1 It’s certainly good to be in, this morning, on this sabbath. It’s a bad day, but, yet, it’s always a sabbath to our souls when we think of the Lord and of His goodness.

2 And now I have said, today, that if the Lord was willing, I wish to preach this morning’s Message, as our brother…the courtesy of letting me have the—the service this morning, and we going to speak this morning on: The Handwriting On The Wall.

3 And, tonight, if the Lord willing, I want to speak on the subject, Will The Church Go Before The Great Tribulation Period? And I would like, if you don’t have any place that—that you would, going to church today, or tonight, that you would come out tonight for the message, Will The Church Go Before The Tribulation Period? And I…There’s quite a discussion of that, whether or not that the—the Church will go at that time, so we’re wanting to discuss that tonight.

4 And now I gave out, on the radio, yesterday, our dear Brother Neville did, that this morning, if there was any to be prayed for, to be here at eight o’clock. And my son was over to give out cards, and there was no one, at all. At nine o’clock, there was only one person to be prayed for.

5 Now, tonight, the ser-…or cards, the prayer cards, will be given out. I’m glad to hear that. I’m glad to see they’re making ready for one sick person, which I will pray for. But there was…The services tonight…Yeah, maybe it was a bad morning, and people didn’t get out. So, tonight, they’ll be giving out the prayer cards at six-thirty tonight, those. And we—we can tell by that, then, how to base my message, whether it’s to be to Divine healing or what, on…or change my subject into a way of Divine healing, or whether it’s to be just for the salvation of souls.

Now let us bow our heads just a moment, in prayer.

6 O God, most righteous Father, we are so happy this morning, as we come into Thy sanctuary, to look up into the skies, see how great Thou art, as the brother just sang a few moments ago. And to see You spread Your great wings from skies to skies, as the mother eagle taken her little ones from the nest. And before she takes them from the nest, she just swings her great wings out, and let the little ones see how great she is, and how powerful. Then they can trust in her wings, because they’re making their first flight from their nest.

7 Lord God, today, we’re so glad that we can look up and see the stars in the skies, and the—and the moon, and the great solar system as it revolves in such perfect harmony, then we see how great Thou art. And it becomes time for us to leave this nest of this world, we have confidence to know that He Who set the stars in their orbits, Who made the heavens and the earth, can certainly guide our helpless soul into a place that He has promised, for we can see how great Thou art.

8 And as we feel that we’re living in the last days, just before the Coming of that marvelous Son of Thine, that dear beloved Saviour, we pray, today, that You’ll remind us of how close this is, this great event. And may every soul in here just dismiss every other thought at this time. And, Father, we pray that You’ll speak to us through Thy Word, today, that we might see, by the wisdom of the prophets in the days gone by, just how close the Coming of the Lord is.

9 When we read our newspapers, and hear the radios, we know that there’s something wrong. And our spirits tell us that something is altogether wrong.

10 And give us that today which we have need of. Save those, Lord, who are savable today. And heal those who are in need of healing today. And we pray that You’ll open our ears to hear Thy Word. Open the mouth of Your servant and speak now the things that would be appropriated for Your Church at this hour. For we ask it in the Name of Thy loving Son, the Lord Jesus. Amen.

11 Over in the Old Testament, in the Book of Daniel, the 5th chapter and the 25th verse, I wish to read. And you who are taking your Scriptures down. And now we’re sorry that we do not have ample seating room for those that are standing. I want to read from the 25th verse. And may the Lord add His blessing.

And this is the meaning that was written, MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.

12 As our Scriptures, this morning, take us back into the Old Testament, to base our thinking for the next few minutes on a historical event. And we know that history repeats itself every so often. And in my study now, I’m studying the Ante-Nicene Fathers, and can see through the Scriptures, how that we are repeating again the age that has passed by.

13 “And all Scripture is given by inspiration.” And our blessed Lord said, that, “The Scriptures cannot be broken. All the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” What a consolation that is, to give to we the people that read those Scriptures, knowing that what we have read cannot be broken. It gives us the most solid foundation to rest our faith on. And every Scripture must be fulfilled.

14 Then we find, that in the fulfilling of the Scriptures, the Word is so great till many times It has dual fulfillings, and most all of It repeats at least once.

15 For instance, in the Bible, in Matthew the 2nd chapter, It—It reads, to where It said, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.” If you’ll read that Scripture, and run the reference, you’ll find it back over, that God called His son, Jacob, out of Israel…out of Egypt. And then it also is fulfilled again when He called His Son, Jesus, out of Egypt.

And It just keeps repeating itself, because It’s inspired.

16 If I wrote you a letter, you would perhaps appreciate that letter. And if you wrote me one, I’m sure I would appreciate it. But my letter would just be to you. Therefore, after you read it once, you know all the meaning, and the letter would be insufficient anymore, anybody else. It was just designated to you; or yours to me.

17 But it’s not so with God’s Eternal Word. It’s inspired. Therefore, It’s to all peoples, in all ages, and to meet all conditions. That’s what makes It keep repeating Itself. As history swings around, It swings with the history. And It never loses Its value, because It is the Eternal Word of the Eternal God. It cannot lose Its value.

18 And our scene this morning is in Babylon. It’s very good for us that we find out a little about this great city. And I’ve been studying recently on Babylon, out of the—the…geographically where it set. And I was studying it out of Hislop’s Two Babylons, one of the oldest histories of Babylon.

19 Babylon first appears in the beginning of the Bible, then it appears in the middle of the Bible, and then it appears in the last of the Bible. The reason it begins in Genesis is because Genesis is the seed chapter of the Bible. That’s where the seed of everything that’s on earth, today, was started, in Babylon…in Genesis. Pardon me. And Babylon begin in Genesis.

20 It was first founded by Nimrod, which was a son of Ham. And it was first called, “The gates of Paradise.” Then it was called Babylon, and the word Babylon means, “Backslidden.”

21 And Nimrod founded this in one of the most fertile parts of the known world. And it was a great city. And it was founded in the valleys of Shinar. And Shinar was…The valley of Shinar was the most fertile place in the known world, a great agriculture center, and the great Euphrates River irrigated its land. The Tigris laid north, into the mountain, but the Euphrates irrigated Shinar. And right in the middle of this valley, this great city was planted, and it was one of the greatest cities of the day. It was a mighty place, and it was full of scientists and the intelligence of the known world.

22 The city was one hundred and twenty miles around it, to take the city. And the walls were some two-hundred-feet across, and most three-hundred-feet high. You could run six chariots, abreast, around this wall, and race around the wall.

23 And then the city, also, had in it, great, mammoth streets. And these streets were almost equal, or better than equal, with the modern streets of today. They were some two-hundred-feet wide. That was altogether strange for a city of them days, because the streets were narrow, just for a small chariot to go through.

24 Some time ago, it was my privilege to be in Oslo, Norway. And down into the old part of the city, which is well over a thousand years old, you could hardly squeeze an automobile through the city streets, because the only transportation they had was chariots or horsemen. And that’s the way all the old ancient cities were built. But this Babylon had two-hundred-feet-wide streets. The armies could march up in full armor, and all of abreast, and two-hundred-feet wide, chariot after chariot.

25 And it was built something on the order of Rome, today, where modern Babylon sets. Every street led to the capitol and the throne, I mean, the throne. The throne was a great place in the center of the city. And before the throne, run the great river Euphrates.

26 And the great gates of this city, two-hundred-feet wide, and some hundred-and-fifty- or two-hundred-feet high, made of solid brass.

27 Oh, it was a mammoth city! And all along its walls, it had great swinging gardens. And these gardens were great places of amusement.

28 And in the city they had purposed that they could live just about any way they wanted to live. So they thought, then, if they could do that, they would build a tower so high, that if the flood waters of judgment ever come, that they would just run up on the tower, and would be safe.

29 Do you see? It’s just a picture of modern America, trying to get a sputnik or something, and get over to the moon, thinking that we’d be safe. But God sees you, no matter where you are.

30 And in this city, they had all kinds of device-ities of sin. And when any place thinks itself is secured, then violence and evil sets in. They had the best scientists in the world. They had the best armies in the world. They had the best chariots in the world, the best trained men that there was. And the scientists, and all the armor, they were supreme. They were far above any of the rest of the nations. And they, really, the rest of the nations kind of looked up to them, or bowed to them.

31 And when a nation gets in that condition, then they think they can just do what they want to, and get by with it.

32 But, remember, no matter how high the walls is, God looks down from the Heavens. And God hates sin. He loves the sinner, but He hates his works, sin.

33 And in this great city, they had become very wicked. They thought, “Well, we can just do anything that we wish to, because there’s nothing can bother us.” If that isn’t just about the picture of our nation, today, just spurning God!

34 Now, they spurned God’s mercy back there, also. They had a prophet in that city by the name of Daniel. And you could imagine a man of God, seeing sin and device-ities, as it was, he screamed out against it. But they just laughed at him, as if to think, “That old fellow don’t know what he’s talking about.”

35 And so is it today, that our peoples of this day has become so unconcerned about God, till we feel that we can just live any way we want to and get by with it. But you can’t do it. You’ll never be able to do it. God will judge sin.

36 Someone said to me, some time ago, said, “Preacher, our foundation of America was founded upon the—the reverence and the respects of our forefathers. They were religious men, therefore God will protect this nation forever.”

37 He will have no more respects for us than He did for Israel. Israel was His called and chosen people. And when they sowed, they reaped what they sowed. And that goes for individuals. No matter how holy a church we claim to belong to, or how good we try to live, God is obligated to His Word, to judge us according to what He has said.

38 And I’ve made this statement. If this nation escapes judgment, God will be obligated to raise up Sodom and Gomorrah, and apologize for sinking them and burning them up, for we are just as wicked as Sodom and Gomorrah ever was. And if He sunk Sodom and Gomorrah, and burnt them up, because of their sin, and He doesn’t deal the same way with us, then He would be unjust and owe them an apology.

39 God doesn’t have to apologize to nobody, or nothing. Sin will be judged. And it’ll be punished, just as sure as there’s a God Who can make judgment. And God’s judgment is holy. God is holy. And, therefore, His judgments and His works must be just and holy, because it becomes a holy God, for His works and His judgment.

40 And, oh, how this city, wading in sin! How our nation, today, wading in sin! We just think because that we are Presbyterians, or Baptists, or Pentecostals, or something, that’s all God requires. He requires justice. And that’s the only thing that His law will recogn-…be recognized, is justice. He is no respect of denomination.

41 In the Book of Acts, the 10th chapter and the 35th verse, the prophet said, “I perceive that God is no respect of nation or person, but will accept such as will serve Him in righteousness.” No matter what church you belong to, God expects you to respect Him. And He wants you to serve Him in righteousness. If we fail to take them the Gospel, then God will judge them according to the knowledge that they had, and how respectable they was to It.

42 Oh, blessed be His Name! As you can just simply feel, in this day that we’re living, something is just about to happen. Oh, I’m looking with great anticipations for some glorious morning, for the troubles to all be over, and the blessed Lord shall come. And we will be caught up, to meet Him in the air. Oh, it should be the very motive of every heart, and the very objective of every heart, to be looking for that time, to see when our troubles and trials will be over. And when…

43 We turn our thoughts now to Babylon, again, for to continue our Message. We find, in this great city, that when they got all secured, no nation could get to them. Why, they had two-hundred-foot walls to dig through, hundreds-of-feet high in the air, and great brass gates that it would take a company of soldiers to swing loose. They were well fortified. They had no need to be worried of any other nation. Now, that part was all right. But when they put sin in there, then, remember, God can look anywhere and see you, no matter how fortified you are.

44 And I want to say this. There is only one way for the Christian to be fortified, that’s, under the Blood of the Son of the living God. That’s one thing He cannot look through and judge. If you’re covered by the Blood, then God will not see you. He said, in the Scriptures, “When I see the blood, I will pass. I will pass over you.”

45 But these people were unconcerned about that. They had their own religions, so they lived by them. You know, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof is the ways of death.”

46 Now, in this city, they had a king that was one of these modern frolic boys, oh, something like some of our radio comedians, a modern Arthur Godfrey, or a Elvis Presley, or someone like that. Oh, he was a great, big-time boy. And he liked his big times, so he was going to throw a little rock-and-roll party for all of his people.

47 Oh, if that hasn’t been a curse! And to think that men and women, who call themselves servants of Christ, indulge in such stuff, records in their house, on their machines. Throw the things out the door!

48 And this fellow thought, “Well, now, we’ll just have a great big time.” And he sent out a great invitation to all of the celebrity. He chose his chosen ones, the ones who could dance the best, and the women who was the most fairest. And he brought them all into a great big swinging garden, just behind the palace, for a modern dance. And they were going to have a lot of fun. And all the soldiers, and all of them, got on a good drunk. If that isn’t modern America, I don’t know where it’s at. So they were having a great time. And they lit up all the tinsel, just like a good television show.

49 And they were back there, women, no doubt, with baby-sitters at home, taking care of their babies. And the Bible said, “He called in all of his concubines.” And concubine was a legal “prostitute.” And the only difference is, of today, they’re still the same thing, but not legal. And they left their babies home with baby-sitters, and they put on their new, modern clothes, their little skirts and so forth. And they went to the king’s shindig, or rock-and-roll party.

50 Oh, can’t you see America in that same place? “Oh, the king endorsed it, so it must be all right. If the king does it, well, that settles it.” Well, just because America lets you sell whiskey, cigarettes, and tobaccos, and beer, that doesn’t make it right, in the sight of God. God will judge sin. You say, “Well, our nation sells it.” But you ought to have the real principle of man and woman, and keep away from it. Our nation is governed by the devil, like all other nations are. The Bible says they are. So you can’t go by the way the—the nation is governed.

51 Satan said, “All these kingdoms are mine. I’ll do with them what I want to.” And he said to Jesus, “I’ll give them to You if You’ll worship me.”

52 Jesus knew He would fall heir to them, in the Millennium, so He said, “It is written, ‘Thou shall worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’” That’s good preaching to the church, let alone to Satan. No matter what you’ve got, we are commanded to worship the Lord our God, and Him only shall we serve.

53 So the king set the great dinner. And he got all of the food ready, and their best beer, and their wines. The best advertised, they had. And he was going to have a great big time. And he invited all the Hollywood girls, and all of them. And they all come up, and the best dancers that they had. They were all in this big garden out there, having themself a modern rock-and-roll. What a time! Dancing, drinking, making merry!

54 Don’t the Bible say they would be that way? Said, “They’d be heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than the lovers of God; trucebreakers, incontinent, fierce, and despisers of those that are right with God.” What a day we are living in! Now I want you to pinch your spiritual conscience.

55 It was in this time, while they were having all this, and the…I can just see the—the young ladies with their beer, drinking. And they were doing their—their rock-and-roll, or boogie-woogie, just having a big time out there, dancing around. And those drunken soldiers swinging them women around, and drawing them up to them, and setting them on their lap. “And they were just having a little clean fun.” That’s what America calls it today, “Just a little clean fun.” It’s sin!

56 The Bible said, “She that liveth in pleasure is dead while she is alive.” And the way our American women has lost their morals, till they hardly know what the word moral means.

57 And I was getting after them, about it, not long ago. And a woman said to me…I told her. I said, “You wear them clothes the way you do, you’re going to have to answer at the Day of Judgment for committing adultery.” She was a married woman.

58 She said, “I’ll give you to understand, Brother Branham, that I’ve never did anything wrong.”

59 I said, “But has the other man that looked at you done anything wrong? For Jesus said, ‘Whosoever shall look upon a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.’ Then when that sinner answers for adultery, you’ll answer as a guilty one, for you presented yourself to him in that fashion.”

60 Say, “Well, Brother Branham, they sell them kind of clothes. That’s the only kind they sell.”

61 They still sell sewing machines. They still got goods. It’s a shame to see the way, our women of this day. You Pentecostal women, what a disgrace!

62 And you man, you Pentecostal man, who will let your woman act like that, that shows how much man you really are. You’re supposed to be the head of the house. Oh, what a disgrace!

63 You say, well, your wife smokes cigarettes. What got her into that in the first place? She’s wrong in doing it. She is poisoning herself. She’s poisoning your children. She is damning the whole family. And a disgrace to the Church of the living God!

64 And you that let your children, your young girls, get out with these boys, us getting out here in these modern rock-and-roll carry-on’s. Shame on you, mother and dad! You say, “Well, they just do as they want to.” You still got paddles.

65 I got two up there. I don’t know what they’ll be. But if this old man, Branham, lives long enough and keeps his right mind, they may go but they’ll be full of blisters while they’re there.

66 It’s a disgrace! There is more illegitimate children born in the world today, in America. Each year it produces more illegitimate children than the wars produced in four years of killing. Oh, it’s a great sign of the end time! It sure is.

67 Now I want you to notice this king. Oh, he was a great fellow. Oh, he was a good Arthur Godfrey, with all of his dirty jokes.

68 And you women staying home, instead of taking your time for prayer meetings on—on the mornings, you turn on such a rascal as that and listen at him, and then call yourself Christian. What does he do but lay down there with them girls, and things! Why, he’s the biggest indebtment this nation has ever had. Oh, yes, “He’s a real American.” If you call that American, it’s…Might be a good American, but it’s a long way from Christianity. But you haven’t got time for prayer meeting or read the Bible. Now do you see where we’re at?

69 Those women, those concubines that were up there with the king that night, if they had listened to Daniel, they wouldn’t have been there.

70 But notice as the party went on, you know, and they all got pretty well warmed up, with their good wines and whiskies and beer, that they had. And then they said, “Let’s have some fun.” Oh, yes, this modern Arthur Godfrey wanted to crack one about the bald-headed preacher, or something, you know. So he said, “We’ll go and get the vessels of the house of their God, and we’ll just have a little joke.” If that isn’t a good radio or television gag, I never seen one.

71 You see, the man dies, but the spirit lives on. “Oh, we’ll just tell one about this, that, or the other, to have a good gag.” Here I heard them the other day, on the radio, singing When The Saints Go Marching In, in ragtime; When I See The Blood, in boogie-woogie. What a disgrace! Do you think a holy God can listen to that, and be just and not judge it?

72 “But we’re fortified! We’re a great nation. We’re the greatest in the world!” So were they. But what took place?

73 Said, “Go get those vessels and let’s have a good time.” And they went and got the vessels of the Lord, the holy things.

74 Which, “You are the vessel of the Lord.” You are God’s vessel, where He pours in His Holy Spirit.

75 And they said, “Let’s get some jokes on them, the holy-roller.” So they goes and gets it, and fills up their dishes, or their…the things, with—with wine. And then this modern Arthur Godfrey, while the girls were setting on the soldiers laps, and making “whoopee,” and having a big time, and—and their frolicking and going on. And maybe a husband at home, baby sitting; and maybe a—a women at home, baby sitting, and her drunken husband up there; just about half-and-half.

76 And there they were, all this big time, well fortified, nothing can bother them. Sure! The greatest nation under the heavens, they were. All the great scientists was in their realm. All the great war implements was under their control. They were behind the walls, so nothing could bother them. They were having a good time.

They didn’t know that God could look down on them.

77 And there in that, this modern king with his Elvis Presley jokes, and singing, they were probably having them a big time. So he said, “Bring out those holy-rollers and let’s have some fun.” So he pours the wine into the vessel, and he was drinking it, and saying, “Oh, that’s a good one!” All of the tinsel! And all of them, “Yes, that’s good!”

78 Just like America today, with some of their rotten gags, and so forth, that they have on television and radio. And in their modern…And you people that call yourselves Christians, listening to such stuff, now you can see where we’re standing. You Methodists, Baptists, and Presbyterian, you good Pentecostals, something happened to you. Your desires got wrong, for what’s in your heart you’ll do. You couldn’t make…

79 It wouldn’t be no great surprise to me, to see a pig on a manure pile, feeding. That’s his nature. But it would sure surprise me…I never did see, and never will see, a lamb eating with him, ’cause the nature in him is different.

80 You don’t see Christians doing those things. Their nature, the nature of the great Holy Spirit, won’t let them do those things. The Bible said, “If you love the world, or the things of the world, the love of God is not even in you.” Now you can judge yourselves, or the Word judges you. If you love those things, the love of God is gone from you.

81 God has first place or no place. Blessed be His Name! I’m so glad of that. I’m so glad that He’s pure and holy. We can put confidence in Him. He compromises with nothing. He is God, and God alone. It’s not…He’s not going to come down to us; we got to measure up to Him. He ain’t going to come to our thoughts; we got to measure to His thoughts. He ain’t going to listen to our commandments; we’re going to listen to His commandments.

82 But, of course, we can do just what we want to. And I say this with respects. Ninety percent of the pastors, they got so weak, they won’t preach against it. It’s a meal ticket to them. I’d rather half starve, and wear grass sacks to cover my nakedness, and preach the Gospel, the Truth, than to have to have fried chicken three times a day and compromise with the devil’s trash. Getting to be an old man; and I stood for It when I was a young man. I want to stand more gallant now, for I see the hour is at hand. What do you think the prophets of the Old Testament would do if they rose today? Look at the conditions!

83 And this fellow with his wine bottle up, drinking, having a big time. He said, “Just a minute. All, you, all listen to me. Turn your radios on now.”

84 The vulgar, dirty, filthy things that’s permitted, uncensored programs! When did it start? Look back through the history. It started back there in the days of Clara Bow. And when this scheming, ungodly Texan went out there and made these women’s underneath clothes that made them look sexy, and this begin. The first vulgar song they let pass, was about the ladies rolling down their stockings and showing their pretty knees. They got by with that, and now it’s uncensored. They can say and do what they want to. The devil has took the thing without firing a shot. That’s right. What do you think them Hollywood prostitutes, in hell, today, would do if they could return? They would make it different. But their influence upon the world has set the world in a flame of corruption.

85 Oh, blessed be the Name of the Lord! What ought the influence of the Christian Church to do? Set the world aflame with Christianity! But, instead of that, we try to pattern after them. Christ is our example, and not some Hollywood star, or some television star.

86 But we’re modern. We smoke Pall Mall’s, and you’ll go to hell for doing it. The pictures of the girls out here, with cigarettes, beautiful-looking women, that’s a deceit of the devil. Look at her, a few years after she smoked, with TB, laying yonder, dying, a wretch. But it’s modern. They can put it before the young people.

87 And you put up a picture of Divine healing, or something, or of Christ, they wouldn’t permit you to do it.

88 But we’re modern. We have to go like the rest of the world. All the great signs of beer, the Oertel’s ’92, and the Pabst Blue Ribbon’s, and all of those. What do they do? They put it on those television programs because it’s tax free. The devil has so made it.

89 O God, be merciful. Can’t you see, folks, we’re at the end of the road?

90 How the devil has gulched in on those things. He has permit it because he knows it’s his days is numbered.

91 So this young fellow with his wine glass, tipping it to the toast. Oh, my! I’d imagine all the men wanted to act like him.

92 See the little boys out in the schools, when they have to pull their little overalls down across their hips, and let their hair grow out like a bunch of hoodlums, to act like Elvis Presley.

93 God bless that dean of that college the other day, that said, “You’ll straighten up and dress like man, or you’ll get out of this college.” That’s a real American. He said, “When they dress like that, they act like that.” And that’s true.

94 And when you dress like a prostitute, you’ll act like one. Oh, you have a lot to do, what kind of a spirit is in you. Certainly. It makes you act what’s in you. It makes you dress, and act, and live. Whatever is in you, it governs you. Certainly.

95 But now he has his glass up. Oh, how he was just in his great smile, his little shimmy he was going to do before all the people. That isn’t a good television program? Wouldn’t—wouldn’t Hollywood have went for that act? “Oh, I tell you,” he says, “here is what we’ll do. You know that bunch of holy-rollers we used to have around here?” See?

96 And just about the time he started to take a drink, he looked over against the wall. You know, in the garden, there was a great candlesticks hung up. And there was a plaster on the wall. And the lights was reflecting against this plaster, from the garden. And his eyes bulged out. And he really got all shook up. The Bible said he did, said that, “His bones went out of joint, and they beat together.”

97 Yes, and some of these days, this nation is going to be all shook up, sure enough. Oh, yes. Sure.

98 They said, “Them holy-rollers, them Divine healers, that, this, that, and the other,” what all they are. Just wait. God is just.

99 He’ll send the Message, anyhow. He did in all other ages. He’ll do it now. And He is doing it, and the revival is just about over. You remember, it was THUS SAITH THE LORD. I said, “America made her final decision in 1946.” Watch since then. She is gone. And there’s nothing left but judgment and chaos. Look what’s happened in that much time. Just watch it, how it’s going to keep faster and faster. We’re at the end. We’re living in the shadows of His Coming.

100 “And there will be signs in the heavens above and in the earth. Men’s hearts failing; fear, perplexed of time; distress between the nations.” “How the people will be heady, highminded!” “How the daughters of Zion, the church, would walk haughty, highminded; with the way she’d walk, and mince and twist as she went.”

101 Where we at? We’re with Belteshazzar’s big rock-and-roll party. And the church has been caught in the tide, through television, through radio, through Hollywood. And there we are. Real Christian women bobbing off their hair, wearing make-up on their faces, dressing in little old dirty clothes, because reprobate people has told them there’s no harm in it.

102 A Christian woman, preacher, sent a girl down here the other day, looked like she was poured into her clothes. She said, “Oh, Brother Branham, you’re from the old school. Our pastor liberates women.”

I said, “Liberate them from what?”

103 They’re liberating them from Christ and common decency. Oh, very famous, the woman is. Certainly. But anything that does that is a child of hell. “By their fruits you shall know them.” What a day we are living in! Sure. I don’t believe…know it says how, what kind of clothes you wear, and so forth. But, woman, do you realize what you’re doing? You’re making yourself a sex mark to every old scalawag rascal that comes by. But you want liberation. It shows what spirit that’s in you. You want to get free from Church, free from Christ, free from the Holy Spirit, so you can live like the rest of them. That don’t exclude the Branham Tabernacle. That includes the Branham Tabernacle, all! “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Here we are. Oh, what a day! What a time!

104 And he’s all shook up. And he looked, and over against the wall there was a part of a Man’s hand. And It was writing on the wall, “MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN.”

105 Oh, all of them begin to watch this modern Godfrey that had so much popularity. What’s the matter with him? He’s all shook up, sure enough. He is standing…The Bible said, “His knees were beating together.” And something had happened. What? He couldn’t understand it. He thought no one could get to him.

106 But God can get to you, no matter where you are. He knows you. He knows your works.

107 So he says, “There’s only one thing to do, that’s, call the pastor.” So he went and got the pastor, and the cardinal, the archbishop, and the popes of his church. And he brought them all in. He said, “What does this mean?” Now you’re going to see a modern America. They never knowed nothing about the supernatural, so they couldn’t understand it.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

108 Could you doubt, then, if they would call the Spirit of the living God, “A fortuneteller, or a devil”? They know nothing about the supernatural. They’re all wrapped up in their denomination. They know nothing of It. They say, “Oh, that’s just a little mental telepathy.” But the handwriting is on the wall.

109 He did that sign before the Jew, by the closing of theirs. He did it before the Samaritans, but not the Gentile. Why? He had to wait till the Amorites’ sins had heaped up.

110 Now the handwriting is on the wall, for us. What are they doing? Are they listening to It? No, sir. They’re just going ahead with Arthur Godfrey, and Elvis Presley, and Pat Boone, and all the rest of them. Modern young folks, teen age, violence, that’s the same thing it was there, exactly.

111 And he brought in all the pastors, and they said, “Well, we, we don’t know That. Maybe…Oh, that’s maybe a shadow somewhere.”

112 The king had better sense than that. And he said, “I’ll give any man a part of my kingdom, and I’ll clothe him, and I’ll put a gold chain on his neck, if he can interpret That.” But they didn’t have the gift of interpretation. They knowed nothing about it. They believed the days of miracles were passed.

113 Isn’t that our modern preachers? Isn’t that our general overseers, our bishops? They know nothing about the supernatural. That’s the reason they could call the Spirit of the living God, “An act; a put up.”

114 O God, be merciful to an adulterous and filthy generation perishing from the face of the earth.

115 There he was. He’s still knocking his knees together. There was something wrong. He knowed there was something wrong. Oh, there was a supernatural sign. “How did It get in here? Where did It come from?” It come from Above. It come down, where there was no walls. It could come in.

116 And, today, we’ve rock-and-rolled. We’ve took our children to televisions and uncensored programs. We’ve let our floors and our tables become full of old dirty, sexy love stories, in the stead of the Word of God. There isn’t a kid in this city, but what knows more about Arthur Godfrey, or Elvis Presley, or Pat Boone, or David Crockett, than they do know about Jesus Christ. That’s straight, but it’s, oh, so true.

117 No wonder there’s a falling away! And what does the pastors know? They don’t know what’s the cause of it. They are the cause of it.

118 And there he was, standing; so was Belteshazzar cause of it, letting his kingdom get in such a place.

119 And, today, in all this stuff that we’re going through, we thought we were fortified. We think, “We’re the best and greatest nation on earth. We’ve got all the science here.”

120 And little did Belteshazzar know, that he didn’t have all the scientists. There was a nation called the Medes-and-Persians. They had got some scientific work, too. Which is now the Medes-o-Persians, or the Indians, the Hindus in India; as our brother just spoke. They finally went, wound up in India, as the Hindu, Medes-o-Persians. And they had scientifically found a way that they could bypass the river Euphrates. They couldn’t get through the walls. But they bypassed the river, and was coming under the gates. Science is working somewhere. A great, ungodly heathen nation at that time, and God put a sign on the wall, to let them know that their days were finished.

121 And God has put a sign on our wall and our great rock-and-roll party, and there’s a sputnik flying through the skies. Oh, we thought we had it all, didn’t we? We thought we knowed it all. But Russia, according to our own science, is five years ahead of us. And when we’re caught up, in five years, they’ll be ten years farther the other way. God is letting a ungodly nation, letting an ungodly people that took those Jewish scientists up there, and they are far ahead of us. We’re putting our time to wine, women, and big time. And they’re working day and night, how to blow us up. There is not one thing that could keep them from doing it right now. Look, the condition we’re in, the whole nation.

122 You remember that army officer? Brother Roberson and I were talking yesterday. They interviewed him, one of the great scientists. Said, “I don’t want you to scare the people, but I want you to tell us the truth. Is there danger?”

“At any minute it could happen.”

123 The only thing, we’re just bluffing one another. We started our little missile up, and it fizzled out, three foot off the ground. Now we put another one up, and it’s fizzling out. Why? We’ve poisoned our minds with cigarettes, with women, with whiskey, with big time, and it’s displeased the God of Heaven. And the Scripture predicts that Russia will do it. Where we at? We’re at the end. Every nation is scared to death. I believe that they could set a missile, right now, and destroy the whole nation. In one five-minute’s time, he would become nothing but powder, and back to the gases that you were in the beginning. They can do it.

124 Oh, we’ve had a rock-and-roll party. We’ve forgot God. We’ve went too much for television, too much for the world. And they have been preparing all the time, just like the Medes-o-Persians. And now the supernatural has come, and the handwriting is on the wall; not on the wall, but in the sky. And now we’re all shook up. Oh, yes. Our modern science are shook up. Our nation is shook up. It can happen before this service closes.

125 But I want you to notice another. I want you to remember that while they were still in that condition, under that drunken stew, there was a little queen. She hadn’t been at the rock-and-roll party. She must have been out reading Daniel’s prophecy. She wasn’t up indulging in their sin. And she come running in. When the king didn’t know what to do, she come running in. And she said, “Oh, king, live forever! I know you’re all shook up. You’re all bothered. And your pastor, and none of your counsellors, your pope, and your cardinals, and your district men, and your superintendents, there is none of them can interpret it for you. But there is a man, there is a man in your kingdom, he knows the supernatural.”

126 Oh, blessed be His Name! Church, there is a Man in our midst, today. He can read the supernatural, and He can write the supernatural. There is a Man. Oh, I trust that you’ll meet Him. I trust that He’ll enter into your heart right now. He’ll speak to you women. He’ll speak to your…you men, and will let you see the condition you’ve got into. He’s the only One Who can read your condition.

127 I could preach till my voice would be no more. I could cry until the tears scalded streaks down my cheeks. It would do no good, because I’m just a man.

128 But there is a Man. His Name is Jesus. He can tell you what This means. Won’t you slip off and talk to Him just a little bit?

129 What’s the meaning of these sputniks in the skies? What’s the matter? What is this modern Babylon, that we’re trying to build a machine to take us to the moon? You’ll never make it. What’s it all about? Science don’t know. They’re in a mad rush for something, and they don’t know what it is.

130 But there is a Man. There is a Man Who knows what it’s all about. He was the One Who wrote it Here. He knows how to read this Word. Oh, He knows what It means, for He’s got THUS SAITH THE LORD. He promised it. “The works that I do shall you also. If they call Me, ‘Beelzebub,’ the prince of the house, how much more will they call His household!”

131 The handwriting is on the wall; the sputniks in the skies. “Great earthquakes everywhere; volcanos coming up; tidal waves a breaking the shores.” What is it? The handwriting. Not only in the skies, but on earth. “There will be signs in the heaven and on earth. Men’s heart failing.”

“Oh, we don’t know what to do.”

132 “Perplexed of time; distress.” What is distress? Distress between the nations, all of them. Just let one missile fly, that does it. What is it?

133 “There is a man who can interpret it.” She went and got this man.

134 God give me strength this morning, God give me power; to bring that Man to your need today, bring Him to you. He’s the One can interpret your case. He’s the One can tell you where you made your mistake. He can. One can tell you where you left off. He’s the One who can tell you where to start.

135 And she went and got Daniel, God’s representative. And he walked up.

136 Could you imagine a holy prophet saying, “Oh, king, I’m honored to be here. Oh, if I can just say the right thing, I’ll get that chain of gold”?

137 Oh, you, can you see where it’s at, today? “If I could tickle the ears of my people, keep these things away. I don’t care what they do; they pay heavy in the—the treasure. They do this, that, or the other. We’ll build a great big church, and put a big spiral on it. We’ll make this, that, or the other.”

138 O God, be merciful to such people. Give me the Truth. Yes. “Oh, if we talk anything like That, brother, our—our people would get up and walk out.” They won’t if they love God. They’ll love to hear It.

139 A real man of God doesn’t look this way and that way. He doesn’t look to see if somebody says, “That’s good. You’re doing well.” Or to see if somebody says, “Oh, you oughtn’t to have done that.” He don’t care what anybody says. He’s enjoying the company of the Holy Spirit, and he’s only looking upward and onward. He doesn’t care what the preacher says, or what the other people says. He’s enjoying the company of the One Who sent him. That’s right. He’s only to please One.

140 Look at this. He said, “Oh, Belteshazzar, you should have knowed better than this. Don’t you know your father, Nebuchadnezzar…” Which, really was his grandfather. Said, “Don’t you know your father…” Which, was succession of the kings. “Belteshazzar, don’t you know better? You had an example back there, to what God did to your father when he got heady, highminded, and let his kingdom go like that. You got an example of what He did.”

141 And so have you got an example of what God did to those who didn’t walk upright before Him. These are not mysterious things. This is not a hard Message. It’s the Truth. You’ve got an example. You know what He did back yonder, to the women who danced before the idols. You know what He did to the men who went after strange women. You know what He done to the drunken sots, and the homosexuals, and the perverts of Sodom. It’s no strange thing. You know these things.

142 Said, “You should have known it. There’s your example, by your grandfather. But, now, this is the meaning of the writing, ‘God has numbered your kingdom. You are weighed in the balance and found wanting.’”

143 Oh, if there ever was a time that Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Pentecostals, they are weighed in the balance, God’s balance, and found wanting! They’ve called the Spirit of the living God, “An unholy thing.” They have done despite to the works of grace. They have followed big churches and organizations. You Assemblies of God, you church of God, all you, you oneness, and trinitarians, Baptists, Presbyterian, Catholic, you know you’ve gone back to Babylon. You had an example of that.

144 And this Branham Tabernacle knows that you been warned of those things, years ago, but now you’re weighed in the balances and found wanting: fussing, fighting, holding grudges, and stewing. You think God could work in a place like that? Never. There you are.

145 “Indifferent, unholy, without natural affections, trucebreakers, false accusers.” That’s the day that we’re living.

146 But remember, said, “You know this.” But right at the same time, Daniel was giving his prophecy and telling that king. Could you imagine him sugar-footing it around, to get a gold chain? Could you imagine a man of God compromising with the devil, to be popular? Never.

147 You can have your televisions, your programs. You can have your great churches. You can have whatever you want to. Let me be not popular, God, but let me be honest with the Holy Spirit, to tell the Truth. I don’t care what happens or goes. We got one thing to do, that’s carry out the commission of our blessed Lord.

148 But here we are. We’re in this day, and it’s upon us. There’s nothing can be done now. We’ve done crossed the line. What a condition! The nation is conglomerating in sin and folly. The handwriting is on the wall. The Spirit of God revealing Itself, and the people coming back and say, “It’s Beelzebub.”

149 Jesus said, “Spake…speak that against Me, I’ll forgive you. But when the Holy Ghost is come, even one word against It will never be forgiven, in this world or the world to come.” A good example of that at Pentecost, after Pentecost; and then when Titus, in 96, take the walls of Jerusalem; when they rejected the message. Certainly.

150 Here we are. And right at the same time when the prophecy was being given. Listen now, in closing. While the prophecy was being given, what taken place? What taken place? The same time that the prophecy was being given, the Medes-and-Persians were coming under the gate. The temple guards had been slaughtered. The castle guards were cut down, in the streets.

151 Listen. Ten minutes later, those modern young girls, beautiful, those modern women away from their babies and children, what happened? What was taking place? They would be strung into the streets. They were ravished by soldiers. Their bellies was split open. And the disgrace that was brought upon them, because they failed to listen. But it was too far.

152 Listen, friend. There isn’t a thing this very hour, in the next twenty-five minutes, or ten minutes, for Russia to send up its satellite and sweep over here across this nation, train its missile, say, “Surrender, or in two minutes you’ll be nothing but dust.” They can do it right now. Think of it. They can do it right now. What would happen? Plane load after plane load, ship load after ship load, of ungodly communistic soldiers, would swarm our lands, would grab our girls and take them into the street, and treat them like cattle, ram a sword through them. Go into our homes and take our wives out, and bust the baby’s head against the wall, ravish our women. You say one thing? It belongs to them.

153 You say, “Will our pentagon surrender?” Sure, it would. That would be the only sensible thing for it to do. It would have to do it. If it didn’t, we’d be nothing but powder in a few minutes. We’d have maybe a few more hours of life, but what a slaughter!

154 What? They may be loading on the planes right now. The ships may be in harbor. Soon these things that we’re talking about can be a reality. There’s not one thing left, for it to happen, to keep it from happening according to prophecy. Here we are. And next week you don’t know what condition you could be in. The handwriting is on the wall. We are weighed in the balance and found wanting.

155 Now, if these things are true, and you see they are true, then how close is the Coming of the Lord? Tonight, I want to continue. What? Where will the Church be when this takes place? Now, you who’ve always been thought that the Church will take the Tribulation, come find out. If this is so close, if this destruction is so close, how much closer is the Coming of the Lord? For it’ll take place before the Church ever…Before one rocket hits this country, the Church will be in the arms of Christ, and gone. We’re at the end. It can happen any time.

Let us pray.

156 I want the deep-thinking people in here. I want those who are…really know that that Man has been talking to you in the last few minutes. Saying, “Yes, I been wrong. And I want to get right, with that Man, ’cause He’s the only One Who can read this handwriting. I want to be right.” Would you just raise your hand? Say, “Pray for me, Brother Branham.”

157 God bless you, sir. God bless you, lady. God bless you, sir. God bless you, young man. God bless you, lady; you, you. That’s right. God bless you. God bless you, sir. God bless you, the young lady. God bless you, young woman. God bless you, girl. God bless you, little one back there, the little teen-age girl. The little boy, God bless you. You’re just in the turnings of life.

158 Oh, it could happen, and it’s going to happen. It’s got to happen. And these brittle threads that you’re walking on is going to break, honey. And your poor helpless soul, what’s going to happen to you? Time shall be no more. Time will then blend into Eternity. The handwriting on the wall; a scientific proof. They’re trying to get to the moon, like they did in Babylon. Everything is repeating. The God of Heaven can’t hold His peace any longer. It’s time. When? I don’t know; but it’s time.

False prophets are lying, God’s Truth they’re denying,

That Jesus the Christ is our God;

Those Gentile days numbered, with harrows encumbered;

“Return, O dispersed, to your own.”

The day of redemption is near,

Men’s hearts are failing for fear;

Be filled with the Spirit, your lamps trimmed and clear,

Look up, your redemption is near.

159 It’s later than you think. Won’t you just now, under conviction, if you feel that you been wrong; I don’t care how long you’ve belonged to this tabernacle, I don’t care how long you’ve belonged to your church, how many times you’ve spoke with tongues, how many times you danced in the Spirit; if you could still see the world hanging on you, come here just a minute. Come here, lost sheep. “Return, O dispersed, to your own.” Would you come here just a minute, let me shake your hand? Stand here, and let’s pray together. I’m inviting you. Get right up out of your seat now and come here; you’re interested in my prayer. I’m inviting you to come.

160 That’s right. The Lord bless you, my dear brother. Stand right here at this altar, just a moment. [Brother Branham leaves the pulpit and shakes hands with the ones coming forward—Ed.] God bless you, lady. God bless you. God bless you, brother. Bless you. God bless you, my brother. God bless you, both. God bless you, brother. God bless you. Stand right here at the altar now. God bless you.

161 [Blank spot on tape—Ed.]…caught it right then. If we’re strangers to one another, raise up your hand. That’s what’s wrong with you, isn’t it? All right. You have faith. You’re from down in Kentucky. God bless you. The Holy Spirit!

162 God bless you, lady. God bless you, lady. God bless you. God bless you, lady.

The day of redemption…

163 God bless you, lady. God bless you, both. God bless you, brother. God bless you, sister. God bless you. God bless you, sister.

[Blank spot on tape—Ed.] “…mind reading”?

164 If that ain’t the Spirit of Christ, I don’t know where It’s at. Why do you linger and wait then? Can’t you see It’s Him? “The things that I do, shall you also.” And this was the end-time sign. Listen to It, tonight, and find out if this ain’t the end-time sign.

165 Come, will you? You who believe that God has spoke to your heart, this morning, saying, “You ought to be ashamed to do the things that you’ve done,” will you walk out?

“Well,” you say, “I’d hate for my—my sister to see me.”

166 How about your Lord? Oh, you want to be saved, you don’t want to go to the devil’s hell, but you won’t receive Him as your Lord. Lord is “ruler.” Lord takes over all. You want to have your own little private life. You want to live the Christian life the way you want to, but you won’t live it the way He wants you to. Let Him come into your heart. And say, “Oh, I—I’ve let You into my heart, Jesus, as my Saviour, yes; but I’ve never let You have control, ’cause I wanted to act a little like this. I want to be modern.” Oh, He ain’t your Lord, yet. Elvis Presley and Godfrey spirit has still got you; the devil. Sure. Won’t you come where Christ is a moving? See His Spirit.

Sweet Spirit, sweep over my soul.

Over my soul…

167 Won’t you pray? I know you think I’m…something is wrong with me. But, when I can see the church, and the unconcerned of the church! What do you think would taken place if—if George Washington, in his day, would have seen the same thing take place that’s just took place right here? What do you think righteous men, and great men of years gone by, would have done? When Charles G. Finney hollered one word, “Repent or perish,” and men fainted in the street.

168 And, today, the Holy Spirit can put the writing on the wall, and show Hisself present, and men sits there and looks around, women? Oh, it’s coldness. But remember, “As it was in the days of Noah, there was eight saved, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of man.”

169 Your invitation is, “Come.” I invite you to the altar with the rest of these. If you know that you’ve done wrong, why don’t you come? Stand here, show God you’re willing to make an effort. But if the Holy Spirit can’t, then I know I can’t.

So let us bow our heads now.

170 Want to offer prayer for this woman. She’s got her hand up, here on the cot.

171 My sister, Jesus Christ can save your life, in that old age, see. Do you believe that He will? And you’re aware of that? If I be His servant…He said in His Word, “Say to this mountain, ‘Be moved,’ and don’t doubt, but believe that what you’ve said is coming to pass, you can have what you say.” Will you serve Him all your life? [The sister says, “I will.”—Ed.] Give the rest of your days to Him alone.

172 Lord God, as I hold the hand of this woman that’s laying here, dying, she might not even last till tonight’s healing service if You don’t help her. I see her too weak to even sit up; she has to lay down. And then You said, “The prayer of faith shall save the sick. God shall raise them up.” I pray that You’ll heal the woman right now. And in my poor heart, as I have knowed Your Spirit is here, I say to the disease of her body, “Depart, in the Name of Jesus Christ, so our sister can live.” From this hour, may the suffering and weakness go. May she get well, for the glory of God. Through Jesus Christ’s Name.

173 The Word has been said. My objective and motive, as far as I know, is right. Then, that wasn’t me; that was Him. Then, I’d go about my business, rejoicing. Forget all about being sick. Rise up, and take your cot, go on home, rejoicing. Stay for the service, tonight, watch the Lord God.

174 O God, standing in the midst of this hour of death, death to sin, death to indifferences, death to sickness, the departing of diseases; Your great Spirit here, interpreting their conditions! I pray for these who are standing at the altar, who knows that the handwriting on the wall is sure. They don’t have to take my word for it. They’ve got Your Word now. They’ve got the newspaper’s word. They got the scientists’ word. And we know, to You, be a just God, You cannot let Babylon go in their condition without giving them their judgment, and neither would You let us go without us getting our judgment.

175 And we are praying this morning, Father, that these who are standing here will escape that judgment, as they come safely under the arms of Jesus. As they come to listen to the Man that can interpret the spiritual, the supernatural. They’ve heard Your Voice speak, and they’ve come to listen to You. When You spoke, they rose from their seat. They come. They’re not ashamed. Some of them, Lord, has been Christians a long time, but they’re—they’re not ashamed to witness that they’ve been wrong. And Thou has said, “If you will witness Me before men, him will I witness before the Father and the holy Angels.” Be Thou merciful, O Eternal God, and give Eternal Life to these who are now seeking It. May their precious hearts be satisfied with the goodness of God. I present them to You, Lord.

176 They’ve done something just now that’s defied all the laws of science. They got up out of their seat and walked here. Their hands went up; shows there’s a spirit in them, moving. And that spirit that moves them, has been convinced, by the Word of God, that they’re wrong. Their actions has proved that they recognize they’re wrong. And they were reverent and respect enough, respectable, to come up to the altar, to confess their wrongs and ask for mercy. Thou will in no wise turn them down. Grant, Lord, that each one may be now filled with Your Spirit. In the Name of Your Son, the Lord Jesus.

Now while we have our heads bowed.

177 I wonder, you who are standing here, this morning, that you feel that you’ve done the right thing. You’ve come on the invitation, not of your brother, but you come on the invitation of the great, holy God. And because that you have done this, and His Spirit has called you to recognize that you been wrong, and you want to be right. And you have prayed to Him Who said, “If a man lacks wisdom, let him ask God. Ask the Father anything, in My Name, I’ll do it.” Coming with that sincere heart, your faith based solemnly upon God’s Word, do you believe that you now receive that what you ask for? If you would, with your heads bowed, would you just raise your hands to God, say, “I now believe.” God bless you. That’s fine. “I now believe that I found what I have asked for.”

178 May the grace of God ever richen your souls, bless your spirits, and make you Eternally His, in the Kingdom, in the world that is to come. May your…His Eternal grace never leave you. May He sustain you in the hours of temptation. And if the great bomb should strike, and the great time should come, may you be caught away in the rapturing of His blessed Church, to be with Him forever.

179 You in the audience, with your heads bowed, and you would like to be remembered in prayer, though you did not come up but you’d like to be remembered, would you raise your hands. Did…God bless you. Do you know…Just look at the hands, ninety percent of the audience.

180 Do you realize this is a searching out time? This is a time that we must be searched out. This may be the last Gospel message that’s preached. Before the message begins tonight, you know, that bomb may strike the earth. There isn’t a thing to keep it from being so. They’re set. They’re ready. All it takes is a few drinks of Vodka, and here it would come. And the only thing that holds it off, right now, is the grace of God trying to get His Church together. Won’t you hear me as your brother? Hear the Scriptures, as your Saviour, and let Christ be supreme Ruler in your life. Grant it, while we pray.

181 Pray now, each one, in your own way. If you’re a Baptist, pray the way the Baptists pray. It don’t make any difference. You just pray. You say, “God be…” It’s no time to argue denominations now; we’re done passed that age. We’re…

Come, brother.

182 While we’re standing here. It isn’t right for evangelist…Which, no doubt, after a while, there’s going to be a baptizing. Easter Sunday I aim to be here for a big baptizing. And if you’ve never received Christ and been immersed in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you long to be baptized by immersing, we’re inviting you to come. Even right now, if you want, we’re ready.

183 The pastor must have something to say. I’m going to ask him to pray this prayer, while we’re waiting. All right, Brother Neville.