holy Spirit inside
the building. Grant it, Lord.

^E-25
Forgive our sins, and our trespasses, we ask again. Remember those
that's raised their hands. Down beneath that hand, Lord, was a heart
requesting something from Thee. And, perhaps, maybe only Thee alone
could give it. I pray that You'll grant it, Father. Whatever they have
need of, give it to them in abundance. If there be any sick, Lord, heal
them. If there be any that's falling by the wayside, strengthen that
one, that feeble knee. "A bruised reed, He will not break or a smoking
flax will He not quench." And we know that He would never turn away a
bruised reed; He'd mend it. And I pray, heavenly Father, that if there
be any spirits that's broken or–or discouraged, or feeble hands a
hanging down, and knees bagged, may they be lifted up tonight, Lord.
May the Holy Spirit come and heal our hearts and spirits, and our
physical beings, and we'll give Him all the praise for it. We ask it,
in Jesus' Name. Amen.

^E-26
If you would like to turn to the Scripture just for about thirty
minutes' talk, I would like for you to read with me out of the book of
Revelation, the 19th chapter, and I would like to read down to the 7th
verse inclusive.

Would like to speak tonight on the subject of "The Marriage of the
Lamb," just for a few moments to… We are so familiar with this
Scripture.

^E-27
No doubt but your lovely pastor here has approached this subject many
times, and that… We know that there is going to be a bride, and
there's going to be a wedding supper served in the sky. That's just as
sure to be as God is, because it's His Word.
And we know that those that are going to make up that bride is going to
be His church, and they're going to appear before Him without spot or
wrinkle. And they have the material on earth now to make themselves
ready.

^E-28
If you notice, it said, "She has made herself ready." So many says, "If
the Lord will take this evil spirit from me, from drinking, or from
gambling, or from lying, or stealing, I'll serve Him." But that's up to
you. You got to do something too. "They that overcome shall inherit all
things," they that overcome. You have power to do it, but you must be
willing to lay it down. See? She has made herself ready. I like that
Word.
You see, God could not push us through a little pipe, pull us out on
the other end, and then say, "Blessed is he that overcometh." You had
nothing to overcome; He just pushed you through. But you've got to make
decisions for yourself. I have to make decisions for myself. In doing
that, we show our faith and respects to God.

^E-29
Abraham was promised a child, but he must maintain this promise for
twenty-five years, the ups-and-downs that he had and temptations in
those twenty-five years; but he held to the word of the promise.
And Israel was promised a promised land, but they had to fight for
every inch of it. "Wherever the soles of your foot treads upon, that
have I given you," God said to Joshua. It was all there. The land was
there, and God gave it to them; but they must fight for it.

^E-30
The same way it is about Divine healing. God's got the power to heal
you, if you've got the courage to accept it. But you'll fight every
inch of the way. God's got amazing grace to save you, and He will do
it. But you'll fight every inch of your way. I've been behind the
pulpit going on thirty-one years. And every inch of that has been a
fight, constantly. It certainly has. But we must fight if we must
reign. So we find out that the bride has to make herself ready, be
willing to "lay aside every weight that does so easily beset us, that
we might run with patience the race that's set before us." We must lay
them aside ourself. We can't say, "God, You come, lay them aside for
us." We got to do that ourselves.

^E-31
Now, I like to think of weddings. I've had the privilege of marrying
quite a few people. And I think when I bring a young man and a young
woman down to the altar, and see them come down through the church, and
she, pretty with her wedding garments on, and the veil over her face
and hanging down; and the bridegroom straight, dressed beautiful, and
young, and full of vigor and as they walk down there in their very best
of life, and take that marriage vow, I think there's something sweet
about it. There's something sacred, because that it reminds me that
there will be another great wedding someday, when Christ's bride will
come walking down the corridors of glory. The Bridegroom will have
everything ready. There'll be a wedding and a supper.
How we love to think of setting across the table from each other, and
shaking one another's hands, and tears running down our cheeks. And to
think, He will come around, wipe all tears from our eyes, say, "Don't
cry. It's all over now. Enter into the joys of the Lord that's been
prepared for you since the foundation of the world." Oh, brother, that
will make us love one another more.

^E-32
I think that's what's the matter with the church, the bride today,
that's made up of all churches that believes in Christ. It's not the
church building, neither is it the organization or the denomination;
but it's the individuals that's in the church that makes the bride.

^E-33
I have a good friend in Louisville, Kentucky. Dr. Wallace Cobbles,
use–was a Church of Christ minister, and come in and received the Holy
Ghost, and pastors one of the greater–largest churches in Louisville,
the Church of the Open Door. He's been a very precious friend to me.
And a few days ago, I was standing on the street, and I seen him come
down the street. And I've always loved him, and he loved me.
But one day he had a tonsil operation, and he was bleeding to death.
And they had him down there at the St. Joseph's Hospital, and they said
he was dying.
And Mrs. McSpadden called me, and said, "Dr. Wallace Cobbles…" I
didn't know him yet, but I knowed there was a big Church of the Open
Door. Said, "He's dying. The doctors have give him shots and everything
else. They've put stitches in. He's constantly hemorrhaging, and they
can't stop the blood. His blood won't curdle, and (you know) stop the
bleeding." And said, "They've got missionaries in there, and they want
you to come, pray for him."

^E-34
Well, I'd heard of Dr. Wallace Cobbles, and so, I kinda was a little
reluctant. But I went over. And when I looked in the hospital room,
there was missionaries, and great ministers, all in there crying and
praying. And I thought, "Oh, my. Little bitty me, a little holy-roller
go in there? I'd better just stay out here." So I got down behind the
Coke machine out in the hall, and I prayed to God to–to stop the blood
for Brother Cobbles.
And I went back down, and went out. I just got home, about fifteen
minutes, and the phone rang again, and wanted to know what was my
delay, that I had not been there.
And I said, "I–I come. But there was so many in there, I–I just felt
not led to come in, maybe (See?) so many of the big ministers in there."
And he said, "Come right now." Said, "The man can't live but a little while longer."

^E-35
So I went back over again. And when I went in there, he was trying to
get a Catholic sister to accept Christ as personal Saviour, and him
bleeding, and the blood flying out of his mouth. And I walked in.
And he said, "How do you do?"
And I said, "How do you do?" He was setting up in the bed, coughing like that, and the blood coming out.
And he said, "What is your name?"
And I said, "I'm Brother Branham."
And he started crying, put his arms around me. And I knelt down there.
Now, it's Dr. Wallace Cobbles, of the Church of the Open Door in
Louisville. Get him a letter. The blood stopped that second; it's never
moved since. And we've been very, very good friends since then.

^E-36
And the other day, I met him. And he said… (Oswald J. Smith, many of
you know Brother Smith. He's a great missionary, and he comes to
Brother Cobbles, because he likes him so well.)
He said, "Brother Cobbles, you know," he said, "I" (something about his
wife…) He said, "When I first got married," said, "I felt like, well,
if I make a mistake, I'll… Oh, I can get another one," 'cause he was
young. But said, "After the children comes along," said, "then it's
kind of hard to do without her. Then when you get about fifty years
old, you just can't do without her. And as you get older, why, you–you
feel that way."
I said, "I guess that's about right. I'd…"
What the subject come up about, you know how the ladies can shop, and
my wife was in there. And she's queen of all of it. She just stays all
the time. My poor feet just nearly kills me on the street walking
around with her. And he was telling me, said, "Well, you just can't do
without her." And that's how the remark come up. And when I went home,
I got to setting in the room there thinking, "That's right." I applied
it to something else.

^E-37
You know, when I was first converted in the–become a Missionary
Baptist preacher, I thought if a person wasn't a Baptist, he just
wasn't saved. That's all there was to it. And I packed a Bible under my
arm, and I thought the Lord called me to make everybody Baptists. And
everybody didn't believe just like the Baptists believed was not in the
picture at all.
As the days went on, I thought I had the whole job to do myself. And I
come to find out, I noticed another brother that had a church, a
pastor. He pulled too just as hard as I did. After all, the blanket
stretches a little bit over towards him too, you know. Then we find
out, we need one another. And now, after we begin to get this far
along, it's just kind of hard to do without one another. That's all. We
just got to have one another. That…
And I believe that's in this great Pentecostal move. And I'm glad to
see those barriers of indifference breaking down, and the great church
of God begin to merging itself together in fellowship. Means that the
wedding is coming nearer now. And the stones are peculiar cut as they
may be, they got a place somewhere in that building, if they're the
stones of the Lord.

^E-38
Now, marriage in one sense is a type… The earthly marriage here is a
type of the heavenly marriage. Now, let's go over it just for a few
moments, to rehearse it a moment. The first thing there is, there must
be a decision made. The first thing takes in natural marriage is a
decision has to be made. The young lady has to make her decision
whether she wants this young man, and the young man, whether he wants
the young woman. There has to be a decision made, and you have to make
it. She must be the only woman in the world that you love, and he must
be the only man. If it isn't, then you made a wrong decision.
And that's the same way it is by making the decision for Christ. The
first thing you have to do, is make up your mind whether you're going
to serve God and take Him as your Saviour; or, you're not going to do
it. Are you going to serve the world, are you going to serve Christ?
You have to make up your mind. There has to be a decision made. When
you make up your mind that you're either going to serve God or mammon,
then you take your choice. But the decision has to be made.

^E-39
And then, after the decision is made that you are, then comes the
engagement. That… You find that at the altar. You've got to make an
engagement before this union can be. And that's the way it is with
Christ's church. It has to be an engagement with Christ, a–a pledge,
an engagement, a love affair.
And then the next thing is, is promises made. There has to be promises
made to one another, like that you make promise, "Sweetheart, if you'll
marry me, I promise that I'll be loyal and true. I will look upon no
other woman."
Or, "I'll look upon no other man. And I'll do all that as a duty as a
wife. If we have children, it'll do all as a duty as a–as a mother.
I–I'll be a housekeeper." All these promises has got to be made, or
should be, in a correct wedding.

^E-40
And that's the same thing when you come to Christ. "Lord, if You will
receive me into Your Kingdom, I promise…" There you are. "I'll love
You. I'll be true to You. I'll serve You day and night." It's too bad
we forget that. "I'll serve You day and night. I'll fast; I'll pray;
I'll be loyal to You. I'll bring my tithings into the storehouse.
I–I'll–I'll pray many times a day. I'll–I'll do anything. And I'll
pledge all my love to You." That's what you should do. That's exactly
right, where you promise that, and it should come from your heart.
If you promise your husband that, and not from your heart you mean it,
you are absolutely not living correctly with him. It's kind of a
crystallized affair.

^E-41
Look here. If–if you haven't got teeth, and you use false teeth…
Now, that's all right. It's substituting for the teeth that you once
had. But actually, those teeth are not connected with you. It's not
part of you. If you had an arm amputated, and you put a false arm on,
well, that arm is actually not connected with you. It's just stuck on
you. See, it's not connected with you.
And when we take our pledge to Christ, if we don't become part of Him,
like a woman ought to become part of a man and a man part of the woman,
then we're artificial Christians. We're not really… You're really not
married to that woman. You might be loyal. If you don't love your
husband, and him sixty or seventy years old, and you don't love him as
good as you did at the beginning, then you're really just raising his
children.

^E-42
And that's the way the churches are, too many today. We're just taking
the name of the Christian church, pretending to be the bride, when it's
artificially; we're not connected with Christ in any way. We're like an
artificial tooth, artificial arm, artificial eye. See, it's something
that's artificial if we're just putting it on. Well, you can't put on
Christianity. You've got to be connected with it.
And then a church that's just artificial called the church of Christ…
Well, them children then, are not in there that's born of that same
organization is only… They're not Christ's children; they are
denominational children, and not children of Christ.

^E-43
If a woman isn't connected with the man in trueness, then it isn't her
husband. It's just a man she's taken a vow to live with, and she took a
wrong vow. She pledged to love him, and she said she loved him; and she
didn't do it. All the time the man is deceived. But there's one thing
sure, friends; we're not going to deceive Christ. He knows His own.

^E-44
But, you see, first, decision's made, next engagement, then promise,
and then the ceremony. And that's when the bride–bride takes the
bridegroom's name. She is no more then of her own name; she takes the
bridegroom's name.
And then when the church has the ceremony, makes their promises, then
she takes the Bridegroom's Name. Then she's no longer a church of the
world; she's the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Not… I don't
mean that by Name; I mean that by birth, by nature, by the power of
God. By the revealed truth of God in the heart she becomes a Christian
church, the great, universal apostolic Christian church. She becomes a
part of Christ. When she does that, she… Christ injects into her His
own Spirit, His own life. And the Bible said to Adam and Eve there,
"You're no longer twain, but one." And when the woman, church, is
married to Christ, they're no longer two. They are one: Christ in you.
Amen. That's it. His life has been brought into you. Then you become
the bride.

^E-45
Then, another thing. After she has taken all these vows and so forth,
and the ceremony's been said… Like my wife's name was Broy before she
was married. Now, she's no longer a Broy; she's Branham. Now, she isn't
no more Broy; she's Branham. And when you come into Christ, you're no
more of the world; you are of Christ. You care not then for the things
of the world. They're dead to you. "For he that loves the world, or the
things of the world, the love of God's not even in him."
So (You see?), you can't be a artificial Christian. You can be a
artificial professed Christian, but you can't be a Christian to
become…?… until Christ injects Himself by the baptism of the Holy
Ghost into you. Then you're connected with Him, and you're no longer
twain; you are one. Christ promised to be in us, as the Father was in
Christ. "I and My Father are One. You and I are One," (See?) Christ in
us.

^E-46
All that God was He poured into Christ; and all that Christ was, He
poured into the church to continue the work of the Gospel. Then we
become, not by artificial name, but by a reality of the Holy Spirit of
Life, connecting us into Christ. Then, through the power of His
resurrection, we are raised from the dead things of the world and
setting with Him in heavenly places. Amen. I like that.
Tonight, we're setting in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (See?),
resurrected with Him, died to the things of the world, and took on
Christ. And when we take on Christ, then the world is dead. Then we no
more care for the world. The world is dead to us, and we're… And it's
dead to us, and we're dead to it.
You're a different person, different personality, because you are a new
creation: creation, not the same creation polished up, not a–a man
that's turned a new leaf, but a man that's died and been borned again,
and become a new creation in Christ Jesus. And the Spirit of the living
God lives in the person.
Now, just like the woman that's no more Broy, she's a Branham, and she
goes by that name. And the church is no more of the world, but it's in
the Name of Christ she is. She's connected with Him by His own Life.

^E-47
Did you ever read in the Scripture, how that the first man God made was
a–a dual person? Adam was both Adam and Eve, spiritually speaking. But
when He made the first man in His own image, and God is a Spirit… But
when He put them in flesh, He separated them. He taken the masculine
spirit, put it into the man, and taken the feminish spirit and put it
into the woman.
Now, when you see a woman wanting to act like a man, there's something
wrong. When you see a man wants to act like a woman, there's something
wrong. So it looks like the world's all wrong today. Men are trying to
act like women, and women like men. That's right. It's true.

^E-48
Now, look. It's so perfect, that when God took and made a man… And to
show that He did not want it out of anything different, the woman was
not in the original creation. So she is a, not in the creation, but
she's a part of Adam. She's a byproduct. He goes into the side of Adam,
not to make another creature, but taken part of a creature and made
another creature out of it. And He took the masculine spirit that was
in Adam, and took the feminish spirit that was in Adam, rather, and put
it over into the woman. So both spirit and body, they become one, was a
beautiful type to what God did at Calvary. He took Christ, and
connected Him with the church. Through a riven side, He brought the
Blood that cleansed the person, that sanctifies the flesh of the
church, and puts the Spirit of the living God that He took off the
cross there out of Christ, and puts it into the individual. Then they
are one. See? They become one. Christ and you are one.

^E-49 And you and your husband should be one. If there's anything contrary, then there's something wrong with your union.
And
if there's anything contrary with us to Christ, we don't believe His
Word and say, "Oh, that was for other days," there's something wrong
with our union with Him. If you say, "Days of miracles is past, there's
no Divine healing, there's no baptism of the Holy Ghost," apply that
back somewhere, that shows that the Spirit of Christ isn't in you,
because, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh…"
And then, when his Word becomes prominent in you, then (You see?), it's
you and Christ are one then. "If ye abide in Me, and My Word in you,
you can ask what you will…" because it's not you no more; it's the
Word of God: Christ in you. You become one. All right.

^E-50
Then, another thing after she does that… After she has fulfilled her
vows, and took her marriage, and took her husband's-to-be name, the
bridegroom's name, then she's heir of everything he possesses. She's a
heir of everything, your wife is a heir of everything you possess.
And that's the thing that the church is, if she only knew it, being
part of Him with His Spirit in her… He said, "The works that I do
shall you do also; greater than this shall you do; for I go to My
Father. A little while, and the world seeth Me no more; yet you shall
see Me: for I'll be with you, even in you, to the end of the world."
Then it's Christ in you. You're connected together, and you're heirs
with Him.

^E-51
And if He was here on earth, what would He be doing? The same thing He
did there, because He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. He'd be
mindful about the Father's business; He'd be healing the sick; He'd be
performing miracles. He'd be doing just exactly what He did when He was
here on earth, because He remains the same yesterday, today, and
forever. It's just perfect. That's the marriage.

^E-52
But now, what if this woman gets married, and takes all these vows and
everything, and she becomes this man's husband, and she's heir to all
he's got, and so forth, and then she goes wild? she starts off on a
tantrum? she starts off running after other men? Not only that, but
she's sharing her love with others. A man with his wife, all the
promises that they've made, and then she goes out and starts sharing
her life with others, her love and her affection with others…
That's what too many so-called Christians do, sharing your love with
the world: playing, dancing, gambling, staying home from prayer meeting
to watch television, all kinds of worldly things that's took the place
of the love of God in the church's heart. She's gone on a tantrum.
She's gone wild. She's gone out after other men. She's sharing her
love. She'll take her tithings that she should give to the church;
she'll spend it on other things out there in the world. She'll…
Instead of loving God the way she should do, and living for God, and
loving to come to church, you almost have to persuade her to come.

^E-53
Why, I know here not long ago, a–a minister told me that he sent out
so many prayer–so many cards to get people to sign that they'd pledge
to come to Sunday school at least six months out of every year.
And I'd seen a little old girl down below the hill there where I'd been
working. And she come out of there. And I was standing at the door,
knocked at the door, and she come to the door. And she was some of
these here wildcat players, you know. Like this bunch they had to have
arrested down here in Phoenix last night, I believe it was, doing this
new perversion of–of rock and roll, or twisters, or ever what it was.
And they had to get the cops to come get them.
Young folks, don't you understand that that is the spirit of the devil?
under the influence till they didn't know what they was, out in the
streets carrying on?

^E-54
Like some of these comedians, or these record players, and jockeys, and
so forth, going to a play in a city I was in, and the young ladies
taking off their underneath clothes and throwed it on the platform for
this boy to autograph. Don't you realize, that's the devil? It's a
spirit of the last days. Sure. It's such a shame. There you are, gone
wild.

^E-55
And this young woman, she come out carrying on. She didn't even know…
forgot me standing at the door. And she said, "Oh, pardon me. I forgot
about you standing there." And she throwed a kiss to that guy on the
radio, or ever what it was, and said, "I'll meet you out at the Green
Briar Patch," or whatever it was. They was going to have some kind of a
dance that night.
And I said to Dr. Brown, which was a friend of mine.
He said, "How is your congregation holding out up there, Billy?"
"Fine." I said, "We're giving them pills."
He said, "What kind of pills?"
I said, "Gos-pills; that sure keeps them coming all the time," See?
And he told me about that, signing those pledges. And I said, "Dr.
Brown, do you think that that wildcat player on that radio would have
to make that girl sign a pledge that she'd be over there that night?
Not at all. She'd pawn what clothes she had on to get there. Why? It's
something in her that's connected her, a spirit, to that worldly
amusement."

^E-56
And until the church of the living God that's called the bride of
Christ gets herself connected with God like that, she'll still wallow
in the world in the mirey clay of sin, until she's connected with God
in such a way, till her heart's so filled with glory and power of God,
until she can't see nothing else but Christ. That's right.
That's what we'll have to do. That's the only plan, the only program
God has, is to do a thing like that. You've got to be not artificially
took in; you've got to be borned in, not shook in, or bring a letter to
the church, but to be borned in the church of the living God by the
regeneration, by the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, that
makes you a new creature in Him. Amen. That straightens it up. That
does it. Sure.

^E-57
All right. She goes wild. She starts sharing her love with others,
worldly things, worldly amusements, going to the places she oughtn't to
go, saying the things she oughtn't to say.
Here one time I was–they was having a ladies,' some kind of a church
party upstairs. I happened to have something to do at the basement of
this house. And I tell you; I've heard some awful things when I was a
sinner. But that woman's meeting, I never heard any worse jokes in all
my life. Could you imagine, a person that's called a Christian, would
let such filth flow from them?
You can't get sweet and good water out of the same cistern. You put a
bucket into the well, and it comes out full of wiggle-tails, we call
them. When you put the bucket down again, it'll bring out the same
thing. The cistern needs a scouring out and a filling up with good
water.

^E-58
That's what's the matter with the church today, universally speaking,
that she needs a scouring out, and a filling up with God's holy waters
from heaven. Her heart's become a cesspool of anything that comes
along. She's got lovers of all kinds. The Bible said she'd have lovers
of pleasure more than lovers of God, truce breakers, false accusers,
incontinent, and despisers of those that are right.
See a woman that tries to live right, a man that tries to live right,
he becomes a holy-roller, she becomes a fanatic or some old fashion
something. She's a castaway. She's despised and rejected by the people
of this world. That's right.

^E-59
But did you ever notice what the real church is supposed to do? In the
Old Testament, when they had the–the sacrifice they killed one bird,
and put the blood of one upon the other, the dead mate. And it flew
across the earth spreading the blood of the dead mate. When the church
becomes the real bride of Jesus Christ, she'll carry the Blood of Jesus
Christ with her, sprinkling it upon the ground, calling, "Holy, holy,
holy, unto the Lord." Her atmosphere, her… Every bit of her will be
of God. Her whole makeup will be of God. You can't expect nothing else.

^E-60
That's why people come to church too, not to play cards, and play
poker, dance in the basement, have soup suppers, and things like that.
That's for the world. And we'll never be able to compare with them, and
shame on us for trying it. We should preach the Holy Ghost, and power,
and the resurrection of Christ. We've got something they haven't got.
Let us live it, not try to copy after them. Live what we know is right;
live in Christ. Jesus said, "If I be lifted up, I'll draw all men unto
Me. Ye are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has lost its savour,
then it's good for nothing, but to be cast out, and trod under the feet
of men." Our testimonies…

^E-61
No wonder even our Pentecostal groups… As bad as I hate to say it,
our Pentecostal groups are falling right into that same thing, right
into the same trend. And no wonder people say that they haven't got
what they say they've got. This church of the Pentecostal move ought to
be so bound together with the power of almighty God until the very Life
of Jesus Christ would be reflected in it.
But we want to pattern after the world. We're going to do it anyhow.
See? We're going to have our way about it. But we shouldn't do it. It's
wrong to do it.
The churches is just like the woman went wild. First thing you know,
she becomes all right. At the beginning, when God gave birth to this
Pentecostal church about forty or fifty years ago, she lived holy. She
was holy. The power of God was with her. But as we go on, we begin to
tally after the world. The first thing you know, we got to have a
building that's so big it's got to outshine the Methodists over on the
other corner. We got to have something so big, the biggest thing, and
the biggest thing, and the biggest thing. It's a shame.

^E-62
Lot of us get ourselves puffed up when we get… The Pentecostal
brother see somebody down in a little mission, or little bitty church,
and they go to a big church. "We belong to the first church, or the big
church," or something like that: look down upon them.
What you need is the Holy Ghost to deflate you a little bit (that's
right), let you know that the real true baptism of the Holy Ghost will
make a tuxedo suit put his arms around a pair of overalls and say,
"Brother." That's right. Real old-time salvation, the power of Almighty
God (yes, sir), will make an old silk dress put its arms around a
calico and say, "Sister, I love you." It sure will.

^E-63
But we begin to go out with the world, drift with the tide. Our church
has. We don't have to talk about the Methodists and Baptists no more.
It's ourselves. It's in our own ranks. That's the reason the Holy
Spirit cannot move. That's the reason I say that God cannot put His
sanction upon any organization tonight, because the Gentiles was not
taken out as a nation; they were a people out of the Gentiles for His
Name's sake. God will take individuals.
Now, I think our organizations does a good work. That's all right. But
you can't depend on that, say, "I'm Pentecostal, 'cause I belong to a
Pentecostal organization." You're Pentecostal when you get a
Pentecostal experience. I don't care if you belong to the Catholic
church, you are Pentecostal. You can't organize Pentecost. Pentecost is
an experience, not an organization. And that's right.

^E-64
But we Pentecostal people has begin to think 'cause we have the name of
Pentecost, we can go ahead and live in the world and do anything we
want to. We're like climbing Nimrod's tower. It'll go to ashes. Like
Adam's fig leaf apron, she'll go back. Like Siegfried line in France,
Maginot line in Germany, she crushed 'cause there's no other tower, no
other stand. But "The Name of the Lord is a mighty tower that the
righteous run into and are safe." When you run into it, you take the
Name, the Name, not just calling a Name, but the Name–and person that
you are Christ-like in the life. Amen. Wonderful He is. Yes.

^E-65
Church has done the same, committing spiritual fornication as the woman
that would share her love from her husband to another man. That woman's
not fit to be lived with. You know that. And when the church begins to
share her fellowship with the world… God's a jealous God. He put
Israel away because of that, and His Son will put the same thing away.
He's going to have a bride that hasn't got a wrinkle in her. Amen.
She's wholly washed by the Blood of His own self. That's right. So we
see where we stand, the wedding getting ready to come.

^E-66
Now, we find out she commits spiritual fornications, going out with the
world, professing something, living something different. That won't
never work. What the church ought to do, is do like Esther did. Esther
refused the adorning of the world.
We know that little book of Esther, how that Mordecai… His uncle had
a daughter. And it was down during the times of the reigns of the Medes
and Persians. It's a very beautiful type there. The king, one of the
greatest kings in the world of that day, he had a great feast. And he
called the queen to come set by him, but she wouldn't do it. She
refused to do it. So what did he do? He was so humiliated, he didn't
know what to do, that his own wife wouldn't come.

^E-67
I think that's a whole lot like Christ today. Christ has invited us to
set in heavenly places with Him, and we're ashamed of it. Many people
are ashamed to say that they got the baptism of the Holy Ghost:
Pentecostal people. That's right. They're ashamed to say it. We're
ashamed of Him.
And so, the queen wouldn't come. She refused to come. It humiliated him. His face turned red. Everybody noticed.
I wonder if Jesus' face don't turn a little red too, when He calls on
us for a work, calls on the Pentecostal movement for fellowship and
brotherhood. And we're so tightly organized in little groups till we
won't bend for the other. We're so–getting so worldly, and things like
that. We're getting ashamed of the name of Pentecost. Some people is
afraid to say… Said, "Well, I belong. I'm a Christian, but…" I'm
glad I got a Pentecostal experience. Amen. I'm glad to bear the Name of
Jesus Christ. The greatest privilege I ever had is to say I'm part of
Him.

^E-68
Now, we find out, then he got some consultants to ask what must he do.
And they said, "If this goes on like this, all the rest of the women
throughout the country will take the example of the first lady." Of
course, that's what's happening tonight. Look at some of these women (I
hope I don't hurt your feelings, and yet I hope I do. That's right.),
trying to be this here first lady stuff, with these waterhead haircuts.
I never seen such a thing in all my life. The other day there was a
woman come up in a store where I was waiting for my wife, and that
woman's head was that big, and she had green paint under her eyes. And
I said, "Go back, boogerman. I'll be good." It was the awfullest sight;
it would scare you. What is it? The first lady. It's the first lady.
That's it. And they take an example by that.

^E-69
And let me say this now. (I didn't say it jokingly, but in a parable
that you'd see.) That's exactly what you older Christians are doing for
these younger. Exactly right. You're supposed to be examples. You
Pentecostals that profess to have the Holy Ghost, you are to be an
example for the Methodists, and Baptists, Presbyterians. Not like the
first lady, but like Jesus you're supposed to be. He tells you in here
what to do, how to do it. We must follow His rules and examples. But
that's the way we find it.

^E-70
Esther… This queen, she wouldn't listen to it. She wouldn't come,
humiliated him. Said, "If–if this first lady of the land sets an
example like that, all the rest of the women will do it. So then, when
a man calls for his wife, she'll say, 'Go jump in the river.'" See?
Boy, he really foretold America, didn't he?
Now, we find out that in doing so… Then there was a man that had some
wisdom about him, come up and counseled with the king. He said, "The
thing to do is excommunicate her, and send out through the nation, and
call in all the virgins that there is, young virgins, and there pick
yourself a wife." It pleased the king.

^E-71
So he sent… And he sent out the chambermaids and so forth, that went
out to–to pick all the young virgins, that could–the beautiful women
throughout all the kingdom and the provinces that he was over, which
was the greatest in the world.
And when he did, it come to this little Jewish girl. She was rather a
kind of an offcast, because like the Gentiles (You see?), she was cast
off to one side. And she had no father and mother. And Mordecai, her
uncle, was raising her. And she had to go to qualify. And so what they
did, they had to take these girls in for purification for so many
months. They had to perfume them, and do all kinds of adorning, and fix
them all up so they could go before the king.

^E-72
Now, that's just about the way the world wants to fix the church today:
adorn it up with the world; pattern after the things of the world,
trying to get more members, taking in anything in their fellowship. Oh,
my. It's a pitiful thing, one organization trying to beat the other
one, take anything in for a member. You might take them in this
organization, but they'll never come into the fellowship of Christ
until they're cleaned up and borned again of the Spirit of God. That's
true. They might have their name on a book here, but not up there in
the Lamb's Book of Life till it's wrote with the Blood of the Lord
Jesus.

^E-73
All the women, they fixed themselves all up to look pretty. And, oh, I
imagine they got really some looks on them, maybe after the first lady
and so forth. They got themselves all fixed up because they was going
to appear before the king.
And I think that's about the whole lot that's getting the matter with
our churches today. They're trying to fix themselves all up worldly,
having worldly entertainment, worldly things in it, doing things that's
of the world, associating in the world, thinking they can meet the
King. God don't care about that. He hates that. But we want to act like
the world.
Some of our churches that I've said let down the bars, taking in
deacons and so forth in the church (and sometimes pastors), that's
married four or five times, and–and some of them that smoke
cigarettes. Say, "They'll get over it. They'll be all right." Get a man
out of a barroom one night and put him in the pulpit the next night. I
don't believe in no such stuff. I believe a man's got to be proved
(That's right.), proved. I tell you, a lot of times we call…

^E-74
I believe in the baptism of the Holy Ghost. I believe in speaking in
tongues. But I think we lay too much emphasis on that. A man can speak
with tongues, and a woman speak with tongues, and if her life, and his
life doesn't compare with what tongues you're speaking in, then it's
the wrong tongues, 'cause the Holy Spirit will make you act like the
Bible. It'll bring you to the fullness of the statue of Christ.
You take a person that speaks with tongues, with enough temper to fight
a buzz saw, and talk about the neighbors, and everything like that.
Why, do you call that the Holy Ghost? It cannot be. No, sir.
The Holy Ghost is meekness, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness,
gentleness, patience, faith. The Holy Ghost… That's the fruit of the
Spirit, that the Holy Spirit bears in the church of the living God,
sweetness, and humbleness, humility, love one for another,
long-suffering.

^E-75
If a brother's gone wrong, don't just beat him or something another. Go
after him and see if you can get him back. Don't wait for the preacher
to do it. You do it, somebody else. The preacher can't do it all,
neither can the deacons. Everybody's a member of this body of Christ
should go after one another. If we got… And if we've got the Spirit
of Christ in us… He taught the great parable. He left the ninety and
nine and went after that one. That's what we're supposed to do.
But we say, "Oh, let them go." We never should do that. We should be
gentle, forgiving, long-suffering: that's the fruit of the Spirit.

^E-76
Now, we find ourselves then, that Esther, after she… They put her in
one of these places to get herself all fixed up to make their show
before the king. My, she refused it. She didn't want it. She wanted to
go out just like she was. Amen.
We got today that churches that wants to act like the world. Why?
'Cause we get big. God said one time when they was little, they served
Him. But when they got big, then they forgot Him. That's right. When we
had a tin pan down here on the alley somewhere, with a tambourine
beating it on the back of our hands, and an old guitar strummed it, and
having a street meeting, you were humble. But when we get to having
three or four million dollar buildings, and great big things like that,
then we get so arrogant we forget about that. That's right. Polish up
with the world…

^E-77
I was into a place the other day where a holiness brother… There was
a bunch of people working for him. And if… Every woman come out of
there at coffee time to take a coffee-break. Every woman in there had
short hair and wearing lipstick. Now, you say, "Brother Branham, you
ain't got no business saying that." I have. The Bible says that. That's
right.
A lot of the Pentecostal women wearing clothes that pertain to a man,
and God said it's an abomination in His sight. Right. How do you expect
to go to heaven like that? It shows that the Holy Spirit isn't in
there. If the Holy Spirit was in there, It'd condemn you. Right. Oh,
you might shout, speak with tongues, run up and down, dance in the
spirit. I've seen Hindus do that, and Indians, and everything else.
That don't mean nothing, unless there's a life to back up what you're
talking about, power of the Holy Ghost makes godly living people.
That's the bride of Christ.

^E-78
Esther was to become a bride, so she didn't want none of the adorning
of the world. She wanted to go in to the king just like she was. She
adorned herself like the Pentecostal women ought to, with a meek humble
spirit. And when all these fancy first ladies come by with all their
new fandangoed things, the king looked at them, and put them in the
chamber with the concubines. But when this Esther come into his sight,
and he got a glimpse of that sweet, humble, meek spirit, he said,
"That's her. Go get the crown and put it on her head." That's it.
Let them adorn themselves with that kind of a spirit, not only the
women, but the men too, adorn themselves with that kind of a spirit.
Then you're becoming ready for the–the bride, sweet, reverent. Esther
made her heart clean.

^E-79
There's so much… We take care of this outside. Oh, it's got to have
so many wrinkle removers, and so much of this and to–to go about it.
Here some time ago, I was standing in a museum down in Tennessee. I
passed by a little place, and it showed the analysis of a human body.
It said a man that weighed a hundred and fifty pounds in chemicals was
worth eighty-four cents. Now, you're somebody, aren't you? Eighty-four
cents, and some women will, Pentecostal women, will put on a five
hundred dollar mink coat, and stick their head up, if it rained, it'd
drown them. And they're not even worth eighty four cents (That's
right.) in chemicals. That's the truth, not a joke. That's the truth.
Eighty-four cents: about enough whitewash to sprinkle a hen's nest, and
a little bit of calcium, and so forth: Eighty four cents. You watch
that awful close.
You go to the restaurant and find a–get a bowl of soup and there'd be
a spider in it, you'd sue the restaurant. But you'll let the devil poke
old dirty televisions and card things down your neck, and swallow it;
make you put on old unclean clothes. And these women, these little old
tight dresses like a skinned-down wiener, and walk out there on the
street like that.

^E-80
And do you know, my sister… (I ain't saying that joking. Don't get me
wrong.) Listen. I'm saying this: you act like that, and at the day of
judgment you'll be counted as an adulterer. Right. Jesus said,
"Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust after her has committed
adultery with her in his heart." And when that sinner has to answer for
committing adultery, who is it? You. Who caused it? You. That's right.
If you put yourself out there to look–before men, to be like the
world, and dress like the world…
I said that one time, and a woman in Louisville, Kentucky, she said,
"Well, listen here, Mr. Branham. I'll give you to understand right
now…"
I said, "Yes, ma'am."
She said, "That's the only kind of dresses they make."
I said, "They make sewing machines and sell goods. It's because you want to. There's something wrong in you."
That's exactly right. You do it not because it's a fashion, you do it not because you have to; you do it because you want to.

^E-81
You smoke because you want to. You don't have to. I think the silliest
thing I ever seen was a woman going in the street like… You see every
one in automobiles with them cigarettes up between their fingers. Why,
it's a disgrace. That's the biggest fifth columnist move we got in the
nation, when the doctors and medical science says it's full of cancer
and everything else. And they suck right down on them all the time.
See a woman, supposed to be a Christian, stretched out there on a bank,
with mixed bathing, with a bathing suit on, stretched out there. I got
two girls. I don't say they wouldn't do it. They say they're getting a
suntan. They'll get a son-tan if I'm living. It'll be the son of Mr…
It'll be the son of Mr. Branham, with a board about that long. I
believe it's wrong.

^E-82
Then we call ourself… "Oh, we're a member of the Pentecostal church."
Oh, shame on you. Right. The Pentecostal church needs a cleansing all
the way from the front to the back, and through the cellar, and
basement, and upstairs. That's right. And yet, in all of it, it's the
best we got. But it can…
Just like in the revolutionary in the time of Joan of Arc. France
needed a revolutionary, then needed a counter-revolutionary to
straighten up some of the things they was revolting about. And the
Pentecostal church needs a revolutionary (Right. It certainly does.), a
revolt against the things that's wrong, and accept the things that's
right (Amen.), a fresh baptism of the Holy Ghost, a church to make
herself ready.

^E-83
Remember, it will never be… You can't say, "Well, now, I belong to
this… the Assemblies, I belong to the Foursquare, or the Church of
God, or the Jesus' Name," or–or any of the rest of them. No you can't
get in on any of them. God calls you as an individual. And it's you
that's got to clean up, because He's taking a people from the Gentiles
for His Name's sake, His bride, the Gentiles.
Esther cleaned herself. She cleaned her heart. That's what she cleaned.
That's what the church needs: a heart cleaning." How do you clean your
heart, Brother Branham?" Washed by the water of the Word, through the
Blood of Jesus Christ.

^E-84
The Bible said it's wrong for women to act that way, and for men to let
them do it. That's both of you. A man that'll let his woman get out in
the street with naked–with clothes on like that, I've got little
respects for him being even a man. He's a puppet. That's right. She
uses him as a dishrag. Shame on you. You ought to be men.
And a pastor will let his church get by with such things as that
without blasting the tar out of it from the pulpit, he's a sissy. What
we need is men. The Gospel–not with rubber gloves, but with the power
and demonstration of the Holy Ghost with the Word… The Bible says
these things are wrong. It's wrong for people to do that way, to act
that way. It ought to be preached, and lived, and everywhere. Ought
to… The church needs a purging, a cleaning out.

^E-85
Esther purged her heart before God, walked up with a meek and humble
spirit; the church that's going to be the bride of Christ… Now,
remember, Esther refused the worldly adornment. She took the Spirit in
her heart to go before the king.
And the woman today, the church that thinks she's going to get in
because she's got more numbers, she's the best dressed crowd, she's got
the biggest organization, the biggest church in the city, and things
like that… You'll miss it a million miles if you're depending on that.
It's a sweet, kind, reverent spirit to the Word of God, washed by the
water of the Word. And the Word in you, it's a washing. Amen. The
church needs a washing, a full Gospel washing (That's right.), not just
a part washing, but a full Gospel washing, cleaned up, made new
creatures in Christ Jesus.

^E-86
Jesus' bride is not a dirty bride. He wouldn't have His dirty bride. A
woman come up to get married, and she looked like she come out of the
pig pen out there, a man that's got any dignity about him wouldn't
marry her. He'd make her clean herself up. And when the church of
Christ comes up to get married, thinks she's going in the bride with
all the world tagging onto her… Christ's bride won't be like that.
No, sir. (I must hurry.)
Neither is the church of Christ, of the Lord Jesus Christ, that church
is not a ragged church either, with worn out rags of denominations. She
don't have to be a–a member of some great denomination. She has to be
Blood-washed, Blood-bought. Not saying we belong to the biggest church,
the biggest organization, or this, that, or the other; she's got to be
pure, sanctified, holy, without spot or wrinkle, by the Blood of
her–her Saviour, Jesus Christ.

^E-87
Like Esther, the hidden man in the heart, the hidden man, the meekness
and gentleness of the Spirit of God in the human heart, not the glory
and class of the world…
I've always said the world shines; the Gospel glows. Oh, it's a million
miles apart. Hollywood shines; the church of Christ glows with
loveliness, and soft, and sweet, kind. That's right.
Esther didn't want to adorn herself with all the modern apparel of the
world. That wouldn't look like a king's wife. And do we wanting to be
like the world, and the… Would that look like a holy man's wife? We,
as the church of the living God adorn ourselves with the things of the
world, and then look like a holy man's wife? Would that look natural?
If you seen a man today, that's supposed to be a holy man, and here
comes his wife down like the first lady: one of those great big
hairdo's out like this, and red stuff on one side, and green stuff on
the other side; and–and look like she's been hit in the mouth with a
paint brush, and all these kind of things like that; walking down the
street, in little wiener-tight clothes like that, and heels about so
high, twisting along, mincing down the street… Say, "That's a holy
man's wife?" (I'm not telling jokes. I'm only making statements.)

^E-88 I've come to one of our great Pentecostal moves, here not long ago. I had a tent set up.
And the pastor said to me, he said, "My wife is the organist. "
I said, "That's good, brother."
"Do you mind her playing?"
I said, "No. No, sir. I sure don't."
And he went to the manager, and the manager, said… Brother Baxter said, "That's all right."
He said, "Brother Branham, come over here. I want you to meet my wife."
And
I went over there. (Now, now, please forgive me. See, I'm not trying to
make a remark; I'm trying to make a statement. See?) And the woman had
one of these here manicure, or, I don't know, that stuff, you know, all
fixed up, and I never seen such in my life, and a dress that was so way
down in here, no back in it, and hardly any bottom in it. And I–I
never seen such a look in my life. And she had great big earrings
hanging down like this, and a whole lot of stuff on.
And I looked around. I thought, "Oh, me. I'm a Baptist and I know
better than that." I looked again. I said… Now, please, this is not a
joke. But I had to say it to the brother, and I hope it helped him, not
saying it to be different; if I did, I was a hypocrite (See?), needed
to be cleaned up myself.
I said, "Mister, did you say your wife was a saint?"
Said, "Oh, yes."
I said, "She looks like a hain't to me." I said, "I–I never seen such
a sight in my life as a minister's wife. That don't look like the wife
of a holy man."

^E-89
And neither does the church of the living God, depending on her
fashions, her tea parties, and bunco parties, and card games, and
dances, and socials, adorning herselves like that with the world, look
like a holy God's bride. When she smokes cigarettes, and dances, and
parties, and soup suppers, and cocktail drinking, and all like that,
and say they're the bride of Christ?
That don't look like a holy man's wife to me. No, sir. He wouldn't
choose such a thing. He'd get a woman that was right, look like what He
was trying to represent. I believe that's true. That might hurt a
little bit.

^E-90
My old southern mother's gone. When I was a little boy, we used to
have–didn't have nothing to eat hardly. And we had black-eyed peas and
corn bread. I don't know whether you know what they are or not. So we
hadn't… She didn't have any grease through the year. And we'd…
almost have to take an old… big old pan like that, and put meat skins
in it. We'd get where they'd cut–the butchers would cut the meat off
and give us the skin. And we'd render it out to get the grease and pour
it on there.
Every Saturday night mama said we needed a dose of castor oil. And I–I
just can't stand the stuff even yet. And I'd have to take it. I'd come
to her holding my nose like this. I'd say, "Mama, I–I just can't take
it." I said, "It makes me so sick."
She said, "If it don't make you sick, it don't do you any good."

^E-91
So I think that's the way with preaching the Gospel. If it don't stir
you up a little bit, get your–feel your spiritual gastronomics started
right, make you a little sick to examine yourself with the Bible; see
if that old temper, and selfishness, ungodliness, love of the world,
television, and things at night. And leaving the church set empty, and
the pews set empty, when you ought to be out there like Jesus (you got
His Spirit in you), trying to get everybody in the country to come to
your church to receive Christ. And we call ourselves then the bride of
Christ.
Oh, what a pity, friends. The hour has come. His bride has made herself
ready, oh, made herself ready. She laid aside all of these things.
Remember, Esther was chosen and the others was rejected. And only those
that's borned again, that's got the Spirit of God, will be the chosen
that day that the crown of glory will be set upon her head. And the
others will be rejected.

^E-92
Let me tell you a little something that happened. I–I–I'm a
missionary, as you know, do evangelistic missionary work, about seven
times overseas, and around the world. Here, not long ago, in the city
of Rome… Rome's a great city for art, and they had a school of art
there. And several of our American young folks go over there every year
to take a year or two's training in art, to learn to paint pictures.
There was a group of young Americans came over here a few years ago, as
the story was told me. And when they get over there, they just go
hog-wild. When they're in Rome, they do as Rome does: get out and drink
and strip themselves, and everything else, and carry on, both boys and
girls.

^E-93
And there was a certain school. And in this school, this–this group of
young Americans come over. And every one of them, almost, did the same
thing. But one certain little girl, she wouldn't tolerate it at all.
She stayed in. At nighttime she read while they was all out drinking.
Daytime, she worked steady. Well, she was the laughingstock of the
whole school. And she kept herself like a lady, conducted herself like
a lady. Although there were young Roman boys and everything around,
trying to get her to go out, she refused it. No, sir. She stayed right
with her lessons, learning to draw, and to paint, rather. And she
stayed with it.

^E-94
Finally, an old custodian at the place kept watching her, seeing she
was so much different, although he was a Roman Catholic, kept watching
her, how she conducted herself. One evening, the young girl in the park
where the–the studio was, why–or the place where they had the school,
she walked out upon the campus, and went up towards the top of the
hill, and the sun was setting. And she was standing up there with her
pretty, clean face, and her hair hanging down, looking across that way
towards the setting of the sun.

^E-95
The old custodian was raking down there in the yard, and kept watching
the girl. As he raked, something just kept telling him go talk to her.
So he laid his rake down, took off his old slouch hat, walked up to
where the young lady was, cleared up his throat. She turned around. He
said, "Pardon me, Miss."
She said, "Yes, sir. Certainly."
And he noticed she'd been crying. All the rest was out on a big spree
for the night. He said, "Madam, I hope that you understand me in the
right way, that I'm going to speak to you." Said, "You've been here
most for over two years now. And I've noticed the group that you've
come with, continually they're out on parties, and coming in all times
of the night, drunk, and clothes half off of them, and everything. But
I noticed that you don't attend such parties."
And said, "I–I notice that, seemingly, that you're always looking
across the sea. Of a evening, you walk up here, and stand here each
evening, and watch the sun go down." And said, "What causes that?"
Said, "I'm an old man. And I–I'm curious of knowing what causes this
difference between you and the others."

^E-96
She said, "Yes, sir." She said, "Sir, I'm looking towards home when the
sun is setting." She said, "Across, beyond that sun yonder is my
homeland." And she said, "In that land there is a certain state. And in
that certain state there's a certain city. And in that certain city is
a certain house. And in that house is a certain boy."
She said, "He too, is an artist. When I left to come over here, I
pledged my love to him. We're engaged to one another." And she said,
"No matter what any of the rest of them does, that has nothing to do
with me." She said, "I promised to live true and right." And she said,
"I'm longing for the day, that when I feel myself on the top of the
wings of that big plane that'll take me across the sea and set me down
at the airport where he will meet me. He's building a home, and we'll
live together in that land."
And said, "That's the reason I act the way I do. I'm true to the
promise that I made a boy. And he's true to the promise that he makes
to me." Said, "I hear from him now and then, and I write to him." And
said, "Corresponding with one another, we're still holding our vows,
waiting for the day we meet."

^E-97
Oh, how that would do for a real Christian to get away from the things
of the world. And someday you talk about coming into the port on the
wings of a dove; He's coming for a bride, one that don't fool with the
world or the things of the world. She's washed in the Blood of the
Lamb. She's pledged her–her love to Him only. The love of the world is
gone and dead to her. The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride
has made herself ready.

^E-98
Let's think of it while we bow our heads just a moment. Some day, as I
look towards the setting of the sun, I too, thirty-one years ago, made
a pledge to One that I loved, all my love to Him. I've always tried to
hold up for Him and His Word wherever I go. And I know there's many
others setting in here like that, waiting for the day that when the old
ship of Zion shall come into the port, take up our souls, and take us
in the Presence of Him Who we love, and have pledged our love to.

^E-99
There may be some in here tonight, who's never made that pledge. There
may be some that's made it and broke it. If you're in that condition
tonight, friends, why don't you just come back tonight and renew your
pledge? If you haven't make it, why don't you come and make it tonight?
Say, "Lord Jesus, I love You."
Remember, if you have already made your pledge and still mingling with
the things of the world, Jesus will not have a bride like that. He will
not have one that's adulterous. All your love must be to Him. And if
you love the things of the world, and the fashions of this world better
than you love God, then you have not made yourself ready.

^E-100
Is that person in here tonight? while we have our heads bowed, would
raise up your hand, say, "Brother Branham, pray for me. I do want to be
that way. I–I want to be part of the bride. And I know I'm doing
things that I shouldn't do. Pray for me."? God bless you, my Indian
sister. God bless you, sister, and you, my brother, and you, brother.
Anyone else, raise up your hand, say, "Pray for me, Brother Branham.
I–I know I'm not right. "
Now, be honest with yourself. Look back at your life. You have to look
back before you can go forward. Look what you have been. Look what the
spirit that you've got has made you do. If you haven't had… If you
proclaim to be a Christian, and still you still mingle with the things
of the world, brother, sister, how can you but be blind if you don't
see that you're wrong?

^E-101
Someone said the other day, said, "Brother Branham, you ought to leave
off of people like that." Said, "People call you a prophet."
I said, "I'm not a prophet."
Said, "But people think you are. You ought to be teaching these
women… Instead of telling them to wear long hair, and the right kind
of clothes, and things like that, you ought to be telling them how to
get spiritual things."
I said, "How can I teach them algebra, when they won't even take abc's
of kindergarten? haven't even got the common decency to clean
themselves up?"

^E-102
Calling the bride of Christ… I'm not saying that irritable. I'm
saying that in godly love. As I said this morning, if I see you going
down the river in a boat, and see you're going to hit the falls, that
boat won't take it, me screaming at you and hollering at you, I'm not
trying to hurt you. I love you. Because if you don't, your life will be
lost,
Is there another raise up their hands before we pray? I see you back
out there. God bless you, and you, and you. You know your life shows
you're wrong. You still love the world more than God, then there's
something wrong somewhere. Look at you. Out in the rooms out there,
raise up your hand, say, "Pray for me, Brother Branham." God bless you.
God bless… That's right. Honest to goodness, I–I admire sincerity.
That's what's the trouble with the Pentecostal church today. We haven't
got that real sincerity we used to have. We haven't got the audacity
to–to come and say that–admit we're wrong.

^E-103
The devil's just got such a hold on the church until it's just
wallowing in the muck of the world. Don't do that. Your own life proves
that you haven't got what you're saying you got. Then why not confess
it? "He that will confess his sin shall have pardon: he that hides his
sin shall not prosper." You can't hide it. God knows all about it. And
if you see and know that you're not living right, then why not confess
it, and come out, and let it be clear?
Some people's sins go before them; some follow. Let mine go before. Let
me tell all of mine right now. Let God get it right. That's what we
ought to do.

^E-104
There's been about six or eight hands go up. There surely is more than
that in this little church tonight of hundred or two people here, maybe
a hundred and fifty. Now, God bless you, young man. Now, God bless you,
lady. God bless you, sister. That's right. God bless you, son. That's
good. [Blank.spot.on.tape–Ed.]
Pentecostal women used to not cut their hair, but they do it today.
What happened? You used to not make–wear–wear makeup. Your mother
didn't, if she was Pentecostal. What happened today? Because they're
wallowing in the things of the world. And the world looks at us. We
claim to be a holiness church. What's the matter? We don't look like
the bride of Christ. What about you men out there? Same thing. Brother,
shame on you.

^E-105
Heavenly Father, when I look out across, and make an altar call in such
a way as that, rebuking, tearing down, seems like it's harsh. But
inside of me's bleeding, when I know we're nearing the end. These
little boats is going to crack up one of these days. Death's going to
strike in the struggle. And how many times have been called by their
side and hear them say, "Oh, Brother Branham, if I could only live it
over again." Then while these are able, Lord, to make it right…
I'm trying my best, God. May the Holy Spirit reveal it to the people
that I'm only trying to help them not to scold them. But as Paul said
of old… God, I don't want them to be hurt, but I want to hurt them
enough that they'll see where they're wrong.

^E-106
I pray that You'll grant tonight, these people in raising their hands
with–with even enough respects to–to recognize before God that
they're wrong, and they want to be right… "Seek, and ye shall find;
knock, and it'll be opened." But if you never knock, how is it going to
open? If you never seek, how you going to find?
Let the Holy Spirit, Lord, bring these people to a full surrender to
God tonight. And may the great Father of our Lord Jesus Christ sanctify
them, soul, body, and spirit, and place them into the body of the Lord
Jesus Christ; for the marriage of the Lamb is at hand, and His bride
has made herself ready. O Lord, may this be the night of preparation,
for tomorrow may be the day we meet Him. We don't know what hour we'll
be called on to meet Him. Grant it, Lord.

^E-107
Now, while I'm praying, and you got your heads down, I… Every one of
you that's raised your hand, if you're deeply sincere with that, and
you really mean it, and you're not ashamed to let the people know that
you've been wrong… You're going to have to stand with them there at
the judgment anyhow. And God has put enough conviction on you that you
know that you're wrong…
Here some time ago, I was preaching something like that. I spoke to a
young lady standing back there. She looked horrible, a minister's
daughter. And she met me outside the church. And if she didn't comb me
down.
She said, "You ignorant thing," little sassy, painted-up lips, short
bobbed hair. She said, "If I want somebody to talk to me about that,
I'll get somebody that's got some sense." Said, "Don't you never come
into my father's pulpit and preach a thing like that again."
I said, "You mean to tell me your daddy, a good honest Baptist preacher as he is, and wouldn't preach against that?"
She said, "He didn't hire you to come here…"
I said, "He didn't hire me at all. I come by invitation."
She said, "I'll never forgive you for it."
I said, "That's up to you. I only followed the Gospel."
Rose bushes was blowing there in the little wind, beautiful young woman.

^E-108
A little later on, about a year later, I passed through the city. I
seen that same young lady with her skirts hanging down, smoking a
cigarette, going down the street. I thought, "That's Brother
So-and-so's wife–or, daughter." And I walked across the street, see if
I couldn't get to her.
She looked up to me, smoking this cigarette, blowed it through her
nose. She said, "Hello, preacher," an ungodly slang to it like that.
And I said, "Well, well."
She said, "Take a puff off of my cigarette. Be a man."
I said, "Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"
She reached down in her pocketbook, said, "Then have a cigarette."
I said, "Shame on you. Shame on you to offer God's servant a cigarette."
She said, "Then may you'd take a drink out of my bottle."
I said, "Please don't say it." I looked at her. I couldn't keep from
crying, 'cause her daddy's a good man. I looked at her and I thought,
"Oh, my. She thought she had plenty of time."

^E-109 I started to walk on. I couldn't keep the tears out of my eyes. I walked on.
She said, "Wait a minute."
I said, "Yes, ma'am?"
She walked back. She was almost ashamed to… be talking to her on the street, people passing by. She walked up.
She said, "You know what you told me that night?"
I said, "I'll always remember."
She said, "I want to tell you, preacher, you was right." She said, "I grieved the Holy Spirit the last time."
Now,
here's the remark the woman made to me, and I never forget it as long
as I live. She said, "He was dealing with me that night." But said,
"When I turned Him down that time, it was my last." Said, "My heart's
been so hard, I don't care for God, church, or nothing else. And I cuss
my daddy every day." And she said, "I can see my mother's soul fry in
hell like a pancake and laugh at it."

^E-110
That's grieving the Holy Spirit the last time. Think of it. Let's go
home on the wings of a dove. Let's be the bride. Raise up from your
seat now. If you're wrong, come up here, stand here at the altar and
say, "I've been wrong. Brother Branham, I got a temper. I–I–I've
lived ungodly. I–I shouldn't do these things that I do. Brother
Branham, I've did this, that, or the other. I'm guilty of lying. I'm
guilty of stealing. I'm guilty of something. I haven't served God the
way I should, and I'm ashamed of myself, and I want my life made right.
Won't you pray for me here tonight, Brother Branham?" I'll be glad to
do it.

^E-111
If God will answer my prayers to hear for the sick, blind, and
afflicted, He will certainly hear a prayer for the sinner. Won't you
come and be part of the bride tonight? I invite you to come. Thank you,
my brother. I admire that kind of a courage, that'll walk out and admit
you're wrong. God bless you, brother. Stand right here.
You mean to tell me you could raise up your hand and not be sincere
about it? What's happened to the people? Brother, what's the matter?
What's the matter with our people in this day? You mean you'd raise up
your hand that you was wrong and then won't come? And know "He that
knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to Him it's evil"? Won't you
come? while the pianist or, if you will, sister, organist, just a
little music.

^E-112
I'm inviting you. I want to ask you. How many in this audience has been
in the meetings when… You know I'm not a preacher. I have no
education. God bless you, little lady. That takes a real girl to do
that. This little flower coming here, bless you, my sister. That's real
courage. I admire that little lady. God bless you, honey. I got a
little girl at home about your-all's age, little Rebekah. I appreciate
you. Little Indian girl? God bless you, my sister, little princess. God
be with you, sweetheart. You little sisters, God be with you, and with
you, sister.
Now, looky here. If young ladies like that, little girls, tender in
conscience, and preach a sermon that cuts them to pieces… And here
they come up here, knowing that they're wrong, stand up here before the
audience to make a confession, surely, surely you older women… Won't
you come? Move up here, and stand along here.

Surely you're sincere enough to pray a humble prayer. "Call, Lord, try me, and see if there's anything wrong with me."

God bless you, sister dear.

^E-113
How many in this meeting has stood and seen in the audience women, men,
and all come up when I was standing praying for the sick, and the Holy
Spirit tell them things of their sins, and things, and know… How many
of you knows that's true? Never failing. The Holy Spirit's telling me,
that same Holy Spirit, that there's something in here tonight grieving
Him. Now, that's THUS SAITH THE LORD. Now, meet it here or there.
I'm not a person given over to emotions. No, sir. I know exactly where
I'm standing, and I–I know God. That's right. There's many of you need
to be standing right here where these young girls are. Now, won't you
come? I'm inviting you. I won't persuade. I'm just telling you.
Somebody said, "I never heard an altar call where a minister rebuked
the audience and things like that." That's the way it's supposed to be
done. You don't come up on some heartbroken story of some mother dying
or something like that. That's under emotion. The Word of God's what
you come on. You don't come for–under any emotion, you come believing
that God is God, and you're in the judgment house of the Lord, and
you've come pleading your case.

^E-114
God bless you, my brother, my sister. I want to shake your hand and say
that I appreciate you. Honest convictions… Little lady, I appreciate
you. God bless you. May He give you that gallant Spirit. Bless you, my
brother. God be with you. Once more, then we're going to close. It may
close for the last time too. See? I don't know when. I hope it don't.
But it may. See?

Come here, my…?… I want to shake your hand and say I appreciate your…?…
Come here, my brother. I want to shake hands with you here. I appreciate your sincerity. God bless you.
Come here. God bless you. I appreciate your sincerity…?… take a stand…

What? The marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.

^E-115
Remember, the Holy Spirit was what cut into your heart, and come up
here. Just think of the places He cut, and that person will never live
that down. They'll always remember that. "If our hearts condemn us
not…" But when you come with something in the Word of God, and you
bypass it, that's not Abraham's seed. Abraham kept the promise of God
in his heart, regardless of what come or went.

^E-116
I appreciate all these standing around the altar. My prayer for you,
that God will give you the desire of your heart tonight and make you
real sainted people.
Some of these young folks… Here's Indians, Spanish, Mexican, all
standing around, people who's claimed to be Christians maybe for years,
but see there they was wrong. They want to be right. "Blessed are they
that hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be filled."
Condemned, ready to make it right with God through the fiery altars of
the judgment of God. Got to meet it somewhere, friends. You've got to
meet it somewhere, so meet it here. Don't wait till in the morning. You
may be killed tonight in an accident going home.

^E-117
Just recently in a meeting I made an altar call, and–and I called,
like this up in Ohio. And that night, I left the building, and been
gone about fifteen minutes. And I heard somebody screaming on the side
of the road, and I stopped and went over there. A car had had an
accident, run into another. And a woman that had sat there so nervous
she pulled off her ring, she was so nervous, she was killed. And she
was talking to her daughter on the road down when she was driving. They
had her there ready for the hospital. And both of them should have come
to the altar. And the daughter said, "'Mother'–the last words she said
to me before the car struck, 'I did wrong tonight. I know I did.'" And
there her life was called.

^E-118
Oh, you say, "That won't happen to me." It might. It might. And what if
the Holy Spirit never condemns you again, and tells you you're wrong?
Then you'll walk out into eternity like that. And you know with that
kind of a spirit, you can't do it. Look back through your life, see how
you've lived. And look back there, and see if it's that sweet, humble
life of Christ, tallying up with all of His Word. If it isn't, then
come get right. There's… Why–why take a substitute when the skies
are full of the real Pentecostal blessings that'll cleanse your heart,
purify your soul? Isn't that right?

^E-119
How many ministers are in here tonight? I want some of you brethren to
walk up here with us, if that's all right, brother. Yeah, come up here,
will you just a minute, brethren? That's right.
Jesus said in His Word, "He that heareth My words, and believeth on Him
that sent Me, has Eternal Life, shall not come into condemnation; but
has passed from death unto Life." St. John 6 said, "and I'll raise him
up again at the last day."–a resurrection.

^E-120
People, we–we've got to stand that. We must do it. It's just got to be
done. So the–it's not emotion. Emotions goes with it, of course.
That's right. But the thing of it is, is a consecrated heart. Just take
the Word of God and say, "God, I did wrong. I'm sorry I did that. You
know my heart. I did wrong. Right here upon this ground, I confess my
wrong. And from this night henceforth, I'm engaged to You. I'm part of
the bride. I'll never do that again, never let my temper slip again.
I'll–I'll act like a lady. I'll act like a gentleman. I'll do the
things that the Bible says do. I'll take You right now at Your Word."
Then you're getting somewhere. Do you believe that, Gospel preachers?
Is that truth? That's right.

^E-121
Now, let us bow our heads in prayer now. Just, each one of you in your
own way. Remember, right by your side is Christ. In front of you here
on the altar stands Christians praying; behind you, Gospel ministers
praying. Now, that puts you in an atmosphere of prayer. Now, your
confession, in your hearts in your own way, "Lord, I'm wrong. I'm
sorry, Lord, I did these things. I now confess my sin. I believe on
You. I accept You now. I want to be part of the bride. In Jesus' Name I
pray."
Now, keep your confession on your heart now. Now, I'm going to pray for you.

^E-122
Heavenly Father, how it grieves me sometimes when I look upon people
who love me, and see how You take the Word and lay It out there. It
just cuts to the marrow of the bone. But then You come right around to
vindicate it to be truth. It is Truth. Here stands men and women, even
little ladies, little girls standing here with bowed heads, and tears
in their eyes, right at the crossroads of life. When I think where they
could wind up down there in that twisting, rock and roll,
devil-possessed, demon-oppressed group. Here they are, standing here
tonight with bowed hearts, wanting something that they can put their
hands on, to say, "Lord God, cleanse me from all the things of the
world."

^E-123
Here's middle-aged men, young men, old women, young women, all standing
together. They're confessing they're wrong. You spoke to their heart.
They'd never be here. It shows that they cannot even raise up out of
their seats without a decision being already made. A Spirit of God was
around them and–and said, "You're wrong."
And their little life said, "Lord, then I want You."
And the devil said, "Set still."
But the Spirit of God said, "Rise up." And they've walked in obedience, and standing here at the altar.

^E-124
Now, as I have quoted to You Your Word, "He that will come to Me I will
in no wise cast out. Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be
white like snow; red like crimson, white like wool. Come and buy of Me
wine and oil. My grace is sufficient. He that heareth My Words, and
believeth on Him that sent Me has Everlasting Life, and shall not come
into the judgment; but's passed from death unto Life." And now, the
marriage of the Lamb has come and the bride made herself ready.
Father, they are Yours. They're trophies of Your Word. They're here to
be washed by the water of the Word, because it's the full Gospel. It's
not sparing anything. It's cut down to get down to the kindergarten
place. It's grubbing out the roots, the roots of bitterness,
the–the–the roots of indifference, the roots of the world. Grub them
out, Lord, by the Holy Spirit. Cast them away from these people.

^E-125
I claim them for You tonight, Jesus, as Your own personal treasure, as
gems in Your crown, as members of Your bride. I claim their lives. I
pray with all my heart with these ministers, these servants of the
living God. I pray that You take away from them, Lord, the things of
the world and give them courage to stand in the face of Satan. Grant
it, Lord. We believe You'll do it. You said, "Ask the Father anything
in My Name, I'll do it." Now, You never said, "I–maybe I'll do it."
You said, "I will do it." And I believe that it's true.

^E-126
Now, it is also written in the Scriptures, "In My Name they shall cast
out devils." It's the devil that would take a young lady or woman and
wreck her life. It's the devil that would take a man and wreck his
life. And I quote this little story, Lord, in my prayer. And I pray
that You'll hear me, and will answer my prayer, that every one of these
will be claimed tonight for the jewels of the Kingdom. They have come.
And I've got to answer for my words tonight. And here they've come to
stand with me and to take our position by the side of Christ.

^E-127
Now, Satan, you've lost it. You kept a few of them back, but you didn't
win the battle. Jesus said, "He that comes to Me, I will in no wise
cast out."
Satan, I say to you, that one day there was a little boy that was
herding his father's sheep. And a lion came in and got one of them took
it out, evilly mistreating it, and was going to devour it. But this
true little shepherd… He didn't have very much but a slingshot; but
he had faith in the living God. He went after that lion, and he caught
him, and he–he slew him. He raised up against him, and he caught him
by his beard and slew him. He took the sheep out of his mouth, took it
back to the pasture for its healing.

^E-128
You've took these precious sheep of God, these ladies, that caused them
to bob off their hair, and wear makeup, and look like things that the
Bible condemns. And you thought you had them. But I come with this
simple little slingshot of prayer. I'm bringing them back tonight. You
can't hold them any longer. You've lost the battle. These precious men
standing here, lambs of God, turn them loose.
We adjure thee in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I place between
this habits, and tempers, and immorals, and whatever it may be, I place
the Blood of Jesus Christ by faith between them and that thing again.
You'll not catch them anymore. They're in Father's pasture. They are
His children. Keep from them. In the Name of Jesus Christ, I adjure
thee.

^E-129
There's not a devil in hell can touch you, if you'll believe that. You
are covered by the Blood. You're surrounded by prayer, ministers of the
Gospel, and messengers of the covenant, prayer. Every one of you
standing here, come up here knowing that you had habits, faults, and
things that you were ashamed of, if you now lay them on God's brazen
altar of judgment, and will accept it now as your pardon that Christ
gives it to you, will you make that offer by faith to raise up your
hand and say, "I now accept it. It's gone. And from this day on, I'll
never do it again." You are saved by the Blood of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Amen. Praise be to God.

^E-130
Is there anyone else would like to come, join this group? Is there any
sick in the building would like to stand for prayer right at this time?
Stand up.
I want each one of you here, if you're not a–if you're not a member of
some good full Gospel church, go to one–this one if you can, if you
live close here. Get with the pastor and get baptized. And then if you
haven't received the Holy Ghost, pray God give you the Holy Ghost and
fill you, make you a member of the bride.
Look out across there, brethren, at the sick people. The devil can't
hold those people. This is the loosening time. Hallelujah. Don't you
believe that?

^E-131
Let us then bow our heads for prayer. And each one of you people out
there that's got sickness, you that's standing, lay your hands on one
another. Jesus Christ said, "These signs shall follow them that
believe. If they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover." Hold
your hands on each other. Now, don't you pray for yourself; you pray
for the next person you got your hands on, 'cause they're praying for
you. Let us pray together now as the Christian church.

^E-132
Lord Jesus, we are thankful for the victory tonight, souls coming to
You. Now, the devil's packed off some of Your sheep with sickness. We
come to claim them back. And as the church of the living God, we rebuke
the devil, and say, "Turn these sick people loose, Satan. We adjure
thee in the Name of Jesus Christ, that they may be healed. The Bible
said, 'These signs shall follow them that believe. If they lay their
hands on the sick, they shall recover.'" That's God's promise, and we
know that it is true. They are healed by the stripes of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Now, if you believe it, raise up your hands and give Him praise. Amen.
All right, pastor, it's all yours. God bless you, brother. So nice to
be with you tonight. God be with you. God bless you, brother.