Il Y A Maintenant Ici Plus Que Salomon
Il Y A Maintenant Ici Plus Que Salomon - Shp
1 Let us remain standing just
for a moment, while we read the Word of the Lord. You who would like to
turn to the Scripture reading tonight, turn to Matthew 12, beginning
with the 38th verse.
And there, then
certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master,
we would seek a sign from thee.
But he answered and
said unto them, An evil and an adulterous generation seeketh after a
sign; and there shall be no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the
prophet Jonas:
For as Jonas was
three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of
man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
The men of Nineveh
shall rise in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it:
because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater
than Jonas is here.
The queen of the
south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall
condemn it: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the
wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
2 Let us bow our heads. With our heads and hearts bowed in His Presence, is there a request in here tonight, that you'd like to be remembered in prayer? If so, just raise your hands and signify by that, "God, hear my request." Now, pray silently while we go to prayer.
3 Our heavenly Father, we are deeming this one of the most grandest privileges that we have this side of glory, is to meet in the congregation of the people who believe in You, that where we can expect Your Presence, because it's according to Your promise. You said, "Where there are two or three gathered in My Name, there I am in the midst. And if they can agree upon any certain thing, and ask, they shall receive it." Lord, the greatest thing that we could agree upon tonight, that You would just meet with us, that we might behold Your Presence, sense It in our spirits, and know that You're here. And in Your Presence, we feel that we can pour out our hearts in supplication. And as we meditate upon Thee, may we feel this great sense of the answer of our prayers, as we are asking now in Jesus Christ's Name. Amen. You may be seated.
4 I want to take the subject, the Lord willing, with some Scriptures I have written out here, for just a few moments before we go to prayer for the sick, upon the subject of: "A Greater Than Solomon Is Here Now."
5 We find in our beginning of
the Scripture tonight, where our text is found, that Jesus was
disputing with the Pharisees. He was rebuking them, because that they
had not understood Him. A Man, that the theologians that had been
trained, looking forward for the time of His appearing, and then when
He arrived, they misunderstood Him and had called Him a devil. They
said that the ministry He had was of the Devil, because He could
discern the thoughts that were in their hearts, and by this they
thought Him to be some kind of a--of a witch doctor or some like a
fortuneteller; and anyone knows that's evil spirits. And then, to call
the work of God an evil spirit was blasphemy.
And He had told them He would forgive them for it, because the Holy
Spirit had not come as yet to tender up their hearts and to--to make
them in condition so that they would understand God. They were hearts
was far away from God. And all they know was cold theology of the law,
and they had not yet received the Holy Spirit. But He said, "When the
Holy Spirit has come and does the same thing, to speak against That,
it's never forgiven in this world nor the world to come."
7 And I was thinking as I was
reading this this afternoon, and meditating upon it, of how that--that
they, one of them here, come to Him in a roundabout way, and asked Him,
said, "Master, we would see a sign from Thee." In other words, the Jews
were always to--taught to believe signs. The Jews seek signs always,
and the Greeks wisdom. And we find that these Jews was relying upon a
sign.
Now, what a--a very witness against this Pharisee, that him supposingly
knowing the Scriptures, that the sign of the Messiah, Jesus had already
performed it, and His eyes were so darkened that he didn't recognize
it. Jesus had... Jesus had given him the true Scriptural Messianic sign
that was promised in the Scripture. But he was looking for some other
kind of a sign.
9 And how true that stands
with teachers of today, and people of today. They can see something
that is solid and in the Scripture, promised by God for the day. And
then they can see that, but yet they are looking forward to something;
they want to see something else, and not taking the sign of the time.
He told them once, said, "You can discern the skies when it's lowering,
red. You'll say, when it's lowering and red, 'tomorrow will be foul
weather,' and so forth." But said, "You can discern the--the signs in
the skies, but the signs of the time, you don't understand. For truly
the Scripture had said that this Messiah would be a prophet.
11 We know that God's way of
doing things was always sending a prophet to a-vindicate His message:
never has failed. Never will fail. God cannot change His way. What His
first decision is, it must ever remain that way. What He says is true.
God never did deal in great groups. He always deals with an individual.
That's how He's taken a people out of the Gentiles for His Name: just
an individual, one here and there for His Name. He deals with an
individual, not by groups.
13 And we find that the reason
they believed this, that a prophet must be a identified witness of God.
For when he said anything, and it come to pass; and he said again, and
it come to pass; and whatever he said, God vindicated to be true, then
He said, "Hear him, for I am with him."
Now we find that Moses, who they claimed to believe in, had told them
that, "The Lord your God shall raise up a prophet liken unto me, and to
him the people must hear. And all that didn't believe this prophet
would be cut off from the people."
We find that to be true. "He came to His own; His own received Him not.
But as many as did receive Him, to them gave him the power--gave them
the power to become sons of God."
16 How we find these Pharisees
looking right, and Sadducees, upon exactly what the promise of God said
that He would do. And there they was still seeking a sign, not knowing
that that was the true Messianic sign that He was to give.
Philip understood it, when He told him where he was the day before. He
understood that was the Messiah, said, "Thou art the Christ, and You're
the King of Israel." And so he--he recognized that because he was given
to that. He was...
Jesus said, "No man can come to Me except My Father draws him. And all
the Father has given Me will come to Me." No matter how much we try to
get in any other way, it's got to be God. "It's not him that willeth,
or him that runneth; it's God that showeth mercy." God is the One that
does the choosing. "You haven't chose Me," said Jesus, "I chose you."
19 And now we find that the antichrist, in the last day will deceive all that dwells upon the earth, whose names were not written in the Lamb's Book of Life from the foundation of the world. Your name was put in God's Book before the Lamb was slain. When His program was laid out, the whole thing, you were recognized in that program because you got Eternal Life. The word eternal, never did begin and neither can it end, and you are an attribute of God's thinking before the world was ever created. That's the only way you can have Eternal Life. And that Life, that He was thinking of you, is in you now. There's no way to separate it. It's in there to stay.
20 Notice now, these
Pharisees, yet being religious teachers, great scholars of theology,
and studied the Book day and night, failed to see that Messianic sign,
and was here trying to ask Him for a sign.
That I might further the thing, to let you know that God always gives
signs. Because He's supernatural, He always deals with people through
signs, Scriptural signs.
In the Old Testament, when they had a--a question, someone dreamed a
dream, and there was no--no prophet there, they took him down to the
temple, where they had what they called the Urim Thummim. You Bible
teachers understand what I mean. It was the--the breastplate that Aaron
wore, that had the twelve stones that represented the twelve tribes of
Israel. They hung that up on a post; and then when this prophet, or
this dreamer, or whatever it was, told his vision or his dream,
regardless of how real it seemed, if them supernatural lights didn't
come up, making the Urim Thummim on that breastplate, it was rejected.
God refused it.
23 There must be a
supernatural sign from God to vindicate. No matter how real, how deep
it was in theology, how great it sounded, it still--if God's
supernatural sign didn't vindicate it, it wasn't so, to the Jew.
Now, the Old Testament, the Aaron's plate was done away, with the old
covenant.
But in the New Covenant, God still remains with the Urim Thummim. That
is, if a prophet, dreamer, theologian, or whatever it is, speaks
something that's contrary to the Word, and God don't echo it back
through the Word, I'll let it alone, for It's God's Urim Thummim. And I
believe it with all my heart, that It's God's Word.
26 And God is His own Word.
"In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God and the Word was
God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us." He's the same
yesterday, today, and forever. He still... God don't need any
interpreter.
We interpret; we say, "This, there... This is that, and this is that,"
and so forth. God don't need an interpreter. He's His own Interpreter.
God don't need us to interpret His Word. The Bible, It's written, and
It said It's of no private interpretation. God said in the beginning,
"Let there be light," and there was light. That's the interpretation of
it. God said, "A virgin shall conceive," and she did. That's the
interpretation of It. It doesn't need anybody to interpret.
God said, in this day, these things would happen, and they are. It
don't need any interpretation. It's God doing His own interpretation.
It happens. No matter how much we try to twist It, and say it don't
mean this, and don't mean that. It means just exactly, and God is His
own Interpreter. He vindicates His Word, and that's His interpretation
of It, because it's brought to pass.
30 Now we find these fellows
there, in Matthew the 12th chapter, 38th to 40th verse, and they were
asking Him, "Master, we would seek a sign from Thee."
And He was upbraiding them because they had not believed Him, and had
called the very Spirit that was upon Him, an evil spirit, in their
unbelief, because that they couldn't identify Him among their--their
clergymen. They couldn't identify His--where He come from. They didn't
know what school He come from, whether He was a Pharisee or a Sadducee;
and was constantly trying to tear down their institutions of--of
theology, and calling them a bunch of snakes. And, why, they couldn't
identify Him anywhere. And so, "Where did this man come from? We know
not whence he is." And they didn't realize the very sign, that He was
the Messiah, was there.
Now, like that little woman at the well, we spoke of night before last.
She recognized it, and it did something for her. And those who
recognized it, it--they were the seed of God that was to be called in
that day.
33 God, and always in all
times, has always give spiritual gifts to His people. That's how He's
identified and known, by spiritual gifts. And when God sends a
spiritual gift to His people, and that spiritual gift is rejected, then
that--that people goes into the darkness of a chaos. Every time,
through the ages, when God sends something to the people, a gift, and
they turn it down, that people is rejected by God because it's rejected
God's mercy.
Oh, what a safety it would be tonight, how much greater it would be
than all the bomb shelters and--and all the places we could think of,
if this nation, which is called a Christian nation, could accept the
gift of God that's been given to it: the great Holy Spirit poured out
in this last day. And how that if this nation would accept That, it
would be more safety than anything they could get into. But they turned
It down, so there's nothing left but chaos and judgment.
35 All ages, He gave these
great spiritual gifts. And notice. Always the coming of a spiritual
gift, a true gift... I want to speak one night on "The Voice of the
Gift," but if the Lord willing. But always these gifts are usually
announced by prophets. And then when you see a prophet rise on the
scene, that shows that judgment is at hand. Now, it's a sign when you
see identified prophet of God rise on the scene: in the days of
Jeremiah, in the days of Daniel, in the days of--of John the Baptist,
in the days of the Lord Jesus, and all down through. When a prophet
raises on the scene, it's time that God's going to speak His Word. The
nations reject it and then chaos sets in.
That's the way it was in the changing of the church ages, each time,
when the message was rejected. And God giving these gifts and messages
to the people, and they turn them down, then there's nothing left but
judgment.
God is just. He will not send judgment before He offers mercy. And
mercy is foretold, and how it will come, but the people usually is so
all mixed up, and in their minds, and so many different manmade
schemes, till they don't recognize It. And that's the way it always
happens.
38 Now we find that He told
them that, "A--a wicked and an adulterous generation seeks after
signs." How many times the unbeliever has taken advantage of this,
about Scriptural signs, and don't believe it.
God always speaks with signs. He forever has. He forever will. As long
as there's a world, He'll still speak by spiritual signs. He's foretold
they would come.
40 Now many of the unbelievers
take that, when He said, "A wicked and--or, a weak and adulterous
generation seeks after signs."
Watch, He was speaking in a compound prophecy here. He was also telling
them that they were a weak and adulterous generation, and also telling
them that any weak and adulterous generation, and one that would come,
would receive a sign. Notice, He said, "A weak and adulterous
generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall be no sign given to
it, but the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the whale
for three days and nights; so must the Son of man be in the heart of
the earth for three days and nights."
42 What was He saying here? He was saying, that a wicked and adulterous generation would receive the sign of the resurrection. And what other age have we ever come to, any more than it is right now, to a Christ-rejecting, wicked, perverted, adulterous generation? And they will receive a sign, the sign of the resurrection, that Jesus Christ is alive tonight just as much as He ever was. He has raised from the dead, making Him the same yesterday, today, and forever. A weak and an adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and they'll get it; and the sign will be the sign of the resurrection. Now, of course, He was speaking to them, that He would raise up from the dead.
43 Many times, Scripture has
its common--or its compound meaning. Like in Matthew 3 it said, "That
it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,
saying, 'Out of Egypt I called My Son.'" Now if you refer that back,
it's to Hosea, and he prophesied that, "Out of Egypt He called God's
son, which was Israel." Jacob was God's son, and He called him out of
Egypt. That's where the reference runs you to. But also, Christ was His
greater Son, and He called Him out, Israel being a type.
And so that being a type of rejecting Christ in that generation, this
is a greater type; for that generation that rejected the resurrection
had pardon, but this generation who makes fun of the Holy Ghost is
impardonable. We're... Greater is he that rejects the Holy Spirit than
he that reject Jesus Christ in the days of His flesh on the earth.
Jesus said so, "You speak against the Son of man," when they said He
was a fortuneteller or some evil spirit, said, "You speak against the
Son of man, it shall be forgiven you. But whoever speaks a word against
the Holy Ghost, shall never be forgiven them in this world," that is,
call the working of the Holy Ghost an evil, unclean thing, when they
see the work of God being done.
45 Yes, Jonah was a witness of the resurrection, as he was in the belly of the whale for three days and nights. Many people try to condemn Jonah, and say that, "Oh, he... Everybody, he was a Jonah." Jonah was a prophet. He was walking exactly in the will of God. When he took that wrong ship and got out there, that had to be done, it must be that way to show forth the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He had to play that, just the same as Hagar was put out, that the free woman would not be heir with the bondswoman. These things had to happen; they were shadows and types of the things to come.
46 Now we find out, He comes
down then, after speaking of Jonah, and He comes to Solomon's age. Now,
we all know that Solomon's age was the millennium almost of the Old
Testament. It was the greatest time of all Israel ever had, was under
the reign of Solomon; no wars to speak of, and they had a great time.
God gave Solomon, which was a son of David, gave him a gift of
discernment, and now, he could discern the thoughts in the people's
heart.
Now, how that Hebrew standing there ought to have recognized that.
Solomon had a--a gift of discernment, and he could discern the thoughts
in their heart, and they all rallied around Solomon, and yet here stood
a greater than Solomon. And Solomon was the son of David, but he was
the lesser son of David by the flesh; and Jesus was the Son of David by
Seed of the promise, the royal Seed. And here was a greater than
Solomon standing there doing the same thing that Solomon done, only
being a greater than Solomon, and they called it Beelzebub.
You see the interpretation of the Scripture? No wonder He said what He
did, "A wicked and adulterous generation will seek after a sign; and
they'll get it, the sign of the resurrection."
49 And in Solomon's age, there
was a great revival on. I'll kind of give it in illustration, so the
young can understand it. There was a great revival that was going on in
the days of Solomon. God gave a gift, and the whole nation rallied
around it. Everybody come to it. They believed in it whole heartedly.
Wouldn't that be a wonderful thing if it happened amongst the people
tonight, if all America, all people that call themselves Christians,
would rally around God's gift in this last days, the pouring out of the
Holy Ghost upon the people? That's God's Gift in this last day, is the
Holy Spirit. Christ, in the form of Spirit, He's here with us now.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if all the churches that profess to be
Christians, would rally around this great gift that God has given us?
Why is it? They've got it off in all kinds of isms and creeds and
dogmas, and you can't tell what is what. It's exactly the way they've
always done it. But God promised it to be straightened out to the Seed
anyhow at the end time.
52 Now notice in this, we find
that all of them rallied around that great gift, and Israel blossomed
like never before. All nations feared Israel; they were afraid to come
over there, because they knowed that God was with them.
And I tell you, you talk about shutting up communism and everything;
just let America come back to God, back to her gift, back to the Holy
Ghost, and people will have to quit hollering about communism. It's so
worm-weeded in until even communists has anticommunist setups, to find
out who they are. The thing has to be that way. But let them come back.
54 Here not long ago in
Finland, Brother Lindsay, I believe, he--he was here last night, was
with me when it happened. A little boy, that I'd seen in a vision here,
was raised up from the dead, over there. Many of you, I guess, still
have it wrote in your Bible, as I crossed the nation, saying what he
would look like, where he would be, and so forth. And he was raised up
from the dead, according to the Word of the Lord. He'd been killed by
an automobile accident. Many of you remember the case. And standing
there when he was raised up from the dead...
That night, going down to the Messuhalli, Brother Lindsay and I, and
Brother Moore, and many of the men, trying to get down to the
Messuhalli; where they let so many thousand, let me speak to them, then
turn them out and speak to more. On the road down, they had four or
five city blocks was all blocked off. People was in the--in the streets
to watch us coming in and going out. And in there, there'd been a
little girl on crutches, one leg shorter than the other one, been
healed, and many things had been done.
56 Then this little boy being raised up, it went on news. They don't have rock-and-roll and stuff in Finland, or they didn't then. There was only news and things was worthwhile, they had on radio. And that had went all the way down into Russia. If you live in Russia, and forty miles from your home, your birthplace, you've got to have a visa to show your business. And the--the Iron Curtain... We was right... We walked right down to it, where the machine guns was setting in the street just out of Kuopio. And that night, this news had went down, and the streets were piled by thousands times thousands of Russians.
57 Here was those communistic
soldiers, Russian soldiers, those wrap, little round caps on; and six
little Finnish boys, right after that war, they'd never been old enough
to shave yet, they were slick-faced boys, big old boots on, big long
coats, walking down the street, with these sabers and things, watching
so I could get through the crowd to get in. Here stood those Russians
standing there. When I come by, they come to attention, hold like that,
and the tears run down their cheeks. And when I passed by, they grabbed
them Finnish soldiers, and pat them on the back, and hug them. Anything
that'll make a Russian pat a Finn will settle wars. They said, "This we
will receive, a God that can raise up the dead."
That's what's the matter tonight, friend; it's exactly. What's made
them communistic, is because the clergy has letdown on the Word of God.
They taken all the money and have nothing to give back in its stead,
just like a lodge or anything else. That's what is wrong with the world.
59 Then we find that in the
days of Solomon, they were all rallying around this great gift that
Solomon had from the Lord. And the people were coming and going. All
the nations feared Israel. Instead of trying to make war with them,
they brought in peace offerings. They were not afraid, so much, of
their men; they were afraid of that God that they were all in unity
with.
Oh, what a thing that would be to this nation tonight, if we'd all be
in fear of God, if we'd all respect God, and receive His gift of the
Holy Ghost and rally around It, every church break down their creeds
and throw them out the door, and get down to the altar and stay till
the Holy Ghost come to identify His Word in the last day.
61 Some of them trying to say,
"Why, it's just for the Jews to get It. That's all there was to It."
Peter said, on the day of Pentecost, "Repent, every one of you, and be
baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; for the promise is unto you
and to your children, to them that's far off, even as many as the Lord
our God shall call." As long as there's a seed waiting in the earth to
be called, there's a Holy Ghost to call it to it. That's right. It's
still just the same.
But we find out, when It comes, It's rejected. That's the reason the
nation comes under condemnation. That's the reason things are going the
way they are tonight.
64 And we find in Solomon's time, it wasn't so. All of them rallied around that gift of discernment that Solomon had. And the nations all feared God. And news spread out everywhere, "Oh, you should come to Israel, their God has raised up a gift among them and they've made him king. And his wisdom, his discernment is beyond human reckon-ation; it's beyond. 'It's in the realms of gods out in there,' the heathen would say. And we don't understand how it is, but God, their God has represented Himself in one of their believers. And, he--they've set him up on a throne, and they all listen to him." You know, the news scattered then not by television, telephone, and so forth, it was lip by ear.
65 Finally the news broke
plumb down across the Sahara Desert, all the way into a little country
called Sheba. They had... It was a heathen country. They had a little
queen down there, was no doubt a--a nice little lady. And the news came
to her that God was giving a great revival up there in the land of
Israel, and great things were taking place. And they had a man up there
anointed with the Spirit of their God, that even his wisdom surpassed
anything that man could think of.
You know, "Faith cometh by hearing, hearing the Word of God." That
stirred her little heart. She begin to think about it. And now, as
every caravan came by, no doubt the little queen would send out her
soldiers, and say, "I would like to speak to the person, in private, if
they have come from Israel. "
"Yes, queen, we have been up in Israel, and, oh, it is marvelous. You
should see it. There's nothing like it. It's beyond man's
understanding. You know, all of them are in one accord, every one of
them is right around that gift that their God has given them, and they
all believe it with one accord. Oh, it's the most grandest thing; and
there's nothing withheld. God just reveals everything. If any nation
would start over there on them, why, the God of theirs would reveal
where they was coming, and--and ambush them before they got there. Oh,
it was just a great revival going on."
69 Then, you know, the little queen begin to get hungry to see it herself. You know, there's something about it, man knows that he come from somewhere; and he's here; he don't know why he's here; and he's going somewhere; he doesn't know where he's going. And there's only one Book in the world that tells us who you are, where you come from, what you are, and where you're going, and that's the Bible. It's the only one that tells you, and it's God's Book. It's God Himself manifested in Word form, called a Seed. That Seed in the right kind of ground will produce every promise that He made, 'cause it's God Himself. But it has to be watered by faith to make it come to pass, like any other seed. The germ is in it. Know... Notice now.
71 We find that in this doing,
the little queen begin to hunger and thirst for God. Oh, if--if the
gifts of God could only create a thirst in the people's heart for Him,
like it did to her.
Now, we find out (so that the children, little fellows, there's a whole
row of them setting here and different places), that they might
understand, we'll give it kind of a drama for them, so they'll
understand.
73 Now remember, she was a
pagan. So in order to do this, and being a queen, she would have to get
permission from her pagan priest in order to go. And I can imagine
seeing her go over to him and make her vows, and say, "Great holy
father so-and-so, we know the Israelites has got a revival up there,
and their God has represented Himself in the form of a man, by a great
gift, that he knows the secrets of the heart. And they tell me that He
is the Word, and the Word is a Discerner of the thoughts of the heart,
and they say it's operating in a man. I would like your permission,
most holy father, to go up there, and to visit and see for myself."
Well, I can imagine her answer coming back. "We don't have any
cooperation in that revival," or that's the '64 version of it. But
anyhow, they--they say, "They don't belong to our denomination. They're
not of our people. We have nothing to do into it at all. You shall not
go. And they're nothing but a bunch of--of cranks. They hear all kinds
of rumors about them coming through a Red Sea, and all that kind of
stuff, but there's nothing about it. Here's our great god, see him
standing on the side of the wall? They were so-and-so, and so many
times they've done so-and-so." The little queen went away disgusted.
75 But, you know, there's something about it, if God begins to put a hunger in a human heart, there's just nothing going to stand in its way. Whether there's cooperation or not, or whether there's anything, she's got to find that. Like I said about the little woman last night, being persistent and perseverant. See, something gets ahold of you, and you get ahold of something. Like Jacob, the son of--of God; Jacob, God's son, got ahold of Something one night, and It got ahold of him; and he never let It go until he achieved his purpose, blessed of It. That--that's the real thing. And when man impersonates something, it's never works out right. But if you can get ahold of that Something, and that Something get ahold of you, it's going to happen.
76 If you come here tonight
for healing, and let the Holy Spirit get ahold of you, and you get
ahold of It, you're going to get what you ask for. There's no way of
keeping it from you.
If you come believing that Jesus Christ saves, and there's a saving
power gets ahold of you, and you hold to it, you're going to get saved.
If you believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit
gets ahold of you; He'll baptize you, and you get ahold of Him; you
won't have to move from your seat; He'll fill you with His Presence
right there where you are, just as He did, "While Peter yet spake these
words, the Holy Ghost fell on them that heard it." Something got
ahold...
79 Something got ahold of that
little Syrophenician woman we spoke of last night. No matter how many
hindrances she had, she still was going anyhow. Something got ahold of
this little queen we're talking about tonight, a pagan, a heathen. So
was this little Syrophenician, a Greek, a pagan, idol-worshipper. But
Something got ahold of them, and they got ahold of Something.
There's always difficults in the way. Satan throws everything in the
way he can, when he sees a real move of God get started. He'll do it to
you. He'll put everything, all the hindrances he can in your way.
81 Remember, the woman had a lot of hindrance, but her faith didn't have any. Faith has no hindrance. There's nothing going to stop it, no matter what anybody says. If you've got that right hold on God, God's got the right--right hold on you, there could be forty doctors standing here telling you was dying and you wouldn't believe one word of it. No, sir. No, sir. There could be forty clergymen standing here, like Ahab's four hundred, withstand; if you're a Micaiah and got ahold of God, God's got ahold of you, and you see it vindicated in the Word, there's nothing going to stop you. You're going to stand there anyhow, because Something has got ahold of you.
82 It's revealed to that
little woman, that there was a God somewhere. I can see her go read
those Hebrew scrolls again, roll them up and put them down in the--the
jar, and walk back to that pagan priest, and say, "I want to tell you
something, holy father. It might be so, the things you're saying. But,
look, my grandmother worshipped that idol; she read that catechism you
got. My great-grandmother read it; my mother read it; all my people
read it, it's all about something that did happen. I've never seen a
move of it yet. But they tell me they got something up there that's
real, moving right now; not some history, but something that's now
going on."
"Now looky here," he would say, "my child. If you go, I'll
excommunicate you. And you have no business, as a queen, associating
yourself with such people as that." That same old devil still lives.
There is no better crowd in the world to get into, than a borned again
church filled with the Holy Ghost. I don't care where it's at, if it's
in a alley or wherever it is. It's the best crowd. It's a heavenly
group, notice, believers who believe in God.
85 Her heart was thumping
heavy with anticipation. She wanted to see. She had heard about it. She
knowed nothing about it, but she wanted to see it. And I can hear her
say, "Well, you can just take my name off the book if you want to.
Whatever you say, and them idols, and them books and things, I see you
keep telling about something, telling about something. It's never
moved. I've never seen a move of it yet. I want something that's real,"
and she gets ready to go. Too bad we ain't got more of them little
queens today. Right.
So then we find out that now, in order to go, she used a very good
tactic. I'd like for everybody to think of this. Now, she said she
didn't know. She had read all the scrolls to find out what Jehovah was,
to see the way He had worked in days gone by. "If that be so, then He'd
identify Himself with this man as they said he was, then that was
Jehovah. And if it was Jehovah, and He was the true God, the God of the
living, not some statue or monument of some creature that lived or
didn't live; this was a living, present God right now," so she wanted
to get ready to go. Now, she said...
87 She packed up a lot of
money. She took gold, and myrrh, and, oh, frankincense, I suppose, and
silver. And she'd laden camels with it. Now, she said this, "I'm going
up, and I'm going to look into it myself. And then if it's so, I'll
support it; if it isn't so, I'll have nothing to do with it."
You know, she could teach Pentecostals something. See? A lot of them
support a program that laughs and makes fun of you. You support a
program on the air that makes fun of the things you believe in. And
that's right. Yes, sir. Because it sounds right. Sure, "There is a way
that seemeth right unto a man," Jesus said.
But notice her, she said, "If it isn't, then I can bring my gifts
back." But she was going to see for herself and be convinced. She had
read the scrolls; she knowed what Jehovah was, and she would see. If He
was, He is, then He's still Jehovah.
That's good today. Jesus Christ is what He was, and He always will be.
He never changes. The Bible said He's the same yesterday, today, and
forever.
91 We find the little woman
then, talk about hindrances, then this might have come through her
mind, "Remember, I've got to cross the desert, and that's a very long
trip." Measure it, from Israel, from Palestine down into Sheba, across
the Sahara Desert. It would take a camel about, I think, the caravans,
taken them ninety days, three months, traveling constantly, to go from
one place to the other: three day--three months, to go. And just think,
she come across that hot desert. She had that in her mind; she had to
do it, across that hot desert, all the way up here, to find out if this
truly was God.
No wonder Jesus said she'll stand with this generation and condemn it.
She didn't have a air-conditioned Cadillac. And some people here in
Dallas won't come across the street to hear It. That's right. No wonder
she'll stand in the last days. But stand over somewhere and criticize
It, anywhere else they do it. Said, "She'll come from the utmost parts
of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and a greater than Solomon
is here." Notice.
93 She had that to confront
her. She probably had to travel by night, so hot on the desert. The
direct rays of the sun upon that Sahara Desert would take the hide
right off of you, and there she had to travel maybe by night.
Another thing, remember, she was loaded down with offerings and things.
The sons of Ishmael were fleet horsemen. They were robbers on the
desert. How easy it would've been for Ishmael's children to come in
like a flood, and cut them two or three little eunuchs she had with
her, her little group of soldiers, eunuchs, and her little maids; cut
them down and left them lay there, and packed off tens of thousands
times thousands of dollars worth of jewels, besides the costly
frankincense and myrrh, and stuff that she was bringing for a gift.
But there's something about it, if your heart is set to see God, and
Something's got ahold of you, you don't know no danger, you don't know
no defeat. There's something; you're going to get it anyhow no matter
what the difficult is.
96 Sure, it looked like a very
setup for the robbers. Any of them could've come, but she didn't take
the thought of any danger.
She didn't take the thought whether she could get up and walk, like
somebody afraid to rise from a bed or a cot, or something or other, "I
don't know (See?); I'm afraid to do it." She didn't have that kind of a
fear. Something had ahold of her.
And if Something could get ahold of us in this same manner, something's
going to take place. Now, you can't do it until That gets ahold of you;
you'd better not try it. But when That's a hold of you, it's going to
happen.
99 Notice, here she is; she
never thought of how many robbers there was on the desert.
Or, again, when she got up there, would she be received, or not? She
was of another denomination, you know, so would she be received, would
she be welcome at the meeting? She wasn't asked to come. Holy Spirit
worked on her, to come, so He was the One doing the leading; so to
satisfy that feeling that she had, that she longed to know...
Remember, it's your life. It was her life. You've only got one time to
settle it, and maybe tonight is your last opportunity. You turn Christ
down tonight, you may not have another opportunity.
102 And that might've been her last opportunity. She realized that: was her cold, form religion she had, all right, or was there truly a living God? She had seen nothing in her own religion, but she'd heard there was Something in the other one, and she'd read of what He was. She wanted to see. It was her life was at stake.
103 It's my life tonight, I have to face this. I have to come to the judgment, so do you have to come to the judgment. It behooves us to set in our seat, lay on our beds, or wherever we are, and consider this thing deeply. Because you don't know what time your card's going to be taken out of God's rack up there, and you'll answer at the judgment. Whether you're a church member or whether you're not, that has nothing to do with it. You're going to answer anyhow, and you'd better be dead sure of it. Check your experience with God, see if Something really has got ahold of you, that brings you back to this Word, away from creeds and forms, and so forth. He promised it in the last days, there'd be a turning again of the hearts of the children to the fathers." We believe that. Notice, we find it in this day now.
104 And she take no thought of
fear or anything was to bother her. She wasn't thinking about that. The
idea was, she wanted to find out if It was real or not; so across the
desert she went. And not... She had a hard time doing it. Anything that
you have...
That's the trouble, we Pentecostals, we just got everything handed to
us on a platter, everything we want. The pastor don't come just on
time, "I'll leave the Assemblies and join the Church of God." And, you
know, it's just... We just so babied around.
106 Reminds me, there was an
old salt, one time, coming from the sea. And a poet went down, had
never seen the sea; he'd wrote about it, but never seen it. The old
salt met him; he said, "Where goest thou, my good man?"
He said, "I'm going to the sea. I'm a poet. I have wrote of the sea. I
long to smell the brine, and see its great briny waves leaping around,
the gulls a singing, and blue sky reflecting itself in the sea.
The old salt puffed his pipe four or five times, looked down, and spit.
Said, "I was born on it seventy years ago. I don't see nothing so
attractive about it." He'd lived on it so long till it become common.
That's what it is with us tonight. We've lived in the Presence of God
so long, till It's become common to us. We ought to wake ourself up and
realize that Jesus Christ is alive and has raised from the dead.
110 This was all to be a new
experience for this little queen. She was persistent. She wanted to see
it. Certainly, she was persistent. She had to persist to leave her
nation. She had... All of her prestige, she had to leave behind. What
of all of her card society and all she belonged to, all the stitch and
sew circles, and things that she belonged to as a queen, all the
celebrity that she knowed? She'd be a laughingstock to that group. But
what difference did it make to her? It was her soul.
It's your soul. It's my soul. What difference does it make to a
Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, or Oneness, Twoness, Threeness, or
whatever it is? It's my soul that's concerned. It's your soul that's
concerned. It's God's Word that's being vindicated.
112 We find her; she--didn't
make any difference to her what anybody said, or what her celebrity,
what her friends, if she had to leave everything there was in the
world. If it was real, she was ready to go to it. She'd give her
kingdom, anything else. If it was real, she wanted to find God. There
was something in her heart.
We find out, across the desert she came. Finally, day after day, ninety
days, three months, the caravan finally arrived at the gate.
Now, she never come like a lot of people do in meetings today. Many of
them come and they'll say, "Uh, I hear they got, uh, somebody told me
they had... Uh--huh. Well, I'll go over." And they'll set down just for
a moment. Watch them. You see them everywhere. They'll say, "The first
word he says that's contrary to my belief," out the door, they're gone.
"I'll never go back to hear another one again." See, they just don't
set long enough. That's it.
115 What about when, Jesus,
when He was setting before His seventy there, and He had seventy, and
He had the whole multitude? He was a great Man. "He was a Prophet,"
they said, "the Galilean Prophet." One day He looked upon that great
crowd standing around Him; He said, "Except you eat the flesh of the
Son of man and drink His Blood, you have no Life in you."
Could you imagine the physicians setting out there, what they said
about that man? "Why, he'll make vampires out of us. Drink his blood
and eat his flesh?"
He never explained it. He didn't have to explain it. He had to shake
off the parasites that was around Him. Instead of trying to baby and
put their name on a book, He was shaking them away. He had no reuse for
them. So we find out, there He was, He said, "Except..." He never
explained it.
118 Watch, those disciples set
still. They never said nothing.
I see the doctor and see the Pharisees, said, "See, the Man is out of
His mind. He's crazy, wants us to cut up His body now and eat it, and
drink His Blood? Human vampire, well, we--we couldn't do a thing like
that. Oh, that's crazy. The man's out of His mind," walked away.
Then He looked around to those theologians setting around Him, them
seventy, and He said, "What will you say when you see the Son of man
ascending up into heaven from whence He came?" Them Doctors of Divinity
looking around, said, "The Son of man ascend up into heaven from where
He came? Why, we know Him; we've been to the stable where He was born.
We seen the cradle He was rocked in. We know His mother. We... He
fishes with us. He hunts with us. He's out here on the hills. He wears
the clothes that we do, eat the food. And this Son of man, where did He
come from? He come from Nazareth. This is too much for us." Away they
went. He still didn't explain It. See?
121 He looked, and He looked
around to the twelve, said, "Will you go also?"
Now, they couldn't explain it either, but Something had ahold of them.
See, they knowed. That's when Peter said those memorial words, "Lord,
we have seen the Scripture a-vindicated by You. Where would we go? We
know that Thou has the Words of Life. Thou art the Fountain of Life. We
are satisfied of This."
Jesus said, "I chose twelve of you, and one of you is a devil." See? He
had no bones, was polishing, and babying, and pat them on the back, and
baptize them secretly, or something another.
He had... He was God made flesh on earth. He was the vindicated Word of
God. And those who hungered, come. Those who did not hunger, could not
come. Said, "All the Father has given Me will come." How can you come
then unless He has given--been given?
125 Now, notice, we find this
little queen, she finally arrived. She didn't wait just like those
people did. Some of them followed her along.
There's always three classes of people; believers, make-believers, and
unbelievers. The unbeliever will get up and walk away; the
make-believer will stand around for a long time. There all three of
them was. The unbeliever, the crowd; the make-believer, the group that
turned away last. But there was a genuine believer who could not
explain it; they knowed nothing about it, but they knowed that He was
the Word. That settled it.
127 There we find the little
queen. She'd brought a whole lot of food, many pieces of bread, and a
lot of stuff. She brought her tents and things. She throwed her things
off of the camels, and things, out in the yard, the court of the
temple. And she pitched her tents, and was there to stay till she was
convinced whether it was right or wrong.
No doubt, day by day, she had read those Scriptures. Nighttime, they
probably had to travel by night. In daytime she'd set back under those
palm trees, in the oasis in the desert, and read what Jehovah was, what
He was supposed to be. Now, she would know Jehovah. If He was in that
man, she'd know His action; she'd know whether it was right or not. So
she was all posted in the Scriptures.
129 She didn't go there and
say, "Now, if he says anything different than what my priest says, I'll
just pick up my camels and go away." She was going to stay till she was
convinced.
Oh, if men and women would only do that today, take the Scripture, see
if the Holy Spirit's for today, or not, see if these things we're
talking about are predicted for this hour that we're in. But she did;
that's the reason Jesus said her name is infallible--not infallible,
but it's immortal. She'll stand in the day of judgment and condemn
Dallas, Texas. She'll condemn the United States in the day of the
judgment. For she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear
the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. A
resurrected Jesus Christ is here in the power of His resurrection.
131 Notice. And she pitched her
tents. I can imagine that morning (for the children's sake now.) the
bells rang, the trumpets sounded, and church was on. They had church
every day. Think of it. They loved to go to church every day. So they,
church started, I'd imagine the little queen went way back in the back
and set down. And after while all the trumpets sounded; the hymns was
sung, and everything.
After while, Pastor Solomon came out, set down. How all the people
regarded him, because they loved him. He was God's servant. And they
come out; there wasn't one saying, "Hm, if he was just this; if he just
belonged to my group." No. There was only one group, and that was--that
was them, so there they was.
133 And then we find out,
someone come up. And the first thing you know, Solomon revealed the
secret of their heart. I imagine the little queen said, "Now, wait just
a minute." See? "My, that sounded real." The next one come up, found
the same thing. Oh, her little heart begin to jump. She--she wondered.
So she must've got a prayer card and waited. Excuse that expression;
but, you know, just to make a point. See? She might've got a card, and
she waited. One day her card was called, and she come up before the
Holy Spirit that was working through Solomon. And the Bible said there
was nothing hid from Solomon. The great Holy Spirit revealed everything
that she had need to hear; He revealed it.
And here was the Holy Spirit, Its fulness in Jesus Christ, doing the
same thing; and those Pharisees saying, "Show us a sign. Heal this man
out here. Do this, and say this. And what'll be this, or that?" See,
they just don't understand.
136 This little queen standing
there, and the Bible said that nothing was held back from Solomon. He
revealed all the things that she had need of knowing. He told her all
about it.
And when it did, she didn't have to take somebody else's word; she'd
watched it and she believed it. Then she turned to the audience, and
she said, "All that I heard, when I heard it, I wondered. But all that
I heard is so, and more than I heard is so." See, it was her turn; she
had seen it. It was worked on her. She knew it was real. And she said,
"Blessed be the Lord God Who has made you His servant. Blessed be
the..."
What was it? The poor little woman had lived there, all those creeds
and idols, and one time in her hungry heart... Any real believer wants
to see God in action. If He ever was God, He's still God. And she seen
something that was real, not put-on; genuine real. She served God the
rest of her days, for she seen something that was real.
139 Oh, friend, we've seen so many, "Join this creed, this Moslem; this whatever it is come to this; and this, that, and the other," and all kinds of sensations and things. Surely the world ought to be hungry tonight for something real, see something that's genuine. Not some mythic bunch of flowing blood, or scratches, or oil, or something that's not even Scriptural; but a real Jesus Christ Who promised that He would live in His people in this last days, and do the things that He did, something that the Scripture says would take place in these days.
140 All these little creeds,
"Well, if you know our creed, you know..." See, you're--you're--you're
looking back to what Mr. Luther said, a great man of his day. Sure. No
more than some of these women here, seventy-five years old, trying to
be sixteen, looking back and trying to dress like they're sixteen, cut
off their hair and wear shorts, and make... Anybody who drives, looking
through a rearview mirror has a wreck. That's what's the matter with
the church today, it's looking through a rearview mirror to what it
was. No wonder it's wrecked up. Don't never...
Paul said, "Pressing to the mark of the high calling, I go forth. I go
forward." I know Mr. Moody was a great man, Mr. Wesley was a great man,
the Pentecostal move, the Baptist move, were great, but let's press
towards the mark of the high calling in Christ. Don't look through a
rearview mirror, forty years ago. Look what is tonight. Look what the
Scripture promises tonight. He did promise them in that day, but we're
living on above there now. We're going on.
142 And what if Wesley would've
looked back and seen what, Luther? See? But he didn't look what Luther
said; he looked what God said. What if the Pentecostal looked back
towards the Methodist? See where you'd have been? There you are, the
same thing, you organized and cramped it down, you can't move anywhere.
Now the Spirit of God just moves right on out, takes It on somewhere
else.
Every time they do it, a manmade system where you get all worked up
like that, it's again like the gainsaying of Korah, how Dathan and them
wanted to get a big bunch of men and make an organization out there.
God said, "Separate yourself, Moses, from them, and I'll swallow them
right up in the earth." And that was a type of the journey today, and
you know it, on the road to the promised land. And there they was. They
couldn't believe that anointed message of God that was moving right on;
and they wanted to start something themselves. It's always that way.
144 Israel's most rashal move
they ever made, when they rejected grace in Exodus 19 and took the law.
And Dathan made the awfullest mistake he ever made when he said,
"There's more leaders in here besides you, Moses."
And--and had been a-vindicated that he was God's manifested Word. He
had took dust and turned it into fleas. And everything that he'd said
had come to pass. And God was with him. A Pillar of Fire had
vindicated, hanging above him there, and still they wanted to start
something else. That's just manmade.
That's the way it is today. That's where the church has got. That's
right. Oh, church of the living God, don't you want to see something
real, something real?
147 A little story before praying for the sick. I like to hunt. My mother, you know, is... she... Her mother drawed the pension. She was a Cherokee Indian. I... And my conversion never taken the love of the woods. I love it. That's where you see God. That's where I first saw God, was out there in the woods. There's where He meets us. There's where He does the talking. There's where those seven Angels met. Did you... On, "Sirs, What Time Is It?"...
148 Brother Borders and I was
setting there the other day, when that (stand) come down, a whirlwind
out of the heavens, even tore the rocks out right above where I was
standing there, what He said. See? And there, oh, many men, Brother
Sothmann in here somewhere, one of the... Terry, I believe over here
was present at that time. And the things you seen in the wilderness out
there... I love to hunt. I do that just to get out, not to kill the
game, but just to be in the woods.
I used to hunt with a fellow up in New York, up in New Hampshire,
rather; he was a--a fine hunter. His name was Burt. He was an
Englishman. And his--his parents established, or cut that, where they
call Jefferson Notch, through there, and over to Carroll Notch, and
separated that in the early days. There was a little Indian about him
too. But he was one of the best shots I ever seen and one of the finest
hunters. You never had to worry about going out and hunting him up; he
knowed where he was at. I used to love to hunt the white-tailed deer up
there. And they... And I'd go up every fall and hunt.
150 And he was such a fine
hunter, but he was the cruelest man I ever met in my life. He had eyes
like a lizard, and he just... Them kind, you know, like the women try
to paint their eyes today, kinda lizard-like. Well, he actually had
that kind of eye. And it don't look like human to me. See? So I--I
always kind of hated to look at him. He was so slimy-looking like that,
you know, look them eyes sideways.
And he loved to be mean. And he'd shoot fawns (that's little baby
deer), just to make me feel bad. And he'd say, "Oh, preacher, you're
like the rest of them. You're chicken-hearted. You'd be a good hunter
if you wasn't a preacher."
I said, "I'm hunting souls, Burt." And I said, "You got one that's
lost."
And he, "Aw, get next to yourself." Said, "Billy, you're all right,"
but said, "don't talk that kind of stuff to me." So he'd--he'd shoot
those little fawns, and--and I--that'd just make me feel so bad.
154 Now, it's all right to kill
a fawn if the law says so: now, the size or sex, just whatever the law
says. I was game warden for many years. But look, Abraham killed a calf
and fed it to God, so there ain't nothing about killing a fawn, if the
law said. But not just shoot them, just let them lay there, and act
smart about it; that's wrong; that's wrong in doing it. So I just said
that to justify my hunting brothers here (You see?), so that you'd see
what I'm trying to mean.
Now, notice this, that we find that this man... One day I went up
there, wife and I were together. And--and he'd made him a little
whistle that blowed and sound just like a little baby fawn crying, you
know, a little funny bleat they make. Well, as long...
156 I had been working, and I
hadn't got through in time in a meeting, and I went up to hunt with
him. And there'd been a lot of hunting going on, and the first time a
gun fires in that country, them white-tail... You have--you thought
Houdini was escape artist (See?); he was an amateur to them. And the
first thing you know, they'd all hide. And if a moonlight, they'd graze
at night; or get under a brush pile or something, and they--they
wouldn't move.
Then we see that day, I said, "Burt, you're--you're not going to use
that whistle?"
He said, "Aw, preacher, you're so chicken-hearted." Said, "Get next to
yourself."
159 And we started out, and we put some sandwiches in our--in our shirt. And we was hunt--was going to hunt till about noon, up around the rims of the top of the--of the Presidential Range, and then separate and come back down. If we got a deer, we knowed where it would be hanging, we'd go pull it out in a day or two; and hang it up. So there was about, oh, four inches of snow, or six, something like that; it was good tracking time. And we started off, got along about, up the mountain, not a track, there wasn't a thing. The moon shining at night, the deer... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]
160 Burt was in front of me,
leading the way, and so I was walking along behind him. And he just
kind of set down, like that. The snow was dry. And he started reaching
back. I thought he was going to eat the sandwich, and we'd just part
from there, 'cause we was way high in the mountain then. And he reached
back here.
And I started getting my sandwich, and I started finding a place to set
my rifle down. And--and I started to get my sandwich, and I looked
around.
He brought this little whistle out. That, I thought, "Boy, that's a
dirty trick to do that." So he took this little whistle, and looked at
me, and them lizard eyes, and looked up at me. He put that little
whistle in his mouth like that. And I said, "Burt, you wouldn't do a
thing like that, would you?"
163 He said, "Oh," and he
blowed like that. And to my surprise, about fifty yards from me, just
across, a great big doe stood up. Now, the doe's the mother deer. And
there she was, her big brown eyes, and them ears peaked up. See, she
heard. Now, she was a mother (See?), and her baby was crying. And so no
matter whether the rest of them come out or not, there was something in
her. She was a mother.
So Burt looked like that, and he blowed it again real low. And that
deer walked right out into the opening. Now, that's unusual, very
unusual, walk out like that. And she was looking around, with big head
up, and her eyes looking around.
165 After while, when the
hunter reached up and got the gun, she seen the hunter. Usually they'll
just flash and gone, you know how it is, quickly. But, you know, she
never moved. She just stood and looked at him broadside, had turned her
head and looked. My, I thought, "Burt, you can't do that."
See, she wasn't putting on something. She wasn't hypocritically. She
wasn't acting. She was--born in her she was a mother. And that baby, I
don't care if it costed her life, it was in trouble, she was trying to
find that baby. It was in trouble. She was, the instinct in her, she
was mother. And she saw the hunter. But her mind wasn't about the
hunter; it was about that baby in trouble, that little fawn.
167 And so he pulled the safety
down on this .30-06. Oh, he was a dead shot. He leveled that rifle
down. I--I just had to turn my head. I couldn't keep from it. I--I
couldn't look at him. Thought, "Just a couple more minutes, and he'll
blow her loyal heart out; trying to find her baby, it's in trouble,
knowing that hunter laying right there in the bush." And he'd blow that
loyal heart plumb through with that hundred-and-eighty-grain bullet in
there. And I--I... He was such a dead shot. He leveled. I thought, "I
just can't stand to look at it." I turned my back.
And--and I--I said, "Lord, help him, that he won't do that."
I--I felt so sorry, that poor mother standing there hunting for her
baby, and I knowed she wasn't putting that on. She was a mother. She'd
have run, any other time. She wouldn't have got up, and us going by.
But there was something in her.
169 And I waited, and I waited,
and the gun never went off. Well, I wondered, "What's the matter?" And
I waited, then I turned around real slow. And I seen the deer standing
out there, still was looking at him. And I looked at the gun barrel; it
was going like this. He just... He was trying to hold aim, and he
couldn't do it.
He throwed the gun down on the ground, and looked around at me, and
them big eyes had changed. The tears was running down his cheeks. He
grabbed me by the trouser leg; he said, "Billy, lead me to that Jesus
you're talking about."
171 What was--what was it? He saw something real. See? That little mother deer had to display a loyalty, a real loyalty that made that cruel hunter there that had the wickedest heart I ever seen. It wasn't a sermon I preached. It was what he seen, something that was real. It wasn't put-on. It wasn't a sham. That was a genuine mother seeking for her baby, and that led him to Christ. He's a deacon in the church there now, a wonderful Christian, because he saw something that wasn't put on. It wasn't a make-belief. It was real.
172 Oh, brother, sister, if
this church, if this people, tonight, if you and I... There's something
real, not a put-on. You might see some putting it on, but there's a
genuine thing. There's something in a man that makes him live for God.
There's a genuine Holy Spirit tonight, brother, that's not a put--on.
There, it's a genuine thing.
And how many in here would like to be as much Christian, and as loyal
to Christ, death, persecution, anything else, you'd love to be as much
Christian as that deer was a mother? Would you like, wouldn't you like
to be that? I would long to be that kind of a Christian, that even like
that little Syrophenician woman last night, was that kind of a
Christian. This little queen we're talking about tonight was that kind
of a Christian; when she saw something that was real, she was ready.
God help us tonight to receive something real: Christ.
174 Let us bow our heads just a
moment, while we pray. And I wonder, in the building tonight, if
there's--if there's any here, while you're real quiet, there's any here
that would like, and don't know Christ as your personal Saviour, and
you would like to know Him as your Saviour, would you raise up your
hand? One, two, three. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. God
bless you. God bless you.
I wonder if there's some here tonight, that's claimed to be a
Christian, maybe a member of a fine church, of a great bunch of people,
but yet you know down in your heart that you haven't got Christianity
in your heart, borned into it. Just like that mother was--deer was born
to be a mother; she was mother through and through. And you'd like to
become a real Christian, like that little mother deer was a mother,
would you raise your hand, say, "Pray for me, Brother Branham"? God
bless you. God bless you. All around, up in the balconies, I see your
hand.
176 Heavenly Father, little did
I know on that cold November day, standing there, snow all down my
neck, wet, to see that man laying there, how I talked to him, held his
hand, cried with him, but told him about the Bible and everything. And
he said, "Oh, you're perhaps right." But to see You have to send around
something so real, that right in the way of nature, that--that he--he
just couldn't keep from seeing that there was something real. And now
he's Your servant, Lord.
Now there's many here tonight. Some of them raised their hands, Father,
that they never have been a Christian, and they want to become one.
God, just don't let them be one of these, just run and join church, or
take some form, or creed, or baptism. But let it be born in their
heart: Christ.
178 And those who have joined
church, they--they're seeking, Lord, like perhaps the--the little
woman, the little queen we been talking about. they... She--she's
hungering for something. And--and they are too, Lord. And when she seen
something that was real, that identified God in human beings, she was
ready then. And she said, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel." She
wanted no more to do with pagan forms.
And, Father, many here tonight, no doubt, is in that same state. If
they can just see something real... And You told us when You were here
in the world, that what would take place in this day. And we're told
that You're the same yesterday, today, and forever. And we know how You
was identified, how the Pharisees failed to see it. Lord, the same
groups today are failing to see it by belonging to church, joining,
having certain forms of creeds, and so forth. They--they fail to see
the Messiah, the great Holy Spirit identifying Himself with the people,
as you promised You would.
180 Grant, tonight, Lord, that
each one of these will realize and will see Your Presence. And may it
come into their heart, the text, "A greater than Solomon is here
tonight," that's Jesus Christ, the resurrected Son of God, ready to
come and to convert, and to make hearts new, and to put in them a born
experience of God. Just like that mother doe, something that she had
nothing to do with, by the grace of God she was chosen to be a deer,
she was chosen to be a mother, and a loyal mother. And You told us we
were chosen before the foundation of the world.
I pray, God, that You'll let every one of those who has that drawing in
their heart, like the little lady did, to find God, that tonight
there'll be something real happen, that they'll see, and serve Him.
"For a greater than Solomon is here." We ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.
182 Now, reverently, silently,
just before we come to the altar. Please, no one move around. Just be
real reverent a moment. This is a solemn hour, solemn moment. Decisions
are being made. Many raised their hands. I believe you were deeply
sincere in that, when you said that.
Now, you've heard about the Bible; you've heard about Jesus; you've
heard He was the Son of God. You've been taught that He raised again,
and you are taught that He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.
184 Now, is this Holy Spirit
that we talk about, is that Jesus Christ? Sure, It is. See, He's God;
known as God, the Holy Ghost. It ain't another God; it's the same God.
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is not three Gods; it's three attributes of
the same God (See?) just the same God in three forms. You see, in
other, was three offices, like, you know; when He served as Father, and
then as Son. It's God condescending, coming from One Who cannot be
touched (even to touch the mountain, he had to die), till we could
handle Him in flesh.
And now He's in you. He sanctified you with His Blood, that He might
live in you. "At that day, You'll know I am in the Father, the Father
in Me, I in you, and you in Me." See? It's God above us, God with us,
God in us. See?
186 And that's Christ tonight
the Holy Spirit. He's the same. And you are... He's the Vine, and
you're the branches. Have faith in Him.
And if He will identify Himself tonight being among us... Now, if he
stood here with scars, that would be a human being; that's flesh.
Anybody can impersonate that; a human being can disfigure himself. Or,
maybe, we don't know what Jesus looked like; we just got the--the--the
artist's idea, the psychology of it, what He looked like; Hofmann had
one kind, Sallman another, and how many more...
But how would you know Him? It would be of His Life.
Because if a man stood here with thorns prints in his hand, and
whatevermore, that would be an impostor; 'cause when Jesus Himself
comes, every eye shall see Him, every knee shall bow, and every tongue
confess it. Certainly.
189 But His Spirit is here.
See? And if we can just let our own minds drift into His. "Let the mind
that was in Christ be in you." He is the Word. And the Bible said, "The
Word of God." Which, how many knows that Jesus was the Word? In the
Bible, Hebrews 4, and the Bible said, "It's sharper than a two-edged
sword, and a Discerner of the thoughts of the heart." Now, that's what
was in Solomon (the Word, God), reason he could discern their thought.
That was in Jesus. See? That's what's here now, same Thing.
Now, you out there. I ain't going to call no prayer line, 'cause I'm
going to make an altar call. There might be some here that's never been
in one of the meetings. I don't see a person in the building that
I--that I know.
191 Someone was telling me that
it was about thirty last night, or better, called. Do you realize that
one time a woman touched His garment, and He turned around, and the
same thing taken place, and--and virtue went out of Him, Him the Son of
God? But He said, "Greater than this shall you do, for I go to the
Father."
Now, you just believe and have faith, each one of you, all around here,
in these cots, stretchers, wherever you are. Believe! Don't think
you're hopeless.
193 Now, if I could heal you,
I'd do it; but I cannot heal you. I can lay hands upon you, and I
intend to do that, to everyone having them cards. And they give out
cards every day. So I intend to do that, but that is that's--that's
just to signify that I believe with you.
But, look, why don't you just touch Him? The Bible said He's the High
Priest right now, that can be touched by the feeling of our
infirmities." Is that right? Well, if He is a High Priest, then He
would certainly act in the same way He did then. Would He not? He
certainly would act the same way He did then. All right, now you touch
Him by faith.
195 Now, heavenly Father, the
meeting is Yours. But I have taught tonight on this little woman seeing
something real, when she seen that spirit of discernment upon Solomon.
And we are sure, Lord, that Your Words are true. You said that would
return again, like it was in the days of Sodom just before the coming;
and You was the same yesterday, today, and forever. The works that You
did, we'd do also. And You're a High Priest tonight that can be touched
by the feeling of our infirmities. How much more do we need?
How much did those Jews need, to see that He was a Prophet? A virgin
conceived, and all these things, but, they--their creeds blinded them.
Lord, there's some here come like, maybe not from Sheba, but they've
come from many places. I pray, God, that You'll identify Yourself
tonight real. And then identify Yourself in them, as the instinct of
that mother in that little deer did that day. We are Yours, Father.
Speak to us, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
198 Now, I want you to have faith and believe, each one of you, all around everywhere. And just pray. Now, don't... Just look and pray now, and just believe. See, this might not, the Holy Spirit not--might be pleased with doing this. If He doesn't, I'll call up a prayer line. But just stand here. Somebody out there, even if you... I don't want you with prayer cards. Just--just anybody just--just pray. 'Course I wouldn't know, but you just pray and see. Just say, "Lord Jesus, I know that man don't know me. He knows nothing about me, but I know that I do believe."
199 Your faith is unconscious. Don't press now or jump. You jump away from it. It's right with you. Just relax yourself and believe. Just believe now and have faith. [An exhortation is given--Ed.] Amen. And be reverent; just have faith; just believe. Sometimes your faith is unconscious, you have it and you don't know it. That little woman had it; she didn't know it.
200 How many of you has ever
seen the picture of that Angel of the Lord, that Light? It's--it's
taken right here in Texas. It's been taken, all over the world now,
but...
What do you think, sir? You believe, setting right here at the corner?
Looked like you were looking so eagerly. Have many things wrong with
you. You have complications, many things. Now, when I said that, a real
strange feeling come to you, didn't it? If that's right, raise up your
hand. I'm a total stranger to you, I don't know you. That's right. You
know what? That Light just settled right down over you. See? That's
what you felt, kind of a real sweet feeling. I was watching It (See?)
come right down.
202 Now, yes, you're here; you want to be prayed for before you leave the building. If God will reveal to me what your trouble is, and you setting there, and me here, would you believe it to be God? It's a hernia, one of your great things. That's right. Is that right? If God will tell me who you are, what your name is, you got a good contact with Him now, will you believe me to be His prophet, or His servant? Excuse me, that's a stumblingblock to a lot. You believe it? Your name is Mr. Sturgeon. If that's right, raise your hand. Believe it, and be healed.
203 Here's a little lady
setting right back there, dark-headed, right out here in the aisle:
yes, you. You was amazed when that was said. Now, right at this time
you begin to feel kind of strange (See?), real sweet-like something
around you. If anyone will look, if you can see It, kind of an
amber-looking Light coming down upon the little lady. Now, what her
trouble is, she has headaches that bothers her real bad. That is right.
If that's right, raise up your hand like that. And I never seen her, in
my life. That's true. That's right. Headaches bothers her, like a
migraine, but they're going to leave you. Amen. Believe.
Now, the... There's a man setting right next to you there, and he is
looking right at me so earnestly, and that Light is moving right over
towards him. And the man is suffering trouble with his eyes. But if
he'll believe, God will heal the eyes and make them well. You believe?
All right. I never seen you in my life. You're a stranger to me.
205 Say, that young fellow
sitting right next to you there also, he suffers with trouble with his
head. That's right. Uh-huh. Yes, sir. I never seen the man in my life.
God knows that. See? All right, you believe.
The man setting right next to you with glasses on, looking this a
way... Yes, you're wearing glasses, but that really isn't your trouble.
You got something wrong with your back that you're wanting to be prayed
for. If that's right, wave your hand like this, sir. All right.
That young fellow setting right next to you there, right next to you.
He's had a lot of troubles, that young man has (Yes, sir.) with the red
tie on. You've had a lot of troubles in your family and things, kind
of... Your wife is a nervous type of a person, and you're suffering
with some kind of a pressure in your head also. That's THUS SAITH THE
LORD. That is true. That's right. You just believe. Don't you doubt,
but you believe.
208 Here's a woman sitting
right back here. Don't you see that Light move back there and settle
down right here? She's suffering with a eye trouble and her bladder.
Oh, she's going to miss it. Lord God, help me. Her name is Mrs.
Chambers. Believe with all your heart, Mrs. Chambers. Raise up to your
feet. Raise up, so that the people see who you are. I'm a stranger,
never seen her in my life. Yes. It's over now. Jesus Christ makes you
well.
Now, if that isn't Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and
forever, where is He? Did He promise to do it? All that believes it,
raise up your hand. All right.
210 Do you want to be a real
Christian, you that raised your hand awhile ago, like that old mother
deer was? While the Holy Spirit's here, and the anointing is all over
us, why don't you just make your way, and come stand right here at the
altar, just a minute. If you're seeking God for salvation, will you
come here, and just come here at this altar and stand here with me just
a minute? Raise up. That's it. That's right. God bless you. Anybody in
the building, anywhere you're at, will you come? That's right. Come
right now, you that wants to find Christ.
You'll never be no closer to Him until you meet Him. He's here. He's
identified, something real. You joined church. A lot of you church
members now, you've joined church, but that's all you had; you want to
see something real. If that isn't exactly what Jesus Christ identified
Himself to be...
212 Look at this little child
coming here, crying, the tears running down his little face. No wonder,
they're tender. They haven't been pulled through everything. Another
one coming down the aisle, another one in the back, coming down, little
children, when the adults has passed theirs by. Won't you come? Come
right up here now and stand around the altar. You church members, you
people that wants to have an experience of Christ in your heart, won't
you come here? If He knows your heart, and you know you couldn't hide
it, won't you come right now and stand here, just before we go further.
Come here, stand here for a word of prayer. Will you do it?
Come, show, stand for Him. You stand for Him. If you're ashamed of Him
now, He'll be ashamed of you there.
Remember, He is here. The Scripture said this would happen, and here He
is identifying Himself as being here. If you're a church member and
don't know Christ as a real experience, won't you come at this time?
Now, I'm not much to persuade people. Only thing I can say is tell you
the Truth, and of Christ's Presence, plus His Word being made
manifest...
215 Up in the balcony, you that
raised your hands; sister, brother, if you want to come down, we're
going to wait right here. Come right on down and gather around the
altar, just for a word of prayer. Let the world know, let Jesus know
that you're--that you're not ashamed, you want to be a real Christian.
Won't you come while we're just waiting a moment or two?
Church member, lukewarm, backslider, won't you come stand along with
them now? Come here and stand along, you who haven't, if you haven't
got an experience with God, that you're borned in the Kingdom of God,
like that...
217 What more do you want to
see? Remember, I tell you in the Name of the Lord, if you regard me to
be His servant, this is the last sign that the church will see
according to the Scripture. That was the last thing that Abraham seen
done before the promised son arrived. And we are the royal Seed of
Abraham, and Jesus promised the royal Seed to see the same thing that
Abraham seen, just before the Gentile world burned. Don't put off for
something else, Satan trying to get you to look over. Come now, while...
There
is a Fountain filled with Blood,
Drawn
from Immanuel's veins,
Where
sinners plunged beneath the flood,
Lose
all their guilty stain.
The
dying thief rejoiced to see
That
Fountain in his day;
There
may I, though vile as he,
Wash
all my sins away.
Won't you come and accept it now? I'm waiting just a moment, somebody
else might come and stand here for prayer.
219 Now, I'm going to ask
ministers here, brethren, come down and stand with me, around, while we
pray; and ministers out there, who's concerned, and some of these
people in your neighborhood, that would come to your church or--or
something that, that you are interested in--in souls coming to Christ,
and you believe this to be Jesus Christ...
Now, remember, I am not Jesus Christ. I am your brother, a sinner saved
by grace. I'm like you are. But it's Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit
that's here with us, keeping His Word. He don't have to do this,
He--but He promised He would do it. Jesus didn't have to heal the sick,
but the Bible said He did it, that it might be fulfilled which was
promised of Him.
Now, we don't care what brand of church that you belong to; if you
believe that Jesus Christ is present, you believe that there is a
borned again experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit...
222 Ministers, move right up in
among these people here. Come right up among them, laying your hands on
them. We're going to offer prayer for them. I'm asking our congregation
to be just as reverent as you can for a few moments. How do we know
what the Holy Spirit will do? That's it. Move right in, mingle yourself
right with the people. Come right around them, each one.
Now, remember, there's only one thing you can do, is accept what He has
promised you. Have you seen the reality of the resurrection of Christ?
Now, I'm going to ask the congregation if they will stand just a
minute, in reverence and respects to... Each one of you believe now.
Confess all that you've done; that's all you can do, and then ask God
to forgive you, and accept it, believe it. Now, let everyone pray in
your own way.
225 Our heavenly Father, we come to You, with penitent souls. How the little story about that mother deer struck down deep, that people wanted to do something, or see something real; like the queen of the South, who came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon. And a greater than Solomon is here: the Saviour of mankind, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Save them, Father. Forgive their sins. Wash their souls in the Blood of the Lamb, and give them an experience of being borned a Christian. No other animal, no nothing else, could've done that, but the mother deer. That's what she was. Give us that experience, Lord, now of a borned again experience in the Kingdom of God, while the Holy Spirit is there. Grant it, Lord. Grant it, Lord.
226 Now, close your eyes, raise
up your hands, and say--make your confession, saying, "Jesus, I now
believe. Take me as I am. There's no more I can do. Heal my sick body.
Take me, Lord. I believe You're here; the Holy Spirit is here
identifying Itself. Save me by Thy grace, Lord. It's all I know how to
do. Through Jesus Christ's Name."
Brother Grant, will you lead us in prayer?