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Influence
E-1 Our heavenly Father, we are indeed grateful this afternoon for
this, another privilege to stand in the pulpit to proclaim the
unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ to a dying world that's without
God, without Christ, without hope--no hope of going with Jesus when He
comes. And we're trying, Lord, to present Jesus Christ to the nations.
And while we're assembled here this afternoon, may the Holy Spirit
speak, and warm our hearts, and encourage us in the way. May the sick
be healed and the sinners be saved, and those who are discouraged be
encouraged. May God receive all the glory and the honor. May it be
given to His Name, for that's our purpose, for we ask it in Jesus'
Name. Amen. May be seated.
E-2 I am happy this afternoon to stand here again at Beaumont. I'm
usually tired. I been going since Christmas straight. It isn't so much
the preaching that I do that makes me tired; it's the visions that make
me tired. Our Lord... One caused Him to turn around, say His strength
had left Him. One vision upon the prophet Daniel, he said he was
troubled at his head for many days. And so we can't explain those
things; we just know they are so. And no one knows any better than
those it happened to. And so we are happy though.
What I'm trying to do is use a prophetic gift for an evangelistic work.
It just doesn't work that way right. It's too hard. So--but I want to
say this when I come to the end of the road, and when this city here
rises up, and if the--this generation in the last days, I--I don't want
any man's blood upon me. I want to be free from all the blood. And I've
tried my best to--to present it in a Scriptural way, this ministry that
the Lord has given me, in every way that I know how. And--and I know
the Holy Spirit by his grace lets me live so that I don't think there's
been any marks.
E-3 I'm grateful to Brother Pearry Green and to these brethren here
that's put forth their efforts to make this meeting a success. If
there's anybody lost in this city in this generation, it certainly
won't be upon them fellows, because they have turned every stone to try
to make it a success: feeding the people, getting them places to sleep,
and--and on television everywhere, just taking the money right out of
their own pockets and placing it right out so that... They know that
the--the--the crowds that we have wouldn't be able to support such as
that. And so they taken out of their own pockets to do it.
So I think that's wonderful, somebody with a vision like that. I
believe it was said over in Hebrews the 11th chapter, "of whom the
world is not worthy," and to stick their neck out in a time that when
the--the ministry's so unpopular amongst too many of the people that
should believe it. Those who it's been talked about. But when something
happens, then they fail to see it.
E-4 But it's just got to be that way. You have to just straighten up
your shoulders and walk on. To know that... Remember, before you it was
the same thing. They marched right down the road the same way. The
people has never knowed their hour of visitation. None of the prophets
was ever known. Jesus said, "You put them in the tombs. You garnish
their tombs now; you're the ones that put them in there. Which one did
God send that you didn't persecute and slay?"
Let's take it from then on out. Come down through Martin Luther and
down through, well, Irenaeus, and St. Martin, and all down through the
ages. It's been the same way even to Jonah--Joan of Arc, a prophetess
of the Lord. You Catholic people, when that woman would see visions and
so forth, and tell them, they'd come to pass just as she said. What did
you do? You burned her to the stake for a witch. About two hundred
years later you woke up and found out what you'd done. 'Course, they
done penance. They dug up the bodies of those priests that had her
burned and throwed them in the river. That's a great penance to do.
They failed.
E-5 They said St. Patrick was a Roman Catholic. Anybody that knows
history knows that's wrong. He absolutely firmly disagreed with the
pope, never would go to see him. He--he wouldn't believe it at all.
Sucat was his name. It wasn't St. Patrick. But after he was dead and
gone, and you killed thousands of his children in schools... He
wouldn't permit a crucifix, nor nothing, to be in his schools.
It still stands up in Northern Ireland today, the same thing. He--he
wouldn't let that enter into his schools. Said the people would be
looking at images instead of what he wants them to see. He had the
power of the Holy Ghost. He spoke with tongues. He had great miracles
and signs. Why don't the church preach that today? See? And all those
people, they are never know them till they're gone, passed on. Then we
try to build their tombs.
E-6 It's truly that we're living in... The church is always living in a
glare of a light of another day. And there are glares of false light.
What is a glare? It's like a mirage on the road. The sun shines down
and it makes a mirage and it looks like water. But it may... You never
can get to it. It's not there. That's the way the people does today.
They're promising something that's going to be way off, or something
was way back there, way up here, but they never get to it.
I'm so thankful that our God's not a God like that. He's the same
yesterday, today, and forever. We get to it when we believe it. It's
right there, everything that's promised for the age. Makes it hard, but
yet I--we must go right on just the same: believing.
E-7 And I certainly appreciate your all's fine cooperation while here
in the city. I was here many years ago with my old friend Brother
Bosworth, and Raymond Richey, and many of the brethren come over here.
I still believe the same Gospel. I haven't changed one bit: just still
the same thing.
But you see, the revival was going on then. And where there's no
revival you just can't get things done. The ministry's far more
advanced. It was only telling you then this would come. How many
remembers that? Sure you do. And it come just exactly like it said it
would.
Then I'd take the people and lay my hands upon them. I told you what He
told me, and that's just the way it happened; it just exactly. It's
never failed to be the truth, each and every time. So it has to come
from God. No one could doubt that.
E-8 But you see, the revival's not on. Just your presence to walk in
with the people, why, the people'd get up out of cots and stretchers
and walk around. Just lay your hands on them and, my, that just sent
them whirling. I've seen lines where there'd be four and five hundred
people come through the lines deaf, dumb, blind, cross-eyed. Not one of
them failed, but what was healed, every one of them. Try it today. See?
There's no fire.
In Rome when the fires went out in the temple at Vesta, the people went
home. See? Now there's no revival fire to back it up. That's just it.
After while, if the world stands, they'll start living in the glare
again. See? That's the way it all ends. It's done passed over and
missed them. And that generation's to be judged for what passed over
them. They failed to see it. Jesus Christ is alive this afternoon. He's
walking around here with us now. He is ever present. "Wherever two or
three are assembled in My Name, I am in their midst." Believe that,
won't you?
E-9 I hope, if the Lord tarries, I get to come back and be with you
sometime again. If I never see you again, when I meet you there at the
judgment seat of Christ where we'll all meet, remember I've told you
the truth. I'll still be saying that when I meet you there. Until then,
may the Lord bless you richly. Pray for me; I need your prayers. I'm
not as young as I was then. That's about twelve, fourteen years ago.
And somebody asked me the other day, said, "How old are you, Brother
Branham?"
I said, "Just past twenty-five." I said, "Twenty-five years ago I--I
passed it."
And I... You don't... You--you can tell it. A man only... When you are
born you start growing--like a candle or--burns, you're lit. But you
grow until you're about twenty-two, twenty-three. I don't care how well
you take of yourself, you start dying right there. And you keep getting
lower and lower till it burns out.
I asked in the Kiwanis one day when I was speaking; I said, "I want
somebody..." A doctor told me, he said, "I cannot believe the story of
Christ, because I can't believe the virgin birth." He said, "I don't
believe there is such a thing."
I said, "The natural birth's more mysterious to me than the virgin
birth." The natural birth, to see how it happens and how it's
decided... When that pollen... Which egg, when there's thousands of
germs and thousands of eggs? Not... The first two meets, that settles
it.
But maybe you say, "Well, the two in front." Oh, no. It'll stand. One
may be raised up, the germ from the very back of the sperm on this
side, and the middle one of the egg it decides whether it's going to be
a girl or a boy, blackheaded, redheaded, blue eyes, or whatever it's
going to be; something makes that decision. The rest of them's done
away with.
E-10 It's so mysterious to see the work of God. And then to see people,
with the little finite mind like we are, try to deny His great work.
This fellow said to me, well, he couldn't believe anything that
couldn't be scientifically proved.
I said, "Do you believe you've got a soul?"
He said, "Sure."
I said, "Then scientifically prove me you got one." I said, "Do
you--you believe there's such a thing as love?"
He said, "Sure."
I said, "You love your wife?"
"Yeah."
I said, "Then you show me scientifically what part of you is love. I
want to buy some. I'll go to the drug store where they sell it. I need
a whole lot of it. I'd like to buy some love."
See? The... All the whole armor of God is supernatural: love, joy,
peace, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, patience, in the Holy
Ghost. See? Every armor of the believer is looking at the unseen,
believing what is said. See? You don't see what you believe. See? You
don't--you don't see it anyhow. You look it with your eyes; you see
with your heart. See? You look at anything, say, "I just don't see it."
You mean you don't understand it. See?
E-11 So I asked him this, I said, "If I had a jug of water and I set a
glass here, and I'm pouring water out of this jug into the glass and it
gets half full, and then I just keep pouring water and then it starts
going down, scientifically, tell me where the water's going." See, see?
I said, "When I was a little boy sixteen years old, I eat the same food
I eat right now: beans, bread, potatoes, meat." I said, "Every time I
eat, what did it do? It built blood cells. I got bigger and stronger
all the time. And when I got about twenty-two... I eat more and better
now than I did then, 'cause I didn't have it then to eat. But I eat
more and better than I did."
Now, and I'm getting older and weaker, and yet that food builds blood
cells. I'm adding new life all the time, and going down all the time.
It's an appointment; we're going to keep it. That's with God; that's
right. We're going to... You can't scientifically prove God; you just
believe God. And you believe Him according to His Word.
E-12 Now, this afternoon I want to thank each and every one of you, the
nice little sister there on the--on the piano, this one over here, and
all you people, ministers, every one of you. Lord bless you.
The night won't get too dark, or the rain wouldn't fall too hard but
what I'd help you if I could. I used to say I could come to you, but
there's too many now. I've been over the world (See?), and it's
everywhere. Just give me a ring, or write me a letter; I'll send you a
prayer cloth, anything I can do. Everything absolutely free, there's no
money in this. See? I kept my meetings like this so I could come where
they haven't got any money.
I held a meeting here not long ago in a--a tabernacle that only held
twenty people, a two nights' meeting. It was awful, down about ten
below zero. But the Lord sent me there and great things happened. I
don't have--I don't have no big programs, radio, television, all this
other stuff. Other brothers have that. There's maybe intelligent,
intellectual men, they know what to do, and the Lord's granting it,
like Oral Roberts and men like that, who have to have thousands of
dollars a day. He can't operate no other way, and that's for a good
cause.
And that isn't mine. I wanted mine to stay little and humble. Wherever
I can go, and wherever God calls me, I have nothing to hold me then. I
just take off and go, wherever it is. That's my ministry. Pray for me
that the Lord will help me to keep the faith and not look back: look
forward to where I'm going, not look where I've been, look where I'm
going. Forgetting those things that are in the past, we press towards
the mark of the high calling in Christ.
E-13 I want to read some out of God's Bible today. Chose just a little
text, 'cause I told you I'd come down and pray for the sick this
afternoon. All those holding prayer cards, and those who want to be
prayed for, would be... We'll do that. And I always try to keep my
promise.
Now, somebody, when you say that, said, "Well, you promised to be in a
certain place." I wouldn't doubt but what there's four or five places
in the United States right here I'm supposed to be today, where
somebody said I'd be there. I never said I'd be there, but they say it
(You see?), put it in the paper. They call home all the time. "Well,
what's the matter?", say to the wife, or some of the office force.
"Why, he's supposed to be here. They advertised him here. The
advertisement is in the paper." I didn't even know nothing about it. I
can't help that. I'm only responsible for what I say myself.
E-14 So now, this afternoon I want us all again, if we will, stand for
the reading of the Word. We're going to try to get out within about one
more hour, the Lord willing, so you can be fresh to go to church
tonight. The reason we have these meetings on Sunday afternoon, so we
won't rob anybody from their churches. The people that wants to be
prayed for here, the sick and the afflicted, why, we always get to pray
for them; then it don't interrupt your service. No matter...
There's many times there's men I don't dis--I disagree with, they
disagree with me. But if it can't be upon tolerance, and upon the
thoughts of better fellowship and things, then I--I won't say nothing
about it. If I can disagree with the man ever so much, if I can't put
my arm around him and from my heart know he's my brother, then I
oughtn't to be talking to him. That's right. We've got to do that.
E-15 Now, you that wants to turn in your Bibles, turn to Isaiah the 6th
chapter. I want to read from there this afternoon for the closing
service, take a text.
In the year that... Uzziah died I saw also the Lord setting upon a
throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
Above it stood the seraphims: each... had six wings; with twain he
covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he
did fly.
And one cried unto the other, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord
God of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the
house was filled with smoke.
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean
lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for my eyes
have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand,
which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this has touched thy lips;
and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is purged.
Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and whom
will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
E-16 Let us bow our heads. Most gracious Lord, take these words, and
may the meditation of our heart now be acceptable unto Thee. May the
great Holy Spirit move into the lips of the speaker and the ears of the
hearer, that together it might bring honor to Thy Name through Thy
Word, for we ask it for the glory of God. Amen. You may be seated.
E-17 I'm going to watch now what--so we can have plenty of time for the
prayer service. Now, listen close as I try, with these few Scriptures
and notes that I have wrote down here, to speak it. Sometimes when I'm
not tired and worn out, I never write down a Scripture note; I can
remember it. But lately it's just been so... I just... Sometimes I
for... I can't think of it, so I just jot it down here a little
something, like a certain Scripture. I know what that means, and I just
go from there on.
Now, I want to speak on the subject of "Influence." Now, you know,
there's somebody that you're influencing. Your life is a written
epistle read of all men. Therefore, if your life isn't according to
your testimony, or your testimony according to your life, rather, then
there's--you're putting a stumbling block in somebody's way, for
somebody is watching you. Some little child is watching his mother,
watching his dad.
E-18 Here some years ago I read a little article around Christmas that
was--sure did warm my heart with grief. When... A fellow had been out,
and was a good man. He didn't--he didn't drink, really, but he'd been
out around Christmas and visiting his colleagues. And they all said to
him, said, "John, have a little, just a little drink." And from house
to house, he--he got too much, and he had to go back home.
And crossing the park, his little boy was with him. And he missed the
little boy and turned around and looked. And the little boy was just
going from one side to another. And the dad waited until the little boy
got to him; he said, "Why are you going all over the park, son? What
makes you walk like that?"
He said, "Daddy, I'm trying to walk in your footsteps." That's right.
See? The little... The man picked up the little boy and set down, took
the little fellow in his arms, and said, "God, you forgive me. I want
to walk straight so my son behind me will walk straight." That's what
we want to do as Christians. We want to walk like Christians, live like
Christians, talk like Christians.
E-19 Many years ago when they used to have slavery in the south
they--down in Kentucky, and Alabama, and down where I come from, they
used to take the colored and auction them off at the--at the auction
block, just like you'd have used cars or something. I believe no man's
to be a slave. God made man, and man made slaves. And they used to come
by and buy them, just like you would buy a used car--get a bill of
sales and so forth. That's a terrible thing.
So they... One day there was a buyer come by to--a broker, to an old
plantation that had many slaves. And he said, "How many slaves you got?"
"Oh," he said, "around a hundred and fifty out there, I guess."
Said, "Could I go out and look over them?"
He said, "Sure. Help yourself." So he went out to look over the--the
slaves and when he looked around he noticed them fellows--always they
were sad. They... The Boers brought them over from Africa and unloaded
them in Cuba out there, and then sent them over here in the south and
sold them for slaves.
And they knowed they'd never go back home. They knowed they'd never see
their father and mother no more, or their children, husbands, wives,
and so forth. They were--they were a victim of circumstances they
didn't make themselves. And here they was, away from home and sad. And
sometimes they'd have to take whips and whip them, just like you--they
do beasts, cattle, and ox, and horses and things. And then, they--they
make them work.
E-20 And this--they noticed... This young broker noticed there was one
of those young slaves, they didn't have to whip him. My, he had his
chin up, his shoulders back, and he was really right on the mark all
the time. They didn't have to be doing anything to him; he would--had
the job done. So the owner of the slaves said... The broker said to the
owner, said, "I'd like to buy that slave."
He said, "Oh, no." Said, "He's not for sale."
He said, "But why ain't he for sale?"
He said, "What... you..." Said, "What do you... What makes him that
way?" Said, "Is he the boss over the rest of them?"
Said, "Oh, no. He's a slave."
He said, "Do you feed him different than you do the rest of them?"
He said, "No, they all eat out in the galley together." Said, "He's
just a slave."
He said, "Well, what makes him act different than the rest of them?"
He said, "You know, I often wondered that too, till I found out that
over in the homeland in Africa where they come from, his father is the
king of the tribe. And yet he's an alien far from home, but he knows
he's the son of a king and he acts like it."
Oh, my. What ought Christians to do? We're sons and daughters of the
King. Though we are an alien, let's act like sons and daughters. Women,
let your hair grow out. Quit wearing them clothes that you wear,
immoral and things. Men, get back to where men ought to be. Don't...
Act like sons and daughters of God. You're an alien here, but remember,
we're sons of the King. See the influence that man had upon the rest of
them, His morale kept the rest of them's hopes high.
E-21 We find out that this King Uzziah was a shepherd boy in the days
of Isaiah the prophet. Isaiah was a prophet. Prophets are born. They
just... Not laying their hands on them and make them prophets, they're
born foreordained of God. Gifts and callings are without repentance.
There's a gift of prophecy in the church, and it must be judged by
three people before the voice should ever be heard amongst the
congregation. But that's just a gift of prophecy. But a prophet is
absolutely ordained with THUS SAITH THE LORD from childhood up.
And Isaiah was a prophet of the Lord. And he'd been taken to the
temple, and he'd... This Uzziah, this young shepherd boy, was a--a
great influence upon this young prophet, because Uzziah... In II
Chronicles 26, tells us that he became king of Israel when he was just
sixteen years old. His father Amaziah died, and he took his place to
rule, as it was the custom that the--the son succeeded the--the king.
And they took and made him king when he was just sixteen years old.
And had... His father Uzziah--Uzziah was--was--was a great man. A, he
was a--a--a godly man. And having this godly parent, it made him do the
thing that was right, because he was influenced by his father. See?
Today how can you expect but what we ain't going to have more Oswalds
and Jack Rubys? Look at...
E-22 I left my motel awhile ago. And such a drunken mess of a bunch of
Californians out there, laying out there, them women stripped naked out
on that--out there with just a little bit of strap around them, or
something or other, out there, and men drinking whiskey on--on ice and
stuff, and carrying on, falling around the pools, how can you expect
their children, young ones there in the yard playing around, be
anything but an Oswald or something like that? It's the influence
that's put before them.
Oh, America's rotten to the core. She's going to reap what she sowed. A
just God cannot let her get by with anything else. You say, "Are
you?..." I... Certainly I'm American. On the fields in Germany and
Japan there's American graves marked all--all through there of my
people, Branham. And if I had to go I'd give my life for it.
E-23 But let me tell you something; we need a stirring, this nation
does. The things that we once had, we've lost. And we're trying to live
upon a reputation of what somebody else done. We'll reap for it. God
made Israel, a people after His own heart, He made them reap, and we'll
reap too, for what we're doing. We have nothing else in front of us but
reaping. We've crossed the line of grace and mercy, and nothing else
left but a reaping.
Mark that in your Bibles. I'm an old man, but you mark that down and
find out whether that isn't true or not. And maybe when I'm gone, and
on and on, you'll find out that those words are true. We're going to
get it. We're weighed in the balance and found wanting, and there's no
way out. Right. We've done crossed that line. You've got to reap what
you sow, every time.
E-24 So this young fellow was such an influence upon this... The young
king was an influence on--on the young prophet. And he leaned upon the
arm of this prophet because that he--he knowed he was a prophet. And he
had him right with him all the time, and to--to draw his influence from
his visions and so forth, from God, to know how to conduct his kingdom.
And it made him a great man. He ignored the politics of that day and
the popular opinions, and served God with a true heart.
That's the kind of a president we need. That's the kind of a leader we
need over the people of any nation anywhere. His kingdom was next to
Solomon's. There was nothing... God just blessed him and held back no
blessing, because he served Him. And this was a great help to young
Isaiah, because that he seen how God would bless them that was true to
His Word, no matter how difficult it was, stay true to that Word. And
it's a example today also to us to stay true to the Word. And it had a
great influence upon him.
E-25 Now, he planted vineyards, and he was a herdsman, and he had all
kinds of herds and vineyards. If you want to read in II Chronicles 26
there, and different places of the Scripture that it speaks of--of
Uzziah; he was a great man. He loved the outdoors, and such a fine
fellow. God blessed everything he done. It just prospered and went
right on. And no nations bothered him, they was afraid of him, and
because he served the Lord God that was with him. Not because they was
afraid of his military force, but was afraid of the God that he served.
That ought to be our memorial. "Our God we trust," it says on our
dollars. But I wonder sometimes.
Now, but this all happened. And it shows here an example I'd like to
draw from this this afternoon to show that how God can bless a man and
make him a great man. But you know, when this king got--felt secure,
felt to a place that--that he was just absolutely anchored, and there
was no way for him to ever fall, got lifted up in pride, that's when he
took his tumble. That's when any man will take his tumble.
E-26 I think that's what's the matter with a lot of our peoples today.
We get lifted up. I think that's what causes organizations to do what
they do. They get a better class of what they call a more intellectual,
better class of people, they think. Men, their schol... their all their
ministers with high school and college educations, two or three years
of psychology, give them mental tests, and brain waves, and everything,
to see if they fit the case, and sometimes know no more about God than
a rabbit does about snowshoes. That's right. Right.
That mental has nothing to do with it. It's the power of the Holy
Ghost. It's not in your mind; it's in your heart. Right. But, see, we
get... Then they get lifted up. "Our... We go to the best church in
town. We belong to the First Church. We belong to where the mayor goes.
We belong to this, and all these things there." See what it is?
Then the people just simply can't stand to hear that. They just think
that you're just--just a terrible person. But what it is, there's no
place for the seed to anchor. There's nothing for it to lay on. It just
rots. It'll never take hold. The birds fly around, pick it up, the
Bible said.
E-27 But when this king got lifted up and felt secure, he got lifted up
in pride. I notice a lot of times we find even people, evangelist get
to a spot where many of them has been accused of things. And maybe some
of it's true, of drinking and so forth.
What it is, I think, they build a little kingdom around them, and think
them people love them so well there's no way at all for that... Them
people can just do anything they want to, and those people overlook it.
The people might, but what about God? That's where we fail to see it's
God is the One doing the looking. See? God knows it. When you see Truth
and Light and reject It, God knows what you've done. You'll never go no
further till you come right back to that spot again. You can't cross
over that. You've got to come right back to where you left off.
E-28 He got so lifted up into his mind, and--and got so self-secure and
everything, so much that he tried to take a minister's place. He tried
to go in and offer incense (as we know in the Bible), to burn incense,
which was only for a Levite to do it, a priest that was anointed for
that job; he tried to take his place. And here we have an influence of
this king to let people know that... This carnal impersonation of each
other today, it's not of the Lord. You're not ordained to such things.
You'll never take another man's place, and another man can't take your
place. Find where your place is and abide there.
See, he thought, "Well now, I... Bless God, I'm a king and the Lord's
been good to me. I can do this. I've got this. This is my ministry."
And come to find out that in his going on like that, and tried to go
over, and step over what God was blessing him at...
E-29 If you're a good lay member, be a good lay member. If--if you're a
good housewife, and God's blessed you as a housewife and made you loyal
and true, sister, you just continue to be that. Don't get thinking
you're--God called you to be a preacher, or--or a deacon, or something
else. And you do the same, men. Wherever God has blessed you, there
abide, 'cause that's where He's set you at. You do just what He tells
you to do, and see where He blesses you. But don't ever try to step in.
That's the--that's the grass roots of Pentecost. When Mrs. McPherson...
As I was reading her book... I didn't... I wasn't a minister in her
days. And they said when she'd walk out on the platform with these like
wings, you know, or you know, kind of a robe like that, every lady
preacher wore the same thing. Every one of them carried a Bible same
way Mrs. McPherson. Did you ever listen to these radio programs? Every
fellow, "Lord bless you real good, fellow,"--a Billy Graham. It's
carnal impersonation.
E-30 I was reading the--the history of Martin Luther. And the history
said it wasn't so much of a mystery that Martin Luther could protest
the Catholic church and get by with it, but to hold his head above all
the fanaticism that followed his revival. That's right. Hold yourself
clean and clear to your calling. Stay with God's Word and don't move
for nothing. Just stay, abide, in your calling. If He give you a job
out there as a farmer, farm good. God bless you at it, and pay your
tithes and whatever it is, your offerings to help the ministry go on.
If he made a mechanic out of you, He's blessed you in that work, stay
with it and thank Him for it. You just abide where God calls you.
E-31 We find here an influence. And then when he was--tried to be
corrected... The minister run after him and said, "Say, wait a minute.
You wasn't called for that." Oh, did he get angry? Why, he was ready to
have his head cut off. See, there's another thing we have to know. No
matter how much God's blessed you, you haven't got no right to rebuke
the anointed of the Lord, or say anything against them. Right. God is
the one to take care of that. If they need any rebuking, that's His
children. You let them alone. You're not supposed to do that. See?
And when you tell people of their sins and tell them they're doing
wrong, "Come out. Don't just try to get to heaven on an organizational
system," or something, my, goodness, they'll want to blow up. They'll
want to find fault with you. They won't--they won't even set and listen
at you, get up and go out, and ill-mannered, and just act any way. You
see, that goes to show, the first place, poor raising, home manners.
Certainly does.
E-32 But we find out that this guy taking this attitude, and doing the
thing he did, what happened to him? The Lord struck him with leprosy
right there in the building. And what's leprosy a type of? Sin,
unbelief. There's no other sin but unbelief. He that believeth not is
condemned already. And sin is the only unbelief there is.
I was preaching one time in a Methodist church, and I said, "Smoking
cigarettes is not a sin. Committing adultery's not a sin. Taking the
Lord's Name is not sin."
Too much for one sister, she raised up and said, "Pray tell me,
Reverend Branham, what is sin?"
I said, "Unbelief. You do those things because you do not believe."
That's exactly. The reason you refuse to walk in the light of the Word
is because you disbelieve the Word. That makes you an unbeliever.
E-33 Fellow said to me, said, "I wouldn't care how many cases you could
show, and how many cases the doctor could show of different healings,"
said, "I do not believe in healing. It's not so."
I said, "Certainly. It wasn't sent to unbelievers. It was only sent to
those who believe. It's only for believers."
He said, "He that believeth, all things are possible," not him that
unbelieveth. One speck of unbelief against the Word of God and you'll
stay out of the Kingdom of heaven. It took Eve out. It caused all this
trouble--once... Just to pervert the Word, just a little bit... You've
got to stay straight with It, what It says.
E-34 Now, we find out this man got all haughty, and puffed up, and his
face got red, and he'd turn around, and tell them priests. And first
thing you know, he broke out with leprosy. Right there, in his rage he
was smitten. He never did get over it. Why? Disbelieving the Word of
God that was trying to be told to him. There's a real example in that.
Notice.
He was... He disbelieved, and in his anger he was smitten with leprosy
and died out in his own home, was never permitted to the kingdom
anymore, the king's place. His son had to take his place, and--and help
the best he could. And he was left like that until he died. Now, you
see, he never did recover. Jesus said one word against It will never be
forgiven--the Word--neither in this world or the world that is to come.
It's unpardonable.
E-35 So you see why the world is ready for judgment? The great
evangelists, and things has covered the earth with the Gospel, been
laughed at, made fun of, everything else. There's nothing left. There's
no way for it to ever come back. They've blasphemed the Holy Ghost, and
made fun of It, and everything else, and they... And there--there's no
way for it to ever come back. It's got to be paid for. There's no way
out of it. God's just. It would be against His justice, be against
His--His--His Being, what He is. And now, it's got to be paid for.
E-36 So this king--no matter how much God loved him, what a great man
he was, how much degrees he had, yet he done wrong, and he had to reap
what he sowed. And every man will have to do it.
Then was a lesson to the young prophet. Then was the real lesson. By
this Isaiah learned that God orders His man to his place Himself, not
what somebody else orders. God orders His man to the job, now, orders
him to his place. He must not try to take another's place. The vision,
the thing was so great until it drove this prophet to the temple to
pray.
I wonder, today--if we would see the death of the churches, to see
the--the dying out of the people from the Spirit, going on back and
serving their creeds, if it oughtn't to drive believers to their knees.
It made a real believer, a ordained believer, Isaiah the prophet, go to
his knees.
He went to the temple and there he begin to pray. And in the temple he
saw God on His throne, lifted way up high. God was going to show him
what to look at, not look at one another, look up there to what He is,
go up... He lifted up high on His throne.
E-37 Note the heavenly Seraphims with coverings over their faces. Now,
the Seraphims is the burners of the sacrifice, which is one of the
highest orders of angels. They're next to the cherubims. There is
angels, and then Seraphims, and then cherubims. And Seraphims is
actually the burner of the sacrifice, making the way for the sinners'
approach, a real high order of holiness in the temple of God.
And he saw... when he was down on the floor at the altar praying,
"Lord, I'm a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among unclean people,"
and he was making this confession. And when he did, he looked up, and
he saw these Seraphims. They had two wings over their faces, and two
wings over their feet, and were flying with two wings, crying, "Holy,
holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. Holy, holy, holy..." All of God is
holy. "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty."
E-38 Let's look at the vision the prophet saw and break it down. Two
wings covered their faces. Think of it. Even holy Angels had to hide
their sinless faces to stand in the Presence of God: was given wings to
hide their face in the Presence of the holy God. How are you and I
going to stand there if the Seraphims had to use wings (God's provided
way) to hide their face, to stand in His Presence, to sing, "Holy,
holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty": reverence in His Presence?
Now we don't have any reverence to God. Everybody just thinks he's so
secure till they--they--they don't--they don't reverence God like they
should. Why? Why do they do this? Because they're not conscious of His
Presence. That's the reason people do that. They--they don't recognize
it. They can't--they can't comprehend that they're in the Presence of
God.
Their minds become so perverted and taken up in the things of the world
till they don't even pay any attention to it. They go to church, sure.
But to realize that you're in the Presence of God... Not only in a
church, wherever you are, you're in the Presence of God. If they could
do as David said, "I put the Lord always before My face. Therefore, I
shall not be moved." As long as the Lord was before him, he could not
be moved.
And these heavenly sacrifice burners, with wings over their faces, and
crying, "Holy, holy, holy," to stand in the Presence of God, what will
happen to a sinful people that won't reverence God?
E-39 You say, "Well, Brother Branham, you just said they were provided
with two wings."
And you're provided with something too, the Blood of Jesus Christ.
That's your covering is. You don't stand as a Seraphim; you don't stand
as a Cherubim; you don't stand as an Angel; but you stand as a redeemed
son or daughter of God by this Blood. You don't have to have these
wings that they had. They're special covering for them in that
Presence. But you've got the Blood of Jesus Christ for a covering to
stand there. Now, how... Now, you--if you've got that Blood, then you
honor God, you love God, you respect God, and God is the Word.
Now, notice secondly, with two wings they covered their feet. What did
that mean? Humility before God in His Presence... Like Moses at the
burning bush took off his shoes when he heard Him say, "I AM THAT I
AM." Paul, on his road down to Damascus, he--he fell on his face.
John, when he saw the--the Spirit of God above Jesus, he said, "I have
need to be baptized of thee. And why comest Thou to me?"
E-40 Here's a good example. Always be conscious of your littleness, not
your bigness. Today we--we Americans so much... That we try to think
that we're a big somebody, we belong to something big, some big
organization. Some great big something's got... All great big, big, big
is all we see.
And when... One time in the Bible we have an example of that. There was
a prophet went back in the cave, and Elijah... And God was trying to
attract his attention to come out. And there come the fire, and smoke,
and blusterous winds across the mountain, and thunder, and earthquakes,
and shakings and everything else. The prophet never even moved. God
wasn't even in it. But when that still small voice spoke, he covered
his face and come forward.
When the still, small voice of God's Word speaks, not a racket, not our
big denominations, not our big something, but that still, small voice
of the Word that's looked over, that should call a man to repentance.
God in His Word. Yet he covered his feet and become conscious of his...
our littleness before God.
E-41 Thirdly, he could fly by the other two. Now remember, two he
covered his face in the Presence of God and--to be reverent. Secondly,
the two wings over his feet meant humility before God. And third set of
wings, now, he put himself into action. He could fly with them two
wings. See? Two over his face, two over his feet, and flying with two.
Now, what was it? Reverence, humility, and in action. God showed the
prophet how His prepared servant must be: reverent, humble, and in
action.
Now, he seen something different from Uzziah produced. He was showing
the prophet what he must be, not like Uzziah, but to be like these
heavenly Cherubims. And if you want to look at a king, an earthly
king... Look at a heavenly One exalted above all the heavens, and His
train filled the heavens. There we see that He was giving him something
to look at, to influence him different from what he had been looking
at--thinking a man that served God, and prospered and everything, was
fine.
E-42 But Isaiah got his--his mind upon a man, and a man is a failure to
begin with. I don't care who he is. He's born in sin, shaped in
iniquity, come to the world speaking lies. So he's a total failure. I
don't care if he's a bishop, pope, presbyter, or whatevermore he might
be, he's a failure to begin with. And don't never look to one. I don't
care. Though he moves mountains with faith, and though he gives all of
his goods to feed the poor, still, look at Jesus Christ--He's the One.
Look to Him, not at some man.
Find out that He's showing here what a servant of God must be, how he
must be humble, and reverent, and in action. Go into action. Many of us
can be humble. Many of us can be reverent. But it's hard to get them in
action. And now, we notice that God was showing how He was preparing
His servant, what he must be. Those Cherubims were--or--or Seraphims
was God's servants.
E-43 Notice. Like the woman at the well, when she was looking for a
Scripture to be fulfilled (that we spoke on two or three times this
week), when she was looking for that to be fulfilled... The--the girl,
as far as we know, didn't go to church. She probably... They was so far
away from the Word and things like that, they--and calling their creeds
and things, that Jesus said, "You've took your traditions and made
the--the Word of God of no effect."
It's about the same thing today. The creeds that we're taught, and
things, has put the Word of God out of action. The Word can't come
forth. And the things said true, they're so indocumated with something
else they can't see it. Remember, that voice will haunt not only you
here; this tape goes all over the world. I'm not exactly speaking to
you all here. But if there's somebody here needs it, well that, it's
for you then. See? But remember, that that voice will haunt you as long
as you live. And the day of your dying it'll haunt you. Obey it. Come
back. Our traditions has took the Word of God and made It of no effect.
E-44 The Word of God being made manifest, and the people stand around
and say, "Well, I guess that's pretty good." See? My, oh, my. It ought
to set your soul on fire. It ought to do something. But it doesn't. It
doesn't do it. Find, God...
When this woman... Them priests and things, probably she didn't go to
church 'cause she see no reason to go, or something like that. But she
had read the Scriptures, for notice, she knowed quickly when He told
her what her trouble was. Why, she said, "Why, we know that You must be
a prophet. We haven't had one for the hundreds of years. But You must
be a prophet. We know..." Now, see, my opinion, she thought... If
you'll take that margin reading there and read it in your Scripture, it
goes back to "the Prophet," which was Christ. Says, "We know you must
be a Prophet. We know that Messiah, when He comes, this will be the
thing that He'll do. He'll be identified by this."
And Jesus said, "I am He that speaks to you." She went into action. She
couldn't stand it no longer. The very thing that they was looking for
was on earth right then, and she saw it. No matter how much she was in
a bad shape. A prostitute, or a woman like that could not... The men on
the street wouldn't even listen to her. They wouldn't today.
But stop her, how could you do it? It was like a house on fire in a
high wind. You couldn't put it out. A fire got burning in her heart.
She said, "Come see a Man Who told me the things I've done. Isn't this
the very Messiah?" And it stuck too, when Jesus didn't have to do that
one more time. The people believed her because--believed Jesus because
of her testimony. See? What did it do? She was humble, reverent, and in
action. She went to action when she seen the thing happen.
E-45 His signs ought to influence today--the promised signs of today,
the promised Word that's laid out for this day, to see God fulfilling
what He said He would do, it ought to do something to us, but it
doesn't. Just like He did to the Jews. They were so religious that
they--they didn't think they needed it. They--they thought they had
everything.
And that's the way with the world today. It's got plenty to eat, plenty
to wear, fine churches, big places, fine educated ministers, and so
they don't need nothing else. But you don't know the Scriptures said
you're naked, miserable, blind and don't know it: don't know it. And
you can't tell them no different. They continually wade right on down
that line, and fail to let the Word of God influence them to believe
Jesus Christ is raised from the dead and alive today, the same
yesterday, today, and forever, showing Himself alive. They're just
simply dead.
E-46 Everywhere, everywhere you go seems to be the same thing. Had to
be that way, you know. He has to be put out of the church. There's no
way at all for it to keep from being this way. God said it would be
this way. But if it... Let it shake you. Let it shake you good. No
matter what nation you're in, wherever you're at, whoever you are, let
it wake you up. Hours come and go. The first thing you know, you'll be
saying, "Well, I--I thought there was supposed to be this happen before
the rapture."
There might be a voice come back like it did one time, "It's already
happened and you didn't know it."
You'd be all anchored off in a church somewhere, saying, "I'm just as
secure as I can be," and the first thing you know the rapture will be
gone. It's going to be a secret, sudden going, nobody know nothing
about it.
The world will keep right on going, like Noah went into the ark. You
remember after Noah went into the ark, he set there seven days after
God closed the door. God closed the door and Noah set in the ark for
seven days before anything happened. And the door of mercy will be
closed in your face, and might already be. And just think of it; the
people'll go ahead preaching, people'll think they're getting saved,
putting their names on books, joining church, shouting, jumping up and
down.
E-47 I've seen Mohammedans shout. I've heard... People drink blood out
of human skull and speak in tongues, and do all those things. That
ain't no sign you're saved. Oh, no. "Having the form of godliness..."
What is "the power thereof" they're speaking of?
See, those things could happen, and it'll be apast time and you won't
know it. You can't afford to take that kind of a chance. Don't do it,
friends. Come in while you can. Don't be influenced by some great big
building, some great big organization, some great, high-polished
scholar. Let the Word of God influence you. That's exactly what caused
those apostles... When they seen that Word made manifest, that
influenced them. "We are sure..." Might stand quoting again.
E-48 Jesus, with great crowds of thousands following, said, "That's too
many. Look, something strange here. There's few are called... Many are
called; few are chosen." So then He seen the great congregations. He
said, "Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, drink His Blood, you
have no life in you." He never explained it.
Now, what if He'd say that in Beaumont today? No matter how popular He
was, what do you think doctors and fine cultured people and scientists
would say? "That man's a vampire. Why, he wants you to drink his blood?
Well, what kind of a... You're going off on a tantrum." Jesus never
explained it. He wanted to shake them parasites off of Him. Right. Then
they all got up and left.
E-49 Then He looked around to those apostles which was not ordained to
life, but He had chosen them. They wasn't ordained. He said, "What will
you say when you see the Son of man ascending up into heaven from
whence He come?" Oh, that was a choker. What did He...
Them--them ministers said, "Ascend up in heaven? Why, this man was born
right here in Galilee. He was borned in Nazareth. We know his mother,
his--his brothers. We know the cradle He was rocked in. We seen his
baby clothes. We speak to his mother. And then say this man come, go
back up where He come from? He come from Nazareth. What does He say
heaven?" He never explained it. Too many parasites yet. They got up and
they walked with Him no more. That's what the Bible said.
E-50 Then He turned around and said, "I... You all want to go too?" to
the twelve. Remember, they couldn't explain it, but they knowed it.
They knowed He was. So they said to Him... He'd influenced them by His
a-vindicated signs from God. What... He said, "Do you want to go also?"
to the twelve.
Peter said, "Lord, who would we go to, for we're sure..." Now, that...
Look, study that. What is it? We know what the Word says for today. We
know what the Messiah's supposed to do if He comes today. We have seen
this thing being met of God. He said it later on at Pentecost. He said,
"Jesus of Nazareth, a Man approved of God among you by the things that
He's supposed to do, and you've taken the Prince of Life and crucified
Him. And--and God raised Him up, which you are witnesses of it." Notice
here.
See, he said, "Where would we go?"
Jesus said, "I chose twelve of you, and one of you is a devil." There's
only eleven standing there, out of the thousands times thousands,
eleven standing there. Oh, my. Influence, sure.
E-51 This little woman, when she was influenced, she went into action.
She had to do something about it. She had to tell somebody else. And
every real true soul that strikes Christ, you've got to tell somebody
about it.
Peter--when he took Him at His Word that night on the sea--saw Him out
there, he'd been--or that day it was. They'd been fishing all night and
they hadn't caught nothing. Seining back and forth--that's a
discouraged time if anybody's a fisherman: seined all night, and he was
a fisherman too. His father was a fisherman. He'd been on that lake all
of his life, and his parents and his grandparents come from that lake.
And he knowed when the moon was right, and which way the wind was
blowing, and all the signs. And he fished for a living. So he fished
all night and had taken nothing.
Then they found out the next day that they said this prophet was going
to speak down on the bank. And I imagine out of the little huts come
the little women and so forth, coming down to hear Him. The crowds got
so great around the bank He had to borrow this boat--and Peter's boat.
They come out and washed their nets not even one fish and throwed them
up on there, discouraged.
E-52 And sometimes at that discouraging moment, if you'll watch, that's
when He comes around. But don't be blind enough to miss it. When you
see everything happen the way it is in the world today, don't be
afraid. See? Don't be afraid. Just--just remember He promised to come
to you.
And now notice. When He come, He told Peter, He said, "Now launch out
into the deep and let down for the draught."
Peter said perhaps, "I never seen this done before. I--I don't know. I
fished all my life here. The signs... we just got through fishing all
night through that same water, and yet there isn't nothing. We haven't
took a thing. But at Thy Word, Lord (There it is.), I'll let down the
net."
E-53 Your Word... You might've went through every hospital, Brother
King. They might be saying that you're going to die. They might be
saying, "Sister, this, that or the other." I don't care what they said.
"At Thy Word, Lord, I'll let down the net." When he seen that Word
vindicated, when Jesus told him something, he believed it. And he let
down that net into the water where there was no fish. But if God said
so, He could put fish there. He can put water in the skies. He can put
healing in your body. I don't care if there's nothing there. You trust
Him to raise it up in the last days. "At Thy Word, Lord, I'll let down
the net."
It so influenced that fisherman till he left the fish and all and
followed Jesus. There was an influence when he took Him at His Word.
Then what did he do? Well, he said, "Thank You, Lord, for a nice mess
of fish."
Said, "Leave your net alone. From henceforth you'll catch men." The
apostle went into action.
E-54 Finally, at the end of the road, when they were going to crucify
him, kill him, and he run out of the city... And on the road out, as
the history tells us, he was running for his life, getting out of the
city. And he met Jesus coming back. He said, "Where goest thou, Simon?"
or, Simon said to him, "Where goest Thou, Lord?"
He said, "I'm going back into the city to be crucified again."
Simon turned and went back. And when they got him, said, "Don't..."
They put him on the cross. Said, "Don't hang me like that." He said,
"Put my head down, my feet up." He'd been influenced when he seen Jesus
resurrected from the dead, influenced for his death;' he's influenced
for anything. He went into action. Death couldn't even stop it. The
crucifixion couldn't stop it. He was influenced by Jesus.
E-55 The blind man healed, they told him hold his peace, but he
scattered His fame everywhere. His people said, "Now..." The priest
said, "Now, if anybody goes and attends that revival, they'll just come
get their church papers; that's all."
And the father and mother were scared of that. See? So they said...
They come, said, "How'd this boy get his sight?"
Said, "He's--he's of age. Ask him." They were afraid, but he that had
been healed was influenced. Amen.
Said, "This man's a sinner; give praise to God. We don't know where
this man comes from. He has no--he has no credentials. We're not
cooperating with him. We have nothing to do with him. We don't know
where he comes from. We know he's a sinner, and--and from the devil."
This man had a good answer for them. He said, "Now, this is really a
strange thing." He said, "Now, you're supposed to be the leaders of the
land. And that Man give me my sight. And yet you don't know where He
come from." He said, "Now, whether He's a sinner or not, I can't tell
you that. But this one thing I do know: wherein I was once blind, I can
now see." He'd been influenced. He didn't care to stand before priests
or anything; he had been influenced. His parents, even the miracle on
their own son didn't influence them. But it influenced him.
E-56 The people at Pentecost, as I said last night, with their Eternal
Life policy, when they went up to draw the--the dividends on it,
notice. When they were influenced they had been holy, been reverent
before God. They had covered their faces from the things of the world,
and their feet in humility, and when they felt the power of God come,
as it was promised by Joel, as it was promised by the prophets, as it
was promised by Jesus, "Wait up there at the city of Jerusalem until
you're endued with power from on high," as soon as that--God in the
Person of the Holy Ghost came down upon them, they were influenced.
They didn't care how many people laughed at them. Out into the street
they went, staggering like drunk men. They were influenced by the Holy
Ghost. You can be influenced too.
They stood right--watching him. He didn't go around and say some kind
of a creed; he went right straight back to the Word and said, "You men
of Jerusalem, you that dwell in Judaea, let this be known unto you and
hearken unto my words. These are not drunk as you suppose, seeing it's
the third hour of the day. But this is that that was spoken of by the
prophet Joel. 'And it shall come to pass in the last days,' saith God,
'I'll pour out My spirit upon all flesh.'" They were influenced by the
Word to the Word. It ought to do us the same way. They got in action,
yes, when His promise was fulfilled.
E-57 When they seen that... Jesus promised them that He would send the
promise of the Father upon them (Luke 24:49), "Behold I send the
promise of My Father upon you. But tarry ye..." "Tarry" don't mean
pray; it just means "wait." "Tarry" means wait. "Wait up there at the
city of Jerusalem until you're endued with power from on high." And
when this influence of the Holy Ghost struck them, it filled them. They
seen the Word that Jesus promised fulfilled.
Now, I wonder if it would take the same influence on us this afternoon.
If we seen what He promised to do in the last days fulfilled, what kind
of an influence would it give us? What? All we have seen done in these
last days ought to put us in action. It sure ought to, with reverence
and humility.
E-58 Beyond any shadow of doubt, the claim that was made thirty years
ago about a Pillar of Fire that the cameras caught... Your Texas camera
caught it not long ago. Scientific research throwed it through all
kinds of research that they couldn't find by the FBI. And every...
[Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]. How did you do it? Took in Texas for Texans.
When you see the sign, it cannot be disproved. It's the truth.
But will you believe the voice that follows the sign? The sign is
scientifically proved. Now, someday when Jesus returns, and catches the
people all the way they are, it'll be made known too.
E-59 Notice. The Pillar of Fire should put us in action, as the Pillar
of Fire vindicates Its promise of the last days. Jesus said, "I come
from God, and I go to God," and it what it would do in the last days.
And here He is both scientific and spiritually, and the Word proving
it, that He come from God and still remains the same. He's still God,
for the promise in the last days. It should put us in action.
Signs of the coming is at hand. Jesus said as it was at Sodom, just
before the world was burnt, the Gentile world, this would return. It
should influence us and put us in action too. When we see the Word
fulfilled that He promised, it should put us in action.
E-60 We, like the prophet, have seen the outcome of self-exalted
denominations lose their place. I want that to soak real deep 'cause I
may never talk to you again. But men and women, may I say this, speak
to you freely this afternoon in the Name of Jesus Christ. Men who are
sensible thinkers, men who are not so stuffed-shirt, so far away from
God by tradition that... They have seen the Pentecostal church; you
seen the Baptists, Methodists, and Presbyterian; you seen the Catholic
church lose its position in God, lose their hold on the Word when they
accepted creeds.
E-61 I--I was interviewed by a priest not long ago, and he said to me,
he said, "Why, I..." He asked me about a certain thing and these
things. He said, "Why, the Catholic church used to do that."
I said, "When? The Catholic church wasn't organized for three hundred
years after the death of the last apostle."
He said--he said, "You're trying to try your case by a Bible."
I said, "That's the Word."
He said, "God's in His church."
I said, "God's in His Word. Everything else be a lie, and His true."
And he said, "Well, that's just a book that--that the early Catholics
wrote."
I said, "Then I'm an early Catholic. I believe just what it says." See?
I...?... I said, "Then..."
He said, "Why, see, we're a greater church now."
I said, "Then where have you lost? What's happened? If the early church
cast out devils, and proved Jesus alive upon the earth by spiritual
signs and wonders, and here you got thousands of intercessors of all
kinds of dead women and dead men and everything, making intercessors in
the Bible... The first pope said that there is no other mediator
between God and man but the Man Christ Jesus." Losing your hold on the
Word and accepting creeds and self-exaltation by man's exhortation,
we've seen them lose their hold with the great Holy Spirit.
E-62 We've seen the Pentecostals do the same thing, and you see it.
When they organize, they die. There's no way back. There never has
been, and there never will be. God is against the thing. That's the
reason He sent--said in the last days He'd say, "Come out from among
them, My people, that you touch not their unclean things, and I'll
receive you."
E-63 Like the... Uzziah. What did he try to do? He tried to take the
place of an anointed office, God's anointed office. Uzziah tried to
usurp that authority because he was a great man. We seen these
self-styled organizations crowd out everything that is God, and try to
take the office of the church--the anointed church. And by creeds we
found that they're dead in unbelief, and they'll never rise again.
They'll die in the leper camp with the rest of them.
See there? Men--thinking men, Scripture-believing men see that. If
you're borned of God, you see it. God's so clearly identifying the
thing to influence you. As we've preached all week, and things what
it's to do, attract the attention. It influences you to see where they
went and what's happened, every one of them. If they organize another
one, it'll do the same thing. But there'll be no more of them. No,
they... It's over now. It's too late now. Lose their hold by accepting
creeds and manmade doctrine. They're scared to come and stand by it.
See?
E-64 Like Uzziah trying to usurp the place of a anointed office because
he was a big fellow: big fellow. And among God's people there's no big
fellows; we're all children of God. God gives one of us one thing to
do, and another thing to do. That don't make us any better than anybody
else; just makes God require more at your hand is all.
E-65 Now, the effects of such a vision... And we're closing, start
praying for the sick in a few minutes. Now, the effects of such a
vision, what did the effects do to this prophet? I wonder about a
preacher; I wonder about an evangelist, or a pastor. Look what a vision
of this done and what... He seen what had happened to self-styled
Uzziah and then--though a great man that God had honored, the great
thing, they seen it dead. What effects did it have on the prophet?
Here's what it did. It caused him to confess himself to be a sinner for
associating with such. He confessed, "I'm a man of unclean lips and
I've been dwelling among people with unclean lips," making a prophet,
not a preacher, a prophet confess that he was a sinful man because he'd
been associating with such.
E-66 Then what? When he confessed his sins, then come the cleansing.
Oh, you cannot be clean from your sin until you confess your sin, till
you'll recognize it's sin. Then comes the cleansing as soon as he said,
"Woe is me, for my eyes have seen the vindication of a great God. The
angels, the burners, the sacrificers are here, and the post is moving
at their voice. And here they are in this vision, flying back and
forth." He'd saw something real; a vision had come down. He said, "I am
a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among unclean people." Said... He
cried out for mercy and called himself a sinner.
Then what happened? One of the Cherubims went over to the altar and
took the tongs and picked up a live coal and put it on his hand. Not
carrying the tong now, picked up the coals, put it on his hand, and
come and laid it upon the prophet's lips and said, "Thy iniquity..."
Iniquity--what is "iniquity?" "Iniquity" is "something that you know
it's wrong, and still holding to it." When you know your creeds are
wrong and you still hold to it, that's iniquity. But when he confessed
that he was wrong, there was a cleansing power. He took a coal of fire.
E-67 Did you notice how God?... We see how God set His servants in
order and what He fixed him with, how he could be humble, reverent, and
put hisself in action. Watch. When He cleansed the servant, He never
done it by a seminary. He never done it by a bunch of books. We find
here that God cleansed His servants by fire. A coal of fire touched the
prophet, cleaned his lips. God cleans His servants by His holy fire,
not by books, not by education, theology, but He cleaned His servants
by fire.
Then as soon as he was confessed and cleansed, then followed the
commission. First he had to confess, then he had to be cleansed, and
now it's a commission. It was then that the cleansed Isaiah cried, when
he heard the voice of God said, "Who will go for us?"
E-68 Look at back in history, when you're reading this when you go
home. What had happened to Israel? She'd got the same where--place we
are. They had called... All their sacrifices and things had become a
tradition to them. There was no sincerity. They didn't honor the Word
of God. That's when God raised up Isaiah to tell him them sacrifices
stunk in His nose. He didn't want them. They were blasphemy to Him and
He didn't want no more to do with them.
E-69 And when this Isaiah was cleaned, and ready to go preach the
Gospel then... And the voice of God said, "Now, there's a need. These
things has got to be told." And one voice said to the other, the Angels
flying, said, "Who will go for us?"
Then Isaiah, with a clean heart, cleansed, confessed, cleansed and
commissioned, the vision, said, "Here am I, Lord. Send me. Send me.
Here am I, send me."
God, send Your holy Angels again today. Find Your Isaiah somewhere. My
prayer. I--I'm--I--I'm just saying this 'cause I know He's here.
When the coal of fire had touched the prophet,
Making him as clean as clean could be,
When the voice of God said, "Who'll go for us?"
Then he answered, "Master, here am I. Send me."
He wasn't afraid then with the Word. He was a prophet; the Word could
come to him. He was... All of his unbelief and traditions was gone. He
could stand before that traditional age and tell them, "Your sacrifices
stinks in the nose of God. And the very God that you claim to serve
will destroy you." That's what he said. "The God that you claim you're
serving will destroy you." And He did it.
They said, "A sign..."
He said, "I'll give you a super sign: a virgin shall conceive."
E-70 Isaiah wrote sixty-six chapters in his Book, and there's sixty-six
Books in the Bible. He starts off with the beginning of creation, and
ends up in the millennium, just like the entire Bible does. That great
prophet of God who was willing to confess that all their traditions was
wrong, and get down there and get cleansed and so the Word of God can
come to him, then he said, "I'm ready to go, Lord. I'm ready. I'll
speak what You say speak. I'll say what You say." He was ready to go.
God, bring the Angels again this afternoon, the Holy Ghost and fire,
and cleanse my brothers' hearts everywhere. May they be such influences
till others will see, and want to follow too.
E-71 Let us bow our heads. Quietly...
When the coal of fire had touched the prophet,
Making him as pure, as pure could be,
When the voice of God said, "Who'll go for us?"
Then he answered, "Master, here send me."
Quietly now, all together.
Speak, my Lord, speak, my Lord,
Speak, and I'll be quick to answer Thee;
Speak, my Lord, speak, my Lord,
Speak, and I will answer, "Lord, send me."
Millions now in sin and shame are dying;
Listen to their sad and bitter cry;
Hasten, brother, hasten to their rescue;
Quickly answer, "Master, here am I."
Speak, my Lord; speak, my Lord,
Speak and I'll be quick to answer Thee;
Speak, my Lord, speak, my Lord,
Speak, and I will answer, "Lord, send me."
Let's hum it quietly [Brother Branham begins humming--Ed.] (Let's go
down to the temple now.)
Listen to their sad and bitter cry; (Oh, brother, come with me, won't
you?)
Hasten, brother, hasten to their rescue; (They don't know what
denomination to belong to or nothing.)
Quickly answer, "Master, here am I."
Speak, my Lord, speak, my Lord, (Isaiah, are you here?)
Speak, and I'll be quick to answer Thee;
Speak, my Lord, speak, my Lord,
Speak, and I will answer, "Lord, send me."
E-72 I wonder, with your heads bowed and your hearts bowed, Isaiah,
where are you? Will you raise up your hand and say, "Lord, here am I,
send me. I am ready." God bless you. "I really mean it." Ninety percent
of the audience.
... speak, my Lord;
Speak, and I will answer, "Lord, send me.
Look, ministers, you that raised your hand. Look at our women, our
sisters. What a disgrace. Look at our men: think more of an
organization than they do of the Word of God. Jesus Christ proving
Himself among them, and it's exactly the Scripture, so plainly made
known, and yet they'll hang right to it.
Brother... Someone will say, "I wouldn't have nothing.
I--I--that--they... I wouldn't have no place to go." Brother, if I had
to eat soda crackers and drink branch water, I'd stay by my Lord. He's
my Life. He's my Bread. You think I'd do this to be different? I do
this because I love Him, because it's my commission: stand side by side
with Him with that Word.
Oh, speak and I will answer, "Lord, send me."
E-73 Heavenly Father, as the music is sweetly playing, may everyone
that's in Divine Presence, Lord, see that this is the calling time.
It's a--it's a separating time when the chaff and--and wheat is to be
separated. Although the--the wheat has been wrapped in the chaff, but
now it's a calling-out time. It's another Exodus.
I pray, God, as the great sunlight has ripened the grain for every
stage of its life, from the time... Like in Canada now, when the
wheat's just coming up, that hot sun of July would kill it right now.
But it has to ripen according to the way that nature brings the sun
upon it. So there's a hot sun upon Luther's doctrine, Wesley, and the
rest of them; it scorches it down. But it's to ripen the wheat.
It should've matured, Lord, just as it come up. But remember, all the
branches was pruned off, and the bride tree come right out of the
center. "I will restore again all the years that the palmerworm,
caterpillar (the same insect, only in different stages), has eaten
away. I will restore it," saith the Lord. You'll do it, Lord. You
promised it. I pray that You'll do it in every heart this afternoon.
They're Yours, Lord. I commit them to You now. And I may never see
them. If I'd come back a year from today, there's many sitting here...
If I'm living they won't be, no doubt, this size crowd. Next time I
meet them will be at the judgment. Let them see, Lord. Let them open
their eyes if there's--and see.
All these on tape, Lord, that's listened to the voice at this time
(many different languages, even be translated), may they understand.
Many men and women in little houses, and out in little jungles in
Africa, with those little machines with the tubes in their ears, may
they hear, Lord, hear. Grant it.
The missionary was right in what he said, but this is... A greater
witness than what he had is ready now. Dearest Father, we commit it all
to You in the Name of Jesus Christ Thy Son, and for the calling of His
bride. Amen.
E-74 Now, my brother, sister, we're going to pray for the sick. Each
one of you that raised your hand, I--I can't give it... If I could give
it to you, I'd do it. Certainly. I'd come right down there and say,
"Here, you want it? I--I'll have it." It isn't mine to give. It's God,
and God will give it to you, if there's a hunger in your heart.
Before there could be a calling to the deep, there's got to be a deep
to respond to that call. Before there could be a creation, there has to
be a Creator to create that creation. You know there's something there
you're reaching for. There's got to be something out there to respond
to that call. Won't you receive it now? Don't let it die. Please don't.
If I never see you no more this side the judgment, may I see you there
washed and ready, is my prayer.
E-75 Now the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Who appeared on the
earth in the form of a Man, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Who suffered
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, buried, rose the third day, and
ascended into heaven where He now sets at the right hand of the
Majesty, sending back the Spirit that was upon Him, called the Holy
Spirit, God, upon--to come upon mankind, to fellowship, to carry on the
ministry that was carried on in that glorious body of Christ...
Supposingly to come as the pyramid is shaped up, like that. The
headstone never was put on it. Why? It was rejected.
Now, way down, the church is constantly come to minority, is come on up
now till all the church ages is run out. It's got to be honed. That
stone has to fit straight in. The ministry that was in Jesus Christ has
to be in His church to make Christ come for the church, to raise up
every age to bring Him--to bring it out.
E-76 It's like the wheat. The wheat has to come plumb back, as it
starts maturing from the grain where it rotted, died, and come forth,
and kept coming up from grass into something else. You can't go back to
grass. Don't point back to grass; don't point back to this; don't point
back to the sheaf. Come on till you get to the wheat. And the wheat has
to be the same kind of a wheat that went into the ground when it's
matured.
Jesus is raised from the dead. He's matured now. And He's matured in
His church through justification, sanctification, baptism of the Holy
Ghost, through His reformers in the early days. Now, here He is on
earth today in His people. Believe Him. He's here. Just that you might
see, there might be strangers. May the God of heaven honor what I've
said about Him.
E-77 And I want you in the audience, please, don't nobody go out no
more. Just give the God of heaven this much respect, just to set a
moment. Now, don't move. Let every person in here that's sick or needy
raise up your hand...?... All right. Thank you. I don't know... I know
Brother King, setting right here. I just recognized him just a few
minutes ago. I'm sure--I think that's who that is, is Brother King
setting there. He sponsored my last meeting here.
Brother King, I can't say what I want to say, but you know I know what
I want to say. You've been through the mill, my little brother. God be
merciful to you.
Others, I don't know. I still see Pat Tyler setting here. I think
that's the only man in the building, or only woman, anything that I
know, anybody, is this man Pat Tyler setting here. Believe now.
E-78 And if I be the servant of God, and if God be here and identified
His Word to be the Truth, then let the God of heaven Who raised up His
Son, Jesus Christ, Who made these promises, identify it with you that
I've told the truth. How would He do it? Not by coming with a robe on
and beard, but His Life. "I am the Vine; ye are the branches." The life
that's in the vine is in the branch. "The works that I do shall you
also," and promised it. And this day, when the next branch comes
forth...
We've got a lot of grafted branches here. And it'll bear fruit, but not
this kind of fruit. No, no. I seen a tree in Phoenix not long ago that
had about eight or nine different fruits on it. Brother John Sharritt
owned it. I said, "What kind of tree is that?"
He said, "It is a orange tree, Brother Branham."
"Why," I said, "there's lemons, and grapefruit, and--and tangelos, and
tangerines."
He said, "Yes, it's all citrus fruit." Said, "I grafted them in there."
"Oh," I said, "I see. Now, next year they'll all be oranges."
He said, "Oh, no. Huh-uh. No. Next year the lemon will be a lemon,
the--the grapefruit will be a grapefruit."
I said, "Off of that same vine? Off that same... Off of--off of an
orange tree?"
He said, "Yes. They're all citrus fruit, Brother Branham. It'll live by
the citrus fruit."
Then I felt the tears running down my cheeks. I said, "Lord Jesus, I
know what You mean now. There it is. These denominations has grafted
theirself in, but they're bearing denominational fruit." Listen. If
that real branch ever brings forth a real vine--brings forth another
branch, it'll be of the original. Believe it.
E-79 [Someone speaks in tongues. Someone interprets--Ed.] Thank the
Lord. How He's promised it. Now, everybody real reverent. I'm going to
just stand here and ask the Lord Jesus. This is a gift. What is a gift?
That I can move my own thinking. I can move my own life from me, my
natural life, my soul. That's William Branham. If I can get him out of
the way, God will use the spi--the body to speak. Let the Holy Spirit
come now, Lord, that they might see by human beings that the identified
Holy Spirit is here. A gift to get yourself the way... Everybody real
reverent. Set still.
E-80 Just a man setting out here... I want you all to raise your heads
and look just a minute. Can you see that light here on this man, a
Light, amber Light, burning, circling? Just... How many seen the
picture of it? It was taken here at Houston. You see... It's in the
Washington, D.C., all over the world: only supernatural being was ever
photographed in all the world. Here it is right here now. I take every
spirit in here under my control in the Name of Jesus Christ.
This man's suffering from a gland trouble in his throat. I don't know
him. Never seen him in my life, but that's the truth. Isn't that right,
sir? You believe now, the man in the back there, you believe that God
will make known to me about you? You're Mr. Hall. That's your name,
isn't it? All right, sir. It's over now. Your faith makes you well.
E-81 I could call a prayer line, get them up here on the platform.
There's no need of it. Let's take one of these rows here somewhere.
Here, start right here. Here's a little girl setting here. Look this
way, honey. Might not have nothing wrong with you. I don't know. But
just say instead of a prayer line coming up here, let's get it down
here. Look here, sweetheart. Look at Brother Branham. In the days when
Jesus was here on earth... Yeah, she is sick. She's seriously sick,
that child is. Yes, sir.
If Jesus was here He could tell you what was wrong with you, wouldn't
He? You believe that Jesus sent Brother Branham to do it? If I tell you
what's wrong with you, you believe He'll heal you? It's sugar diabetes,
that little child. No way in the world for it to be healed outside of
God. You believe, honey? Now, the lady setting next, that raised a hand
up, that's the mother to the child. That is right. Lay your hand over
on her, sister. Believe now. God brought that child to you; may the
Lord grant her healing.
E-82 This next lady setting next to the mother there. Look here at me,
lady. You believe me to be His servant, God's servant? If God will tell
me something in your life, or what you're wanting, if you're sick or if
you're not sick, or whatever it is, if God will tell me your desires,
will you believe? Or something like that, I don't know what He would
do. Would you believe it? You know it would have to be Jesus Christ?
You're way away from me. You couldn't touch me if you had to, 'cause if
you touched me it'd have to be physical. You have to touch spirit. The
Spirit is Christ. He's a High Priest now, the Bible said, that can be
touched by the feeling of our infirmities.
You are suffering also. Do you believe that God can tell me what your
trouble is? You're suffering with a back trouble and high blood. And
you--you have high blood pressure, and you have heart trouble. That's
exactly right. If that's right, raise up your hand. That's right. You
believe now?
E-83 What about you with your arm around her there, the lady this way.
Look here, Do you? I am a stranger to you. Do you believe me to be His
servant? You believe me, that what I've said is the truth, that I've
told you the truth? You believe that God can reveal to me your trouble,
of whatever--whatever it is? You believe He can reveal it? It really
isn't anything that you're wanting prayed for. You have a prayer card,
I see, in your hand. You're the first one with a prayer card. Do you
believe God can tell me what you got the prayer card for? It's for your
husband. You believe that God can tell me what's wrong with your
husband? If God doesn't touch him he's going to die. He's got cancer.
He's got lung trouble. That's right, isn't it? Raise up your hand if
that's so. You believe? The rest of them will believe, he can be healed.
E-84 That man setting next to you, you believe me to be His servant,
sir? If God can reveal to me what your trouble is, will you believe
then with all your heart? You're suffering with a heart trouble. That's
right. If that's right raise up your hand. Uh-huh. All right.
The lady just shook her head--herself like that, setting next to
you--do you believe that God can tell me what's your heart, or
something you desire in your heart or something, or something you're
praying for somebody? You believe God can reveal it to me? While the
anointing is here and we can see it, and see it's got to be something
real. It's revealing the secrets of the heart, telling what--just like
Jesus told the woman at the well. Now you're also suffering. You--you
suffer with a back trouble. Yours is in your back. Raise up your hand
if that's so. Uh-huh.
E-85 Now, the lady next to her that's a-weeping, with your purse laying
in your pocket, with a blue dress on, dark hair, heavy set, looks to
me. Do you believe me to be God's servant? Look here. See, you're on
the front row. I can contact you easy by the help of God. You believe
that God can tell me what your trouble is, just like you was in the
prayer line? Do you believe that that could be so from here? You do?
You have a high blood pressure that you're suffering with. If that's
right, raise up your hand. All right. You believe, and you can be
healed.
Lady next to her--what do you think, sister? Look this way to me. You
believe me to be God's prophet, or His servant. You do that with all
your heart? You believe God can describe to me, like the woman at the
well when Jesus and the woman come together, that can tell me what your
trouble is? Do you believe it would help you? Would it help you to
believe? Look. Oh, you have a serious thing. It's a son, a boy
(Uh-huh.), and that boy has got a mental nervousness. He's at home.
That's right. If that's right, raise up your hand. Believe with all
your heart. The boy will get well, if you...
E-86 The next lady to there, do you believe, sister, with all your
heart? You believe me to be His prophet, His servant? You believe it's
Jesus Christ, just by a gift that... Prophecy is a gift. You know, a
gift of God is ordained way back before the world started. It had to be
ordained for this day. You have no way of knowing what's what. God just
identifies it and interprets His Word. Do you believe that to be so,
what you've heard? Do you believe I could... If I can tell you what was
wrong, you'd know it wouldn't be me. It'd have to be another one: just
my voice, but somebody else using it. Just like this microphone. It's a
mute till something speaks through it. We're strangers. See? I lost
con... Here she is. Yes, sir, the lady's suffering with anemia
condition. It's in her blood. If that's right, raise up your hand,
lady. That's right.
You--you're also praying for this little fellow on the end. That's your
little son setting there on the end. If that's right, wave your hand.
If God can tell me what's wrong with your little son, will you believe
with all your heart that God speaks to me, and that's right? He's
suffering with an extreme nervous condition. That is right. Isn't that
right? Then lay your hand over on him, and believe with all your heart,
he'll get well.
E-87 I challenge you to believe it. THUS SAITH THE LORD God. Texas, if
you die in sin, you die without my blood on you. Remember, your blood's
not on me. There's the truth. That's Jesus Christ identified in prayer
lines, wherever it is. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He can do it.
Are you convinced? Are you thoroughly convinced that it has to be Jesus
Christ according to the word of promise this day? Raise up your hands,
everybody that's thoroughly convinced that it's the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen, God bless you.
E-88 I know you've been taught. You've been taught, each one of you,
something. Now, it seems to be--it's so anointed, it's just swaying
everywhere now. See? You've been taught that you must lay hands on the
sick. That's a tradition. It's all right. Jesus endorsed it. But that
Roman... That's what I've been trying to get to you this week. "I'm not
worthy," said the Roman, "that You come under my roof, just say the
word." See? If somebody lays hands on you, then, "Brother So-and-so
laid hands on me. Glory to God." I'm going to ask ministers, believing
ministers, to come here so it just, it ain't my hands. It's--it's--it's
just what Jesus said, "They shall lay hands on the sick." We're going
to pray for the sick, every one.
How many's got prayer cards out through the building now? Let's see
your hands? Yeah. We promised you. Now, we've got a half hour to make
that right. I'm going to ask, how would we run this, Brother Pearry?
Have you got any suggestions? From this side over here? Let this row
here on the outside that's got prayer cards stand up against the wall.
Go out that way, and stand up against the wall. All right, sir, that's
fine. Stand over on that side.
All from this middle here, you stand in the aisle. See? You just stand
in the aisle. Ones in this aisle--or this middle here, stand out in the
aisle. Ones on that side stand on that side. The ones in here stand up
here in the middle on this side. And the ones on that side stand in
there, and just follow your lines through as they come. That's right.
They'll be down there instructing you on what to do.
E-89 I'm asking... (This is all right, Brother Pearry?) I'm asking for
ministers who believe in Christ, that Christ will heal these sick
people by laying on of hands and following His commandments. I'm asking
you to come here and stand with me if you believe this to be the truth.
Any Gospel minister, if you're a Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian,
Lutheran, Catholic priest, whatever you are, if you believe Jesus
Christ heals the sick and has commissioned His disciples to lay hands
on the sick for their healing, would you come here. [Someone says,
"Would everybody that wants to be prayed for go to the back."--Ed.]
Now, go to the back and follow around. See? All in these lines now go
right back and take your place. Follow right around that way. Then you
go right back to your place again just as orderly as it can be.
I wonder, brethren, if we had better get down there. I think that's a
good idea. Now, we'd better leave this microphone here. Let... Roy, you
stand here by the microphone. Or, yes, you better come down with me.
You see? Or unless you want to stand here? All right, Roy, you stand
here then. All right.
E-90 Now, you're going... Now, I want... don't nobody leave, please.
See, the very thing that we've been praying for... Now, you say,
"Brother Branham, why'd you bring all these ministers up here?" I'm
going to come right with them, but I... See, what it is, they have as
much right to pray for the sick as I do, or anybody does, as much as
Oral Roberts, or--or any hierarchy, no matter who he is. They have as
much right to pray for the sick as Peter, James, John, Matthew, Mark,
Luke, any of the rest of them have. They're ministers, called of God. I
happen to see two or three brothers in there that I know personally
that has a ministry of praying for the sick.
E-91 Now, as you're lining yourselves up over here, I want to... How
many in this congregation is thoroughly convinced with all your heart
that you believe it's God's will to heal them people? Sure it is.
Certainly it's God's will to heal them. Now, how do they get healed?
Now, if He was here Himself He could do no more than what He's done
right now. Do you believe that? Just what He's done now, that's what He
would do, 'cause He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.
How many knows that St. John 5:19 says this, "The Son can do nothing in
Himself." How many knows that? "But what He sees the Father doing, that
doeth the Son." Believe that? Then Jesus never performed one miracle
until the Father showed Him by a vision what to do. That's His own
Word. If that isn't so, then we're all lost, we don't know where we're
at, and there you are. See? His Words are infallible.
E-92 Look at Him going through the pool of Bethesda a few hour--about a
hour before that, there lay great multitudes of lame, blind, halt,
withered. How many knows that's true? And He never touched a one of
them. Yet He was a God of compassion. Do you believe He had compassion?
Leaving that mother with a water-head baby, that poor, old, blind daddy
calling somebody to put him in the water when it was troubled... A God
of compassion? See, people don't know what compassion is. They mix a
phileo love with agapao love. It's two different loves altogether.
Compassion's the same thing. Desires and compassion is different.
But look, He went to a man that had maybe a prostate trouble, or maybe
it was tuberculosis. See, it was retarded. He'd had it for... It--it
was thirty-eight years he'd had it. It wasn't going to kill him. And He
went to that man and said, "Will thou be made whole?" How many knows
that's true? And left the rest of the audience lay there. What if He
done that in Beaumont today? Oh, my. "There's nothing to Divine
healing," then. See? See, they don't understand. Jesus is the same
yesterday, today, and forever. "I do nothing until the Father shows Me
first."
E-93 But many people just laid in the shadow of Him and was healed by
their own faith. A little woman touched His garment and was made whole.
How many knows that? Healing is based upon your faith. God's
identification's based upon the promise of His Word. But your faith in
his identification is what heals you. If you don't--no matter, the
holiest man in all the world could stand here and pray all day long, it
wouldn't do one bit of good until you believe it emphatically yourself.
Jesus might be standing here Himself in the incarnate body, lay hands
upon you, it still you would not get healed. How many knows that? Many
mighty works He could not do because of their unbelief. That's
Scripture. So you see, you in the prayer line, it's got to be your
faith in the Word.
E-94 Now, if you see God doing what He's done... Look, let me just give
one little testimony while you're getting ready. Listen close. Night
before last... There's a little minister here somewhere; I seen him
here awhile ago. Martin was his name. I forget. He's one of the
sponsors. Right here.
About midnight, close to it, someone woke me up in my room--a little
fellow crying, a little minister. His baby had just passed away; the
tears running down his face... He's plumb up in somewhere in... What's
the name of that town they live in? Missouri. Up at where? Wardell,
Missouri. I know the boy. I know his brother here too. They're friends
of mine.
This brother walked in there, with tears, running down his cheeks,
said, "Brother Branham, I just called... My wife just called me. My
little baby just quit breathing." He laid his hands upon me, said,
"Brother Branham, I believe the Word of the Lord is with you." Oh, how
could God?
It's like, "Even now, Lord, if you'd been here my brother would not
have died." See? He wasn't confessing to me. He was confessing the Word
of the Lord (See?), that I was preaching the truth.
He said, "I believe the Word of the Lord is with You. Just ask Him; my
baby will live." In ten minutes from then his baby was breathing normal
and is well now.
E-95 My son, standing here somewhere, Billy Paul, up--he went out to
talk to him. I was there in my pajamas, and about... A few minutes
later he come back. He said, "Daddy, daddy, looky here." And his throat
all swelled out red, and a great big welt about that big-around. Said,
"A big, black-looking spider with a red spot on it... I was standing
there. I was talking to John. And he bit me there. And look there; it's
swelling out."
I said, "Oh, Billy, a black widow, maybe." I said, "Look at your
throat, how it swelled." I put my hand there, I said, "Lord Jesus..."
In ten minutes from then there wasn't even... You couldn't even tell
the spot had ever been there. What is it?
E-96 Someone come in the other day and said--to the office and... One
of the office come out and said, "Tell Brother Branham just to say that
my child..." He said, "I believe that, what you'd..."
But, see, I can't say it till He tells me. But here I got the Word says
this, "These signs shall follow them that believe. If they lay their
hands on the sick they shall recover." Now, God can't do those things
and leave you stand there. You've got to... You believe the same thing,
it'll happen to you. But you've got to believe it, not just bluff it.
You've got to believe it.
E-97 Now let us pray first all together. I want each one of you all,
while the brother's standing here at this microphone, I'm going down
there so I can lay hands on them too. They're my people. They're my...
They're stars in my crown. Yes, and they are in your crown, my minister
brothers. I'm coming there because we love them and they're God's
children. We're coming to help them. Now, let us pray.
E-98 Lord Jesus, the man that could say that your Presence isn't here
would--there would be something mentally wrong, just like a man who
would refuse to accept the sunlight. Somebody tell him the sun's
shining, and he'd run down in the basement, and shut the door and say,
"I just refuse to believe it. I refuse to believe it." For we'd know,
Lord, that something mentally was wrong with the man.
And so does a man that would shut up his bowels of compassion, and the
life of the Word of Jesus Christ being made manifest, would say, "I
don't believe it." There's something spiritually wrong with the man. So
we know that You're here, Father. Without a doubt we believe it. We see
Your--Your footprints; we see Your marks; we see Your Word.
There's hundreds standing here in this prayer line, and fine men of God
standing here, great warriors of the faith. I'm walking down to put my
shoulder with theirs, Lord. When these sick people pass through this
prayer line, make each one of them know that it's not just passing
through by some man; they're coming under the cross of the promise.
May they go away from here healed, go away rejoicing, get well, tell
their pastor. May that cause an old fashion revival to break out down
around in these countries, Lord, bring many souls to You. Lord, they're
Yours. Help them; heal them, I pray, in Jesus Christ's Name.
E-99 I want everyone, now, with your heads bowed, praying. And I want,
as you... Listen in the prayer line now. When you pass through, just
like you was under the cross, believe with everything that's in you. Go
away from here rejoicing, happy, saying, "Thank You, Lord. I believe my
healing." And if you don't believe that, it'd be just as well to take
your seat, because it won't do one bit of good.
I want all the congregation, everybody, to just storm up to heaven like
that in the Presence of Christ. "Lord Jesus, make Yourself known to us
now. Heal these sick." Will you do it?
Brother Borders, while you sing "Only Believe." Let--let me down here.
Only believe, (Let's raise our hands now.)
All things are possible, only believe.
Now, let's sing it like this.
Now I believe, oh, now I believe,
All things are possible, now I believe.
Now I believe, oh, now I believe.
All things are possible, oh, now I believe.
Till I meet you again I want to leave Texas singing and shout the
praises of God. Let's just raise up our hands and give God praise,
every one of us.
E-100 Lord Jesus, we thank You for Your Word, what You've done for us.
I thank You for being able to speak to these fine people, and to see
Your power and blessings upon them. Bless them, Lord. May they
understand. And may the Holy Ghost heal every one and save every one in
this last days, through Jesus Christ's Name. Lord, I present them to
You for material for the bride, for they are believing in the grace of
God.
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