Expectation

Thank you, Brother Ballard. Good evening, friends. It's a very high privilege for me to be in Phoenix, the valley of the sun, this afternoon, preaching about the Son, S-o-n, Jesus Christ.

And so it's been a long time waiting; and been many places since I seen you the last time, across the seas and over the waters. The Lord has did so many great things that.... Oh, I wish we just had a little short eternity here to talk about it.

But we're expecting to come here to Phoenix and do the same thing here that He did over there and did here before, and expecting a great time in the Lord.

When I was supposed to be in India this month, by a revelation ... or, a vision, rather, from the Lord, He told me to go in September, while.... They'd asked and I had a few days from now until middle of August, and the brethren here had called me and wrote me a letter, so I called them back up and told them we had a time. So they set it.

We're happy to be here, see these fine group of people here on the platform, all this fine bunch of men. I've noticed many of their names in the paper that was given me of the cooperating pastors—and the others who are with us—and we're very, very happy to greet all in the name of the Lord Jesus.

And I think I got in Phoenix just at the right time. It's beautiful. The desert is just beginning to put forth their buds. It's awful cold back in my country.

Last night where I was staying, they said, “Did you get cold?” They had quilts and blankets.

I got my two little Eskimos with me, my little girls. I said, “Yes, we like to've smothered. We opened up the windows and took all the quilts off the bed.” I said, “Up in the North, it's just a little colder, and we feel like we're in the middle of the summer here.”

They said they had a very cool night last night. And I thought, My!

I sure want you to come up north, but I'm afraid you better dress pretty heavy then when you come, because it's cold. Just heard up at my country there's four inches of snow today. So it's quite a little different. I wish they were all down here in this beautiful sunshiny country where we are this afternoon.

Anyhow, the main thing is Jesus Christ, the Son of life, shining in on our souls, giving us this eternal hope that we have in Him. And we expect now for these next eight days, to be just filled with the presence of God. And God's wanting to do it more than we're wanting Him to be here. He is more anxious to see us blessed, than we are to be blessed. Think of it.

Now, there's only one thing that will keep us from getting blessed then. That's ourselves. If we just get in God's way, He can't ... it chokes up the stream, doesn't it? Bypasses the water somewhere else. So let's just get out of the way, and empty ourself up, and say, “Now, Lord Jesus, You just come in, take over.” Then see what takes place. Then we'll have the exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we could do or think. Yes, sir. God will give it to us.

I have many things to tell you of overseas, a little later on in the services. And how the Lord did bless over there, and the great coming meetings: in a vision, I've got written right here in the Bible. The time that I give it, I want you to bring a piece of paper and write it down, and see if it doesn't happen just word by word, the way it's written here, what He said. It's going to be a wonderful, wonderful thing. And great days are ahead of us.

And one great day we're thinking of is the rapture, when we're all going up home. Won't that be a day? My! And then we won't even have a ... never no prayer for the sick, no preaching to the sinners. It'll be a jubilee. I'm so glad I got the assurance to being there, aren't you? Yes, sir.

I said insurance. Well, it's all right, I guess: Assurance or insurance, either one.

There was an agent come to me not long ago, and he said, “Billy, I'd like to sell you some insurance.”

I said, “Oh, I got plenty insurance.”

And he said, “What company you got it with?”

I said, “Well,” I said, “Jesus Christ.”

And he said, “Oh,” he said, “them things are all right.”

I said, “Well,” I said, “it's 'Blessed Assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine.'”

And he said, “That's all right, Billy, but” said, “it won't put you in the graveyard up here.”

I said, “I know it. But it'll get me out. I'm not worried about getting in there.” Not so much worried about getting in there; it's getting out. Is that right?

I want to say, as Paul of old, “I know Him in the power of His resurrection.” And when He calls from among the dead, I want to come out. There's a great dark channel set before every one of us ... or, a door. Each time our heart beats, we go one beat closer to it.

But there's one thing: When we get there, we don't enter like a coward. We just.... When my time comes, I want to wrap myself in the robe of His righteousness; enter into there, knowing this: “I know Him in His resurrection.”

No wonder when Paul was dying said, “Why, death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory?” He said, “But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Oh, that kind of a hope rests in each one of us.

That day when all the old will come back new again, and the babies will become normal-age people, and.... Won't it be wonderful? No heartaches, sorrows, or nothing. Thanks be to God.

Now, we want you to do a lot of praying this week. Just pray. We used to sing a little song, jubilee song, and the pastor ... when I was a pastor of a church. Something about:

Pray, pray.................

The only way to reach higher grounds,

Pray, pray, the prayer of faith

Will bring God's blessings down.

And that's right, isn't it? It takes a prayer of faith to bring God's blessings down.

And now, we started in Chicago a few weeks ago ... three weeks ago. And come straight from Chicago to Wood River, then from Wood River one night, and Hot Springs. And the next night in Shreveport. Two nights later coming here. And now starting here on these eight days. And return right straight back to Columbus, Ohio at the coliseum there, at a big meeting with four hundred something pastors sponsoring.

Then we go from there back to Louisville, Kentucky, up into Canada, over into Des Moines, Iowa. And then from there to New York, and then to Durban, South Africa, India, Bombay, Calcutta, up into Palestine, Luxembourg, Frankfurt, Paris, London, then back home again. Just traveling along for our Lord Jesus. We're believing the Lord to give us a half a million souls on this next tour, for the great cause of Jesus Christ and the Full Gospel churches of the world.

We believe God will do it. And I'm just positive that He'll do it.

If I'm not mistaken, is this Sister Waldorf sitting here? I just haven't seen you in so long, I was just looking around to see if there's people I could recognize. And I thought I recognized you.

You was a very sick person when I first come to Phoenix, Sister Waldorf. I remember her laying ... someone come and told me they had somebody dead in the building. It was over at a little Spanish church over here, I believe it was.

Well, that's been about eight years ago, I guess, Sister Waldorf. Seven or eight years ago, anyhow. Seven years ago. Pretty lively looking corpse, isn't she? Yes, sir. Yes, sir.

And only one thing about her that will ever die, that's the body. Is that right?

Is this Brother Outlaw sitting here? I thought so. I was just seeing who I can.... I believe it was right across the street from your place, where it taken place, Brother and Sister Outlaw there. Yes, sir. Well, that's fine.

I've got one of your records. I believe you and your wife singing “Heaven,” I believe it is, the little cut record ... or, somebody in your church, one of your people. I play it all the time. When I get real lonesome, want to hear some real good, old step-up pentecostal music, I go and put that on.

We have to give the pentecostal people credit for one good thing—many of them—but one good thing, is those real good old-fashioned songs. It just takes you out somewhere in fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth dimension somewhere: Wherever it is out where God lives.

I failed to see anyone that I recognized here in the church, why, you forgive me because I'm not very good at remembering faces, but I sure love you all. And hope that God has blessed you and prospered you. He has me and I'm very thankful.

Last time since I seen you, of course you knowed of my trouble: that I stayed in the prayer line too long, under visions. And I was off for eight months. The Lord Jesus healed; and I never did weigh over about a hundred and twenty-eight pounds, I think, my best weight. I weigh a hundred and sixty now. I've gained a little.

Well, I'm thankful and I just kind of watch the meetings a little closer. And don't hit ... go too hard. I felt like I had the whole burden on myself, so I found out God had others was doing just on out. So they'd be doing the same thing. We try to go at it too fast sometimes and we make a mistake at it.

Now, brother here, Brother Ballard, I was speaking to him. He is one of them on the committee. And I kind of like the way he sets the meeting up. I like that. Of interdenominational, everybody invited and.... Like the third well that Jacob dug, said, “There's room for us all.” So he says ... that's very good. And so that's....

We want you to invite your neighbors to come out. And I'm going to call Brother Schuller and tell him I didn't come in here to be his competitor. He's having a meeting here in the city, and I didn't know it till I got here. And I find out he had two weeks meeting, I believe he said. And then he just stayed over a third week. Probably he didn't know I was coming either at the time.

So, we're not here to be competitors with one another. We're here to be God's servants to the people. That's right. That's what.... I'm sure that Brother Schuller feels the same way. I've never met him. My mother met him when he was in Louisville, Kentucky. A very fine, Christian brother. So we're happy that he's having a good meeting.

And so they said Brother Roberts just left here with twelve thousand in an audience. They said Brother Schuller could seat about three thousand, and probably we can seat a thousand, or fifteen hundred, and so there's plenty of room to bring in the sinners, and the sick and afflicted, isn't there? They're everywhere.

And let's just have an old-fashioned meeting that will just ring from one side of this valley to the other one, for the glory of God. That's right. Jesus Christ the Son of God, to come down in His great august presence and bless this whole valley and close up every bootleg joint and, my, turn all this routing sin into an old-fashioned prayer meetings all around through the city, and a “Glory to God!” everywhere. Yes.

If we have to go to jail, it would be a good thing if it would cause that, wouldn't it? We need some of those old-fashioned meetings again, like.... Paul and Silas, I believe, they put in jail one night and.... Down there, had cast out a little old evil spirit out of a fortuneteller and they put him down in jail. They just prayed till the jail fell down. That's pretty good, wasn't it?

Went on over to Ephesus and found a bunch of Baptist people over there, needed the Holy Ghost. And they got the Holy Ghost and they just had a real time. So that's.... We wouldn't have to go to Ephesus to find that, would we? I believe we'd get it in Phoenix, don't you think so?

So you pray, and I'll pray, and we'll just do the best we can this week for the glory of God.

Brother told me last night, as I called him.... Usually in the meetings, it's ... we give out.... Mr. Baxter or Mr. Bosworth or some of them that's managers, they do the preaching in the services when I'm.... Most of our services has always been healing services. So we....

Mr. Baxter is in Canada at the time. Mr. Bosworth is in Florida. And they're preparing for overseas and so forth. My coworker, Mr. William Paul Branham, my boy, we're together, traveling together and just evangelistic work. So the Lord hasn't called him to preach yet, so his father has to do the best he can in these meetings, to have the service.

So, we told the brethren as we set these meetings up to fix them just under, well, just evangelistic services. We got by that in a service a time or two, and just have preaching services on every afternoon at two o'clock.

And then every evening at seven-thirty or eight, why, we come down and preach the Gospel and just have a congregational prayer for the people from the sick, 'cause they would come in. Calling sinners to repentance and people without the Holy Spirit to come and be born-again.

And we found that pretty successful around the parts of the country. And then when we got down to our last meeting in Wood River, made the altar call that night and people just piled around the altar but when I went to go out, there was about, oh, I guess, three hundred or four at the altar seeking salvation. Then when I went out there was fifteen hundred or more standing in line to be prayed for.

So, we had to change it there, so we fixed it up then and let the pastors, the cooperating ministers, take turns about in having the afternoon services. And the night services, they got the preliminaries ready. And I come down and spoke awhile, and then had the prayer lines for the sick.

Most everyone knows the caliber of the meetings: It's by vision. And the visions are ... it's a little different than just simply preaching, and then going ahead and having congregational prayer. It's breaking into another realm by a divine gift.

And I have to keep myself more like I don't want to be, but more like an isolationist, away from people, and stay to myself, and pray, and cease eating, and come into the building under the anointing of that. Speak just a few moments and call the line.

Now, that is something that's been part of my ministry. 'Course, I realize there's nothing that would heal a person. 'Cause there's nothing in any man that would heal another, see. It's all.... Every person in the world is already healed. There's not one but what's already healed. There's not a sinner in the world but what's already saved.

Jesus Christ, when He died at Calvary, He paid the price right there. That's right. Now the only thing we have to do is to look there, and accept it, see; accept it.

Now, you say, “Well, I got saved two years ago.” No. You got saved nineteen hundred years ago; you just accepted it two years ago, see. He settled the question when He died.

And now, there's two things that man can't do: forgive sins or heal. It's not given to man to do that. Never was. It's given.... It was only in Jesus Christ. And there, a man by the preaching of the Word can point you to that, and you can accept your salvation or healing. For “He was wounded for our transgressions, with His stripes we were (past tense) healed.”

Now, there's many of the ministers, such as Brother Roberts and many of them who go out in the ministry and they take the Word and explain it so close. Brother Bosworth, Brother Osborn, many of the men that's been here in the city with you people—that they're scholars in the Word. They teach divine healing by the atonement. They make it so plain and clear till you have to see it, that's all. So then you just raise up by faith and accept it. That's the way to do it.

Many of them anoint with oil. Many of them lay hands on the sick. That's the order that God put all of those things in the church after He done all this. And every minister in the world that believes in divine healing has just as much right and authority from God to pray for the sick people as any other person in the world, see. And every lay-member of the church has the same authority. “Confess your faults one to another and pray one for the other that you may.... Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another that you may be healed.”

So every person that believes in divine healing has a right to pray for the sick. That's general orders. That's right.

Now, God has (after all of that) in His Word He has set in the church some apostles, prophets, teachers, gifts of healing, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues, and all different gifts He set in the church for the edifying of the church: To bring the church together, to make us one. Is that right? That's right. To make us one in Him. A brotherhood of one soul, one heart, one body, one Spirit.

For we're not baptized in two spirits; one Spirit. One God. Father of us all, through all, in all, over all. And there where these gifts in the church: Some of them can speak with tongues—a gift of speaking with tongues. Another one has the gift of interpretation of tongues. Some are sent to preach.

Now, we know that people that don't believe in divine gifts, and yet they're preachers, how did they get their inspiration then to preach from? If there's not a gift of preaching, then according to that, every person is a preacher. But the Bible said, “God has set some in the church....” God has. “Apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists,” and so forth, all in the church. God has set them in there. And they're inspired for a certain work.

And then some people may possess more than one gift. But there would at least be one gift or more in a person. And then all these things together, working together, for the up-building of the body of Christ, getting her ready to go.

In the Old Testament, there was two ways of having a message. One of them was by a dreamer, and the other one by a prophet. And then they had the Urim Thummim. You ministers know what I'm speaking of, of the Urim Thummim, what's on the breastplate of Aaron.

And if a dreamer dreamed a dream and it was told, and it didn't flash them lights on the Urim Thummim, it wasn't right. And if a prophet prophesied and the lights didn't flash on the Urim Thummim, it was wrong. But if it did flash, it was right.

Now, since the going away of the Urim Thummim, God's Bible is the Urim Thummim. If a dreamer dreams a dream, or a prophet prophesies, and it ain't in the Word of God, then let it alone. That's right. But if it's on here, God is speaking. That's right. This is God's Urim Thummim, is His Word.

“Heavens and earth will pass away but My Word shall not.”

And this is the first, and foundation, and the only foundation for Christian truth, lays in God's Bible. It has to come from there.

And in the other lands, how we find them in their pagan ideas, and superstitions, and all kinds of demonology. And don't think that they're not there to challenge you too. They certainly are. So, you sure have to know what you're talking about, and who you know, before you drift into those lands. 'Cause it's certainly.... Them witch-doctors and so forth is right there to challenge you on every hand.

But don't never be scared. We serve the only true and living God. That's right.

Now, I wonder, so I can get kind of a setting of the meeting. I'm here as your servant, as your brother. And I love you with the warmest of Christian love, expecting to spend an eternity with you in another land. And I'm here to do what I think would be best.

The brethren, I asked them what type of meeting they thought would be suitable here in Phoenix at the time. They said, “Just the way the Lord leads.” I like to work with brethren like that. “Just the way the Lord leads.” “In the multitude of counselors is safety.”

So, I just wonder, in this audience this afternoon, after we go to prayer, you'd think it over, in your hearts, and wonder just what type of meeting.... If the sick is here, the predominant is in the line of sick people to be prayed for, well, we'll have healing services.

And if it's for preaching services and salvation to the souls and just congregational prayer....

However, in every service there's always.... Divine healing is only the bait, see. You never show the fish the hook; you show him the bait. He grabs the bait and gets the hook. So that's.... About ninety ... eighty percent of Jesus Christ's meetings were all divine healing meetings.

But He healed the sick to catch the psychology of the people, to catch them to a place, and then He preached the Gospel to them. That's right.

That's the way it was in Africa, where we had thirty-thousand converts in one afternoon. Thirty-thousand raw heathens. The biggest altar call, I guess, the world has ever made. A thirty-thousand raw heathens, double counted over and over, see.

So just on first, divine healing; and then the Gospel right to them.

Now, we want to serve the Lord in the capacity so we'll pray in a few moments and ask our Lord. And those who would like to ... feel the Lord would have us to have a healing service, so we can announce it and get started, a healing service, we'll start. Otherwise, we'll start otherwise. Just whatever the Lord's will is, we want it to be done.

I'm just.... I usually.... I only have one vision now; that's written here in my Bible, and that's for overseas. In here is just whether it's God's will.

Just recently, I was in a fine meeting—big Kellogg Auditorium —and the place was packed to the rafters. We was to be there two weeks, and we'd been there about four days. I went out to a lake to pray one afternoon. And the Lord came down, and I heard something and I looked around. And I was sitting on a back of a boat, going up the stream. And the Angel of the Lord was near, and told me to turn aside right then, and go to Minneapolis.

Now, to make a bunch of ministers understand that, that was hard. But I had to leave right then. And if any of you know Gordon Peterson at Minneapolis, Minnesota, and would just like to write and ask him whether it was the will of the Lord or not, find out. How God did.

Now, I understand that Brother Roberts is to be here next January. And they set their meetings up for two years ahead of time because they go by another leading, see. It's the same Holy Spirit, see. They feel led to do that. That's the way.... Mine is by vision. Wherever the Lord speaks to me, right now, I go do that right then, see. Just wherever there's.... It's hard to set meetings like that.

It's all just like I said to Brother Ballard, “I will hold these eight days, if the Lord is willing.” Is that right, brother? Yes, sir. Just, if the Lord.... “Anything you put out in advertising,” I said, “I'm responsible for it.” But if the Lord....

'Cause I tell you this week how He done down in Africa and what trouble I got into there on one little misleading of letting.... Lord told me to do something: Showed me a vision. And I let them talk me out of it, see. And did I pay for it? And so, I never want to do that again.

So now, we just want to follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit. And then.... How many sick people is in here to be prayed for? would like to be prayed for? Raise your hands. Let's see your hands, all over the building now, sick people wants to be prayed for. All right.

How many likes just ... not have prayer for the sick, just old-fashioned gospel preaching, like that. Let's see contrary.... Now raise up your hands just so I can kind of get an idea. Looks like we got to have a healing service, doesn't it? All right.

Well, now if the Lord willing, we'll just mix it together the best that we can. And do everything that we possibly can. And now, in order to keep people lined up, we have to give out prayer cards. Everybody knows that. Brother Roberts, every other person, has ever had any experience on the field of dealing with massive crowds, why, they know we have to give out prayer cards.

In order to do that, we don't want to interfere with the preliminaries, and so forth. And you be here in the afternoon at about six o'clock, if you can. As early as you possibly get here. Get here at six if possible, not any later than six-thirty, 'cause I think they begin the services about seven or something like that. And we don't want....

Anybody that comes in, you can have your prayer cards. So we can just get that over so it won't interrupt with the preliminaries. And the Lord bless you now. And I'll do everything that I can this week to do the Lord's will.

Now, if everybody is in love with the Lord, let's say, “Amen.” [Audience replies, “Amen.”] Oh, that's wonderful. Now, I want to read just a little verse out of the Scripture here, so if what I say fails, this won't. The 2nd chapter of Saint Luke, the 25th verse. And I will read two or three verses here.

... behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: the Holy Ghost was upon him.

And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he would not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought ... the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

Lord, ... lettest ... thy servant depart in peace, according to thy words:

For my eyes have seen thy salvation,

May the Lord bless the reading of His Word. Shall we bow our heads while we talk to the Author of this Word?

Now, kind Heavenly Father, we come to Thee with all the humility of human life to present ourselves to Thee as believing children of God. And we ask that You forgive us of every sin, cleanse us from all unrighteousness and selfishness. And may the Holy Spirit come this afternoon and rest His blessings upon each and every one of us. Grant it, Lord.

We thank You for these ministers and these people here of this great beautiful valley of Phoenix here, and neighboring cities. And those who are the Christians who are scattered out through the country here, of different churches.

And now, Father, we are coming to one common drinking place. Hallelujah! Lord, where all can come and drink freely from the fountain of the waters of life. And now, may the One who wrote this Word come and interpret the Word and make it manifest.

God, this coming week, may the lame walk and the blind see. Give us another old-fashioned shaking, that the eyes of the blind might open up, spiritually speaking, and see the glorious rain of the Holy Spirit right now. Grant it, Lord.

Bless every meeting. Bless Brother Schuller out in his meeting. We pray that You will be with him. Send many souls in, Lord. May he win, literally, hundreds of souls to Christ this week. Bless every church in the valley. And may it just go like a relay from one church to the other one, until a great sweeping revival sweep through this valley here; that the noise of it will be noised abroad throughout all the world in an old-fashioned, Holy-Ghost revival that would draw people from all parts of the world, flying into this little sun valley, to see the glory of God.

Grant it, Father.

Said You're a candle that sits upon the hill that cannot be hid. Grant, Lord, that this city will be one of those candlelights, burning. People flying in, every church revived. Fellowship, the Holy Spirit making demonstrations, bringing to pass, making reality of the Word of God. Bring it, Father, we pray.

And now, anoint the services. Thank You for the building. God, bless the people who let us have it and the custodians and those who are in authority. And we pray, God, that You'll save them, if they're not saved. And may they have everlasting life and life in the world to come through Jesus.

And now, Father, may You just take over from right now and anoint the building. We dedicate it to You, just now. May the angels of heaven come down off of the ladder of Jacob, take their positions now as soldiers at their post of duty. Setting every place, every corner, and every place, take their right positions, and may They not leave this building until the revival is over. God, grant it. May they speak to hearts and may great signs and wonder accompany the Word of God. For we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen.

In among the people in traveling, I have found two types of people. One of them is the Pentecostal ... or, Full Gospel, rather, which makes up of many different types of the Full Gospel people. And the next people I find is the fundamental. And the fundamental, positionally, know what they are. They know they're sons and daughters of God. (Thank you, brother.) Sons and daughters of God, positionally, by accepting Jesus Christ.

For Saint John 5:24 said, “He that heareth My words and believeth on Him that sent Me has everlasting life.” But they don't have much faith with them.

Then I find the Pentecostal ... or, the Full Gospel people, they have the power, but don't have the faith to operate it. It's just like a man has got a lot of money in the bank and he don't know how to write a check. And the other one can write a check, and ain't got no money in the bank. If you could ever get those two together, the Millennium would be on.

Now, in Pentecostal ... or, Full Gospel peoples around the world, I find them with a great faith. And the reason they have faith is because they just stepped up a step farther. They have been born of the Spirit of God, which is the supernatural.

And many people tell me, say, “Brother Branham, as you get older you look like your dad.” Well, he's my dad. That's the reason I look like him.

Well, now, the same thing.... Many things that we have that we favor by a family strain like that through each other.... And then in the family strain of God, if we become borned of the Spirit of God, we take on the nature of God, which, then we are sons of God.

And there's where I find that the Full Gospel people has become sons and daughters of God. They believe the supernatural. Now, the other has never stepped up there, so they can't believe the supernatural. There's nothing to believe with, see.

How could I get the water out of that desk when there's no water in it? You see. See, you've got to be borned-again and then God comes in. And God made the world out of things which was not. He just spoke and said, “Let there be,” and His Word become material and materialized. And this very ground that you're sitting over this afternoon, is the Word of God made manifest. That's right.

Well, now, a man that's got part of that.... Now, Jesus said, “I give them eternal life.” Eternal: That word come from the word Zoe, the Greek word which means “the life of God.”

Well then, if we have the life of God in us, the borned-again, then we have God's life in us, which makes us believe like God does, that whatever the Word says, it will materialize, see. If it says, “By His stripes we're healed,” that settles it. God said so. And that....

When a man is borned of the Spirit of God, he is a son of God, then he believes for things that's impossible. He still believes it. Because, why? God is in him by the Holy Spirit and he believes, see.

Now, if he hasn't got the Holy Spirit in there, he's got nothing but just his mind to rest on it, so he just can't comprehend the things of God. He doesn't know them. The natural mind can't understand the things of God; they're foolish to him.

Now, the Pentecostal ... or, Full Gospel, you are.... The one thing that I find that's one of the greatest hindrances among us, is that you're trying to place the great things of God yet to come, when you're right in the middle of it now. That's right.

Now, you say, “Just wait till some....” Well, that be the Millennium where we won't need any healings and things. That's the next age to be issued in. Now we're in the Holy Ghost age. Now you are the sons of God. Now we're seated together in heavenly places. Not we will be; we are now, this afternoon, right here now; sons and daughters of God seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. There we are, see. All things are possible then.

When those little shackles and dark shadows gets broke away, then the Holy Spirit can come right in and perform miracles and, oh, what He.... There's nothing impossible with it then. But just that little doubt sitting there.

Just like I was speaking to a brother this morning: a man crossing the river.

People come up here to the platform lots of times, say, “Oh, Brother Branham, I got all faith.” Well, now, they believe that in sincerity. Like on the visions and so forth. By God's gifts it's possible then to find where that flaw is. See, 'cause God reveals it many times.

Now, you say, “I've got faith.” The first thing, we have to have a base for faith. That's God's Word. Well, then, the man goes to school and he learns theology. He reads it, said, “God said so. Yes, I believe that.” He believes it here in his mind, see. But he's got a subconscious, also. And that subconscious disagrees with this. Because when he starts to do it, he's a little bit scared it won't happen, and it won't. That's right.

It's just like as long.... That's the truth, friends. I've been a minister now twenty-one years, and studying of the Scripture in every way that I know how; and I have to be very careful on what I say.

Like the man crossing the sea. The man goes across the sea. The real man that drives the ship, he never sees where he's going. He's down in the bowels of the ship. He's the engineer. The man sitting up here on deck, he gives him orders from the man up in the crow's nest. He says now.... He will send down word, “Two knots to the left.” Now, the man down here, he don't see where he's going; it's just the engine.

Well, what if he would give it two knots to the right? Or, what if he just wouldn't give it at all? The man up here says, “Go forward,” and he puts it in reverse, goes backward. They'll never get out of the harbor.

That's the way with the church: You're going this way, that way, and this way and that way. Now, when the man up in the crow's nest says, “Straight ahead.” The man on the deck says, “Straight ahead.” This man down here in the bottom says, “Straight ahead.” She's going to move.

When God says, “By His stripes you were healed,” the man receives it in his heart, says, “By His stripes we are healed.” The subconscious acts back, “By His stripes we were healed.” Look out. Something's going to take place. You're going forward. Nothing can stop it then. You're in full harmony. And not a wave.... I don't care what kind of waves would come, it would never be contrary to your faith. You'd move right on through. That's right.

See, but you've got to make everything in agreement with God's Word. Then we move on, when we got all lined up and in agreement.

Then if he'd say, “Well, that case is too hard,” this or that. I know you try to believe up here; but this down here, you got a little scare about it.

Like I was telling a lady this morning: When you go to fry your meat for breakfast, and a big bunch of grease pops up on your hand, the first thing, it just scares you to death. You grab your hand and “Where is the Unguentine?” just as quick as you can. That's the reason it burns you. That's what.... The scare is what.... I can prove that. It's the scare that burns you.

You got the Holy Ghost; it's operating in your body. Well, when that old snake grabbed a hold of Paul's hand, there was not a bit of scare. He looked at it like that, and shook it off in the fire, and went on, and got some more sticks. It didn't scare him. See, if you're not scared....

Jesus said, “Why did you fear?” Peter come walking on the water, doing fine until he seen the waves were contrary; then he got scared and begin to sink. Jesus come, picked him up, said, “Why did you fear, oh ye of little faith?” Fear. You're scared it won't happen. Don't have one bit of fear; move forward. God said so; that settles it.

And you can't do that until you have love. Perfect love casts out all fear. If I want to contribute anything to my success in the ministry amongst people, is this. I'll admit I've had to butcher up meetings, because I just couldn't set it and routine like ministers do.

And many times I've had to promise this, and take this back, and do this, and do that. Because God would make me do it. But if there's one thing, is because that I have loved people. And people knows that.

You take a little baby three months old; he don't know nothing. He's got a mind, but it isn't developed. He don't know who, or nothing. The doctors say they can see a light, might see your hand, but they can only follow it. And he'll just be kicking his little heels, and screaming to the top of his voice. Well, here comes some kind woman, comes along passing him, say, “Well, well, dear.” He just kicks right on. He don't know who the woman is. He don't know nobody.

But let that mother walk up, just put her hands on him. That settles it. Now, he don't know his mother. But his little spirit knows there's something about that spirit there, that nothing else can inject that mother love to him, no matter how much the other person loves. It ain't the mother's love. Is that right?

And she lays her hands on him, he'll dry up. See, he is ready. Because that mother, there's a love about her that goes to the baby, that the baby's little spirit recognizes that that's a love that no other love is.

No wonder He ordained us to lay hands on the sick. Take a horse when he's all bothered, jumping and jerking. You western people ought to know that. And just let the master walk into the stall and probably say, “Whoa, boy!” Lay his hands on him, he'll quieten right down. See, it's love.

And when we love God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds, and we love one another as ourselves—our neighbors as ourselves—the people can actually feel that. You can't put it on. You can't make a belief, 'cause they'll know it.

I believe Lincoln said one time, “You can fool part of the people, part of the time, but not all of the people, all the time.” And that's right. And if you got love in your heart for the people, they'll know it. You might act indifferent or anything, but still they know it. They can feel it. It's another dimension, as we'd call it, that injects to these people a love that they know it. And they'll believe it. And that's when you can help the person: when you believe it.

Now, that's what we need today in Phoenix, like all the rest of the world. And in our American cities, that where we have become so indifferent towards God.... And the reason we become so indifferent towards God, is because we're indifferent towards one another, see. When we get in one accord, then God comes down, see.

When we were in Africa, and India, or many of the islands, and so forth, you notice there, just one simple little miracle.... That the people this afternoon or any other place look: “That was very wonderful. We praise the Lord for that.” Walk right back home with the same indifference.

But let that happen one time among the heathen and the whole country will come to God. Every one of them will sweep right into the kingdom of God right then. They believe; they're humble. And now, that's what we've got to do now. Let's just break down all differences everywhere, and just get ourself.... Now, you just can't put it on. It's got to come from the inside.

You remember: The Holy Spirit knows it, whether it's coming from the inside. Let's just get all the differences away, walk right out and say, “I love the Lord, and I love even my enemy.” Don't never.... If anyone says anything about you, don't let that bother you at all. Don't mar that wonderful feeling till God.... My, just go ahead. Love them anyhow. Amen.

What good is it going to do anyhow, for them to get all peeved up about things? Just love them anyhow. Love everybody, 'cause they're the purchase of the blood of Jesus Christ. Whether they're sinners, or saints, they're.... And then you'll be able to win them to God because they will realize that you really love them, see. That's what we need today; don't you think so? Yes, sir.

A man come to me here not long ago, a very fine man, he said, “Brother Branham, I come to you to ask how to get saved.” He said, “I've been trying for several years to get saved.”

I said, “Yes.”

He said, “Well, now, there's a very prominent speaker, Mr. Billy Graham.” Said, “Do you know him?”

I said, “I know of him.” I said, “A very fine man.”

He said, “Well, I went to his meeting and he said, 'All that wanted to accept Christ and be saved, raise up their hands.'”

Said, “Brother Branham, I raised my hand just as high as I could.” Said, “I stood up and they had prayer for me.” And said, “Wasn't nothing different.”

And said, “Then I went down to a place where they had an old-fashioned tent meeting, called Old-time Religion.” And said, “They told me I had to get happy enough to shout.” And said, “I prayed in there till I shouted.”

He said, “But when I come back out, I was crying and shouting, but,” said, “it didn't help me.”

Said, “I went to another prominent men's meeting,” which we're all acquainted with. Said, “He told me I had to stay in there until I got happy and shout and spoke in tongues.” Said, “I did. But” said, “it didn't help me.”

Said, “What do you say?”

I said, “Brother, every one of them told you truth. Every one.” That's right. I said, “I believe you can raise up your hands, accept Christ; get happy and shout; speaking in tongues. All of those things I believe is the truth. But, brother, that's not what you're after. See, you're after the accepting of Christ.”

Accepting of Christ isn't raising up your hands, or these things, it's accepting a person into the heart, and then the attributes comes out. First, get things first: Christ in the heart and it will bear record. I said, “Like smoking, drinking, gambling, committing adultery, those things are not sin.”

Then I said that one night and a good old Methodist mother raised up. I said, “It's no sin to drink. Not sin to smoke, gamble.”

She raised up, she said, “Then preacher, would you tell me what sin is?”

I said, “Unbelief.” That's right. I said, “The reason you drink, smoke, and carry on like that is because you are an unbeliever. That's the attributes of unbelief that causes that. If you are a Christian, you don't do it. And just because you quit drinking, smoking, chewing, and committing adultery, that doesn't mean you're a Christian. You can do that yourself.” That's right. All right.

But the main thing is accepting the person of Christ Jesus. Amen. Then it brings forth its fruit.

Just like a grain of corn, when it goes into the ground, it cannot be a creeper, cocklebur, jimson weed, or a cactus stalk. It's got the life in it of corn; it will produce corn.

And if a man is ever borned of the Spirit of God, he becomes a new creature and can't produce nothing else but godly fear and godly love and the fruits of the Spirit. For His life.... We are sowed with the incorruptible seed of God, the imperishable seed of God. It's got to produce just exactly of its kind. Amen.

I hope I'm not too loud.

Notice, it's got its life in it. When a grain of corn goes into the ground, if it's a yellow grain, it'll produce a yellow stalk of corn ... yellow grain of corn. If it goes in a wheat, it will produce a wheat. A barley, will a barley. Whatever it is will produce just exactly what it said.

Just like, here you all raise a lot of little citrus fruits here. I see these, the best in the world. This navel and oranges and things. But did you know that little navel tree that you set out there just about that big, that every bushel of oranges that will ever be on that tree is in it right then? If it doesn't, where does it come from? I want to ask you.

You say, “Well, how many....”

I don't the agriculture very well but.... I don't know how many bushels of oranges an ordinary tree would produce in a lifetime of the tree—probably many hundreds of bushels.

“But, preacher, tell me where in the world that hundreds of bushels of oranges will be in that little tree?”

“Well, now, my brother, you tell me where they come from if it's not in that little tree.” It's in there right then.

Then the only thing that you have to do is plant that little tree, and put the water to it. Is that right? And it has to go to drinking from that water. Is that right? Nursing that water. And when it goes to drink, drink, till it pushes out some leaves, pushes out some buds, pushes out some oranges. And the only thing the tree does is drink, drink, drink, drink, till it pushes these things out that's on the inside of it. Is that right?

And when a man is borned of the Spirit of God, filled with the Holy Ghost, everything he has need of in this life's journey, is in him right then. And the only thing he has to do is just drink from the inexhaustible fountain of life, which is Christ Jesus, until he pushes out divine healing powers of God. He just pushes it out by his drinking from the everlasting inexhaustible fountain of life, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Text quickly. We're dealing this afternoon with Expectations. Reading the text.... I don't want to take too much time, for you got to get home and back again. Little expectations.

Now, I want each one of us now in our hearts to dwell on this thought of: Expectations. Whatever you expect is usually what you get.

You heard about the lady that prayed for the mountain to be moved and got up the next morning, looked out the window, said, “Just as I expected; still there.” Well, that's the reason: That she expected it. That's right.

Now, you want to have an expectation all the way from heart, soul, body, and mind, that God is going to give us a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I feel it, that it's near us. And God is willing and ready to give it to us.

Now, if you expect, that's what you receive. If you've come to the meeting saying, “Well, I'm going down.... I'm just going to ... I'm going to find some flaws of that meeting. I'll find some flaws of that preacher. I'll bet you I can.” Don't worry, you'll get it. The devil will show you plenty of them. Yes, sir.

You'll go back, say, “Mm, hmm. Just as I expected. That's just the way it was. Uh-huh.” Same group found fault with Jesus when He went through the pool of Bethesda and all those cripples laying there, lame, halt, blind, and withered. Passed by every one of them, never healed any of them. Went over and healed a man laying on a pallet. Walked away. Them Jews, “Uh-huh, now if He's the healer, let Him heal them,” see.

Just as you expect, that's what you get. But you come to the meeting expecting to see the glory of God moving, the power of God, sinners being saved, filled with the Holy Ghost, sickness being healed. Then watch what God shows you. Yes, sir.

See, you are a creator in yourself. If you're.... How many is borned-again? say, “Amen.” Do you know each one of you is a creator? You are a part of God; you're a son of God, an offspring of God, a daughter of God. Is that right? Then you are a creator.

Now, did you ever see people, they were nice people (I ain't saying this for any back now.), nice people, but you just couldn't hardly stand to be around them. You know that. Nice people. It's their atmosphere they're in. Then you've seen other people that you just long to be with them; is that right? It's that atmosphere that's around them all the time.

Now, my wife sitting back here, she don't know this but ... she's supposed to be here somewhere. And you can imagine in our home about what takes place in a run of a day. People coming, going like that. And I go in sometimes, the poor little fellow in there in the kitchen crying, not even a chance to cook the children anything to eat through the day. And there it is.

And the little kiddy, the little girl about two years old, little Sarah, and Rebekah, and they're in there and they're crying and going on. And my wife crying, she looked up, she said, “Bill, I'm just about to go crazy. I just don't know what I'm going to do.” She said, “I....” And gray-headed at thirty-four years old.

And so I said, “Well, now, that's right, honey.”

I never ... don't fuss at her, see. No. “That's right, honey,” see. “It's very bad, but you see we're serving the Lord, so we....” See, what I'm doing all the time in my heart: I am trying to create a different atmosphere. They're all nervous and tore up, see.

Now, I was thinking in my heart, O Lord, now send Your presence and Your love to my poor little tore-up wife. And I say, “Yes, dear. That's right.” I say, “What was this here?”

“Oh, we haven't had anything to eat and....”

I say, “Well, there probably won't be anybody else in for next couple of hours. Let's get something to eat. And I'll help you.” And I'll start getting up my sleeves.

She'd say, “Now look, young man, you might be able to help me wash dishes but you can't cook.”

I'll say, “Who can't cook?” Like that, you know. Just going on. I will say, “Well, you haven't never seen me fry potatoes yet. I was raised on them.” Like that ... something like that. And I'll see a little bitty smile trickle on one side, you know.

And the first thing you know, I come over, and I put my hand on her. She don't know what I'm doing yet. And I say, “Bless your heart, honey. I'll tell you, I'll help you do this.” And down in my heart I'm saying, “Lord, send my peace ... Your peace that's in me into her now. O God, quieten my family, now. I'm Your servant, Father.”

And the first thing you know, she'd say, “Bill, you know a certain thing?” Them little old black eyes are snapping again, you know. “You know?”

“Yeah.” And I look at the baby, she's in there, got her blocks and the babies are playing together. What is it? It's creating an atmosphere. Hallelujah!

Brother, let me tell, brother: The atmosphere is what does it. It's exactly right.

Look, it's not the hen that hatches the egg; it's the atmosphere. Yes, sir. Is that right?

You put that same egg under a pup; it would hatch the chicken just the same. Put it in the incubator; it'll bring the chicken just the same. It's the atmosphere. Hallelujah!

What we need is a Holy Ghost atmosphere. Right. An atmosphere where the power of God is a moving, one accord, one place, gathering together under that atmosphere of expecting God to move down and do signs and wonders. Amen. Let's move ourself up into that bracket. Step up in faith. Move out of these three dimensions up into the next one.

Say, “Lord, I just believe that You're going to pour Your blessings. I'm expecting it now. All things are moving right in. And I'm expecting to see the exceedingly, abundantly now. I'm expecting it.” And when you go....

You come down and say, “Well, I don't know about it.” Well, see, you hurt the other person.

Now, you're sitting by one of them, you say, “O Lord, just tear him down now. I'm just.... I'm expecting great things,” see. And that expectancy will get that unity among the people.

That's what happened on the day of Pentecost, what brought the Holy Ghost in the first place. They went up there and stayed ten days and nights, and they were ... until they were all in one place, and with one accord blessing God for something that they did not have. Is that right?

They were thanking God for the Holy Ghost; the Holy Ghost had never come yet. But they had it in the seed form. Like if I'd say, “Wonder if an acorn tree would grow down here?”

You'd say, “Well, I guess it would.” And I'd give you an acorn.

I'd say, “I'll give you a acorn tree.”

And you say, “All right, Brother Branham, I'd like to try, see if an acorn would grow down here in my backyard.” And I'd give you the.... You say, “I'm going to put it in the right kind of soil, just like you got up in the North and I'm going to see if it will grow.”

All right. Now, if you put this acorn I give you.... You say, “Well, Brother Branham, you said you'd give me an acorn tree.”

I said, “I did.”

“Well, how.... You give me an acorn.”

“You've got the tree already. It's in the seed form.” Is that right? You've got the tree already; it's in the seed form.

And that's the way we have to get: in the seed form. All in one accord, one place. They was blessing God for the Holy Ghost which had never come yet. But they believed that it was because God was going to keep His promise. And when they kept blessing God until that atmosphere got just right, then there came a sound from Heaven like a rushing mighty wind, filled all the house where they were sitting, see. The atmosphere got right.

Well, couldn't we get an atmosphere here that every cripple, every blind, every sick person, everything, all with one accord, believing until the sick.... Why, I seen it last week in Wood River, where there wasn't a person left.... They just piled up the crutches, the wheelchairs and cots. I was standing at the platform preaching like this, and they just begin to raise up, throw them to the corners. The atmosphere got right.

Oh, brother! God send us an atmosphere that will make it of one accord, one place. Let the power of God surge down through.... That atmosphere gets right, it opens up every ... moves back every clog, everything. The law of God will move.

Here not long ago, we had a man.... For instance, these electric lights. Thomas Edison was the founder of it. But we'll take first.... The world has been full of electricity since the world began. All around. Well, now, listen, I want to ask you something.

Now, there was a man God was fixing to give electricity to the world. I believe when God's program is ready, everything will work right to its place; don't you? Has to. Foreordained to do so.

Now, so Benjamin Franklin went fishing with a kite. Lightning run down the string and he caught it, and he begin to run, holler, “I got it. I got it. I got it. I got it.” He had it but he didn't know what he had.

Well, that's what's the matter with our Pentecostal church. You've got it but you don't know what you got. That's it. That's right. You've got power enough to open the eyes of the blind, unstop the ears of the deaf, to do all things. But you come in with a twisted-up atmosphere. Let's get it in one accord so the Holy Spirit can pour out the gushers down upon the people. In one place, and one accord.

Along come Thomas Edison; he said, “Listen, it will light up.” He tried ten thousand wires. He said he wasn't tired. He'd sit with a cup of coffee and a sandwich all night long. He'd try this one. If the electrolysis wouldn't ... or, electric wouldn't follow that wire, he'd lay it aside and get him another one. He'd try that. Until finally, he found it. And he gave the world electricity.

Now for instance, if you was up here back behind some of these big dark mountains tonight, it was so black dark down there till you couldn't see where you were going. You might fall over a rock or step into a snake or you didn't know what was going to happen; or one of these big Gila monsters or something laying up there.

And you know electricity is all around you. You could scream till you got hoarse: “Oh, electricity, electricity, light up. Show me how to get out of here. Oh, I know you're here. I know you're here, electricity. It's scientifically proven that you're here. I know you're here so you light up.” You could scream till you got hoarse, and it would never light up. Why? Electricity will light if you'll follow the law of electricity. But you've got to follow the laws of electricity.

If you had a fountain over on this side, a artesian well gushing up, and a crop over on this side burning up. Now, you can say, “Oh, water, go over here and irrigate my crop.” It wouldn't do it. No. But if you'll follow the laws of gravitation, you can make it do it. Is that right?

Well, now, look. God is here this afternoon. Now we got to follow the law of God. The law of God is “One accord; love one for the other.” “He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God.” “Believeth, hopeth all things, trusts all things, and do all....” Oh, my! There you are. One accord. Everybody under expectations that God is going to pour down His power.

Listen, you know it's here. Scientifically, you know it's here. Looky here. How could Mrs. Waldorf be sitting here after dying with a cancer? How many across the world, of the thousands times thousands of cases?

How could you, a drunkard a few weeks ago, or a few months ago, and a gentleman this afternoon? How could you, a street harlot a few weeks ago, and a lady this afternoon? By the transforming power of God being transmitted by the Holy Ghost into your heart changed your nature and changed your making. It made you another person. That's right.

You might not have felt.... I don't know about that. But it's here's anyhow. Whether you feel it or not. Let's give God thanks for it, for it's here anyhow.

I can prove to you right now there's radio coming right through you. Radio.... You don't feel it. But you know it's there. There's television pictures coming right through you now. But you don't feel it, but it's there anyhow. Oh, my!

Now, if our body was magnetized to that, like that big word, say, “Yes,” stretched out from the window to this window. It's sweeping through this building, “Yes” going right through you. Somebody sing, “Yes” on the radio. Well, it comes right through you as it goes through them powers, electronics and so forth, as it goes through your body.

Now, when it hits against that crystal in the set, it just catches like that and you hear, “Yes.”

Now, if God up there says, “By His stripes you were healed,” the Holy Ghost entwines ... brings that down by the power of God. Your heart is set on that. Jesus said, “Yes, by His stripes we are healed. God, You said in Mark 11:24, 'Whatsoever things you desire, when you pray, believe you receive it.' Lord, we prayed for a meeting, we've been fasting for a meeting, we've been crying for a meeting. Yes, Lord. I believe a meeting is on the road.”

Then stand there like ... oh, till the power of God comes down, when it hits, it says, “Yes.” Next man says, “Yes.” Look it, you got double power yes, “Yes,” triple power yes. Four times power yes. First thing you know, it becomes thousands powers of yes, then the Holy Spirit moves in and confirms the Word of God with signs and wonders following. That's it. That's what we need: expectations.

During the time of the birth of Jesus, it was in a day something like this when the people had wandered away from God. There was not ... had very many ways to send messages, radio, telegram, and so forth like they got now, and televisions. The only way they had to send messages then was from lip to ear. Quickly, listen to Him now.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. We're taught in the Bible that wise men saw a star when they was over in the East; followed it all the way to Palestine. Is that right? They kept time by the stars them days.

Every city had a little observatory on top of it. And they kept.... The watchman sat up there, and told time by the stars. In the daytime, they told time by the sundial. You know, “What time is it, watchman on the tower?” And they asked for the time.

Now, they kept time and yet that (Here it is! I want you to get it.) that star passed over every one of those cities and not one of those men saw it. But our Bible declares that it done it. And I believe it did. “We have saw His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Is that right? And they moved, led by this star moving them.

And this greatest star of all the stars, the greatest of all, moved right by the scientific world and they never saw it. Why? They wasn't expecting it. But there was some wise men who heard Balaam's prophecies: There would be a Star of Jacob rise. They was expecting it. They were looking for it. They found it. They followed it. They were looking for it.

I'm looking for something. Aren't you? My soul is stimulated to the highest. Just before the coming of the Lord Jesus, to see something happen that's going to shake the Gentile world before God leaves it. Yes. I'm expecting it in Phoenix. I'm looking for it. I want you to agree with me and expect it.

These wise men, they said, “Someday, my father said.... Here it is written in the Bible.” His father said, his father said, there would be a Star of Jacob rise. When they saw that star when it appeared.... They were looking for it. They saw it. The rest of them didn't see it.

Somebody said, “Don't you think them people who cry and shout are all emotional and worked up?” No, sir. No, sir. They're not. “Brother Branham, don't you think it's psychology speaking?” No, sir. I do not. They're expecting something. They're expecting manna from Heaven to feed their souls. While they're sitting there under expectations, God is under obligation to give them the manna from Heaven 'cause they're expecting it.

You're expecting a meeting, God is under obligation to give it to you.

Now, here they come. And then we see the shepherds come out and sing on the hills of Judea. 'Cause they was always singing at the birth of a king. Eight days later, we find Jesus going to the temple in His mother's arms. Another passage: There was an old man up there, an old sage (We'd call him a preacher.) long beard, and hair. And he had a fine reputation among the people. He was a renowned man. And he had a fine reputation.

And one day when he was out, the Holy Ghost told him, said, “Simeon, you're not going to die until you see the Lord's Christ.” And he believed it. And he was expecting it. He went around.... He didn't care what the rest of the churches said; he didn't care what all ... his prestige. He said, “I'm belie.... I ain't going to die till I see the Lord's Christ.”

I can hear some of them saying, “You know the old fellow is kind of getting old. He's a little bit, you know, something wrong with him up there.” They usually say that, you know. “There's something wrong up here with them people, see.”

Well, what was the matter? He was expecting God to keep His Word. Had a good reason, didn't he? “Well, how do you know you're going to see it? David looked for it, even Adam, all the way back has looked for it. Four thousand years has passed and there has been no sign of it yet.”

“I don't care what's passed; the Holy Ghost told me I was going to see it and I believe it.” That settles it. That's a good reason, isn't it?

“You mean you're here eighty years old and one foot in the grave?”

“I don't care how old I am, but I'm going to see the Christ before I die, 'cause the Holy Ghost said so. I'm going right around expecting it, thanking God for His promise because I'm going to see Him.” Oh, my! There you are.

He was expecting to see the Christ.

All right, now it comes time.... Let's give a little drama here. Let's say there's a prayer room out at the temple. Say it's Monday morning. And oh, there's about two million, something, Jews in Palestine then. Probably many hundred children was born overnight.

And every day there would be a line of women, lined up there for circumcision of the male child, offering turtledoves or lamb. If it was a peasant, they had turtledoves. A lamb—the rich person. For the purification of the mother, and circumcision of the child and so forth. You know, the Jewish laws.

Let's say this was Monday morning. All right, I see the temple is busy, people coming and going, around and around. It's all going around. After awhile, I see a long line of people—women standing. All up and down that line.

And I see some of the women there with little babies with their little pink knitted needlework gowns on them and little shawls and little blue shawls. And each one leading a little lamb. Rich women.... Oh, how pretty.

Way down the line, let's look. I see a little lady standing down there with her head bowed. Just a little girl with a baby in her arms. Oh, my! Poor? Two turtledoves. Clothes? Wrapped in swaddling's cloth. That's what they take off the yoke of an ox, you know, when he's plowing; keep him from rubbing his shoulders. There was nothing in the manger. So He just didn't have no clothes. You talk about poor. There's not a family in Phoenix that poor. Charity would do more for you than that.

But He was the very God of creation, standing here, born in a manger. Come by the way of a manger and went out the way of capital punishment. “Came to His own, His own recei.... In the world and the world was made by Him, the world knew Him not.” And here He was, laying there in His mother's arms, wrapped in swaddling cloth.

She was coming along, I can hear some of them say, “Hey, that's that girl there. You know, that's that girl had that baby without being married. Don't stand near her.” They kept their distance. Puts you in a mind of some of them sisters ... people today. “Bunch of holy-rollers. Don't have nothing to do with them.”

Little Mary knew where she was standing. So does the church that's born-again of the power of God knows where they're standing. Don't make any difference what you say. You can say, “They're crazy,” whatever you want to, but they know where they're at. Don't you worry. Just go ahead and say it.

She never opened her mouth. She rocked the little fellow and patted Him on the cheek. He looked up and them little eyes starry, like little stars, looking to His mother. She'd pat Him. Some of them say, “Look at that. Isn't that awful?” And they didn't know what that was: their very Creator laying there in that arm.

So it come on down. There He was holding her arm like that. And she was patting the little fellow, playing with Him. And I can see the mothers keeping their distance from her. Oh, there was the Christ of the temple, in the temple, poor, humble.

I can see Simeon sitting out there reading Isaiah. “All we like sheep have gone astray, and the Lord laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, with His stripes we were healed.” “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.”

I can hear Simeon say, “Wonder who wrote that?” You all believe in being led by the Spirit of God? Sons of God are led by the Spirit of God. Is that right?

Now, the Holy Ghost told him he was going to see the Christ before he died. And there he is reading, you know, and on like that. And I can hear the Holy Ghost say, “Simeon, stand up.”

Simeon say, “Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord.”

“Start walking, Simeon.”

“Where, Lord?”

“Just walk. That's all. Just keep walking.” Oh, my! Hallelujah! I like that. “Just keep walking. I made you a promise, Simeon. You don't know nothing about it right now, but you're walking right into it.”

Simeon walks out, you know, like that. “Well, I never felt like this before.” He said, “There's just something I ... just at peace somehow. Is this far enough, Lord?”

“Just keep walking.” Walks over, and he sees where this line of women is.

“Well, think I'll walk down.” And as he got closer, Something begin to move on him. Don't you believe that? Led by the Spirit of God: sons of God. The promise is there. The Messiah was in the temple, the very One that the Holy Ghost promised him.

He walks down, he sees this little woman, he reaches over and he takes that baby out of her arms. Tears running off his white beard. Said, “Now, Lord, let Thy servant depart in peace according to Thy words, for my eyes have seen Your salvation.” Oh, my! Led of the Holy Ghost.

Yes, he was expecting to see Him. And if he was expecting to see Him, God is under obligation to let him see Him.

Way over in a corner, an old blind prophetess sat over there. She was expecting, too, to see the kingdom of God, waiting for the consolation of Israel, the coming of the Lord.

I see her sitting over there. Theologians tells her history that she was blind. And she was sitting in the corner. The Holy Ghost said, “Rise up, Anna.” Here she comes, winding her way through the temple, blind, led by the Holy Ghost, waiting for the consolation of Israel. Here she comes making her way around Jones and all them, till she gets over and stands in front of Him, and raised up her hands, and blessed God, and prophesied. Hallelujah! The rest of them going on by, knowing nothing about it. Just like the man in the observatory. But these people was expecting. The Holy Spirit revealed it.

And there's no two Holy Spirits. There's only one Holy Spirit. And the reason that you're here today is the reason that you believe in divine healing. And just as sure as you're here, the same Holy Ghost that led Simeon has led you here today. You never come to be seen. It's the Holy Spirit led you here.

And we're expecting to see God pour out His divine power. Hallelujah! David said, “When the deep calleth to the deep,” I've said it many times, “in the noise of Thy waterspouts, O Lord.” The deep calling to the deep. Before there can be a deep in here, there has to be a deep to respond to it. Is that right?

Before there is a fin on a fish's back, there had to be a water for him to swim in or there wouldn't be any fin on his back. Is that right? Has to be a water first before the fin can be there. Oh, my! I hope you get this. I feel it a coming down through the air.

Notice, before there was a palm tree to grow in the earth, there had to be an earth first or there'd be no palm tree to grow. Is that right?

If you believe in divine healing, the power of God, before there can.... There is something created that desire in your heart. Is that right? Before there could be a creation, there has to be a Creator to create that creation. Is that right? There you are.

And when the Holy Ghost created in your heart a desire to see the power of God work in this city here, there's got to be a power of God somewhere, who will break down the shackles, and come in with the powers of God ... move where healing, salvation, a pouring out of the Holy Spirit on everybody, the way we're expecting it. God's warned us by His Holy Spirit, that we'd see these things, and we're living in the day to see them. We're expecting to see it. Deep calling to the deep.

Some time ago, I read where a little baby eat the eraser off of a pencil. He eat the pedal off of a bicycle, rubber. They examined his little body at the clinic. The doctor said, “Why, the little fellow is needing sulfur.” Well, what?

The little fellow was made out of the earth where the sulfur come from. And if there is a desire in here for sulfur, there's got to be a sulfur first out there to create the desire for sulfur. If there's a God to give power, if we crave for the power of God, if we crave healing, salvation, the glories of God, the filling of the Holy Ghost, them things has got to be setting out yonder or we'd never have that desire to get them. See there? There it is. The deep calling to the deep.

Here some time ago, I was standing up in the mountains. And I was riding up there getting some cattle down; just on a little vacation. I was watching a sight and I picked up my binoculars, hitched my horse, and looked down across in the valley. I seen a bunch of eagles making a squawk up there on top of the hill. There was an old mother eagle fixing to take her babies out of the nest for the first time.

And you ought to've seen them get ready for that flight. I said, “Hallelujah, Lord!” I know another bunch of eagles that's getting ready for a flight one of these days. The old mother was throwing her wings out. She was cooing to them. You know, “Coo, coo, coo.” Shoving her wings, “Coo, coo, coo. Coo, coo, coo.” Trying to get them on her wings. She picked them up on her wings. How she was trying to get them.

She'd reach over at this one and set him up there, and listen at her, “Coo, coo, coo,” and loving them. I thought, That's what the Holy Ghost is doing right now. Reach and get this and set him up on. And this one as they 'Coo, coo, coo. Come on, come on, time's getting ready.' Getting out of that old nest where it stink.... Whew! My! Yes, sir.

And when they once leave that nest, they never go back again. Hallelujah! She got them all fastened up. They got their little claws hooked into her wing. Took their little bill and caught on to the feathers like that. She put these big wings out. She come out of the nest. Right on down. They say if they drop one, they can just go right under and pick him up again. Amen. All right.

She went down into the green pastures. The little eagles had never been there before. Nothing but just that old nasty nest, like the world is, anyhow. So she got them all down there, set them on this green pasture and she went way back up to the top of the highest peak of the rocks that she could get. She sat up there and begin to flop her big wings, looking around.

And those little eagles was having a Holy Ghost meeting. My, I never seen such in my life. They were running around, grab a little mouthful of grass and just.... I said, “Isn't that an old-fashioned homecoming, gathering of the powers of God.” Their little feet had never known nothing but that old nasty stickery nest. Walk in, now they was walking on a soft meadow.

You know how it is when you come out of the old nest of Egypt, the nest of the world, get into the good old powers of God where their soul's made light and the glory of God all around you. They were walking around, picking at this. They was having a good time.

This old mother flew back up. She sat way up there as high as she could, so she could see everywhere. I thought, Oh, my. Let a coyote come up now. She'd sure tear him to pieces. And I thought, Well, you know what? I'm so glad that after Jesus brought me up out of the world, He climbed the ramparts of glory, sitting up yonder with His Majesty on high. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me. Trouble starts, He is my shield.

Well, now, I think of Him, watching over us.

And the first thing you know, I seen her raise her big head. Begin to get around. Way in the distance was coming a storm. She could scent it miles off. And they come quick in Colorado.

So the first thing you know, when she seen that storm in view, she let out a big scream. Those little eagles were all around over the pasture there. And she let out a big scream and she run right in the middle of the pasture and just set down like a big plane. Every one of those little eagles knowed her voice. And here they come. And each one grabbed their hold again. Took a hold of her feathers like that. She lifted from the earth. Just the time the wind was coming down the canyon, she pierced that wind nearly sixty miles an hour and flew into a hole in the rock yonder for shelter.

I said, “Praise God forever. Our glorious Saviour climbed the ramparts of Calvary up there, to watch over us tonight through His power of the Holy Ghost and the resurrection of His Being. And He's spreading forth on the wings of the Holy Ghost to pack us from sick beds, from cripple chairs, (Hallelujah!) into the Rock of safety yonder in God's kingdom.” Waiting for us.

Let's believe. One place, one accord. Get the atmosphere right. Be expecting and God will fill us with the Holy Ghost and send down powers. Believe this? Let's bow our heads.

Kind Heavenly Father, today our hearts is made happy and light because of His presence, because that we know that He is here. And we're expecting great, exceedingly great meetings. The powers of God to be manifested. Grant, eternal One, that Your Spirit will now hover over this building. Spread forth Your great wings and may the distilled dewdrops of mercy drop upon every soul.

Take every indifference out.

If there be men or women here, young or old, that has a grievance against someone, may in their heart now, they settle it. Say, “Lord, I've waited in this dry valley down here long enough. I've wanted, I've prayed, I've wondered, I've prayed, I've fasted. I wanted to see a great outpouring of the Holy Ghost blessings upon the people in this valley.”

And now, Lord, we believe that You're going to send it. Grant it, Father. And now, may the Holy Ghost take every sinner by the heart and say, “Now, is the time.” As Jesus, in the early part of His ministry said, to Simon and to the children of Zebedee, “Follow Me. I'll make you to become fishers of men.” Grant it, Lord. May they join in right now, and be saved.

And while we have our heads bowed, the pianist at the piano, I wonder if there is an unsaved person here today, that would raise your hand and say, “Brother, remember me as a sinner.” God bless you, my brother. Someone else? God bless you, my sister. Someone else say, “Remember me, Brother Branham, as a sinner; I want to be saved.” God bless you, brother. Someone else raise your hand, say, “Remember me, Brother Branham, I want to be....” God bless you, brother. All right.

Someone else put your hands up. God bless you, and God bless you. God bless you, my Indian friend. God bless you, brother. God bless you. Going to your reservation in a few days. All right. Someone else now? Raise your hand, say, “Remember me, brother, as a sinner.” God bless you, sister. How many of you now in here....

Is that all? Is there another sinner before we stop this bracket here? Another.... God bless you, and God bless you. Good. Someone else? God bless you. Someone else raise your hand and say, “I want to be saved, Brother Branham.” God bless you, you, you, you, and you, and you, and you. O God be with you.

My, what a time. Listen friends, you will see this week the manifestation of the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Come now, get your hearts entangled with God's love. Get caught into this web of His eternal blessings that will lift you in His net, out of this old earth, up into the glorylands above.

How many here without the baptism of the Holy Ghost? Say, “Brother Branham, remember me. I want the Holy Ghost. I realize the Gentiles are closing.” God bless you. God bless you. God bless you, you, you, you, and you, and you. Oh, my! Everywhere ... hands up everywhere.

Friend, without the baptism of the Holy Spirit.... I'm afraid we haven't got very much time left. I'm afraid the hour is near. Won't you come now and be saved and receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost? Won't you do it? Right now, this afternoon, while we have plenty of time. Just not even four o'clock yet. And won't we just have plenty of time to come here and have prayer together.

If you've got a little something against somebody, you've had a little malice in your heart, say, “I'm coming right now, Brother Branham, up to this altar. I'm going to ask God to forgive me, 'cause I believe that this is the meeting that God is going to pour out His blessings and we're going to see the great things of God happen.

Now while you bow your heads again.... Go right ahead, sister, that's right. That's good. Oh, may God's mercy be near you.

Now, God, may Your Spirit overshadow us just now. And may we conceive in our hearts, the presence of Almighty God. And may He, by His great transforming power.... These man and women here today, boys and girls, who raised their hands to want to receive You, Father, Thou has proved by Your Word that You are with them right now.

Jesus, our Lord, said, “No man can come to Me except My Father draws him first.” And God, You wouldn't draw them unless You had a reason to. We know that some are born for condemnation. Others are born to everlasting life. And maybe they've wasted many years wandering around. But today, by sovereign grace, You're knocking at their heart again. May they accept it this time, Father dear. Grant this blessing.

And now, with your heads bowed, I wonder how many of you that raised your hand, would come right down here and stand at this altar here just a moment, for prayer together, right here? God bless you, my brethren. Would someone else come? Take your place. God bless you and give you eternal life, my brother. God bless you, my brother. That's wonderful.

All right, minister brethren. Oh, how wonderful. That's the time, brother. That's right, come right on up now, you who are seeking the Lord. God bless you, brother.

Saviour, Saviour,

Hear my humble cry; (God bless you, brother.)

While on others Thou art calling,

Do not pass me by.

It's breaking ... heartbreaking. The music continue on, if you will, softly. See these young men, Spanish, Indian; here's a dear old Spanish brother here, Mexican, kind of head twisted a little. Body wrapped over, gray-headed. Maybe not very much in this world, as far as the world is concerned. But he is now becoming a son of God. Crippled over, his arms folded, kneeling here, broken down, coming to Christ.

I wished every sinner would come here. Don't let us have to beg you to the greatest thing in the world. Would you just come now? One more.... Or is there anymore sinners would just come? Kneel and pray with us. God spoke to you.

Listen, I'll prove to you this week, by God's Word, and Him helping, that every one of you old people here, like this old man, one of these days is coming back to a young man again. I can prove that by God's Word. T

That in this great resurrection, all the old will be young there forever. What death is doing to you now, death will be done away with. And just what life was to you when you was a young man or woman, that's what you will be in the resurrection.

Oh, you who lost those little babies out yonder, maybe premature, or whatever, they'll be there in the resurrection. Jesus is coming soon. Won't you come now to get ready ... prepare to meet this great event that's just about to take place? Will you come now? While the personal workers walk up around, if they will now—around the altar with these people.

One more sinner while we sing now? Come on now.

Saviour, Saviour,

Oh, hear my humble cry;

While on others Thou art calling,

Do not pass me by.

Let me at Thy throne of mer....

Won't you come, sinner friends? Kneel around here with the rest. You seeking the Holy Ghost, would you come kneel around? Won't you come? We'd like to have you right here now. You'll find favor with God. This is the way to make the meeting start right.

Help my unbelief.

Saviour...... (Come here,

I want you to lead the prayer cards.)

...... humble cry;

While on others Thou art calling,

Do not pass me by.

All right now, as we're.... Just quieten around everybody. Around now ... the personal workers get around the seekers. Each one here now. If you got a loved one here you want to kneel and pray with, come right ahead. You that's seeking the baptism of the Holy Ghost, it's hard telling what will happen right here the next few minutes.

Now, let's get on that atmosphere now, of salvation. Now, each one of you people here, you sinners crying out for salvation, one man reading the Bible to another, fine brethren and sisters here, trying to get these people saved.

Now, Jesus promised, “He that comes to Me, I will in no wise turn out. I will not turn Him away.” You're going to have everlasting life right now, and be borned-again of the Spirit of God.

How many out there is interested in these souls? raise your hands. All right. Let's bow our heads now. And every ... you personal workers, get right around to the people there now. Everyone. Now, be sincere. Don't one of you leave this building, don't you start away from here until God has blessed and give you the new birth. All right.

Brother Ballard, you lead us in prayer while we're standing here....