Questions Et Réponses Sur Le Saint-Esprit
407-1 And
after last night we're just all filled up. I've heard the good reports
today of many who has received the Holy Ghost. And we're happy for it.
Happy to have Brother Graham with us tonight, one of our associates
here from the tabernacle, the pastor of the holiness church up in
Utica. And Brother Jackson, he was here last night, I believe it was;
or he's back here in the audience somewhere now, someone said. And yes,
I see Brother Jackson back in the audience now. And--and Brother
Ruddell, is he here tonight? That's another one of our associates out
here on "62." We're glad to have them in. And with our... Oh, Brother
Pat, and all these other brethren, we're--and out in the audience.
We're happy to have all of you here tonight.
407-3 Now, if
I would justify the thing, I'd bring some of them good preachers up
here to speak to you, because I'm hoarse just from having such a big
time last night.
Now, my wife, she's my correction; you know, brethren, what I'm talking
about. She said the people in the back last night couldn't hear me,
because I was speaking into this thing. And now, before I get started,
I'm going to try something. Now, I wonder if that's better. Okay. Is
that better way back in the back? Or is this better? Is this better?
Now, honey, that's one time I got a mark against you. Now, they say
that's better. All right. Oh, my. That's a woman. That's a good one,
'cause it's been a long time since I had one. She's usually right.
407-5 Well, we certainly had a--been having a great time on those three night's service; I did. And now, the tapes, all except last night... I called Brother Goad and told him to come take the tape for the tabernacle. But it happened to be that I understood that Billy Paul had his car and gone, so the tape wasn't took as far as I know. So we missed that one; I'd liked to kept it in the church for the sake of the church for someone say: what we believe.
408-6 Now,
tonight I'm going to speak on "The Great Conference," if I can get
through the questions in time. And then tomorrow morning is a healing
service. And we're going to pray for the sick. Therefore, we cannot
give out--or just go and say, "Now, I'm going to take you, and you, and
you." That wouldn't be right. But we give out a group of cards, and
somewhere along those cards, I call a few up on the platform. And then,
if the Holy Spirit starts revealing, then It goes out through the
audience and gets the people out in the audience for the healing
service. And then, tomorrow morning, I'll be speaking, the Lord
willing, just before the healing service.
I see my wife laughing. Honey, can't you hear me at all? Oh, you're
hearing me. Well, that's fine. She sets back in the back and if
it's--can't hear me, she shake her head, "You... Can't hear you, can't
hear you."
408-8 So then
tomorrow--tomorrow night is a evangelistic service with water baptism
service. And then, as soon as I get through preaching tomorrow night,
we'll pull back the curtains and have water baptism here tomorrow
night. If the Lord willing--if the Lord is willing, in the morning I
want--or tomorrow night I want to speak on the subject: "A--A Sign Was
Given." And then, if we're here Wednesday night, if the Lord permits me
to be here Wednesday night, I want to speak on the subject: "We Have
Seen His Star in the East and Have Come to Worship Him." Now, that's
just ere Christmas eve.
And then, immediately after Christmas is Christmas holiday week.
There's where we take all of the letters. Brother Mercier and them
usually gets them all out. And we lay them all out, and we pray over
these letters and ask the Lord to lead us to whereabouts through the
world that we'll be going.
408-10 Now,
the Christian Business Men has a great line up, that's to be in Florida
right away for their conference, go from there to Kingston, then over
to Haiti, and down to Puerto Rico, into South America, back up through
Mexico.
But the Lord seems to be leading me to Norway. I don't know why. You
know the little book called "Man Sent From God"? It's the biggest
religious publication in Norway. Think of it, what the Lord has did
there. And when I was there, they wouldn't let me lay hands on the
sick. I was there for three nights. And they wouldn't let me lay hands
on the sick. So you see what God can do. The crowds was so big they had
to take mounted police, horses, and ride the people out of the streets
so I could get up to the place. And I didn't lay hands on the sick. I
prayed for them though; let them lay hands on one another.
So... Yeah, I sure will. [Brother
Branham speaks with someone--Ed.]
Now, tomorrow morning... Now, tonight, maybe we'll just get into these
questions, because we've got some real good ones. And I don't know how
long the Lord will keep us on it. And then, tomorrow morning either
Billy Paul, Gene, or Leo, one, will be here to give out prayer cards at
8:00 till 8:30. Now, the out-of-town people, let me make it over again
so you won't forget. If you'd like to come into the line, we'd rather
have out-of-town people if possible.
409-13 Now, sometimes here in the church we get to a place where they say, "Well..." We get the out-of-town people, bring them up... Someone will say, "Well, I didn't know what was wrong with them. They might've been telling something wrong." Then you get people in town; they say, "Oh, you might've knew them." So... Then they say--it's been said, "Well, I'll tell you, it's prayer cards." Well, what about them that hasn't got prayer cards. And there's been day after day when it's...?... What'd say? [Brother Branham is asked to stand back from microphone--Ed.] Stand back from the mike? Now... Well, you know, I always preach the middle of the road. So maybe I'll just take it like that. Is that better? That's better, That's fine. I'll tell you what it is. Our--our public address system is very poor here, very poor. And we're not trying to get any better now, because we want the new tabernacle built right away. And then's when we'll have plenty of room (See?), if we can get around here and spread this place out a little larger, and put up some more places, and get ready for meetings when we have them here.
409-14 Now, remember, in the morning the boys, one or three of them will be giving out cards between 8:30--or 8:00 and 8:30. That gives a chance for everybody to get settled down. And I was speaking on about how they give out cards, why we do It. It's to keep order. See? Now, what if I come in here just like right now and said, "Let this woman, this woman, and that man, and this woman..." You see, that would be kinda--that'd be kinda hard. See? And then, if you... Many times I've did this. And if they're not too many in the morning, I may do the same thing. I'll say, "How many people here is from out of the city that's got something wrong with you, you stand up."
410-15 Brother
Mercier, you're coming to my rescue. You going to help me? [Brother
Mercier answers--Ed.] Oh,
you're coming... He's coming to his own rescue. I talked to your
girlfriend today. Now, you better be real good to me. All right. That's
good. I--I admire that courage, Brother Leo. When it's not right,
let's--let's get it as right as we know how to get it, the best that we
can.
So now, then just ask for the out-of-town people to raise up their
hands that's got something wrong with them. And then just stand there,
consecrate on one person till the Holy Spirit gets started, and take
the entire audience. How many's been here when they seen that done in
here? Sure. See, see? So it doesn't matter which way it is, It's just...
410-17 I want you to remember this; I'll try to go over it in the morning again. Gentiles, the Gospel that's given to them is a faith Gospel, not a works at all. See? Like I said last night. When the Holy Ghost fell at Pentecost, when they went down to the Jews (Acts 19:5), they had to lay hands on them that they receive It. And when they went down to the Samaritans, they had to lay hands on them. But when they come to the Gentiles at Cornelius' house, "While Peter spake these words..." No laying on of hands.
410-18 When
the little girl died, Jairus' daughter, the priest said, "Come lay
hands on her, and she'll live." But when the Roman centurion, the
Gentile, said. "I'm not worthy You come under my roof, speak the word."
That's it. See?
The Syrophenician woman, Greek actually what she was, when she--when
Jesus said to her, said, "It's not meet for Me to take the children's
bread and give it to the dogs." She said, "That's true, Lord; but the
dogs under the table eats the children's crumbs." He said, "For this
saying, the devil's left your daughter." Say good things then. Say
something good about somebody. Talk about Jesus. Say something loyal,
something real. That's the way to get rid of devils. He never said--He
never prayed for the girl. He never said one thing about her being
healed; He just said, "For this saying, for this saying..."
411-20 Hattie
Wright, the other day, she didn't ask for nothing. She was just setting
there, but she said the right thing, which pleased the Holy Spirit. And
the Holy Spirit spoke back and said, "Hattie, ask anything that you
will, whatever you got and you want. Find out whether this is real or
not. Ask anything (the healing of her little crippled sister setting
there all drawed up; ten thousand dollars to keep her from digging on
them hills over there; the youth restored to her well run-down body);
whatever you want to ask, you ask it right now. If It don't come and
give it to you right now, then I'm a false prophet."
That's--that's--that's something, isn't it?
Jesus said, "Say to this mountain..." And you've heard the--about
what's been taken place; that's the ministry that we're entering into.
We're way up the road now. Soon the coming of the Lord Jesus. And we've
got to have rapturing faith in a church that can be changed in a moment
in a twinkling of an eye to go out, or we'll not go. But don't worry,
it'll be there. It'll be there. And when the power of this church
rises, it'll bring its brethren; the power of that church rises will
bring its brethren; the power of that church will bring the other
brethren; then there'll be a general resurrection. We're looking
forward to it.
411-22 Now,
don't forget, prayer cards in the morning at 8 o'clock until 8:30. Then
I ask them whatever was in, then just quit giving out cards, and go on
back, and set down (See?), 'cause they'll have them all give out
perhaps by that time anyhow, or as many as we'll pull from there
somewhere. The boys will get up, mix all the cards up right before you,
then if you want one, you want one, or whatevermore like that... Then
when I come in, I'll just... Wherever the Lord says call from... And if
He said, "Don't call at all," I won't call them at all (See?), just
whatever it is.
And I'm... That ministry is just about fading out anyhow; there's
something greater coming in. Remember, that's where each time it's been
said across this platform or across this pulpit, and it never has
failed yet. You remember the ministry about the hand? See what it did?
The thoughts of the heart, see what it did? Now, watch this: speak the
Word, and see what It does. See? I told you here years ago--the church
(I'm talking to the tabernacle.)--years ago, three or four years ago,
something was fixing to materialize; it's fixing to take place. And
here it is now breaking right in to... It's shaping itself up. Now,
we're grateful for that. Oh, how thankful we are, just so glad.
412-24 Now, we got some very stiff questions here, and we want to get right into them. Someone looked at all these books I had. I said, "Well, a smart man only needs one." But I'm not a smart man. I have to have a lot of them to look into. Well, this is the "Diaglott," and this is a Bible, and this is a concordance. So it's a... We're just going to ask the Lord to help us and direct us to answer these questions just according to His Divine will and His Word.
412-25 So now,
let us bow our heads just a moment for prayer. Lord, we are grateful to
Thee from the very depths of our heart for what You have done for us in
these last three nights. Oh, to see the ministers meeting back there in
the room and shaking hands, and renewed faith, and--and a new step to
take, calling up on the phone. And our hearts rejoicing, and people
receiving the Holy Spirit after they have been--seen Your Word, how It
tells exactly step by step how to receive Your Holy Spirit. We are so
thankful for that, Lord.
You make things so simple to us, because we are a simple people. And we
pray, God, that--that You will let us completely make ourself always
simple. For it's... That's the kind that humbles himself shall be
exalted. And the wisdom of the world is foolishness unto God: that
pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save them which
were lost.
412-27 And
now, Father, there is here in my possession several questions that's
asked from sincere hearts that's concerned. And one of them answered
wrong might throw the person the wrong way, to throw the wrong light on
their question that's bothering them. So, Lord God, I pray that Your
Holy Spirit will move upon us and will reveal these things, for it's
written in the Scriptures, "Ask and you shall receive, and seek and you
shall find; knock and it shall be open unto thee." And that's what
we're doing now, Lord, knocking at Your door of mercy. Standing in the
shadow of Thy Divine justice, we plead for the Blood of the Christ of
God and for the Holy Spirit.
And we do not come tonight just because that we're off of that three
nights of preaching on the Holy Spirit; we come with the deepest of
reverence and sincerity. We come that as if this was the last night
we'd ever be on earth. We come believing that You'll answer our
prayers. And, Lord, we ask You now to satisfy us with Thy Eternal Life.
And in answering of Thy Word, may the Holy Spirit... O God, as we found
that it's Yourself among us, we pray that He will reveal to us tonight
the things that we desire. And we desire it only that our souls might
be at rest, and our minds at peace, and having faith in God to walk
forward to claim the blessings that He promised. We ask this in Jesus'
Name. Amen.
413-29 Now, I
have all the questions that was given me, except one. And I answered
the little Brother Martin who asked me a question night before last,
just one. There was many here last night, but it was prayer requests.
And Brother Martin asked me the question about John 3:16--or John 3, I
believe, about, "Except a man be born of water and of Spirit, he cannot
see the Kingdom," and compared it with a tape that I'd sent out on
Hebrews. And I met him in the back room here last evening, and--before
I got a chance to answer him, and then I did there on the subject.
Now, is there any here that wasn't here last night, let's see your
hands, that wasn't here last night. Oh, we sure wished you would've
been with us. We had such a glorious time. The Holy Spirit...
413-31 I might, just for a minute... It won't hurt. This is taped. And if any minister happens to--or person that happens to disagree on what I'm fixing to say now, or even in the questions, I ask, brother, that you will not think it strange, but that, remember that this tape is being made in our tabernacle here. We are teaching to our people. Many ministers of different faiths are setting around. And I would like to go into the subject again, for there's some of our people that could not get in last night that I see are in tonight. And I would like go through just a moment, if you'll permit it, upon what I spoke of last evening; and that was upon Pentecost, upon receiving the Holy Spirit.
413-32 Now, reading from the "Emphatic Diaglott" of the Greek translation, where I was at last evening, which is laying open before me now. That's the original translation from the Greek to the English. It doesn't go through other translators; it's--and other versions, it's right straight from the Greek to the English. Now, the English words, many times has such meanings to them, such as I'd say now, "board." Take that word "board." You'd say, "Well, he meant that we were boring him." No. "Oh, he--he paid his board." No. Well, he... "It's a board on the side of the house." Well, see? Or any of those... There's four or five different words could be used; you have to get the sentence. The word "see." "See" means "to understand," in English. "Sea" means "a body of water." "See" means "to look at." See? But on these translations, the word here used that I spoke of last night in Acts the 2nd chapter, where it says, "Tongues of fire set upon them..." I would like to just go back just a moment. Would you like to, just a moment, and kinda review it for a moment before we go any farther?
414-32 Now,
turn, you in your King James or whatever translation you're reading
from... And I want to read it. And listen real close now. Do not
misunderstand. Many today, even my sister, many of them called, said...
Mrs. Morgan... Many of them was in last evening. Mrs. Morgan is one of
our sisters that was given up; and she's on the dead list in Louisville
for sixteen, seventeen years ago with cancer. I think she's setting
back here again tonight. She could not hear, she said, because I was
speaking directly into the microphone. And for their sake I want to go
over this for a moment.
Now, I'm reading from this Scripture of Acts 2:
...
when the Day of Pentecost was Fully Come, they were all in one mind... (Now, I
like that better than one accord: 'cause you could be one accord upon
most any subject, but here their minds was the same.)...
one mind and in the same place.
And
suddenly there came a Sound from Heaven, like a violent Wind rushing;
and it filled the Whole House where they were sitting. (Not
kneeling, not praying, but sitting.)...
...
Divided Tongues... (T-o-n-g-u-e-s--tongues.
"Divided" means "parted.")... Tongues appeared unto them,
like Fire, and one... ("One,"
singular)... rested upon each one of them.
And
they were all filled... ("And,"
conjunction.)... all filled with the holy Spirit, and
begin to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Now
there were dwelling in Jerusalem, Jews, devout Men, out of Every Nation
under Heaven.
When
this was--and this report having been circulated, the Multitude came
together, and were perplexed, Because every one heard the--him speak in
his Own Language.
415-34 Now,
notice. When the fire came, it was tongues; when they were speaking, it
was language. Now, there is a vast different between tongues and
languages. To us it's all the same. But in Greek "tongue" means this [Brother
Branham illustrates--Ed.] ear's
this. See? That doesn't mean a language; it means the part of your body
that is a tongue. If you notice, it's translated tongues of fire which
means "like tongues," just like a lick of fire, a long blaze of fire.
Now, watch the emphasis now. And each one of those places now, don't
forget it.
Now, we're going to give a little drama tonight. And I'm going to leave
it up to you. Now remember, if anything is contrary, that's up to you.
But the only way that any person can ever get anything from God is by
faith. And before you can...
415-36 I've got to know what I'm doing before I can have faith in what I'm doing. Why'd you marry your wife? You had faith in her. You had tried her, watched her, seen what she come from, who she was. That's the way with the Scripture with God. That's what makes these visions, the--this Pillar of Fire, all these things; because God promised it. God said so. I've tested Him by His Word and know that It is the Truth. And you follow His Word. Then if there's a little confusion somewhere, then there's something wrong somewhere. 'Cause God (Listen.)--God never did or never will work out of His own--or contrary to His own laws. The winter won't come in the summer, and the summer won't come in the winter. The leaves won't fall off in the springtime and come on again in the fall. You just can't make it.
416-37 As I've
said last night about the artesian well, watering your crop. Or if
you're standing out here in the middle of a field, and it's black dark,
and you'd say, "Oh, great electricity, I know you're in the field. Now,
I'm lost, don't know where I'm going. Give light, so I can see how to
walk. There's enough electricity to light the field up." That's true.
Yes, sir. There's enough electricity in this room to light it without
even them lights, without that. But you have to govern it. Now, you
might scream to that till you couldn't scream no more; it'd never light
up. But if you work according to the laws of electricity, then you'll
get light.
Well, that's the same way it is by God. God is the great Creator of
heavens and earth, the same yesterday, today, and forever. He's still
God. But He'll only work as you follow His laws and instructions.
Friends, I say this: I've never seen it fail, and it won't.
416-39 Now,
let's notice. Jesus in Luke 24:49 had commissioned the apostles after
they had been saved and sanctified according to the Word; justified by
believing on the Lord Jesus; sanctified at John 17:17 when Jesus said,
"Sanctify them, Father, through the Truth. Thy Word is the Truth." And
He was the Word.
Now, gave them power to heal the sick, cast out devils, raise the dead;
and they come back rejoicing. And their names were on the Lamb's Book
of Life. You remember how we been through that now. But they wasn't yet
converted. Jesus told Peter the night of His crucifixion; He said,
"After you are converted, then strengthen your brethren."
416-41 The
Holy Spirit's what... You are believing unto Eternal Life, but when the
Holy Spirit comes, It is Eternal Life. You're believing unto... You're
begotten of the Spirit at sanctification, but never borned of the
Spirit until the Holy Ghost comes in. That's correct. A baby's got life
in the womb of the mother, little muscles are quivering; it's a life.
But it's a different life when it breathes the breath of life into its
nostrils. It's a different. That's what it is, it's...
My dear Methodist brother, and Pilgrim Holiness, and Nazarene, the
baptism of the Holy Ghost is different from sanctification.
Sanctification is the cleansing, which is preparation of life. But when
the Holy Ghost comes, It is Life. Preparation is cleaning the vessel;
the Holy Ghost is filling the vessel. "Sanctification" means "cleaned
and set aside for service." The Holy Spirit is put it in service. You
are the vessel that God's cleaned up.
417-43 And we
find out the Holy Ghost is God Himself in you. God was above you in the
Pillar of Fire with Moses. God was with you in Jesus Christ. Now God is
in you in the Holy Ghost: no three gods, one God working in three
offices.
God condescending, coming down from above man. He couldn't touch Him,
'cause he'd sinned in the garden of Eden and separated himself from His
fellowship. Then what happened? He had to be above him. Blood of bulls
and goats would not let Him fellowship with man again; but through laws
and ordinances, foreshadowing this time coming, of offering of
bullocks, and so forth, and sheep... Then when God came down and dwelt
in a sanctified body, virgin borned of a woman, that God Himself... You
know what God did? He--He did nothing but just... He placed His Tent
among ours. God dwelt in a Tent called Jesus Christ. He just pitched
His Tent with us, become... (I'll preach on that in the morning, so I
better leave it alone.) Now, that--how God tent--or dwelt with us...
417-45 And now
God is in us. Jesus said in John 14, "In that day you'll know that I'm
in the Father, the Father in Me, and I in you, and you in Me." God in
us... What was the purpose? To carry out His plan.
God had a plan. He wanted to work among men, and He brought it in the
Pillar of Fire, which was the mystic Fire that hung over the children
of Israel. Then that same Fire was made manifest in a body of Jesus.
And He said He was that Fire, "Before Abraham was, I AM." He was that
Fire. He said, "I come from God, and I go back to God." And after His
death, burial, and resurrection, St. Paul met Him on the road--when his
name was still Saul--on the road to Damascus, and He was again turned
back to that Pillar of Fire. A Light put his eyes out. That's right.
And here He is today, the same Pillar of Fire, same God doing the same
signs, the same works. Why? He's working among His people. He's in us.
I... He is with you now, "but I will be in you. I'll be with you, even
in you, to the end of the consummation," the end of the world. He'd be
with us.
418-48 Now, notice. Jesus had commissioned them to go up at Jerusalem and wait. The word "tarry" means "to wait," doesn't mean to pray, means "to wait." They was not fit subjects yet to preach, because they only knew His resurrection by His Person, of seeing Him outside. He--He commanded them not to preach anymore, not to do nothing until first they had been endued with power from on high. I don't believe that any preacher is sent of God or can be correctly ordained... Because God is infinite. And what God does once, He does all the time. Now, if God would not let them preach until they'd went to Pentecost and received the Pentecostal experience, no man, unless some deep desire of his own or some organization has commissioned him, has the rights to enter a pulpit until he has been filled with the Holy Ghost. That's exactly right. Because he's leading them by an intellectual conception of some organization until he's filled with the Holy Ghost; and then he is giving them the food of the Dove; The Lamb and the Dove, as we spoke of last evening.
418-49 Now,
notice. He said, "Go up to Jerusalem and there remain; just wait there
until I send the promise of the Father." And then what did they do?
There was one hundred and twenty of them, men and women. They went into
a upper room at the temple. Now, it was nearing the day of the feast of
Pentecost, from the cleansing of the sanctuary, the killing of the
Pascal lamb until the--the coming of Pentecost, which was the
firstfruits of the harvest, the jubilee, the Pentecostal jubilee. And
on the buildings...
Now, I've been in the countries. The oriental countries seldom had a
stairway inside. The stairway was outside. Outside the temple, we are
told, there was a stairway that led up to a little room way along: go
up, and up, and up, till you get up to a little room up there, like a
storage room in the top of the temple, some kind of a little room, an
upper room. And the Bible said that they were in there and the doors
was shut, because they were afraid of the Jews, because they'd pull
them apart for worshipping the Lord Jesus, after Caiaphas the high
priest, and Pontius Pilate, and them had put Him to death. So they were
going to get rid of all the so-called Christians. And the doors were
shut, and they were waiting.
419-51 Now, in
those rooms like that, there is no windows. Windows was little barred
things with doors like, you pulled open. In those rooms are little
grease lamps that hangs down and burn... If you're ever in California
at Clifton's Cafeteria, go down in the basement, and you'll find one of
the very similar kind, of the upper room. Have you ever been there? How
many in here has been there? I see people nod your head. Well, you know
what I'm speaking of. All right. Go down there, and you'll see the
garden of Gethsemane; before you do, you'll go into one of those
oriental rooms. That's exactly true. There you find a little lamp full
of olive oil with a little wool wick laying in it, burning.
Now, let's say they were up there, climbing around on this outside.
They got up there and hid themselves, because they were afraid of the
Jews. Jesus didn't tell them to go to the upper room. He just said,
"Wait at Jerusalem." If they were down here in a house, hard to tell
what would take place. They'd come in and get them. So they went to a
little old room in the upstairs, way up there in the attic, and there
barred the room down so the Jews couldn't get in to them. And they set
there waiting for ten days.
419-53 Now,
now, we're in Acts 1. Now, listen close now. You got the picture?
Outside the building the little stairway went up, and they went into
this little room. Down in the temple they were having the feast of
Pentecost. Oh, there was a great time going on. Now, when the day of
Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one mind, one mind,
believing that God was going to send that promise. And let every person
in here get in that same mind tonight and see what takes place. It's
got to repeat. It's a promise just the same as they had. See?
What were they doing? Following the instructions, following
the--the--the laws of God: "Wait until..."
419-55 Now,
they were scared of the Jews. Now, remember that. They were afraid of
the Jews. And now, all of a sudden there came a sound like a rushing
wind. It was no rushing wind; it was like a rushing wind. I'll read the
comments just in a few minutes on the translator. It was like a rushing
wind. In other words, it was a supernatural wind, oh, something they
could feel. The wind was inside them. There come a--a rushing wind,
like as a rushing wind. The wind wasn't rushing, but it just sounded
like a rushing wind, like something going [Brother
Branham makes a sound of wind--Ed.] Did you
ever feel it? Oh, my. Like a rushing wind. Now watch. And it filled...
Now, in here it said "all the," but in the Greek it said "the
Whole--(Capital-W-h-o-l-e)--the Whole House," everywhere in there.
Every crack, corner, and crevice seemed to be full of it.
Not say, "Say, brethren, do you feel what I feel?" No. It was all over,
like a rushing wind. Now, watch. "There came a sound as a rushing
mighty wind and (Conjunction, now watch them "and's." If you don't, you
make It say something It doesn't say. See?)--and like (that's what
taken place first was a sound, something like a--a rushing wind come
over them)--and (You remember, last night I went to the grocery and
bought a loaf of bread and some meat. That's something went with it.
The bread's one thing; the meat's another. And the sound was one thing
that struck them)--and there appeared unto them (before them),
tongues--divided tongues."
420-56 Did anybody in here ever see Cecil DeMille's "Ten Commandments"? Did you notice when the commandments was being written? How he caught it, I didn't know. There was two or three things that I seen in it that I really liked. First thing is that emerald light, that's exactly what It looks like. See? Another thing was when the commandment was written, and after it was over, did you notice flying away from that big Pillar of Fire, there was little licks of fire flying away? Did you notice that? Now, that's what I think this was at Pentecost. There appeared unto them, so they could see It. It didn't say, "There fell in them." But there appeared unto them licks (we'll call it), tongues, like tongue like this tongue here [Brother Branham demonstrates--Ed.], shape of the tongue, lick of fire. Now, ear--as I said, ear is ear; finger is finger. Finger don't mean you felt it; it mean it looked like a finger. And if it was a ear, it didn't mean they heard it; it looked like an ear. This was fire that looked like a tongue, not someone speaking, a fire that looked like a tongue.
420-57 Now,
listen. Watch how the Greek reads it here:
And
suddenly there came a Sound... like a rushing mighty Wind... (The
3rd--the 3rd verse.)
And
Divided Tongues appeared to them,... (Not
divided tongues was in them, or they was speaking with a divided
tongue; it was a divided tongues appeared to them. Now, watch. It's not
on them yet. It's there in the room, circling around like in this wind.)...
to them, like Fire--Divided Tongues appeared to them,...(That's
before them.)... like Fire,... (tongues
like fire)... and one... (Singular)...
rested on each one of them. (Not went
in them; but rested on them.)
Now, see how the King James would throw that off: "And cloven tongues
come upon them, or rested (How does it read in the King James
there?)--sat upon them." See? Now, it couldn't go up there and set
down. We know that. But the original said, "It rested upon them," I
believe; isn't it? Let me get it exactly true. Yeah! "... rested upon
each one of them." One tongue of fire rested upon each one of them. See
there? Do you get it? That's the second thing taken place. First was a
wind, then the appearing of tongues of fire.
421-59 It was
in this little room here with these little grease lamps burning. Think
of them setting up there. And one says, "Oh." He looked all over the
building; it was all over the building. Then they said, "Look." Tongues
of fire begin to--coming around the building. Now, watch. And there
appeared these tongues of fire. Now, watch the next:
And... (Another
conjunction; something else happened.)... they were all
filled with the Holy Ghost,... (Second
thing taken place.)
Now see, we want to change that around saying, "They had tongues of
fire, and here jabbering around; and then went out and begin to speak
with a unknown tongue." There's no such a thing as that in the
Scriptures, friend. Anyone that speaks with an unknown tongue upon
receiving the Holy Ghost does it contrary to the Bible. And I'm going
to show to you in a few minutes and prove to you I believe in speaking
in unknown tongues, but not receiving the Holy Ghost. That's a gift of
the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is a Spirit.
421-61 Now,
watch. These tongues were in the room like fire, and it set upon each.
Then they were filled with the Holy Ghost (second thing), and then,
after they were filled with the Holy Ghost, spake with tongues, not
with tongues, with languages. Did you notice that? They begin to speak
with other languages as the Spirit gave them to utter. Now, this was
noised abroad.
Now, watch. Now, let's get the illustration again so you won't forget
it now. According to Scripture, in the upper room waiting, suddenly a
sound like a rushing wind, that was upon them; that was the Holy
Spirit... How many believes that that was the appearing of the Holy
Spirit? Like a wind, a supernatural wind. Then they noticed. And out in
there was little tongues of fire, a hundred and twenty of them, and
begin to settle down and set upon each of them. What was it? What was
it? The Pillar of Fire, which was God Himself dividing Himself among
His people, coming into the people. Jesus had the whole thing; He had
the Spirit without measure; we get It by measure (You see what I
mean?), 'cause we're adopted children. His Life--His Eternal Life was
coming in. Now, what happened? Then they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost.
422-63 Now, I
want to ask you something. When was the rumor started? If they had to
come out of that upper room to go down that steps and get out into the
palace courts--or out into the--to the temple courts, which was
probably a city block from where they were at, upstairs and down, out
in the courts where all the people were gathered together... And they
come out of there drunken-like on the Spirit. For the people said,
"These men are full of new wine." They never seen anything like it.
And each one was trying to say, "The Holy Spirit has come. The promise
of God is upon me. I--I've been filled with the Spirit." And him being
a Galilean, the men that he was speaking to, an Arab or Persian, heard
him in his own language.
"How hear we (not an unknown tongue)--how hear we every man in the
tongue wherein we were born. Are not all of these that's speaking are
Galileans?" And was perhaps speaking Galilean... But when they heard
it, it was in the language they were borned in. If not so, I want you
to ask me--answer this question: How was it that Peter got up there and
spoke in Galilean, and the whole bunch heard what he was saying? Three
thousand souls came to Christ right there and Peter speaking in one
language. Sure. It was God performing a miracle. Peter, to the same
audience that were made up of dwellers of Mesopotamia, and strangers,
and proselytes, and everything from all over the whole world was
standing there... And Peter standing and preaching in one language, and
every man heard him, for three thousand repented and was baptized in
the Name of Jesus Christ right away. How is that?
423-66 See,
friends, I can't expect my denominational, Pentecostal brother to
accept that right now. But you trace that through the Bible and tell me
any time where they ever received the Holy Ghost and spoke in a tongue
that they didn't know what they were speaking in. And if that's the way
they got it there, the sovereign God... It has to happen every time the
same way.
Now, I cannot... Now, at the house of Corne... We remember, when we
went down to Samaria, last night, we found out there wasn't one thing
recorded about them hearing in any other tongue, nothing said about it.
But when they went to the house of Cornelius, where there were three
different nationalities of people, they spoke in tongues. And when they
did, if they did, they got It, Peter said, the same way they got It at
the beginning. And they knowed the Gentiles had received grace from
God, because they had received the Holy Ghost just like they did at the
beginning. I've got a question here, something on that in a few
minutes. I wanted to lay the foundation, so you'll see what it is.
423-68 Now, I
can't expect people who's been taught different... And listen to me, my
dear precious Pentecostal brethren. I wouldn't teach this outside. This
is... I wouldn't do nothing to cause controversy. But if we don't get
the truth, when we going to get started? We've got to have something to
take place here to straighten us out. We got to get rapturing grace
here now. Truth has to come forth.
What would a man do if he was deaf, and dumb, and couldn't speak at
all? Could he receive the Holy Ghost? What if he had no tongue to begin
with, and the poor fellow wanted to be saved? See? If the Holy Spirit
is a baptism... And then, all these gifts like speaking in tongues,
interpretation of tongues, it's after you come into the body by the
baptism of the Holy Ghost. For those gifts are in the body of Christ.
424-70 Now, the reason I say... Now, look here. Could you expect the Catholic church, which was the first organized church in the world after the apostles... Then the Catholic church was organized, oh, several hundred years after the death of the last apostle, some six hundred and--years after the apostle, right after the Nicene Council, when the Nicene fathers got together and organized; then they put the universal church, which was Catholic church. In there they made up a world church. And the word catholic means "universal"; that's everywhere. They... Roman--pagan Rome was converted to papal Rome. And they set up a pope to be the head to take the place of Peter, which they thought and said that Jesus gave the keys to the Kingdom. And that pope was infallible, and is yet today to the Catholic church. That... His word is law and order. He's the infallible pope. That went through.
424-71 And
then, because that they would not agree with this Catholic doctrine,
they were put to death, burnt to the stake, and everything else. We all
know that through the sacred writings of Josephus, and the Foxe's "Book
of the Martyrs," and many of the other sacred... Hislop's "Two
Babylons," and the--the great histories. Then, it--after fifteen
hundred years, as we know, of dark ages, the Bible was taken from the
people. And It was--It was hid by a little monk, and so forth; we
understand.
Then after that come the first reformation which was Martin Luther. And
he stepped out and said that the communion that the Catholic called the
body--literal body of Christ, it only represented the body of Christ.
And he throwed the communion on the altar rail, or on the steps, and
refused to call it the literal body of Christ, and preached, "The just
shall live by faith." Now, you can't expect the Catholic church to
agree with him, certainly not, when their infallible head tells them
no. All right.
424-73 Then
after Martin Luther, preaching justification, John Wesley come along
preaching sanctification. And he preached that a man, after being
justified... It's all right--but you've got to be sanctified, cleansed,
the root of evil taken out of you by the Blood of Jesus. Now, you can't
expect the Lutherans to preach sanctification, 'cause they're not going
to do it.
After Wesley preached Sanctification, and many little break-offs from
it, which come the Wesleyan Methodist, and the Nazarene, and so forth,
which kept the fire burning through their age, then come along
Pentecost and said, "Why, the Holy Ghost is the baptism, and we speak
with tongues as getting It." Sure. Then when that come along, you
couldn't expect the Nazarenes, and the Wesleyan Methodists, and so
forth to believe that. They wouldn't do it. They called it the devil.
All right. What happened? They begin to falling; Pentecost begin
rising. Now it's rose to a place till Pentecost has got its shaking.
It's organized and went out, don't accept nothing else. They got their
own rules and regulations, and that settles it.
425-75 Now,
when the Holy Spirit comes in and reveals the truth of anything and
proves it by His own Presence and by His Word, you can't expect the
Pentecostal people to say, "I'll agree with it." You've got to stand
alone like Luther did, like Wesley did, and like the rest of them did.
You got to stand on that, because the hour is here. And that's what
makes me an ugly duckling. That's what makes me different.
And I can't get started like my precious Brother Oral Roberts, and
Tommy Osborn, Tommy Hicks, and them, because the churches won't agree
with me. They say, "He believes in eternal security. He's a Baptist; He
don't believe in speaking in tongues as initial evidence of the Holy
Ghost. Get away from that guy." See?
425-77 But come face to face with it. Face it down. They can face the Lutherans, the--the Methodist can. The Pentecostal can face the Methodists; I can face the Pentecostal with it. It's exactly right. It's true. Why is it? We're walking in the Light as He is in the Light. See? We're moving up the King's highway, and farther it comes, more grace is given, more power is given, more supernatural is given. And there we are. This is the hour to where the Holy Spirit has come down in the form of a Light like He was at the beginning, a Pillar of Fire, and has manifested Himself, doing the very same things that He did when He was here on earth. And Jesus said, "How do you know whether they're right or not? By their fruits you shall know them. He that believeth in Me, the works that I do shall he do also. These signs shall follow them that believe."
425-78 Now, my Pentecostal brethren. I'm with you. I'm one of you. I've got the Holy Ghost. I have spoke in tongues, but I didn't get it upon receiving the Holy Ghost. I got the baptism of the Holy Ghost; I spoke in tongues, prophesied, had gifts of the knowledge, wisdom, interpretations, and everything happening. But I'm subject to any of those things, because now I'm a child of God. The power, the Fire of God is in my soul; that tongue of Fire that set up--come on the inside of me and burnt out everything that was contrary to God, and now I'm led by His Spirit. He can say, "Go here," and I'll go. "Go here"; I'll go. "Speak here"; I'll speak. "And do this, that, and the other." There you are, just like... You're led by the Spirit. That's God in you, working His will. No matter what it is, He's working His will.
426-79 Now,
listen. Let me see--read here before we start the questions on the
lexicon here. Now, from Vatican Translation, Volume 7, 190-1205:
"It
is difficult to determine whether it was the voice of those people
speaking in a foreign language; or the report or rumor of the
transaction of the supernatural wind rushing that excited the crowd...
They couldn't understand it. Now, watch. Whether it was the people...
I'll just illustrate. Here's a bunch of poor, ragged Galileans. And
here they are out there in the street. They never seen anything like
it: their hands up in the air, come from that upper room, down them
steps, out into there, just filled; they never spoke yet. See? Here
they come down through there. And now, let's say they was out there
staggering around in this. And the people said... A Greek run up to me
and say... I speak Galilean.
You run up to me and say, "And what's the matter with you, boy?"
"I've been filled with the Holy Ghost. The power of God fell up there
in that room. Something happened to me. Oh, glory to God." And another
one over here, he was talking to a Arab, and him a Galilean saying
Arab--Arab language.
Now, they can't tell, was it the rushing wind that drawed the people
together when the multitude came together, or was it speaking in the
foreign language that they were speaking? Now, the Bible doesn't
exactly... You've got two things you can watch. It was it... The--the
outsider said, "How is it that we hear every man in our own tongue
wherein we were born?" It did not say that they were speaking it, but
they were hearing it.
427-83 Then
the same group, the same people... Explain this. Peter jumped upon
something and said, "Ye men of Galilee, and you that dwell in
Jerusalem, let this be known to you (people said they didn't have
Galilean language)--let this be known unto you and hearken to my words
(what for--what language was he was speaking in to all of them?); why,
these are not drunk as you suppose, seeing it's the third hour of the
day, but this is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel: 'And it
shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I'll pour out My Spirit
upon all flesh, Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.'" On and
on he went; he said, "You with wicked hands have crucified the innocent
Son of God. David had spoke of Him, 'would not leave His soul in hell,
neither will He suffer His ho--suffer His holy One to see corruption.'"
And said, "Let it be known unto you that God's made this same Jesus Who
you crucified both Lord and Christ." And when they heard this... Amen.
Who? Every man under the heavens. What was taking place? He wasn't
saying, "Now, I'll speak in Galilean; I'll speak in this; and I'll
speak in this...?...
While Peter spake these words, they said, "Men and brethren, what can
we do to be saved?" And Peter give them the formula. That's the way it
always happens. See?
427-85 It's
moving up, pressing into God, close walk. How do you know? Well now,
when Luther received justification, he called that the Holy Ghost; It
was. God dipped a little of It in. Then He said what? Wesley received
sanctification, and said, "Boy, when you shout, you've got It." But lot
of them shouted that didn't have It. When Pentecost spoke in tongues,
unknown tongues, they said, "Boy, you've got It." But lot of them
didn't have It. There's no such things as them signs of knowing that.
"The only way you know a tree," Jesus said, "is by the fruit that it
bears," the works of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit. Then when you
see a person that's filled with power, that's filled with the Holy
Ghost, then you see a life that's changed. You see these signs
following them that believe: "In My Name they shall cast out devils,
speak with new tongues. If a snake would bite them, it wouldn't hurt
them. If they'd have had a deadly thing, drinking, it wouldn't kill
them. They'd lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." My. These
kind of signs follows them that believe. But how do you get into it?
Them gifts are in the body. How do you get in the body? Not by speaking
your way in; but by baptized into one body (I Corinthians 12:13). One
Spirit we're all baptized into that body and subject to all the gifts.
The Lord bless you.
Now, if someone should hear this tape or someone here would disagree,
remember, do it friendly, brother, 'cause I love you.
428-Q-93 The
first question tonight:
93. Brother Branham, I think television is a curse to the world. What
do you think about it?
Well, ever who wrote it, I'm going to agree with you. They have made it
a curse to the world. It could be a blessing to the world, but they've
made it a curse. Anything like that, my dear people, is what you look
at yourself. If television is a curse, then the newspaper is a curse,
then the radio is a curse, and many time the telephone is. See, see,
see, see? It's what you make out of it. But being that the brother said
the other night, that there's hardly any programs on the television
anymore; that's too much money. A poor preachers that preaches the Full
Gospel can't afford a program on the television. So therefore...
Brother said the other night, I believe, somewhere, said, "Dust off
your radio," or somebody, or, "Bring it back out of the corner and
listen to them programs." That's right.
428-88 But, dear person, ever who you are, I certainly agree with you. It's become one of the most damnable things to the human race. In there they take all this here money that should go to the government for taxes, and put it off in advertising on all this cigarette and whiskey programs and things like that and write it off the government's taxes; and then they come around and get preachers and pull them through the court to get a little money out of them. I agree with you; it's an awful thing. Now, that's not... You know, it's just something you find. Thank you, sister, brother, ever who you was that asked that.
429-Q-94 Now,
here's a good one. Question.
94. There is places in the Bible such as I Samuel 18:10, which says an
evil spirit from God did things. I do not understand an "evil spirit
from God." Please explain this.
Well, maybe by the help of the Lord, I can. It doesn't mean that God is
an evil spirit. But every spirit of everything is subject to God. And
He makes everything work according to what He will. See?
Now, on your question, you're talking about the evil spirit that went
out from God to torment Saul. He was in a moody, broke-down
shape--condition, because, first place, he was backslid. And when you
backslide, an evil spirit--God will permit an evil spirit to torment
you.
429-91 I would
like to read to you something in--in a moment. I've got another thought
on it here. See? Every spirit has to be subject to God. Do you remember
when Jehoshaphat and Ahab was going out to war? And the first thing you
know, there was a--they was set up in the gates. And Jehoshaphat was a
righteous man, and he said (The two kings set there, and they joined
their forces together.)--and so he said, "Let's consult the Lord about
whether we go out or not."
And Ahab went and got four hundred prophets that he'd, all, kept them
fed and fattened and everything; they were in good shape. And they come
up there, and they all prophesied with one accord, said, "Go up, and
God will give you the victory. Go Up to Ramoth-gilead and there God
will take the thing for you." One of them made himself a pair of horns
and begin to run around as an illustration, said, "By these iron horns,
you'll push them plumb out of the country; belongs to you."
429-93 But you
know, there's something about a man of God that just don't go for all
of that. See? If it don't ring out with the Scripture, there's
something wrong. Any true believer... So Jehoshaphat said, "Well, them
four hundred looks all right. They look like good men."
"Oh, they are," perhaps Ahab said.
But Jehoshaphat said, "Haven't you got one more?" Why one more when
you've got four hundred with one accord? 'Cause he knowed there was
something that didn't sound just right. See?
He said, "Yes, we have got one more, the son of Imlah up here," said,
"but I hate him." Sure. He'll close his church any time he can. He'll
run him out of the country. See? "Sure, I hate him."
"Why do you hate him?"
"He's always prophesying evil against me." I believe Jehoshaphat knowed
right then there was--something wasn't right.
So he said, "Go up and get Micaiah." So they went up after him, and
here he come down...
So when they went up, they sent a messenger and said, "Now, wait a
minute. Now, they've got four hundred Doctors of Divinity down there.
They're the best there is in the country, with Ph-double-LD's, and
everything." Said, "Now, you know, you poor little unlearned man,
you're not going to disagree with all that clergy."
430-94 Imlah
said this, or I mean, Micaiah said this: "I'll not say nothing till God
puts it in my mouth, and then I'll say exactly what He says." I like
that. I like that. In other words, "I'll stay with the Word," no matter
what the rest of them said.
He said, "Well," said, "I'm telling you. If you want to be throwed out,
you'd better say the same thing."
So he went down there. And he said, "Shall I go up?"
He said, "Go ahead." Said, "Give me tonight. Let me talk it over with
the Lord." I like that. So that night the Lord appeared to him, and the
next day he go up. And he said, as was going up, he said, "Go ahead;
but I seen Israel like sheep without a shepherd, scattered on the
hills." Oh, my. That let the wind out of him.
And he said, "Didn't I tell you? I knowed it. That's exactly the way he
does all time, saying something evil against me."
Why? He was staying with the Word. Why? A prophet before him, the Word
of God coming from Elijah, the real prophet, he said, "Because you shed
the blood of innocent Naboth, the dog's will lick your blood too." And
he told him evil. Elijah had done went to heaven. But he knowed that
Elijah had the Word of God, so he stayed with the Word. I like that.
Stay with the Word.
430-96 If the
Bible said Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever; His
power is yet the same; the Holy Ghost is for whosoever will let him
come, stay with the Word. Yes, sir. No matter what the rest of them
say, how well fed and how many schools they've went through, that has
nothing to do with it. So then he said...
This great big fellow with the horns on his head, going to push it--the
country out from beyond the king, he walked up and smacked him in the
mouth (this little preacher). He knowed he was just a little
holy-roller so there wasn't nothing would be said about it, so he just
smacked him in the mouth. He said, "I want to ask you something." Said,
"Which way did the Spirit of God go when It went out of me if you got
It?" He said, "You'll understand when you're setting in the cage out
yonder as a captive."
431-97 He said, "I seen God setting on a throne (Amen. Now, listen.), and the host of heaven was gathered around Him." What was the matter? His prophet had already said what was going to happen to Ahab. God... That wasn't Elijah said that; that was the anointed prophet. That was the Word of the Lord: THUS SAITH THE LORD. And Micaiah said, "I seen all the host of heaven gathered around God in a great conference. And they were talking one with another. And the Lord said, 'Who can We get to go down--which one of you can go down and deceive Ahab, to get him out there to fulfill the Word of God, to get him shot? Who can we get to go down?'"
431-98 Well,
the one was saying this one or that one. And after while, a evil
spirit, a lying spirit come up from underneath and said, "If you'll
just permit me. I'm a lying spirit. I'll go down and get in all them
preachers, 'cause they haven't got the Holy Ghost; and I'll make them
(They're just school-trained boys.)--and I'll go down, and get in every
one of them, and deceive them, and make them prophesy a lie." Did he
say it? And he said, "That's the way we'll deceive." So he went down.
He said--God said, "You have My permission to go."
And he went down and got into those false prophets, school-trained
ministry, and made them prophesy a lie. It was a lying spirit working
to the will of God.
431-99 Let
me... Just something else you might... See here, just a minute. Watch
this. I want you to turn with me to I Corinthians the 5th chapter, the
1st verse, just a minute. I Corinthians... And watch this if you want
to see something of God making something--how that those evil spirits,
how that they'll--they'll move... All right, Paul speaking:
It
is reported commonly that there's fornications among you, and such
fornications that it is not... named among the Gentiles,... (What do
you think about that amongst the church?)... that One
should have his father's wife.
And
ye are puffed up, and have not... (Let's see.
I believe I turned two pages at...)... You are... And you
are Puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that... (Now, wait
a minute here. Am I... Yeah, that's right. Yeah.)...
mourned... (That's it.)...
puffed up, and have not... mourned, that he that has done this deed
might be taken away from among you.
432-100 I'm--don't
know. I don't believe that anyone would say unto this or cutting back,
but I'm only defending what I believe on: If a man is once filled with
the Spirit he cannot lose It. See, see?
For
I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged
already, as though I were present, concerning him that has so done this
deed,
In
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, and
my spirit, with the power of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To
deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that
the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
God, telling the holy church, which is His body here on earth, that
(Now, this is after the Old Testament, in the New.)--telling a man that
was so filthy and dirty amongst the people that he lived with his own
father's wife... Said, "Such a thing in the body of Christ... You,
church, turn him over to the devil for the destruction..." See? God
permits the... And when He got something He has to see done to put a
whip on somebody, He'll turn an evil spirit loose on them so that
they'll torment that person and bring them back. Now, we find out this
man after...
432-102 That's
what's the matter with the churches today. When a man comes into the
body of Christ and becomes one of the members and starts doing evil,
instead of you all getting together and doing this very same thing...
And you, Branham Tabernacle, do that. Because as long as you're holding
him up, he's under the Blood. And he just keeps doing the same old
thing over and over and over all the time. You get together and turn
him over to the devil for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit
is--like--might be saved in the day of the Lord. And watch the whip of
God come in. Watch the devil take ahold of him. That's a evil spirit
gets him.
And this boy here straightened out. He come back. We find out in II
Corinthians where he really cleaned up before God.
Look at Job, a perfect man, a just man. And God permitted the evil
Devil to come upon him, and chastise him, and everything else for the
perfecting of his spirit. See? So evil spirits has... God uses evil
spirits many times to work out His plan and His will,
433-Q-95 Now,
here's one that's really a sticker. Question... I think it's the same
person, 'cause it looks like the same handwrite:
95. If a person must have the Holy Ghost to be--have the Holy Ghost to
be converted and to go in the rapture, what will be the state of
children that have died before the years of accountability? And when
will they rise?
Now, my brother, sister, I cannot tell you that. There's no Scripture
on it in the Bible as I can find anywhere. But I can express my
thoughts. Now, this'll strengthen you that believes in grace of God.
You see, the person wants to know (which is a very good question.
See?)--the person wants to know what resurrection, what will happen to
a baby, that if he has to have the Holy Ghost in order to go in the
rapture... As I have said, that's right. That's according to the Bible.
That's the teaching of the Scripture. Not to--not to go to heaven...
Because the Holy Ghost filled people is the first resurrection the
Elect. And the remnant of those... The rest of the dead live not for a
thousand years. After the millennium, then the second resurrection, the
great white throne judgment. See? That's exactly Bible order.
But this person wants to know what about these babies. They... In other
words, did they have the Holy Ghost before they were born? Did they
receive It? Now, that I cannot tell you.
434-106 But
now, let us say like this. We know that babies that die, regardless of
their parent, they are saved. Now, I disagree with the school of
prophets on that. They said if it was--died with a parent that was
sinful, that that baby would go to hell, rot away; there'd be no more
to it. Well, Jesus... John said when Jesus come, "Behold the Lamb of
God that take away the sin of the world." And if that baby was a human
being, which would have to come under the judgments of God, and Jesus
died to take away the sin, all sin was expelled before God when Jesus
died for that purpose. Your sins were forgiven. My sins were forgiven.
And the only way that you can ever be forgiven is to accept His pardon.
Now, the baby cannot accept its pardon, so it hasn't done nothing. It
hasn't done nothing at all. So it is absolutely freely to go to heaven.
But you will say, "Will they go in the rapture?" Now--now, this is my
own word; this is my thought now. Don't... I can't prove this by the
Bible. But look. If God before the foundation of the world knew every
human being would ever be on earth... Do you believe that? He knowed
every gnat, every flea, every fly; He knowed everything that would ever
be on the earth. If He knowed that...
434-108 Look.
Let's take for instance, Moses. When Moses was born, he was a prophet.
Before Jeremiah... God told Jeremiah, "Before you was even formed in
your mother's womb, before you was ever formed in her womb, I knew you,
and sanctified you, and ordained you a prophet to the nations, John the
Baptist, 712 years before he was born, Isaiah saw him in a vision,
said, "He's the voice of one crying in the wilderness."
The predestination or the foreknowledge of God knows all about the
little babies (See?), what they were to do. And He knowed they would
die. He knowed. Nothing can happen without God knowing about it.
Nothing can happen to... Just like the Good Shepherd, how He goes in...
Now, to take this by Scripture, I couldn't say the Scripture says
so-and-so. I'm just taking it for my thought.
434-Q-96 Now,
the next question is one I think that maybe someone was--what I said
the other night.
96. Explain a wife being saved by bearing a child.
The wife isn't saved by bearing a child. But let's turn now to I
Timothy 2:8 just a minute. And let's just find out what the Bible says
about the child. Now, I realize that's a Catholic doctrine, that the
Catholic says the woman is saved in childbearing, by bearing a child.
But let's not... I don't believe that. I Timothy the 2nd chapter, and
let's begin at the 8th verse and read just a moment now. All right,
listen.
In
like manner also, that your women adore themselves in modest apparel... (We
oughtn't to ask that, should we? Listen at this.)... with
shamefacedness... (Whew.)...
and sobriety; not with broiding her hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly
array; (Brethren,
I'm helping you here; I hope. All these new bonnets every day or three
days you see. That ain't become Christians.)
But (which
becometh women Professing godliness) with
good works.
Let
your women learn in silence with all subjections.
But
I suffer not a woman to teach, or to usurp authority over... men, but
to be... silent.
For
Adam was first formed, and then Eve. Adam was not deceived, but the
woman being deceived was in the transgression.
Notwithstanding
she shall be saved in childbearing, if... (Now, He's
not talking to the woman of the world, having babies.)...
if she continues in faith...(See? If
she continues. She's already... That's the woman he's talking about,
the woman that's already saved. See?)... and charity and
holiness with all sobriety.
435-111 Not by
having a baby makes her saved, but because that she is raising
children, doing her duty, not raising cats, dogs, and whatmore to take
the place of a child, as they do today, giving it a mother's love so
that she can go out and run around all night. Some people do that.
Sorry, but they do it. That's awful rude for me to say, but the truth
is the truth. See? They don't want a baby to be tied down with it. But
in childbearing, if she continues in faith, holiness, and all sobriety,
she'll be saved. But the "if" is, you shall be saved too, "if" you're
borned again. You shall--you can be healed "if" you believe. You can
receive the Holy Ghost "if" you believe It, get ready for It, "if" you
are ready for It. And she shall be saved "if" she keeps doing these
things (See?), but not because she's a woman. So that's right, brother,
sister. It isn't a Catholic teaching at all.
Now, I want... Here's another one which is a very sticky one. Then
we've got one more. I think maybe we have time for it. I just took up
our time. Now, this is just--this is just the aftereffects of the
revival. This is the aftereffects of the meeting, these questions.
436-Q-97 97.
Now, Brother Branham (typewritten), is it Scripture for a person to
speak in tongues and to interpret his own message? If so, please
explain I Corinthians--or Corinthians 14:19 and also Corinthians 14:27.
All right, let's go over to that Scripture and see what it says. And
then we'll see whether we keep this Scriptural. We want to always be
Scriptural. In Corinthians 14... Now, the person wants to know if it's
Scriptural for a man to interpret his own message that he spoke in
tongues. "If so, explain Corinthians 14:19." Now, let's see, 14 and 19.
All right, here we are.
Yet
in the churches I... rather speak five words with my understanding,
that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand... in...
unknown tongues.
Now, the next one is the 27th verse, they want to know.
If
any man speaks in a unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at... most by
three, and that by courses; and let one interpret.
436-113 Now, I
take what the person's trying to get at (which I want--I'm going to
read something to you just a moment). But I think what the brother or
sister is trying to get at, "Is it right for a person that's speaking
in tongues to also interpret the message that he said?" Now, dear
beloved friend, if you'll just read the 13th verse in the same chapter,
it'll tell you:
Wherefore
let him that speaketh in a unknown tongue pray that he may interpret.
Sure. He can interpret his own message. Now, if we just... Let's
just... Well, you... Read the all of it here, and you can see it's...
Just read that whole chapter. It's very good, and explains it.
436-115 Now,
speaking in tongues... Now, while we're on that, and this being taped,
I want to say that I believe just as much in speaking in tongues as I
believe in Divine healing, and the--the baptism of the Holy Ghost, the
second coming of Christ, and the power of the world to come; I believe
just as much in that as I believe, but I believe speaking in tongues
has its place just like the coming of Christ has its place; Divine
healing has its place; everything has its place.
Now, to you people, I've got a chance to say this now, and I'd like to
explain it. And if I'm hurt anyone, I don't mean it. I don't mean to
cause confusion. But listen. What's been the matter with speaking in
unknown tongues by the Pentecostal people (which is myself; I am
Pentecostal. See?)... Now, what's been the trouble is this: that they
don't reverence it. And another thing, they just let it go at random.
They don't come back to the Word.
437-117 Now,
listen. Here's the way--let--here's the way the church is set up. Now,
in a Pentecostal church, if I was pastoring this church, I'd tell you
how I would have it set up (See?), if I was--would be here all the time
to pastor it. I would subscribe to every gift in the Bible: to
believers first to be baptized into the Holy Ghost. And then, every
gift of I Corinthians 12 would have to be operating in my church, if I
could get them in there, the whole body operating.
Now, if you notice... Not making remarks now... And remember, I
wouldn't say one word contrary; I might blaspheme the Holy Ghost. And
God knows I wouldn't say that wrong. See? But I'm only saying this to
try to give you the view of the Scripture after studying it now for
nearly twenty years. I been preaching for nearly thirty years. And I've
just been through everything, just pulled through; you can imagine what
it's been like, and watching every man, and the doctrine, the world
over, and taking it because it's my interest. It's the interest to
human beings besides myself. I've got to leave here. You've got to
leave here. And if I go as a false prophet, I'll lose my own soul and
lose yours with me. So it's more than--it's more than daily bread; it's
more than popularity; it's more than anything else; it's life to me.
See? And I want to always be the very deepest of sincere.
437-119 Now,
you go into a Pentecostal church, the first thing... (I don't mean all
of them. Some of the are...) Most of the time you get into a church and
start preaching; while you're preaching, someone will raise up and
speak in tongues. Now, that dear person may be perfectly filled with
the Holy Ghost, and that may be the Holy Ghost speaking through that
person; but the thing of it is, they're untrained. If this ministry at
the platform is under inspiration speaking, the spirit of the prophets
is subject to the prophet. See? "Let all things be done..." Now, get
over here in Paul why he says that "when one speaks," and so forth...
"when he come in, there's just a confusion."
Now, I've been making a altar call, and someone raise up and speak in
tongues. It just... Well, you just might as well quit making the altar
call. It stops it. See?
438-121 And
then, another thing. A lot of times people raise up and speak in
tongues, and people set and chewing chewing gum, looking around. If
God's a-speaking, keep still, listen. If that's the truth, if that is
the Holy Ghost speaking in that person, you set still and listen, be
reverent. The interpretation might come to you. See? Set still; listen
for an interpretation. Now, if there is no interpreter in the church,
then they're supposed to hold their peace in the body.
And then, when they speak with a unknown tongue, the Bible said, let
them speak to themselves to them and God. He that speaks in an unknown
tongues edifies himself. Now, that's unknown tongues; dialects,
languages is different. "They're nothing," he says, "But what makes a
sound has a meaning. But you." If a trumpet sounds, you've got to know
what it sounds like (... just blow it) or you won't know how to prepare
yourself for battle. If anyone speaking in tongues, and just "toot";
that's all there is to it, who knows what to do. But if it starts the
reveille, that means "get up." If it blows the taps, that means "get
down." See? If it blows the charge, that means "charge." It's got to
give a meaning, and just not just speaking alone. So in the church, if
there is no interpreter, but that there is an interpreter, then tongues
are what belongs in the church.
438-123 Now, to
your question, dear friend, that says, "I'd rather speak five
thousand--one--five words in un--and so people can understand me than
five thousand (or whatevermore it says) in unknown tongue." That's
true. But read on down: "... except it be by revelation or by
interpretation to edification." See? To edify...
Now, I'll just kinda give you a little notion what if--what... If I was
to pastor this church that's coming, if God would call me to pastor it,
here's the way I'd run it: I'd try to find every person in there that
had a gift. And I'd have those people to meet about a hour before the
services ever started in a room to themselves. Let them set under the
Spirit. And the first thing you know, one comes down he's got a gift of
speaking in tongues. And he speaks in tongues. Everybody set still. And
then one raises up and interprets what he says. Now, before that can be
given to the church, the Bible says it has to be judged between two or
three witnesses. Now, that is men who has discernment of spirit (See?),
'cause a lot of times evil powers gets in there. See? Paul spoke of it.
But then, God's power's in there too. Tell me a congregation where evil
doesn't set. Tell me where the sons of God are gathered together that
Satan isn't in the midst of them. It's everything. So don't frown at
that. See? Satan's everywhere.
Now, here we are. Someone speaks in tongues. Now, there's three setting
there that's got the Spirit of discernment. And one speaks in tongues
and gives a message. Now, it cannot be quoting Scripture, 'cause God
don't use vain repetitions, and He told us not to. See? So it isn't
that; It's a message to the church.
439-125 We've
had two things in this revival so far. Watch what each one of them
was--perfect, right on the dot. See? Moved in. One man raised up, and
spoke in tongues, and gave the interpretation, and swung right, go back
around, and vindicated that message that just went forth. The other one
raised the other night and said in the--under the inspiration of
prophecy, and said something, not knowing what he was saying; and then
at the end he spoke out, "Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the
Lord." Quickly something caught me right quick and said, "Otherwise
blessed is he who believes that this is the Lord has come."
See the inter--then the Holy Spirit fell in the building last night.
See? That's for edification. I was standing there trying to tell the
people that they must receive the Holy Ghost. And the devil had come in
around the people, saying, "Don't listen; set still."
My sister said, "Bill, I was so happy while you were preaching; felt
like I could raise up and jump through the wall."
I said, "Raise up and jump." That's all.
And she said, "But when you went to doing that," and said, "the people
begin shouting," said, "then I just felt like I was an old nothing."
I said, "That's the devil. That's Satan. When he come in to do that," I
said, "then you should raised up anyhow." We are priests to God, making
spiritual sacrifice--sacrifice, the fruits of our lips giving praise to
His Name. See?
440-128 Now,
now, here's what happens. Then the Holy Spirit broke, 'cause that was
just... "Blessed is he who believeth." Two, three nights straight I
tried to lay that in there; and then the Holy Spirit spoke and said
(under inspiration)--said, "Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of
the Lord." And before I could say anything, I'd done said it over,
"Blessed is he who believes the Lord has come in this." You see? And
I've just been talking this; the Holy Ghost is God Himself in you. See?
And they'd caught it. See? And then the Holy Ghost fell among the
people. See how It--it edifies, prophecy.
Now, there's a difference between prophecy and a prophet, Prophecy goes
from one to another, but a prophet is born from the cradle a prophet.
They have THUS SAITH THE LORD. No judging of them. You don't see them
stand before Isaiah, or Jeremiah, any of them prophets, because they
had THUS SAITH THE LORD. But a spirit of prophecy amongst the people;
you have to watch that, 'cause Satan will slip in there. See? Now. But
it must be judged.
440-130 Now, we're--we're going to have a revival. Now, watch this real close now, you ministers. We're fixing a revival. All right. Or maybe we're just having regular church service. The church is on fire. It should be all the time. Well, maybe we got five or six people that's gifted people; one speaks with tongues, two or three maybe speaks with tongues, four or five with tongues, got the gift of tongues, speaking in unknown tongues. Two or three of them can interpret. Maybe there's one, two, or three of them that's got gifts of wisdom. All right. They all meet, those gifted people... You... Them gifts are given to you not to play with, not to say, "Glory to God, I speak with tongues. Hallelujah." You'll--you're--you're degrading yourself. They're given to you to work with. And your part in the church should come before the main service starts, because the unlearned is going to be among us.
441-131 Then
you get off into the room, and you set there, you people together,
because you're coworkers in the Gospel. Then you set there. "Lord, is
there anything You want us to know tonight? Speak to us, oh, heavenly
Father," offering prayer, supplications; sing songs. Directly down
comes the Spirit, falls on somebody, speaks in tongues. One rises up
and said, "THUS SAITH THE LORD..." What is it? Listen. "Go tell Brother
Jones to move away from the place where he's living, for tomorrow
afternoon there'll be a cyclone sweep that country; and it's going to
take his house. Take his goods and get away."
Now, that--that sounds good. But wait a minute. There has to be three
men there that's got the Spirit of discernment. One of them say, "It
was of the Lord." The other one say, "It was of the Lord." That's two
against three--two or three witnesses. All right. They write that down
on a piece of paper. That's what the Spirit said. All right. They go
back to praying, thanking the Lord.
441-133 After
while "THUS SAITH THE LORD (a prophet raises up)--THUS SAITH THE LORD,
tonight, coming from New York City will be a woman; she's on a
stretcher; she'll come into the building on a stretcher. She has a
green scarf around her head. She's dying with cancer. What's caused her
to be this way, the Lord holds against her: one time she stole money
from His church when she was sixteen years old. Tell Brother Branham to
tell her these things. THUS SAITH THE LORD, if she'll make that right,
she shall be healed." Wait a minute. That sounds awful good, but wait a
minute. You going to put your name on this paper, discerner? Are you
going to put your name?
"It was of the Lord." One said, "It was of the Lord." Then--then you
write it down, "THUS SAITH THE LORD, tonight there'll be a woman come
in, certain-certain thing." The one with the discernment of spirit, two
or three of them sign their name to it. All these messages are given.
All right.
441-135 Then
after while they begin to hear the bell ring. Church has begin to take
up. Then they bring these messages, lay them right here on the desk.
Right here's where they're supposed to be laying. I'm off somewhere
studying, praying. After while I walk out after the songs are being
sung. The church is all in order, people coming, setting, meditating,
praying; that's what you're supposed to do, not come to church and talk
one with another; come to the church to talk to God. Have your
fellowship out there. See? We're fellowshipping with God now. And we
come here talking, everything quietly, reverently, the Spirit moving.
The pianist come to the piano about five minutes before the song
service starts, start real sweetly:
Down
at the cross where my Saviour died,
Down
there for cleansing from sin I cried,...
Or some good sweet song, real quietly. It brings the Presence of the
Holy Ghost into the meeting. See? All right.
442-136 The
people setting there, some of them are real--start weeping and come up
to the altar, repent before the service ever starts. The Holy Spirit's
there. See? The church is in travail. Christians are praying; they got
their positions. They're not setting there chewing chewing gum, saying,
"Hey, Liddie, give me some of your lipstick; I want... You know. You
know. I need... You know, the other day when I was down there shopping,
I tell you; I almost stepped on your toes. Did I ever seen such... What
do you think about that?" Oh, mercy. And call it the house of God. Why,
it's a disgrace. The body of Christ coming together... There we set.
The men setting by "Say, you know when we went over there, this
so-and-so and so-and-so-and-so..." That's all right outside, but in
here it's the house of God.
442-137 Come in
praying; take your positions. I'm talking now, not to your churches,
brethren. I don't know what you do; I'm talking to this tabernacle. I'm
talking to my own back door. See? That's right.
Now, when you come in like that, then the first thing you know, the
pastor walks out. He's freshly. He don't have to be answering this,
that, and the other. He's coming right out of the--the dew of his
ministry. He's been under the power of the Holy Spirit. He walks right
into where more tongues of fire are gathered together. It's almost a
pillar now (See?); she's moving around. He walks out here, picks up
this. "A message from the church: 'THUS SAITH THE LORD, Brother Jones
to move from his house. Tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock a cyclone shall
sweep his land. Take his things and get away.'" Brother Jones gets
that. All right. That's on record. "THUS SAITH THE LORD, there'll be a
woman by the name of So-and-so will come in here tonight, and it
was--she's done so-and-so." (As I've just said, see, like that.) All
right, that lays over. That's it. They've already got their position
now in the church. All right.
Then he takes the message. And the first thing you know, he starts
preaching. Nothing's to interrupt; it's already taken place. Now, we're
going ahead. We've preached the message.
443-140 And
the--after while when the... The first thing you know when the message
is over, the healing line starts. Here comes a woman. Someone spoke in
tongues and said she was coming. See? Every one of us knows what's
going to happen. Every one of us knows it. See how the faith begins to
build with them tongues of fire standing over you now. She's begin to
accumulate together. Why, it's just a finished work; that's all. That
woman... I'll say, "Mrs. So-and-so, from New York City, setting
here..." See?
"Oh, that's right. How did you know that?"
"It's a message from the Lord to the church. When you were sixteen
years old, wasn't you at a certain, certain place and done--taken some
money from the church, and stole it, and went out, and got new clothes
with it?"
"Oh, that's right. That is right."
"That's exactly what God has told us tonight through a Brother
So-and-so, spoke with tongues; Brother So-and-so interpreted; Brother
So-and-so here said, of the discernment, said it was from the Lord. And
that's the truth?"
"Yes."
"Then, THUS SAITH THE LORD, go make it right, and you'll get over your
cancer."
443-141 Brother
Jones goes home, gets the wagons, backs up, gets his furniture, and
gets away from there. At 2 o'clock tomorrow afternoon [Brother
Branham makes a sound to illustrate--Ed.] "swowey"
goes the whole thing off. See? Then the church glorifies... "Thank you,
Lord Jesus, for Your goodness." Now, that's what it is, to edify, for
the church.
Now, what if it doesn't happen after they've said it. Then you got a
evil spirit among you. You don't want that evil thing. Why do you want
something evil when the--the skies are full of Pentecostal real? Don't
take an old substitute from the Devil. Get something real. God's got it
for you. Then don't you have no more meetings and put anything up here,
till God already vindicates that you're right, 'cause you're a helper
to the church in the working of the Gospel. Now, you understand it what
it is?
444-143 And
tongues--unknown tongues... No man he--knows what he's talking about.
He speaks; but every sound has a meaning. That has a meaning [Brother
Branham claps his hands--Ed.] "Gluck,
gluck, gluck." that has--that's a--that's a language somewhere.
When I was in Africa, I never believed it, but everything that made a
noise had some kind of a meaning to it. The Bible said there's no sound
without a significance, without a meaning. Every sound that's made has
some meaning to something. Why, I'd hear people say... I'd say, "Jesus
Christ, the Son of God."
One of them would go, bu-bu booo-boo-bu-bu [Brother
Branham imitates the sound of an African interpreter--Ed.].
Another go, gluck unh uck-uck-ungk [Brother
Branham again illustrates--Ed.]. And that was, "Jesus
Christ, the Son of God." See? It had a... And not mean nothing to me,
but to them it was a language just same as I'm speaking to you. When
the interpreter of the Zulu, the Xhosa, the Basothu, and whatevermore
come along, every one that was said, everyone understood. And these
things that you hear these people just muttering off, and thinks it's a
lot of jabbering, it isn't; it's got a meaning. So we ought to
reverence it, put it in its place.
444-146 Now,
maybe there's been no message. Now, the service is over; the altar
call's being made. And after while someone (There's been no message
back there.)--somebody raises up as soon as they get a chance to. The
Holy Spirit... Now, the Bible said, "If there be no interpreter, let
him hold his peace." No matter how bad it's trying to speak, hold your
peace.
Say, "I can't do it." The Bible said you could. See? So that--that
settles it. See? Let him hold his peace.
Then when it--the chance comes where everything's in order, then if the
Holy Spirit jumps on him to give the message, then give it. That's
exactly what you should do. Then the interpretation comes, said,
"There's a woman in here by the name of Sally Jones (I hope that
woman's not in here by that name, but...)--Sally Jones. (See?) Tell her
that this is the last night of her calling. Make it right with God,
'cause she's got a short time she'll be here." Now, Sally Jones will
run to the altar just as quick as she can get there (See?), 'cause
that's her last call. See? That's giving a message, or a vindication,
or something.
445-149 That is
the Pentecostal church in operation. There's no possibilities for evil
spirits to slip in, because it's already... The Bible gives exactly,
"Let it be by courses, and that by three; and let two or more judge."
That's the church. But where we got it today? Jump up, carry-on, laugh
and go on while somebody's speaking in tongues; another looking,
talking about something else and crowding around; the pastor doing
something; or somebody crowding around. Well, that's not right. Maybe
the pastor preaching, and somebody get up and interrupt him in the...
Maybe reading the Bible and somebody... Reading the Bible, and somebody
back there speaking in tongues... Oh, no. See? Preacher up preaching in
the pulpit, somebody raise up and interrupt him, speaking in tongues.
It's all right. I don't say it isn't the Holy Ghost, but you ought to
know how to use the Holy Ghost (See?), to use It.
Now, I--I'm taking... Have you got room for one more? Then, tomorrow's
Sunday. Then, we'll... Let's just...
445-Q-98 Here's
one. I think it's the most gracious. And now, if you all just bear with
me just a few minutes longer, please. And then, I'll--I want you--I
want you to get this. I saved this purposely. This is my last one.
Now, first, I'm going to read the two things that the person asked.
It's on an old piece of paper, wrote with a beautiful handwrite, have
no idea who it was, no name signed to--to any of them.
98. Brother Branham, is it right for ministers to make long pulls for
money in their services, telling that God has told them that so many in
the audience are supposed to give so much? If this is right, I want to
know. Or if it is wrong, I want to know. This has disturbed me terribly.
Now, you see, friend, I'm going to tell you; I'm going to tell you what
I think. See? Now, that don't mean it right. I think it's terrible.
Now...
I think this. God sent me on the field. I've seen the time where I
looked like I would be at least... And I--I didn't have no money at
all. And I'd say, "Just pass the collection plate." And the manager
would come to me and say, "Look, Billy, we're $5,000 in the red
tonight, boy. Have you got the money in Jeffersonville to pay it?"
I'd say, "It's all right. God sent me here, or I wouldn't have come.
See? Just pass the collection plate."
And before the meeting's over, somebody say, "You know, the Lord put on
my heart to give $5,000 to this." See, see? First, be led to do it.
446-153 I do
not believe in pulling, and begging, and bumming money. I think it's a
wrong thing. Now, brother, if you do it, don't let me hurt your
feelings. See? You--you might have the right-of-way from God to do it.
But I'm speaking just for myself. I do not believe in it.
Now, I've even knowed of ministers going and say... I stood right--not
long ago... Now, this isn't Pentecostals; this is... Well, it's
churches (See?), other churches. It was at a big camp meeting. Gertie,
you was with me, many others present. And they took the whole afternoon
at a famous denomination, two or three of them together (That's the
regular--regular churches, like our modern churches here in the city,
and so forth.) at a big convention--and they took the whole afternoon,
standing on the platform and threatening that--that God would destroy
their crops, would give their children polio, and things like that, if
they didn't put into that meeting. That's exactly the truth, with this
Bible before me. I said, "It's blasphemy to God and to His followers."
If God sends you He'll take care of you. If He hasn't sent you, then
let the denomination take care of you then. But--but you... if God
sends you, He'll take care of you.
446-Q-99 99.
What about a Christmas play in a Holy Ghost church?
Well, if it's about Christ, it might be all right. But if it's about
Santa Claus, I don't believe in him. I--I done growed--I done growed
away from that. I don't believe in Santa Claus at all. See? And some of
these little Christmas things they have, I think is ridiculous. And...
But I think they've took all Christ out of Christmas and put Santa
Claus in it.
And Santa Claus is a fiction story. (I'm not hurting any of your
feelings, I hope, about the children.) But I'll tell you. Here not long
ago, about twenty-five, thirty years ago, when a minister here in this
city, the pastor of--of a certain big church here in the city, that I
knowed real well, a bosom friend of mine, he walked to me. And Charlie
Bohanon (Brother Mike, you remember Charlie Bohanon, a good friend of
mine.)... Set there in his office and said, "I'll never tell my kids or
have my grandchildren told that lie no more." He said, "My own little
boy walked up to me after he got about twelve years old, and talking
about Santa Claus..." And he said, "Why... Honey, I've got something to
tell you," Said, "Mommy..." You know, and go ahead telling him what he
did.
Then after he come back, said, "Then, daddy, is this Jesus the same
thing?"
Tell the truth. Santa Claus is a Catholic getup about a fellow, a Kriss
Kringle or Saint Nicholas, an old German Catholic saint of many years
ago who went around doing good to children. And they've carried it down
as a tradition. But Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He's real, and He
lives.
Now, here's a question, the last one, which is a very...
447-158 Now
look. You might disagree with me at that. But if you do disagree with
me, remember, let it be friendly, will you? I love you, and I don't
want to--don't want to hurt you. I'm just--I'm wanting to be honest. If
I can't--if I tell my boy a lie, then I'm a liar. See? I want to tell
him the truth.
Now, I tell him about Santa Claus; I say, "Yeah, sure, there's Santa
Claus. Watch daddy on Christmas night." See? Yeah.
You know, the other day I was down there, and I tried that on a little
girl just to see. I sure got paid back day before yesterday. I was in
the building. And they was standing there, down here at the Quaker
Maid. And I went down there to get the groceries. And so we, wife and
I, was in there. And there was a little bitty girl, wasn't over about
eighteen months old, and she was standing there going--singing, "Dingle
Bells, Dingle Bells..."
And I said... In her little stand, you know, setting in the back of the
little cart. I said, "Are you looking for Santa Claus?"
She said, "That's my daddy, mister."
I said, "Bless your little heart, honey. You got wisdom."
448-161 Now,
here is a real sticker, friends. And in this... Then I'll close. Oh,
it's--it's a dandy Scripture, but it's a sticker to every person, seems
to be. And it stuck me for years and years; and only by the grace of
God... And my precious wife, setting right back there now, when she
heard that I had that question this afternoon, she said, "Bill, how do
you answer that?" She said, "I've always wondered that myself." Said,
"I never could understand it." And said...
I said, "Come down tonight, sweetheart. I'll do my best by the help of
God."
448-Q-100 100.
Brother Branham, please explain Hebrews 6:4 to 6.
That's one time it really... See, now you'll have to watch here on our
faith, grace, security of the believers, perseverance of the
saints--perseverance, rather, of the saints. Hebrews the 6th chapter, 4
to 6...
Now, as soon as it--finish this, then I hope that God will help me to
make it real clear to you. I'm sorry; I--I got my message for tonight;
maybe I'll preach the same thing in the morning at the--at the service,
Then I'll be going.
Now, this is a real sticker. See? Now, you have to watch. Now remember,
we believe and teach at this church, not that everything comes up and
shouts, everything that speaks in tongues, everything that shake hands
with the preacher, has got Eternal Life. But we believe if you've got
Eternal Life, if God has give you Eternal Life, you've got It forever.
See? Because look. If it didn't, Jesus is a--found a false teacher. In
St. John 5:24, He said, "He that heareth My words and believeth on Him
that sent Me has Everlasting Life, and shall never come to the
judgment, but has passed from death unto Life." Now, argue with Him.
"All the Father has given Me... No man can come to Me except the Father
draws him. (I'm quoting Scripture.) All that comes... No man can come
to Me except My Father draws him first. And all, that My Father has
given Me will come to Me. (See?) And all that comes to Me, I'll give
them Everlasting Life (St. John 6), and will raise him up at the last
days." That's His words.
448-163 Now
look. If I want to go back to Ephesians the 1st chapter, Paul
preaching... Now, the Corinthians, each one had a tongue and a song.
You notice the other churches didn't have that trouble. He never said
nothing about it. Did He ever mention tongues anywhere in the Ephesian
church, the Roman church? No. They had tongues and everything just like
the Corinthians did, but they had it set in order. The Corinthians just
couldn't get it in order. See? But Paul went down there and set the
church in order.
Now, he... I believe, as Oral Roberts says, "God's a good God." Don't
you believe that?
And you say, "Well, what about the Pentecostals with the tongues then,
Brother Branham?" I think they got the Holy Ghost. Sure they did. All
right, why? Look. You believe He's a good God?
Thomas said one time, "You know, Lord..."
All of the rest of them believed Him. Said, "Oh, we know He's real."
"Oh," Thomas said, "no, no, I don't believe it. The only way I'll
believe it, I'll have to have some evidence. I'll have to stick my
fingers in His side and in the prints of the nails in His hands."
He's a good God. He said, "Come on, Thomas. Here you are."
"Oh," Thomas said, "now I believe."
He said, "Yes, Thomas, after you seen Me, and felt Me, and put My
hand--your hands in My side, you believe. But how much greater is their
reward who had never seen and yet believe." He's a good God. He gives
you the desire of your heart, of course. Let's just believe Him. That's
the--that's the--that's the death stroke to Satan. When a man takes God
at His Word, brother, that'll kill Satan every time. That's the hardest
hit that Satan can get, when a man will take God at His Word. Yes, sir.
As I said, "Man shall not live alone (Jesus, the other night), but
every word that proceedeth out..."
449-166 Now,
notice this. Now, I'm going to start the first verse:
Therefore
leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to
perfection;...
Now, the first thing I want you to know: who is Paul talking to here?
Hebrews; they say Hebrews, that taught the Book of Hebrews. Is that
right? The Jews that had rejected Jesus... Can you--you catch it now?
He's talking to the Jews, showing them the shadow of the law being a
type of Christ, all the old things a type of the new. Now, watch.
...
leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to
perfection;...
450-167 Now,
he's been talking to them about the doctrines. Let us go and talk about
the perfected things. Now, you are perfected in God when you're sealed
by the Holy Ghost until the day of your redemption. "He that is borned
of God (I John) does not commit sin; for he cannot sin, for the Seed of
God remains in him."
A man that's filled with the Holy Ghost, not thinks he's filled, but he
that's born of the Spirit of God does not commit sin, for the Seed of
God is in him, and he cannot sin. See? Does Bible say that? So there it
is. You are... Not what you do, what--is what--not what the world
thinks of you; it's what God thinks of you. See, see? You cannot...
How can I have an order written by the mayor of the city, that I can
run forty miles an hour through the city, and any policeman arrest me?
I can't. How can I sin when there's a Blood offering before God
constantly, where He can't even see me, when there's a bumper on
the--on the--before me and God, a shield of Blood; for we are dead, and
our life is hid in Christ through God, sealed by the Holy Ghost. How in
the world can you do anything wrong in the sight of God. "If we sin
willfully (Hebrews 10) after we received the knowledge of the truth,
there's no more sacrifice for sin." In here it's impossible (See?) to
sin willfully.
450-169 Now,
let's go ahead and read. All right,
...
perfection; not laying again the foundation of--of repentance from dead
works, and... faith towards God, of the doctrine of baptisms,... laying
on of hands, and of the resurrection of the dead, and... eternal
judgment.
And
this... we do, if God permit, (Now here's
where they wanted to start, from the 4th verse.)
For
it is impossible for those... once enlightened, and have tasted of the
heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost.
And
have tasted of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to
come,
If
they shall fall away, to renew--renew them again unto repentance;
seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to
an open shame.
Now, now, that looks like, from the way you're reading it there, that a
man could receive the Holy Ghost, and then backslide and be lost. But
it's impossible for him to do it. See? He can't do it. If he did,
Christ lied. See? It's impossible for those once enlightened. Now,
watch here. What's he speaking to? He's speaking to those borderline
Jews. He never said, "a man being filled with the Holy Ghost"; he said,
"If he has tasted the Word of God."
451-171 Now,
let me just give it in a parabolic, so that you'll see and won't miss
it now. Now, he's writing to these Jews. Some of them are borderline
believers. See? He said, "Now, we're going to leave these works and go
on to talk about perfection." Said, "Now, we're talking about baptisms,
and resurrection of the dead, and laying on of the hands, and
everything; but let's go ahead now to talk about perfection, Now, we're
going to talk about when you come into the Holy Ghost. Now, you've been
hanging around the meeting a long time..."
And you've seen those people. They'll stay around; they won't come in
or go out. They appreciate the Holy Ghost. They'll come around. And
maybe the Holy Ghost do something, and, man, they'll get up and shout
and jump up-and-down the floor about it, but they never want to receive
It themselves. No, no. See? And they'll say, "Oh, yes, that's good. Oh,
I don't know about that now." See, see, see? Borderline believers. Just
so close till they can taste It, but yet they don't receive It. See?
Now, they hang around like that so long till after while they drift
completely away. I can call the names of many was at the Tabernacle,
done the same thing. Fall all the way away again, to renew themselves
unto repentance, there's no repentance for them. They just grieved the
Spirit away from them. They've been so close till...
452-173 Here,
if you would turn with me (You don't have time I know, now--but if you
would turn to Deuteronomy the 1st chapter and read it, you'll get the
same thing. Marking it down now, Deuteronomy the 1st chapter. Now, and
begin at the 19th verse and read through to the 26th. Deuteronomy...
You'll find out... Now look. All of Israel... What them people do, they
come to Kadesh-barnea. Oh, I see something. This tabernacle, this
Pentecostal world is at Kadesh-barnea right now. That's exactly right,
Brother Neville. We're at Kadesh-barnea, the judgment seat of the
world, was the judgment seat).
And spies went out. Joshua said here, "Now, I sent spies..." or Moses,
rather, "I sent spies--twelve, one of--one man out of each one of your
tribes. I sent them to spy out the land and bring back a report." Is
that right? And when they come back, there was nine out of the twelve
said, "Oh, it's a good land, but oh, mercy, we can't take it. Oh, my.
The Amorites are there, and we look like grasshoppers up the side of
them. They're armed men. Their walls are big. Oh, it's too--why, I wish
we'd have died down yonder in Egypt instead of you bringing us out
here."
452-175 Why,
little old Caleb and Joshua jumped up there and quietened them, said,
"We're more than able to take it." Yes, sir. There's the one. Now,
look. What happened? Caleb and Joshua knew that God gave the promise of
it: "I don't care how big it is, how much the obstacles are, how high
they are, how great they are, that don't have nothing to do with it.
God said so; we can take it." And do you know they were the only two
people that--out of that two and a half million that ever crossed into
the land? Because they held their faith in what God said to be the
truth. Amen.
The Tabernacle, right now, stands at Kadesh-barnea. Look, them people
was so close till they even tasted the grapes out of the land. They eat
the grapes. When Caleb and them went over and brought back the grapes,
them fellows pulled off some and eat them, "Oh, they're good, but we
can't do it." "They that have tasted the good work of God, have tasted
of the Holy Spirit, seen the goodness of It, tasted of It, has tasted
of the Word of God..." See that? None of them men, not one of them ever
was permitted to go over. They perished in their own land, over here in
the wilderness. They never went over, yet they was close enough to
taste it, but not enough grace and faith to take it. That's what it is.
453-177 Now.
Now, listen to that dear person that wrote this letter. Let's just read
the next verse. Watch just a minute. Watch Paul. Now, let's read the
7th.
For
the earth... drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth
forth herbs meats for them to whom it is dressed, receiveth blessings
from God:
But
that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto
cursing; whose end is to be burned.
Now, see what he says. Now, watch. There was this question here; now,
and then we'll close... This thing liked to killed me for years.
453-179 I went
to a meeting one time where people were speaking with tongues at
Mishawaka, Indiana. Now, I'm before my own crowd. You've heard them
people--heard me tell my life story, and about the colored man that
said, "Here he is. Here he is." Now, I told that.
But the rest of it: I seen two men. They were... One would give a
message; the other one interpret it. The other one give a message; the
other one interpret it. And brother, they was correct. Just this... I
thought, "My goodness. I never seen anything like that." I said, "I'm
amongst angels." I thought, "I never seen anything..." One would speak,
and the other one...
453-181 And I
sit back there as a little old preacher, you [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]...
both men sometime and shake their hand. I never seen such men in my
life. They'd speak a message; the other one would interpret it. And my,
my. It was wonderful. One would speak and the other one interpret.
Both... And they'd just turn chalky white when they'd raise their hands
up. I thought, "Oh, my, my, where have I been all my life. This is the
thing." I said, "My, Pentecostals are right." That's exactly right.
I never seen much but just what was right down around in here, where
the--maybe a couple of women with a mission somewhere... And they'd be
fussing; and one calling the other, "buzzard roost," and, you know,
just like that, kinda fussing at one another. Not no disregarding to
the women now or nothing, but just... It--it was on the low ebb. If any
of you... You can remember, Brother Graham, you was just a little boy
at that time. And so, that's the way it was.
And I listened to that, and I thought, "Oh, my, I've hit angels."
454-183 One day
coming around the corner of the house, about the second day, I met one
of the men. I said, "How do you do, sir?"
He said, "How do you do?" He said, "Are--what's your name?"
And I said, "Branham."
He said, "Where you from? Here?"
And I said, "No, I'm from Jeffersonville."
He said, "Well, that's fine. Are you Pentecostal?"
I said, "No, sir, I'm not." I said, "I just don't accept the
Pentecostal way of receiving the Holy Spirit," I said, "however." I
said, "I'm here to learn."
He said, "Well, that's mighty nice." And talking to him, catching his
spirit (like the woman at the well), he was a real Christian. Brother,
I mean he rung out all right. He was good. Now, you all... How many's
been in my meetings and see those things happen? You see? And the man
was perfectly all right. So then, I--I thought, "There. My, how
wonderful."
454-185 About
that evening, afternoon sometime, I met the other one. I said, "How do
you do, sir?"
He said, "How do you do? What's your name?" And I told him. And he
said, "Have... Are--are you a Pentecostal?"
I said, "No, sir, not exactly Pentecostal, I don't guess." I said, "I'm
just up here to learn."
He said--I said--he said, "You ever got the Holy Ghost?"
I said, "I--I don't know." I said, "According to what you all got, I
guess I haven't."
And he--and he said, "Ever spoke in tongues?"
I said, "No, sir."
He said, "Then you haven't had It."
And I said, "Well, I--I guess that's right." I said, "I don't know. I
just been preaching about two years, less," and I said, "I don't know
too much about It." I said, "Maybe I don't know." I said, "I can't
understand..." 'Cause what, I was trying to hold him there (See?), to
catch it. And when I did, if I ever met a hypocrite, there was one of
them. His wife was black-headed; and he was living with a blond-headed
woman, had two children by her, and speaking in tongues, interpreting
it just as perfect as it could be. And I said, "Now, Lord, what have I
got into?" From angels, I didn't know what I was into. I said,
"I--I--I'm fundamental; it's got to be the Bible. It's got to be right.
There's something wrong somewhere, Lord. How could that be?"
455-187 I went
to meeting that night, and that Spirit would fall; and brother, you
could feel it. And It was the Holy Spirit. Yes, sir. If It wasn't, It
bore record with my spirit that It was the Holy Spirit. And I was just
a young preacher, and didn't know how--much about a discernment of
spirit. But I was setting there. And I know the very God that saved me,
that was the same feeling... Felt like I was going through the roof, it
was such a wonderful feeling in that building. And I thought...
About fifteen hundred of them there, and I thought, "My, oh my." Two or
three bunches of them had met together. And I thought, "Say, my. How
can it be? Now, that great Spirit in this building falling like that;
and here, look at this going on up there: them guys speaking in
tongues, interpreting, giving message perfectly, and one of them a
hypocrite and the other one a real man of God." And I thought, "Now,
I'm all confused. I don't know what to do."
455-189 Well,
immediately after it, a good friend of mine, Brother Davis (you know),
started saying I was a puppet. That's a girl's toy, you know. And so...
I was single. And so I... He started carrying on with me, and then
going on, kinda joshing with me.
And we was having a little... And your mother and all of us was having
meetings around different places. The Tabernacle wasn't--wasn't going
at that time, and we were having little meetings different places. And
finally one day, after the Tabernacle had been built, many years later,
I went up to Green's Mill to my cave to pray, because Brother Davis had
said some horrible things about me in the meet--in--in his paper. I
loved him. I didn't want nothing to happen, and I--I went up there to
pray for him. And I went up there, and I got in the cave. And I stayed
in there about two days. And I said, "Lord, forgive him. He--he don't
mean--mean that." And I thought, "You know..." I just happened to think
of a Scripture.
456-191 And I
went out. And there was a log (That log's still laying there, was on it
here not long ago.) down off the mountain and lays across a little path
that comes around from the creek. And I just straddled the log, looked
across the mountains way back, back there, and laid my Bible out like
that. I thought, "You know..." I was thinking of a Scripture: "The
coppersmith, he has done me much harm, and said things." You know... I
thought, "I believe I'll just read that." I opened up the Bible, and I
said, "Well..." Wiped my face off, and the wind blowed, and it turned
it over to Hebrews 6. "Well," I said, "that's not where it's at." And I
laid It back like this. And the wind blowed again and turned It back
again. And I said, "Now, that's strange, the wind blowing it back like
that." So I thought, "Well, I believe I'll read it." And said:
For
it is impossible for those which were once enlightened,... made
partakers of the Holy Ghost, and tasted the... Word of God, and the
thing of the world to come.
I thought, "Well, I don't see nothing with that." Read it on down, the
rest the chapter. Nothing in it. I said, "Well, that's--that settles
that for that." And I--I saw it like this, and back it went again. And
I picked It up, and I thought, "Well, what is that?" I kept reading it,
and reading it, and reading it, I said, "Well, I can't understand."
Then I kept... And I read on down:
...
is impossible for those which are once enlightened,... It come on down
here to a place here where it said:
And
the earth... drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, to bring
forth herbs meats to them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessings
from God:
But
that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and... nigh unto
cursing; whose judgment is to be burned.
I said, "Wonder what that means?"
457-192 I'd just... Now, I wasn't thinking about nothing up there. Just think then... And just then as I was setting there, I thought the Lord would give me a vision about Brother Davis and them down there. And I was setting there; I looked, and I seen something turning out across the hollow in front of me. And it was a world turning. And I seen it was all broke up, just looked like it was all plowed over. And a Man went forth with a--a--a great big thing in front of Him full of seed, and He was casting the seed all the way across the earth as He went. And He went around the curvature of the earth, and He went out of my sight. And as soon as He went out of my sight, here come a man real sneaky-looking, dressed in black garments, going around like this, going [Brother Branham makes sounds to illustrate--Ed.] throwing bad seeds [Brother Branham repeats the sounds--Ed.]. And I watched it, and as the earth kept turning around...
457-193 After
while wheat come up. And when the wheat come up, out of there come
briers, and thistles, and thorns, and stink weed, and everything
growing up, milk weeds, and everything growing up in the wheat. And
they was all growing together. And there come a real bad drought, and
the little wheat had its head over like that, and the little briar, and
thistle, thorns, they had their head over. Each weed just [Brother
Branham makes a panting sound--Ed.] breathing
like that. You could just hear them. And they were calling for rain,
rain.
And after while, along come a great big cloud, and the water just
gushed down. And when it fell upon there, that wheat jumped up and
begin to holler, "Glory. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord." Up jumped the
little stink weed and hollered, "Glory. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah."
The thorns and all of them, dancing all around over the field hollered,
"Glory. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord."
Well, I said, "I can't get that."
457-195 The
vision left me; then I fell back on that again: "The briers which is
nigh unto rejection..." Then I got it. The... Jesus said, "The rain
falls on the just and the unjust." A man can set in the meeting, can
speak with tongues, can shout and act just like the rest of them with
the genuine Holy Ghost and still not be in the Kingdom of God. That's
exactly right. Didn't Jesus say, "Many will stand in that day and say,
'Lord, have not I cast out devils in Your Name; have not I prophesied
(preached) in Your Name; have not I done many mighty works in Your
Name?'"
Jesus said, "Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity; I never even knew
you." How about that?
458-196 Here's
exactly what it means here. See? They tasted the good rain from heaven.
But to begin with, they were wrong. To begin with their objectives
wasn't right; their motives wasn't right. That... You can't tell the...
You know, in the harvest he said, "Shall I go forth and pull all them
out?"
He said, "Let them grow together, and at that day these thorns and
thistles will be burned together, and the wheat will go to the garner."
Now, how you going to know which is a thorn, or which is a thistle, or
which is a wheat? "By their fruit you shall know them." You see,
brother, sister, a good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit. No matter,
somewhere along the road, it's going to catch up with you, So you in
seeking the baptism of the Holy Ghost... I'm glad ever who wrote that.
See?
458-198 Now,
them borderline believers back there, they was right with them. They
were circumcised with their circumcision. They went right over to the
land that God promised, right to the edge of it. A many a man walks up
to that edge. He'll walk right up to the baptism of the Holy Ghost and
reject it. He don't want to give it up. He'll walk right up to the
Scripture baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ, and turn his back, and
reject it to keep from seeing it.
There's not one Scripture in all the Bible where anybody was ever
baptized in the name of Father, Son, Holy Ghost, not one Scripture. The
Catholic church started it, come out in Luther, down in Wesley, and has
pulled on through to here. That's exactly right. But the Scriptural
order is the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's apostolic baptism.
You can't do that and stay in a denomination. That's right.
458-200 Now, you see those things? The baptism of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, the things that God brings forth... The fruit of the Spirit is love, and joy, long-suffering (Oh, you say, "But Brother Branham, bless God, I'm long-suffering." It seem like it. I went up to Ohio here not long ago, and somebody ask me--wrote a letter down here and asked me if I baptized people in the Name of Jesus Christ. I never said a word. They found it out anyhow, and sixteen cooperating ministers pulled away. That's long-suffering isn't it.)--long-suffering, goodness, meekness, gentleness, patience, and the Holy Ghost. See?
459-201 Oh, brother, sister, we're--we're at Kadesh-barnea. You're tasting now. Last night the Holy Spirit fell upon us. Come in us--in like a rushing wind. It settled upon many of you. Today ministers have been visiting homes here and there, laying on hands and praying for them that's seeking the Holy Ghost. Don't you take a substitute. Don't you take some kind of a noise. Don't you take some kind of a sensation. You wait there until God has molded you and made you a new creature, made you a new person. You're tasting It now, just tasting It, but let the Dove lead you right to the table, and--and the Lamb and Dove set down together, and feast forevermore upon the Word of God. For It will stand when there's no heaven or earth; the Word of God will remain. That is true.
459-202 Please
don't think that I'm radical. If I have been, I didn't mean to be. If
I... I hope I've answered these questions; I have, the best of my
knowledge.
And therefore, in Hebrews 6, if you'll see, Paul's talking to Hebrews
that said, "Well, we'll go along with you so far." They'll come up. You
see? Said, "Now, you've..." Them that comes up and has tasted...
459-204 I just
happened to look back in the building. To show you the evidence of a
living God. I hope I don't make this person's conspicuous. I come in
from a meeting not long ago, and come here, and announced to you that a
good friend, a personal buddy of mine, a hunting partner, a man had
been good to me, a man that had been to my church, and had been my
brother; I called him Busty. Name was Everett Rodgers, lived in
Milltown... How many remember me coming here to announce it? He was
laying here in the hospital; the doctors operated on him, opened him
up, and so full of cancer they just sewed him up. Said, "He'll dwindle
right away; in a few weeks he'll be gone; that'll be all there'll be to
it. He'll be finished, that's all."
You remember how I stood here on the platform, prayed for him? Went
down there and went into the room, something eating in my heart. I
walked into the room, and as soon as I got everybody out so I could...
Brother Everett was laying there. And you'll remember this. I walked
in; I said, "Brother--Brother Busty." (I called him Busty.)
460-206 Long
ago when we was having brush arbor meetings down there, all them
Methodists back over there on the hill (Gertie, one of them), slipping
around, was peeping through the grape arbor to see what I was going to
say, and like that, afraid that the Methodist church would
excommunicate them. And then I went and had a vision there, and I seen
meat all piled up in a can. I caught a bunch of fish and strung them
on, put--put them upon these stringers, and I tied the stringers up.
And when I looked... And it was all in a vision; I'd left--left a bunch
of people standing under the brush arbor that night and went up on top
of the hill at Brother Wright's. And they couldn't even find me the
next morning. I said, "Don't none of you..."
While I was standing there preaching, here come that Light; that Pillar
of Fire hung right here before me and says, "Leave here and go to the
woods; I'll talk to you." It was that same day, the next day when they
found me up on the hill. And I'd been up there; I hid my car in the
weeds, and had been up on a mountain praying all night and all the next
day. Some of them come up there, found the car and come up there...
That was the day that Brother Graham Snelling, here, received the Holy
Ghost and the call into the ministry.
460-208 Up
there on the hillside were I'd been laying there, and He--He told me
different things to do and what the communication we'd had together. He
give a vision of seeing these fish strung up, said, "This is your
Milltown church."
And four or five of them flopped off; and I said, "Who's that?"
Said, "One of them is Guy Spencer and his wife. The other one is
another Spencer there, and theirs." And told the different ones, what
would flop off.
I told them; I said, "Don't none of you eat." My wife and I wasn't...
It was before we was married; and she went home to stay all night with
Sister Spencer, a wonderful woman. Wonderful man, Guy Spencer is just
as nice a man as stood in shoe leather. And he--and he went down there,
and Opal said, "Now, look..." To Meda, she said, "Now, Meda, I believe
Brother Bill." She said, "But when Opal gets hungry, she has to have
ham and eggs." So she goes over there, and fries her ham and eggs, and
sets down to eat them, and starts to say the blessing, and leaned over
the table, crying, couldn't touch it. Then they come hunting.
461-210 And up
there on the hill that day, He told me exactly what would happen. He
said, "These'll leave, and then these'll leave." But He had a big bunch
of canned-up meat. He said, "Keep this for farther use for the Milltown
people." And the other night when I heard Brother Creech... He was
setting here last night. I don't... Brother Creech, are you in tonight?
When Brother Creech come to me, called me up, and Sister Creech,
crying; her daddy was laying there... Said, "Brother Bill, don't tell
him. He's dying." Said, "He's eat up with cancer; the doctors opened
him up, and he's just as full of cancer as he can be." And Will Hall
(and all of you remember him), when the same doctor opened him and he
was so full of cancer... I started to go squirrel hunting that morning,
and I seen them apples hanging in the room. (You remember that story of
it?) And there the man's a-living today. That's been years ago. He and
Brother Busty were friends.
And I went down to the hospital, the new hospital (I forget what they
call it out there in New Albany)--the new hospital. And I went out
there to see Busty; and when I went in the room, I said, "Brother
Busty."
He said, "Brother Bill." Gripped my hand with that big old handshake; a
veteran of the First World War, not saying it in his presence, but just
as fine a heart as ever beat under an old blue shirt. He got ahold my
hand. I've been in his house, eat in his house, slept in his house,
just like I was his brother. His kids and all, we're just--just blood
brothers like: fine man.
461-212 And
he... But he never did come on with the Lord deep. He... I baptized him
in the Name of Jesus Christ. But that day when that Methodist preacher
said, "Anybody that's baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ, get out
from under my tent." That was okay. George Wright and them walked out.
That afternoon I went down there to baptize in the Name of Jesus Christ
at Totten's Ford. His whole congregation walked in the water and was
baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ. So I just went on. That was all
right. God be for you, who can be against you? I don't even know where
the man went, what happened to him.
However, I walked in the hospital. There was Busty laying there so full
of cancer, the doctors wouldn't even--didn't do nothing but just clamp
him back together. Busty said to me; he said, "Brother Bill, this is
for a purpose. Something happened."
I said, "Yes, Busty." Begin to feel that Spirit like that rushing wind
I been talking about, you know, coming in. He said... When I walked in
here, there was a rainbow in that corner, standing in that corner. A
rainbow is a covenant; God's covenant. God made a covenant with me on
that mountain that day. Put my hands over on Brother Busty and prayed
for him.
The doctors says, "He'll dwindle away. He'll just go down. There's
nothing to him... He'll be gone just in a few days." And Busty
Rodgers... That's been weeks and weeks and weeks ago, and Busty
Rodgers, setting right back here in the church tonight, healthy and
stout as I ever seen him look in my life. Stand up, Brother Busty.
There he is. Let's give God praise, everybody.
462-213 They
were gathered in the upper room,
All
praying in His Name.
Baptized
with the Holy Ghost,
And
power for service came.
Now,
what He did for them that day,
He'll
do for you the same.
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them."
I'm
one of them, one of them;
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them." (Hallelujah.)
One
of them, I'm one of them;
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them."
Though
these people may not claim to be,
Or
boast of worldly fame,
They
have all received their Pentecost,
Baptized
in Jesus' Name.
And
they're telling now both far and wide,
His
power is yet the same.
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them."
I'm
one of them, I'm one of them;
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them." (Hallelujah.)
One
of them, I'm one of them;
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them."
Now,
come my brother, seek this blessing
That
will cleanse your heart from sin,
That
will start the joy bells ringing,
And
will keep your soul on flame.
Oh,
it's burning now within my heart,
Oh,
glory to His Name.
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them." (Let's sing
it.)
Oh,
one of them, one of them;
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them." (Hallelujah.)
One
of them, one of them;
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them."
How many's one of them, raise your hand? Oh, my. Oh, how glad I am I'm
one of them.
One
of them, one of them;
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them." (Hallelujah.)
One
of them, one of them;
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them."
They
were gathered in that upper room,
All
praying in His Name.
They
was baptized with the Holy Ghost,
Then
power for service came.
Now,
what He did for them that day,
He'll
do for you the same.
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them."
Oh,
one of them, one of them;
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them." (Hallelujah.)
One
of them, one of them;
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them."
Now, while we sing that chorus again, I want each one of you to turn
around, and shake hands with somebody by you, and say, "Are you one of
them?" See? All right.
Oh,
one of them (I know you
are, Brother Neville. I know you are, Brother...?... ) [Brother
Branham shakes hands with those near him--Ed.]... one of
them.
Oh,
one of them, one of them;
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them."
464-214 Oh,
aren't you glad you're one of them. How many would like to be one,
raise your hand? All right. Now, I'm going to sing this for you.
Then
come my brother, seek this blessing
That
will cleanse your heart from sin,
That
will start the joy bells ringing,
And
will keep your soul on flame.
Oh,
'tis burning now down in my heart,
Oh,
glory to His Name.
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them."
Oh,
one of them, one of them;
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them." (Hallelujah.)
One
of them, I'm one of them,
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them."
Remember what the little girl said, "Peter, aren't you one of them?"
I'm so glad, aren't you? You know, Peter said on the day of Pentecost,
"This is That." And I've always said, "If this ain't That, I'm glad I
got this, waiting for That to come." That's right. I'm glad of this.
For
I'm one of them, I'm one of them;
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them."
Oh,
one of them, one of them;
I'm
so glad that I can say, "I'm one of them."
465-216 Oh,
isn't this wonderful, setting together in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus, communing with the Spirit, communing over the Word, talking of
the good things to come. It's so good. I'm so glad to know that, aren't
you? Aren't you glad you're a Christian? Aren't you glad your sins are
under the Blood? He'll be coming one of these days, and we'll be going
with Him. Then think, all the old age will drop out of us; all the
sickness, all the affliction, all the mortal life will change. Oh, my.
I can just think of the dear old brothers that stood here. I
remember... How many remembers Rabbi Lawson? My, most all of you. I can
see him hanging that old cane right here. And I'd be setting back
there. He'd sing this little song... (Just a minute Teddy, brother.)
I'll try--see if I could get the tune of it. I don't know.
There
waits for me a glad tomorrow,
Where
gates of pearl swing open wide,
And
when I cross this veil of sorrow,
I'll
rest upon the other side.
Some
day beyond the reach of mortal kin,
Some
day, God only knows just where or when,
The
wheels of mortal life will all stand still,
Then
I shall go to dwell on Zion's hill.
465-217 Yes.
These little wheels that's a-turning in us: see, taste, feel, smell,
and hear, these little senses and wheels that's turning in this mortal
life, someday they'll stand still. Then me, myself, and you, we'll go
to dwell on Zion's hill. Oh, I love that, don't you? Know we have that
blessed assurance. All right. How many knows our old baptizing song?
Now, we'll change that. Let's take our dismissing song:
Take
the Name of Jesus with you,
Child
of sorrow and of woe;
It
will joy and comfort give you,
Take
it everywhere you go.
465-218 Take
the Name of Jesus with you. Just do that, as you go. All right,
altogether now. Don't forget at 8 o'clock in the morning prayer cards
will be give out for the meeting. The meeting will start at 9:30. I'll
be preaching at 10:00. Prayer service for the sick will begin about 11
o'clock.
Tomorrow afternoon--tomorrow evening will be a evangelistic message at
the Tabernacle. And tomorrow night, all you that's repented of your
sins and never been baptized, there'll be--the pool will be open; we'll
be baptizing the people in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
466-220 Everybody
together now, while we sing to the top of our voice. Brother Busty, you
don't know how glad I am and thankful to God. You know, he went up to
the doctor. And they tell me the doctor looked at him, and just didn't
know what to think. He didn't believe it was the same guy. Oh, it is no
secret what God can do. Ain't that right? All right.
Take
the Name (Ring it
out.) of
Jesus with you,
Child
of sorrow and of woe;
It
will joy and comfort give you,
Now,
take it everywhere you go.
Precious
Name (Precious
Name.), O how sweet!
Hope
of earth and joy of Heaven;
Precious
Name (Oh,
precious Name.), O how sweet!
Hope
of earth and joy of Heaven.
All right. I turn the service now to the pastor. He'll have some words,
or speak for someone to dismiss us, whatever's on his mind.