Je Restaurerai
E-1 Marvelous meeting, at
Brother Redigar's place there. Where him... Many great men stood in the
same pulpit. And this song that's been my theme now for eight years,
"Only Believe," when Paul Rader, who wrote it, pastored the tabernacle
after the death of Brother Redigar... I was right in the room, and hear
it coming in, in just inspiration, and "Only believe, all things are
possible." I know that Paul made that song up sitting right there. And
he was a dear friend, that's gone on to glory.
And while sitting there, why, that night I know we was having a great
time. You Pentecostal people, or Assemblies of God, seen the article
that was written. The little girl had been blind, you know, and was
healed. "We The People" packed it in the--the book of "We The People."
And oh, it went everywhere of the little blind girl that night, that I
just held in my arms till she got her sight.
E-2 And so, after the meeting
was about ended, they had taken me back to rest up a little bit, and
then taken me to emergency room, where some, they couldn't get back to
be prayed for. Just kinda... There was a man came in who really must've
taught Mr. Webster how to talk. He come in; he said, "Brother Branham,"
I said, "Yes, sir."
He said, "Oh, mister," said, "your grammar is very poor."
I said, "Yes, sir. I know that."
He said, "Why, you used words 'hain't,' 'hit,' and--and all that."
I said, "Yes, sir. That's about all I know how to use."
He said, "Well," He said...
I said, "Well, I was raised poor, ten of us children; daddy died when I
had to take care of them and my widowed mother," and I said...
Said, "That's no excuse now; you're a man."
I said, "Yes, sir. That's right. But," I said, "now, since the Lord's
called me to the ministry," I said, "I'm praying for the sick day and
night, and I don't have a chance to."
He said, "Oh, you could..." Said, "For instance, you used a word out
there tonight, 'pole-pit,'" He said, "You said, 'The people passing by
this pole-pit with faith, will get healed.'" Said, "You know, that
audience would appreciate you more if you'd said, 'pulpit'"
I said... He kindly pulled me a little on it. I said, "Brother, I don't
believe that." I said, "Them people don't care whether I say 'pole-pit'
or 'pulpit,' just so I preach the Gospel, and live the right kind of
life, and produce what I'm talking about." That's the key. I believe
it. That's right.
E-3 Well, this afternoon, my
boy told me that he was going to give out prayer cards at fifteen
minutes of six. So you people here that's got your loved ones and you
want to come and be prayed for, you come get your card this afternoon.
And at a quarter of six, the boy said.
And then, I want to thank a lady that's probably in the building. It's
dark out there to me now. I can just see part of the way back. And...
Oh, I can see, but I can't make out faces. I've looked for the lady
setting here, if I would... Don't think I would know her. I was having
breakfast in a coffee shop this morning (wife and I), and I... There
was four or five ladies setting there, but I--I knew they were
Christians, but I didn't know they knew me. For they was praying when
they was--before they eat.
And so, a man came to my room a few moments ago and gave me a--a little
envelope that had ten dollars in it for an overseas offering. Said, "We
met you in the coffee shop this morning." If the sister is here, I want
to thank her very much. And may the Lord bless you, my dear sisters.
E-4 And she ask a request for
the church to pray (they're from another state), for a little girl, or
a little child with cerebral palsy, that's injured at birth.
We will, my sister. And I'm asking the church to do so. And not only
that, but I'll have your address on there. And I didn't know what hotel
you were in or nothing to call you so, I--to thank you. And this is my
opportunity of doing it. And not only that, but I'll send you a
handkerchief that I've just prayed over. You'll get it in a day or two
in the mail. May the Lord bless you greatly.
E-5 And now, tonight we're,
perhaps, going back to have prayer line again tonight. Last evening, I
tried something new. And looks like I shouldn't try you all's patience
so much, of me trying this, that, or the other. But I try to get to a
lot of people.
So many people always throw it up to me, that I don't get to enough
people. That's--that's probably true. I've heard them say that Brother
Roberts... I believe Brother Roberts has visited the city here; I've
seen his paper. And perhaps many of you attended Brother Roberts'
meetings, a wonderful gallant soldier of God, Brother Roberts. I love
him with real Christian love.
And they have said, "Why, Brother Roberts will pray for five hundred
while you're praying for one." Well, maybe that is true. But Brother
Roberts is doing what God told him to do. I'm doing what God told me to
do. That's the truth. And we together are coworkers in Christ Jesus.
And Brother Roberts' meeting is that point of contact of laying hands
on the sick. And he gets a marvelous results for our Lord.
And God is with Brother Roberts. God loves Brother Roberts, 'cause it
proves it by the ministry He's given him. And He's with other brothers
too, everywhere, that's ministering. And we have great fellowship with
one another.
E-6 Now, that's Brother
Roberts' way of praying for the sick. Mine is in the line of prophetic,
to a recognition of the Presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In my African campaign there was five people walked across the
platform, and twenty-five thousand was healed with one prayer. See?
See, when they seen and knowed that the Presence of God was there, that
settled it. They just believed it, and accepted it, and done just as I
told them.
The main thing of this, Christian friends, if I have any influence, I
want to use it for the--the best that I can for His glory. And I want
to be truthful above everything. I--I want my word to be true. And
you'll find out, the more truthful you'll be and sincere you'll be,
better you'll be before God.
E-7 And now, this is what it is
for. It's for a vindication that the message that I have told you, that
Jesus has risen from the dead and living among us today; that's for you
to believe it and accept Him as your Healer. And when you'll do that,
I'll just assure you, that you'll write me a letter pretty soon, "It's
all over." That's right. And you'll do it, because that's the way it
supposed to be done.
However, the Lord, I feel maybe, when coming back from overseas, I
might run a few meetings just praying for the sick. You can't mix it
together. I've tried last night, and before I'd get to... People,
before they'd get to me, they'd ask me, "Tell me if I...?..." You see,
you get it, before you--you see...[Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]
You can't hardly mix it. You got to start the whole meeting, if I do
it, not using discernment, or use it altogether for that.
E-8 So God bless you. I'm
standing here taking up your time, and you sweating out there in this
hot building. And now, this afternoon, just for a short time, the Lord
willing. And you that have your Bibles, I want you to turn with me to a
little prophecy here that was given by one of the prophets of the Old
Testament, Joel. And let's read the first couple verses of Joel, and
then we get hung on a branch, and then we'll go over and read the end
of it after that, and then take from there a text maybe, and speak to
you, just for a few moments, God willing.
And then, I'll watch my time, so that you all will have plenty ample
time to get home, and have your dinner, and back again. And I want to
thank Brother Mitchell; I don't think he's here. And all that what you
give me this invitation of coming. I was getting so homesick to have a
little meeting and to come over here to convention. It--it's not a
healing service. It's a convention. And we are--we're happy to be here
to help and to do all we can in this meeting.
E-9 Now, in Joel, the 1st
chapter of Joel, we read these words, like this:
The word of the
Lord... came unto Joel the...
Hear ye this, ye old
men, and give ear, all ye inhabitants of the land. Has this been in
your days, or even in the days of your fathers?
Tell ye your
children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their
children another generation.
That which the
palmerworm has left has the locust eaten... that which the locust has
left has the cankerworm eaten... that which the cankerworm has left has
the caterpillar eaten.
Looks like that there was a eating up. Now, let's take the 13th verse
of the same chapter.
Gird yourselves, and
lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all
night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat- offering and
the drink-offering is withholden from the house of my God.
Sanctify ye a fast,
call the solemn assembly, gather the elders and... the inhabitants of
the land unto the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord,
E-10 And then, continuing on in
the 2nd chapter. Looks like it's so dark there and bitter. Let's read
the outcome here and take a text from the 25th, 26th, and 27th verses.
... I will restore
unto you the years... the locust has eaten, the cankerworm... the
caterpillar... the palmerworm, and the--the great host which I have
sent among you.
And you shall eat in
plenty... be satisfied, and praise the name of your Lord--Lord your
God, that has dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be
ashamed.
And ye shall know
that I am in the midst of Israel... that I am the Lord your God, and
none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.
E-11 Now, shall we bow our heads
just a moment for to speak to Him, the Author. Father, we thank Thee
this afternoon for the Lord Jesus, Thy beloved Child, Who has redeemed
us from sin and has given us this privilege to set together this
afternoon in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Now, here's the Words. I've just been reading them the last few days
and studying. What a great text this is. And I pray now, that You'll
help, not knowing myself what to say, that You will provide the words,
and may our hearts be blessed together, and the words be watered by the
Holy Spirit. And may many in here today, of old sainted people, who's
come a long ways, may we catch a vision of the close appearing now of
the Lord, the soon appearing, rather, of His coming.
And may those who are not Christians as yet, may they accept Christ as
their personal Saviour, this afternoon. And may those who are lukewarm,
just as much as belonging to church and not a Christian in heart, may
they become ashamed of themselves, and come, and make a full surrender,
and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For we ask it in Christ's
Name. Amen.
E-12 The book of Joel here, the
prophet, this sign that he saw was concerning, looked like a tree,
or--or... The heritage of the Lord has always been considered a vine or
a tree. I believe it was called a vine in the Old Testament. And over
in the New Testament, we hear Jesus speaking much about it. He said,
"When you see the fig tree putting forth bud and all the other trees,
know the time is near," speaking of the second coming of Christ, that
the time would be at hand of the budding of the trees.
Over in the Old Testament also, we find where that the two trees, a
wild olive tree and the tame olive tree, and how that the oil was
coming through the sensor pipes into--to--out of these trees into the
candlesticks or the lampstands.
E-13 Then we find again,
that--that Jesus referring to it, over in the New Testament. And over
in the book of Revelations, we find it again as a vine or a tree. And
Israel was God's vine. And all things that we speak of and all things
today...
Now, we're living, to my honest opinion... And I would not say anything
this way, Christian friends, unless I truly believe that I understand
what I'm speaking of. Because knowing that I--in contact, world around,
with about ten million people. And they see these things that the Holy
Spirit says at night and--and in the day, and how they come to pass. If
they watch me speaking on something, and hang on to the words that
was... So I'm very careful of what saying, what I--I would say, knowing
that it might cast a stumbling block in someone's way.
But if I believe something and know it to be the truth, then I will
be--and would not say it, then God would hold me responsible for it in
the end time.
E-14 Now, all these things that
we see happening today, is--is nothing on the earth that is new.
Everything has been before. And if you'll notice, the day that we're
living in different days of cults, and isms, and so forth. Those things
are not new. They've always been. They've been in different forms.
But sometime, I've said when I come back from overseas, instead of
having just a short meeting, I've tried it, to make the preparations so
long... But now, by God's help, I want to do it. I want to come back,
and set a meeting, and stay there for six or eight weeks before I
leave. Just stay there until it's--God says it's enough, and do some
teaching from the Scripture.
E-15 Now, these spirits that you
see moving, anything today, just like a government, a church or
anything, it--it's controlled by a spirit. Organizations are controlled
by a spirit. Church organizations are controlled by a spirit. Churches
are controlled by spirits. Individuals are controlled by spirits.
Nations are controlled by spirits. And spirit was made, before the
cosmic matters and life, that were made. God made man in His own image
before He put him in the five senses. We all are acquainted with that.
God's first man was made in His image, which was a spirit man, not
flesh.
And He created He them, male and female. And in the book of Genesis
everything starts out. And in the book of Revelations it ends:
beautiful picture, if you'll get down studying it.
E-16 And by the inspiration of
the guiding Angel of God, Who has--I have served God through or He sent
Him to me to guide. It's been through Him, by the Word, and never one
time has He ever said anything to me that was contrary to God's Word.
If it... Anything, the Bible said, "If an angel from heaven would
preach anything else, let it be accursed." It has to be according to
the Word.
Then in the book of--of Genesis, the word "Genesis" means "the
beginning." That's where all things had it's start in the beginning.
And then it ends in Revelations. And if you'll watch the picture, down
through the--up to the New Testament, coming up from Genesis to the New
Testament, we have a perfect picture of all things that is now, and all
things that will be, and all things that was. They come up like the
vines and things out of the earth, and they've wound their way through
every dispensation, until they end up and go to seed in Genis--in
Revelations: out of Genesis to Revelations.
E-17 And we've seen this through
the Old Testament, and the New Testament day, winding up, which
everything in the Bible by numbers in profession--or perfect, is three,
like Father, Son, Holy Spirit, Justification, sanctification, baptism
of the Holy Spirit, Water, blood, Spirit, and all these things. Threes,
sevens, twelves, twenty-fours, forties, and fifties is God's numbers.
That you understand. Forty is His temptations, and fifty is His
jubilee. And oh, you understand those by your pastors.
But now, if you'll notice, as they wind their way through, you'll see
the spirits that moved back in those days, coming up through the Old
Testament, reveal themselves in the New Testament, and predicted by the
prophets of the New Testament to act in these days that we're living in
now. For it's the same vine that comes up, right out of Genesis, moves
up, and ends up, and goes to seed in Revelations.
E-18 Now, in the beginning, when
God made man in His image, the first man Adam, was a man like God. He
was a spirit man. Then we later on, we find after He'd made man in His
image, there was no man to till the soil, so He put man in five senses
to contact his earthly home. There's where man fell.
Now, Adam had a helpmate, Eve. And Eve was given birth of two sons.
First son was Cain; the second son was Abel. Now, when two more human
beings come in the world, then after Adam and Eve, two more spirits
come to be--to occupy these human beings. Because they couldn't have
lived without spirit.
E-19 Now, there's the first two
that I want to deal on this afternoon. Is those two boys and their
spirits. Now, if you see anything... Just for instance, like Babylon.
Babylon appears in Genesis. (Just give you that one thing that you
might understand.)
Babylon appears in Genesis. What was Babylon first? Babylon was the
first setup of idolatry. And there was a man-worship and a man
worshipped. His name was Nimrod. He was the descent of Ham. After that,
they come along Sin and then Sin's wife. And she started up the
pollution of--of immorality and so forth. Then they worshipped roots
and vines and so forth, as images in the temple, but--in Babylon.
Babylon appears in Genesis as a corrupt place. It appears over in the
days of king Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel's time, as a corrupt place. Then
it appears over in Revelations, going in to perdition. Is that right?
Starts in Genesis, comes through the Book, ends up in Revelations.
E-20 Now, when Cain was born and
Abel was born, there were two sons, two boys, and both of them had a
spirit. And one was contrary to another.
Now, I'm sitting here, perhaps, before a dozen or more churches. And I
wouldn't teach a doctrine that was contrary to anything you'd heard. I
have my opinion of whose son Cain was and where that evil streak come
from. It could not have come from God nor from Adam. So he was evil to
begin with. He was borned evil. And being a little Calvinistic myself,
I believe in foreordination, and predestination, and so forth. And I
see that Cain was borned an evil one. And Abel was born a just one.
Abel, of course, being correctly the son from Adam.
And now, both those boys, when they were turned out of the garden of
Eden, after the sin of their mother, and was turned out of Eden, they
had to shift for themselves, and they seen they were getting old as
they grew on. And they were bound to turn back to the dust of the earth
again.
E-21 And now, I want you to
notice it. Many of us look upon Cain as some beast of some sort. But I
don't know, that man, if you look at him in the moral realms, as what
he was religiously speaking, he was no bad fellow. Cain was a long ways
from being a communist. And Cain was not an infidel. Cain was a
believer. He was a worshiper of God, and he was a loyal church member.
Now, we're going to pinch the corners now. May the Holy Spirit take the
Word right straight to your heart, where it's meant, now. So that you
might know that if I never see you again, at the day of judgment I want
to be free from all men's blood. "That I have not shunned," as the
apostle said of old, "to declare the whole counsel of God."
E-22 Now, watch these two
spirits on these boys spring up here in Genesis, and watch it end off
in Revelations. And let's bring it through the Bible a few minutes on
these two vines. I'll take Cain to my left side, Abel to my right side.
Now, and now, both of those boys was religious. Both of them were
worshipers of God. Now, remember, Cain built an altar to the Lord. In
other words, he had a church. And if a church membership is all God
requires, Cain was just as--just as good a man as Abel was, and as just
as Abel was, if God only requires a man to go to church. Cain went to
church.
Well, you say, "Wait a minute now." All right. Cain was also a
worshiper of God. Do you realize that you could belong to church and
worship God and still not be a Christian? Cain in the beginning... Now,
don't fall out with me. Just--just set still a minute; let's look at it
through the Scripture. See?
E-23 Here, in the beginning Cain
was a worshiper, a believer. "Why, brother, you said, 'If a man
believes on the Lord Jesus Christ... '" Correctly, that's right. But
Cain was a believer. He come to worship God. And not only that, but he
was a--a great contributor to the church. He made sacrifice to the
church. He built a--a garden in the garden--near the Garden, where the
Cherubim was with a sword, perhaps at the east side of the gate, and
with flame going back and forth to keep them away from the Tree of Life.
Now, they perhaps, both boys come there and built an altar, or a
church, a worshipping place. And Cain built just as good a altar, and
perhaps a more prettier altar, than Abel did. And he came with his gift
and he worshipped God just the same as Abel did.
And if God only requires faith in Him, worship Him, a membership in the
church, a sacrifice... Why, today we'd call that a renown Christian.
But how far we are off from the Word of God. That man was a worshiper.
He didn't come in vain. He wanted his soul saved. He come with a
sincerity of heart and laid down to find favor with God.
E-24 Now, I want you to notice
what he did. He brought the fruits of the field. Perhaps he put lilies
on the altar, decorated it, maybe, made it pretty, because he was a
tiller of the soil. And a shepherd--or not a shepherd, but a tiller of
the soil, worker of the ground.
And look, after his nature of Satan, he tried to make things so pretty
to please God. Now, that's just about the way our churches get today.
Now, I'm not here to slam churches. I believe in every one of them. And
I love churches. But friends, when something is going wrong and you see
the danger lying, it's best to warn the Church, that they don't step
into this thing.
E-25 Now, Cain was a worshiper.
And he came and brought his gift. Perhaps had great big lilies laying
on the altar... Not long ago, I was talking to a minister. And he said,
"Brother Branham, my congregation," he said, "I wished I could get them
to come to church." He said, "Every Easter, they're everyone there to
show their new bonnets and new clothes." He said, "They all bring a
lily and put it on the altar." Said, "I always bid them 'Merry
Christmas,' because they won't be back anymore till next Easter."
I said, "Because they're just church members and not borned again,
that's the reason." A man that's borned of the Spirit of God loves to
go to church, better than he loves to eat his dinner when he's hungry.
The spiritual man on the inside has got to be fed. If that man isn't
fed, he will die. The outward man isn't fed, he will die. And so will
the inward man. He's got to be fed on...
The Bible said, Jesus told Satan in the debate, He said, "It is
written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God." That's how man lives, not by his
bread alone, but by the Word of God, man lives. His outward man lives
by bread. His inward man lives by the bread of God. All right.
E-26 Notice this now, as we go
along. Now, Cain came and made his sacrifice. And by the way, God don't
want lilies on the altar. He wants sinners on the altar. God don't want
your lily; He wants you. You're the person needs to be on the altar.
And anyhow, and all this today...
And we've noticed that Satan in the beginning, in the origin, back in
the initial condition, he was full of pomp. He wanted something, a
better kingdom than Michael, so he goes over to the north and sets him
up a kingdom, greater, more beautiful.
Don't you see how beauty is deceitful? And how our churches today are
seeing who can build the biggest church, who can make the best pews,
who can make--get the best-dressed crowd, the more honorable people
among the city to come... That's all of the Devil. You may be angry
with me after this, but when I meet you at judgment, you'll know that
I've spoke to you in the Name of the Lord. That's right.
E-27 We can't humble ourselves
anymore. We got to have the big, the refined, and the best, and
everything like, and knowing that those things comes from Satan, always
have been. It was in heaven. That's the reason he was kicked out.
That's what he's doing here on earth, taking the churches and deceiving
them. God doesn't dwell in big buildings; He doesn't dwell among fine
dressed peoples;, He doesn't have to have that. God wants a humble
heart to dwell in. Amen.
And it's too bad that we, the holiness people, Pentecostal people, is
getting so starchy, till we've forgot about that. Amen. I'm not amening
myself, but "amen" means "so be it." I believe it.
E-28 Notice, then when... Not
only that, but he come up and worshipped. Here some time ago, I was
speaking to a great fundamental brother. He said, "What more can a man
do but believe?"
I said, "That's all he can do, but God can do more."
He said, "Abraham believed God, Brother Branham, and it was imputed to
him for righteousness."
I said, "That's right. But He give him the seal of circumcision as the
confirmation of his faith." And I said, "If you haven't received the
Holy Ghost since you believed, God's never confirmed that He's accepted
your faith. For the baptism of the Holy Ghost is the confirmation that
God has accepted your faith." Amen.
E-29 Now, what is the--what is
the circumcision today? Is the Holy Spirit. God circumcises our hearts
by the Holy Spirit. Where was done by the flesh with hands in the days
gone by, but it's done by the Holy Spirit now. When we believe
correctly on the Lord Jesus Christ, God gives the Holy Ghost to us to
confirm it, that our faith has been reckoned before Him, and imputed to
us for righteousness. Without the Holy Spirit, He's never recognized it
yet.
Now, this brother was a good Baptist brother of mine. Said, "You
receive the Holy Ghost when you believed."
I said, "Brother, in Acts the 19th chapter, Paul passed a good bunch of
Baptist brethren, and he said, 'Have you received the Holy Ghost since
you believed?' 'Since you believed, have you received the Holy Ghost?'"
The Holy Ghost is the confirmation that God has accepted your faith.
Amen.
E-30 Now, Cain was a believer.
Look at that spirit what it begin at. Where it began, a religious
spirit. And many people today are trying to... I hear ministers on the
air, trying to say that communism is the antichrist. Oh, brother. I'm
not a know-it-all. I don't want to be that way. God forbid. But that's
pure religious ignorance.
Why, the... Communism has nothing to do with the antichrist spirit.
Jesus said in Saint Matthew the 24th chapter, "The two spirits would be
so close together, it'd deceive the very elect, if possible." The--the
antichrist is religion, not a anti-religion. It's an... Antichrist is
just so--so close.
Judas was possessed with the antichrist spirit and walked plumb almost
to Pentecost with Him, rejoiced, cast out devils, and shouted, and had
great joy. But when it come time for him to get the Holy Ghost, he
showed his colors, what he was.
E-31 Notice now, Cain a
religious man, a worshiper of God walked over, and laid down his
sacrifice, and got back, and said, "Lord, receive my sacrifice. All
this I have done, and You know my regards to You and my faith in You."
Look what a religious man he was. "Lord, I've built You a church, and
I've paid into it. And I pay heavy on the plate. And I worship You
everyday with the sincerity and the integrity of my heart; You know me.
And I worship You." And God refused him.
Now, if God only respects a membership, a just person, looking in the
face of God and worshiping, if God respects that, and that's His
requirement, then He would be unjust to condemn Cain after Cain had
done all of that. That's exactly right.
But the Scripture says, "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man,
but the end thereof is the way of death." So be careful Church, while
you're in this last days, and things are floating, and these spirits
are coming to the head, and the wheat, and barley and vines and
everything are coming to a head.
E-32 I heard someone, not long
ago, condemning the Lutheran age and condemning the Wesley age. That
was the vine, just the same as the Church is today. But the thing of it
was, they was only putting forth leaves then. It's putting forth fruits
now. The vine's growed up, the same Church. Them was on leaves is still
left leaves, but it all makes vine. Like the wheat coming up among the
weeds. And the wheat's put forth its... The wheat put forth its fruit,
and the weed's put forth its fruits. We're at the end time. We're at
the last days.
Notice this fellow. Then Abel, not trying to be reckoned to God by
works or by some justice, but by the Holy Spirit, revealing to him that
it wasn't fruits or apples that brought us out of the garden of Eden,
it was blood. Life lay not in apples. Life lays in blood. And he
brought a lamb, little piece of hemp wrapped around its neck... Or no,
I guess they had no hemp, probably a vine pulled around his neck,
brought him up, and throwed him down on a rock. Nothing pretty about
it. Took his little head, and throwed it back, and chopped it with a
sharp rock there. And when he was bleeding, and the lamb a bleating,
and the wool bathing white, and the poor little lamb dying, God looked
down and said, "That's right, Abel." He was justified by his faith in
God.
E-33 What did that lamb speak
of? It spoke of some nineteen hundred years later, when the Lamb of God
was led away to the rock of ages, and there with spit hanging off of
His beard, and His crown over His brow, the Blood trinkling down His
shoulders, His bloody lock dripping around, crying, "My God, why hast
Thou forsaken Me?"
Remember, Abel died on the altar with his lamb. And every man that
comes to Christ must die on the same altar Jesus Christ did, on the
altar of self sacrifice, forgetting your own ways, forgetting your own
reasons, and taking God's Word, and saying, "It's Your Word, Lord; I
believe it," and there die, as Abel did on the rock with his same lamb
that he died with, that died for him, rather.
We die out to Christ on the altars of God's sacrifice. Oh, my. That
makes me feel kind of religious, to think, God providing a way. In that
I could not save myself, God making a way through Christ, not by works
lest any man should boast, but by faith accepting it, and Jehovah God
sending down the Holy Spirit, stamping a seal on it of a confirmation.
Sealed how long? "Until the day of your redemption," Ephesians 4:30.
Amen.
E-34 Now, look at that vine
growing up. It started right there on those two spirits from those
boys. It comes on down, pro and con, down through the Bible. Even in
the ark there was a dove and a raven setting on the same roost. The
dove can say, "I could fly."
Raven says, "I can too." One can call, the other one could too.
Noah turned one loose, and he was satisfied (the raven), fly on those
old dead bodies and eat. But when he turned the dove loose, she could
find no rest for the soles of her feet. And she came back and knocked
on the door to get in.
When a man's borned of the Spirit of God, the Seed of God remains in
him. All desire of sin is taken out. And you mean to tell me, that
people can walk around here everyday, doing the things they do and
still say they're borned of the Spirit of God? Your fruits condemn you.
E-35 What's the matter with the
Pentecostal church today? We've left off teaching those things behind
the pulpit and accepted something else. That's the reason we're getting
starchy, and the Spirit of God is grieved from us. We used to have old
time Holy Ghost meeting, where we got down on the floor, and cried, and
begged. And today, we've adopted some sort of a social affair, like the
rest of the churches. Amen. That's true and you know it's the truth.
Notice, the dove couldn't find no rest. Why? The dove couldn't eat off
of those things. The dove's body is made up different from the crow's
body. The dove has, is one bird that hasn't got a gall. If he'd eat
that, it would kill him. He had no gall to digest it.
And when the Spirit of Jesus Christ comes into a man, He gives him the
baptism of the Holy Ghost, it makes him a new creature; it takes the
gall out of him, and he has no more desire of those things of the
world. They've passed away, and everything's become new again. He's a
new creature.
E-36 It isn't whether I can hold
on or not. It's whether He held on. It's not me anyhow; it's Him. Not
you, it's Christ. The thing of it is, we're getting ashamed as Joel
said. People are ashamed to have the old fashion meetings like we used
to have. We're afraid somebody setting next to us should hear us say,
"Amen." We got so starchy, and ritual, indifferent. It's pitiful, the
condition the Church has got in.
Notice, watch that spirit. Wish we had time to bring it on through, on
many things. Let's take it in Israel in their journey, just for a few
minutes.
E-37 Israel, when they come out
of Egypt, what a beautiful type here of the two spirits. Israel was a
interdenomination. They didn't have any land they could call their own
at that time, so they dwelt in tents out across the land. And Moab, the
land of Moab, when they wanted to come through there, why, they were
not permitted by Moab.
Now, Moab was a brother to Israel. Moab was--come from Lot's daughter.
One of their sons, through, by the father. And that's where the land of
Moab began.
E-38 Now, notice. A man can be
ever so fundamental in his doctrine; he can be ever so sincere in his
heart (I hope this sinks deep. I want it to.), but unless God confirms
it, it's no good. God vindicates. God has--always has, from back at the
beginning, from Abel, plumb on to the ending over here in Revelations,
you'll find out that God a vindicates His Church with signs and wonders
as the believers.
Believers always have signs and wonders among them. Jesus said, in
Saint Mark the 16th chapter, "These signs shall follow them to the end
of the world. They that believe and is baptized shall be saved. He that
believeth not shall be damned. These signs shall follow them that
believe: In My Name they shall cast out devils, speak with new tongues;
if they take up serpents or drink deadly things, it'll not harm them.
If they lay hands on the sick, they shall recover."
And today, the churches... You preach that doctrine, they take the
confirmation is a man that goes to church, good, quiet, religious type
of man, pays his tithes, supporter to the church, believes in the
church. Brother, that's no sign at all. That's the world's sign. But
God's sign is what He said it was. Amen.
E-39 Here comes Israel up
through the wilderness, walking in God's provided way. Hallelujah. If I
get a little emotional, will you excuse me? Anything without emotion is
dead. I was--I was once was dead, but I'm made alive, quickened by
Christ Jesus. When I walked in those old formal orders back there one
day, the Lord pulled me out of it.
And here comes Cain now, the fundamentalist. If he... If God only
requires fundamentalism, Cain was just as fundamental as Abel was when
it comes to worship, sacrifice, altars, and religion. Cain was just as
fundamental as Abel was. And if God only requires sincerity,
fundamentalism, Cain was justified. But God a vindicated the believer
by a sign.
E-40 Notice, here comes Israel
on the march. And now, they come up to the land of Moab and wanted to
pass. And they had a prophet over in the land of Moab. And he was
Balaam. Balak was the king. And Balak sent over to Moab to get the head
official of the church. He said, "Come down and curse this people,
that's coming up like a swarms out of Egypt, that they pass not through
the land." He wouldn't let them go through the land. "Come down and put
a curse on them."
And then notice, when this preacher started, the Holy Spirit told him
quickly not to go, for he heard that there was all kinds of mix-up
among them. They had married, intermarried, and everything else
was--and the evils that they had, because they'd been down in the lands
of heathens.
E-41 And Balak, being a... Or
Balaam, rather, a--a great man, thought surely that a holy God like
God, would curse such a people as that. But he failed to see the sign
over Israel, God's a vindication: A smitten rock, and a brass serpent,
making an atonement for their sins. And he comes down. And on his road
down the Holy Spirit met him. And a mule spoke in unknown tongues and
turned him--tried turn him back. God speaking through a mule, could you
imagine, the mule, turn around speaking in English, or whatever, what
voice, he was speaking to the prophet.
All right. See God's sign? Don't be blind. Have your eyes open. Pluck
your soul a little bit.
E-42 Notice, and when he got
down there... Here it is; here's the shocking part. When Balaam come
down, being a fundamentalist, over on this side. Here's Israel over on
this side, the vindicated ones, the fundamental one.
Now, notice, that Balaam was just as fundamental in his worship as
Moses was. Balaam required seven altars. That's what God required
Moses. He required seven clean sacrifices, bullocks, and not only that,
but seven rams, rams speaking of their faith that Jesus was coming, the
Lamb, the Ram, He-sheep. See? He put it... He's just as fundamental...
E-43 Now, it becomes to being
fundamental, down there in the valley there stood Israel encamped. And
they had their seven altars with seven sacrifices, same kind of
sacrifices. Here's this, up here, another group up here: the same kind
of altars, same kind of sacrifice, same kind of ceremony.
Brother, if God requires fundamentalism, then He's got to accept that
man, just the same as He accepts that man. You talk to fundamentalists
today, that don't believe in Divine healing. Talk to fundamentalists;
they don't believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit with signs and
wonders. Be careful how you talk to them. They say, "We believe in the
death, burial and resurrection. We believe in the second coming of
Christ." They preach it. And the nation has been whored with it. And
evangelists has went everywhere preaching it. And they wonder why we
can't have a revival. It's, brothers, because we're not preaching it in
the right way. I'm nobody to say it. But I know what God's Word says is
the truth. That's right.
E-44 If they'd keep them people
from raise up, say, "I make a decision that... I--I'll raise up and
make a decision," or raise up their hand to serve the Lord. If they'd
put them down at the altar, and let them pray there till they come
through with the baptism of the Holy Ghost, they'd stay put. But how
they going to do it, when they just say, under a little spell of
emotion, raise up their hands. I seen people in the prayer line do the
same thing.
But let the Devil give them a attack of a good hard suffering after
that, they fall back and say, "Well, I failed to get it." That man who
knows where he's standing, knows he was in the Presence of God, said,
"Get away, Satan. I believe God." And he moves on.
Now, looky here. That bunch, I can hear, Balaam the great prophet... or
hear the--Balak the king, say, "Come down and curse this people." The
fundamentalist trying to curse the holy-rollers... That's right. You
say, "You mean to tell me that Israel was holy-rollers?" Yes, they was.
Brother, the same kind of spirit was on them that day, is on what they
call holy-rollers today. It's coming right on up. You say, "How... Can
you prove that?" Yes, sir. When they crossed through the river down
there, the Red Sea, and got on the other side, Moses got so in the
Spirit, till he sang in the Spirit. And Miriam jerked up a tambourine,
and went down the banks, a dancing, beating a tambourine. And the
daughters of Israel followed her, beating tambourines and dancing. If
that ain't an old time holy-roller meeting, I never seen one. Right.
That's the same Spirit's in the Church today, that they call
holy-rollers. So I say that they was holy-rollers to the world.
E-45 I can hear the king say,
"Now, you know we're a dignified bunch. We're a great organization.
We've got the whole thing behind us here. We're a nation. That bunch of
tent dwellers, and interdenominationals down there, holy-rollers, let's
put a curse on them. Let's stop them from all this racket they got."
And so he brought the prophet down, and he showed him the utmost parts,
the hinder parts of Israel, the worst part of it.
And I wonder today, that in the hearts of a many a good Baptist,
Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Nazarene, Pilgrim Holiness, I wonder
if the pastor hasn't referred to you about these bunch of holy-rollers,
the very worst part he could find. He hasn't said nothing about the
good part, the blind receiving their sight, the deaf a hearing, and
people being saved, filled with joy.
E-46 The utmost parts, showed
him the utmost parts, and when old Balaam went forth to make his
sacrifice, come back, God said, "You speak just what I put in your
mouth." Now, it's not the prophet speaking no more; it's God. He said,
"I have not seen him from the utmost, but I beheld him from the
hilltop. And I have not conceived iniquity in Jacob." Hallelujah.
Let them say what they want to, as long as God's looking from the
hilltop, what do you care about what people's got to say? Hallelujah.
Long as there--Jesus sets on the ramparts of glory looking down and He
said, "These signs shall follow them that believe." Let them call you
holy-roller or anything they want to. God's beholding the scene. Amen.
E-47 See these two coming up
together? There they was, right along about here now. One's
fundamental, just as fundamental as Cain was, just as fundamental as
Abel was. And here they are just as fundamental as Moses, so was
Balaam, both of them, the same sacrifice.
Perhaps I'd make it like this, for today: Both reading out of the same
Bible. What made the difference? If they were fundamental, if they were
church members, if they were believers on God... They wasn't
worshipping an idol. They were worshipping God, the same God they were
worshipping. But the difference of it was, they have glory down here;
they had signs, wonders, and miracles; and they had nothing but
fundamentalism. See? Hallelujah. They had a Pillar of Fire hanging over
them. They had signs and wonders in the camp. When they got sick, they
had a healing Rock. Hallelujah. God was a vindicating His people. Both
of them was fundamental, but He said, "This is it."
God's doing the same thing today. Hallelujah. That vine's coming on up,
going on up through the clouds now. We're getting ready for the rapture.
E-48 See where it started in
Genesis. Here they are fundamental, ritualistic, beautiful, big
churches, orthodox people, my, in their beliefs, sure. But there's no
signs following. Jesus said, "These signs will follow them." It's come
from Genesis and going in to Revelations, the same thing.
I'm so glad that I can say I'm one of them, by the grace of God.
Wouldn't swap it for nothing in the world. Oh, sure, they call me this,
that, or the other. That don't make any difference what they call me.
God calls me His son. Amen. That's the main thing.
I seen that little old girl, that time, David's wife, that hid behind
her fan, and fanning like that, and she thought David, her sweetheart,
was the cutest little thing. But when the ark come in, and David saw
it, a revival was in session. Little old David went down there and
danced around the ark, as hard as he could go. "Why," she said, "you
embarrass me. My, well, I'll have the general council to put you out.
Why, you embarrass me."
He said, "If you don't like that...?... watch this." And down he went
and around and around and around and around on the ark he went,
rejoicing, happy, shouting, praising God, and rejoicing. Hallelujah.
Said, "If you don't like that, watch this."
God looked down out the heaven, He said, "David, you're a man after My
own heart." Hallelujah. So it don't make any difference what the world
says; it's what God says. Amen.
E-49 There comes your vines,
coming on up. Yes, sir. Quickly, our time's getting away.
Notice, when Jesus was here on earth, them orthodox believers was just
as orthodox as Jesus was. But God a vindicated Jesus Christ. Peter said
in Acts the 2nd chapter, I believe it was, "Ye men of Israel, Jesus of
Nazareth, a Man approved of God among you (How? By His great orthodox
teaching? No, sir. By His ways of dignity? No. How would He prove it?)
by signs and wonders, which He did in the midst of all of you, as you
know yourselves." God vindicated Jesus Christ to be His hand-piece here
on earth by signs and wonders. Is that right?
E-50 Look at the great Saint
Paul. He looked through the eyes of God. By the Holy Spirit (Here it
is.) he seen these two vines coming up into the end. "And it shall come
to pass in the last days, perilous times shall come. Men shall be
lovers of theirselves, proud, boasters, blasphemers, heady,
high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, trucebreakers,
incontinent, fierce, and despisers of those that are good
(holy-rollers), despisers of those that are good."
"Oh," you say, "Brother Branham, that sure was communist." No, sir.
That was fundamentalists; that was believers. "How do you know, Brother
Branham?" The next verse. "Having a form of godliness, but denying the
power thereof; from such turn away."
You believe Paul had the Spirit of God on him? Paul said, "If an angel
from heaven (in Galatians 1:8) would come and teach anything else, let
him be accursed." But the Angel of God and the power of God will always
recognize the Bible is right. Amen.
E-51 Here we are living in the
last days. Fundamentalism's sure going to seed. They know all the ins
and outs and all the Bible, just as good as Satan did when he quoted it
to Jesus. They did. They know it today. And they make fun of the signs
and wonders, saying the days of miracles is past, trying to sign orders
in cities and so forth to stop Divine healing and the power of God.
Why, brother, could you imagine trying to put out a fire on a windy day
and the wind high? My, oh, my. They tried to burn it out of a man one
time; they tried to feed it to lions; and the lions wouldn't eat it.
They tried to--tried to feed the Holy Ghost to a lion. Did you imagine
that? They put it in a vat of oil and tried to burn it up. And throwed
it in the fiery furnace, and it's still burning today, and will till
Jesus comes. Hallelujah. Right.
E-52 Oh, to see the day... Joel
said, "What the palmerworm left, the caterpillar eaten. What the
caterpillar left, the locust eaten." Oh, God's heritage is eaten down,
eaten down. What the Lutheran's left, the Baptist's eaten. What the
Baptist's left, the Methodist's eaten. What the Methodist's left, the
cater--the other caterpillar eaten: Nazarenes, Pilgrim Holiness, and
even the Pentecost. What a dark picture.
But God said, "I will restore, saith the Lord."
I come back from Africa. Brother Baxter and I, we were so tired. We
went way in northern British Columbia for a little while. And after a
meeting up there, to hunt a little while. We was back in the wilderness.
E-53 I'd been back there about
fifteen, sixteen days. One day I was chasing an old grizzly bear on my
horse, and I got lost. On the road back that night, I thought, "Lord,
what'd You let me get lost for?"
God always does everything perfect. And I wondered, "Why did I get
lost?" I couldn't understand it. Well, it got dark on me, and I was
following a little old deer trail. I thought if I'd get to a high
place, there's some clouds going over, and the moon would come out once
in a while. I thought if I got to a high place, then I could see. But
all looked about the same when I'd get to a high place.
E-54 So I crossed a little
branch, and I said, "Yeah, I remember this now." And I started on up.
My horse was tired. And there was a big old blow down there, a
burn-over where an old fire had went through years ago and burnt all
the trees and everything. Did you ever see an old burn-over? Great big
old stick sticking up, like that, old trees, that once was big trees,
standing there.
And the first thing you know, the moon came out from behind the clouds,
and if you ever seen a spooky looking place. Them great big old trees,
and they was just as slick, and bare, and white as they could be,
looked like tombstones. And about that time there come a wind, coming
down. And the wind went through them, it "Mmmmmmm. [Brother
Branham illustrates--Ed.]" I thought, "Oh, my. This sure is the
funniest place." I thought, "Lord, what did You bring me up here for?"
Seem like the Holy Ghost said, "Tie up your horse a minute; I'll tell
you."
So I got off my horse, tied him up, got down and prayed, went over and
set down on a log. I begin to study. And I thought this great beautiful
forest, I'd been winding my way through today, beating my way through
the timbers and things. And look at this was one time a great forest.
And look, it's all like great big tombstones, big old white trees, all
blistered.
E-55 And about that time, the
wind blowed again. It went, "Mmmmmmm." I thought, "How mournful."
And then the Holy Spirit begin to speak to me, said, "Them trees can
say, 'One time we were trees.' But why don't they act like trees now?
Because the life has been eat out of them, because the fires of time
has burned them down."
I thought, "Yes, Lord." That's about like some of these big old
churches around here: stuck up with a great big lot of steeple. One
time they had a big revival in the days of the Methodists. They had in
it the days of the Baptists. But, brother, the only thing they got now
is a great big bunch of mournful looking tombstones.
And when that rushing mighty wind comes out of heaven, it goes between
them; the only thing they do, holler, "Mmmmmm, oh, the days of miracles
is past, mmmmmm. Mmmmmmm, there is no such a thing as speaking in
tongues; that was just for the disciples, mmmmmm." And the wind a
blowing just as hard as it could, they couldn't give. They're dead.
E-56 "Why," I thought, "Lord,
what are You going to do about it?" And this Scripture come in my mind.
I said, "Someday I'll preach on that, Lord, if You give me words,
'cause I know that's what You're doing it for now." And I happened to
wonder, "Why, You send the wind if they're going to act like that?"
But I happened to look, and the Lord said, "I will restore." Way down
underneath them big old sparring pines there, where once was big trees,
full of frolic, out of there come a bunch of undergrowth (What the
world calls today, backwash. Oh, my.), a bunch of little pine trees
coming up. And when that wind hit them, they didn't just stand there
and go "Mmmmmm." They begin to frolic, and jump, and...?... I thought,
"Praise God, that God said, 'I will restore. I'll raise up a Church
that'll praise Me.'" Hallelujah. "Right out from under them, I'll bring
up another sort; I will restore, saith the Lord." Amen.
E-57 Then I thought, "Yes, that
looks like a good old pentecostal meeting." When the Holy Ghost began
to fall like a rushing mighty wind, signs and wonders begin to follow
it. The little trees with life in them can frolic, and give, and jump,
and rejoice, and praise God.
But the big old stiff starchy: "Ohhh, we don't believe in no such. It's
of the Devil. Mmmmmmm."
Oh, my. "I will restore, saith the Lord." What does a good old time
shaking do to the Church? It only loosens up the root, so it can go
deeper and firmer in the powers of the Lord. Hallelujah.
E-58 The rain follow, loosened
up and the leaves go forth. It's flexible; when the Spirit moves, it
moves with it. Flexible, back and forth, and frolic, and jump, and
carry on, like the Methodists used to be, like the Baptists used to do.
But they so...?...
The fires of persecution have burnt them, and the members has come in,
got ritualistic form, and ungodliness, and burnt the bark off of them.
And they're nothing but a dead bunch of representatives, only to groan,
and moan, and make a lot of fussing about something God's a doing.
E-59 But there's the undergrowth
coming up. "I will restore, saith the Lord. All that the disciples had,
I will restore. All that they did back there, I will restore, saith the
Lord."
I said, "Thank you, Lord." And I had a spasm, nearly, out there. My
horse like to run away. I jumped up on the log. I shouted. I screamed.
I run down a path. I jumped up-and-down, throwed my hat up in the air
and shot my gun up in the air, screamed. Somebody'd thought they had a
maniac out there.
What was it? "I will restore, saith the Lord." I was glad that that
Holy Ghost was moving in my heart right then. And it is now too. "I
will restore, saith the Lord."
E-60 Oh, that what the... They
took out a healing out of here. They took shouting out of here. They
took speaking in tongues out of here. They took prophecy out of here.
"But I will restore, saith the Lord." Amen. I feel religious. My, I
feel twice my size now.
[Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.] "I will restore, saith the
Lord." Do you see where the churches are? They're right up into the
vine, right up into the end time. Let's see. My, we got to close.
Do you love Him with all your heart? Are you glad that your spirit is
fresh today, that when the Lord sent the great big revival, somebody
comes to town, preaching the old fashion revival, you churches go
together, and the Lord just send the Holy Ghost and you're flexible,
just growing in the grace of God, moving on?
Let them moan and groan. See where they come from? "Oh," they say, "let
me tell you something here. I am a tree. I once stood..." Oh, yes, you
was. That's right. But you once was, but what are you now?
E-61 John Wesley, when he was
here in America, riding to pray for a sick woman one day, his horse
stumbled, and fell, and broke its leg. John took his anointing oil, and
anointed the horse, and said, "You made that horse the same as You made
me." Got on him, and rode it, and rode him away.
That's what the Methodists had, what your mother had long time ago. But
it's died out. "But I will restore, saith the Lord." God will send His
power. God will send somebody that will accept it.