Que Pensez-vous de Christ ?
E-1 To the One Who stilled the winds that night on the sea, and stopped
the roaring waves, may He come forward to the rescue of this ship there
where a thousand lives are in danger. May He quieten the sea. May He
send mercy, forgiveness of sin or anything. And may His spirit now come
to them and console them and send rescue quickly and may no lives be
lost. We ask this in Jesus Christ's Name. Amen.
God bless you. Good morning to you my friends. May God's
blessings be with you. My... People has always said when I--when I was
speaking I always spoke too long. I'll do my very best this morning not
to do that. I just lay my watch out here and maybe I can watch it,
about fifteen minutes.
It's always a pleasure to get to be in this Philadelphian
church, and among its members, and be with its pastor. I--I have
considered Brother Mattsson Boze to be one of the best friends I have
on this earth, as in the... Among the ministers he is a very dear
brother to me. And I--I love him, and I love his people, and because
they are God's people.
E-2 And I had the privilege just now of meeting Brother Stonewell, the
converted scientist. And I just wish that this whole church had the
burden of souls on their heart as Brother Stonewell has at this time.
I was just thinking as I was speaking to him, of that little
baby innocence, and how his heart just yearned and burned. Setting
talking, the tears in his eyes, and how the real rough sinner made...
brought down by the power of God to that place. If we could just all
get in that attitude.
E-3 I said, "Brother Stonewell, don't never lose that wonderful
something that--that... It's the cream off of the top of the milk." And
I pray that God will keep that man that way, and--and will bless him,
because he's a wonderful spirit, he has a... It's not 'cause he's
setting here at the platform. But I... That's true.
And I said, "No matter what anyone says, what any groups of
people says, just keep your mind set right on Him. See? And you--they
may bank everything around you, it looks so black you can't hardly see
over it; just don't worry, He--He can lift us up above the shadows and
He--He takes us through." His power is a drawing. He said, "If I be
lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me."
E-4 And now, tonight is the service we're to have tonight is to be
the--the, 'course the closing service. We just had the two, and I did
this for Brother Boze and for you dear people who are around here. And
more I hear about your love for Christ, 'course the more I love you.
That's right. And I believe that we're living in the most wonderful age
that's ever been on the earth.
We're going to... One... someday over in a great millennium
we're just going to think, "Oh, if I'd just a knowed it would been this
a way, what I would've done." See. "Oh, how much more I could've done
if I'd just knowed what it was going to be."
Well now, you don't know it but by faith we act. "Faith is
the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Is
that right? See. Faith doesn't see; it doesn't with these eyes; it sees
with the inward eyes. See? All the Christian armor, the whole armor of
Christianity is supernatural. There's nothing to be seen. It's... The
whole person deals with the supernatural.
E-5 Look at the Christian armor: love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
goodness, meekness, gentleness, patience. Is that right? See? All those
things are the Christian armor. See? That's the inside man that by
faith looks through these eyes and sees the things that is not.
Abraham was a man, who being old and his--his life
was--stream was dead within him, and Sarah his wife was near a hundred.
"And--and yet he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief,
but was strong giving glory to God." See? For he endured seeing Him
Who's invisible. He didn't--he didn't have to look at the natural; he
seen the supernatural all the time. That's the way we want to do: look
at the unseen.
E-6 What is the unseen? Well, for your healing, God promised you
healing; God said it's there. Now you... How many believes that's the
truth say, "Amen." [Congregation says, "Amen."--Ed.] I--I just like to
hear... The word "amen" means, "So be it." Did you... How many would
say, "I would like to have a--a acorn tree, oak tree in my front yard."
And somebody gives you an acorn.
Now, you've got the tree in seed form. Is that right? Well,
you just might as well rejoice 'cause you got the tree. Is that right?
You just got it in seed form, but it'll--it'll produce. And you take
this acorn and you put it in the ground, a little box somewhere and set
it in the house and keep it watered. The first thing you know, up comes
a little acorn tree. Is that right?
E-7 Then you trans-set it out into the yard, and it just keeps growing.
But you can praise God just as soon as you get the acorn. Is that
right? Because you've got the tree already. Is that right? Now, when
God said, "I'm the Lord that healeth thee." Just start praising. You
got it; you got it right then.
You say, "Well, I don't see any results, but that don't make
any difference, you got it anyhow. See? 'Cause the Word of God is a
Seed. Is that right? And we are sowed with the incorruptible Seed of
God. See? It can't perish; it's incorruptible. And I... Here's a
statement that I usually make in the healing services, "The right
mental attitude towards any Divine promise of God will bring it to
pass." See? 'Cause it's a seed. It has to.
E-8 And if the right mental attitude, you just take the right mental
attitude towards any Divine promise, watch it materialize. See? No
matter how it looks, if it looks impossible, if God said so He makes it
possible. Is that...?... wonderful.
All right, now, I told Billy this morning... He said, "Now
daddy, you'll have them people up there till they won't get their
dinner or nothing else and we've got to get out of this hotel at a
certain time." Said, "You start preaching, I know you."
I said, "Get a seat and set down. Give me fifteen minutes."
He's got his seat. He's watching me. And here I am done going into my
fifteen minutes. That's the way it goes though, isn't it?
E-9 But, well, I--I tell you; it's just so real. You see, I--I have a
Food that I eat that the world knows nothing about. And your spirit
coming to me in faith believing what I'm telling you is the truth, is
the food that I live on. That's my Eternal Life. If I don't feed this
natural man it'll die. And if I don't feed this spiritual man it'll die.
Now, our brother scientist setting here would know that
anything that doesn't eat very much and just keeps going, dieting,
dieting, your stomach shrinks. And then if you become eating a whole
lot, your stomach, you require more. I sure am a glutton on this I tell
you. I really require a whole lot of it. Because I... My capacity just
has no limits.
I've often said, "If I was just a little bigger maybe I could
feel better." You know and--and... If it was I don't know how it could
contain it. I believe we'll have to have an immortal body to contain...
I think of... What about it, friend?
E-10 Now, we're just all home folks here, aren't we? So now just...
What... When the battle's all over, the last shot's been fired and arms
is stacked, smoke's all died down, and we set down for that wedding
supper. My, could you imagine that? I can just think of it. Look down
to that great table set yonder for hundreds of miles.
I look down through there, and I look across and here sets
Mattsson Boze setting right here, Brother Stonewall, all these brethren
setting along there. I hear them say, "There's Brother Branham; he made
it." Oh, my. You know, there's bound to be a few tears run down, isn't
it?
I look across there and I think, "My, looky there, there's my
old dad. There's mother; there's my wife, my children. Well, here we
all are here." And the tears will start running down our cheeks. The
angelic beings standing back, soft angelic music's going, what a
morning, Hmm.
Then I can see as we're looking across the table to one
another, looking down through there seeing who all's there, the tears
running down our cheeks as we reach across the table to one another's
hands and grip it like that across the table.
E-11 Then I can hear the Angels move back and bow their heads. I look,
come out walking yonder from behind those doors, there He comes, the
King of kings, the Lord of lords, walk down along the table and wiping
each ones eyes and putting His arm around them say, "Now, don't cry;
it's all over now. (See?) All of them's here. There's not any of them
gone; they're all here. Now, enter into the joys of the Lord."
Oh, my heart jumps when I think of it. That's not these
little fiction stories of Santa Claus. That's THUS SAITH THE LORD.
That's--that's the Seed that's right now becoming materialized right
now; it's moving in.
The Lord bless you. Now, we're going to have a word of
prayer, and then go right into the service for just a few moments.
Father, we love You and our hearts are bleeding to You. And now it is
fallen Thy poor unprofitable servant's time to speak just a few
moments. And I pray that You'll help us, not knowing what to say, but
knowing that Thou hast said, "If you'll open your mouth, I'll put the
words in."
E-12 So You said, "Take no thought what you shall say, for it's not you
that speaks; it's Your Father that dwelleth in you, He doeth the
speaking." And I believe that's the truth. I know it is the truth, for
You said so. And You are all Truth, the very Fountain of truth. There's
nothing contaminated come out of it, nothing wrong, nothing that'll
lie. It's got to be the resource of all truth. And from there You said
these words.
Now, God, bless us today. Bless this little church. Bless its
humble little pastor here, our brother and all the new brothers, and
Brother Stonewell, and the strangers in our gates. And make us all a
blessing to Thy kingdom today, as we bless each other. In Jesus
Christ's Name we ask it. Amen.
I might be able to open up the Bible leaves, but there's only
One Who can open the Scripture. In the Book of Revelations it said
there was a Book that was sealed with Seven Seals. And no man in
heaven, no man in earth, or no one beneath the earth was--was worthy to
come and take It and to open the Book and to loose the Seals.
E-13 And then John saw a Lamb that as had been slain from the
foundation of the world, and It came and taken the Book and opened the
Seals and the--all the angelic beings cried, "Thou art worthy, for Thou
was slain from the foundation of the world."
And that's... I might turn back the pages like this; I might
by some theology be able to give you my views of it; but there's only
One can open It; that's the Lamb that was slain from the foundation of
the world. And may His Presence now come and take the Word of God and
place It in each heart, just where it has need of. I pray that He will
do it, while I read some of It out of the Word... out of the Bible.
E-14 In the 22nd chapter of Saint Matthew beginning with the 41st
verse, I wish to read down the 46th verse inclusive. Now I'm... As
everyone knows that I'm not a preacher, as I would call a preacher.
I'm, as I said a--the spare tire. And you only use the spare tire when
you got a flat. But we haven't got a flat this morning, but it just
happened to be time to speak just a few moments. And you pray with me
as I talk to you about this text.
And while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,
Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? And they said unto
him, The son of David.
And He said, unto them, How then does David in spirit call him Lord,
saying,
The Lord said unto my Lord, Set thou on my right hand, till I make
thine enemies thy footstool?
If David then called him Lord, how is he his son?
And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from
that day forth ask him any more questions.
May He add His blessings to that Word. And now, for a few
moments I'd like to take this if you'd call it a text of "What Think Ye
Of Christ?" After you've seen all these meetings and everything, what
do you think of Christ, Whose Son is He?
E-15 That's been an--an old dispute through the ages, through the
scientist, and through the--the evolutionists and so forth: What was
Christ, Who was He? And--and it's just as simple as... The question is,
which was first, the hen or the egg? You've heard that, which, the hen
come from the egg and which was first the hen or egg?
Why the hen was. God made the hen, and the hen laid the egg.
That's just a simple as anything but they always ask it, "The hen come
out of the egg, so how did--which was first, hen or egg?" So God made
the hen; the hen laid the egg. The hen was first.
And now, that's the same thing about scien--scientific
research of the blood stream of Jesus Christ. We all know that--that
Christ was the virgin borned Son of God. And many unbelievers today try
to deny that the woman could have the baby without first having a--a
sexual desire from... being borned of sex by the--the male.
E-16 Well, they said that a hen could not lay an egg without... If it
couldn't be fertile, of course, if the male bird... She can lay an egg,
but she--the egg won't hatch unless it's been with the male. See? And a
scientist once told me... Not speaking scientist because my brother's
here, but there was a scientist once went hunting with me out in the
west. And I met him, and he was about the roughest fellow I ever seen.
He said, "Do you mean to tell me," when I told him I was a
preacher he said, "You look too intelligent to be that."
And I said, "Well," I said, "well, not disputing your words,
sir, but I believe that's the mark of intelligence."
And he said--he said, "Well, anybody would believe such a
story as that..."
And I said, "Well, what do you mean?"
And he said, "Why such as that virgin birth." He said,
"You--you know you know better than that."
I said, "No, sir, I'll admit I don't know any better." I
said, "That's--that's just all I know. See?"
E-17 And He said, "Well, you mean to tell me that woman could have a
baby without being..." Said, "That was Joseph that man that she was
going with, it was a little slip-up, like we have all the time."
I said, "Oh, no, no. God makes no slip-ups. That was
absolutely God's Son."
He said, "Well, there is no such a thing."
I said, "You mean there's not a Creator Who made the heavens
and earth?"
He said, "No, of course not." He said, "Oh, it's psychology."
I said, "Well, how did the world get here."
Said, "It was here when I come here."
And I said, "Yes, that's right. And the room you was borned
in was there when you got there. And the furniture was arranged, but
some intelligence had to arrange it that way, that's exact..."
Why, if... It would be silly if I'd say, "Well, how did that
watch come?" Well, it's just a watch that's all; it just happened to be
a watch. Well, now the timing, the jewels and everything, anybody
with... was mentally balanced right would know that some intelligent
made that watch. Had to time it, and regulate it, and put the hands,
and jewels and the operation.
E-18 Well, then how much greater is your body than this watch? See,
because it was a man that made this watch. And somebody had to make the
man. So a person says that we just happened to be, that shows there's a
mental deficiency somewhere. That's right, it...
So he said, "Well, now," he begin to tell me the ethics of
Darwin and so forth, about how evolution came in to exist. How the
world and the sun and the moon, you've read it perhaps, had a love
affair and chipped off a little piece and it flew off and that made the
world.
And the first man was a sponge, and he wore a little wart on
this side and out come an arm. And then he decided he wanted a little
arm on the other side, so he rolled a few thousand years over on that
side, another arm come out.
E-19 I said, "Look, fellow, I'm kinda weak in faith." I said, "I--I
don't believe that; I can't believe it." I said, "I just believe the
way God said it was." I--I said, "The only way you can prove that's by
faith. You can't prove it any other way." And I said, "My faith's too
weak for that." I said, "I just... I haven't got that much faith. I
just believe that God made it the way He said He did."
And He said--I said, "The..." He said, "Oh," about the virgin
birth, he said, "it's--it's proven, Reverend Branham, that--that corn,
everything else has to have a pollen. The--the pollen from the corn,
and for the trees, and how the bees pack it; and everything has to have
actual male and female."
I said, "Sure, there was a male in this respect." I said,
"That was God."
"Well, is God a man?"
I said, "God's a spirit."
"Oh, impossible to contact the actual human being, it has to
be the sex part."
E-20 I said, "Oh, no." I said, "Now, look, you will admit to me, will
you, that the woman had the baby? We'll say that that was right, the
woman had the baby, and He was Jesus."
"Yes, that--that--I'll go with you that far, 'cause there's
some kind of a something's going on through the world and to come down
in history, and so forth that there was One here called Jesus, but He
wasn't no virgin borned."
I said, "Then we'll admit that He had a natural mother."
"Yes."
"Now, He... In your estimation He'd have to have an--an
actual father, a earthly man here to be His father or He could not of
been born."
He said, "That's exactly right."
I said, "Will you stick with that, Mr. Jeffries?"
He said, "I will."
E-21 I said, "All right, I want to ask you something then. If--if this
woman had the baby, and you said it was impossible, it had to have a
natural father, it had to have a earthly father the same as it had a
earthly mother?"
Said, "That's exactly truth."
I said, "Then how did the first man get here without father
or mother? Where did he come from? Let him be tadpole, monkey, whatever
he wanted to be. According to science he had to have a father and a
mother, is that right?" I said, "Who was his father and mother?"
Well, he asked no more questions from that time since. You...
It just settled it; that was all. He--he--he didn't have... Oh, I tell
you, their argument is thinner than the broth made out of a shadow of a
chicken that starved to death. I--I tell you this; they just haven't
got a--they haven't got a leg to stand on.
No, sir, Jesus Christ was the Son of God. I believe it with
all my heart. And the great Holy spirit overshadowed that virgin and
she brought forth a son according to God's Word, for it said, "A virgin
shall conceive and bring forth a Child; His name shall be called
Emmanuel." And I... He was God with us (I believe that.), and not God
that will be with us for a space, but be with us forever. We are His
children, living in His Presence now.
E-22 And the weakness of the Church today is one of the--the
fundamental reasons that we see no more going on in the Church. First
thing I think is because there's not enough travel of soul to bring the
person in contact with his Maker.
And another thing is this: is the person who does find God,
doesn't realize who He is after he's found God. See? If you only
realized that you're setting now with Christ Jesus, that many of the
people are trying to post it off to some other great age and all
healing over in the millennium and so forth. And all the miracles over
in the millennium.
E-23 What are we going to need miracles in the millennium, when we're
supernatural beings? See? How are we going to need those thing... Now,
the Bible said, "Now are we the sons of God." Not... "Now" is--is now a
present tense. "Now are we the sons." Not we will be, we are now. We
are this morning; we are this very hour. "Now are we the sons of God,
seated together, set together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus now."
Right this very minute we're--we're seated together in
heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Every man, by one spirit we're all
baptized into one Body, become members of this Body by Holy Spirit
baptism. And now, we're seated together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus, free from judgment. We can never go to the judgment. How can you
be judged twice? By... You...
God judged Jesus Christ, and He put our judgment upon Christ,
and Christ paid our judgment at Calvary. If we're in Christ, we're
secured in Christ. By... How do we get into Christ? "By one Spirit
we're all baptized into one body." Is that right?
E-24 We're into that body of Jesus Christ, and while we're in there,
we've accepted His punishment in our stead: He, knowing no sin yet was
made sin for us. And then He bore our sickness. He bore our sins. And
we come into Him, we are free from these judgments.
God cannot justly judge me or you the second time if He's
already accepted us in Christ Jesus, and punished His Own Son for us.
How can He punish us then when He's already had Christ has paid our
price?
If I go down to the pawn shop and--and I've got something...
That's just like the human life, the devil put us in a pawn shop.
That's right. Devil put us in a pawn shop because of transgression. But
if you've got something pawned and you go down with the--and get that
out of pawn, and get a receipt for it, you have a right to take it out.
Now, there's no need of trying to go down... If I had my
watch in pawn, and you went down and took it out for me, there's no
need of me going trying to pay it again. I can't pay it again, because
it's already paid. Oh, when I think of that, something on the inside of
me, under this fifth rib on the left side, leaps higher than the skies.
E-25 Because I know the devil had me in the pawn shop one time, because
of sin and transgression, but Jesus Christ took me out of the pawn shop
and redeemed me back to God. That makes me His Son this morning. And it
is not here what--yet appear what I shall be in the final end. But I
know I'll have a body like His Own glorious body, for I shall see Him
as He is, free from sickness, free from sin.
Well, sure He was the Son of God. It's been the aged old
question, man seeking and hungering after God. If I should call this
morning and find out a few of His friends. 'Course now, we'll take His
enemies for a minute. Let's ask somebody by Scriptural authority.
E-26 We could go on, and on, and on. But let's just ask--get some
Scriptural authority for Who Jesus Christ was. What think ye of Him? If
I... "'Course His friends," you say, Brother Branham, will testify of
Him." Let's ask His enemies about Him then. Let's see what the enemy
says. The devil himself knowed that was the Son of God.
Why, the preachers back there, they didn't know He was the
Son of God. They said, "He's a chief mind reader. He's Beelzebub, the
chief of the devil."
But the devil said, "We know who You are, the holy One of
God. Why comest Thou to torment us before our time comes?" There the
devil said He was the Son of God. Is that right?
E-27 Look at the vilest, dirtiest enemy He ever had was Judas Iscariot.
When Judas Iscariot realized what he had done and he seen that
immaculate Son of God hanging yonder between the heavens and earth,
suffering, bleeding, His body... He took that silver he'd bought, them
thirty pieces of silver, and throwed it before the high priest, and
said, "I betrayed innocent blood." That's right.
His--His lowest enemy testified that He was the Son of God.
When He died, the heavens and earth turned black, smutty black, God
testifying of it. The Roman centurion put his hand over His heart that
pierced His side and said, "Truly, that was the Son of God." Is that
right?
E-28 Let's look at old Pilate standing there all out of humor, got up
early in the morning, called to the judgment seat and stuck a wreath
around His head and set it on there, waking up after a big party the
night before, perhaps, and setting there and all fussed up with them
Jews anyhow. And he was condemning Him and everything else.
And I hear a horse coming down the street at a gallop. What
is it? It's the--it's the palace page coming in. And he runs down
before the--the emperor and falls down before him, and presents a--a
note to him from his wife. Let's look at Pilate standing there, and
he's all tore up and his teeth set. He begins to read this note; his
hands begin to tremble; his knees begin to knock together; he turns
pale white.
E-29 Let's look over his shoulder and see what he's reading. "Have
nothing to do with this just Man, for I've suffered many things today
in a dream because of Him." A pagan wife writing a note to her pagan
husband, "Don't have nothing to do with this Man, for today I've
suffered many things in a dream."
Pilate said, "Bring me some water. I find no fault in Him at
all." What was it? His enemies testifying. That's right. God makes
everything quiver and shake at that Name, Jesus Christ. Brother, that's
where the Church today has lost the--the solemnity of that Name, the
power of that Name.
When Moses went down into Egypt, if those people... He had a
staff he packed before him. How ridiculous. See that old man out there,
real old, eighty years old, white beard way down like this, and white
hair hanging down his back, and here he goes with his wife setting
astraddle of a mule and a--and a child on each hip...
Here goes Moses just a praising God, walking down like that.
And the people say, "Where you going, Moses?"
"I'm going down to Egypt to take over."
E-30 Could you imagine? Nonsense. An old man eighty years old with a
wife and two children and a donkey and a stick in front of him going
down to take over the greatest mechanized unit in the world. There was
no... Why, Egypt had conquered the world. But he said, "How do you know
you're going to take over?"
"God said so, and I believe it." That's right. That's right,
God said so. And he did it. Amen. For he took God at His Word. When God
said what He did about Christ, I believe it's the truth. But if those
Egyptians could've ever got that stick out of Moses' hand, they'd have
had him whipped.
That wasn't God... That wasn't Moses' stick, that was God's
judgment rod. That's what hit the rock. That's what he stretched out.
And if they could ever took that stick away from him, they'd have had
it whipped. But he guarded that stick with his life.
E-31 And today if the people would only regard the Name of Jesus that
was left in the Church... He said, "Whatever you ask the Father in My
Name, that will I do." I... He gave the Church His Name to--to marry,
bury, baptize, everything in the world that we do. "Whatever you do in
word and deed, do it all in the Name of Jesus Christ."
But we lost the sacredness of that Name. We use it in vain,
in jokes and... You can't put bitter and sweet water out of the same
fountain, friend. You've got to get to a place till you reverence that
Name, and believe it, and know it, and use it, just exactly right.
Now, if I was called this morning a witness of some of His
friends, what if I'd call Noah today. And say, "Noah, come down out of
the heavens and come here just a minute. I want you to testify to this
audience this morning. What think ye of Christ? Whose Son was He?"
Why, Noah would say, "It's the Son of Him Who called me that
day out in the field and said, 'Build an ark for the saving of your
household.'" Noah would recognize quickly that was Him.
What if I could call Isaiah the prophet today. I'd say,
"Isaiah, come down this morning out of the great realms of glory and
testify to this audience Whose Son do you think He is?"
Isaiah would say... [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] "Voice speaking
to me saying, 'Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: that
his Name shall be called Counselor, Prince of Peace, mighty God, The
everlasting Father.'" Why, he would know quickly that was the Son of
God. Why, he was a prophet and under inspiration.
E-32 If I called Job, I'd say, "Job, you was an old man. You were broke
out in boils; everything you had was lost. Your children was gone. Your
wife had almost turned against you and said, 'Why don't you curse God
and die the death?' What think ye of Christ? Job, Whose Son is He?"
He'd say, "I was in distress; I was setting on a ash heap.
The church members had turned their back to me seven days trying to
give me consolation. What a consolation. While I was setting there
scraping my boils, a little fellow named Elihu came down and begin to
explain to me about God. And when I did, I saw a vision. And I said, 'I
know my Redeemer liveth, and at the last days He will stand on the
earth. Though the skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I
see God, whom I shall see for myself. Mine eyes shall behold and not
another.'" Certainly.
What if I could bring Ezekiel, say, "Ezekiel, will you unlock
the doors of God, move down here this morning in the Philadelphian
church. I want you to testify. What think ye of Christ, Ezekiel?"
He'd say, "When I saw Him coming, the clouds was like dust
under His feet." What a testimony. My.
E-33 I'd ask another one who'd come. I'd say, "Daniel," that great
prophet, "What think ye of Christ? You come out here just a minute,
Daniel, and give your testimony to this Philadelphian church this
morning. What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He?"
I can hear Daniel say, "Why, I was standing one day, writing
as the Holy Spirit was upon me, and I saw Him as a stone hewed out of
the mountain, rolled into Babylon and crushed down the kingdoms of the
world." Yes, sir. I can hear him say, "And another thing, one day for
my testimony they throwed me into a den of lions. While I was standing
there, and the first thing I seen lions. I heard their soft padded
hoofs a coming, or their feet coming rather, paws. And I could feel
their breath almost on me. I knowed it was... In that dark dungeon in a
few minutes I'd be tore together. And all of the sudden Something moved
every fiber in my body. I felt Something tingling, my face turn hot and
chills went through me. And I see where the lion's... eyes of these
lions coming. And the first thing you know, they begin to turn their
head and walked away. And when that feeling left me, I looked, standing
in the corner, and there stood that One Who is the Son of God, standing
there. God had sent His Angels to deliver me." I can hear him say that,
"That power was upon me. My muscles were just shaking. The power was
going through me; tears was coming down my cheeks. He's the Son of
God." Yes, sir.
E-34 There was some more fellows down there one time by the name of
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Let's call them down this morning and
ask them to testify Whose Son is He. Let's watch them when Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego... "What do you think of Him, Whose Son is He?
Now, you lived years before He was ever born."
Well, they'd say, "It was one day down in Babylon there,
they'd made a proclamation, the king had, and sealed it which could not
be broke. And anybody that wouldn't serve their gods and idols and so
forth and be popular with the rest of the bunch, would be throwed into
a fiery furnace. But we purposed in heart in a prayer meeting one
night, that we would not defile ourself with them gods and we was going
to stand of God's Word regardless of what the rest of the world said."
Amen. I kinda feel religious right now. Think, brother, when I think,
"Yes, sir, we purposed in our heart that we're not going to defile
ourself with the rest of the world."
E-35 All right, and the heat come on. Oh, my, to that morning. Just
think of what it was. "There they het the furnace seven times hotter
than it ever was het. And we had to walk into the fiery furnace. But we
knowed that something inside of us that moved us and a spirit that
testified to us that we were God's children, that God was able to
deliver us from the fiery furnace. But nevertheless, we'd never bow
down to their image. Then on that great morning when we begin to walk
with our hands tied behind us up that gang plank to walk into the fiery
furnace, King Nebuchadnezzar setting back said, 'Now we'll just burn
some of this holy-roller religion out of them.'"
Could you imagine burn the Holy Ghost out of a man, when the
Holy Ghost is fire itself? Fire fights fire. Yes, sir. Could you
imagine something like that?
Here they come walking up like that; they'd walk into the
fiery furnace. My, what a time. I can hear Shadrach say to Meshach,
"Brother, have you prayed through?"
E-36 "It's all settled." Amen. "Let's move on up." What think ye of
Christ? And then He got right up to the edge where they was to jump off
into the fiery furnace, and there it was about the darkest hour they'd
ever seen. Coming up to this fiery furnace and just about time they got
ready to step in...
Let's turn our cameras this morning and look on up yonder in
heaven, break out of this dimension and look up yonder. When things
look so dreary here there's always something going on in another world.
That's right. Yes, sir.
I can see Him setting as a Prince, setting there, His great
garments hanging around Him. Hallelujah. Daniel saw Him one time too,
and he said, "He come like the ancient of days, whose hair was white as
wool."
While He was setting there on His throne, I can see an Angel
went up to Him by the name of Gabriel, with His sword pulled. And said,
"Master, have You looked down in Babylon this morning? Why, they're
about to burn up three believers down there. The heat's really come on.
Yes, sir. And they're about to burn up three believers. Have You
noticed them?"
E-37 I can hear Him say, "I've watched them all night long."
Hallelujah. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me. He
watches you; He watches over me. Yes, sir. "His eye is on the sparrow.
I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free. For His eye is on
the sparrow, and I know He watches me."
He's standing there, said, "Yes, Gabriel, I know you're a
good Angel. You could go down there and destroy that thing. But I've
watched them all night long. I heard their prayer meeting. I knowed
they believe Me, yet they've never seen Me, yet they believe Me anyhow."
E-38 I can see another Angel come up and His name's Wormwood. He
destroyed the antediluvian world with waters. He has control of the
waters. He's going to do something in the last days with them, turn
them all bitter.
So, I can hear Him run up right quick and fall down before
his Majesty and say, "Oh, Master, have You looked down there?" Angels
are concerned about what we believe about Christ. "Have You considered
down there? They're just about to burn up three believers. I have
controls of the water at Your command. Just let me go down; I'll wash
Babylon off the face of the earth."
I believe He could've done it. Yes, sir. "Let me go down
there, I'll change the picture this morning. There is men who believe
in You. They're mortals and yet they believe. They've never seen, but
they know that Moses said that the Lord your God shall rise up a
prophet likened unto me. They knew that He was coming; by faith they
looked forward to the coming of the Son of God."
Let's hear them testify, saying I... Then I looked back there
and I see Him. He'd say, "Woodworm, You're a good Angel. You've obeyed
Me. You done just what I told you. But I can't let you go, for this is
a man-sized job. I'm going Myself."
E-39 I can hear Him reach over there and say, "Come here, east wind,
west wind, north, and south." I tell you everything's in the solar
systems and in the heavens obeys Him and turns at His command. But the
heart of man thinks they know more than God does, and He can't touch
the stony heart of man.
How I think this morning He could say, "Let winter change to
summer, summer to winter." It'd obey Him like that. He could say,
"Mars, you go over here, and Jupiter, you over there." It'd obey Him.
Yes, sir. He'd speak it. There He stands in His Majesty. When man fails
to recognize Him. When He stood yonder, "Who, what is man that Thou art
mindful of him."
When He stood there and in the space when there was nothing
else, before there was even a star in the heavens, before there was a
sun in the heavens, He blowed off His hand [Brother Branham makes a
blowing sound--Ed.] and stars, moons, and worlds, and systems come into
existence by His spoken Word. Hallelujah.
E-40 My, when I think of that, that's my God. Hallelujah. And a part of
Him lives in me now. Because it's now, I have Everlasting Life. And
every man and woman in here has Everlasting Life by the creative Word
of God Who spoke things into existence. Hallelujah. Yes, sir. Don't
think I'm excited, I know where I am.
Look, brother, when... I tell you when I think of that it
takes you out into another world, that the world knows nothing about.
There I see Him standing there in His Majesty. He said, "Come here,
east wind, north, south, come here. Get under that big thunderhead over
yonder, that great big pillar of cloud yonder. I'm going to drive you
this morning like horses."
E-41 See Him raise from His throne, His garments drop around Him, walk
out and set down on this big cloud, thunderhead yonder, reach over and
get a hold of the zig-zag lightening and crack her through the skies
like that. He's going to drive them winds like horses. Amen.
Why? They was in trouble. About that time Shadrach looked
over and said, "God bless you, Meshach, Abednego, we're walking in the
Name of the Lord." The heat is on; the furnace is hot. They're making
that last step and just as they stepped into the fiery furnace that
chariot come rushing from heaven like a rushing mighty wind, come into
the fiery furnace with a fan in His hand who fanned back all the
breezes away from them, stood there and talked to them.
The king said, "How many did you put in there?"
Said, "Three."
Said, "I see four, and the other One is like the Son of God."
E-42 Hallelujah. That infidel, unbelieving, ungodly king had to
recognize Who is Jesus Christ? He's the Son of the living God. Amen.
What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He? Sure He's the Son of God.
Let's ask John the Baptist. Let's call him down this morning,
let his testimony ring out here with us. What do you say about Him,
John? Why, the... You received the Holy Ghost six months before you was
born. Yes, sir. You received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. You was
dead in your mother's womb, and when the first Name of Jesus Christ was
spoken...
My, and that little mother Mary went up there to--to
Elisabeth, her cousin, put her arms around her and hugged her. She was
to be to mother. Six months John was yet and hadn't seen no... hadn't
received any life yet. She said, "I'm scared because of the baby's
condition and so forth."
And a little mother Mary said, "Well, I--I'm going to have a
baby too." And when she told what His Name was, little John got the
Holy Ghost and begin to leap and jump in the mother's womb for joy.
E-43 And Mary said... Martha said, "When comes--whence cometh the
mother of my Lord? For as soon as thy salutation come into my ears, my
baby leaped in the womb for joy."
And I think if the first the Name of Jesus Christ was ever
spoke through mortal lips brought life to a dead baby, what ought It to
do to a borned-again Church (My.) that's filled with the Holy Spirit?
Amen.
Notice, my dear friend... Billy, my fifteen minutes is
collapsed, but I--I'm still feeling good. Let me alone just a few more
minutes. All right, when I think of that, how that--that--that power of
God in there.
If I'd ask John, I'd say, "Who is this Man? What do you think
of Christ? Whose Son is He?"
John would say, "When I was--received the Holy Ghost in my
mother's womb, so I'm told. At nine years old I went to the..." Not
seminary, he went, not to some school, he went out in the wilderness to
live with God. Brother, that's the seminary we all need today, not so
much about genealogy, but a little bit on your knees, what settles the
question.
E-44 There when he was thirty years old, he came out of the wilderness,
not with a tuxedo on or his collar turned around the back, called
Reverend, Doctor, Father, or something another, but he come out of the
wilderness with a sheepskin wrapped around him and he preached
repentance till he stirred all the regions around about.
Brother, he was filled with the Holy Ghost. He didn't draw
any punches. He laid the axe to the root of the tree. And every tree
that didn't bring forth good fruit was hewed down. That's what we need
today is some more John the Baptists filled with the Holy Ghost in that
manner, that will not pull punches, but will tell the truth regardless
of who it hurts. The churchanity, handle with gloves on... Take off the
gloves and handle it bare-handed.
There John, said, "What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He?"
E-45 He said, "The One that told me in the wilderness, 'Upon Whom thou
shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on, He is the One's going
to baptize with the Holy Ghost and Fire, Whose fan is in His hand. He
will thoroughly purge His floor and will burn up the chaff with
unquenchable fire, and the wheat will he take to the garner.'"
What a testimony of John the Baptist. Let's call his mother.
If there's anybody ought to know Who He was, His mother ought to know
Whose Son it is. Don't you think so? Mary, come down from the glory
Land just a few minutes and testify to the Philadelphian church this
morning. What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He? Now, you're His
mother, you ought to know."
E-46 She said, "I didn't know a man." Hallelujah. "I didn't know a man,
but one day on a Monday when it was wash day, I had some water in my
arm, in my hand, I was going up to the well from the virgin springs.
And I was going along and a great Light flew before me and there stood
Gabriel the Archangel, said, 'Hail, Mary, blessed art thou among women,
for you're going to have a baby knowing no man.' Said, "How can these
things be, Lord?"
She said... The Angel said, "The Holy Ghost shall overshadow
you, and that holy Thing that'll be born of you shall be called the Son
of God." Amen. I believe Mary's testimony's right. Right. What think ye
of Christ? Whose Son is He?
I don't care how many atheists rise, how many this, that, or
the other, He's still the virgin born Son of God. Yes, sir.
She said, "I didn't know a man, but He that said to me,
'Go... that there--that--that I'd be overshadowed by the Holy Ghost and
it would be called the Son of God.""
E-47 What if I could call this morning... What if I could go call E.
Howard Cadle, an old friend of mine with the Cadle Tabernacle, was a
drunken sot laying out yonder, and the flies blowing his mouth and the
vomiting in a barroom and a... What do you think if I could go to the
celestial realms of glory and call Howard Cadle down this morning to
testify? You've heard his broadcast for years through here.
E-48 A bosom friend of mine down from Milltown, Indiana, where I
pastored a little old Baptist church down there. I'd say, "Brother
Cadle, I want you this morning, in the face of the Philadelphian
Church, tell me Who you think the Son of God is?" Hallelujah.
If he could walk down tonight he'd say, "I was a drunken sot.
I was laying yonder drunk, debauched, and dying. And a little mother
out behind a corn crib somewhere praying in the Name of Jesus Christ,
when He sent His Angel to deliver me and made a minister that sent
thousands of souls to the glory Land."
And I'd say to that little old Boston shoe cobbler, Dwight
Moody, "What think ye of Christ?"
If he could rise from the dead this morning, he'd say, "He is
the Son of God."
E-49 What would I say this morning if I called little Georgie Carter,
my pianist from down at Milltown Baptist church, who laid on her back
nine years and eight months, only weighed thirty-six pounds, with TB.
It went all the way through her. Her church, the Church of Christ
didn't believe in Divine healing. She heard a testimony. And if she
could stand here and testify this morning...
One day there, where I never seen her, knowed nothing about
her, and the Angel of the Lord come to me and said, "Go down to
Milltown." I didn't even know where it was at. And went down there, and
today, after eight or nine years ago, she's a living testimony of the
power of God.
She'd say, "Jesus Christ is the Son of God that raised from
the dead and reproduced Hisself incarnated. He has appeared in the way
of a vision and has spared my poor life."
E-50 What if I could go to London, England, this morning and call
Florence Nightingale, and bring her here to testify on this platform
this morning, she'd say, "I was laying with a cancer on the duodenal of
the stomach. And all hopes was gone. I weighted in the regions of
thirty or forty pounds. And there that day Brother Branham, when you
were kneeling praying God sent a little dove rushing through the
bushes, and come set down on the window there. And when the Voice of
God come and said, 'I would live,' and I live by the grace of God and
by the power of the resurrection of His Son."
What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He?
You say, "Preacher, what you think of Christ? Whose Son is
He?" Oh, brother, my heart wouldn't let me bleed it out. He's the Rose
of Sharon, the Lily of the Valley, the Morning Star, the Alpha, Omega,
He that was, which is, and shall come (Hallelujah.), the Son of the
living God, my Saviour, my Healer, my King. Oh, the present tense of
Him now illuminates my soul and burns every fiber in my body with His
glorious Presence."
E-51 How could I speak or find words to say what He was. When Isaiah
got all tangled up and said, "He--He's the--He's the Father, the
everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, the mighty God, how great He was."
He said, "He's wonderful." He couldn't even speak it, how could I say
it?
Every man or every woman that ever amounted to anything in
this life are men and woman who believed Him to be the Son of God.
Every poet, every author, every thing else that ever amounted to
anything believed He was the Son of God.
E-52 Let's call a few poets together just a few minutes. We could take
poets; we could take prophets; we could take authors. Let's call a few
poets just a few minutes. I thing Eddie Perronett's one of my favorite.
When he was persecuted... You know his story, the great song writer.
And while in his darkest of persecution, the people said he
was a neurotic, he was off in his head. And he's standing... He said,
"I was setting in desk one day..." If we could call him up from the
grave this morning, and there he was standing there and the tears
running down his cheeks, he caught a vision. And God let him write the
baccalaureate message and the inauguration of the church, when he
grabbed his pen and wrote:
All hail the power of Jesus' Name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown Him Lord of all.
And I see another, "What do you think of Him?" He said:
When I survey the wondrous cross
Whereon the Prince of glory died,
All my fame I count but loss,
E-53 Oh, my, when I think of blind Fanny Crosby, let's call her, see
what she thinks of Christ. "You never seen day light in your life,
woman, what do you think of Christ?"
Here's what she said:
Pass me not, O gentle Saviour,
Hear my humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass me by.
Thou the Stream of all my comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have I on earth beside Thee?
Whom in heaven but Thee?
Hallelujah! Old blind woman.
Another one said:
Living, He loved me; dying, He saved;
Buried, He carried my sins far away;
Rising, He justified freely forever:
Someday He's coming--O glorious day!
E-54 What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He? I believe He's the
resurrected, immortal Son of God, that's living among us right here
this morning. I believe this we feel right now is His Presence. Do you
believe it?
What think ye of Christ? You heard the Gospel preached;
you've felt His power; you've seen His works. What think ye of Christ?
How many of you believe He's the Son of God? Raise your hand. Amen.
Let's stand to our feet. Every one stand to your feet and I want the
pianist to give us a chord. Let's give Him praise everybody.
I will praise Him, I will praise Him,
Praise the Lamb for sinners slain.
Give Him glory all ye people,
For His... wash away each stain.
E-55 Do you love Him? What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He? Let's
say together: "He is the Son of the living God." [The congregation
repeats after Brother Branham--Ed.] All right. Let's sing now. All
right, give us a chord. "I Will Praise Him." How many knows the song?
Raise your hand. All right. All right, give us a chord of it if you
will brother.
I will praise Him, I will praise Him,
Praise the Lamb for sinners slain.
Give Him glory all ye people,
For His Blood has washed away each stain.
Now let's pick it up and sing it again. Come on now, raise
your hands.
I will praise Him, I will praise Him.
Praise the Lamb for sinners slain.
Give Him glory all ye people,
For His Blood has washed away (Keep playing it. Keep playing.).
E-56 Now, let's bow our heads just a moment. I wonder if there's one
here this morning that doesn't know Jesus as their Saviour, would say,
"Now I believe He is the Son of God. I want to accept Him as my
personal Saviour." Would you raise your hand? Say, "Remember me,
Brother Branham; I want to accept Christ as my Saviour." Raise your
hand.
God bless you, lady. Someone else? Up in the balcony,
anywhere, and say, "I'm not a Christian, Brother Branham, but I believe
He is the Son of God. Remember me in a word of prayer." Will you do it,
while you raise your hands around over the audience?
God bless you, sir. Someone else say, "Remember me, Brother
Branham, I believe now and will accept Jesus as my Saviour."
E-57 How many hasn't got the baptism of the Holy Ghost, say, "I want
His Presence in me. I believe He's the Son of God. I want the Holy
Ghost. I'm raising my hand, Brother Branham."?
Raise your hand, may God look down now and fill each one of
your hearts full of His Presence. How many is sick this morning, say,
"I have accepted Him. I've been borned-again and I want Him as my
healer now. And the Lamb of God for sinners slain washes away my sin
and makes me whole. I'm raising my hand for healing."?
E-58 Raise your hand. God bless you. The same God that overshadowed
Mary, is overshadowed this church this morning with His august
Presence. And I know He's here. All right, while you bow your heads
now, everyone of you, let's sing slowly now, "I Will Praise Him." All
right.
I will praise Him, I will praise Him.
Praise the Lamb for sinners slain.
Give Him glory all ye people,
For His Blood has washed away each stain.
Now, with your heads bowed, hum it. [Brother Branham begins
to hum: "I Will Praise Him"--Ed.] Lead us, Brother Boze.