One In A Million (65-0424)
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1
Thank you, Brother Shakarian. And good morning, friends. Certainly good
to be here in Los Angeles again this morning, prior this great
convention, and the oncoming meeting of this coming week over at the
Embassy Hotel. I'm expecting to see you all over there. And we're all
under a great expectations to meet our Lord Jesus and see Him over
there. He promised that He would be wherever two or three was gathered
together, He would be there.
And I'm sure that I met Him this morning as I come up the steps here in
this auditorium, when all the people with great anticipations, waiting
for the breakfast and the speaking. And it's good to be gathered here
with you. And to the radio audience, there's so many in here, that I
had to go down on the next floor and speak to a few. And seen so many
requests, heart trouble, and different ailments of their bodies, and
we're here now to pray for the sick and the afflicted.
3
Just as I got top of the steps… I'm looking at the old gentleman now.
He came up to me and said, "Brother Branham, years ago…" He said he
had heart trouble so bad that he–they thought he was going to die. And
had prayer for him, and the grace of God healed him. And here he is
this morning way in his eighties, just rejoicing. So that makes us take
a new hold.
And now, I'm certainly soliciting the prayers of the people out in the
radio land, as well as here. After I leave this meeting, I'm going to
Europe, down into Africa and around, on meetings. And this is going by
a vision, so it's going to be a great meeting there; I'm sure. And I
felt for years that the Lord has wanted me to come back. The little
humbly–humble ministry that He gave me, I don't think He's quite
finished with it yet over there. Seemed like there might be a soul
somewhere that I could catch in the Gospel net, the one that He's give
me to seine for the people, the way of in Divine healing, praying for
the sick. And I certainly solicit your prayers, both you people here
and them who are out in the radio audience.
5
Now, I don't have time just take a text and preach, which I expecting
to after a few minutes here in the–in the–this auditorium, but just
to speaking to–to you a few moments, get acquainted. And to the people
out in the land, I'm going to have prayer for those out there right
away, and you here also. And I'm certainly glad to meet all these fine
new friends that I have never met before, just come in contact with
them this morning.
We've been having great times in the services in other places. I don't
get out too much anymore; it–it's so busy. We just try to keep the
road hot between Jeffersonville, Indiana, and Tucson, Arizona, where we
moved out there a few years ago by a vision of the Lord, that sent us
out there too, not knowing where I was going. And many of you here at
Clifton's, I spoke to you a little before I left in the Phoenix meeting
of the vision that had come of seeing seven Angels in a cluster.
7
And I know, to the radio audience, perhaps many of you are not full
Gospel, and this may seem a little mysterious to you. Which it would to
me, but there is… Anyone who can explain anything, you don't have to
accept it anymore by faith. It's things that we cannot explain, that we
have to accept by faith. We cannot explain God. No man can explain God.
He's sovereign, and He's great and mighty. We just–we just accept it
because that we know He's there. And then by our faith in accepting it,
He brings the response back to us of the baptism of the Holy Spirit,
which I'm just going to speak to you about in a few moments here on,
"God's Way Or Place Of Worship."
And the only place that you can worship Him, the only place He'll ever
meet you, there's got… There's one church, one place, one time, one
people and all that God meets. And it's–I hope that the Lord blesses
the message to your hearts here.
9
Now, coming to Tucson, it was strange. Those visions speaking to you in
the Name of the Lord, not one of them as I ever can recall, will ask
anyone else if they can recall anytime, that He ever did say anything
but what was the Truth. It always happens just the way He says it will
happen.
And He's supposed to, according to the Scriptures, return to us in this
last days in this type of ministry. That'll be after the baptism of the
Spirit, and speaking in tongues, and Divine healing, and so forth,
these things. The capping of the Pentecostal message is what we're
speaking of today. This ministry of the Christ Himself impersonated
among His people with the very same things that He did when He was here
on earth; in His Body, the Bride, which is part of Him, doing the same
things, as Husband and Wife, or King and Queen, just before the
marriage ceremony.
11
This week, the Lord willing, I wish to speak some on that, out in our
campaign here at the–the Embassy Hotel, and kinda get acquainted in my
humble way of doing it. The–the time and the hour that we're living,
if a person don't know which a-way to go, what to do or how to turn,
you're–you're not walking by faith anymore; you're just guessing;
you're presuming. And "presume" is to–to "advance without official
authority." So if we haven't got the real official authority to know
what God said would take place in this hour, how are we ever going to
face this hour? And we've got to face it, knowing by faith in His Word,
the things that's supposed to be happening now.
And the condition of the nations the condition of the people, condition
of the church, and so forth, we've got to know that, and then how to
walk out to face it. If you don't know how to do that, you're
just–just what we used to call, kinda haphazardly; just jumping,
hoping it'll be here, hoping this and hoping that, and will it be? But
God don't want us to do that. He wants us to know what He has said
about this day, and then meet it by faith, because He said it would be
that way. Then we–we know you're Truth then, because you haven't got
some person's word for it; you got His Word of what we must do. And
we're hoping that our heavenly Father will–will grant this to us this
week.
13
Now, I'm sorry that I cut off of what I was saying a few moments ago,
about coming to Tucson. And I thought myself, that it was the end of my
life. I thought no one could ever stand that shock of that condition
that happened in that vision that morning about ten o'clock at home,
that would ever be able to live after that. Why, I come to Tucson,
making arrangements with my son, for my wife and–and children to go
with him after I was gone, because I thought it was my end. And I, in
Phoenix, the men in meetings before it happened, I told you just how it
would happen.
Well, a few months after that, I was up in Sabino Canyon one morning,
which is just north of Tucson. I was up there to pray. And while I was
praying, I had my hand up in the air, and saying, "Father, I pray Thee
that Thou will in somehow help me, give me strength for the hour that
I'm now facing. And if my work is finished here on earth, then I must
come to You. And it's not that I regret coming, but I know that You'll
take care of my family. And I–I'm just asking for strength for this
hour." And something struck my hand.
15 Now, radio audience, this may seem strange that I have said, but it's the truth. And God is my Judge.
I
looked in my hand, and there was a sword, had a sheath over the handle
part. And the handle itself was made of pearl, and just looked like
kind of a gold-like guard over the handle part. And the–the knife
itself looked rather like it was kind of a shiny like, oh, something
like chrome or something glistening in the sun.
Now, it was about ten or eleven o'clock in the morning, way on top of a
mountain. You can imagine how a person (that I feel that I'm in my
right mind) would feel standing there with a sword from nowhere, people
for miles and miles, holding that in your hand. I felt of it, took and
waved the blade back and forth, and, why, it was a sword.
18
And I looked around. I said, "Well, now, how could that ever happen?
Here I am standing here, right here, and no one around for miles and
miles, and where did that come from?" I said, "Well, I–I suppose maybe
it's the–the Lord telling me it's my end time."
And a Voice spoke and said, "This is the Sword of the Lord."
And I thought, "Well, a sword, then it's to–for like a king to
knight." You know how they used to do in England and different places.
I thought, "That's what that is for, to knight." And I thought, "Well,
maybe I'm supposed to lay hands on people, or…" I had all kinds…
The human mind can be all messed up, you know. You don't know. Our
minds is finite; His is infinite. So and as I was, it… Then it left
my hand and I didn't know where it went, just disappeared. Why, if a
person didn't understand a little bit about spiritual things,
you–you'd go crazy like that. You'd be standing there, wondering what
happened.
And He said, "The vision is not your end time. It's for your ministry.
That Sword is the Word. The Seven Seals will be opened, the mysteries
of…"
21
And then two weeks after that, or two months, rather, after that, I was
up in the mountain with a bunch of friends when it happened. Seven
Angels, just as clear as you're standing here, came sweeping down from
heaven. The rocks in the mountains rolled out and down the hills,
and–and people standing there were screaming and going on, you know,
and the dust flying everywhere. And when it was, He said, "Return to
your home. Now, will be, each Angel will be one of the seals of the
Seven Seals."
Which it's on tape. And the book will be out pretty soon, being now
it's kind of grammarized. As you know, my grammar's not very good, and
people wouldn't… You just have to be people that love me and know how
to understand me on my grammar. But some theologian is grammarizing it
for me, and taking out all the–the… Well, maybe I said the wrong
word there. I don't even know. So I heard someone laughing, so I guess
that "grammarize" wasn't right. But like the Dutchman, you take me for
what I mean and not what I say, really.
23 And it's just three minutes now, I'm told, unto the closing of the program.
Now,
you dear people out in radio land, and you that's sick and needy here
in the audience, would you just lay your hands on each other now while
we have this word of prayer for the sick? Now, Jesus said, His last
commission to the church, "These signs shall follow them that believe
(Them, them that believe.); if they lay their hands on the sick, they
shall recover."
25
Dear heavenly Father, we're like children today, we're obeying what You
said do. We are laying hands upon all these telephone requests. Thou
seest them out in the land out there, how they're needy, the suffering.
You see those here that are needy, suffering. And we are committing
them to Thee, Dear God, with this faith in Thy Word that Thou has said,
"These signs shall follow them that believe: if they lay their hands on
the sick, they shall recover." Grant it, Lord, in Jesus Christ's Name.
Amen. [Brother Branham ends first radio broadcast–Ed.]
26
Thank you, Brother Shakarian. It's certainly a grand privilege to be
back again on the broadcast to speak to some of our friends out in the
radio land, as well as present here.
And we are certainly extending this invitation to you to come to the
Embassy Hotel tomorrow afternoon to be prayed for. And not only that,
but bring the ones that's sinners and those who are backslidden. If we
just have prayer for the sick, and we do see God constantly doing great
miracles, but that's secondarily. The main thing is to be saved, filled
with God's Spirit, which I'm going to speak to you about just in a few
moments here, and the sufficiency how that we must be filled with God's
Spirit.
28
And Divine healing usually draws an attention to people to–and brings
them in the Presence of God. When God does something that–that they
know is un… Well, it's not understood. We cannot mechanically show
how it's done. God does it in His own great way. Then that attracts the
attention of the people to know that there is a Presence of a power
somewhere that can do something that's beyond human understanding, and
that causes them to look to the Lamb of God. And always, Divine
healing; I've been told, and I believe myself, that about between
sixty, maybe, and seventy percent of our Lord's ministry was on Divine
healing. And He did that to attract the people. Then when they were
there, He said, "Except you believe I am He, you'll perish in your
sin."
29
Now, Divine healing is a great drawing card to get people to look to
the Lord Jesus. And Doctor F. F. Bosworth, which many of you are–was a
friend to, and knew him, and his ministry meant so much to me as a
young minister. I started out in my meetings, and I run into Brother
Bosworth. He used to say, "Divine healing," it's a crude little
statement now; he said, "Divine healing is the bait on a fishhook."
Said, "You never show the fish the hook. You show him the bait, and
then he gets after the bait and gets on the hook." So that's what we
try to do. That's our–we… Our aim is to get people to the Lord Jesus
Christ. And He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. So if He was a
Healer in the days gone by, He's a Healer today. A…
30
Just a personal testimony before I pray for the sick out in the radio
land. It was a few days ago I was setting up in a mountains where a
great thing had taken place before fifteen or twenty brethren there,
where the Angel of the Lord came so down, and great Light flying like a
comet, bursting around through the mountains, and rocks flying for two
hundred feet, or more, across the earth, cutting the top of the trees
out. And I was standing right under It. And told them just a few
moments before it happened, it would be there and what would happen;
frankly, it was told the day before. And all these men running under
trucks and everything, trying to get away, they didn't know what had
taken place. And He spoke and said what would take place right
immediately afterward.
31
Setting on this certain rock there, right where He had appeared, I had
a–a friend that was with us, that had come down from up in Minnesota.
His people are here this morning, and I'm not sure but what he may be
here on some of the other floors. It was Donavon Weerts, and a fine
young fellow, a Lutheran that had just give his life to Christ and been
filled with the Spirit, very humble German boy, about thirty years old,
family, two or three little children. He moved down in Tucson just to
be neighbors with me, where three or four hundred had moved in to be
neighbors. So he…
And I'm glad to have such neighbors as that. They follow me all the way
to South Africa, and everywhere around, just to be near and see
the–with me, and to be with me and enjoy the pleasures of the Lord.
Such a humble fellow, I'd never noticed him very much.
33
'Course, the people that I know and associate with are just like my own
brother, sister. I watch them, and feel if I think they're getting out
of line, and take them out to one side and talk with them, because I
love them. We want to live in glory together. And sometimes maybe in
the meetings, you think I speak harsh to you. That isn't from… That
isn't because that I don't love you, but it does come from my heart,
because I–I… It must be just one way. There's only one way to serve
God, and that's… And we must stay in His way, no matter what our
thoughts is, His way.
34
And I noticed Donavon, on the right tip of his ear, was swollen perhaps
three times its size, and looked very red. Well, now thinking maybe
that there in the desert for a few days, that where we'd been, that
maybe he had got some cactus in his ear. But taking ahold of his hand,
I found out that it was a cancer. So I said to Donavon, I said,
"Donavon, have you… How long has that been on your ear?" Just to kind
of throw him off, like I didn't know. I said, "How long has that been
on there, Donavon?"
He said, "Brother Branham, about six months," he said.
I said, "Why didn't you mention it to me?"
He said, "Oh, seeing you so busy," said, "I didn't want to–to do it."
Said, "I just thought maybe sometime the Lord might tell you."
So I–I said, "Do you realize what it is?"
He said, "I have a good idea."
I said, "That is right."
And the second morning, no more than that, holding the boy by the hand;
the second morning, there wasn't even a scar on his ear. It was all
completely gone.
37
So many times we press, trying to get to this, that, or… See, it's,
"These signs shall follow the believer." It didn't say if they pray for
the sick. "If they lay hands on the sick, they shall recover." We must
have faith ourselves in what we're doing. All right.
So now Donavon is probably here. You'll meet him. He'll be here, if he
isn't here this morning, on some of the other floors. You'll meet him,
and he'll know the testimony.
And what more could I say? I believe Luke, or John, one, said the world
couldn't can hold–contain the books that could be written of what He's
done among the people in this last days; how sick's been healed,
alcoholics delivered by the thousands of them, and all kinds of
diseases and afflictions.
40
Now, you out in radio land, as well as here, I'm holding here now a
great handful of requests that's come in by the phone this morning,
constantly ringing since we've been here. And so we… One hundred and
ninety-six requests has come in this morning by the phone, since we've
been in here. So let us join in prayer now as each one… Wherever you
are out in the land, lay your hands on one another, if you're
believers. If not, lay your hand upon the Bible or something out there,
while we pray here and there.
Dear heavenly Father, the little testimony of Donavon Weerts, just one
of the thousands, Lord, that Thou has so graciously… I pray that
You'll look down into the hearts of the people both here and in radio
land. And may they every one be healed. May the evil one leave them,
and may they be delivered from all their affliction. Grant it, Father.
In the Name of Jesus Christ, Thy Son, we ask it. Amen. "Thank You,
Lord…" [Brother Branham ends second radio broadcast–Ed.]
42
Well, this is three times for me up here this morning. My. And, you
know, it was just told that we got to vacate the building in about
twelve, fourteen minutes, or something. And the management said there's
on the other floor there, and they can't serve any meals. Our meals
lengthened out. We have many courses, you know. So we are very, very
glad that we have had this great spiritual, gastronomical jubilee, as I
would call it, this morning here with this fine bunch of men.
I'd like to–to make mention that we are–the services again tomorrow
afternoon, over at the Embassy. Now, we will be praying for the sick
there, and expecting God to meet with us. And I've come to put in my
part, my ministry, into making (all that we can) this meeting to be a
success, not a success because it's our meetings, but a success of
people finding Jesus Christ. That's the success. Any meetings, no
matter how much we praise God, how many great things that we see Him
do, how many times He speaks to us in the Spirit, and so forth; unless
there's something accomplished, some souls brought into the Kingdom.
44
And Brother Shakarian now just made a–a real statement just now about
what he thought about these days that we're–we're living in. I truly
believe that with all my heart, that we're living just at the closing
time, just in a–just in the evening shadows. The sun is far advanced.
And when we see things taking place the way they are today, why, it's
hard telling what another generation would bring. A few days ago…
Just let me give you a little inside something. They made an analysis
throughout Arizona, where I live; of all the schools. They gave the
children, unknowingly to them, a mental test. And guess what? Including
high schools and–and grammar schools, there was eighty percent of the
children suffering with mental deficiency. Seventy percent of them was
television watchers. See, the evils has just slipped up on us and we
don't… You wonder why it comes. You can hear the Voice of God
screaming out against it, and yet here we–we find ourself webbed into
it.
46
Let me give you a–a shocking something. See, "Not all that says unto
Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter in; but the one that doeth the will of My
Father." His will is His Word. We can be ever so religious, have great
times, shouting, jumping in these meetings, which we're… I don't–I
don't want to be critical. But I have a–a duty to do to God, and that
duty is to be sincere and to say what He wants me to say. And I'm–I'm
certainly grateful for the California chapter who's bore with me in–in
my convictions. If I don't speak my convictions, I'm a hypocrite and
now I'm not even honest with you. And if I can't be honest with you,
how will I be honest with God, 'cause I see you and talk to you.
'Course we do to God too, but we've got to be really sincere and honest
with one another. We are certainly in a–a horrible, horrible age. And
did you ever stop…
47
Just let me give you just a little analysis. "Not all that saith unto
Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter therein; but the one that doeth the will
of My Father." Jesus said on earth, "Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every Word," every Word, not just now and then a Word, but by
every Word.
It was one Word misbelieved, by God's–of God's commandments, that
caused death, sorrow, and every sickness and heartache. To miss God's
Word, one Word, if he taken the human race into death, by
miss–misbelieving one Word, "surely," surely… But He said it would
happen. Satan said, "Surely it won't." But it did.
So we've got to keep every Word of God. And if the human and all this
suffering and things that went on the human race, by misconstruing,
or–or misbelieving one Word, how we going back by missing One, if it's
cost all this price, even the life of His Son?
I can't take a text from this, but 'cause we haven't got time, but just to leave something with you. Let us think of…
51
I went one day with Brother Shakarian, where they was hybreeding
cattle. And I seen the–the–in the laboratory where Brother Shakarian
taken me in. And they dipped in the sperm of the male cow, just a
little–like a little instrument, a match stem, and took up a bunch of
that sperm, and put it under this glass that magnified it hundreds of
times. And there was little germs jumping in that–in that sperm.
Which, we know the germ comes from the male, and the egg from the
female. And I asked the chemist there; I said, "What's that making that
little jump like that?"
He said, "That's–that's little bulls and calves." See?
I said, "In that little drop?"
He said, "Yeah."
I said, "Perhaps then in the entire sperm there would be a million of them?"
He said, "Oh, yeah." See? And I watched close.
53
Now, when this great thing takes place, there's one egg waiting for one
germ out of that million. And there's no one can tell which germ that
is, or which egg that is. If you'd watch the natural birth, it's more
of a mystery than the–than the virgin birth. Because in this sperm,
there's one in there that's predestinated to live and the rest of them
will die. And it isn't the first one meets; it's the first one that
comes together with the egg. Maybe the egg may raise up from the back
of the sperm, or the middle of the sperm; the germ may do the same, the
egg. The germ crawls into the egg, and little tails drop off of it, and
there starts the spine. There's only one in that whole load of a
million that's going to make it, only one; and that's determined by
some unknown force to man. Yet they're every one alike, every one of
those germs are just alike: same thing in animals, same thing in man.
It's determined whether it's going to be boy, girl, red-headed,
black-headed, or what. It's determined by God. All of them look the
same naturally, but there's one in there that's ordained to life: one
in a million, yet all of them alike.
54
When Israel left Egypt, there was approximately two million people left
at the same time. Every one of them heard the message of a prophet.
Every one of them saw the Pillar of Fire. Every one of them was
baptized to Moses in the Red Sea. Every one of them shouted in the–in
the Spirit, beat the tambourines, and run up-and-down the bank with
Miriam, when Moses sang in the Spirit. They every one drank from the
same spiritual Rock. They every one eat fresh Manna every night, every
one of them. But there was two made the land: one out of a million.
What was the test? They all drink in the same Rock; they all eat the
same spiritual Manna as we're eating this morning; but the Word test
proved them. When it come to the time of Kadesh-barnea, when they
started over into the promised land, and they could not go over till
they was tested by the Word… And all the–the other ten came back and
said, "We can't make it. The people are like… We're like grasshoppers
to them, their great walled city. The opposition's too great."
But Joshua and Caleb stilled the people. They said, "We're more than
able to do it." Why? God said before they left the promised land, "I've
given you the land. I've give it to you. It's yours." But there were
one out of each million.
57
There's approximately five hundred million so-called Christians in the
world today, and each day ends a generation. And now, what if the
rapture would come today and five hundred people, universally, would be
taken in the rapture? You'd never know or even they'd see in the paper
of them going. And the coming of the Lord is a secret coming. He'll
come and steal away.
It'll be such a minority, till just like it was in the days when the
disciples asked Jesus, "Why does the Scribes say that–that Elias must
first come?"
He said, "He's already come, and you never knew it."
Did you ever think what the people did? They went right on believing
that Mo–that Elias was coming. And he was right among them, and they
didn't know it.
So will it be in the coming of the Son of man. They'll do with Him just
the same thing. The Spirit of God is here. Well, what are we going to
do with It? Are we going to eat Manna, and so forth, and not
continually move up as we grow?
61
Did you ever notice a seed, as the Reverend Pitts was speaking a few
moments ago, that how a seed goes into the ground? Many seeds are there
in the ground. When God moved upon the water with the Light, and Light
brought forth. The first Presence of God, spoken Light came by God's
Word. And God's Word is the only thing that still brings Light. And
when the waters went back, the seed was already in the earth, and the
Light only brought forth the seeds that remained with germ in them,
come forth, God making His creation.
And now, on Easter morning there was another Light struck the earth
when the Holy Spirit was given. And It's given to bring Light to those
Seeds that God by His foreknowledge knew that would be here on the
earth. As He knew the first natural seed, He knows where the spiritual
seed is. Your body was laying here right then on the earth when God
first brought the earth into existence. We are a part of the earth. We
were laying there. And by His foreknowledge He knew exactly who would
love Him and who would serve Him, and who would not. His foreknowledge
tells that. If it doesn't, then He isn't God. He can't be God without
being infinite. And if He's infinite, He knows all things.
63
So you see people making their blunders. They stumble at it. They run
at it, and they think this and that, but it doesn't work right; we see
it. But there is a working right; that's to find God's perfect will and
stand in it, what God called you for.
As Brother Jack said a few moments ago about down here at the–the
Persian Square, all the confusion, one this a way, and one that way;
and about the theologians, and so forth, that you want to know some
theology, go down there.
I guess that's just about like it is in Hyde Park in London. I was down
there; everybody has his own idea. It's a–it's a conglomeration of a
modern day world in Babylon.
66
But did you notice as–as Brother Pitts went on with his lovely message
this morning to us? As he begin to walk out of the park, there he found
a little Easter lily. "In the midst of all the confusion," as he
brought it to us, "it had no way to say 'yes' or 'no.' It was a life of
God shining in it, in the midst of all the confusion." It was there in
its radiance, because God had ordained it to be there. In the midst of
all the conflict, no one was noticing it. They didn't see the spiritual
application of it.
And so is it today amongst all our great gatherings, and groups, and
churches, and denominations, and so forth, one is pulling this way, "We
must be Baptists, or be Presbyterians, must be this, that, or the
other." In the midst of all of it, there is a growing flower. There is
a power of God right among us, being raised right up in the midst of
all of us. Let's just stop and behold it a few minutes, and watch it
this week, and see it unfold right before us. We believe God will do
it. Don't you?
68 I see that we ought to be downstairs by now. So let's pray, each one of us.
Dear
God, when we bow our heads in Thy Presence, we are feel that we are so
insufficient to ask. But You promised us that if we would come You
would not turn us down. And these rude statements that's just been
made, by no means to be a doctrine, "one out of a million," but just to
kindly remember. For You said, "Strait is the gate, and narrow is the
way, that leadeth unto life, and few there will be that'll find it. For
many are called, but few are chosen."
O eternal Father, send the Gospel Light across this city, through this
coming week of convention. And if there be any seed, somehow by Your
own great, wise providence, like trying to illustrate it in the sperm
of the male and female, may they roll into the convention. May the Holy
Spirit give them Life. We realize that the time is perhaps later then
we think it is. We pray, God, that as we come here, just believing that
maybe there is something here that could be done that would help the
people, or–or catch that last sheep. We know, when the sheepfold is
full, then the Shepherd will close the door.
71
As it was like in the days of Noah, when the last member of the family
was brought in, God closed the door. And they beat and pounded, but it
was too late. Dear God, they had the opportunity.
You said, "I am that Door to the sheepfold."
And how striking the song from the poet, "Are not ninety and nine
enough for Thee? But, no, there was one more." He might be a little
black sheep, or he might be a little nobody, might be the little her or
he. We don't know where they are, but that last one must come in, and
then the door will be closed. O God, Who knows all things, search our
lives this morning. And send us wherever that we could go, that we
might find that last one, that the door would be closed and the
Shepherd inside with the sheep. Grant it, Lord. If there be that one
here today, if that one that is supposed to come in… "All the Father
has given Me will come to Me. And no man can come, except My Father has
drawed him."
74
And if there be a tug, or a little feeling, that this might be the hour
for somebody here in this audience, here or downstairs, or wherever
they may be, may they answer, "Yes, Lord, I am that little wandering
one that's wandered away; and that's fought It off all my life. I–I–I
felt that I should come, but today I'm hanging on the side of defeat. I
can't go up or down. I can go no way." Oh, may the great Shepherd come,
reach down with tender hands and bring that one safely in, place it
upon His shoulders and bring it safely back.
Maybe there is one here, Lord, that's sick, in a similar condition,
that the doctor said, "There's nothing can be done." He tried hard to
rescue it, but he could not rescue it. It's beyond his reach.
There's–there's nothing that he can do. His medicine or his knife
cannot get to it. But, O Lord, there is nothing too far for Your great
arm, and Your Word is Your arm. So we pray, dear God, that, this
morning, while we are talking to Thee, that Thou will reach down and
pick that one up that's sick and cannot help itself, out of the reach
of all scientific matters, away from the doctor, may they–they be
healed. Grant it, Lord.
76
As we think of David, as he was given a charge over a few sheep, just a
few. But one day a bear come in and got that one little sheep and took
it out, and would have eaten it up, like a cancer would eat up a body,
or a huge lion… But David, not too well equipped with a–a rifle, or,
not a swordsman, but with only a slingshot, he went after that sheep.
And when he found the–the animal that was about to kill the little
sheep, he slew it with the slingshot. Just a simple little weapon with
a piece of leather and a string, and–but he had confidence in it.
We have no great genius among us, Lord. We're simple people with a
simple little prayer, but we are coming this morning after Father's
sheep. That woman that has walked the streets, miserably, smoking
cigarettes, trying to find peace through the cigarette; that man who
has smelled the glass and tried to set it back, but the enemy holds him
tight; that boy or girl that's tried to do right, that just can't find
strength to break away from the wrong thing; we come in the Name of the
Lord Jesus, to claim that sheep this morning. We defy the enemy;
because it's a simple thing, a slingshot, a prayer, but we're coming to
bring that one back to the Father's fold, that we might give an account
of those things that's been committed to our hand. May the power of God
now strike faith down in the hearts of the people, and may that lost
soul return this morning. May the temptations of this life turn them
away, let him go. May he find hisself safely upon the Master's
shoulders, being carried back to safety again. We ask it in Jesus'
Name. Amen.
God bless you all. Till I see you tomorrow, I'll turn the service to Brother Shakarian. [Bother Branham ends third portion–Ed.]
79
This, I–I hope that you'll–that I've found more grace in the sight of
God and before you to believe that I would stand here to tell you
something that was wrong. I have passed my fifty-sixth birthday the
other day. Now, this isn't just an old man's Message. I've believed
this since I was a little boy. And if this isn't true, I've been the
most foolish person God had on the earth. I've give my entire life for
this cause. And may I say this with sincerity: if I had ten thousand
lives, I'd never change my opinion.
Now, healing is in the reach of every person. Remember, healing is in
you. God placed in the peach tree every peach that would ever be in it,
when He planted it in the garden. See, you just… The peach tree or
the apple tree, or the fruit tree, just has to grow from drinking the
water in the earth. Now, each one of you has those potentials in you to
deliver you, for it is God, since you've been planted into Christ by
baptism, not water baptism, spiritual baptism. You don't come into
Christ by water baptism. By spiritual baptism.
Tomorrow afternoon, the Lord willing, I'm speaking on that, how and
what is the real application of it. We have it in the afternoon so it
won't interfere with any of your services.
82
Now, look, each one of you here is standing as believers (See?), then
the Life that was in Christ is in you. It can, if you could just see it.
It's the Devil's business to keep you blocked off from That, keep you
blinded. He can just let you be blinded, that's… See, you don't know
where you're going then. A man that's blind cannot tell where he's
going; he's got to seek the understanding from somebody who can see.
Until we can understand, somebody's got to tell us what's Truth.
And Christ died for you, and you are transplanted from the world into
Christ. And everything you have need of is right in you by the baptism
of the Holy Ghost. Isn't that right? Now, the only thing you have to do
is just start drinking from That.
85
And as the tree drinks, it begins to push out its leaves, its buds,
pushes out its fruit each year. The fruit's not in the ground; the
fruit is in the plant. How many understand that, say "amen." [The congregation says, "Amen."–Ed.]
So see, the fruit is in the plant, and every plant has to drink from
his fountain. As the rain comes down, gives that plant life to drink
from. And as it drinks, it grows. And it's growing up until it comes to
the full bud, just like the church has, to bloom out in this age.
And as we drink, we grow. But if the plant refuses to drink, then the
plant cannot grow. And if you'll just believe it… Now,
individually…
88
'Course, you know how the Lord does show different things of what
you've done and what you should not have done, and so forth, in the
meetings. We was hoping that the Holy Spirit would fall upon us this
morning and do such, as we stood. But I kept waiting.
I think it's the nervous part, thinking that downstairs they want us out of here. See? But they're wanting us; we're late now.
But believe this with all your heart. Please do. If I–if I found grace
in your sight as a truthful person, believe this. Now, put your hands
on–on each other.
Now, look, now, the Bible didn't say, "These signs will follow William
Branham." Didn't say, "It'll follow Oral Roberts only." Didn't say, "It
would follow Brother Kopp," or somebody.
"These signs shall follow them (plural) that believe. If they lay their
hands on the sick, they shall recover." It's that power of God that's
in you, that brings the Life to the person you got your hand on, the
Life-giving source of the Holy Ghost.
93
Dear God, in the Name of Jesus Christ, in this crucial moment when the
church… May they stand at this second without nervousness, may the
power that raised up Christ from the grave, quicken to them just now
the Truth of the Gospel, that Jesus' commission was, if they lay hands
on the sick, they shall recover. May every demon power, every sickness,
every disease, every affliction, every tormenting thing that's happened
to the people, may it leave just now by faith. As believing people, we
ask it in Jesus Christ's Name. Amen.
Now, raise your hands and give Him praise, if you believe that He does it.
Dear God, this baby will die, Lord, unless this is done. I condemn this
knot, in the Name of Jesus Christ. May it leave the innocent child.
Amen.
Now, the doctors have tried, and they fail…
