Témoignage En Mer
1 Before we bow our heads for
prayer, I would like to read some of God's Word. I always like to read
His Word, because My words will fail; they're a man; but His Word
cannot fail. And you who keep track of the text and so forth, let's
read from Matthew the 14th chapter tonight, beginning with the 22nd
verse.
And straightway
Jesus constrains his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him
unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.
And when he had sent
the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and
when... evening was come, he was there alone.
But the ship was now
in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
And in the fourth
watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
And when the
disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is
a spirit; and they cried out for fear.
But straightway
Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of a good cheer; it is I; be not
afraid.
2 Let us bow our heads now for prayer. While our heads and hearts are bowed before God, is there a need in the building, tonight, that you'd like to make known to God by lifting up your hand, and be remembered in the prayer? The Lord look upon you, be merciful to us.
3 Our heavenly Father, we are
coming now into Thy Presence, by the way and the Name of the Lord
Jesus. Knowing with the blessed assurance, that He promised us, if we
would ask anything in His Name, that You'd grant it to us. We are very
grateful for this. Words cannot express the way we feel about it, with
assurance that we have, that You're listening to us just now.
You seen those hands, Lord. You know what they had need of. You're the
omniscient, omnipotent, infinite God, and we know that Thou knowest the
hearts of the people. You knowed our thoughts. Even before we were ever
created, you knowed every thought that we'd ever have, for You are
infinite.
And we pray, Lord, at this hour, as our desires is reaching for You,
look down from the heavens, Lord, and take our requests to Thy own
heart, Lord, and answer us according to Thy riches in glory. Give to us
the desire of our heart, trusting that it's Your Divine will. And we
know that it's Your good pleasure to do Your will.
Give us a great outpouring of Thy Presence tonight again, Lord. Heal
the sick. Save the lost; raise up those who are dead in sin and
trespasses, and bring them to a new Life, tonight. May we see Jesus. We
ask it in His Name. Amen.
7 May be seated. We're sorry
that we're not able to accommodate the people, for seating capacity.
But since the first night, they say they've had to turn away great
multitudes of the people, so we are sorry for that. And Brother Grant
just didn't quite get another room built, either, to... I believe it's
to the left that he's going to move this partition. The precious,
gracious brother today asked me if I'd make this a annual thing, to
return back to Dallas to his church. Such a great invitation as that in
this hour, when doors closing so fast, and then the man want me to come
back and make it an annual thing--affair. I appreciate that.
I had a time of fellowship with them this morning, with Brother Gordon
Lindsay and many of them. And Brother Pearry Green, who's the sponsor
of the oncoming meeting down at Beaumont, setting behind me here
tonight. And many, our friends, Brother Don and his wife. We're so
happy to have them here. The Lord bless them.
9 Now, tonight, just I been
trying to make my messages just as simple as they could be, so that
even a child could understand them.
Tomorrow afternoon is an evangelistic service, and I wish that you
could all come out. Now, if you have services at your own church, why,
you--you stay where you're--where you're stationed at. We don't want no
one to leave their own church. And then if you're sick and want to come
to be prayed for, and your church is having service tomorrow afternoon,
speak to your pastor about it, so he won't think bad, you know. Let him
know that we're here in cooperation, to--to help the entire Body of
Jesus Christ that's sojourning here in Dallas and around about.
So tomorrow afternoon, I think, at two-thirty, I'm to speak an
evangelistic message. And then we're going to pray for all the sick
people, pick up all the prayer cards and things that's been left over
through the week, and pray for them all tomorrow.
13 Now, my subject tonight is more like a little drama, just for a few moments. And I'm going to try to get in as much tonight as I can, on praying for the sick. My text is, "Be Not Afraid, It's I," Jesus speaking. My subject is: "A Testimony On The Sea."
14 It must've been about late
in the afternoon, the sun must have been going down when this taken
place, and now must've been a hot day about like it is in here.
The air conditioner's out, and they're working on it. That's the reason
I changed my subject from out there, what I was going to speak on, so I
could hurry with it, so you wouldn't have to set in the heat like this.
16 This big fisherman, after
seeing what he had through the day, been watching Jesus in His great
ministry.
I would've loved to have lived in that day, to followed Him. But, you
know, I'm glad I have--still have the privilege of doing the same
thing: watching Him do things. And it's greater to watch Him today than
it was then. I have more faith in Him now, and can have more faith now
than I could've then, because we've had two thousand years to prove
that the Gospel's right. And after two thousand years, He's still
alive, doing just as He did then, so we have a greater assurance and a
more foundation for faith now than they had then.
Because He was just a Man going around with a claim that--that He was
sent from God and was the Son of God, and that God was vindicating His
promised Word of that day by Him, and they had somewhat the reason to
doubt it. The theologians, they were... And you notice it was a
pathetic thing; it was really pathetic, because them theologians would
have believed that if God hadn't have blinded their eyes. The Bible
said so.
19 And did you know He promised that He would blind their eyes again today that they wouldn't see it? They would be "heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, despisers of those that are good; having a form of godliness, but would deny the power thereof." Just exactly a promise right back again. And you can't hardly but--but just feel sorry for people, and their eyes being blinded to this day. With the Scriptures that God has promised that would come to pass right in this day in this hour, and we're looking right at it and watching it. And then people look, and shake their head, and walk away, say, "I don't see It." It's a pathetic thing, but yet the Scriptures has got to be fulfilled. It must be that way.
20 So these disciples had been
chosen of God. Did you notice, Jesus told them, before the foundation
of the world He chose them, and they were a ordained seed of God.
That's why when the troubles come up, and the people look like had
Jesus in the corner on a question, there was no question to them. They
couldn't understand it, but they were determined to know nothing else
but Him. "Thou only has the Word of Life." And they were determined to
stay with It, because they were ordained to that office.
So is it today, that men and women who are ordained to Eternal Life
will come to Eternal Life. "All the Father has given Me will come to
Me." That's His Word, and that cannot fail. It's--It's God's Word.
22 And we see these disciples
now, that had a great meeting that day, out in a great field along the
side of a mountain. And Jesus had told them, "Now, you go ahead across
the sea, ahead of Me." And He was going up into a mountain alone for
prayer. And these disciples, after meeting friends, I can just imagine
how they felt.
Because to meet friends, and then have to part with friends; just about
the time you get acquainted, then you have to say good-bye. And that's
always been kind of a heartache to me, across the nation, around the
world, has been meeting friends and then leaving them, knowing that
there's many that you won't see no more until you meet them at the
judgment. It's kind of a sad affair.
24 I can imagine the boat,
with the--the bow of it pushed into the bank. And must've been Simon
Peter, with the great brawny arms and shoulders, that pushed the boat
around and headed it out into the sea. And they was all waving good-bye
to those on the bank. And they was screaming, "Come back again and
bring the Master over to see us. And come have another revival; we've
been so blessed today." And new friends waving. And he climbed over the
rest of the disciples, and set down probably by the side of his brother
Andrew, and picked up the oars.
The--the ships then were propelled by either the wind or by oars that
they pulled. And then maybe they'd be sitting two in a boat, two on a
side, and they would--or two in one seat, rather, maybe six or eight
oarlocks. They would pull in time, and that way they could hold the
boat in its keel when the storms was on. Then the winds blowing
normally, they could hoist up a sail and sail.
26 Must've been a hot
afternoon, from the looks of the Scripture just before this event, and
so it must've been a real quiet, sunny, hot afternoon. The sun was
setting. And they, as they oared, and then turned loose and waved
good-bye to the people, "Hope to see you again sometime," as they moved
out into the sea. And the sunset, and the evening twilight, and then
after while the--the darkness set in.
And they must've picked up a pretty good speed of--of oaring, and
that's a hard job when those great heavy oars dips into the sea. And
most all of them were--were fishermen, and great strong men, used to
the sea. And so as they expecting Jesus to get in the boat and follow
them on, pretty soon. Why, they got out there, and they must've coasted
just a little bit: kind of get your ship started and then let up.
28 Maybe young John must've
been the first one to speak up, 'cause he was the youngest of the
group. And it must've been he that said, "I'm getting just a little bit
tired. Let's coast for a little bit. Wait a minute; we don't have to
hurry. He hasn't come along yet, so we might as well wait a little
while and kinda get a good breath of air."
And as he set there with his head down a little bit, he must've started
a testimony meeting. And that's what I want to talk about. It must've
been he that raised up first, and said, "Brethren, no matter what the
people say, and how much anyone wants to disbelieve, I'm certainly a
sure now, after today, that we're not following a faker. We're
following nothing less than God, for no man could do what He did today
'less it was God. You know, when He took those biscuits and broke them,
and fed that five thousand there, that's the most amazing thing to me.
There could've been a question until today," now I'm just repeating his
testimony as it was, "but that settled it."
30 Said, "I can remember years ago. I used to live down close to the Jordan. And I can remember, as a little boy, how my pretty Jewish mother used to pick me up in the afternoon, and set me upon her lap, and rock me, out on the porch, when the poppies was blooming along the side of the banks of the Jordan. And she used to look across towards the desert from whence our people was brought through this desert. She used to tell me Bible stories. One of the great stories that I remember, was the Shunammite woman and when her little boy was dead, and--and the prophet raised up this little boy again from the dead. That used to be a thrilling story."
31 "But one of the most thrilling stories, and mother used to tell me, she'd say, 'Now, John, you're just a little boy; but I want you to remember as you grow older, that great Jehovah brought our people up out of Egypt, and we come through that wilderness across the river there. And all for forty years, they journeyed in that wilderness, no places to get clothes, and no place to eat. And God rained bread down out of heaven, every night, and fed our people in that wilderness, 'cause they were in the line of duty, following great Jehovah. And now, someday Jehovah is going to be made flesh here on earth in the form of a Man, He'll be called the anointed One, the Messiah.'"
32 "And I remember," he'd say, "as a little boy, how that my little boy mind used to figure out, try to figure out, 'How did God feed all those, two and a half million people in that wilderness? How did He get all the bread?' And I used to ask mama, 'Mama, did He... Has--has Jehovah got great big bunch of ovens up there in the sky, and He'd bake all the bread, and run down at night and put it out upon the--the--the ground for the people, and Jehovah's big skies are full of ovens?' She'd say, 'No, son, you're too young to understand. See, Jehovah is a Creator. He doesn't need ovens. He just speaks, and His Word is made manifest when He speaks. He's great Jehovah, and He just spoke it. And the Angels distribute it down upon the ground for the people.'"
33 "And today, when I seen Him
stand there, did you notice that look on His face? There was no doubt
in His mind. I climbed over behind the rock, and watched Him as He took
that bread and broke it, and hand it over to the--His ministers, us, to
distribute it to the people. And then when He reached back to break
again, that loaf was whole again. And He done that hundreds of times,
until everyone was filled, and there were baskets full, taken up. I
knowed that could been no less than Jehovah, because He acted like
Jehovah did. Only Jehovah can create. And I know that that Man's not a
faker. There's only one Creator, and that's Jehovah. And now, of all
the things that I've seen, that satisfied me."
"I want you to know now that my heart is completely surrendered, and I
believe completely that He's not merely a prophet. He is a prophet, but
He's more than a prophet. He's nothing less than Jehovah God dwelling
among us, because He created bread, and He had the habits of Jehovah.
No wonder He could say, 'If I do not the works of My Father, then
believe Me not; but if I do the works of My Father, and you can't
believe Me, believe the works, for they testify of Me and tell Who I
am.' Looked like people could've seen that easy."
And John was satisfied that He was the Messiah, the One that Isaiah
said, "Unto us a Son is born, and His Name shall be called Counseller,
Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Everlasting Father." And John was
satisfied because what he had seen. The young fellow giving his
testimony...
36 About that time, Simon
Peter said, "Well, now, just a minute. If we're going to have a
testimony meeting, I'd like to have something to say. You know, I was
very skeptic of the whole thing, when Andrew my brother, which attended
John the prophet's revival, who had testified that the Messiah was
coming and he would introduce Him. And I was a little skeptic of what
Andrew would tell me, because I've heard all kinds of Messiah stories
and everything else."
"But all you brethren remember my old dad. His name was--was Jonas. And
you remember him, of how that he was a very staunch believer. How that
I can remember mother and dad, and all of us, as we fished for a
living, and we'd catch no fish; we needed bread, and how that we'd get
down on the floor and pray to God, 'Give us a catch today, God, that we
might be able to sell our fish, and pay off our debts, have food to
eat.' And how we'd go out on the sea in the storm and dare to--to face
those storms."
38 "And dad, I can see his
gray hair hanging down his back, one day as he set upon the brail of
the boat and talked to me, saying, 'Simon, you're my oldest son. You
know, I've always believed, Simon, that I would see the Messiah. Our
people has looked for Him since Eden. And we are sure that He's coming,
no matter how long. That's been four thousand years ago, you say, but I
believe that Messiah will come. And every Jew has believed that he
would see the Messiah in his generation. I hope to see Him in my
generation. But it looks like, I'm getting old now, I've got to stop
the sea, and getting my aches and pains; I probably won't see Him in my
time. But maybe you will, my son.'"
"'And I want to train you in the Scriptures. Son, before the Messiah
rises on the scene, there'll be all kinds of things going on, all kinds
of false things, because Satan will do that, to destroy the influence
of the real Messiah when He comes.'" It's always been that way, still
that way.
40 And then we find out, he
said, "I remember he put his arm around me, said, 'Son, there's only
one way that you'll be able to identify that Messiah. Now, we've had
hundreds of years without any prophet. Malachi was our last prophet.
That's been four hundred years ago; we haven't had a prophet. But
remember, Moses told us in the Scriptures, that when the Messiah come,
He would be a prophet, when He rose on the scene. We Jews are taught to
believe the prophet. And the Messiah's journey on earth is a spoken
Word of God, that He has promised us. And the Word always comes to a
prophet, and a prophet vindicates that Word. Don't you never forget
that, son. There may be great things rise; there may be great
enthusiasms and--and great things. But remember, the Messiah will be a
prophet, 'cause we know that God never changes His way, and He said the
Messiah would be a prophet. So remember, son, prophets are those who
have the Word of the Lord. And when the Messiah comes, He'll be a
prophet.'"
"I can just still feel his arm," said Simon, "as he put it around me.
And Andrew was standing there washing the net, at the time, You
remember it. Andrew?"
"Yes, Simon, and I--I remember it."
42 "And Andrew trying to tell
me that this John was a prophet. I had other things to do, had to sell
the fish and things. So father's been dead for years, but I've always
kept that on mind; daddy said the Messiah would be a Scriptural
identified prophet, and not forget it, because it's a spoken Word of
God. And that Word has constantly always come to the prophets; that
identified it, or manifested what was promised for the age.'"
And now Simon, "One day," said, he said, "you know, Andrew asked me to
go to a meeting. And I went down there to the meeting where this Fellow
Jesus was. And I'd heard all kinds of rumors. There was a Jesus raised
up before Him that promised to be some great something, and led four
hundred out and they all perished, and so forth. I thought it was just
another one of them kind, with some kind of a great enthusiasm of some
revival, or some great denomination they were going to make. But one
day I thought I'd go with Andrew here, my brother."
44 And I can imagine, about
that time, the boat begin to shake. Somebody begin to shout, and he
said, "Set down. Don't rock the boat. Wait a minute. Set still."
And he said, "You know, when I went down there and walked into the face
of Him the first time, He looked me right straight in the eye and told
me what my name was. He'd never seen me before. Not only did He know
me, but He knowed that godly old father of mine, that had instructed me
in the Scriptures. And I knowed that That was Messiah. That settled it
for me right there. That was--that made it right for me."
46 Must've been Philip said,
"Can I say a word here?" Now, he said, "Brother Nathanael, don't let
this hurt you; because you know, we studied the scrolls for years and
years, what the Messiah would be. But when I seen Him do that, I took
off and got my friend here, Nathanael. And when he come over..."
Nathanael said, "Let me tell it. Let me tell it."
Oh, the... You know, there's something about when Jesus has done
something for you--you just can't hardly stand still; you got to tell
it yourself. Isn't that right? If it's something real, you just got to
say it. When He filled me with the Holy Ghost, I want to tell about it.
I want somebody to know about it. Not somebody else tell it; I want to
say it myself.
48 And I just imagine,
Nathanael got all enthused and said, "You know, I'd like to say this. I
was a little skeptic of you, Philip, when you told me. I asked you,
'Could any good thing come out of Nazareth?' And you gave me the best
answer that any man ever had, 'Come and see.'" That works good today.
That's right. Don't stay home and criticize; come, find out for
yourself. See? "Said, 'And could anything good come out of Nazareth?'
Said, 'Come and see for yourself.' And you know what you told me."
"And when I walked up into His Presence, and He told me that I was a--a
Hebrew, an Israelite, and was an honest man, I knew that. But I
wondered, 'How could it be?' He looked like an ordinary Man. I was
expecting the Messiah to come down a golden corridors from heaven,
right down to the head of the denomination here, to Jerusalem, walk out
and say, 'Caiaphas, I have arrived.' But they find out, He come out of
Nazareth, from a poor family, and actually kind of a black name behind
Him, as an illegitimate child. Here He stood dressed in ordinary
clothes, not like a priest or somebody, just an ordinary man. And I
thought, when I walked up there, 'How can that be a Messiah? One old
garment on, He'd wore since He was a young Fellow, and here this same
garment on, His hair hanging down His back. And like--like an ordinary
man of the street.'"
"And He looked me in the face, and said, 'Before Philip called you,
when you were under the tree, I saw you.' That settled it for me. I
knowed, by the Word, that was Messiah. That was Him."
52 And the boat must've shook,
and the testimony meeting was going on. Oh, what a wonderful time they
were having out on the sea there, just having a great time.
Andrew said, "I'd like to say something that kind of puzzled me for a
little while. You remember when we--we was going down to Jericho, when
He said, 'We must go up; I have need to go by Samaria,' so He went up
to Samaria, and there at the city of Sychar, when He sent us all away
to buy vittles over in the city?"
"Oh, yes, I remember that well." All of them, "Yes, yes." The boat was
just a shaking, everybody having a wonderful testimony after the
revival was over.
55 So they were going--having
this testimony meeting, and he said, "Yes, and you remember we slipped
up, and to our surprise we saw our Master talking to a marked
prostitute. 'Uh--huh,' we thought, 'that's bad. Look at Him out there
talking to this young woman. And sent us away, and here He is out here
with this ill-famed woman setting here.' You remember, we was standing
just behind the bushes, and we listened to their conversation."
"And we heard Him say to her, 'Woman, go get your husband and come
here.'"
"And we said, 'Well, we might have been mistaken, maybe the woman was
just legitimately married.'"
"And she looked Him back in the face and said, 'Sir, I don't have any
husband.'"
"You remember how our hearts failed? Our great Messiah that we had
confidence in, here was caught in a lie, a cross fire, 'cause He said,
"Go get your husband," and she had witnessed back that she had no
husband. Now, it's backfired on Him. Remember how we all looked
surprised, and the breath was gone out of us?"
"Yes, I remember it."
"And then you remember the next words? He said, 'Thou has said the
truth, because you've had five and the one you're living with now is
not yours.' Oh, you remember the testimony meeting behind the bush?
My." See, you can't corner Him. He's God. Oh, Simon said, "That
just..." Andrew said, "That settled it for me."
61 Bartholomew said, "Wait,
I'd like to put in a testimony. Can I do it, brethren?"
"Oh, well, I suppose you can; we got plenty of time. He hasn't come up
yet, so we'll just make a few paddles. Go ahead, Bartholomew, you
testify."
"Well, one of the great things to me. You remember our sister down in
Jericho, named Rebekah?"
"Yes."
"And her husband run a restaurant down there."
"Uh-huh."
"And--and he was a businessman, and his name was Zacchaeus."
"Yes, yes, I remember him well."
65 "You remember, she was--she
was one of our sisters. She had believed on the Lord, and she was so
afraid that Zacchaeus would let it all get by without accepting Jesus.
And, oh, Zacchaeus was a very good friend to the priest there. And so
she was praying that something would happen that his eyes would come
open, and he'd recognize that this was the Master, this was the
vindicated Word of God made flesh among us. And we tried to tell
her--tell him about how that Jesus of Nazareth knowed the secrets of
the heart, showing that He was the Word, 'cause the Word discerns the
thoughts in our heart."
"'Nonsense,' he said, 'I believe the priest. What the priest says is
good enough for me.' Because he belonged to all the--the orders of the
city, the Kiwanis and everything else, you know, so he--kinda hard for
him to let down on it. So Rebekah had asked us all to pray, to pray.
And every time we'd come up to the subject He was a prophet, he'd say,
'Nonsense.' The priest says he's Beelzebub. He's a devil. He does that
by the power of the Devil. And he's just a mental telepathist. That's
all there is to it. There's nothing to it. So there is no such a thing
in this day, we haven't had prophets for hundreds of years. And how
could that guy, not even with a fellowship card, how could he ever be a
prophet? Oh, no way he was such a thing."
67 "But, you know, Rebekah
kept holding on, his wife, and praying. And one morning when Jesus was
coming into the city, well, then we find out that Rebekah told us that
Zacchaeus had went out to the--the street to see Him. So he didn't
believe He was a prophet, so he said, 'I'll just get a good look at
Him,' how he testified to us at the restaurant the other day when we
was eating. So he climbed up in a sycamore tree and said, 'You know
what, I'll just disguise myself up here so He won't be able to see me.
I'm a little fellow, anyhow, very short. And I can't see Him down there
in a crowd, so I'll just climb up here in the tree.' And he got to
where two--two limbs meet, and there he set down by these limbs."
That's just a good place to sit down and study it over. That's where
two ways meet, yours and God's: your ideas. That's a good thing, to
think it over.
69 "So he said, 'You know
what, He must've been a prophet. He could've been. It could be possible
I could be wrong. So I'll tell you what; I'll get a good look at Him,
and He won't know me. So I'll just take all the leaves and pull them in
like this, around me, and I'll disguise myself so He won't even see me
at all. And I'll watch Him when He comes by. And if He doesn't look
like the right kind of a person, I'll give Him a piece of my mind,
setting up here in this tree.' So he watched, and had a leaf so he
could raise up and see Him when He come around the corner."
"And when He come around the corner, walking down the street, you know,
looking from one side to the other, and the disciples saying, 'Stand
aside. I'm sorry.' And people with sick children and things. 'I'm
sorry, the Master's awful tired, had great service last night. And,
gentleman-like, would you please stand aside and let Him by. Why, He's
making His way down to the city, and would you please just stand
aside?' And Zacchaeus setting up here in the tree, looking down at
Him..."
71 "And Jesus come right straight under the tree, stopped, looked up, and said, 'Zacchaeus, come down from there. I'm going home with you for today for dinner.' That settled it for me. He knew he was up there, and knew his name, what he was. That settled it. That's the Messiah to me. Yes, sir. Because we know the Messiah was to do that. Certainly. So He had to go home with him," said, "that day for dinner. What a great time that was. We remember it."
72 You know, it must have been
about that time, the testimony meeting was going on. You know, these
disciples out there on the sea, testifying, it must've been down in the
blackness of the night somewhere up in the northlands there, that Satan
must've moved up over the hill and looked down. He looked in that
testimony meeting, and he found out that they had gone off without Him.
There was his chance.
See, I think that scene has just about returned again, repeated itself.
They had, in the enthusiasm of the revival they had gone off without
Him. And I believe that that's a lot that's happened to us today, that
in this hour of confusion and after this great revival that we've
witnessed... It's swept around the world. Every nation has had revival
fires built and burning, great healing services, people receiving the
Holy Ghost, by the tens of thousands times thousands. And in the
enthusiasm of it, like those disciples testifying in what He has done,
and, "Oh, we seen Him do this, and we seen Him do that," I believe
we've went off like them, without Him.
74 We've went off on great big
opportunities that--that the revival has presented. We've went off on
opportunities of making a lot of money, the churches, building greater
buildings, great big millions-of-dollar places, great schools,
educational systems, and making our denominational grow. And then
having our communism programs, anticommunism, that's all we can talk
about today. And the first thing you know, Satan has seen us on our
anticommunism programs, on our big denominational programs, and on our
"million more," and so forth, as they've got.
And we've gone off without the old-time prayer meetings and the baptism
of the Holy Ghost coming back, until the fire has burnt low. You can
cry out, and try to get people to the altar, and they just walk up like
they were almost dead, a dread to come. And then ask ministers to come
pray with them, "Oh, why did he ask me for?" And they get down there,
and you can't hardly get them. And they'll stand there just for a few
minutes, look up at you, and go back and set down in their seats. To me
the fire's gone out. Something's happened. Listen. What we need is a
revival, that sinners, looking upon Christ, repent, run to the altar
with their hands up, screaming for mercy, and the whole church is a
flame of fire with the glory of God.
76 Our enthusiasm for
opportunity to make our denominations grow, we've built bigger schools
to educate our ministers, and send them farther from God than they was
at the beginning. God's not known by education. He's not known by
theology. God's knowed by faith. You can't explain God. He's beyond
explaining.
Look what it's done. We Pentecostal people, that used to be Pentecost,
our women has bobbed off their hair, wearing makeup. Our men is
permitting it. Our ministers are permitting it. They're afraid to say
something about it. The church will turn them out if they do. Oh, if we
don't need a house-cleaning from the pulpit plumb to the basement. It's
a shame. It's a disgrace.
78 Some man come to me not
long ago and said, "Brother Branham, the people love you." But said,
"You're always bawling them out, bawling them women out about having
short hair and things like that."
I said, "The Bible said it was a disgrace for her to have it."
She dishonors her husband when she does it. And it is absolutely a sign
that you've departed from God. Remember, in Samson's case, long hair
was a Nazarite sign that he had departed from the world to the Word of
God. And when you bob off your hair, women, you deny your--the Nazarite
sign. You've went to Hollywood instead of back to the Bible. The Bible
said, "Let them be uncut." See, it's a shame, and the ministers don't
say nothing about it.
80 This man said to me, "Why
don't you leave them women alone?" Said, "They regard you as a prophet."
I said, "I never said I was a prophet."
Said, "They regard you as that. Teach them how to receive spiritual
gifts and do something. You ought to teach them big things, great
things."
I said, "How can I teach them algebra when they won't even learn their
abc's, how to live decent about it? How you going to do it? Yeah, go
down to the first thing."
Year after year, crossing the nation, and it gets worse all the time.
There's something wrong somewhere; it ain't with the Word. No wonder we
can't have revival fires burning. We need a house-cleaning time. God
will never do that till we come back again. We need a house-cleaning
time.
84 And you men, you'll let
your wife do a thing like that, wear shorts. Them ain't Methodists,
Baptists. That's Pentecostals. That's right: form of godliness,
Laodicea church age, lukewarm, Pentecost by name, that's all. Pentecost
is not a name; it's an experience of the baptism of the Holy Ghost that
cleans the people up. No wonder we can't have great healing services
and things; there's something went wrong somewhere. It's Satan, saw us
out trying to...
"Well, we say anything about it, they'll change their membership."
Remember, you don't pet Christians. Christians are rugged. They are men
and women of God, who stand for God, regardless of what anybody else
has got to say. You don't have to beg them, and persuade them, and
perfume them, and baby them around. That's hotbed, hybrid plants; it's
no good at all; they'll never produce nothing.
87 Reminds me, like a...
It--it soon be nesting time, those little birds today over there,
little sparrows packing the straw into their nests. It won't be long
till they'll be nesting, making their little eggs to hatch. You know, a
little bird can have a nest of eggs, and she can set on that nest of
eggs, and she turns them every few minutes; takes her little feet and
turns them over, and sets there. Now, if she lets them eggs get cold,
after they once get warmed up, they won't hatch. And she just flies off
and get a mouthful of food, and right back on them again.
And you know, that old mother bird, she could set there on those eggs,
and turn them every two minutes, and not--even sacrifice and fast until
she's so poor she can't get off the nest. But unless then, that mother
bird has been in contact with the male bird, them eggs won't hatch. No
matter what, how much you baby them, they won't hatch. They'll lay
right in the nest and rot.
89 And if there ever was a time that Pentecost ought to get with the Mate, Jesus Christ; 'cause we're getting us another nest full of rotten eggs, denying the faith, going into the ecumenical council, and calling it great things to set by the pope, and saying it's spiritual. What's the world's the matter, you Pentecostal people? Don't you know the Bible spoke them things would happen? And we holler 'cause the Methodists and Baptists are coming in, and then all these other things like that. Don't you realize that when the sleeping virgin come to buy Oil, that was the very hour that the Bridegroom came? And they did not get the Oil. Don't you know the rapture will come so secret, and going away, some of these times, you won't even know it happens. It'll be gone, and you'll wonder what happened.
90 Like John came on the
earth. And they said to Him, said, "Why, the Bible said, Elias must
first come." He said, "He's already come, and you didn't know it."
So will it be; someday they'll say, "I thought this was to happen
before the tribulation period. I thought the rapture's to take place."
The word could come back, "It's already happened and you didn't know
it." Yes. It may be later than you think. Oh, wake up, church. I better
quit that; I never come here for doctrine; I just thought I'd punch
that in just so you could have that on the side.
92 Remember, brother, Satan
has seen these big programs, one church trying to outdo the other, one
denomination trying to outdo another, weeding out all the illiteracy
and have to give them a test of psychology, but have a psychologist to
test a man before he goes into the mission fields: Pentecost. No,
that--that--that ain't the Presbyterians; that's Pentecost. A psychic
test is required of a certain group of Pentecostals, big group, before
the missionaries can take the field.
What if they had a test like that? They got a test. It was a
Pentecostal test in the beginning, when they waited in the upper room
until there came Fire from on high, and the power of God. That was the
test, not some worldly, half-drunk psychologist standing there trying
to make the mind be a little bit excited, or something, say, "You're
all altogether undone."
When it absolutely proves that a man that's extremely spiritual is
nervous; he has to be in that condition to get into It. So there you
are. See, they're just messing up what God has tried to do for years,
then come right back around with their programs and their great...
95 They're enthused when they see lots of people gathered together. Say, "If I could make all them Assemblies. If I could make all them Oneness. If I could make all Methodist." The Methodists is trying to make all of them Methodists, the Baptist trying to make all Baptists, the Pentecostals all Pentecostals. Oh, you can't do nothing about it; God has ordained those from the foundation of the world. We got to preach the Gospel. That's all. But our big programs, we've went off without that Fire. We've went off and made ourself a homemade fire, as it was.
96 And our communism, now
we're so scared, communism has set in, "What's it going to happen?"
But, you know, the great thing ain't communism. Let me tell you that
now; I ain't afraid of communism.
But what I'm afraid of, you Pentecostals, this ecumenical council's
going to take you. That's the thing. It's going to form the mark of the
beast, and you're going to have to go into it. Because you're an
organization, you have to get in or get out. That's the thing. And any
good sensible, spiritual person knows that. We need another
upon-the-sea testimony.
We find it now. And our Pentecostal just swallowing it, hook, line, and
sinker, "What a great thing it'll be." When, Methodist, Presbyterian,
Lutheran, Church of Christ, and Pentecostals, you'll have to deny--deny
your great apostolic doctrine to be in there. They'll have to do the
same. You won't have nothing to do into it. It's all consolidating with
Rome, just exactly what's been proven. The Scripture said so.
98 What's the matter with the
preachers that let these things get in this condition, without warning
the people? God will require at their hands. Right in this time of
trouble, they were in trouble; they were. Communism not setting in;
it's the ecumenical council going to swallow up the whole bunch. And
remember, when you say, "Well, when it happens..." Then it's too late;
you've done took the mark of the beast. You belong to it then.
You--you better get where you can get away from it now (Yes, sir.), be
sealed in the Kingdom of God. The Body of Christ is the mystical Body
of Christ, that's baptized into It by the Holy Spirit; not joined into
It took into It, talked into It, spoke-in-tongues into It, shouted into
It. You are born into It by the Holy Ghost. That's right. Certainly.
100 Now, we notice these
things, trouble comes up all at once. Oh, the Devil looked over and
said, "Uh-huh, they've gone off on a tantrum; they're just out there
jumping up-and-down, shouting, having a big time. You know what? Right
now is my time to sink them. I'll get even with them now."
So he raised up over the hill and begin to blow his poison breath,
whew, "Days of miracles is passed. After all, I believe these people
are just nervous. I think they ought to have a--a--a mental test before
they take the foreign fields." Pentecostals... Uh-huh. See his poison
breath killing the Word, "Oh, I think It's something else; I--I believe
it." See, going right straight back like all the rest of the
denominations did, that's just exactly the road they're walking.
They'll... It kills it. The very hour you organize it, that kills it.
It always has. It always will. It'll never rise again. It's never been
known in history. And in this Laodicea church age, Christ was on the
outside of the church, knocking, trying to get in. And they just can't
stand it. They can't listen to it.
102 Now, we find, the hour we're living; trouble had set in. And then we begin to find out, miracles isn't taking place no more like they were. The sicks go home sick. It isn't because of God. It's because of the lack of the revival among the people. There's no revival. They--they set and listen, go home, say, "Well, I guess that was pretty good." Uh-huh. See? There's not that zeal. There's not that something in the people that should be there.
103 I remember fifteen years ago here in Arkansas, when I was having a little meeting up there at Jonesboro, when about forty thousand people trying to attend this, come to the meeting at a city of about fifteen thousand. And they laid under cotton trucks and everything else, and hold papers over their sick children, just to get inside. They set in the seats and wouldn't leave day and night, and had their loved ones to go get a hamburger and a--a bottle of pop; and stay there, day in and day out, day in and day out. Their hearts were burning on fire. Just the least little thing God did, it set them afire. And hundreds of them come in.
104 He's still the same God
tonight that He was fifteen years ago. He's still the same God tonight,
that He was when He created heavens and earth.
But what is it? We got all enthused and wanted to build up our
organizations, wanted to build up this, and build this, and make
something great and shiny, compare with the Joneses, with the
Methodists, with the Baptists, with the Presbyterian. You're not of
them. No, you're not. They're denominational people, which is all
right, nothing against them. There's plenty of fine Christians out
among them, but you oughtn't to associate yourself in that unbelieving
groups. People that deny the power thereof, you're not to take sides
with them.
106 You know, the trouble of it is, you're trying to get Hollywood in the church. The thing you ought to be trying to do is get Hollywood out of the church. See? You're trying to make your building so pretty; you're trying to make your denomination so big, till it'll attract the attention of the people. We can't go over on their side. We got to have them on our side. Everything's shiny, remember, Hollywood glitters with worldliness, while the Gospel glows in humility. There's quite a difference between shining and glowing. The Gospel glows in humility, and meekness, and humbleness, and power. While, Hollywood shines, and everybody hurrahing and hollering, and going to it. See? We don't need that.
107 We want to live such now;
He said, "Ye are the salt of the earth. If the salt has lost its
savour," that's its strength in the Gospel. We should have something
moving in our churches, that Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, and all
of them, would long to come. We should be so salty. Salt makes thirst,
creates a thirst. Salt is the savour, if it contacts. It's got to be
contacted.
And we find out, our great tantrums try to compare with the Methodist
and Baptist, with big buildings and big places, and fine educated
people, and greater schools and bigger colleges, and everything like
that. We've went off on a tantrum, and here trouble has set in.
And the spiritual mind looks around and says, "Here, wait a minute
here, are we all going to have to take that ecumenical council? Will
our whole group go into it?" Sure, you're going. That's exactly. You
watch and see if you don't. The Bible said you would, exactly, and
Christ would be on the outside. The moon blacked itself out before the
pope (the first one ever went to Rome) the other night, showing you a
sign in the heavens. Unpredicted, it did it. How the Lord is doing
things in this day, marvelous.
110 Then in this great hour of
darkness, when they was there, the winds come up. All hopes of survival
was gone. Now, what are you going to do if your denomination goes into
the ecumenical council? What's going to happen then to all our great
things that we've built here on earth, the last hope gone?
But you know, as they were about to scream, and all hopes was gone,
they couldn't be saved; and all of a sudden, they seen Him come,
walking on the water. In the hour of darkness He came walking in.
112 You know what? When he left
them, He knew that was going to happen, so He climbed the highest hill
there was in the land. Higher up you go, further you can see. And He
climbed up so He could watch them. You know...
And He knowed this was coming. He predicted this day to be here. "As it
was in the days of Sodom, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of
man, when the Son of man is being revealed." Then the Son has to be
revealed. This wicked and adulterous generation will seek after a sign.
And it'll have a sign. It'll reject it as they did then, but it'll be
the sign of the resurrection. He's still alive, doing as He did.
114 We find out, that in this
great hour, those disciples all in distress, He climbed up so He could
watch them. He was setting up there on a hill, watching them.
And now He didn't climb a mountain this time, but He climbed from the
grave, climbed through the air, beyond the moon, stars, till He went so
high, till He has to look down to see heaven. And there He sets on
high. Now, His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He's watching us. He's
a watching.
116 And right here in this hour
of darkness, when the churches has all gone into great programs, and
they got this program and that program, and all programmed out like the
rest of the churches are, the denominations. And what's happened? In
the hour of darkness, when the real spiritual-filled people wonder,
"What's going to happen? Look at my children." The man say, "Look at my
wife. Look at this."
And they let out Sunday, or Wednesday night prayer meeting, early, so
they can go watch "We Love Sucy," or something like that, on the
television: Lovers of the world, more than lovers of God, acting like
them.
118 I told a lady the other
day, she was dressed so tight in her dress. I said, "Sister, that dress
is too tight. It may not sound good for me to tell you that, but it is.
You're a Christian, and you'd make a stumbling-block."
She said, "Well, Brother Branham, you know what?" She said, "This is
the only kind they make."
I said, "They still sell goods, and they got sewing machines. There's
no excuse." Yeah.
Listen, let me tell you something, my dear friend. Not picking on you.
No, sir. I'm trying to keep you out of the torment. As long as that
spirit is in you, you're going to do it. That's right. You have to be
borned out of it. Now, you can suit yourself on that remark, but let me
tell you something (See?) "What your heart is, there your treasure is
also."
122 Let me tell you. You might
be just as pure as a lily to your husband, and you might be just as
pure as a lily, young girl, to your boyfriend, but someday God's going
to make you answer for committing adultery. You're guilty when you
dress like that. Jesus said, "Whosoever looketh upon a woman to lust
after her, has committed adultery with her already in his heart." And
when that man has to answer, that sinner, for looking upon you, for
committing adultery, who presented it to him? Think of it. You
Pentecostal women, shame on you. See? Shame on you.
I love you, that's the reason I'm saying that. Love is corrective.
124 We're on a great tantrum, a
great dress tantrum. It's just like the fashion like the world. He
said, "Love not the world, or the things of the world; if you do, the
love of God's not even in you," I don't care how much you speak in
tongues, jump up-and-down, dance; cut hair, wear dresses like that, and
you men permit it, your own fruits tells you where you're at. That's
exactly right. No wonder we're in such a chaos as we are, and the winds
of communism, the winds of churchism, the winds of ecumenical
organization.
It's a--it's a joining time, a unionizing time. The unions are
unionizing labor, fussing about it. The nations have the--the United
Nations, they're uniting. The churches are uniting together. What's it
all showing? It's showing that Christ and the Bride is fixing to unite.
That's what it's speaking of. All these shadows of things are showing
the positive coming. Watch now as we close, 'cause I'm getting too late.
126 And now, notice in that
great hour when all hope was gone, of survival, they seen Somebody
come, walking on the water, walking up. And the thing, the sad part...
Listen close. The only thing that could help them, they was afraid of.
They said, "It looks spirity. It might be, you know, a spirit."
If that hasn't happened again. They're afraid of It. They're afraid of
fortune-telling, you're afraid of some kind of a devil power, when
Jesus said it would happen in this day. The only thing that can help
them is Jesus Christ, not another denomination, not all of them joining
together; that's just going to make it worse than ever. The only thing
that can help you is Jesus Christ.
128 And when He promised to
return in the last days in this form, and do this, promising (just like
before the promised son returned to Abraham, the first seed) the royal
seed of Abraham, Jesus would--said, would see the same thing. Before
the promised Son, God would manifest Hisself in flesh and do exactly
like Jesus did, like He said He'd do, just like said would be done in
the last days. And here all those promises, that we could lay them out
by dozens right here before you, that this is supposed to take place...
And the churches, which ought to be with arms out to receive it, "I'm a
little afraid of that. It don't belong to our group. See?" And they're
a scared of it. The only thing that can bring them to Christ, Christ
Himself, and they're afraid that it's scary. "Oh, I don't know. That
might be spirited. You see? And I don't know about It." A scared of the
only thing that can help them.
130 And in that dark hour of
distress, those elected church, that group setting out there, scared
that it might be spooky, they didn't want to have nothing to do with
it. Then come that sweet voice, "Be not afraid. It is I."
He is the Word. Isn't He? He never changes, to be the Word. Now, can't
you hear the Word say tonight, "He's the same yesterday, today, and
forever. Be not afraid; it is I"? Let us bow our heads.
132 Heavenly Father, the--the evening is hot. The hours are dark, how the--the Fire has gone from the altar. You're gleaning across the fields. You said, "The Kingdom is like unto a man that took a net and went to the sea, cast it in, and when he brought it out." The Kingdom was like that. Lord God, someday that last fish that's in that water... You said, "They taken all kind." That Gospel net catches all kind; it caught turtles, crawfish, spiders, serpents, scavenger fish. We don't know what it catches, but there was some fish there You were after. You're the One that's the Judge. But we realize, quickly the turtle, the crawfish, and all, get back to the mud-hole again, back to the waters. But someday that last fish that's ordained, predestined to come, that last part of the Body, will be drawed out of that lake.
133 You throwed out a net in
the days of Luther, and Wesley, Alexander Campbell, John Smith, Calvin,
Knox, Finney, Sankey, so forth; in the Pentecostal age, the days of F.
F. Bosworth, and Frodsham, and those great men. You throwed out nets in
the days of Billy Sunday, on down through the age.
And now, You're still combing through the sea. Is there one of them
setting here tonight, Lord? If it is, may they be like that little
woman at the well. Even in her prostituted state, she still recognized
that You was the Messiah. She saw that sign. That was it. She said, "I
perceive You're a prophet." She had no idea that it could be Messiah.
She said, "We are looking for a Messiah," in other words. "We know when
the Messiah cometh, He'll tell us these things." And You said, "I am
He." That was it.
135 Now, tonight, Lord, let
them see that, "It is I; be not afraid. It's My promise." Heal the
sick, Lord; save the lost; fill the empty.
May we go away tonight, and say within our hearts, as we go away, like
those who came from Emmaus, "Did not our hearts burn within us as He
ministered to us tonight in the building, His Divine Presence." How
they knew it was You, they invited You in and their eyes come open. May
every one of us tonight, invite You in. If we don't understand it, may
we invite You in, anyhow. That's the only way You can reveal Yourself.
And we notice the way You revealed Yourself after Your resurrection,
You did something in the same manner You did before Your crucifixion.
Now, come tonight, Lord; You said You was the same yesterday, today,
and forever. Do again for us, like You did in the days when You stood
here in flesh on the earth. We'll go home, lighthearted, like those. In
Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
138 Now, in the service,
tonight, I know it's awfully warm, and we got twenty minutes to get out
in time. [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]
I'm... I can't stop or hinder the things that I do. I'm drove by
Something; I always have been all my life, and It's always been right.
It's never told me nothing but what was in the Bible. I can't stop it.
I can't do nothing about it. He just does it, anyhow. And I'm sure, if
I'm obedient, there was somebody that needs it. And I'll be faithful.
And at that day, I want to, like the great Saint Paul said, "No man's
blood's on my hand." Huh-uh. I--I want to tell you the Truth. Not as
I'm... I love you.
140 And if you had a little
boy. Now, think of it, lady, you that I scolded awhile ago, you sisters
with bobbed hair, and things. If I... If you had a little boy setting
out on the street, and you said, "Junior, dear, you'd better come in,
dear. It might be. I don't know; they'll probably drive around you."
You don't love that child. That's right. You'll get out there and shuck
the hide off of him or make him come in. That's right. You love him.
That's the way the Gospel is. God loves you. "And those that He loves,
He chastens and rebukes every child that comes to Him." If you can't
stand chastisement, you go away and get angry about it, then you're
illegitimate children and not the children of God. So just remember,
it's just the Scripture.
Now, a word from Him, one word will mean more than I could say, a
million lifetimes. It's Him. We know His promise. We know what He
promised to do.
143 Now, I don't know whether
it will from the... Did he give out cards again? Did you give out cards
today? What was they? J, all right. All right, to save time, let's just
start from number 1. Now, they're probably all over the building.
J-number-1.
And now, we got some stragglings. We started from--one time, from this
one, over time, some back and forth, and around, but we got a
straggling around here. But every people that comes in, every day, has
a chance to come up into the line. That don't mean because you're
here...
145 How many knows in this
meeting, there's been nearly twice as many healed out in the audience,
as there was healed up here? Sure, you know. See, a prayer card is just
simply get the people up here, get the Holy Spirit among them, 'cause
you're used to doing that. We don't even have to have it right now. We
can omit the prayer cards.
Just like we did last night, we never had prayer cards last night. The
Holy Spirit went out among them that didn't have prayer cards. And I
seen many things I didn't say nothing about, 'cause I didn't know
whether it was so or not. It still held dark over them, and I just let
it alone. I didn't know. Wouldn't do no good to call them. Whatever He
says is right, so listen to what He says.
147 Now, did you say that was J? J-number-1. J-number-1, who has the prayer card, raise up your hand. You must be mistaken, son; must be some... Oh, I'm sorry. Oh, it's way back against the wall in the back. Come up here, lady. They--they just bring these cards down now, the boys, Brother Borders or Billy, one (sometimes both of them), mix those cards up before you, and then give you your card, whatever you want. We don't know; they're just... This one might get number 5, and that one get number 7, this one get number 15, and that one 95, and we don't know. And then again, when I come, I just, wherever it lays upon my heart, I call from there, no matter where it's at. It just... So I tell you. Sometimes I count how many is in a row, and divide it by the ones on this row and get an answer. See? And then if I don't, why, I just... Whatever comes to my mind first, I call.
148 Number 1, J-number-2.
Number 2, number 3, number 4, number 5, number 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, let them
come. See? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten.
That's good. That's the way, come right... Wait, one went the other
way. Now, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine. That's
right. Here, here it is, ten. All right. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. That's
five more. One, two, three, four, five. Good, that's good. 16, 17, 18,
19, 20. One, two, three, four. I only see four. 20, did 20 answer? All
right. Now, we don't want to get too many standing at once. Now, if we
get through with these, and it's early enough, we'll go for some more.
You want to call maybe we...
Let's try a few more. Let's try five more. 21 to 25 in the J's, let
them stand if you will: 21 to 25. One, two, three, way back in the
back, four. One, two, three, four, that's five. Okay, now let's just
stop there. There's twenty-five in the line, and they're--they're
lining up down here.
152 Now, I'm going ask you one
favor. Will you give me your undivided... Give God your undivided
attention for the next fifteen, sixteen minutes. Will you do that? And
will you do this? Open up your heart. Now, remember what I've said.
Don't let it go over your back, like water falling on a duck's back, as
the old saying is. Don't do that. Consider this.
If I tell you anything that's not in the Scripture, and a promise for
the hour, you're duty bound to see the manager here and come tell me
about it. That's right. I--I teach nothing but what's in the Word. And
if I stay right with that Word, and if I say it's that way, and God...
It is in the Bible. If the Angel of the Lord told me something that
wasn't in the Bible, it wouldn't be the Angel of the Lord. That's
right. He's never one time told me anything but what was in that Word,
and you bear me record. He's never said one thing, out of the hundreds
of thousands and thousands, and the languages of the world, has He ever
one time said anything wrong, or said anything that didn't come to pass.
154 Listen. Ask the manager and
them here. This what you all see here, is just a amateur side of that.
Is that right, brethren? Why, out there, and out in the private life,
where He says, "Go down to this place and see this. And this will come
to pass. And say this over here, down here." It's just constantly, all
the time (See?) year in and out. The people in the audience just sees
the--the little things. But now, if you'll be reverent.
Now, is everybody in this prayer line, standing here, strangers to me?
Raise up your hands if you are. All right. How many out there is, knows
that I don't know nothing about you? Raise up your hand. Now, while...
Thank you. I don't care where you are, if you're up in the balcony,
back against the wall, down through here, wherever you are, I'm going
to...
Now, this is for your good. This is for your benefit. See, this is for
your benefit.
157 I thought that was my
little grandson talking to me then, but it wasn't. I got a little
grandson in here somewhere tonight, just about that size, and I thought
it was little Paul. He always said he's going to come stand on the
platform, preach for me, and he's just not quite two years old. I think
that little boy is hunting for his mommy.
So remember, I'm trying to help you. Now, God knows that. I'm trying to
help you. See? Now, look, I want you to get the benefit, if He does
come among us.
Now, think of it, the Person of Jesus Christ working in flesh, like He
promised He would do in the last. How many knows He promised that? Just
as it was down there at Sodom, when that Angel with His back turned,
and the--that was God. Do you believe that was God? How many believes
that was God? Sure, it was. The Bible said it was. And He, Jesus,
referred to it. Now, notice.
160 Now, you out there without
a prayer card, I want you to do something for me, wherever you are.
Now, remember, these things, watch when It tells you you're healed, or
what It tells you to do, and watch what It says. If It just tells you,
that's to build your faith. And then when your faith comes to a spot,
you just reach out and accept God. It isn't me, 'cause the heavenly
Father knows...
I look down this line here; I don't see one person that I know. I can't
see but about two or three people in the whole audience, that I know.
And I don't know as right now, I can see, show one. I know that Edmund
Way was here a few minutes ago. I thought I seen him, and I--I missed...
162 If I'm not mistaken, I do
see somebody I know, is a man and his wife, and a little girl, named
Fritzinger, from up in Ohio. Is that, are you brother--that Brother
Fritzinger? You're setting kind of in a little loop where that... Now,
that's Brother and Sister Fritzinger, from Ohio, friends of mine.
And outside of that, sitting back there, is a... I see on the side over
here is an old man going on ninety-two years old, by the name of
William Dauch, he and his wife. She's a nurse. William Dauch, in Ohio,
a very personal friend of mine. And not long ago, he had, ninety-one
years old, had a complete heart failure, heart attack, and his wife
called me to come at once; he was dying right then.
164 And, oh, he's been such a
bosom friend to me. On my road up to see him, I was worried. And I
stopped, and one of my wheels got out of line, was just cutting my tire
to pieces, and I went in a Texaco station, got some gas, and then come
out and looked at it. And I looked up, and I seen Brother Dauch walking
down through my church, shaking my hand. I said, "Praise the Lord." And
I looked back this way, and here he come down the street, and shook my
hand. I went to him.
I seen his doctor, a young Jew, or a middle-aged man, Jewish man. And I
said, "What about him, doctor?"
Said, "He hasn't even got a fighting chance." Said, "He's under the
oxygen tent," said, "he'll die right there." He said, "You remember,
he's ninety-one years old."
I said, "Yes, sir."
Said, "It's a complete heart failure. Nothing can be done." Said, "It's
time to go."
And I said, "Yes, sir. But, no, he ain't going. That's all."
I went in, put my hand under the tent. I said, "Brother Dauch, can you
hear me?" He looked up at me. Now, really, in his name, he's a German,
D-a-u-g-h, and I just pronounce it Dauch. See? And I--and I put my hand
under his tent, and I said, "You hear me, Brother Dauch?"
He said, "Yeah."
I said, "You're not going. I done seen you're not going."
170 A week from then, standing
in my church, who come walking up through the church but Brother Dauch.
I left the meeting and went over the river to a cafeteria, to eat. And
when I got out of my car, and was walking up the street, here come
Brother Dauch with his hand out. Them visions doesn't fail.
And that man of ninety-one years old, and follows every meeting, was in
California. Would you just raise up your hand, Brother Dauch, setting
there, that the people will see what a real soldier is now. Yeah,
setting right here like that: ninety-one years old and follows every
meeting. When I'm at the Tabernacle, he drives hundreds of miles every
day to hear me preach a little sermon, and go back. God, "It shall be
Light in the evening time."
I said, the other day I was talking to him, I said, "What can I do for
you, Brother Dauch?"
"Just one request, Brother Branham. When He comes, I want to go with
Him."
Said, "Don't worry. That's secure. Sure." Now, the man come in, was
baptized, oh, come in and received the baptism of the Holy Ghost and
everything, just a wonderful servant of Christ.
175 Now, I'm going to ask
everybody, real reverent; you look this a way and pray.
Now, how many teachers here know that He is a High Priest, right now,
that can be touched by the feeling of our infirmities? Well, if He's
the same yesterday, today, and forever, and the same High Priest, He
would act the same way. Only, He, His body is at the--on the throne of
God. How many knows that? The body of Jesus is on the throne of God.
But He uses our body to manifest Himself through, just like He promised
to do. "The works that I do shall you also."
I'm going to ask you to set still, be reverent, watch, pray.
177 Now, heavenly Father, I've tried to be just as reverent as I know how to do about it. Now, just a word from You now, Lord, and then may the still little Voice come down through this audience and say, "It is I; be not afraid." Grant it, Father. And I commit myself to You, with the message that's been preached tonight, with Thy Word to be confirmed. You don't have to do it. But You will do it, or You do do it, because that You promised to. I pray that You'll grant this, in Jesus' Name. Amen.
178 And everybody real reverent, just real reverent. How do you do? Now, I'll give you Scripture as we go along. If the Lord does, I don't know... But here, and I've been preaching like that (See?); that's one kind of anointing. This is another kind of anointing. That was just blessing. This, just one thing just takes the life right from you.
179 Now, the lady stands here.
I've never seen her in my life. Are we strangers? I believe you said
awhile ago I didn't know you. God knows you. He knows me. Do you know
that what we're standing here now, we're going to have to answer for it
at the day of judgment? You aware of that? You know that what we do
now, God's going to make us answer for it up there? I just said that
for a purpose. Now, if the Lord Jesus will reveal to me what you're
doing, what's on your mind, or something like that, would you believe
it? You'd have to believe that, wouldn't you?
Would you believe it out there, you audience? [Congregation
says, "Amen."--Ed.]
181 Now, we stand just exactly
like the woman at the well, and our Lord, a man and a woman meeting for
their first time. See? Here we are, meeting for... That's Saint John
the 4th chapter. Now, if the Holy Spirit will say if you're here for
somebody else, if you're sick, if it's domestic trouble, if it's
financial troubles, whatever it is, I have no idea. But He does. But He
can discern the thoughts that's in your heart. He's the Word. I can't.
I'm a man. You're just a bit nervous, and that's the reason I'm doing
this. You see?
That's one of your troubles, is nervousness. That's right. And you also
have diabetes; that's another thing that's wrong with you. That's
right. Complications, just many things are wrong. Is that right? If
that's right, raise up your hand. See? You believe He'll heal you? You
do? Now, your nervousness is caused from your age (See?), but now
that'll all leave you. And I believe that by faith we'll go to Calvary,
have a blood transfusion.
183 Now, that's just exactly
what He did. He told the woman at the well what her trouble was. Hers
was too many husbands. Yours was what... I think it's was nervousness,
and two or three more things wrong with you. That's right, isn't it?
That's the same thing.
Now, when He come to Simon, He told him who he was. You believe God can
tell me what your name is? Would it make you believe more, will it?
Mrs. Strong [The
sister says, "Stout."--Ed.] Stout,
would you believe? Go and believe, and you... It's all over.
185 Come. You believe? I'm also
a stranger to you. I don't know you. God does know you. You believe
that He can reveal to me what your trouble is? And if He does, then the
Lord God be blessed. Is that true? Now, don't--don't have to be worried
(See?); that's--that's Him, that you feel that. All right. You are
suffering also from a nervous condition, mental nervous. You get tore
up easy. And you're suffering with a bladder trouble, something wrong
with the liver, and you're anemia. That is right. You got something, it
keeps being a man appearing here.
Do you believe that God can heal you? Heal your husband too, make him
well? Do you think the stomach trouble will leave, and he'll be all
right? That's what he's suffering with. Go put your hands on him, tell
him so, and it'll--it'll leave him...?...
187 I am a stranger to you. The Lord Jesus knows both of us, doesn't He? You believe that God can make you well? If the Lord Jesus will reveal to me the thing that's--that you're--that's in your heart, you believe that He will make you well? You've had some trouble. You got a--a--a gall bladder trouble for one thing. And another thing, it's caused your bladder to have an ulcerated condition, but that's what your doctor said. Now, another thing is, that they want to operate for that. That's exactly right. Isn't that true? Now, do you believe He can bypass that? You think your faith's in Him? Now, you know that isn't me doing that. You believe? All right. Go, and as you have believed, so be it to you.
188 We are strangers to each
other, I suppose. The Lord God knows both of us. Do you believe He's
able to reveal to me the things that would help you? You, you believe
He will. I'm saying positive. That's very good. That's very fine. Now,
you have many things wrong with you, so many complications and things,
and the cough like, and you can't get over it. And you're real nervous.
And--and that, that's right.
Then you've got a burden on your heart, and that burden is for
somebody, which is your son. And he's having a--a trouble, some
domestic troubles. Him and his wife, they're always fussing and going
on around. And you're burdened for it. That is right. Now, you believe
with all your heart, and it'll all clear up and be...?... You believe
now. The Lord bless you.
190 How do you do, sir? I am a
stranger to you. And you're a stranger to me, it is. It's begin... The
visions now (You see?), look like the whole house is just getting
light, like kind of a whirl-like going around. See?
But do you believe that the Lord Jesus could reveal to me what you're
standing there for? You believe that He would? I believe that also. I'm
just speaking to you to contact your spirit; exactly is what I'm doing
it for. See, I don't know you, so it's got to be something besides me
do it. I've got to get myself just so completely away from myself, that
He does it Himself. You understand?
191 Now, one thing, you are
suffering with a tremendous nervous condition, and this nervous
condition has been for some time. That is right. And that nervous
condition has caused you having a high blood pressure also. And you've
had a stroke. That's it. Say, you've either been a preacher, or you are
a preacher. Now, you are a preacher; I seen you stand in the pulpit.
Then have faith in God, and that nervousness will leave you. All
ministers have that. You'll get all right. Go back to your pulpit, and
obey God, and stay true to that Word, Jesus Christ.
Do you believe your back trouble left you, setting in the chair? Do you
believe it? All right, sir, then just keep moving on, saying, "Thank
You, Lord."
193 Come, lady. How do you do?
You believe me to be His servant? All right. Do you believe that lady's
trouble, female trouble, is going to leave you? You do? Then go ahead,
say, "Thank You, Lord."
Kidney trouble, back trouble, in your back, you believe that God will
heal you and will make you well from that? Do you believe that He'll
make you well? All right, take on your road.
Come, lady. I'm a stranger to you. If I didn't say nothing to you at
all, would you believe that the Presence of God is here to heal the
sick? You would? Well, if you do, your stomach trouble... I done told
you. You see? It's--it's gone, so go...?...
196 How do you, sir? God lives
in the heart. And your heart's been showing up here lately, bad. Do you
believe that He'll make it right? Go on your road and believe it. God
bless you. You believe it, and He'll make it right.
You are nervous, caused you to have a stomach trouble, a peptic ulcer.
It bothers you after eating. You believe it's all gone now? Go get
yourself something to eat. Don't...?...
Kinda hard for you to get up, your back's been bothering you so bad. It
won't bother you no more, if you'll believe it. Will you? All right, go
on, and may the Lord Jesus make you completely well.
What you so nervous about? Just go on, say, "I ain't going to be
nervous no more," and you won't be. It's over. All right, sir.
200 Come, lady. Now, the
Ethiopian woman and white man, just exactly like something like that
met in that day, Jesus. They had a segregation like they used to have
in the south, but we don't have it no more. Jesus let them know that
all people was God's people. There was no difference (See?) whether she
was Jew or Samaritan.
Now, if God doesn't help you pretty soon that arthritis will cripple
you up. But do you believe He's going to help you, make you well? Just
as the woman did, go on your road and tell your people what great
things God has done for you. All right.
202 Now, there is a surgeon
ready to scoot out a knife. Just a moment, it wasn't this woman. Now,
just a moment, everybody reverent now. It's Satan tried to do
something. Here it is: Tumor, tumor, both of you. That's right. You got
tumor; she's got tumor, and that devil screaming for help from one
another. But the Holy Spirit's screaming too. Who you going to believe,
Him? All right. Get up out of that cot, lady. Raise up out of that
stretcher. Get up off of that and believe. Go, believe Him now. Amen.
You believe? All things are possible. Do you believe? How about you in
the audience?
Let us stand on our feet right now. Right now is the time to do it. Let
every person, let every person stand on your feet right now. Give God
praise. Raise up your hands.
Thank You, Lord Jesus. We praise You for Your greatness, and Your
healing for the sick.