Thou Son Of David, Have Mercy On Me (61-0215)
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E-1
Remembered tonight before God in… Our heavenly Father, we are so glad
that You answer prayer. So glad to find after many years, meeting the
people from way back in '46 and '47, still healed, when they were dying
with cancer, crippled in wheelchairs, blind, couldn't see. And here
they are here shaking my hand, saying, "Brother Branham, I was
crippled; I was blind; I was given up with cancer, and I've never had a
sick day since." O Lord, we know that could only be Your grace to them.
We're so happy for this, and we pray, God, that others that are
suffering today will remember that You are the same yesterday, today,
and forever.
We pray that You'll bless us tonight as we fellowship around the
written Word, that the glory of God might come into our midst. We're so
glad to hear the results of last night's meeting, receiving the Holy
Ghost and being saved. O Lord, how we thank You for these things. Pray
now that You'll bless us in further part of the service as we wait on
Thee. In Jesus' Name we ask it. Amen.
E-2 [Blank.spot.on.tape–Ed.]…
such a privilege to have a nice audience like this to speak to,
and–and it makes it so easy for you to–to believe God when
these–takes place like this. Now, I've been for a few nights
preaching, and–and just the Gospel, because I think if a–if a person
is healed, if they live very long, they'll probably get sick again. But
if you're saved, that's eternal, and you have Eternal Life. And it's
so–getting so late in the evening lights that I feel that one great
thing is needed most of all. That's salvation.
And Divine healing is merely a… Just like Brother Bosworth used to
say, Divine healing is the bait that you put on a hook. The fish
doesn't see the hook. He just takes the bait and gets the hook. So
that's the way it is. People see the–the supernatural, the phenomena
of supernatural, God healing the sick. And then they–they reach for
that, and the first thing you know, they–the first thing you know,
they're right in the arms of the Lord Jesus with great faith to
believe. And it–then they become a Christian, have Eternal Life. Now,
a great percent of our Lord's ministry about eighty percent of it or
better, I think it was–it's estimated about eighty percent of His
ministry was Divine healing. So He did that to catch the eyes of the
multitude, and also to show that He was their Messiah. He showed them
Messiahic signs to say that they–were Messiah.
Now, last night I believe Brother Arganbright asked the audience about
how many would like to continue on in–in preaching services, and–or
how many'd like to go and have just healing services. And I think
about, oh, just a very small percentage of them for the healing
services. But however, if we'll open our hearts to God, God will do it
any time. See? We just see it like that.
E-3
A little tired tonight. I been… I have anywhere from one to three
services a day, you know. So at the time I get here I'm pretty near
wore out to begin to start. So I was up at the old Pisgah church this
afternoon, and–or the Pisgah Home, whichever it's called, and I tell
you; we had a glorious time. I–I found out that some of the old timers
off of Azusa street is up there yet in that church, worshipping, the
old Azusa street. I seen them old women and men setting there. I–I
just wanted to get my arms around there and hug them, you know.
They–they look so sweet.
I think a real young child, or an old person, you know… They seem to
be helpless the second time, and I–I really… I like to get with a
young person and try to stir them on the right road, and then get to
the old person and find out how many ditches he's crossed and how he
crossed them, then I'll know how to cross them when I get there. So…
But I like the young and old and in between too. I like everybody. I–I
can say that from my heart. If I knew tonight that I had an enemy… I
may have. I perhaps have. But if I do, I don't know just who it is. If
it was, I sure wouldn't go to preaching till I went first and made that
right, see if I could get it straightened up, 'cause we're not supposed
to have anything against anyone, or if anything we can do, let no one
have anything against us. See? And now if… And It don't say, "If you
have ought against a brother," but "If the brother has ought against
thee," See? you go to him (See?) if he has the ought. And that way,
why, we live peaceful.
E-4
Brother Goad here, a precious boy… Sometimes someone says,
"Why–what's the success of your service, Brother Branham?" Of course,
it's Christ. "How do you hold up so, and just keep going night after
night?" My boys, the Chr–the people that with me. This boy here goes
sometimes days without even eating, laying on his face, crying to God
for help for me. Now, God just can't turn that down. See? My wife at
home, my children, my loved ones, people, my friends, has fast and
prayed. There's the success.
See, every one of us… All of us can't preach, and all of us–some of
us can't do one thing, another. But we can all do something, and that
helps out. You see? Just like this watch here. It's got a–a hand on it
that tells time. Now, I wouldn't know how many times that little thing
switched back and forth in there to tell what time it was. The hand
tells. But if that little wheel hadn't been jumping back and forth like
that, it–it–it–it wouldn't be any hand here to make any time. See? I
wouldn't know where it was at. And if there wasn't a winding spring to
wind that little thing up there, why, it wouldn't be jumping back and
forth. See? So we–we… Everything has to work together. All the
church has to pray, and all the laity has to pray, the deacons and the
trustees and the pastor; then all together we come into the Presence of
God like that, as one great unit.
E-5
See, now, say for instance, that piano will make a sound. How do I
know? How do I know it'll make a sound? Well, I believe it will. That's
my faith. Now, what would you do to make a sound on that piano? My
finger would have to touch it. All right. Now, first thing, my head, my
mind, has to think of it, my heart has to tell me whether it will or
not. That's by faith. Now, say, my finger, it's a great thing. My eye,
that's the prophetic sight, the seeing. Well, now, if I just sat and
looked at that piano, say, "Well, it'll play," well that–that
doesn't–that doesn't make it. Now, see, I've got to make… My feet's
got to work. Now, what if my feet say, "Well, I'm not the eye, so I'm
just not going to do anything about it." Well, my–my feet says, "I'll
take you over there." All right, here we go. See? My feet's taking me
over. Now, now, I'm here, I'm over here. Well, my eye's still looking,
but it–it–it can't touch the keys. Feet says, "Well, I don't touch
the key, but it takes the finger. See? And see, if the–if the nose
say, "I'll do it," that won't help. The eye say, "I'll try to hit it,"
won't help. See? It's got to have my finger. So with everything working
together [Brother Branham plays a note on the piano–Ed.], I have it. See? That's it.
E-6
Now, what is faith? How many senses are there to the human body? Five:
see, taste, feel, smell, hear. Is that right? Well now, faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things you do not see,
taste, feel, smell, hear. Is that right? It's the sixth sense. If I had
another week I'd preach on some of those thing, the sixth sense–or in
a healing service, rather. Now, it's just… I could…
Come here, Brother Borders. Now, let me show you. Have you ever heard
people say, "Seeing is believing." How many ever heard it? Oh, you've
heard it, "I'm Missouri. You know, you got to show me." And now,
there's a man standing before me. He's got brown hair, wearing kind of
a brown looking suit, brown tie with a white shirt on. How many
believes that? See? Well, now I've got one sense that declares him
there. That's my sight. Now, step back just a little bit. All right.
Now, it's impossible for my sense of sight to say he's there, but I
know he's there now just as well I know I'm looking at him. Why? I
can't see him. You want to argue with me he's not there?
E-7
Now, you say, "You might have got Brother Buntane up." Oh, no, no, no,
no. It ain't Brother Buntane, it's Brother Roy–Brother Roy Borders.
"How do you know it is? You just got a hold of a man's hand." You
haven't switched men on me. He's got a real wide wedding band on
(See?), and I know that's him. See? So I–I know that's… Now, I
cannot see him, but yet I know he's there just as well as if I was
looking at him. So seeing isn't believing, is it? No, no, huh-uh, not
this time. Certainly not, because feeling is believing. Is that right?
Well, now. See now, what is… Thank you. What is faith? Faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the direct evidence of things you do not
see, taste, feel, smell, or hear. See? That's it. You say, "That
shirt's white."
Well, what if I'd tell you, "That shirt's red."
You'd say, "Wait a minute, Brother Branham, that shirt's white."
Well, I'd say, "No, it's red." Well, now, the only way it could be…
Could it be possible it could be red? Yes. If you was color blind it
might be red. See? So seeing wouldn't be believing yet. See?
E-8
But your faith… When faith is positive, you can be not be too
positive. Like if you're setting in a–a–given a trial, in a trial.
Then you look through a window and seen an accident, it's hard for them
to take your evidence, 'cause you might have had an optical illusion.
You never seen it that way. See? And sometimes you think you're
positive right. Did you ever go down the road and see a mirage on the
road? Looks just exactly like it's water. I read in the paper here some
time ago where a bunch of ducks thought it was–was water, and must
have seen through their eyes, and lit right on the road. It killed them
all (See?), because it was a mirage.
Many times human beings sees a mirage, and they think, "Oh, this is
just it," wind up killing themselves. See? See them out in the desert
when they out in there and prospecting. They get out of water, and
their canteen's gone, and they have no water. And they begin to see
mirages and they think it's water, and they run and fall down and begin
to throw–think–water upon them. And what is it? Heaping hot sand. And
that's the way the devil does. Sometimes he shows you a false mirage.
And you think it's something great, but when you get there you find
yourself just heaping hot sands and sin upon you more and more. See,
don't go after the devil's mirage; let your faith anchor right in the
Word of God. Stay right with it (See?), like that. It's got to pull
out. See?
E-9
That sixth sense will–will–will defy any of the other five. We do
with the five's all right as long as they agree with the sixth. But men
wasn't given to live by the five senses; he was–to let the five senses
guide him. He was given, prone to, born here to be led by the sixth
sense. That's what God gave him the sixth sense for. That's God's place
in the heart to lead us. So we are led by the sixth sense, if we'll
just let it. Now, if the sixth sense says that the–the Word is wrong,
then don't–you're not in the sixth sense. See? That's the five senses.
But the sixth sense will believe things that the five senses doesn't
clare–declare. It's kind of complicated but it–it's true (See?), that
the sixth sense is what we're guided by.
E-10
I was just out there just a few moments ago, prayed for a dear old
woman that's been laying there for four days waiting to be prayed for.
And such a thing, I tell you, I just feel like I ought to change it to
a healing service somehow, to see the Spirit of God move on like that.
And that poor old thing, I caught her by the hand, and–and I seen what
was wrong. And well, that…
E-11
What did you read now? Luke, yeah. Uh-huh. All right. Now, I want to
take a text out of that, the Lord willing. Now, if God is willing,
tomorrow night I promised, I want to preach on "The Seal Of God." You
all like the teaching lessons like that? "The Seal Of God," and then
"The Mark Of The Beast" the following night. And tonight I want to take
a text out of this or–for a subject, out of where he's read here,
Saint Luke the–the 18th chapter. And he read from the 35th to the 43rd
verse, inclusive.
Now, I want to take the 38th verse for a text. "Thou Son Of David, Have
Mercy On Me." And let's take it more like a little drama tonight. I'm
tired a little bit in my throat, and let's just have a little drama of
it for a few moments.
E-12
Our–our scene opens on a cold, spring morning, and it's at the walls,
the old tore down walls of Jericho. And there is a–a man setting there
which we know to be a beggar called blind Bartimaeus, or Bartimaeus. It
would be either one, be pronounced all right. And so in that day there
were many beggars. And all night long he'd tossed and rolled, and He
couldn't sleep. Many of us know what them kind of nights are, just no
rest at all. And he'd roll from one side of the bed to the other, and
there was no rest for the poor old fellow. And he'd got up late, so
he'd come to his post late. Therefore, if–if they're not there early,
the merchants and so forth coming in… There's so many beggars and
people, incurables, like blindness, and leprosy, and cripples, and so
forth, and people that were poverty stricken. And about the first
beggar they met they give him a coin, and that just about settled it.
That's all they could afford for the day.
So he'd come to his place late. Let's say it's up about eight o'clock
in the morning, and he should have been there about six. But the reason
he was late was because he missed so much sleep. All night long he'd
rolled and tossed and couldn't sleep. And he'd–he was dreaming all
night that he could see again. He dreamed that he had his eyesight. And
he'd wake up, he'd go back to sleep.
You know I believe God warns us many times in dreams. Don't you think
so? He always has, and He promised in the last days that he would show
visions and let them dream dreams. And let's think of Bartimaeus, and
he dreamed that he could re–he'd received his sight and he could see
again.
E-13
So when he got there that morning he was late, and all the merchants
had done gone into the city, and–and the great city of commerce as it
was. But all–all of them had went in, got early at the market places
to sell their goods and so forth. So perhaps he'd have to do without
that day. He didn't–wouldn't have his coin for the day to eat by. And
I can just imagine, as many times we've pictured him: his old, ragged
cloak on, like that, and his little old shriveled up arms, and the
beard all over his face, and that gray, and–and blind along the road,
kind of trying to get to the place to where he'd set down and beg. Each
one had their own private place where they begged.
That's a pitiful thing. I've been in India and watched them there where
they're… There's four hundred and seventy million people in India;
and honest, I'd almost say four hundred million of them are beggars.
You… Just everywhere is beggar, beggar, beggar. And they each have
their post and their place, and some kind of a little enchantment that
they do to attract the attention of the tourists: and such a pathetic
sight.
E-14
And then we find him setting there. And after a bad night, well, he
seen there was no one there, so he thought maybe that he would set down
on a rock. You know the walls had been torn down in his day from where
Joshua had went in, and big rocks was laying out to one side. So he
must have found his way out by the side of the northern gate that leads
up towards Jerusalem. And he sat down there in the sunlight. And he was
thinking, "Well, it's coming on springtime now, and I believe I'll just
set here in the warm sun. I'm chilly this morning, and my clothes are
thin, and I'll just set here in the warm sun for just a little while,
and–and maybe there might be one left out that I could get my coin. If
I don't, my family will–will be hungry today."
And as he set there he begin to think about his dream. "Last night I
dreamed that I could see. Oh, how the skies must look pretty. The hills
are beginning to bloom again." Then his mind goes back to the time he
was a little boy when he used to live around the bank there on the
Jordan, and along in that early spring, why, there used to be the big
buttercups would come up, and the little flowers. How, a little boy,
how he used to roam over the hill and set down and–and pick those
flowers, and lay out there, and oh, of the morning and think of how
pretty the skies was, the big white clouds coming by in the springtime,
and how the green was coming up, how blue the sky, and the Jordan in
her swelling time, the snow coming down out of the Judaea, and how the
flowers was blooming.
E-15
And then he would hear a familiar voice that we all like to hear, a
sweet voice of a mother, calling, "Bartimaeus, my little one, your
lunch is ready." And then when his father was in the field somewhere
working, how he'd come in, how that little Jewish mother would wait on
the steps for him, and pick him up in her arms, and hug him, and set
him down to his–his dinner. And then after he'd got through, go out on
the porch. And he used to set out on the porch, and how his mother
would rock him, and he'd have to take his afternoon nap. So how she'd
rake the hair back out of his eyes, and–and she'd look up and see
those pretty, big, soft eyes of a mother, and how she would kiss his
little cheeks and say, "Oh, how I thank great Jehovah God for a nice
little boy like you, Bartimaeus. You know, Bartimaeus, when you were
born I dedicated you to Jehovah. I've always believed that Jehovah
would use you someday, Bartimaeus, He would use you for His glory." And
then he'd think, "Here I am setting here blind, not over maybe a mile
from where I played and seen. And how could Jehovah ever use me? I'm
blind. There's no hopes for me."
E-16
But we don't always know, you know. God works in mysterious ways his
wonders to perform. If we commit anything to God and believe it, like
our children or whatevermore, let's believe that God will answer that
prayer. The day 'fore I left to go away, the phone constantly ringing,
and the mothers with their children and saying, "I pray for them. "
I said, "Now, just commit them to God. That's all you have to do. And
don't put your hands on it anymore. Let God have it." If you're going
to do something about it, then God will stand back and let you go ahead
till you get finished. But when you commit it to God and let Him have
it, then He will do it. You just–you just believe Him. Just stand
back, and don't work, but believe. That's where grace is imputed for
righteousness, if you believe that God will.
E-17
Then he said, no doubt, in his heart that he remembered how mother used
to read him Bible stories. You know it used to be mothers had time to
read their children Bible stories. They don't have it no more now. They
got to get the new car, or get out and go to the ladies' card party,
and–and everything. Mothers used to be they had to pack their water
from the spring and boil it on the outside. I remember my mother had a
great big old iron kettle, and do her washing outside, and… She had
more time, now, than a modern mother does just to push a button, like
that, do her washing, dishes, everything else, just push a button. But
I don't think our modern conveniences has got us anywhere. And what it
is, it's made us awful lazy, killing us with heart trouble and
everything else.
Susanne Wesley had seventeen children. And with them seventeen children
back hundreds of years ago, she could still take from two to three
hours a day, in all of her busy schedule, to read the Gospel and pray
for her children. What happened? She had a John and a Charles out of
there that turned the world upside down. Susanne Wesley, I stood by her
grave not long ago and put my hand on the stone. I said, "God, give
America some mothers like that." That's right. She produced a Charles
and a–and a John Wesley. Charles gave the world some of its vest–best
Gospel songs. And John, oh, my, he was a surely a firebrand snatched
from the fire. That is right. What a great man of God that he was.
E-18
Now, but today with all of our modern convenience, and instead of
reading the Bible to her children, will turn the television on and let
them look at something that's not even fit for them to look at. Now,
that's right. That's right. And another thing, we'll give them these
little old comic books, and little old story books off of some
drugstore mantle that oughtn't to even be sold to make–make kindling
wood out of, or fire out of. And yet we poke all that kind of stuff
down our children's necks. Why, the American… I bet you there's–that
nearly every boy in America can tell you who Davy Crockett was. But I
imagine there isn't one third of them can tell you Who Jesus Christ is.
That's right. Oh, the Lone Ranger, or somebody like that, or some movie
star, they know all about it because it's laid before them. And the
Bible is the Book that's put away. And when the minister comes, they
dig it out, and dust it off and lay it up like that. It's never read.
What we need today is some good old fashion mothers back to take their
children back to prayer. That's the best remedy I know of to cure
juvenile delinquency (That's right.), is good old honest mothers.
E-19
I hear them talk about the illiteracy of the Kentucky mothers up around
in the part of the country where we come from, up there. Now, they may
be… They wouldn't–might not know right and left hand. But you let
one of their girls come in one night with their hair all turned inside
out, and her clothes all off of her, and lipstick smeared all over her
face and like that, and some little half-drunk, sallow, cigarette
sucker bring her daughter in around daylight; I tell you, she won't be
able to get out of bed for three months. I'll just guarantee you that
now. Yes, sir. And you talk about illiteracy…?… that's… We need
more of them kind of mamas. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. That'll–that'll bring
back discipline.
In our home we had the ten commandments. They hung over the door.
Hickory was all ten of them, out on the end like that. And I tell you,
we got out–we got our education off of that. That's right. I can see
my father yet reach over and say, "William…"
I'd say, "Oh, my." I knew what was coming. But I–I'm glad he did it. That's right.
E-20
Bartimaeus would think of his precious little mother, how she used to
tell him Bible stories about what the Lord did. She'd say, "Bartimaeus,
you know, we Jewish people, by God's choice… He chose us to be His
people because we loved Him and served Him. Bartimaeus, you may live to
be a great man someday. I'm expecting you to be the king of Israel.
I–I want you to…" Every mother's anticipations is for her child to
be something great, and that's what she should be. And she said, "I
have prayed. And I–when I knew you was coming to the earth, when God
placed you under my heart, well, I–I gave your little life to God. And
you know, I want you to serve this great God. I'm going to tell you how
great He is, Bartimaeus. And you know, we were coming up out of Egypt.
We were slaves once, and He brought us up out of Egypt," how He opened
the Red Sea, fed the children of Israel out of heaven by manna, blowed
in meat, quails for them, give them water out of a rock in the desert,
and all the great things He done. And, oh, his little bright eyes would
just… He'd say, "Oh, mama, does that still great Jehovah live?"
"Oh, yes, darling. He's just the same as He ever was. He's still Jehovah."
E-21
He used to love that story, and tell about how that the children of
Israel used… Said, "Right down there at the old ford… One day the
great, mighty Joshua crossed right down there with the children of
Israel. Just around the city where we go get our groceries down there
at Jericho, Joshua crossed right there, the great, mighty warrior, the
servant of God. How Moses stood yonder on top of the mountain, looked
over into the swelling tides of the river, and how that the unbeliever
thought, 'This is a good time. We're safe. God is a poor engineer, pick
this time of year to cross.'" But God sometimes just takes the worst
hour to prove that He's God. Yes, sir. Look like He'd taken them when
the river–brought them up there when the river was low. No, that ain't
it. He just wants to prove to you He is God. He–He likes to manifest
His glory. And oh, I just love that. I just love that, to see and know
that He's God.
E-22
Then one of the stories that little Bartimaeus liked so well was the
story of the Shunammite woman, because it had a little boy in it, you
know. There's a little boy in there that… And she'd tell about that
great, mighty prophet Elijah, how that God made him such a great mighty
prophet. He lived out in the wilderness and didn't have many clothes,
and he wrapped a piece of leather around him, and–and how he was a
great, mighty man of God though. He lived under the anointing of God.
And he'd pass through a certain city, and there was a Shunammite woman
there. She was a kind woman, and she loved God too. Although being a
Gentile, she–she loved God. And I might say that she might've said to
Bartimaeus, "You know, Bartimaeus, we are chosen of God. But someday
there'll be a great Messiah come. And when He will–when He comes, He
will be the One that'll call all nations, because this Shunammite
woman… God is lovely to all those who will be lovable. He wants to
come and help those who wants to be helped."
E-23
"And Bartimaeus, this great woman, she'd see this holy man pass through
the city. So she wanted to show some favor to him, because she loved
God, and she knowed this was His servant, and she wanted to help him
and do something for him. So she'd–she'd see him coming, and she would
go out and bid him to come in and–and stay with them. So her husband
was rather a rich man. So one day she said to her husband, 'You know,
dear, this great holy man of God comes by here, and he goes up there to
a cave where he's living, up in Mount Carmel. So as he passes through
here, I believe it would be good if we built him just a little room on
the side of our house. I believe that would be real nice if we'd do
that, because both of us believe in God, and He is God, and that's
God's representative. That's the highest order in the earth now of God
is His representative.' So her husband said, 'I think that'd be fine.'
So they built the little house on there."
E-24
"And one day when Elijah and Gehazi, his–his servant, came by and they
seen this little room built on there and went in. They had them a nice
little bed there, and–and a little stool and some water and
everything. So said, 'Go ask this Shunammite what could I do for her.
She's been so kind to us; maybe we could return the–the kindness.
Maybe she'd want me to speak to the king, or maybe she'd want me to
speak to the chief captain or someone.' But you know, Bartimaeus, what
that woman, she didn't ask for nothing. But when Gehazi came back, he
said, 'I'll tell you, Elijah, the great prophet of God, the woman is
barren. She has no children. She's never had any children.'" And say,
"Bartimaeus, you know any mother wants a little, sweet little boy like
you are. See? That's the reason Jehovah's so good to me to give
you–give me a little boy like you. And that poor mother wanted a
little boy like you. So Elijah said, 'Go, tell her to come stand before
me.' And so, no doubt but Elijah had a vision of what to do. So then
when the woman came in, he said, 'According to the time of life, you're
going to bear a son.' And she went out. And you know what, Bartimaeus?
That mother received a sweet little boy–just a little Gentile boy,
just like you're a little Jewish boy. How that mother loved that little
boy. How she must've thought he was the sweetest little thing."
E-25
"And when he was about eleven years old, one day he went with his papa
out in the field to–to do the harvest. And I believe he must've got a
sunstroke because he begin to say, 'My head, my head.' He got sicker
and sicker. So the father being real busy with the hired hands, he had
a servant to take the little fellow in, and laid him on his mother's
lap. She kept him on the lap till about noon, and the breath all went
out of him, and the poor little boy died. Now, but Bartimaeus, I want
you to notice what this Gentile woman now, what she did. She took him
in and laid him on the bed of the prophet."
Now, there's a wonderful revelation. See? She didn't take him to his
own bed, neither did she take him to her bed, or the father's bed. She
took him and laid him on the prophet's bed in the chamber where the
prophet had slept.
E-26
"And then she said to her husband, 'You saddle a mule, and you go
forward for me now,' told the servant, 'and don't stop. If anybody
salutes you, don't salute them back, but you go straight to the man of
God up at Mount Carmel.'"
" Now," said, 'Now,' her husband said, 'it's neither new moon, or neither is it Sabbath, so the man of God won't be there.'"
"She said, 'All will be well.'" I like that, when you got that real
hold on faith, stay on that. That's a good lesson for all you little
Bartimaeuses now. Look. "And then said, 'Go–go forward. Don't stop for
social calls and things. Just go forward. Just keep on going. Don't
stop till I bid you stop.' And of course, when he got close to Mount
Carmel, when the prophet…"
You know, God don't reveal everything to his prophets. We all know
that. He just reveals to his prophets what He wants them to know.
E-27
"And now when he got close, Elijah walked out, probably old and maybe a
little dim in sight. He raised up his hands and he said, 'Here comes
that Shunammite, and she looks like that she's worried. But God has
kept it from me.' So he said to Gehazi, 'Go out and call to her.' But
she was pretty well speeding on. When she got there he hollered, 'Is
all well with thee? Is all well with thy husband? Is all well with thy
child?'"
"And watch what that woman said. 'All is well.'" Amen. See, she knew
that God was in that prophet. That's right. She knowed that was the
highest order God had in that day. I think that's where Martha got the
idea. She must've read that story. When her brother Lazarus died, she
knowed if God was in that prophet, God was certainly in his Son. That's
right. So she went to Him and said, "Lord, if Thou would have been
here, my brother would not have died. But even now, whatever You ask
God, God will give it to you." I like that. I like that. See, that
startled Him. See, "Even now whatever You ask God, God will give it to
you. "
E-28
This little boy setting here with this mashed up foot, another young
fellow setting over here, seen them both shouting last night. Must be
Pentecostal boys, must have God in their heart. You say, "Brother
Branham, I probably never walk again. The doctor says I won't." This
one over here with heart trouble, this one with whatever it is,
whatever your trouble is, say, "Well, the doctor says I won't. I won't
never be able to get over this. I've got cancer. I got tumor. I got so
and so."
"But even now, Lord, whatever you ask the Father, He will give it to
you." That's it. "Even now, whatever you ask God, God will give it to
you." That must have been where Martha got that story.
E-29
The Shunammite woman said, "All is well." Now, she wasn't asking for
the boy, but she knowed that God was able through this prophet to tell
her why he took the boy, and that would satisfy her. If He could tell
why He took the boy, everything was all right. So she was before God's
representative, and all things was well.
I imagine little Bartimaeus' eyes would just brighten. "Mama, mama,
hurry up. Tell me what happened." You see, little boys get hasty. They
want to find out what the end is. "Well, the great prophet, after she
revealed to him and told her her story, what–the little boy had died
and was laying in the chamber, now the prophet said to his servant,
'Take my staff and go lay it on the child.'" Now, I think, again in the
New Testament, that's where Paul got the idea of taking handkerchiefs
and aprons from his body.
E-30
Now, Elijah knew that everything that he touched was blessed. But if he
could get the woman to believe it, that was all… If he could get the
woman to believe the same thing, a miracle would've happened just the
same as ever, if the woman would've had faith in what Elijah told her
to do. But the woman's faith wasn't in the staff. Now, I kinda like the
way she said it anyhow. She said, "As the Lord liveth and your soul
never dies, I'm not going to leave you." I like that: determined to
hold on. That's it. If you start out for God, hold on until the Holy
Ghost comes, until everything that you've asked for takes place. Just
don't give it up. "I'll not leave you. I'm on your hands, Lord, until
You answer me." That's the way to do it.
You know, Jesus taught it like that. He said the unjust judge, you
know, how he–he–he wouldn't avenge the widow of her enemy. But he
said, "To get her off of my hands I'll go ahead and avenge her of her
enemy." Well, how much more will your kind heavenly Father be willing
to give you. But now not… He said, "Seek and you shall find; knock
and it will be opened…" Now… "And ask." Now, if you notice, it
isn't just "Lord, I want it." "He that asketh, seeketh." Keep on
seeking. Keep on knocking. Just keep on, on. You've arrived there, so
just keep on knocking till it happens. "I believe it, Lord. I'm–I'm on
Your hands. I'm on Your hands."
E-31 Remember the Lord healed me of stomach trouble. The devil said, "You–you haven't healed."
I
said, "Just stick around and listen at me testify then. If–if you
want…?… If you want to hear God be praised, just stick around and
listen at me awhile." He got tired and went on away. So he will do it.
The other day he tried to give me a bad cold. He handed it to me, and I
give it back to him. He handed it to me again. I give it back to him
again. And we just fought on it for three or four days, and finally it
went away. So there you are. See? Just keep handing it back to him.
Just don't receive it, to give it back to him. Give it back to him.
That's the way to do it. Just be determined. Hold on.
E-32
That's the way she did. She said, "As the Lord liveth and your soul
never dies…" Now, see, she believed he had a soul that wouldn't die.
See? "As the Lord liveth and thy soul liveth," see, "I'm not going to
leave you. I'm going to stay with you till I find out what happened."
So he couldn't get her off her–off his hands. So he just had to gird
up his loins, and here he went.
I notice when he walked into the room… Look what that prophet had to
come against. He didn't know what the Lord was going to do. There was
the father, screaming at the top of his voice, all the people around
the neighborhood screaming. That fine little boy, this lovely family,
was dead, laying in the chamber, all hopes gone. Now, what did Elijah
do? Just like Jesus did, put them all out of the house. Got away from
where it was at–like Jesus did when Jairus' daughter was dead. And
watch what the prophet did. He didn't have to go out and seek and pray,
and pray up and get ready. No, I–I believe we should stay prayed up
all the time, don't you think so?
E-33
Here not long ago there was a little Irish woman coming over on a ship,
they said. And about thirty, forty miles out, somewhere out of–of New
York harbor, there come a terrible storm. And the little ship didn't
think they could make it. They sent out SOS. And so they told them the
storm was getting worse and worse. If they could–if they could storm
it for thirty minutes, they'd reach the–the–the harbor. But if they
couldn't, they'd be in the bottom of the sea. So all the jazz music
stopped and they begin to pray and play, "Nearer, my God to Thee," and
so forth. But all this little Irish woman, she walked up and down the
floor screaming and shouting. "Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah," she
said.
The captain said, "Did you understand me?"
Said, "Yes, sir. I understood you."
Said, "Well, why don't you pray?"
She said, "I'm already prayed up." So that–that's it. Be prayed up,
ready. That's the way we have to do it. And she said, "I'm so glad."
And she started shouting again.
The captain said, "What you shouting about?"
She said, "You said if we held out thirty minutes we'd be in New York. If we didn't we'd be in the bottom of the sea."
Said, "That's right."
Said, "I'm on my road from Ireland to see my daughter in New York. I've
got one in glory, and thirty minutes from now I'll see one of them." So
that's… If the ship went down, she went up…?… So that's it. You
can't lose. See? So she was just shouting anyhow. She knowed in thirty
minutes she'd see one of her loved ones. Oh, that's it. Be prayed up.
E-34
"Old Elijah, when he got on the–on the ship, you know, or got on the
platform of the little place where that she'd built him, she walked
back and forth across the floor. And he walked to and fro, the Bible
said, in the room. And then after he felt the Spirit come on him, he
went and laid hisself upon the baby, and just laid there with his flesh
upon the baby. And then he felt the baby was getting warm, so he got
up, walked back and forth again through the room to and fro. Come back
and laid hisself on the baby again, and it sneezed seven times and come
to life. He picked up the baby and said, 'Call the Shunammite.'" And,
oh, how little Bartimaeus liked that.
E-35
He begin to think, "Oh, when I used to hear my mother tell those
stories." About that time he heard something clicking, of a little mule
coming. Must be kind of a rich man, because most of the travel was on
foot or by… Rich people rode a donkey, and the army used chariots.
And so he–he said, "This must be a wealthy man that's coming in late."
So he raised up, threw aside his garment, run out and said, "Alms for
the blind. Alms for the blind, please."
And the little mule stopped, and he heard a real grouchy voice said,
"Out of my way, beggar. I am the head of the ministerial association of
Jerusalem. They tell me that there's going to be a… I'm the servant
of the Lord. They tell me they got one of these here so called prophets
coming in down here today, sees visions and so forth. They're going to
have a healing service. I'm going to gather the whole council down here
today. I've got to get these ministers together to see that we'll have
none of that nonsense around here. Out of my way, I'm on the way of the
Lord." Down the street went the little donkey. And so Bartimaeus
thought, "Well, and that's the servant of the Lord."
E-36
Well, he made his way back trying to find out where the rock was.
Finally when he found the rock, the sun had moved over a little bit and
it become kind of chilly. The shadows of the wall was on the rock, so
he moved out a little farther, and he said, "Well, I guess I have no
coin for the day. So maybe I'll just–just wait a little while, and
maybe I'll set down again. Maybe I will continue my daydreaming of when
I was a little boy." Then he remembered too, that his mother told him
that years ago that that great prophet Elijah and Elisha, the one that
took his place, two mighty men of God come right down that same cobbled
street, arm in arm with one another, going down to the Jordan to open
the Jordan up. Oh, my. Passed right by within thirty feet from where he
was setting.
E-37
But alas, the priest told him, "All the days of miracles are past.
Jehovah doesn't heal the people anymore, you know." That spirit never
did die out. So they… "Oh, Jehovah don't do those things no more.
We're just supposed to live good, and–and pay our tithes, and go to
the church and–at every meeting, and then that's all we're supposed to
do. But Jehovah doesn't heal. He–He was Jehovah back there, but today
He–He's not concerned about it." Oh, what a mistake. He's always
concerned. If He ever was concerned, He's still concerned. Yes, sir. He
cannot change His motives. He cannot change His attitude. He's still
Jehovah. I don't care how many says that He's changed. It's people's
changed, but He hasn't changed. The reason that we don't see Him doing
those things is because we won't let Him do it. He's willing.
E-38
We think we'll–we'll exhaust His bountiful blessings. We think, "Well,
I asked God to give me my daily bread. I shouldn't ask Him too many
things." Oh, my. Could you imagine a little fish about that long, way
out in the middle of this ocean, saying, "Wait, I'd better drink of
this water sparingly. I might run out someday." Could you imagine a
little mouse about that big under the great garners of Egypt, saying,
"I better allowance myself to one half a grain of wheat a day. I might
run out before next harvest." My. Well, that would… Just multiply
that by a hundred billion, and you try to exhaust God's goodness and
mercy.
He's trying to force His way into you, everything He can. Ask
abundantly that your joys might be full. He wants his people to be
happy, asking great things, believing for great things. You are a city
sets on a hill, high ambi–ambitions, expectations. Well, mercy, if we
see the blind receive their sight tonight, I want to see the dead
raised tomorrow night. Yes, sir. And I want to… I–I just keep on
believing for greater things. When the church begin to receive the Holy
Ghost and speak in tongues, why did you settle down on that? My, just
keep moving on. Go on to the promised land. We're on our way to the
promised land. Sure, just don't take just one thing. Say, "Well, we'll
just… Have you spoke in tongues? Well, you haven't got a great
blessing till you got…" Well, you ought to be a million miles up the
road from that right now, sure, greater things, high expectations.
Certainly.
E-39
Now, we find out now that Bartimaeus had been told that the days of
miracles was past. So he said, "Now, what if I was setting here,
instead of hearing that man who called himself this day the servant of
God… And what was that he said, he was going down to see about
something, what? Wonder what's going on down in the city. Well, anyhow,
the days of miracles is past." And that's the kind of servants Jehovah
has today? It's a lot different from the one that Elijah was and Elisha.
"Now, if I'd have been setting on this rock, when Elijah and Elisha
passed down by there, going down to the Jordan… And not but just a
little piece below where I'm setting that great prophet took his coat
off, his cloak, folded it together and struck the Jordan, and she give
a way (Amen.), hundreds of years after Joshua had did the same thing."
Amen. That showed Jehovah was still the same as long as He can get
somebody to believe he's the same. Yes.
E-40
Then after he'd got on the other side… Now, he was weary. He had
fussed with Jezebel and them till he was–about her painting up and
carrying on, till he was tired, just was going home. And so the young
prophet had to take his place. So he knowed just across the river there
was a chariot hooked to some bush over there somewhere, and he–he was
going to take a little ride up home. See? But the young prophet was
watching for his new ministry, seen what this old one was doing, so he
knowed he had to take his place. So the young prophet caught his
vision, and seen him go up, caught his garment passed back down, picked
up the same garment and struck the Jordan, said, "Where is the God of
Elijah?" Oh, my. And she opened up again. That's right. Where is the
God of Pentecost? Where is the God that was in Jesus Christ? What's the
matter with the ministry today in the churches?
E-41
I guess you read that piece in the paper they just sent me. Somebody
from the church here sent it to me, where this Episcopalian minister up
here said the virgin birth was only a myth, and there was no such a
thing as garden of Eden, and all that stuff like that. That man don't
belong in the pulpit. No, sir. Now, that's what's the matter with it
today. That's what… Take great educated people like that stand up,
and they get so much education they ain't got gumption enough to know
how to hold it. That's all. What we need today… Paul said, "I never
come to you with excellency of word or education. I come to you in the
simplicity with the power and demonstrations of the Holy Ghost, that
your faith would be–rest upon the resurrection and the power of God,
and not in some smooth words," or something of some so-called bishop,
or something.
E-42
Now, we find out that just a little later, as Bartimaeus set there a
little longer, wondering what would take place… Then he remembered
that too, just below there, not five hundred yards from where he was
setting, that great Joshua, oh, my, that great servant of God who took
Moses' place, that come across the Red Sea, and come across also with
only two of the old group in the wilderness back there that believed
that they could take the land. They looked at the Word of God. They
believed the Word of God. Nine of them said, "Oh, we can't take it. We
look like grasshoppers up beside of them. The cities are all walled.
It's an impossibility to do it." But not that fellow. No, sir, brother.
He said, "We're more than able to take it."
Why? It depends on what you're looking at. If you're looking at your
crippled hand, it'll still stay that way. If you're looking at your
tumor, it'll remain that way. Look away from that. Look at the promise
of God. It depends on what you're looking at. Christians look at the
unseen. Abraham called things which were not as though they were,
because God said they were. That's the way real Christians do. No
matter what the world says, what it looks like, that has nothing to do
with it. It's what God said about it is what does it. Yes. What was…
E-43
God told them way down in Egypt, "I give you that land." But He didn't
say, "I'll go out there and sweep it all out, and garnish the houses,
and hang up the curtains, and everything. You all just move in." No,
no. They had to fight for every inch of ground they took. That's right,
fighting, and take it by every–fight every inch. But He said,
"Everywhere the soles of your foot land, that's possession." Footsteps
is possession.
That's the same thing it is today. Divine healing belongs to us. The
Holy Spirit belongs to us. It's our property, but you'll fight every
inch of it. Yes, sir. But brother, footsteps is possession. Just keep
fighting. Take it. The devil say, "The days of miracles is past."
Say, "You're a liar. God said He's the same yesterday, today, and
forever." Take it over. Everywhere your foot steps, that's possession.
That's right.
E-44
Joshua come right on across the river with them, camped out there. Oh,
blind Bartimaeus said, "What if I would've lived in that day? Why, as
soon as I seen them priests walking, and Joshua with that sword up in
the air, walking across, why, I'd have went down there and said, 'Great
Joshua, pray for me.' And I believe I'd have got my sight if that great
man would've prayed for me. Sure. But alas, Joshua's gone, and God, I
guess, is gone. And all the days of miracles is past, so our priest
says. So I guess it's just hopeless. There's nothing I can do.
So–hopeless."
And then he said, "You know what? After they compassed the walls around
Jerusalem many days… One day Joshua, that great warrior, was taking a
little walk out one afternoon, studying the strategy of how to take
that walls of Jericho–how he was going to do it. He seen that scarlet
streak hanging down of Rahab. He was going to spare that
house–watching it. And all at once he looked, standing out there
before him, and there stood another Man with His sword drawn. Joshua
pulled out his sword, and he run to meet Him, challenged Him in a duel.
He said, 'Are you for us, or are you for our enemies?'"
"He said, "I'm the captain of the host of the Lord. I'm the Lord's
Captain of His host.' Joshua threw down his sword, took off his helmet,
and fell at his feet. Blind Bartimaeus would've said, "Oh, if I
would've lived in that day, I'd have run up to that Captain of the
Lord's host, and I'd have spoke to him." Little did he know that that
same Captain wasn't a hundred yards from him, coming right through the
city then–the Captain of the Lord's host on his road through the city.
E-45
You know, it's when we begin to think about Him, that's when He
appears. It's when Cleopas and them was thinking about Him when he
appeared. It's always when… "Let the meditation of my heart and–and
let all my thoughts, and let all my songs, let all that I am just
meditate on Thee, Lord, day and night." That's the way to get God close
to you. Quit thinking about what the Joneses is doing, and what you're
going to do next week, and all this thing. Just keep–just let… "Fill
my way every day with love as I walk with the heavenly dove. Let me go
all the while with a song and a smile. Fill my way every day with
love." That's right. Go right on down the road no matter what–school
keeps or not. If it don't, we turn the teacher out, and just go right
on believing on the Lord. See? Keep the meditations upon God. Think on
these things. The Bible said, "If there be any praise, if there be any
virtue, think on these things."
E-46
Well, our thoughts are always negative. We come in the prayer line… I
notice we've come in the prayer line… "Oh, if–if he will tell me…
Is it this?" Oh my, you never get nothing like that. No. You're so
negative to begin with. Come like that… "Come to the fountain filled
with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins, where sinners plunge beneath
the flood lose all their guilty stains." That's it. Come with faith
believing. "He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and a
rewarder of those that diligently seek Him."
I'm not going to go through Oral Roberts' prayer line, then go through
Tommy Hicks' prayer line, then go through Osborn's prayer line and
Allen's prayer line, Branham's prayer line, so and so's prayer line, go
to this church and that church. Why, you're just wasting time; that's
all. That's all. The thing to do is just–just say and make up your
mind that it's God, and God said so, and I'm going to meet His
requirements and that settles it forever. Amen. God said so. Go out to
my pastor, say, "Pastor, the Bible tells us to call the elders, anoint
them in oil, pray, the prayer of faith shall save the sick. That's all
I have to know." Amen.
E-47
I got a letter back from a little woman in Germany not long ago. She'd
been crippled about fifteen years with arthritis: couldn't move. I sent
her a handkerchief. We send thousands of them a month out. And so, she
got this little letter. And we got a prayer chain around the world. So
she had–she read this, and she said, "Now, it says on here, 'If your
pastor isn't there, or if he's an unbeliever, don't call him. See? But
if there's a neighbor somewhere that is a believer, call the believer.
Confess all your faults. Ask God to forgive you of everything you done.
Get everything right. Then pray. Put the handkerchief on your
underneath garment over your heart. Then believe.'" So she met all the
requirements that was sent to her. And when she did, she put her hand
over her heart. She said, "Now, old man devil, you've been in me long
enough. Get out." Here she come walking…?… It's just that's simple.
It's just that simple to believe.
E-48
Here in Arizona, we was out to the Indians, Apaches. I always felt
sorry for the Apaches. And there they was out there that night. And
they looked like an army setting out there, and I begin to speak to
them about the Lord. And you know, the old Indian, he's kind of a odd
fellow. He's like a mule: he won't eat out of the wrong straw–stall.
So he listened to it, he thought it was fake first. And then he
brought… I said… I called for the prayer line. Well, I heared
somebody out there holler "Gloria a Dios." That was my Spanish friends.
I knowed they'd have a prayer line if they was around, 'cause
they'll–they always got faith to believe. So they was… But this was
for Indians only.
And I looked around there, and the first thing… The Assembly of God
woman back there, she had a little mission. I was standing up on a–on
a steps like this, and all of them was setting out around. It was
beautiful sight. And so she had some back in there. They brought the
first woman out. Soon as she come out–great big wide wrists. She had a
little baby on her back, and this little papoose back there. And I
looked at her. And I thought I'd try to find favor. I said, "How about
giving me the baby?" She wasn't going to do that. So I was just
catching her mind. Now, I said, "Now…" To the interpreter, I said,
"she has a venereal disease, but it's…" And so the interpreter said
that. She looked at me real strong. I said, "Now, it wasn't caused from
immoral living, but the way she had to live in dirt and filth like
that." Well, she nodded her head that was right. I prayed for her.
E-49
Next was glaucoma of the eyes. The Indians has much of it. And prayed
for that one. Next come out was a–was a little girl, and she kept her
head down like that. And I said, "Now…" She was a little bitty fellow
about like that. It happened to be one of the chief's daughters. I
said, "Now, the little girl," I said, "she's had a fever, and the fever
made her go deaf and dumb. She can't speak or hear." And the
interpreter said that, and the mother, "That was right, every bit of it
was right." Them Indians then begin to look around at one another, you
know. They begin to see something they'd never seen. So I said, "Now, I
cannot make the–the girl to speak and hear. That takes God." But I
said, "This is just the–the sign that He's here, that His Presence is
here. He has us anointed." And so I took the little girl by the hand. I
said, "Heavenly Father (They don't interpret the prayer)" I said, "let
this deaf and dumb spirit leave this child." And I got down to her, and
I done like that [Brother Branham clapped his hands–Ed.]. And she turned around and looked at me with them big black eyes, and I said, "You say, 'Praise the Lord.'"
She said… [Brother Branham imitates the girl trying to speak–Ed.] Something or another like that.
I said, "She'll talk better."
Her mother said, "Her talk heap good right now." And–and away she went. So then… "Her talk heap good right now."
E-50
Then the next was a mother. Then the next was a little old boy come out
there. And I said, "Well, do you believe that God… You speak
English?" No, she didn't speak English. I said, "Do you believe that
God will heal the little fellow?" And she reached down and got him by
the top of the head; they're real rough, you know, and his little old
hair just as coarse as a mane on a horse, and so–hold him like that. I
said, "He's got crossed eyes, but you believe that God… She heard the
interpreter say, "crossed eyes," so she just got him by the nap of the
head, and pulled his little head back, little eyes setting right in
like that. I said, "Now, if you'll believe that God will straighten its
little eyes," I said, "then God will do it." And so to the
interpreter… I said, "Now, get it so…" They haven't got no–no
sentence or punctuation. They start real low, and go high, high, low.
They just… You know how the Apaches are. They're was kind of a rough
set of Indians. So then they said, "Yes," that she'd believe.
E-51
I took the little fellow up by… He was just like trying to tame a
bronco. And I had a piece of chewing gum. I put it under his nose and
let him smell it, you know. Then I got him like this, got him in my
arms, got the little fellow up in my arms like this. I said, "Don't
interpret this." I said, "Heavenly Father, these poor people, this is
really true Americans." And that's right. We're not Americans. No.
We're not Americans. We're aliens that come and took the land away from
them. They're real Americans. God gave them this land; we just took it
away from them. I think it's a stain on the flag the way we treat them.
That's right. Sending money over there to Japan and all them places to
blow it back at us like this, and our Indians laying out here starving
to death, it's not right. Sure, it isn't right.
E-52
And then I looked, and the poor little fellow, I had him on my
shoulder. I said, "Lord, let me find favor with these people.
Straighten the little fellow's eyes." I was watching like this, and I
seen a vision come before me, his little eyes was just as straight. I
said. "Now…" He had his head over my shoulder. I was patting him. I
said, "Now, to all of you," (hundreds and hundreds setting everywhere)
I said, "now, if this baby's eyes are not straight, then I'm a false
prophet. See? If they are straight, then I've represented Jesus Christ
to you. I can't help what the government does to you." But I said, "I
know Jesus will treat you right. Now, you see if this is right or not."
I took his little head around. You talk about a prayer line. I had one
now. My, there was a stampede.
E-53
And then the next one coming was an old Indian woman, and she had a…
She was to be next and, oh, they just had–you just had… You couldn't
beat them down. And there was a–there was an old Indian woman come
out. She had two broomsticks with a–with a piece of good–goods
wrapped around a thing she had under her arm here, and she was trying
to get out. And there was a little Indian boy jumped up on there, and
he was trying to cut in ahead of her. And we couldn't make him
understand, 'cause he couldn't speak English. And Brother Moore, many
of you know Brother Jack Moore, he just got him by the side, and packed
him over it. And I noticed the old woman. She come up close like that.
They were believing then. Oh, you talk about a prayer line.
So there it is, coming up, real… Like that. And I watched her and
she–moving these two crutches like this. And she'd take that foot, you
know, and set it out, and then the other one like that, just barely
could move. I guess she was eighty years old. And she looked up at me
when she got right close to me. And them great big deep cuts in her
cheeks… My mother's a half-breed (I don't know whether you know that
or not) but she's got them big deep cuts too. And I looked when she
come up like that, and the tears cutting away down through them little
pale looking eyes. I thought, "Somebody's mother." And she just looked
up at me like that. And I thought… I–when I… 'Fore I prayed for
her, I thought, "O God, look at that little chin shaking like that,
little old thing." She looked at me. She started smiling. She just got
one crutch and put it there, and handed it over to me, and went walking
off the platform. Yes. See, simple faith, just to believe.
E-54
I–I was going to try to pray for all, but, oh, my, it was along
about… I had to stop the discernment then. So along about three or
four o'clock in the morning, they was coming through wet, plumb up
around like this–just as wet as they could be. And I said, "What's the
matter with them?"
Said, "Well, they thought first you were false." He said… Now said,
"They're going out in the desert and getting their loved ones. They're
not going down to the ford. They're just wading right across the river
with them, like that. "
So here come an old man, gray headed. And he had… He was on a board
and had two sticks across it. And he had his legs laying across two
sticks and his arms across the two sticks, and he was shaking like this
with the palsy. And so there was a great big fellow standing there,
handsome looking, great big Indian, his lips just as blue as they could
be, and wet. And I said, "Aren't you afraid you'll take pneumonia?"
He said, "Nope."
I said, "You talk English?"
Said, "Little."
And I said, "Aren't you afraid you'd take pneumonia."
"No." Said, "Jesus Christ has take care of me. I brought my dad."
I said, "That your brother?"
"Yep."
I said, "If I prayed for him, you think he'd get well?"
"Yep."
"He speak any English?"
"Nope."
I said, "Pass him by."
E-55
They put him by. I laid my hands upon him, his old head shaking like
that. I said, "Father, he worked a many hard days for these boys.
They've honored him now, bringing him across the river at this time of
the morning to be prayed for. I pray that You'll heal him." I said,
"Take him on. Bring the next one." First thing you know, you heard
everybody hollering, screaming. Looked, the old man had the board on
his own shoulders, going around waving at everybody, like that…?…
That's what it is. It's just simple faith to believe God. It's not some
hocus-pocus. It's just childlike faith. See, we–we've sprang plumb
away from it trying to explain it. Just believe it.
E-56
That's right. That's the way with this great mighty Captain of the host
of the Lord. He was there that night, the same as He was there. And you
know there's something another about it. Where Jesus is, you always
hear a lot of noise. I don't know why, but it–it's that way. Wherever
you find Jesus you find a lot of noise.
[Blank.spot.on.tape–Ed.].. shoving and screaming, and some of them hollering one thing, "Hosanna, hosanna, to the prophet of Galilee."
Others saying, "Away with the impostor. Get him out of this city. We
don't want him here." And some throwing overripe fruit at Him, and
probably eggs the same way, you know, then going on.
And he said, "Who passes by?" said Bartimaeus. "Who is it passing by?"
And they crowded over him, and shoving him back. And maybe after while
he–they shoved him down. He set down, felt back for his rock again.
People… He'd hear somebody saying–one for Him, one was against Him.
Same way it is today: some for Him, some against Him. Directly he heard
that priest that he'd heard go in, saying, "Hey, You, the prophet, You,
the one that said you raised a dead man named Lazarus; we've got a
whole graveyard full of them up here. Let's see you go up and raise
one. We'll believe you. Until you do that, you're a false prophet."
He said, "That's that same man told me he was going down to stop it. What's this all about?" See?
E-57
And he'd say, "Somebody tell me. Somebody help me. Somebody help me,
because… What… Who's passing by? What's all this noise about?"
Nobody would listen to him, and after while… It must have been a
young woman. She seen the poor old fellow laying there, and she picked
him up. She said, "Sir, are you hurt?"
"No, ma'am." Said, "I–I wish you would tell me, what's all the noise about?"
"Oh," she said, "Jesus of Nazareth passes by."
"Why, Who's Jesus of Nazareth?"
"Are you not a Israelite?"
"Yes."
"Well, you see, I am a servant of Jesus of Nazareth." You know there's
something about Jesus of Nazareth's servants, they're always willing to
help somebody that's in need. They're always willing to stop and help
somebody that's in need. God's servants does that. She said, "I'm a
believer of Jesus of Nazareth. Now, you know, this Jesus of Nazareth is
the Son of David, that…"
"The Son of David? Why, I remember… I was just setting here thinking,
and my mother told me that the Son of David would come someday. "
"Yes, that's He, the prophet of Galilee."
"A prophet?"
"Yes."
E-58 Said, "You remember that man down here in town they call Zacchaeus, the businessman?"
"Yes, I remember him very well. Uh-huh, he's given me coins before."
"Well, this morning… You know Rebekah, his wife?"
"Yes, I remember Rebekah."
"Well, Rebekah has been praying. Knowing that Jesus was coming to the
city, why, she was praying that–that her husband would re–would
receive Him as the Saviour. "
"Yes, go ahead, speak on."
"Well, this morning, Zacchaeus was going out to see Him, and he didn't
want Jesus to see him. So he run down to the corner of Hallelujah
Avenue where it turns on Glory Road down here, and he–he got the
garbage can and set it down, and climbed up a sycamore tree, and set
down where two limbs crosses."
"Uh-huh."
"And Rebekah told him that–that, 'Now, you are a Jew, and you know
that when the Messiah cometh, He's going to be a prophet. He's going to
be a God prophet, 'cause Moses said, 'The Lord your God shall raise up
a prophet liken unto me.' But you know–you–you know Zacchaeus, how
well, he's–he's one of the business men here of the city. And he leans
pretty heavy with the… Him and the rabbi plays cards together, and
they have their, you know, their–their… Things are pretty well. So
they–the rabbi, and all of them has said not to believe on that
fellow, 'cause he wasn't a prophet."
E-59
"So Zacchaeus wanted to see if He was. So he climbs up in this tree,
and he got all the limbs, and he drug them all around him like this,
camouflaged himself. And he had one great big palm leaf that he raised
up so he could see Him when He turned down there at Glory Avenue, you
know, to see Him come around. So there he set up here in the tree, all
perched up, and nobody knowed he was up there. And he said, 'Now, I'll
see if He's a prophet. And I'll look in His face–I'll know whether
He's a prophet or not. I know what a prophet ought to look like.'"
"And around the corner come all the disciples. And here come the great
big fisherman, saying, 'Would you stand back, please? Our Master's very
tired. We're–we're sorry we have to do this, but would you stand back
just a moment and let Him through? He's going up to Levinski's for
dinner, so you'll have to–at the restaurant up here (See?), so
you'll–you'll have to stand back. I'm sorry we have to do this, but
I'm…'" I hope there's not a Levinski here. So then… Anyhow, I just
meant… I told you it was just a drama. So going by and telling, you
know, "Step back just a little bit." And here come the others.
E-60
"And he–he raised up his leaf and he looked out. He said, 'Uh-huh.
What's them? Oh, oh, that's supposed to be His disciples Rebekah told
me about. Uh-huh, I'll wait just a minute.' Then after while he raised
up the leaf again, said, 'Now, let's see if I'm covered up good. Yeah,
I'm setting on two limbs.'" That's where two ways meet, and that's
where a lot of people set, where yours and God's ways meet. That's
right. Got to make a decision from right there.
"So he–he was setting on this limb, you know. And he looked, and after
while he seen kind of a vacant space, and after while he looked, coming
around the corner. He raised up his leaf real easy and looked out,
peeked out from under the corner of it. And you know what? He looked
Him in the face. And as soon as he seen Him in the face, he said,
'There's something a little different about that Man. I can hear Him
the way He talks, and how compassionate He was, that He was a
different. But you know, I'd have to know that He was a prophet,
because if He ain't a prophet then He's not the Messiah, because Moses
told us that Messiah would be a prophet. So I've got him fooled now. I
got a good look at him. I'm going back and tell Rebekah. You know what
I got a good notion doing? Jumping out of this tree and really giving
Him a piece of my mind.'" Know… You know how…?… "'I believe I
will tell him that all the days of miracles is past, 'cause Levinski
said so, and all the rest of them. The rabbi Jones and all of them said
so (You see?), so I know. I believe I'll do it. But I just better set
still, 'cause I'm covered up right good.'"
E-61 "So He walked…" Said, "And–and what is your name, sir?"
"I'm Bartimaeus."
"Well,
Bartimaeus, He walked till He got right under the tree. And when He got
under the tree He stopped, looked up, said, 'Zacchaeus, come down right
away. I'm going home with you for dinner.'…?… Bartimaeus, could you
believe that was the Son of David?"
"Oh, yes. That will be what He will do. Where's He at?"
"He's done gone way down the street there now."
He jumped up and threw down his coat. "O Jesus, thou Son of David, have
mercy on me. Have mercy on me. O Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy
on me. Yes, have mercy on me." His last chance, there He was passing
by, He done gone by, and how would He ever hear that poor old blind
man, insignificant? And the people said, "Set down, set down.
Don't–don't be hollering like that. Set down. He's gone down the road.
"
Then it must have been that Bartimaeus said, "He's the Messiah. I know
He is. The only way that I'll ever be able to catch Him now, if He's
down there… I know that Messiah, when He comes, He will tell us all
things. We know that He will be a prophet." So he must have fell on his
knees and said, "Jehovah God, if that is the Messiah, that's Your Son.
I pray that You'll stop Him. Oh, let Him have mercy on me." And Jesus
stopped. What was it? Not his voice stopped Him, but his faith stopped
Him. Watch, "Thy faith has saved thee." See?
E-62
Watch. With all the burdens of the world, He was going right up to
Jerusalem to be crucified. He knew it. All the burdens and sins of the
world. Every sin that was ever committed, or ever would be committed,
rested upon Him. Think on his heart. Even the eggs and fruits and
things that was thrown at Him, all the screams of "Come up here and
raise some dead. Show us a miracle. Let us see you do so and so if
you're the Messiah. Let's see…" That bunch of the–the ministerial
association of Jerusalem (You see?), or of Jericho. "Let us see you do
something. See, I told you; there's nothing to it." He don't mind
devils. He don't yet (You see?), so… He just does as the Father shows
Him, He said.
E-63
But that old blind beggar over there, saying, "Oh, thou son of David,"
and He stopped. Brother, I'd like to preach to you sometime, "And He
Stopped." Yes, sir. He stopped, and when He did, He turned around. Now,
his voice… He didn't hear it, of course not. But his faith stopped
Him. His faith stopped Him. And they brought him. He said, "What
would–that I would do for you?"
He said, "Lord, that I might receive my sight."
He said, "Thy faith has saved thee." See, if he had faith enough to
stop Him, faith to touch Him… Don't you see how that compares with
the rest of the Scripture? See? If he had faith enough to stop Him,
well, then he had faith enough to accept his healing. "Thy faith has
saved thee. Thy faith did it." And He went walking on with His head
towards Jerusalem (oh, my), going on towards Jerusalem. I can see blind
Bartimaeus standing there, saying, "He told me… He told me my faith.
What faith? The faith that I believe that He was Messiah. How could He
have heard me, and me setting way back there two or three hundred yards
against that wall? And all them screaming and carrying on, and people
acting the way they were, how… Why, I had enough faith to believe,
and I stopped Him, and He told me… Say, I–I–I can see my hands."
And the Bible said he followed Him then, rejoicing and praising God.
The faith of one blind beggar stopped Him on such a mission as that.
The faith of one person here tonight can bring Him from glory right to
this building. Sure it will. He can heal you. He can–He can give you
deliverance.
E-64
I read a little story on blind Bartimaeus. Before I close, my time is
gone; but I'd just like to say this before I close, and we'll make the
altar call. Now, notice just a moment.
I read a story. It perhaps was fiction. Maybe it was, I don't know. But
I was reading on blind Bartimaeus, said he'd been blind since he was
a–a young boy, that he went blind. But he was married, and he had a
wife and a little curly headed girl that he'd never seen in his life.
And said one night he got sick. And they told, the story did, that he
had some turtledoves that would get out there. They'd do little tumbles
over one another, and that would attract the attention of the–of the
passerby. And they'd watch them little doves go do little tumbles over
one another, and the people would stop and laugh a little bit, and then
give him a coin. That's the way they still do it.
E-65
And so his little girl got sick. They had the physician out, and the
doctor said, "Well," said, "there's too high a fever on the child. I–I
don't think the child's going to live, Bartimaeus. We have nothing to
break that fever, so I–I don't believe the child is going to live."
And Bartimaeus just said… Maybe he stepped out along the side of his
little dobe–adobe hut, and stood out there, and he said, "Jehovah, if
You will just heal my little girl and don't let her die, I promise You
tomorrow I'll make You a sacrifice of my two little turtledoves." See,
something you have to give up…
People think today just because they do a little something… No, it's
something that really hurts, something you have to dig way down to get.
That's the kind that God sees. "I'll give You my two little turtle
doves and just go ahead without them." And said next morning his–the
fever was gone. He went and offered the two turtledoves.
E-66
Said some time later his wife got real ill. And so the physician came
and said, "Why, I believe she's going to die. I don't believe she'll
ever be well, Bartimaeus," after waiting on her for a while. And said,
"No, I–my medicine won't help her. She's going to die." So he went
outside the house again.
And you know these dogs that lead people today? I forget what they call
them: seeing-eye dogs. They lead. But the…?… in them days he said
lambs that led them. And so Bartimaeus had a seeing-eye lamb. So he
said, "If the… Lord, if You will heal my wife, and don't let my
precious companion die, well, I'll promise You, tomorrow I'll give You
my lamb." And the next day his wife was better.
So he was going up to offer up the lamb. And said the priest said, "Where goest thou, blind Bartimaeus?"
He said, "I'm going up to the–the–the sacrifice to offer my lamb to
Jehovah. I promised Him that I would give Him my lamb because He healed
my wife."
He said, "Oh, Bartimaeus, thou cannot offer that lamb. " Said, "I'll
give you some money, and you go buy you a lamb, and then offer that
lamb. Buy that at the exchangers at the–out in the courts."
E-67 He said, "Oh, priest, that is good of you. But I never promised God a lamb; I promised Him this lamb."
"I'll bring somebody else. I'll do a good deed." But what about yourself. See?
"I promised God this lamb."
"I
promised God if He'd only show me His Presence, I would believe Him
with all my heart. Not Miss Jones would believe Him, but I'd believe
Him with all my heart." That's it. You see?
"I promised Him not a lamb, but this lamb."
He said, "Bartimaeus, thou cannot give that lamb. That lamb is your eyes."
He said, "If I keep my promise to Jehovah, God will provide a lamb for blind Bartimaeus' eyes."
On this cool spring morning God had provided a Lamb for blind Bartimaeus' eyes. "Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. "
E-68
That same Lamb is provided for every sinner, for every sick. God has
provided a Lamb for our spiritual eyes, and for our physical eyes, for
our physical condition, for our spiritual condition. He's Jehovah-jireh
that has already provided a Lamb for our blindness, that we
might–seeing the world, we might see it no more and look to Him; being
sick, that we–we might know that He is the same yesterday, today, and
forever. Let's bow our heads just a moment for prayer.
Is there a sinner here would like to say, "Brother Branham, remember
me. I–I–I–I cry out, 'O Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
Have mercy on me. I–I–I want to receive my spiritual sight. I want to
see You as You are, the true Son of God. Have mercy on me, Son of
David.'" Would you raise your hands to Him? God bless you. God bless
you. God bless you. Up in the balcony, raise your hand, say, "I want to
see Him, I… O Lamb of God, O Thou Son of David. " God bless you, my
brother, way back up there in the balcony.
E-69
Someone else, some of the young folks? Hear my little story about
little Bartimaeus when he was young. You know, your mother, perhaps,
dedicated you to God too when you were born. See, Bartimaeus finally
fulfilled the commission that God had laid out for him when his mama
dedicated him. May be tonight that your little eyes will come open,
young folks, and you'll see the Lamb of God. "Thou Son of David, have
mercy on me."
Would you raise your hand, someone else? "Have mercy on me, Thou Son of
David." God bless this young girl. God bless this young woman. God
bless this lady setting here. God bless this little boy over here.
"Thou Son of David, have mercy on me." The man over here, yes, God
bless you. Someone else over to my right? "Thou Son of David, have
mercy."
Your faith can touch Him, bring Him right down here to you just the
same as Bartimaeus did. He's not in any… He will stop and leave
heaven to come to this Assembly of God church tonight to show you
mercy, if you'll just have the same faith that Bartimaeus did. "Thou
Son of David, have mercy on me." Would there be another somewhere in
the building that hasn't raised their hand? There's been about ten or
twelve raise up their hands that they wanted to have mercy upon them.
"Thou Son of David. "
E-70
I noticed last night… There's a little girl setting here, looks to be
about ten years old. She raised her hand a few moments ago. She wanted
Jesus. About the age of my little Becky, I guess, at home my little
Rebekah, and I noticed the little girl come up last night, when she
stood at the altar. No more than she'd stood there, she started
speaking with tongues. Someone told me, some of the brethren, that she
was running all over the church, speaking in tongues and singing in
tongues and everything. How the Lord blessed that little child. Get her
when her heart's young and tender, before she's pulled it through old
"True Story" magazines and the filth of the world, got her little heart
all callused. I like to see little ones come. God… You dedicate your
life to Him. He will do something for you too, honey. He sure will.
Someone else now before we pray? "Lord, Thou Son of David, have mercy
on me."
E-71
Our heavenly Father, I give them to Thee. They raised their hands.
They're Your children by faith in Jesus Christ. They know that You're
here, Father. They know that You are the Son of God. They believe now
that because that You spoke to their hearts that they're ready to
receive You as their Saviour, because You had to speak first. "No man
can come to Me," said the Lord Jesus, "'less My Father draws him first.
And all the Father has given Me, will come." And now, Lord, they come
tonight upon the basis of the shed Blood of the Lord Jesus. And as
their priest, or their–or their pastor, or servant, I–I pray, Father.
My prayer of faith goes to You.
And to let them know that they are saved, I'm quoting to You Your Word.
You said, "He that heareth My Word…" I've constantly quoted it for
the last hour or more. "He that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him
that sent Me, hath (present tense) Everlasting Life and shall never
(never) come into the judgment; but's already passed from death to
Life." Father, that's what You said. They raised their hands that they
believed it. And they–they believed it; they've received it. So now I
know that You have given them Eternal Life, and You'll raise them up
again at the last days. You said You would do it. You promised You
would do it, and You're God and You keep all Your promises. Your
promises is yea and amen, so You cannot go back on Your promise.
You–You said You would do it and You promised to do it.
E-72
Now, Father, I pray that You'll give them courage to let them know that
that Spirit that was near them, saying, "Child, you're wrong. You
should receive Me tonight. I'll stop in My great busy schedule and turn
around and say, 'Thy sins are forgiven thee. Go and sin no more.'" As
you have said so many times, You have said it to them tonight, because
they've made their decision.
Now, Father God, I pray that You won't let one of them… I don't
believe that they raised their hands just for the saying of raising
their hands. I believe they were sincere; they really meant it. And now
I commit them to You, and ask that You forgive all their sins. I'm
interceding for them with all my heart, that You will forgive them
their sin, every sinner in here, that You forgive all their sins.
E-73
Father, this little group, I want to meet them there on that great day
of the rapture when we get together, see them come running from nation
to nation, getting together. "We which are alive and remain shall not
hinder them which are asleep." The trumpet shall sound, and the dead
shall rise first, and then we'll meet them, and then be caught up
together with them to meet the Lord in the air, and forever be with
Him. Lord, I know that You said that in–in the book of Thessalonians,
the 5th chapter, and I know it's true. And I'll meet them before we
meet You. So we're so happy for this.
E-74
And we believe now that… I believe with all my heart, that because
they raised their hands, and because that I've prayed and asked and
followed the leading of the Spirit the best that I know how, that they
are forgiven of their sins. Now, they're happy for it, Lord. Now,
there's one more thing You asked them to do. "He that will confess Me
before men, him will I confess before My Father and the holy Angels. "
This will be a night that they'll never forget, these young folks, of
remembering that little Bartimaeus listened to his mother's story, and
know that someday God used him. And this is the hour that You're using
them, using them and taking them into Your Kingdom. The older ones that
raised their hands, they was the ones, perhaps like Bartimaeus later
on, that was blind but received his sight, his spiritual sight. Now,
Father, I pray that You'll let them become Your children tonight, and
will join some good church, and–and be baptized by Christian baptism,
and receive the Holy Ghost. Grant it, Lord.
E-75
Now, with your heads bowed, I'm going to see and ask, you that were
deeply sincere, if you believe me to be God's prophet, or his servant,
rather, if you believe me to be his servant with all your heart, and
you believe that I've quoted you the truth… You heard the Word, "He
that heareth My words (Saint John 5:24) and believeth on Him that sent
Me…" I preached the Word; you believed on God. And you raised up your
hand that you was a sinner, and you did not want to be a sinner any
more. Then God said, "No man can come to Me except My Father draws
him." Then what drawed your hand up? God. You made your decision. All
right. Now, what did He say? "He that comes to Me I will in no wise
cast out." Then you are a Christian, if you really meant that. You
young boys and girls, and you older, in your middle age, and your
teen-age, all of you, you are Christians when you believe it.
E-76
Now, there's one thing yet you have to do. If you really believe that
with all your heart, I'm going to ask you just to stand on your feet,
and say this by standing up… You don't have to say one word, but just
stand up that you might witness to the people that, "I now confess all
my sins, and accept Jesus Christ as my Saviour." Now, you that accept
Him that way, stand up to your feet. What about it, little girl, that
was setting here? You believe He's your Saviour? That's right. Stand
right there, honey. Little boy over here, he's… All right. You in the
back, you up in the balcony, the little boy and girl in the balcony,
fine. Anywhere in the building now that accepted Jesus as your Saviour,
stand up. "He that will testify of Me before men, him that witnesses Me
before men, him will I witness before My Father and the holy…"
Now, there's some of you older people raised your hand. Here's one,
two, three, four, I'm looking at four children standing up on my little
story tonight of Bartimaeus. Now, what about some of you older that
raised your hand? Have you… See how their little hearts are tender?
They–they believe and so they just stand up, stand up to accept Him.
Do you believe they're forgiven? Sure they are. Certainly they are.
E-77
Now, some of the rest of you that wants to accept Him and say, "I'll
publicly make a witness."… The Bible says as many as believed was
added to the church. Do you believe that Jesus forgives your sins
tonight? Stand up to your feet with these children. How many will do it
right now? All right. God bless you. The boy in the wheelchair, this
boy here, this girl here, this lady. That's good. Fine. Someone else
say, "I accept Him right now upon…"
Now, don't–no feeling. "I'm not looking for feeling. I'm looking
because He promised me, 'He that heareth My words, and believeth on Him
that sent Me, has Eternal Life, and shall not come to the judgment; but
is passed from death to Life.'" Upon those basis in your confessed
sins, and recognizing that you are a sinner, and will rise and accept
Him as your Saviour, rise up. One, two, three, four, five, six. Isn't
there one more? One more that I could pray for you before you set down?
Is there one more? Any of you out there in–in the hall that stand? God
bless you, lady. That's wonderful. All right, is there another? God
bless you, sister. All right, is there another? There's seven. That's a
perfect number. Now, let us bow our heads. Just remain standing.
E-78
Our heavenly Father, Your Word cannot fail. It's eternal. You said, "He
that heareth My words, and believeth on Him that sent Me, has
Everlasting Life." You said so, Lord. "And will not come into the
judgment (or condemnation at the judgment), but has passed from death
unto Life," because they have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, that
He died in their stead, taking their sins. And through their
unrighteousness they are made the righteousness of God through Jesus
Christ. There they are, Father. They're the trophies of the message.
They're here. They're your children. Now, I may never be able to shake
their hands in this earth. But, Father God, upon the basis of Your Word
I believe and accept Your Word that You are God, and You cannot lie,
and Your Word is eternal. I claim them for the Gospel. I claim them,
for God's sake through Jesus Christ, remitting all their sins.
And, Father, pray that You'll guide these children unto Eternal Life.
Guide them to the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Baptize them, Father, into
the Spirit and power of the body of Jesus Christ, that they might see
with their own eyes that You are the Son of God. They have believed it
by faith now and accepted it, and upon those basis You said they were
saved. I pray for them and commit them into thy hands, in the Name of
Jesus Christ.
E-79
Now, as you see the people standing (raise your heads), the ones that's
standing I want you to shake their hands as they set down. Up there in
the balcony, there right here, you, any of you Christians near them now
as you're seated, just shake their hand, say, "God bless you." Shake
this little boy's hand here. God bless his little heart there. Some of
you mothers setting there, right here… That's right. God bless you.
God bless you, brother, with the broken foot there. Don't worry, you'll
be all right. I knowed that a couple nights ago, so just don't worry
about that. You're all right. So… Up there in the balcony, all of
you. See? It's all all right. Oh, isn't He wonderful?
"Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me." Say, "Brother Branham, do
you believe that to be the truth?" Why, certainly I believe that to be
the truth. I wouldn't stand here and preach something I did not
believe. I get in trouble all the time by preaching things I do
believe. That's what it is. I… But I believe it because God said so,
and that settles it to me. I believe that such as–that those people,
that little girl, little boys, and these people here called Him from
glory just the same as blind Bartimaeus stopped Him on the road. You
believe that?
E-80
How many of you is sick, raise your hands, the sick and needy. Amen.
How many believes that that same God… I don't know. All right.
I–I… Something struck me then. He's here. The Angel of the Lord that
you see in that picture, God being my judge, at the day of the judgment
you'll find out He's right here now. That's right. The Angel of the
Lord is here.
Somebody somewhere, somewhere is suffering. They've got faith.
Something's moved. Somebody has done something somewhere, or done
something. He wouldn't have come like that and me trying to hold this
to a Gospel service.
You have any prayer cards? You don't. Well, you don't need them. You
don't need them. You have faith and believe. If I've told… You young
converts here, being He's here… All right. Friends, you'll never know
what a feeling that is when He–He strikes you. You know what you're
talking about then. That's right. Yes, you know what you're speaking
of. Oh, I'm just as positive as I can be. You have faith now. Just
believe.
E-81
Sarah set in the tent and she said within herself. She laughed, and the
Angel turned and said, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying within herself that
this couldn't be so?" Is that right? How about the woman that touched
His garment and He looked? Don't you believe He's that same High Priest
tonight? And you young converts, I want to prove to you that that One
that you touched… Sister honey here, you and the young–the sister
setting here, and the brother, the little boy, and that little boy and
girl setting over there, I want to show you that it was the same Lord
Jesus that made the promise. Oh, my. Oh, I wish I could feel this way
all the time. Right. Have faith in God. Pray, all of you. Just be in
prayer.
E-82
I'm going to turn my back to you. What that Angel of the Lord did? To
show you we're in the days of Sodom, and show you we're at the last
days, that this country here is a modern Sodom, to show you that the
Angel of the Lord is still the Angel of the Lord… Now, you have no
prayer cards, so we won't have no prayer line. But you don't have to
have prayer cards. The only thing I ask you to do is believe that I've
told you the truth, the Gospel truth, and it's God.
I'll look at these ministers back here. You believe this, brethren?
With all your heart? You believe the Gospel I've been preaching is the
truth? God bless your hearts. There's an awful good feeling behind me,
faith of you brethren. A lot of times this week I've chopped and cut
and everything else. I don't want you to think I've hurt you. I love
you. You're my brothers. But you yourselves know that the church is
moving away. We got to bring it back, bring it back. We've got to bring
it back.
E-83
Now, here it is. There's a woman before me. I'm looking right at her.
Somebody out there is touching the High Priest. I see what she looks
like here. Just a minute. Somebody touched Him, just the same as the
woman touched our Lord Jesus. That's what this woman done, and I'm just
acting in His place. You see?…?… Are you understanding? Now, it'll
be… I'll catch it just a moment. There's… It comes from… Now,
somebody touched Him. Each one of you is praying. Believe now with all
your heart. Set real quiet; believe.
Yes, sir. It's a lady sitting right over there in a corner. Yes, that's
right. You have a prayer card… No, I know you don't have a prayer
card. I don't know you; God does know you. See, I want all of you look
this way. Can't you see that Light hanging over the woman there? See
that–that little–just right above her. See that mystic looking Light
hanging right above her there? Now, watch, It's opening up. The woman
has been examined by a doctor of some sort, and they told her she had a
growth, some sort of a… She's pending an operation, but she won't
receive the operation. She's trying to trust the Lord for her healing.
If that's right, raise up your hand, lady.
E-84
Now, you young converts… That lady setting right next to her there,
she seemed to be a… That Light moved right over to that lady setting
right by her. There It is again. I thought It went back to the lady,
but It went to that lady. She's a believer, a Christian believer. She's
got some kind of a–like an allergy, a breaking out on her hands.
That's right. I don't know you, do I, lady? You don't have any prayer
card, of course. Do you believe that you're going to get well? You
believe that was God? You–you believe that, that–that I can tell you
what you was praying about? You believe that? By God… (Keep quiet,
keep quiet, set down, please.) You believe? Mrs. Bossler, you believe
now that you're going to be made well? God bless you. That's who you
are, isn't it?
E-85
What about you, little fellow, setting right here? Here It is right
here to you. You believe? I see you're kind of stooped in your
shoulders, like that. But there's something else besides that's wrong
with you. If God will tell me what's wrong with you, will you believe
me to be His prophet, His servant? It's a stomach trouble you're
suffering with. That's THUS SAITH THE LORD. That's right. Not a ulcer,
you're just nervous and upset in your stomach, is what's doing it.
That's exactly. If you believe with all your heart…
E-86
You believe? Now, be real reverent. Don't move. You see, each time you
move that–that–that does something. You see? Be reverent. What about
somebody this direction here? It's come over here, now It's go over
here. You believe? When we get three or four, say–say something. Have
faith; don't doubt. I just have to watch wherever I… I wish I could
just say this or that. I can't. I just have to watch. Faith is so
unconscious to people…
Little lady setting right there looking at me. No, right behind you,
sister, right… Yeah. Got trouble with your eyes. That's right.
You–you believe He will heal you of that? If you don't, you'll lose
your sight. It's getting dimmer all the time. You just believe with all
your heart. You believe God can tell me who you are? You know I don't
know you. Mrs. Johnson, you can go home and be well…?…
E-87
The lady setting right next to her, you had to get up and go away a few
minutes ago. Satan tried his best to rob you from this. You believe God
can tell me about your trouble? Would you accept me as His prophet, or
His servant? You believe that with all your heart? I don't know you. I
never seen you in my life, but you really got a contact with God right
now. Right. You're very seriously ill. That's right. It's a gall
bladder condition. That is right. Another thing, you have enlarged
heart. That's exactly right. Mrs. Miller, raise up your hand if that's
right. Go, receive your healing. Jesus Christ makes you whole.
E-88
I challenge you to believe that. I–I just–I just ask you to believe
it. All right. Have faith in God. Do you believe Him? "Jesus, Thou Son
of David, have mercy on me." Do you believe Him with all your heart?
Then hear me, listen. How many believers is here, raise your hand. All
right, if you're a believer… Now, put your hand down. Every one of
you is believers. How many are sick, raise your hands. All right,
believers, lay your hands on one another. I'll quote the same Word.
"These signs shall follow them that believe." This is it. Do you
believe it? Now, you pray for somebody. You lay your hands on somebody
by you, around you, up there in the balcony. Yes, believe.
That lady setting out there in the middle there, suffering with that
nervous condition…?… All right…?… I don't know you, never seen
you in my life. Is that right? You been nervous, have for years. Christ
heals you, makes you well.
Way up there in the balcony. Amen. He heals every one of you if you'll
believe it. Now, pray for one another. Lay your hands on each other.
E-89
Heavenly Father, the faith of this people brought the Lord Jesus Christ
in the form of the Holy Ghost back into their midst tonight, saving the
lost and healing the sick. O Lord, they are believers. They got their
hands on one another. They believe that You are the same yesterday,
today, and forever, and the same God. "O Jesus, Thou Son of David,"
they're screaming out. May the power that raised up Jesus from the
grave raise them to their feet from the testimony, shouting and
praising the glory of God. May they stand like Bartimaeus, looking at
their hands until they see that the power of God has healed them. Grant
it, Lord.
E-90
Keep praying, keep praying, just keep praying. O Lord, there's only one
thing could keep a spontaneous healing service, and that would be
unbelief. I've noticed around over the crowd as I look out through
here, Lord, see that little streak of dark trying to hold back that
glorious Light yonder that's circling around, trying to find its way
down through that darkness to touch somebody. O Father God, give me
strength, give me faith. May the people understand that You have
proved, Lord, that I'm telling them the truth. You said when You was
here on earth, "If I do not the works of My Father, then believe Me
not." If I do not the works of my Saviour, then may they believe me
not. But Lord, You are doing the same works that You did when You were
here on earth. O Father, I pray now that they do believe in a portion.
Give me faith to break that blackness from over them, Lord, that that
power and light of God might fall upon every soul in here, that it
might heal every one of them.
Satan, you're exposed. Why, you're a devil, and you're trying to hold
this group of people. I challenge you in the Name of Jesus Christ, come
out of them people and leave them alone.
Shalom, i am blessed in this sermon, the sixth sense (faith) will never fail me even if d others fail.