What Think Ye Of Christ?

[A woman sings, “Down From His Glory.”] My heart is thrilled; that's my favorite song. If you only knew the background to that song. My friend composed that song (Booth-Clibborn) in a cornfield one night. With his elbows out, and on his knees out there in prayer, God gave him this song. And I think it's one of the.... It's matchless to this day when the deity of Jesus Christ is denied by so many formal believers, that He was no more than just a man, just a prophet. He was Emmanuel. And I'm so thankful.

And it was so beautifully did by our sister. I hope I'm not imposing. And I asked Brother Joseph, either after tonight, before I come to the platform, to sing “Then Jesus Came.” I would be very happy to hear it, tonight. That's just got my soul thrilled. I changed my text right now from what I was going to preach on.

I'm happy to be here, as always. I'm very happy. I hope I'm not doing anything wrong at this time, but I have a very good friend here which is a Methodist minister, and it's Brother John O'Bannon from Louisville, Kentucky. Would you mind just standing to your feet, just a minute Brother O'Bannon. I don't want to make you conspicuous, but, Brother O'Bannon, so you can see how the Methodists and Baptists get along down in the southern part of the state.

We're very happy to have him here ... been a very good friend of mine. We just had a healing campaign for his brother. I believe it's.... I'm not so sure. What was the name of that place in Kentucky? Pardon? Sacramento, Kentucky. And we just had a marvelous time down there in that little city.

And we're expecting God to do great things with the Methodist people; to pour out His Spirit upon them again and give them another old-fashioned revival like they had in the days of Whitfield and Wesley and back in those days. And, they were the latter rain of that day. That's right. They were the latter rain then.

Then the Baptists come along. They were the latter rain to them. It just keeps moving on down. Now, I guess we're all latter rain to us brethren. After a while, if Jesus tarries, there'll be more and more. But all through the ages and through the generations, God has always had a people, someone, who would trust Him and believe Him. And we're so happy that He has.

Now tonight, I believe, is the healing service. And this is usually on the afternoon when they just let me come to the platform and speak a little while. I am not a preacher, or what you'd call a preacher. I'm just what's called “spare tire,” you know. That is, when you have a flat, then you put your spare tire on. Now, we haven't got a flat, because we've got some good preachers here. But, I just usually fill in the afternoon. It relaxes me to speak, you know, what I do know about the Lord Jesus.

I don't know too much Scripture. And I'm not a theologian by a long ways. And I don't know very much of theology, but I know the Author of this Book, Jesus Christ, and I love Him. My education is limited, and my words are very poor, my grammar. You'll excuse that, I'm sure.

This reminds me, here at Fort Wayne sometime ago, there was a man, where the song of Paul Rader used to be here in this city. I think that was about the last great revival that Chicago's ever had; a real city-stricken revival, in the days of Paul Rader, or Moody, or some of those. And he wrote that famous song, “Only Believe.” And it's been my theme song. I never heard it until one night I come in, and I didn't know that Paul had written that song; and my pianist was playing it. And it just struck my heart. I've used it all across the country, after the campaigns and hear the people sing it.

I remember one time in Arkansas; I was staying at the San Pack Hotel, and just having a marvelous [unclear word]. It's been six or seven years ago, and there was no one else on the field at that day, and the tinsel was hanging everywhere, you know. We was having a marvelous time. And I stepped out; I had to go down the back way to get to the minister so he'd take me for dinner.

And so, I started down the elevator. And the little colored boy standing out there, fixing his shoes up and singing:

Only believe, only believe

All things are possible

Only believe.

I went out, went out through the back way and down the alley; went down trying to ... lower part of the city, there was a mother rocking her baby down there singing:

Only believe, only believe

All things are possible.

I happened to notice and there was some boys playing marbles. A little fellow got down, you know, on his knees, real good, and took aim. He stopped to get some marbles, got up and dusted off his trousers, said:

Only believe, only believe

All things are possible.

I thought it was real cute, how them songs and things that you sing and how that the Lord has been very good. And I'm just thinking that sometime when it's all over and we come together so we're not nervous, or in no hurry, or anything, and we can just have a relaxing time.

In this place where Mr. Rader, as I was starting to say, had wrote this song, there was a scholar come in there. He said, “Brother Branham,” he said, “your grammar is very poor.”

And I said, “Yes, sir. That's right.”

And he said, “Oh, I noticed some of your grammatic mistakes tonight.” Said, “Oh, it was terrible.”

And I said, “Yes, sir. I didn't get much education.” I said, “I was raised in a very poor family, ten children.” And I said, “I was the oldest. And I had to make a living for the rest of them.”

He said, “Well, that's no excuse now.” He said, “You're a man.”

I said, “Well, that's right, too. But” I said, “since the Lord sent me out to pray for the sick, I'm never alone enough to study grammar.” I said, “I just have to pray for the sick.”

And he said, “Oh, but you could take a correspondence.” Said, “Now, for instance, tonight I heard you use a word there.” He said, “You said, 'All you people, now, come up in the polepit here.'” He said, “Why, did you know them people would appreciate you more if you said pulpit instead of polepit?”

I said, “Well, brother, I don't know where you were tonight.” I said, “I believe what them people want, would be to live the right kind of life, and produce what I'm talking about. They don't care whether I say pulpit or polepit.” That's right, isn't it?

As the old saying is: “The proof of the pudding is the eating thereof.” Isn't it? That's right. And I'm not trying to support my ignorance, but I remember.... I wish I did know better words and grammar. But if it's taking anything away from Jesus, I'd rather know Jesus, anytime, and know Him in the power—as Paul said—in the power of His resurrection.

I know, sitting before me, like every person here, there's a dark pit sitting right before every one of us. Every time our heart beats, we're going one closer beat to that pit; that's called death. Every man will have to come to that place some day if Jesus tarries. And when my nearness draws to that place, and I know I'm going in there, I won't care whether I'm saying polepit or pulpit. I won't care what my grammar is, but I want to know just one thing. I know this one thing: I know Him in the power of His resurrection, that when He calls from among the dead, I want to come out from among them (That's right.) when He calls.

Now, this afternoon, before.... We can lay these lids down on the Bible like that, of course; but to open it, no man is worthy. The Bible said, I believe, John searched the heavens and there no one worthy to take the book, open it, loose the seals out of it, or anything. But there was a Lamb, been slain from the foundation of the world. He was the one that was able to take the book out of the right hand of Him that sat upon the throne, and to open it to the people.

And now, while this little group of people is gathered here, just, oh, couple of hours before, maybe, the healing service starts, I thought [unclear words] the radio, hear the broadcast, I'd come down and speak for you a little bit and enjoy these songs. I'll hurry right back, stay in prayer, and come back after awhile, pray for the sick. You pray for me.

I tell you, Brother Joseph was talking about phone calls. Hmm. Well, no wonder my wife is gray-headed at thirty-four, see. She don't only stand the phone calls that come to the house, but she has to meet the public standing, see. And so, it certainly is a job. And now, it is.... You have to keep dead to yourself.

The other day, my boy, (He's in here somewhere.) he's just a kid—eighteen years old. And so, we was sitting in a place somewhere, and some of the young folks, in there at Wood River, and they playing one of these little old machine boxes, you know, that plays this little old music they had out there. Well, I never even noticed the stuff when it's playing.

So, somebody was playing it, and I noticed his eyes brighten up. And he's watching the kids, you know, what they were doing. Of course, he's just a kid, they do that. And he said, “Ain't that pretty, Daddy?”

I said, “What?”

He said, “What's wrong?”

I said, “Oh, I wasn't noticing.”

And so, he said, “Dad, you know what?” He said, “You've just become dead to everything but Jesus Christ.”

I said, “That's right. That's a compliment.” That's right. Just become dead to everything. I said, “Nothing ever sound but Christ Jesus, and let me stay that way.” I only want to know Him. That's all. To know Him is life. Is that right?

And now, may the Lord bless you, now. I'll try my best tonight to do everything that I can to talk to our Lord Jesus to heal all the sickness that's in your midst.

Here's something that's been on my heart for twenty-four hours. I don't know whether it's the Lord or not. It's never come to vision. That's what I watch, is the visions, then I've got, “Thus said the Lord”; but this has been impressed on my heart. I spoke with Billy today at the hotel about it. Our meetings are too short. We just come.... Even our meeting, from, say, five nights; that's still too short. I'd like to come to a city, this size, and stay a month or two, see. And just go to a place where ... because most of the time, just about the time you say, “This'll take place,” and “That'll take place,” but you're gone.

Mr. Brewer called me from Pete's River ... not Pete's River, but Wood River. And he said, “Brother Branham, we have taken you on tape recording.” And said, “And everything that you said while under inspiration, the different things that was going to take place,” said, “everything has absolutely fulfilled to the dot,” see.

Well, it's God.

He said, “Just come back just one night, just one night.” Said, “Could you come tomorrow?” (That was tonight.)

I said, “No, I'm in Chicago.”

And now, my meetings have never been able to be set up, because ... like it ought to be. Like Brother Roberts, and them, does, because Brother Roberts has his meetings set two and three years ahead. And he goes to a city and he can stay there till it's over. That's all. He can stay as long as he wants to; set his meetings for two or three weeks at a time, sometimes six weeks at a time.

But mine.... I can be right in the midst of a meeting, He'll give me a vision and send me somewhere else, and just walk right out and leave it, see. So, I can't have meetings like those men do. They are doing just what God told them to do, I believe. That's theirs to do that. My ministry.... I've been right in meetings where people'd be packed and jammed and standing on the streets, and in an hour's time, be on the road somewhere else, see. It's wherever He calls me, I have to go right then.

I had a group of ministers usually.... Oh, they were about to tear me to pieces over here about it. Said, “Oh, Brother Branham, you can't leave.”

I said, “Oh, yes. It's God's work, see. I must go.”

And he said, “Well what about if God told us to set this meeting here?”

I said, “God had a meeting down one time, down in.... Philip was there preaching, and the Samaritans were being saved, and great joy and power; and the Lord called him aside to talk to one man: a eunuch of Ethiopia. Is that right? He never did return to the city any more, see.”

“Obedience is better than sacrifice, (Is that right?) to hearken than the fat of rams.”

Now, shall we bow our heads just a moment while we talk to the Author of the Book.

Now, our most kind Heavenly Father, we address Thee today in Thy great Son's name, Jesus Christ the beloved One. And we ask You, kind Heavenly Father, that while we are gathered here in this few moments, now, for a little Jubilee time of speaking of the Word, may the Holy Spirit take the Word of God, and reveal it to each of us just as we have need of it. Grant it, Lord. You are the only one who can do this. We may open the book, but You're the only one who can interpret the book.

So, I pray Thee, Father, that You'll speak to every heart, and circumcise every ear to hear, and circumcise the lips to speak. And may the curtain (the cares of this world) be drawn down, now, that nothing will be in our minds but the Lord Jesus Christ and His coming, and His power, and His deity. May it just be so real to us this afternoon that the faint hearts will be rejoiced, that sinners will be condemned and go repent, and sick people may be healed. Grant it, Lord, that we might leave from here tonight with our hearts full of joy and power, rejoicing and thanking You for these blessings. For we ask them in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.

Now, we'll just take a few moments of the time. We're just about a half-hour late for what I told Billy I'd go back to the hotel from now, but I'll hurry right quick now, and just speak to you a few moments as you pray.

Now, I want to read some Scripture found here, but I changed my mind after I heard sister sing. I want to read from Saint Matthew the 22nd chapter, and beginning with the 41st verse. A very familiar scripture to most all Bible readers. It's Jesus Christ speaking, and His Word is so real, and His Word is so eternal. Everything in the earth and heavens will vanish, but His Word will remain forever. When God has once said anything, it will remain forever: it cannot be altered.

A king's word is not altered, you know that. [Break in tape.] Like in the one.... A nation that's controlled by a king, it's not politics to play there. The king has said so, and it must be carried out. That settles it. And when God speaks, it must be carried out. There's no altering, say, in politics. It's got to be taken out just exactly the way He said it. For once spoken, it's established forever in glory.

So, when we read His Word, it's eternal and will never cease to exist. I believe His Word with all my heart, all my soul, all my life, all I am. I just hang on to His Word. That's right. I believe it's forever the truth.

Now, listen to our Lord Jesus here in the 41st verse of the 22nd chapter of the gospel according to Saint Matthew:

And while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They said unto him, The son of David.

And he saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,

The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies my footstool?

If David then called him Lord, how is he his son?

... no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.

I want to take the subject, if it would be called a text, What Think Ye Of Christ?

Now, that's a very flat thing to give to a congregation of people, yet it must be so. God is going to judge you for your attitude towards Jesus Christ. No man.... Hell wasn't made for Christians; hell was made for unbelievers. And God has did everything that He can to keep people ... to bypass hell so that you won't have to go there. He sent the law, He sent the prophets, He sent His Son, He sent the Holy Spirit, He sent the churches, the hymns, everything to try to keep you from going to hell.

Hell was not made for people. Hell was created for the devil and his angels, not for human beings. But if you go, it's because you willfully, and want to go. And you can't go easy; you have to fight your way into it. Did you know that? You can't go to hell easy; you have to fight your way to it.

I used to think, when I was a little boy, how the first little story you (and a little girl, either) would ever told your mother, there's a conscience there, said, “Don't do this, little boy. That's wrong. Don't do that.” Remember when you smoked that little corn silk cigarette out behind the old fireplace, and ate some coffee to keep mother from smelling it on your breath.

“Have you been smoking?”

“No, mama.”

And the conscience in there'd say, “Don't do this, that's wrong,” see.

Then you lay there with that. And the next this you know you pass by the church, you hear the hymns, you hear the preaching. Every red light God flashes before you, you just break the barriers down and go right on. Don't pay attention to conscience, or nothing else. Then say, “God sent a person to hell.” No, you sent yourself. That's right. You went on your own accord. God throwed every red light in front of you He could, and you just kept moving right on, head long. You was determined to do it.

Now, there's a red light hanging down here in the city. If you run through that red light, the city's not responsible for you. You did it on your own will. That's right.

So then God has done everything that He can to keep people, and to bring them to Him and love them.

Now, this old, old question of Christ: the virgin birth. How did it ever happen?

Sometime ago, I was up in the mountains. I'd just moved up there. I was going to go bear hunting. And I was going along the side of a cliff, and there was a cowboy come riding along. And I looked around, I heard a horse. And I was packing an elk. And he said, “Hello?”

And I said, “How do you do?”

He said, “What are you packing?”

I said, “I'm packing an elk.”

He said, “I don't want to call you a liar, but you're packing a cow.”

I said, “Well, I have sense enough to know that a cow doesn't have dewclaws. It drops that low and has a pointed hoof.”

And so, he said, “Well,” he said, “what are you?”

And I said, “Well, I'm going back there hunting.” I said, “I'm looking for a fellow by the name of 'Jeffries.'”

He said, “I'm that fellow.”

I said, “Yes, well, the ranger told me ... directed me to a cow camp.” And I said, “From there, I'm to go to Corral Peak.”

He said, “Well, can you ride?”

I said, “A little bit.”

He said, “Well, crawl up back here.” So I got on there. And he said ... went around. He said, “Well, where're you from?”

I said, “Indiana.”

And he said, “What's your occupation?”

I said, “A preacher.”

He said, “A what?”

And I said, “A preacher.”

He said, “You look too intelligent for that.”

I said, “Well....” I seen them westerners are a little rough-talking sort of people—flat, but lovely people. “Well,” I said, “Sir, I think that's a mark of intelligence.”

And he said, “Oh, I guess you believe that story about Jesus Christ, or ever what you call Him?”

I said, “Yes, sir.”

Said, “You believe that virgin birth?”

I said, “Yes, sir.”

He said, “If I prove that's a lie, will you believe it?”

I said, “You couldn't do it. There's no way at all for you to do it.”

He said, “A person that's got real good, sound thinking mind will know that was an error.”

Well, I said, “Then I guess you'd have to class me as not having a sound-thinking mind,” I said, “because I believe it is the truth—just as true as it can be.”

And he said, “Well now, I want to ask you something.” He said, “To begin with, I want to state myself, that I'm an infidel.” He said, “I don't believe in anything about God, or nothing else. I don't believe there is such a creature.”

And I said, “Oh, you don't.” I said, “Then you are really in a bad shape.”

And he said, “Well,” said, “I want to tell you something.”

I said, “You mean a man can live out here in this beautiful place, and tell me you don't believe in God?”

He said, “No. I believe it's just a story like you tell the children at Christmastime: Santa Claus.”

I said, “Oh, no. You sure got on the wrong foot, buddy.” I said, “I hate to disagree with you, but” I said, “I'll do it because I know that you're wrong. And you're a human being and you got just as much right to heaven as anyone else, and you just simply got your mental thinking cap on backwards. That's all.” I said, “You've just not got the thing fixed up right.”

And he said, “Oh,” said, “yes, I have, but it's you the one that's all mixed up.”

I said, “Well, now's a good time. We're by ourselves and about twenty miles of riding today.” I said, “Plenty of time to think it over.”

He said, “Well, I want to tell you something.” He said, “The first place, it absolutely could not be so.”

And I said, “But, why couldn't it?”

And he said, “Well, we'll settle up the principle: the first is the virgin birth.”

“That's just a good thing to talk about.” I said, “If you ever get the virgin birth straightened out, you got [unclear words] straightened out.”

He said, “Well, I want to tell you something.” He said, “It's absolutely impossible for a female to bear without the contact of a male.”

I said, “That's correct.” I said, “I believe that.”

Said, “Then how could this female, Mary, have a baby without being with a man?”

I said, “God was the father of this baby.”

And he said, “Well how could it...? And you say God is a spirit.”

I said, “That's what He is. And He was the one who created the blood cell in the womb of the woman that brought forth the Son, Christ Jesus.”

He said, “Oh, impossible.” Said, “It's impossible.” Said, “The woman was just a little slip-up.”

Like one of the fine.... I got a book at home, talking of a fine Baptist seminary who teaches the same things of David ... Jesus Christ was German soldier's son. That Mary was absolutely.... And that's in a seminary, now. Now you can see how far away from God they're getting. That's right.

And so, “It's all possible that that was true. And, being illegitimate, and given His whip, and so forth, like that. And a lot of the Irish think He had blond hair, and so forth like that, the censors, and so forth, but, it's every bit a lie.”

So I said, “I want to ask you something.” I said, “You mean that God couldn't create that blood cell?”

He said, “No. First place, there is no such a thing as God.”

And he give me his theory of it, you know, about how the moon and stars come together, and the sun, and the ethics of Darwin, and how that the evolution started. And all these little pollywogs had begin to lose their tails, and got legs, and begin to walk.

I said, “Whatever happened if some of them become men, what happened to the pollywog then? We wouldn't need any more pollywogs.

So he said....

I said, “I want to ask you something. Will you believe...? Will you admit to me now that this baby Jesus had a mother? We know that, according to the writings ... we'll say, in according to the Bible. Now, He had a mother, but it's absolutely unscientific to say that He could be born without she had contact with an earthly man.

He said, “That's exactly right.”

I said, “I want to ask you something, then. How did the first man get here without father or mother? Let it be tadpole, or monkey, or whatever you want it to be. According to your statement, he had to have a father and a mother.”

Friends, I'm telling you, some people's so narrow-minded you could put a lead pencil between their eyes and blind them. That's right. They just don't look at both sides. They just get some little theory and run away with it. You have to stop and look the thing over. According to that....

Then how did the first man get here? According to science he had to have a father and a mother. And who was it? That's what I want to know. When they answer that.... When he answers that, I'm ready for it.

He rode on a little bit farther, and never said a word. He just kept still, and rode on a little piece ahead of me; checked his horse and come back, and put his arm around me. Said, “I believe you believe that, preacher.”

I said, “I sure do.”

Said, “I lift up my head unto the hills from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord.” His father was a Baptist preacher. He's a Christian himself; he just wanted to see whether I believed it or not.

There you are. Oh, brother, I'm telling you, it pays to stand on what you know to be the truth. Yes, sir. The world's watching. You stand exactly on your convictions, and be ready to give a man an answer at any time.

Like the old saying: Which was the first: the hen, or the egg? You've heard that now: The hen or the egg, which was the first? Said, the hen had to come from the egg. Was the egg here first? And the egg couldn't be here without the hen.

Well, that's easy. God created the hen, the hen laid the egg, and that's the way it started. That's just as easy as any way. That's got no question to that. People give those little theories and little things like that. There's really nothing to it.

But now, the main thing is: Who was this Son of God? Now, just like.... It's coming springtime now. And, we knowing that the blood comes from the male. It won't be long now till the bird's are out here making their nests.

I was watching today, a little sparrow take weeds off the street, and take it up in the gutters and things at the hotel, making their nests. There'll be many a old mother bird that'll make a nest up there, and lay a nestful of eggs that'll never hatch, because she hasn't been with the male bird. She can lay the eggs: A hen can lay an egg, but if she hasn't been with the male bird, it will never hatch. It just lays right there, it rots right in the nest.

And the old mother bird can sit on that nest until she gets so sore, she can't get off the nest. Just so.... Starve herself to death, babying those eggs and turning them over, and waiting for them to hatch, but they'll never hatch. There is nothing in them to hatch. There's no life in them.

It reminds me of how these old cold, formal churches.... You take them in, make deacons out of them, DD's out of them, and everything else. But, if they haven't been with Christ Jesus, and born again by the baptism of the Holy Ghost, they'll never believe the supernatural of God. There's nothing in them to believe with. They're dead to start with. Just got a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. That's exactly right. The best thing to do is clean out the nest and start over again. That's right. Instead of taking them in by a letter, or membership; get them down at the altar and let them pray through till God puts their names on the Lamb's book of life. Then they'll stay there. Then they'll bring forth fruit when they've been born again of the Sprit of God.

Now, if I had to put Jesus to say on that, and on each individual here, you'd have to stand as what your opinion is about Jesus Christ. “What think ye of Christ? Who's Son is He?” Let's call a few characters here in a few moments, and just ask about who's Son He is.

What if I'd call up His arch enemy. Let's have His enemies testify of Him first. His arch enemy is Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him, and done Him so ill, and sold Him for thirty pieces of silver. Let's take Him up there and ask Judas, “What you think about Him?”

Judas, when he seen Him standing there in Pilate's judgment hall, he taken the thirty pieces of silver and throwed them at the priest's feet and said, “I betrayed innocent blood.” And was gentleman enough to take a rope and hang himself. It'd be a lot better if some of these guys that had enough gentleman about them as Judas had: go hang himself. And then.... He hung himself on a sycamore tree.

Let's see Pilate, the man who washed his hands. He was standing there, and he was condemning Jesus. He was ready to pronounce judgment to find favor with some Roman emperor. And there he is standing there, ready to pass judgment, saying, “Perform a miracle. Let's see You do something. Who are You? Speak for Yourself?”

And the Lamb of God never even opened His mouth and said a word. He just stood there.

And the first thing you know, I hear a horse coming down the street with a gallop. First thing you know, a boy jumps off the horse and runs up, hands him a little piece of paper. Let's look over his shoulder and notice Pilate had turned white. He catches his breath, he loses his strength, he begins to ... knees knock together.

Let's look over his shoulder and see what's wrote on it: “Have nothing to do with this just man (a pagan wife) for I have suffered many things because of Him today in a dream.”

There Pilate said, “Bring me some water. Let me wash my hands first. See to it. I have nothing to say in this matter.”

Now, that's His enemies testifying of Him. That's right.

Look at the Roman soldier that stood there and pierced His heart with this sword ... or, this spear. When he looked up there and he saw the earth turning black, and the building was shaking, the temple rent the veils from top to bottom. He throwed his hand over his heart and said, “Truly that was the Son of God.” Yes, sir. His arch enemies, there, testifying.

Let's ask some of His friends. Let's call Adam back today from out of the land of the blessed where he is. “Adam, what do you think about this man? What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He?”

Adam would say, “It's the seed of the woman that was to crush the serpent's head.”—if Adam could testify.

Let's call another man by the name of Moses—a very outstanding character of the Bible. The greatest of all the prophets. He was a type of the Lord Jesus Christ: the priest, and the king, and the law-giver. A very perfect type. Never a man talked to God, outside of Christ Himself, like Moses—no prophet no time. Let's see what Moses would say if he could stand today. He'd say, “The Lord your God shall rise up a Prophet liken unto me. And it shall come to pass that any who will not hear Him, shall be cut off from among the people.” That's who Moses thought he was.

Let's ask Ezekiel, that great prophet Ezekiel. “Come here, Ezekiel. Come down out of your glory a minute. What think ye of Christ, Ezekiel?”

Ezekiel said, “When I saw Him, He was a wheel in the middle of the wheel standing way in the middle of the air. (In other words, the whole creation was revolved around that hub in the wheel. Every spoke, every rim, everything else, depended on the hub in the wheel.) The wheel in the middle of the wheel, way in the middle of the air.”

I call Isaiah. He was one of the major prophets. Let's see what he'd say about Him. “Isaiah, what think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He?” Isaiah was a major prophet. He wrote a Bible in itself. There's sixty-six books in Isaiah ... sixty-six chapters in Isaiah; sixty-six books in the Bible. He starts off with creation, like Genesis. Right in the middle of the book, where the New Testament came, John the Baptist comes up. And then, in the end, he ends in the Millennium—built houses, and they had to plant vineyards, and eat thereof.

He wrote a whole Bible. He was one of the prophets that God got by the crop of the neck and raised him up; let him see from the end to the beginning, and the beginning to the end, back and forth —and Isaiah wrote it. “What think ye of Christ, Isaiah?”

He would say, “Why, unto us a Son is born. Unto us a Child is given. The government shall be upon His shoulders. His name shall be called Counsellor, Prince of Peace, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” That's what he'd say. That's right. He wouldn't be like some of these theologians today who class Him down just as a mere man, or a teacher, or a philosopher.

I call Daniel: Daniel, that great prophet, who saw the beginning of the time, and he saw it down to the end through an image. Surely he saw Jesus in there somewhere. He saw the beginning with the head of gold: King Nebuchadnezzar and the Gentile kingdom. He saw the Medes and Persians, and the brass, and so forth, out into the Roman Empire, unto His coming. “What think ye of Christ, now, Daniel, you great prophet of God mighty in power? What think ye of Christ.”

He'd say, “I seen all the world's image. I saw it standing there. And there I beheld a stone cut out of a mountain without hands. It rolled into Babylon and crushed it, and become like a threshing floor with the chaff on it. And the wind come and blowed it away and became unto a great mountain and covered all the earth, the sea and the sky.” That's that he thought of Him: The stone that was hewed out of a mountain without hands—Daniel, the great prophet.

Now, let's ask another one who ought to be really.... Let's ask John the Baptist. “What do you think of Him, John the Baptist?”

If John could come down on the scene today and stand here on this platform and testify, John would say, “I knew Him not, but He that told me in the wilderness, go baptize with water, said, 'Upon whom thou shall see the Spirit descending and remaining on, He's the one that'll baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire.'” He would testify for Him, and give a witness of who He was.

I think the best authority that there is that we know of would be His mother. Don't you think so? If any woman out there who the baby belongs to the mother ought to. Is that right? “Mary, I call you down this afternoon and ask you: What do you think about Christ? Whose Son is He? You're the mother, you ought to know. You ought to know all about it.”

I can hear the little virgin say, “I knew not a man. (Hallelujah!) But, one day when I was walking from the pump from the virgin well with a bucket of water on my shoulders, an angel appeared before me and said, 'Fear not, Mary. Hail! Blessed art thou among women.' Said, the Holy Ghost would overshadow me, and that holy thing that would be born in me would be called the Son of God. I have believed that's what He is: The Son of God, the virgin-born Son of the Living God.”

I think that that ought to be an authority. Don't you think so? “What do you think, Mary? Whose Son is He?”

She said, “It's the Son of God.”

I think the final authority ought to be.... Let's ask Almighty God Himself. Let's hear from Him now, who He says. Out yonder on Mount Transfiguration one day, when Peter, James, and John, standing there while He was overshadowed with a cloud. And a voice spoke out of it, said, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

That sealed it once forever for me, as far as I'm concerned. That settles it! He was the Son of God and not the son of Joseph. That settled it forever. “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Hallelujah! He is the Son of God! What think ye?

They said, “He's the Son of David.” He was the Son of David by the flesh, but He was the Son of God by Spirit and by birth. He is the virgin-born Son of God.“

My faith is built on nothing less

Than Jesus blood and righteousness.

When all around my soul gives way,

Then He's all my hope and stay.

For on Christ the solid rock I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

If you'd ask me, “Preacher, what're you standing up there crowing about. Why don't you tell us what you think about Him?”

Oh, most happily will I do it. Yes, sir. Let me tell you what I think about Him. I think in His birth He was wonderful! Though He came through by way of a stable door, and went out through capital punishment, yet there's never been a birth through potentate, king, whatever it might be; there's never been a birth to compare with it, and never will be. He was the virgin-born Son of the Living God. When He was born, He ... when He was....

In His wisdom, He was matchless. There was no one could match His wisdom. And as a preacher, “Never a man spake like this,” said the men who come to see Him. That's right.

As a healer, He was divine. Hallelujah. Yes, sir. In His death, He was my redeemer.

Living, He loved me; dying He saved me.

Buried He carried my sins far away.

(Hallelujah! Yes, sir.)

When He was here on earth, He looked like God, He acted like God. He said He was God. He lived like God, He preached like God, He died like God, He rose like God, He proved He was God. Hallelujah! That's who He was. That's what I think about Him.

Every man that's ever amounted to a hill of beans in this life has been a man who trusted Him and knowed He was the Son of the Living God—the incarnated Jehovah here on earth. Yes, sir. No wonder:

Down from His glory,

Ever-living story

My Lord and Saviour came,

And Jesus was His name

(Certainly He was.)

Born in a manger,

To His own, a stranger;

The God of sorrows, tears, and agony.

How God come, descending and brought Himself down into a form of flesh to redeem mankind. And to heal mankind, and to make the life pleasure while we were living here to take us into glory. Why, every man that's ever lived that amounted to anything, believed that with all their heart.

Let's call some of the great poets on the scene today, authors, and inspired men. Every man that ever had an ounce of inspiration had to be given to that man Christ Jesus. Hallelujah!

Let's ask Eddie Newton, “What do you think about Him,” when he was back there, and he was all down, had been a drunk, and a neurotic, and everything else; they'd throwed him into.... One day inspiration struck him, he grabbed his pen. He wrote:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound

That saved a wretch like me.

I once was lost, but now I'm found,

I was blind, but now I see.

It's grace that taught me to fear,

Grace my fears relieved.

How precious did the grace appear

The hour I first believed.

Let's ask George Moore, “What do you think about Him?” He was a restless man. He was all the way from England over here, and different places. “What do you think about Him?” One day when inspiration struck him, and Christ came to his heart, he said:

I've anchored my soul in a haven of rest.

I'll sail the wild seas no more.

The tempest may sweep

O'er the wild, stormy deep,

But in Jesus, I'm safe evermore.

(Hallelujah!)

Let's ask [unclear name], “What do you think about Him?” ... or, Charles Wesley, let's ask him what.... One day, standing out on the ... a storm coming up, and he was out on the beach. The storm blowed a little sparrow went into his bosom. He tucked him on the inside, and he kept him in there. After the storm was over, he set him on his little finger, like that. The little sparrow flew his wings into the sky. In the sunlight, faith tucked down in his bosom till after the storm was over. He wrote:

Rock of Ages, cleft for me

Let me hide myself in Thee.

While the nearer waters roll,

While the tempest still is high.

That's what Wesley would say about Him. That's what John Wesley would say ... or, Charles Wesley, rather, the great poet, and song writer.

And now, let's ask [unclear name], “What would you think?” Or, ask Lowell Mason, “What would you think?” Look what he would say:

My faith looks up to Thee,

Thou Lamb of Calvary;

Saviour divine.

Now, hear me while I pray;

Take all my guilt away,

And let me from this day

Be wholly Thine.

Well, what do you think of Christ tonight? What do you think of Him today, as a healer? What do you think of Him today, as a matchless one?

I believe He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. His power....

Eddie Perronet, let's ask him. He was a man who was considered.... They told him he was crazy. And one day, while standing in his room, the inspiration struck him. He grabbed a pen, and God let him write the inauguration song of the coming of the Lord Jesus. He said:

All hail the power of Jesus' name;

Let angels prostrate fall.

Bring forth the royal diadem,

And crown Him Lord of all.

(Oh, my!)

“Old blind Fanny Crosby, what do you think of Christ? Whose Son is He? You was blind, you never saw daylight. You don't know daylight from dark. What do you know about Him?”

She said:

Pass me not O gentile Saviour;

Hear my humble cry.

While on others Thou art calling,

Do not pass me by.

Thou the stream of all my comfort

More than life to me.

Whom have I on earth beside Thee?

Whom in heaven but Thee?

Another wrote:

Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me

Buried, He carried my sins far away

Rising, He justified, freely, forever

Someday He's coming; O glorious day.

Chicago, I ask you this afternoon, “What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He?”

In His resurrection power, when He walked here on earth, He saw visions, He done miracles, He performed things. And He said, “These things that I do shall you also.” Nightly you see those things performed right here in this church.

What's your opinion of Jesus Christ? He's the Son of the Living God, isn't He? That's right.

I could ask today: “Dwight Moody, what do you think of Jesus Christ?”

When He was dying there, He was asked that question, I believe, when He was dying. And He said, “Is this death?” He said, “This is my coronation day.” Hallelujah!

I said:

The lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime;

With partings, leave behind us

Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints that perhaps another

Sailing over life's solemn main

For a forlorn, or shipwrecked brother

Seeing, shall take heart again.

My brother, and my sister, “What think ye of Christ?” It's an individual question. It's a personal question to every one of you. Let's not reject Him in our generation. Let's accept Him as the virgin-born Son of God. Build our hopes on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Let's stand there and give our testimony, tell the world what we think about Him: who He is, what He is, and what He is to us.

What would I do, when laying yonder in the hospital, at Mayo Brothers, they looked at me, said, “Well, you haven't got very much longer to stay here.” What could I think of?

Christ, He who come to me that night in a vision, when they said, “It's impossible, Reverend Branham, for you to ever come out.” But in His amazing grace, He came to me, said, “Don't fear. I'm with you. And you're going to preach the Gospel.” Hallelujah!

If I could ask little Georgie Carter laying down there, “What think ye of Christ?” Laying there nine years and eight months, without even a speck of hope. Then Jesus came along and made her perfectly well.

What if I could call E. Howard Cadle from here at Indianapolis—a drunken sot laying out yonder, and the flyblows on him when he was laying in the bar room. When he walked down into the bottom of his church where the Democratic rally had throwed his old mother's picture on the scrap heap down there. Tears rolled down out of his eyes.

What think ye of Christ? Christ rose Him up, and he saved thousands of souls—that drunkard. What God did for him; it's amazing grace for what He did for Howard Cadle.

Not only that, but every man or woman in here, wretched, blind. You'd have been a prostitute on the street, woman, if it hadn't been for Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Men, I don't know what would become of you. I'd have been dead and in my grave long ago—and many here who would be the same—if it wasn't ... our faith was anchored in Jesus Christ as the Son of the Living God.

What think ye of Christ? He's the Son of the Living God.

Oh, how I love Him, how I adore Him. How matchless and how lovely He is. May His blessings ever stay upon you.

And I pray tonight that His Holy Spirit will be poured upon you people here, and that great signs and wonders will take place in this building tonight.

“What think ye of Christ? Whose Son is He?” How could He be a son of a man, and do such things? How...? Sure as the world, everything that has ever happened, every civilization come by Him. Every coin of money that's worth anything, nearly, has the name of God upon it. Every nation that recognizes God has become a civilized nation, and the others become heathens and pagans. Every place a woman's respected is where God as (using) Jesus Christ, believes He's the Son of God.

In every nation where God and Jesus is not recognized, women's morals are no more than a cow. They bring them down the street by the dozens, and swap them, and everything else, as women, wives, and things like that.

Only respect and decency, and everything else, come by people who recognize Him to be the Son of God. When He's vindicated His works in all the nations that has believed, where that remnant stands. Yes, sir. Civilization's come by....

Here not long ago, I climbed up to the Statue Of Liberty, up to where that big arm is that went out there. And there was a bunch little dead sparrows. He said, [unclear word] may rise and come; justice may rise.

I go down here to your museum. [They cleared me out here] the other day; I walked in there. Many of you has been down here. Went down there and had a hundred thousand years ago, what a man was, all the way down through ... come up out of a tree, or something like that. The tree ... family tree, and such tommyrot as that. [We permit] it to be taught in our schools. Why don't the people, in the name of high heaven, stand and reject that? Mercy! It's a disgrace.

No wonder we hatched out thirteen million infidels in the last two years, is because such stuff as that. Them poor little feeble minds. Then you come to a church where they're trying to preach the Gospel in the demonstration and power of the Holy Ghost, they call it “holy rollers,” and “rat 'em up,” and all kinds of things that they can say about them.

Shows it's the devil on the rampage, but God's church will never fail! She'll move from victory on to victory, until Jesus comes for His bride. Hallelujah! Storms may come, waves may come, but the church of God will remain forever if she's going into it. It's as certain as I'm standing here this afternoon. Amen.

Looking at those little sparrows laying there; I said to the guide that was with me, I said, “What's the matter with them little birds?”

He said, “They died last night.” Said, “There was a storm come up. And they was flying right in the storm.” And said, “They come into the light instead of using the light from the Statue Of Liberty.” Said, “Those are [unclear word]. They come, tried to dock the light out, and they beat against it with their little heads, until they beat their brains out. And they're laying there dead, because they refused to follow the light. They tried to beat it out.”

I said, “Oh, God. What an example it is. And men and women raising up today, and people who're trying to deny God's Bible, and Jesus to be the virgin-born Son of God. They're just beating their brains out, instead of taking the light—the baptism of the Holy Ghost—and dashing on to victory, and power, and overcoming [unclear words]. They're only beating their heads out. God's church will remain forever.

“Upon this rock I'll build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” When Peter made his great confession, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” He said, “Blessed art thou, Peter, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you.” He never learned it in a seminary. He never learned it from what somebody else said. But, “My Father which is in heaven has revealed it to you, and upon this rock I'll build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” It showed the gates of hell would be against it, but could not prevail, for the church of the Living God shall move on. Oh, great church of God, who stands sprinkled today with His blood.

How, in the Testament, the Old Testament, what a beautiful picture was given of His death, burial, and resurrection. When a man had leprosy—a type of sin—when he was healed by God, he offered two turtledoves. They brought the doves, or the pigeons, out. They pulled the head of one off, turned him over like this, and bled the blood all over the living mate. And then they took the living mate to the window, and turned him loose. And as the living mate went, flapping his little wings, he bathed the earth with the blood of the dead mate, crying, “Holy, holy, holy unto the Lord.”

The living mate (the husband) of the church of God was Jesus Christ, who was killed on Calvary for a sacrifice for leprosy—cleansing of sin and sickness. And His life and the blood was poured out upon the church and she's crossing the world today, preaching old time Gospel holiness, and the power of the resurrection of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, “Crying, holy, holy, holy unto the Lord.”

He is the virgin-born.... No sex, or nothing with it at all. He is the Son of the Living God. There's my hope, there's my strength, there's my faith settled on that right there

. And at nighttime and different times, when I meet demons face to face, there's ... my faith is built there. Heavens and earth will pass, but that'll never. He is the virgin-born Son of the Living God.

If you don't know Him today, find Him quickly. Let Him come to you and rescue your soul. If there's a shadow of doubt in your mind, if there's only a hope there, take all of the hope and put faith there in its place. Look, “On this rock God'll build His church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

What think ye of Christ? What does every one of you think? What will you think after service is over tonight? What did you think when it was over last night? What do you think when the revival's over?

I believe God is going to send us here to Chicago. When I return back from overseas, I'd like to put up Jack Coe's big tent out here—seating about fifteen thousand—stay here about three, or four, or five months, till I see Chicago broke to pieces for the glory of God. Every person united together, and the power of God moving today, places Holy Ghost revival, preaching the same Gospel, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

May God grant it, is my prayer. May God bless you and pray to that end. And that's my hope, that's my faith, that's what I believe: that Jesus Christ is the virgin-born Son of the Living God. Shall we pray?

Our Heavenly Father, we thank Thee today for Jesus Thy Son, who has saved us from a life of sin, who has redeemed us by His blood, who has given us eternal life. And we pray that Your blessings will be made known to everyone in here.

O eternal One, spread forth Thy great wings over this building, and make these people know Thee, now, in the pardoning of sin. And may those here who has not got the baptism of the Holy Ghost, may they receive it right this afternoon.

Now, while you have your heads bowed in prayer, each one of you, I'm going to ask you a question: Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? Have you actually felt the power of God has changed your life, and you've become a new creature? That's when the egg becomes fertile. That's when you accept Jesus Christ in that way, you become....

You say, “Well, I believe.” So does the devil. You say, “I've confessed.” So did the devil. So did Cain, so did his followers. So did the formal churches all along. But, my friends, you don't know what it is until Jesus Christ has been resurrected in your heart by the power and [unclear words] of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Do you have it? Is it in your heart?

While the organist comes to the organ just a moment, if you will, and the pianist to her place, I want you to be in prayer. And I want to ask you this solemn question: If you haven't got the baptism of the Holy Spirit, will you stand to your feet, say, “Brother Branham, right now, I believe that God's going to give me the Holy Spirit. I'll now accept Him.” If you're a sinner, stand, say, “I want to accept Him as my personal Saviour.” Or now, “I want to receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost.”

God bless you. They're standing everywhere, everywhere around the building. That's right. That's right. All.... That's it.

Just say “He touched me.”

While the pianist plays softly. Oh, that's right. That's right. Many are standing. God bless you. Some elderly people.

Oh, if you have judged me right to be God's servant, if the Holy Spirit has convinced you that I've told the truth in Christ Jesus, may He grant to you the baptism of the Holy Ghost this afternoon. May this be the coronation time of your experience. May God pack it this afternoon with the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

Friends, we need power today. We need, not a revival, not to bring new members in. We don't need new membership, but we need a revival of divine power, and joy, in renewed hearts, that [unclear words] and away from the things of the world, and makes them new creatures.

Anyone else would stand before the closing prayer? If you will, stand to your feet. All right. God bless you. God bless you. All right. May the Lord Jesus Christ grant the blessings of God. Now, while you bow your heads, everywhere, if you will, just softly now in prayer. All right. Everyone bow your head now, and be in prayer, everyone.

Come, Brother Boze, and lead us will you, right now in prayer, if you will.