Expectation

If the Lord had never honored another vision that I had, and never done nothing in the world, that's worth all of it. Every toil, and every goodbye to the family, and every heartache I've went through, and everything else, that's worth all of it right there. And they said there was a lady sitting in a wheelchair last night, was called out of a wheelchair here. And they have it ... talking about her on the phone ... on the program this morning. And, I wonder if she's back in the building tonight? If the lady's here.... Would you raise your hand, lady, if you're here? There she is, without the wheelchair. Let's say, “Thanks be to God.” God bless you, my dear sister, for obeying Jesus Christ. May His blessings always be with you is my prayer.

Now, I hope that someday I can see both of you women, talk with you and shake your hand. If I don't get to do it on this earth, I will in the one that's to come, when we sit down by the evergreen trees; troubles are all over. My, won't it be wonderful?

Think of some night when life is finished; Jesus finally comes and we go to meet Him in the air, and that great table is set a hundred thousand miles long. And around there, the old veterans of the field, sitting around, look across the table to each other, see there's my brother and sister sitting there. We're just bound to shed a little tear once in awhile, when we reach across the table and take one of them by the hand. The tears of joy rolling down our cheeks, then the King in His beauty will come out, walk down along the table, and wipe the tears away from our eyes. [Blank place on tape] Let that be our motives in having meetings and gathering together and talking about Him, let that be what we think of Him, to meet Him that night.

Look friends, don't look at things right here; look at the end. If I had to look at things right here in front of me, I'd be a discouraged person. But I never look here; I watch the end.

Not long ago, one of my managers, Mr. Baxter.... Many of you know him, I suppose. He was quoting a little story that I always like. They was all riding bicycles; he was a Canadian. And they would ride bicycles, and they got pretty good, that they could ride without holding the handlebars. So, the Schwinn (Schwinn, I think that is) Bicycle Company was going to give a prize to any boy in Vancouver that could ride a twelve-inch plank a hundred yards without falling off.

Well, they all got up there to ride these bicycles. And they had a little sissy boy like, around there. He's just kind of like what we'd call, we rough fellows, you know, call “mama's boy.” And so, we knew he wouldn't ride it. So, when they all got on, every one fell off but this little sissy boy. And he rode out to the end, got off, won the bicycle. So all the boys got around him and said, “How did you do it?”

He said, “Fellows, I tell you what you did.” Said, “When you got on, and they give you a push, and you started off,” said, “you was watching like this, trying to keep yourself on the board.” Said, “That's what made you get wiggly, and nervous, and fall off.” He said, “I never looked down there.” Said, “I watched the end and just kept my eyes on the end, and rode steady right to the end.”

Keep your eyes on the end: Jesus' coming; what will it be then? No matter what people say about you now, and how you're persecuted; for, all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution, being made fun of, and mocked, and so forth. But watch what it will be at the end; there's where it'll pay off. Just hold steady and keep your eye on the end; that'll be good for you.

The Lord bless you now, and I understand that awhile ago I think they took a love offering, my boy told me, for me. I didn't want that, friends; I didn't come here for that. God knows that. But it's been a long time since I've had a meeting, and my expenses at home run about a hundred dollars a day. And I'm probably way overdrawn in the bank. And I'll assure you this. I don't have capital to work on; I just work. And what I don't have when I pay off my debts, if I have any left over, and God in heaven knows it goes right to foreign missions, but what my heart bleeds for. Wish I had a week to stay here and preach foreign missions for you, and so forth, to see how it's needy. The big churches and things we have here; they have nothing. And how the hundreds of thousands coming to Christ.

But now, I'll assure you this, that every penny of money will be reverently taken care of. What I don't have to have for my wife and ... with my boy here makes four children to take care of. And I have to have strictly for the work of the Lord; I'll put it to a good use; it'll never go to any bad use. It'll go for the Gospel's sake. And at the end, it'll be you; it'll be.... May it put stones in your home in glory, is my prayer.

Now, these handkerchiefs here, we pray for them. Now, I'm going to say this. Now, I don't have any programs to support. You hear so many brothers that's got big radio programs, internationally and things. They have to have a lot of money to support their program, so they say, “Write to us.” I know that's to get your address. But you don't.... I have a hard time keeping my letters answered to send prayer cloths and things. It's not for your address, no.

And if you want a prayer cloth and don't have one, that I've prayed over, to keep at your house, you just write me at Jeffersonville, Indiana, and one will be sent to you absolutely free; anything that we can do. And you'll not be dunned or billed, because we don't do that. We just.... I have enough to answer my letters, and I don't have any programs to support or anything, so I don't need the money. That's right. It's just to help you; that's all I'm doing it for. And the brothers that's got programs, why, you help support them.

Now, while we pray for these handkerchiefs, shall we bow our heads just a moment.

Our kind heavenly Father, we have come tonight, at the closing of this lovely little service here in Shawano, among these brothers and sisters who we've learned in these three days to love with fervent love. And sitting here tonight, after hearing the broadcast this morning, hearing the tape played back of a woman, that the great famous clinic turned down to die, but then Jesus came along just in time. Here she sits tonight, healthy, lovely. Oh, we're so happy for that. We know all of her people are happy for that. We're so glad that.... I'm glad to get to even see her, Father.

And the little lady back here who was sitting in a wheelchair last night, sitting up here, and tonight, way back in the audience, humbly, raised up to give praise to God as a testimony. God, thank You for these things. Many others, Father, that Thou has healed, that we're so happy for them. Many cannot be here; they're on beds of affliction, and here's handkerchiefs that represent them. God, will You go with these handkerchiefs, as I lay hands upon them. Knowing that in the Bible it was written that they taken off the body of Saint Paul handkerchiefs and aprons.

And Father, You're still the same Lord Jesus tonight, that healed the sick. And I pray that You'll grant it, healing to every one. Bless these people altogether.

And Father, we pray now that You'll help us as we read Your Word for a few minutes and speak, and then pour out Your Spirit, Lord, tonight. And may there not be a feeble person left in our midst tonight. May those who are feeble now, upon hearing the Word.... [Blank spot on tape].... down through the audience, and just go by.... And as each one, as like blind Fanny Crosby sang:

Pass me not, O gentle Saviour,

Hear my humble cry;

While on others Thou art calling,

Do not pass me by.

May every one receive a divine touch from His hand tonight and be healed.

And if there be any here, Father, who is not Your children, may they see You tonight in operation, and action, and reality. And may You speak at their heart, and may they say, “I'm tired of sinful life, knowing that I've got to leave the world someday.” And may they come to find You as their dear beloved Saviour this night. We pray in Jesus' name, Thy beloved Child. Amen.

Now, I know there's some standing around, and I feel for them that has to stand, and I know what it means. But now, I'm happy that you're here. And we just haven't the room; it's just a small auditorium, and we ... just for three days. And if God willing, and you want me to, someday I hope to come back to you to stay longer to have a meeting here among you people here in Wisconsin, around. You're very nice, and I love you.

And now, I want to read just a portion of God's Word, for, as I always say, my word is just a man's word. But His Word is eternal and is true: Heavens and earth will pass away, but His Word will never fail. Now, I don't have ... I don't have time, and can't, set a regular text, because the reason I'm speaking is merely feeling this congregation; that's exactly what it's for: feeling around till I know the anointing of the Spirit's catching into the people, then I start the prayer line. And now, that's why I speak.

And I don't carry my text; I just talk a little on the Scripture here, and there, and so forth, I have been the last few nights. But now, in Chicago, the Lord willing, beginning tomorrow, I'm going down, if God willing, to preach some for the church down there. You that live in Chicago, and is not attending any of these other revivals now, if you're not attending these other revivals and live in Chicago, then drop over to the Lane Tech Auditorium this coming week. They're having a convention in the city, and I speak each night there. Will be very happy....

If you got some loved ones down there too, drop them a card and tell them to come over. Maybe if they're not saved, maybe the Lord would save them. If they're sick, maybe the Lord would heal them. And so, we thank you.

Now, in the Book of Saint Luke, the Gospel according to Saint Luke, in the 2nd chapter, just a little familiar Scripture to read, I read beginning with the 25th verse:

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

And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should 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 in 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, now lettest Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy Word:

For my eyes have seen thy salvation.

May the Lord add His blessings to the reading of His Word. It's Simeon, and then, an old sage of the Bible. And if we'd take what we'd call a little text for a context, would be “Expectations.”

You know, usually, people get what you expect, don't you? You take.... Some people come to meetings, say, “You know what, I don't believe in nothing like that. I'm just going down; I know there's nothing to it.” Well, the devil will certainly show you something; you're expecting it; he'll show you something that's not right, something that ... just what you expected.

But if you expect to go down and to get good out of the meeting, God will show you something too. So, you usually get just what you expect. So, let's have our expectations high tonight. I see some wheelchairs here tonight, and a cot or two. And let's you and I build up our expectations that you're, tomorrow, going to be walking like the woman was that was in the wheelchair last night. And you that's on the cot, the stretcher tonight, perhaps a hopeless case, but so was this woman here on a stretcher and a hopeless case. And let's build our faith up tonight with great expectations that tomorrow we're going to be walking around here giving God praise like she is, you see.

And you do the same here, sister. Now, your arthritis is nothing for God to heal; He can heal it, you know. He can make it well, and He can do anything that He wants to (You see.), or anything that you'll let Him do. Your faith has to let Him do it. And now, see, you're mentally right, all of you here. But this poor little sister over here wasn't mentally right. She had such a pressure; she was conscious, and unconscious, and the pressure on the brain, and everything wrong, even to the famous Mayo Brothers could do nothing for her. But Jesus could. Then see.... And her laying there in that condition, the sovereignty of God....

I was asking about it today and asking my boy and them, what position was the woman laying in. And I was looking forward and seeing the vision, and told about ... she come from a place where there was a clinic, and had great high towering place, and so forth. And she was laying back in the other side, back that way, towards the front of the altar, laying around there. And the Holy Spirit goes around to her, and pulls her out, and heals her, and makes her well. He's so lovely.

Now, just believe Him tonight, and He'll do you the same way. For He's no respect of persons; He's respecting faith. God only will honor faith. Even your salvation sometimes won't atone for your healing—not the merits of your salvation. You're not healed by that; you're healed by the merits of your faith, see.

I've seen Christians come to the platform, renowned Christians, and failed to be healed, and see a prostitute walk on the platform, be healed instantly, see. Because the Christian had been drug through many places, and skeptic, kind of believing: “Wonder if the days of miracles is past.” And they'll go off missing it. And a poor old prostitute come to the platform knowing that she's guilty, condemned before God, and there give her heart to Christ, and be healed instantly, just walk away. So, it's on the merits of your faith.

Look in the times of Jesus, how the Pharisees and Sadducees, they walked by and doubted. And the street women and so forth, of that day and so forth, and the beggars, and things would be healed, where many of the others didn't get healed, see. It was on the merits of your faith.

Now, we're going to speak a little tonight about: to be expecting, what you can expect to receive. And let's have our expectations high. And now, for the next few moments I want to speak on that.

Now, the first thing you want to think of, friend, is always the Word of God. As I said last night, the Word of God is a seed. And that seed planted in the right ground will produce anything that the seed represents. If there's a seed, and it's wheat, if that wheat's germitized, and the right seed going into the right kind of ground, will produce wheat. Corn will produce corn. Barley will produce barley. And every divine promise of God will produce just exactly what it promised to produce, if it's put in the right kind of a place.

As I said today to a friend, “It's the atmosphere.” That's what it is. You want to.... If you want to get a great healing service here tonight, let's have a great atmosphere of belief, believing you're going to be healed. See? Now, no matter how real Jesus would be here at the platform, or out there, He couldn't heal you unless the atmosphere is right for your healing, see.

Now look, when Jesus went into His own country, many mighty works He could not do because of their [Audience says, “Unbelief”] unbelief, is right, unbelief. No matter how great He was, He was Jehovah God invested in a body of flesh. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. But He could not move until faith come.

How many knows Brother Bosworth? I know you all do. He's quite a fellow for jokes (and, not bad), good jokes. But not ... I mean, what the world calls.... The American people are a whole lot that way; they're looking for entertainment. That's the reason today our churches has got so much off of the line, is because they got a whole lot of Hollywood evangelism. That's right, a whole lot of glamour boys out, acting and going through a lot of going on, and trying to decorate up, and put on a lot of psychology, when I'm the one type that likes the old-fashioned blood-washed Gospel, brother, that really brings the Gospel out. That's right.

I do not believe that we should go on with a lot of carrying on, and classic, and everything. Just make the Gospel pure, and plain, and simple. You don't have to speak big words that Webster don't even know; the only thing you have to do is just preach the Gospel plain and true; they'll understand it.

At Fort Wayne recently.... You all that takes this “We The People,” they wrote up an article what the Lord did, in my meeting up there for Him, of a little blind girl being healed. You Assembly of God people, it come out in your “Evangel” and so forth. And so that night we come from the platform, a little clubfooted baby was made straight, and a little blind girl received her sight. And so, they'd put it in the “Evangel,” and in “We The People,” that speaks on religions and so forth. It goes over the world and gets the events on things and it writes it up.

So, I was back in behind the stage where my song that they sing for me (My old friend Paul Rader wrote it.) “Only Believe.” And I was back there just thinking (when I heard it come through the microphone), think, Right in this same room Paul wrote that song. He's gone on to glory long ago. And I was back there, and there was a man came back there who had more education than he had knowledge to know what to do with, I guess. And he said, “Brother Branham,” he said, “your message was nice,” he said, “but, oh, your grammar.”

I said, “Yes, sir, that's right.” I said, “I know my grammar's awful.” I said, “I'm sorry about that.” I said, “I was raised in a family of ten, and I was the oldest. And my daddy died, and I had to take care of ten children and my mother.” I said, “I didn't get a chance to get an education.”

“Oh, that's no excuse now.” Said, “You're a man.”

I said, “Yeah, I know that's right.” I said, “But since the Lord.... I had to work so hard till I went in evangelism,” I said, “and then when I started here,” I said, “the people calling me from everywhere, I don't even get a chance.”

He said, “Oh, you could take a correspondence course.” Said, “Your grammar's so bad.”

I said, “I know it's awful, brother.” I said, “I hate it, but I just can't help it.”

Said, “You using those words 'hain't,' and 'his,' and 'tain't,' and....”

I said, “Well, they seem to understand it pretty good.” I said [unclear words]. And so....

He said, “Well,” he said, “look, one mistake you made Brother Branham, was horrible out there, before an audience like that.” Said, “You said, 'People coming up to this polpit.'” Said, they'll ... and he said, “You should not say 'polpit.'”

I said, “Well, isn't that what it is?”

He said, “No.” Said, “Your congregation will appreciate you more if you said 'pulpit,' not 'polpit.'”

Huh. I said, “Brother, you know what? I love you.” But I said, “I tell you, them people don't care whether I say 'polpit' or 'pulpit.' They want me to preach the Gospel in the plainness and produce what I'm talking about.” I said, “That's exactly what they are. And they know I'm just an old sassafras, farmer anyhow, so I can't be nothing that I'm not; so I just have to talk like that. So, you excuse it like that; it's the only way I know.” So, but one thing I do know, Jesus saved me, and I love Him with all my heart. And He promised me a home in glory, and I'm looking forward to it. And I want to take as many as I can, telling this good news of what He did.

Now, and now, you remember, that you don't have to wait, now, for an evangelistic service or a person coming through praying for the sick; you have a right yourself. Remember, gifts and callings are wonderful; but remember, here is the greatest thing that God gave the world outside of Jesus Christ, is the Bible. And do you know what? The Word of God will defeat the devil any place, anywhere, anytime, on his own ground. Did you know that? The Word of God alone.

Jesus made it so simple until the weakest Christian could do it. Look when Jesus came on earth: He was the Son of God. Don't you believe that? He was conceived in the womb of Mary and was born a virgin birth. Almighty God overshadowed Mary and created the blood cell that brought forth the Son, Christ Jesus. And God tabernacled Himself, Jehovah, in that body, in His Son. The Father dwelt in the Son, being the tabernacle.

And when He was here on earth, and He went in.... After He was filled with the Spirit at the baptism of John, He went into the wilderness, was tempted forty days; coming out, the devil met Him. He was, 'course, just the antetype of Moses. And he tempted Moses on his weak point. And Moses with his temper, he broke all the commandments. And showed that priesthood would be broken.

But when Jesus, His weak point: He was hungry; He'd been fasting forty days. And when Satan met Him and said, “If Thou be the Son of God, turn these stones into bread.” And Jesus, now with all the powers of God in Him, yet He never used any of His powers; He brought it right down simple enough that the least of Christians ... or, the weakest of Christians, could use the same thing. He said, “It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

He took Him up on the top of the pinnacle of the temple and said, “If You'll cast Yourself down here, while ... give the angels charge concerning Thee,” and so forth.

Jesus said, “It is written.” The Father's Word again.

And he taken Him up on a mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, every one of them, and said, “They're all mine, I'll do with them what I want to.” You see why we have wars and everything. Who's the ruler of this world now. And he said, “I will give them all to you if You'll fall down and worship me.”

Jesus said, “It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord Thy God and Him only shalt thou serve.” And Jesus defeated Satan on the Word of the Father.

And you can do the same thing. No matter how bad he tempts you in saying it's not right, it's this, say, “It is written.” And the Word of God will defeat Satan anywhere, no matter what it is. If you'll stand toe to toe with him and say, “It is written.” “God said so; that settles it.” If God said so, it really makes it the truth. All the heavens and earth will fold up someday and be no more. But God's Word is eternal and cannot fail, because God has spoken it.

Do you realize that the very earth that you're sitting over tonight, is nothing more than the Word of God. Did you know God made the world out of His own spoken words? If He didn't, where did He get the material? He said, “Let there be.” And it materialized and made a world. “Let there be.” And there was light. “Let there be.” And He believed His own Word. And His own Word brought the earth into creation. He made the world out of things which was not and does not appear, yet He made the earth that you're sitting over tonight. He made the chair that you're sitting on tonight; His spoken Word brought the material into the earth—the Word of God. Amen. You begin to think how little we are, and how poorly, and how little it is to disbelieve God's Word, when everything that we see was made by His spoken Word. He spoke it into existence.

He spoke you into existence. He spoke me into existence. Oh, my, when we think of that, the little old doubts just drop away when we see who He is. Why, He held out His hands and “whhsshh” blowed the moon and stars into existence. What do you think of that? Who made the solar system....

When standing not long ago, looking through a glass yonder on Mount Palomar, I could see a hundred and twenty million years of light space. Break that down into miles and see how far it would be. And beyond that was still moons, and stars, and worlds. And my Father spoke those into existence, the same One that sent His Son here to die, that you might believe His Word. And you cannot believe His Word correctly until you're born of the Spirit of God. That's deep, and it's hard, but it's correct.

What's the matter with the world today, we got too much intellectual religion. There is such a thing as having intellectual.... I don't mean to be rude, I don't mean to hurt people's feelings, but the trouble with these evangelists today, that's crossing the nation today preaching the Word, they say they go and have a big meeting and thousands are converted, and go back a few weeks, and there's not hardly any of them left. What is it? They receive an intellectual faith.

Now, God is not known by intellectual faith.

God is known by the experience of new birth, only alone. Jesus said, “Except a man be born again of the Spirit of God, he cannot even see the kingdom of God.” Now, any Bible scholar here knows that the word see there does not mean, “look with your eye.” It means, “understand.”

You say, looking at something or other, say, “I just don't see it.” You mean you don't understand it; you're looking right at it. You look with your eyes, but understand with your heart. That's right. You can't understand it. And no man can know nothing of God, until first you're born of the Spirit of God.

The Bible said, “No man can call Jesus, Christ.” Only by the Holy Spirit is the only thing that.... You say, “Well, I believe He's the Son of God.” If you haven't been born again, you're taking somebody's word for it. You say, “The Bible said so.” That's right; the Bible's right, but what about you? You say, “The preacher said so.” The preacher's right, but what about you? “Mother said so.” Mother's right, but what about you? It's a personal experience of your own that you've got to be born again or you'll never understand God.

And then He will reveal Himself to you just as He knows you have need of. Now, there's two things in you that draws the opinion. First there's an intellectual part, which is your mental part. And the next is your soul. You have a soul and a mind.

Now, here not long ago, the old-timers and the science said, “Well, you know, God sure made a mistake when He said that, 'as a man thinketh in the heart.” There's no mental faculties ... no mental faculties in the heart that a man can think with, it's flesh.“ And the critics said it was ridiculous to think that a man could think from his heart.

About six months ago, you people in Chicago and around, found out that God was right. The scientific search has found that in the human heart there's a little teeny cell that hasn't even got blood in it or anything. It's a little compartment; the animal doesn't have it, just the human being; and they say it's the occupation of the soul. So, after all, a man believes in his heart. You think with your mind, but you believe with your heart. God's right after all; it's in your heart.

Now, your intellectual faith will reason. You'll say, “Now, I know the Bible teaches that, certainly. But let me think now, the days of miracles is past. Pastor said so, somebody said so. I believe that this day we don't have that.” Now, see, you're using intellectual faith. And that intellectual faith will reason with God's Word, but a born again experience from the heart will not reason; it will say, “God's Word's right. There's no more to do with it; it's right.” Because something down here that says it itself; you have nothing to do with it. It's God in the heart.

Now, an intellectual faith will reason. Now, today that's what's the matter with our churches. We've got away from real old-time experiences of receiving the Holy Spirit. And we've got away from it, and substituted for it an intellectual college, a college education. Now, I'm not trying to support my ignorance now. But I am trying to say this: If it come between education and salvation, I'll take salvation. Yes. If my children didn't know their ABC's, I'd rather they'd know Jesus Christ. That's right, it is true. I think education's wonderful, but it'll go so far.

But the trouble of it today, we've leaned all together on education and have adopted it instead of salvation. We don't need today.... You know what's happened? We've substituted then the old-fashioned upper room to receive the Holy Spirit, for a supper room to sell soups and things to pay the preacher with, when we don't need that. We need back to the Bible, to the old-fashioned Holy Spirit, good old-time Saint Paul's revival and the Bible Holy Ghost, is what we need back in the church again tonight. It's right.

And, friend, it'll only come through the experience of the new birth. A man cannot go to the Kingdom of God without being borned again, no more than a bird could fly without his wings. He couldn't do it; no matter how much bird he is; he hasn't got wings, he can't fly. And neither can a man go to heaven without being borned again. Jesus said so. And we know that it is not intellectual. And you can hear people today in their churches; they reason out, say, “Now, I tell you; that's not right.” Because, see, they doubt. And what your soul is....

Here an experience I had recently with a woman. There was a woman who lived in a neighborhood. She was raised up a good woman. And she was raised in a fine home. Although she went to church, but she never become what we'd know to be a Christian, being borned again, though she was very loyal in the church, and she was a pianist in the church. And she married a fine boy that hung around the church there, and he was a good boy. And they lived together for a while.

After a while they moved off into a neighborhood; she still joined up with ... taking her letter to another church. And she lived in this neighborhood here. She was raised of an old-fashioned mother who really knowed God, an old-fashioned mother. God help us to have some more of them, instead of these cigarette smoking, cocktail drinking, night running females that we got today called mother. And that's awful to say that from the platform, but that's the naked truth. It's a shame, brother. I tell you; it's disgracefully to think that the motherhood of America has broken down. That's the backbone of any nation.

The first preacher that ever gets a child is a mother. There's four ... or, five Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Mother. And a mother should be a Spirit-filled woman, who can teach her children, and teach them to pray and to know about God, and so forth. Instead of that, they give them to a babysitter and run all night long. And then go to Sunday school on Sunday morning and call themselves Christians.

I better get off of that, hadn't I? 'Cause I'm just an old sassafras type that believes the truth about these things. That's right. And I'd rather scorch you now than have you be burnt after a while, so that's true. So you just remember: It's the truth; it's the Gospel truth.

And how today that we've got away from that. They go to the church.

And this woman, she went into the church out there. She done a very good job; she was a piano player. And after a while, she begin to notice the women in her neighborhood begin to dress immodestly, how they get out and mow their yards with them little old clothes on. I hope there's none of them here tonight. And it's a disgrace to you, sister. God be merciful to your sinful soul. What else would do that but an evil spirit full of lust. You don't want to think that, but that's exactly. The only person that ever stripped their clothes in the Bible was a maniac. That's right. Put on your clothes and act like a lady. Your husband ought to be whipped for letting you do it in the beginning.

So then, the first thing is.... Now, there ... but she thought she'd go get by with that, 'cause the rest of the women in the church was doing the same thing. She thought she would do it. So, she started to doing it. That led on till they begin to smoke cigarettes, so she thought she'd smoke cigarettes. And she continued playing. There was nothing said too much about it around the church.

That's what's the matter, pastor. What's the matter, our people will go to hell is because you let down the Gospel in the pulpit; that's exactly what it is. If you'd keep those little old rosary things out of the pulpit and preach the Gospel, the power of God unto salvation, have an old-fashioned altar call and have people cleaned up in their lives, it would be different. It would be examples set forth in Christianity. That's right. But we've let down the bars somewhere.

A good old Methodist preacher friend of mine, he used to sing a song:

We've let down the bars;

We've comprised with sin;

We let down the bars;

The sheep got out,

But how did the goats get in?

You let down the bars; that's just simple. That's the only thing it is. They can join church today and live any kind of life or anything. But I tell you one thing; you can't be borned again and live any kind of a life. You'll live for Jesus Christ when you're borned again. And you'll act like a man. And you'll conduct yourself as a real Christian, if you're borned again of the Spirit of God.

So, this woman, finally, she got ... fell in love with a man, neighbor. And she left her husband, and run off, and married this man, and continued playing the piano in the church. And after a while, she left him and married another one. And she thought she was doing all right.

And then finally, ended up as a common-law wife. What was it? Her soul told her in the beginning, “Don't do that.” But she reasoned, “Now, if the rest of the women can do this, why can't I do it?” But down in her soul was a Spirit that said, “Don't do that; keep away from that; that's not right.” But yet, she fought against that, and cast that aside, and she went to reasoning. Don't you see? Don't reason; just believe. Believe God's Word; don't try to reason it out. Just what God said is the truth. And believe that to be the truth. And don't go to your reasonings; go to your experience, to Christ in the heart and compare it with God's Word.

Now, she went on. And after a while, she was called ... or, the pastor of our church was called to her bedside to pray for her. Well, she was laying there smoking cigarettes and everything, living in the house, a common-law wife, and he said, “Sister, is everything all right with your soul to die?”

She said, “Everything is at peace.”

Now, she believed it. She had went so long with her intellect, until she had grieved the Holy Spirit from her. It no more spoke to her; she didn't know which was right. She had reasoned it out. She had a mental conception, that if she went to church and did what was right, why, she would go to heaven. That went on down till the very hour of her death.

But when her reasoning power.... When you die, your brain breaks up, of course, when the spirit leaves you, and then what's left? Here's your soul that you've neglected back here, which comes to you then, when you're dying. And this mental reasoning breaks up; you don't reason no more. It's your soul that's been in your heart, that you've grieved away; then it caught up with her. And when she did, she screamed, “My God, I'm lost.” Too late then. The soul that had been grieved away....

Now, the doctor can shoot a hypo in a arm and keep you from screaming. “Oh, she's excited,” said the pastor. “She's not lost. Give her a hypo.”

He give her a hypo, and she ... [Brother Branham breathes hard, then gets quiet.] Sure, quietened her down. Oh, preached her funeral and said, “The sister's in heaven.” That I cannot say. But let me tell you; that hypo can quieten those lips, but it'll never quieten that soul that'll haunt her through eternity. That's right.

Don't you let that be your state. You mind God. Be borned of the Spirit of God, and quit reasoning things, and just believe what God said to be the truth. Be filled with God's Spirit, and then God will lead you, and the Holy Spirit will lead you in the paths of righteousness. And you see yourself conducting yourself unlike a Christian; you know that that's wrong. Then go back and check up with God, with His Word here and with His Book; and get right with God.

That's what Simeon did, this old man we're speaking of. He was an old man, eighty years old, had a great standing among the people, an old sage, white beard. And just before the coming of the Lord Jesus, the first time, the church had got all formal and indifferent, just about like it has again.

And there Simeon, out there.... One day the Holy Spirit spoke to him and said, “Simeon, you're not going to see death before you see the Lord's Christ.” And Simeon didn't reason it; he believed it. That's what you want to do: Believe it.

Look at the virgin Mary, when she was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, what her attitude was. Look at the priest just before him: John's the Baptist's father. When he was told in the temple that his wife was going to bear a child after she was old, why, he had plenty of examples. But he reasoned; he said, “How can these things be? She's old, and so forth, and it can't be.”

Well, there was Sarah, was nearly a hundred years old when she conceived. There's Hannah way past the age. But here Zacharias doubted the Lord. And God said, “I'm....” The angel said, “I'm Gabriel, but my words will be fulfilled just the same.” And he struck him dumb till the day the baby was born.

But look at Mary, when the Holy Ghost told her, “You're going to have a child, knowing no man.” She didn't reason it. She just took Him at his Word. There you are. And she went around testifying that she was going to have a baby, knowing no man, before she was positive of anything. Oh, I hope you see it. She took God at His Word. She didn't wait.... (Excuse this expression. You'd listen to a doctor; I'm your brother.) She didn't wait till she felt life; she didn't wait till something taken place, that she could see naturally that she was going to be mother. She just took the Angel's word. When the Angel said, “You're going to have this baby knowing no man....”

She said, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to Thy Word.”

And she went around rejoicing that she was going to have the baby before she had one evidence that the baby was coming, outside the Word of God.

Oh, sister, do that tonight; you, and you, and all of you. Take God at His Word and start rejoicing. Saying, “God said so; that settles it. I will rejoice anyhow. I don't have to feel nothing or nothing else; I just believe it.” Oh, and you'll see an old-fashioned revival sweep this country, burning out sin. And every church will fill up—and what a time it will be—if men and women will do that much: Take God at His Word, and be expecting Him to do what He said He would do. You're the children of Abraham; that's only through the promise.

The promise was given to Abraham. When he was seventy-five years old, he was living in Shinar there, come down in the land ... the valleys of Shinar, rather, come from Babylon with his father, and was living down there, in the city of Ur in the land of Chaldean. And he was seventy-five years old; his wife was sixty-five; he had lived with her since she was about seventeen, and she was barren. And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Abraham, you're going to have a child by Sarah.”

And Abraham believed God, and made ready for the birth of the baby. And the baby never come for twenty-five years. But instead of Abraham getting weaker, he got stronger all the time, giving God praise for the baby. And here he is now a hundred years old and Sarah's ninety. But every day it went longer, the greater miracle it'd be. And the Bible said, “He got stronger and stronger, giving God praise.”

First year passed by, “Sarah, how do you feel?”

“No different.”

“Praise God, we're going to have it anyhow.”

The second month passed, “How do you feel, Sarah?”

“No different.”

“Glory, we're going to have it anyhow.”

People said, “Abraham, there's something wrong with his mind.” Was there? No, sir. He took God at His Word. He believed what God said, knowing that He was able to keep that which He had committed to him. God was able to keep His Word.

The first year passed, nothing happened. Said, “See, I told you.”

But Abraham said, “It'll be here anyhow.” When he was seventy-five years old ... when he was eighty-five, “It'll be here anyhow.” Done bought up the Birdseye and had the pins and everything ready, 'cause they knew that he's going to have the baby. God said so. No matter how impossible it looked; God said so; that settled it.

Abraham going around testifying, “Going to have the baby anyhow, coming.” Fifteen years passed, no baby yet. Twenty years passed, no baby yet. Twenty-five years passed, no baby yet.

“What about it, Abraham?”

“We're going to have it anyhow. God said so.” Giving glory to God.

Oh, if we had some men tonight that could have the faith of Abraham. And you are Abraham's seed. When you're dead in Christ, you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which makes you Abraham's seed, and gives you the same faith that Abraham had, that calls those things which are not as though they were. Amen. No matter how you look, what you feel like, it's what God said about it. Amen.

You know, I feel religious right now; I really do. I wasn't expecting this. But to think of God.... We call those things.... Abraham called those things which was not, as though they were. He didn't look at the natural thing; he looked at the unseen. He looked by eyes of faith what God said. And what God said, God would keep. He knowed He could keep it. So, he believed it and testified of things that he didn't see, as though they were already happened.

Oh, my, you see it? I hope you do, and get it. I'm not excited now; I'm just feeling good. Notice, now, if you can take the same thing and say, “God promised it: By Jesus Christ's stripes I was healed. I believe it. No matter what takes place, how I feel, how I look, I'm healed anyhow; God said so.” And stay right with it. Don't move; stay right with it. Watch what it'll do.

You know, some people has great big faith like that; they can be healed in a moment. Some has faith that much; can be healed in a week. Some has mustard seed faith; takes them a long time, but just follow it; it's genuine; it'll bring you to the Light; just hold on to it and keep moving. And it'll bring you out; you just keep holding on to that faith; it'll bring you through, if it's real mustard seed, you know. Mustard don't mix with nothing; it's genuine. You can mix kale with spinach and so forth, but you can't mix mustard with nothing. Mustard stays mustard.

And when real faith takes a hold in the heart, it's not intellectual; it's not reason no more; it's real. It's the Spirit of God witnessing through you, “God's Word is true.” I stay right with it. Yes, sir. And that brings the results.

So, Simeon, he went on. He wasn't.... Now, he had a great prestige, but he wasn't ashamed of his prestige if it was contrary to the people's ideas. Well, somebody'd say, “Looky, poor old Simeon, you know what? He's just a little bit off now. You know, here we are; we're in captivity. Look at the churches today. Why, we know the days of miracles is past. And here that old man, with one foot in the grave, eighty-something years old, and still saying he's going to see the Christ, when even David hundreds and hundreds ... eight hundred years ago, said he wanted to see Him. And Elijah back before that, and plumb on back to Adam, they looked for Him. And here he is with one foot in the grave and the church all tore up like it is now, and everything, and the days of miracles all ceased out and everything. And yet he says....” He believes it.

Why? God said so. And he went around.... He wasn't ashamed to tell people, “I'm not going to die till I see the Lord's Christ.” He had a good reason: The Holy Ghost told him so. Now, there's no two Holy Ghosts; the same Holy Ghost was there then is here now, see. That's right. The same Holy Ghost.... So, he believed the Holy Ghost and went around testifying. He didn't care what people said; he had the promise, so that's all.

And have you got the promise? Absolutely. “The promise is unto you, and to your children, and them that's far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” The promise is still the same. That's right. To “whosoever will, let him come and drink from the waters ... fountain of waters of life freely.” For it's for “whosoever will.” You can, you're invited to come, wanted, and expected to be here. That's right.

When the days drawed by, Simeon got older, but he stilled praised the Lord; he was going to see the Christ anyhow. So finally, after awhile, there was some Magis way over in a eastern country saw a star appear, and they packed up, and away they went following the star. They was expecting to see that star.

Nobody else seen it, because no one was expecting it but them. They got what they expected. They was watching for the star where Balaam said, their prophet, that there'd be a star of Jacob rise, and they was looking for it. And so they followed the star and found the Christ.

And there was a few shepherds out on the hillside herding their sheep; they found Him, and they knew about it. But word doesn't travel then ... didn't travel then, rather, like it does today; they didn't have the news, the papers, and the radio, and the press, and so forth, that we got today, they didn't have it. So, it only went from lip to ear. And many people had never heard nothing about it.

So, after eight days, Jesus being born, well, then, Mary she come to the temple to offer the sacrifice, which was a custom: After eight days every male child had to be brought and circumcised. And they had to offer a offering for her purification; that was according to the custom of the law.

Let's take a little drama here so the little children can understand. It's Monday morning at the temple and I see the virgin Mary coming with her little baby, and she's got a peasant's offering. A peasant's offering was two turtledoves. Now, a rich baby could offer a lamb, 'cause they had flocks and herds. But Jesus, they had two turtledoves.

And now, all the babies coming along in their fine needlework, the mothers standing real finely dressed with little needlework with their babies, you know, little pink and gowns and so forth, on them. But there stood the little virgin with the baby wrapped in swaddlings cloth. You know what swaddlings cloth is? It's what goes on the back of a yoke of an ox when you're plowing with them; it's rags that's wrapped over the yoke. And they was hanging in the manger, so they just unwrapped that, Joseph and them did, and wrapped Jesus in it. Think of it, the King of glory, the King of [Blank spot on tape.] ... somebody. Would you think of it.

There was about two million Jews that day up in there, so there was perhaps maybe hundreds of babies borned every night. So, every morning there'd be, after the eight days for each person, there would be a line of babies for their circumcision. It's Monday morning; here's a great line of mothers standing there over on that side, we'd say, with their little babies. And I could hear some of them saying, “Look at there. See, look at there; look at her; there she is; that's the one that had that baby without being married. Mmm-mm, keep your distance from her.” Isn't that just like persecuting the real true believer today?

She held that baby in her arms. She didn't care what the people said; she knowed who's baby that was. In her heart she knew that that was God's child. And every one that's borned of the Spirit of God, you might be called fanatic; you might be called that insulting name of holy roller. You might be called anything like that, but in your heart, if you've ever cradled Christ, you don't care what they say. Don't make any difference. They can say, “Look at them.” Sure you're marked. Right. She was too. Kept their distance from her: “Back, don't get around her.”

But what was she holding in her arms? It didn't look very nice to look at, but it was the King of kings, wrapped in swaddlings cloth in its little virgin mother's arms. Think of it. They kept their distance. I wonder where those people are tonight? What if they could come back and try it over again? It would be different, wouldn't it? Don't let that be your fate; you do it now while you're sensible, and while you can, while you got a chance to do it; do it now. They kept their distance.

So, the line moved on up; the babies being circumcised, and the mothers offering for their purification, and her bringing her little doves along, which probably cost a few farthings. And she brought the doves for her purification according to the law.

And then, gets up nearly, way along up the line. Let's look; where's Simeon at? If God give Simeon a promise, that he was going to see the Christ, it's up to God to take care of it; don't you think so? Let's say he's out over in a prayer room. That Monday morning, he'd the services the day before, and he was tired. I see him sitting over there, pick up the scroll and begin to read, “And a virgin shall conceive and bear a child.” “Isn't that strange, I picked that up?” I see him reach down and get another one, read: “All we like sheep have gone astray; the Lord laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquity; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; with His stripes we were healed.” Reading the Scriptures over in the place.... Now, I say this is drama for a moment.

And all at once the Holy Spirit is absolutely obligated.... If He give him the promise to see the Christ, and the Christ is in the temple, He's obligated to bring Simeon before the promise. Is that right? Sure. So, I can see the Holy Spirit say, “Simeon, stand on your feet.” Oh, my. You believe men of God are led by the Spirit of God? Sure, they are. Simeon stands up, not knowing where he's going: “Yes, Lord, I hear Your voice. What do You want me to do?”

“Walk, Simeon.”

“Where, Lord?”

“Just walk.” Don't make any difference where you're going, walk. He started off walking. Here he comes out, led by the Holy Spirit that give him the promise.

The same Holy Ghost that give Simeon the promise, gave you the promise. How many believes in divine healing? Why are you here tonight? Because you believe. There's something inside of you that tells you there's divine healing, is that right? If it wasn't even written in the Bible, it would still be a divine healing. If there's a deep in here calling, there's got to be a deep to respond to it. David said, “At the noise of Thy waterspouts....”—the deep calling to the deep....

In other words, I've made it like this many times: Before there was a fin on a fishes back, there had to be a water first for him to swim in, or he wouldn't have no fin. He had to have a water first. Before there's a tree to grow in the earth, there had to be a earth for it to grow in, or there wouldn't be no tree.

And here not long ago I read in the paper where a little baby eat the.... Little boy about eight years old, it was, eat the erasers off his pencils in school, eat his erasers up. And they come home, find him eating a pedal off his bicycle. And so they taken him down to the doctor, and they taken him into the clinic and examined him, and the doctor examined his blood and everything. And come to find out his little body was wanting sulfur, and sulfur's in rubber.

Now look, if there's something in here calling for sulfur, there has to be a sulfur to respond to that call, or there wouldn't be no call in here. You get what I mean? Something hungering, there's got to be something to respond.

When our forefathers, the pilgrims, landed over here on Plymouth Rock, they found the Indians; they were worshipping the sun. They were worshipping images. Why? When I went into the Hottentots of Africa, I found the little mud idols, a worshipping, sprinkled in blood. Why? They're human beings; there's something in them that tells them there's a Creator: deep calling to the deep. And if there's a deep calling, there's got to be a deep to respond to it.

You remember, not long ago, before you received the Holy Spirit, your heart burned for something. What was it? It was the deep. You'd come to the church; you'd joined church; but you'd never been borned again. And your heart called for it? What was it? The deep calling to the deep. And as sure as there's a deep calling, there's a deep to respond to it.

And tonight you're craving divine healing, because God's Bible said so. Something in you tells you there's a divine healing. And as sure as there's something in you craving for divine healing, there's a fountain open somewhere. And the same Holy Ghost, that give Simeon the promise and led him to the Christ, has led you here tonight, for divine healing, where the fountain is open for every one of you. Deep calling to the deep, there's a response. And when you see it, oh, you'll bathe in it.

I love beauty; I watch the sunset. I was riding today around your lake, and weeping like a baby. The lady back there and her husband, my book salesman here, Mr. and Mrs. Wood, they said, “Brother Branham, what do you see?” My mother's a half-breed; she's a half-Cherokee Indian. And when I looked out there and could see those leaves painted, I said, “It's God with His brush; He's painting the scenery.” There was something in me that longed for it. And when I seen it, my heart wept inside of me. Deep calling to the deep.

Oh, what a time to come into His presence where you long to be and see the resurrected living Jesus among us. Then this deep calling to the deep brings the results. And no wonder people weep. No wonder people shout; no wonder people get emotional. Why, brother, you can't keep from it. There's something inside of you that's a moving.

Simeon, led by the Holy Spirit, here he come, not knowing where he's going. Men who walk with God don't care where they're going, as long as they're following the Holy Spirit. And he walked out into the building. I can see the old sage as he walks around; he don't know where he's going, so the Holy Ghost is leading him. I see him go over to this line of women. Here he comes down this line of women, looking at each little baby. He comes to this woman standing by herself, that the rest of them's making fun of. He stops; he looks over in her arms. He picks up this little bundle of love wrapped in swaddlings cloth, pulled Him up to his bosom, the tears running down his cheeks, and said, “Lord, now let Your servant depart in peace, according to Your Word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation.”

The Holy Spirit moving, he was expecting it. He was expecting to see it. And God led him to his full expectancy. Are you expecting to be healed tonight? If you are, the Holy Ghost has led you to the place now. Are you expecting it? Be ready.

At the same time, over in the temple was an old prophetess, a woman, the virgin Anna. She was blind; she'd been blind for years. She was around eighty years old. And she stayed in the temple and prayed day and night. For she too, was looking for the consolation of Israel, the coming of the Lord. And there she is in the corner, blind. And the same time, her looking for the coming of Christ and blind and couldn't see, the Holy Spirit spoke to her, said, “Rise up, Anna.”

And here comes the old blind woman, feeling around the crowds, going through the great host of the temple, till she got right to where He was, and lifted up her hands, and blessed God. If the Holy Ghost could lead that blind prophetess, because she was expecting to see the Lord Jesus when He comes, can He lead you to the fountain of His blessings and grace? Be expecting it. Look forward to it; it's here. God is here; He's moving by His Spirit, moving over all the earth, signs and wonders, when God moveth. “Move, O Lord, on me.”

Everywhere God moves, anytime through the Bible, you'll see healing, miracles, signs, and wonders. He leaves a track behind Him of the supernatural. I don't care what theologians say; the Bible is right. When God moves, the world shakes. And when He moves at every revival they've ever had.... And the breaking out of the first reformation in Luther's day, they had healings; in the days of Wesley they had healings, in the days of Calvin, Knox, Finney, Sankey, all down through; and today He's no less than He was then. If anything, He's greater today than He was then. Hallelujah. I'm not excited; I know what I'm speaking of: led of the Spirit.

Why did you come here tonight? Did you come to get healed? Let me show you how many thousands of times.... Here not long ago I'd been over to Dallas, Texas, and I started back home, and the airplane got caught in a storm. We had to come down at Memphis, Tennessee. And they put me up in that famous hotel there that night, the Peabody Hotel. I couldn't stay in a place like that with my own money. But the airplane lines put me in there.

And I was staying there that night, and I prayed. And the next morning when I got up, they told me, said, “Now, you be ready, Reverent Branham; they'll pick you up, the limousine, at seven o'clock.

And I said, “All right, sir.”

And about six-thirty I went out; I had some mail I'd wrote that night, and I was going to mail it. And I was going down the street, singing this little song:

There's people almost everywhere,

Whose hearts are all on flame

With the power that fell at Pentecost,

That cleansed and made them clean;

Oh, it's burning now within my heart,

Oh, glory to His name!

I'm so glad I can say I'm one of them.

Going along, I was just learning it. And I was going down the street and something said, “Stop a minute.” Well, I thought maybe it was just my thought. And it got a reality and I stopped. I thought, What is it?

I pulled up in a little corner; there was a policeman standing there, it was just right after break of day. And this policeman standing there. I looked like I was looking at some fishing reels and guns and things sitting in the window like that. I got back behind a post, and I said, “Oh, heavenly Father, is that You stopped me?”

He said, “Turn and go right back the way you come.”

I turned, started back down the street, like that, wondering where I was going. I walked, and I walked, went plumb over in north Memphis, on down by the river, on out to the edge of the country, like that, and I thought, Where am I going?

Something just kept saying, “Walk on.” I just kept walking, walking down. Seven o'clock come, seven-thirty, eight o'clock; I just kept on walking, walking around through.... I didn't know where I was going, just walking around; the Lord was a leading.

And I got out there, and got down amongst the colored people. And I happened to come down the street, walking like that, and I seen leaning across a little old whitewashed fence, a typical old Aunt Jemima with a man's shirt pinned around her head. She was leaning across the fence, them big black cheeks, looking up that way. When she seen me coming, the tears was in her eyes. She said, “Good morning, parson.” That was in the South; they call a preacher “parson.” Said, “Good morning, parson.”

I said, “Good morning, auntie.” I said, “How did you know I was parson?”

She started grinning; she said, “Parson, did you ever hear in the Bible about that woman, the Shunammite woman that couldn't have no children. And she told the Lord if He'd give her a baby that she'd raise it for Him?”

Said, “Yes.”

Said, “I's was that kind of woman.” And she said, “The Lord give me a baby,” and she said, “I raised him with all my heart to serve the Lord.” She said, “I washed to make a living.” She said, “I's a Christian; I've been filled with God's Spirit for years.”

And she said, “And you know, my boy, when he got up to about eighteen years old, he took the wrong road.” And said, “He got with a company, and he didn't tell me nothing about it, and he took a horrible disease, and he's in here dying.” Said, “He's been unconscious, parson, for two days.” And said, “I just couldn't stand to see my baby die,” she said, “without knowing the Lord.” And she said, “I know he's took a wrong road; he's got to pay for his sin, but I wanted to hear him say he was saved.” And said, “He's just awful.” And said, “I prayed all night long.” Said, “Lord, please don't let my baby die without being saved; please don't, dear Lord. I've worked so hard for You and worked for him.”

And said, “I fell asleep and I dreamed that I seen a man with a light suit on and a light hat, coming down the street.” And said, “You's was the man.” And she said, “I've been standing here since three o'clock waiting for you.” God's moving. Said, “I've been waiting here since three o'clock.”

I patted her on her back, and her back was still wet with dew. I said, “Auntie, my name is Branham.” I said, “I pray for the sick. Did you ever hear of me?”

Said, “No, sir, parson, I never did hear of you, but I's sorry.” She said, “Won't you step in?”

And I walked in. There's a little old plow point hanging back there for a gate thing to hold a gate back. And I walked into that little colored haunt there that morning, a little house, whitewashed. And, brother, I've been in three king's palaces; I've been in some of the nicest homes in the world; I was raised in a little old shack without a floor in it. When I walked into that little home that morning, I tell you, you know you was in the Presence of God. I looked in there; there was no pin-ups on the walls. There was a great big sign on the wall: God bless our home. I'd rather have it than all your fandango pin-ups and things of Hollywood.

I looked at that, I thought, What do you know. Then in the little old iron poster bed, was a great big boy, about a hundred and eighty pounds, going, “whuum, whuum, whuum.” I said, “What's the matter with him?”

She said, “Parson, he's dying.”

I took hold of his feet; it was real sticky on his feet, perspiration, felt like he was dying. And she said, “The doctor says he'd never come to. He got in the wrong company. It was venereal disease, syphilitic, and it'd went four plus, and it went into his heart, and eat his heart out. So, said he.... ”The doctor man said he's going to die.“ And said, ”He keeps saying he's lost.“ And I stayed there a little bit; he said, ”Oooh, it's so dark out here.“

Said, “He thinks he's in a boat, and he's lost out on the sea.” And she started crying, saying, “Parson, I can't see him die like that; that's my baby.” And she reached over, and kissed him on the forehead, and said, “God bless mama's baby.”

Oh, I thought, No matter how much disgrace he'd got into, how big and burly he was; he was, to mother's heart, still her baby. And I thought, God, if that mother can overlook that and kiss him, and say it's her baby, how much more, You to us? When You said 'A mother may forget her suckling babe, but I can't forget you; you're engraved on the palms of My hand.' I thought, What love. She kissed him and hugged him. And I said, “Auntie, will you bow for prayer?”

She got down and I said, “Lead, Auntie.” And you talk about a prayer, oh, that old godly.... [Blank place on tape.] ... a hold of God, I stood there and wept holding that little old bedpost [Blank place on tape] she kissed him again.

I said, “Auntie, will you kneel with me now?” Said, “Will you pray?”

She said, “Yes, parson.” Said, “If I can only ... ask of the Lord, if I could only hear him say he's saved before he goes.”

And I got down, I said, “Heavenly Father, I don't know why I'm here; my airplane's been gone for about two hours now.” And I said, “Why You led me down here, I don't know; this is the only place I've come to, so, surely this is where You've led at.” I said, “I was expecting You to lead me somewhere, and she was expecting me to be here. So, I pray God, that You'll be merciful and spare the boy's life.” I had my hands laying on his feet.

He said, “Mama?”

She said, “Yes, honey.”

Said, “It's getting light in the room.”

And about a minute or two from then, he was sitting up on the side of the bed, talking to us.

I hurried off, and called a cab, and went out to the airplane. They was making the last call; they'd been held for two hours. I caught my plane and went home.

About six or eight months after that, nearly a year, I was coming through on a train. As you know, at Memphis, how you pull up this way. I run up to get me a hamburger; it's too much ... charge too much on the train to eat. So, I had to go over and get me a hamburger after the train stopped. And I run up there to get me a hamburger, and I was going up I heard somebody holler, “Hello, parson Branham.” I looked out there and there was a redcap. He said, “Hello there,” big black boy, teeth shining; said, “How are you?” Said, “You don't know me, do you?”

I said, “I don't believe I do.”

Said, “You remember about a year ago, when you come down, and the Lord led you down to my mammy, was out the gate praying?”

I said, “Are you the boy?”

I said, “Yes, parson Branham.” Said, “I's not only healed, but I's a Christian now.”

Oh, my. What is it? The God that was with Simeon in that day is the same Holy Spirit today, that could ground a plane for that ignorant colored woman. Just think: The prayer of that poor, ignorant, illiterate, Negro woman: God kept a plane on the ground two hours. Sovereignty of the living God! I'm expecting Him.

Some of these days when life is over, my last prayer is prayed, I'm minutes from the last time to close the Bible, when the death angel's standing in the room, and the old vapor of the river Jordan's floating in my face, I'm going to expect Him to be there. When I go through the valley of the shadow of death, He'll be there; don't worry; He promised He'd be there; and I'm riding on it. I am believing it. I'll work till He comes. The Lord bless you while we pray.

Our Heavenly Father, in the name of Thy beloved Child, the Lord Jesus! When I think of Your great sovereignty, how You have led the people through the ages. Your Holy Spirit has never left the earth, and won't until He takes the church to go to meet Jesus in the air and then forever be with Him.

God, there's many tonight that's outside of Christ, who doesn't know any forgiveness of sins; maybe they belong to church, but never been borned again, never knowed what it means to receive the Holy Spirit, never knows what it is to get away from intellectual reasonings, and “should I do this or that?” Oh, God, I pray tonight that Your Spirit will move in the building. And if there be such a person here tonight, may they, with a humble heart, raise their hands to You and say, “By this, God, I need you. I tell you this way; I'm holding my hand to You, that I want to be a Christian from this hour on.”

While we have our heads bowed, I wonder, anywhere in the building, if there'd be someone, such a person, who really hasn't been borned again and would like for me to remember you. If He'll help me here to make the cripple to walk and the blind to see and the deaf to hear, surely, He'd hear my prayer for your soul. And you know, you've never received Christ in that manner and been borned again, you want me to remember you in a word of prayer, will you raise up your hand, in the building? God bless you, you. Oh, my, just look everywhere, everywhere.

Up in the balconies, to my left, is there any up there, say, “Brother Branham, I wish you'd remember me; I'm not a Christian. I want you to pray for me.” God bless you, you. To the balconies, to the rear, is there anyone up there? Just raise your hand, say, “Brother Branham....” No one look now; just let the Lord ... now. All right. God bless you.

Over to the balconies, to the right, say, “Here's my hand up. I'm not holding my hand to you, Brother Branham; I'm holding it to Christ.” God bless you, young man; you'll never forget that. God be with you. Someone else on the bottom floor here anywhere? Raise your hand again to Christ; He sees you. God bless you brother, sister, God bless you, you, you. Yes.

Now, while you have your heads bowed, I'm going to remember you in prayer, and as soon as this service is over, I want you to come up around the altar and speak personally to Christ about it, won't you? Christians, join with me in a word of prayer now.

Our heavenly Father, many here, dozens of hands was held up, that they want to become a real Christian. What good's it going.... What's our friends going to do? What good is our church going to do even at that time? When death is sweeping up our sleeves, our pulse is leaving, the doctor walks away from the door with his little satchel and tells the loved ones, “He's got just a few minutes, and he's gone.” “She can't live long now; she's got probably fifteen more minutes and she'll be gone.” Oh, God, and we press our heaviness of dying—head against the pillow, and the pulse is coming up our sleeve, turning ice, O God, they'll remember this night; they'll never be able to get away from it.

Father, I pray that every one that raised their hand, that You'll give them an experience this very night of witnessing Jesus Christ resurrection from the dead; that He's alive, here among us tonight. And He will save them and fill them with His Holy Spirit. Many didn't have courage to raise their hand; I know that, Lord; Thou knows it too. I pray also that You'll bless them. Grant it.

Many sitting here belongs to church and afraid that if they'd raise their hand.... Yet in their heart You said do it. And yet, they was afraid to raise their hand, after joining church and being there so long. God, I pray that You'll give them the Holy Spirit; may such a hunger come upon them till they can't rest until they receive God's blessings for them. Grant it, Lord. Forgive us of all of our trespasses.

And now, dear Jesus, as we go into the service to pray for the sick, may every person, now with these words in their heart, may the Holy Ghost come. May Jesus walk into this building just now. May the great pillar of fire, that led the children of Israel, sway over this pulpit tonight, come down, prove the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, that people will be without an excuse then.

Heal the sick tonight, Father, make the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, the cripples to walk. Cure the heart trouble, cancers, all different kinds of troubles. God, I pray that You'll mend up the broken homes, and make the ones that's in homes that's indifferent, fathers and mothers who doesn't pray, give them an experience tonight that they'll start a family altar at their home. Grant it, Lord.

Bless every church in the city. O God, let every minister be so inspired tomorrow, that he'll preach like never before. And may an old-fashioned revival sweep out through this city, Lord, and just may people come from everywhere to Shawano here, that they might know that Jesus lives and reigns. Grant it, Father. In Jesus' name we ask it. Amen.

May the Lord bless you all real richly is my sincere prayer. Tomorrow's Sunday; you don't go to Sunday school, probably till late. You Catholic people probably go to early mass and whatever it is, but you'll be able to make one of them. And I hate to hold you, and you're standing. But I just felt like talking to you. You're such a lovely audience, and I pray that you'll receive the words now and be expecting to be healed. I want to ask you something, just in a moment, before we call the prayer line to be prayed for.

What would Jesus do if He was here tonight? How many of you believe that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever? Do you believe that? What was He yesterday? What did He do when He was here on earth? What He done when He was here on earth, He's got to do the same thing today, if He is the same. Is that right?

Now, for about two minutes let's go through it. What was His ministry? Did He go around, and say, “Bring me somebody, and I'll heal them?” Never did He say that. He said, “I can't do nothing. It's not Me that doeth the works; it's My Father that dwelleth in Me; He doeth the works.” Is that true?

Jesus saw visions. When He seen Philip, and sent ... and Philip.... He prayed for Philip. Peter come to Him; He knew what his name was. He told him who he was. And Philip went and got Nathanael, around in another country and brought him over. When he come up to Jesus, Jesus said, “There is a righteous man, behold, an Israelite in whom there is no guile.”

He said, “When did You know me? How do You know who I am?”

“Why,” He said, “before Philip called you, when you were under the tree out there praying, I saw you.”

He said, “You're the Son of God.”

He said, “Because I told you that, that I saw you under the tree, do you believe Me?”

He said, “Yes.”

Said, “Then you can see greater than this.”

He told the woman at the well, after talking to her, where her sins was and what she'd done, and so forth. He went in to the pool of Bethesda, where great multitudes of lame, halt, blind, withered was laying there (Saint John 5). And a couple days before that, a woman touched His garment and went and stood off out in the audience. Jesus looked around over the audience; He said, “Somebody touched Me.”

“Why,” they said, “everybody's touching You.”

He said, “Yes, but I got weak; virtue went from Me; I got weak.” He said, “Well....” Looked around over the audience. He said ... seen the little woman; He picked her out, where she was at. He said, “Thy faith has healed that blood issue now; your faith done it.”

Now, your faith pulls from a gift of God, just like He was a great gift of God. And this gift here is just a small amateur gift, but it's of God just the same. So, your faith operates it, not mine; yours is the one who does it. It wasn't Jesus' faith that healed that woman; He said, “Thy faith has saved thee.” Thy faith did it. Her faith operated the gift of God that was in Him.

Now, when He went through that pool, look at all.... We believe He was loving. Don't you believe so? full of compassion? But when He went through that pool.... People don't know what compassion means. Many times they don't know what love means.

There's two different kinds of love spoke of in the Bible, you know that? In the Greek word, you that's scholars here, one of them is called phileo, and the other one's called agapao. Phileo is “earthly love,” we have one for another. Now, that would.... You love your wife, but the love that you have for her would.... If another man insulted her, you'd kill the man for it (see), because that's phileo love.

But agapao is “divine love.” That same love would make you pray for that man's soul that insulted your wife. It's altogether different. The same thing is compassion; wish we had a little time longer, a few days to talk to you and speak to you on those things.

And then He went through there, full of compassion, and He passed by those lame, halt, withered, moved right on through, till He found the man laying on a pallet—little quilt on the floor, little bed. And he had a prostate trouble, or something, as we'd call it. He had it thirty-eight years; wasn't going to kill him. He could walk like other men. But He said, “Wilt thou be made whole?”

He said, “Oh, somebody can beat me, can outrun me, get into the pool.” 'Cause many thousands waited for that Angel to come down and move that water. And the first one got healed, the virtue of the Angel went off, just took it all off the water. And so, he said, “No man to put me in the water; when I'm coming somebody steps ahead of me.”

He said, “Take up thy bed and go into the house.”

Now watch. Jesus knew that he was laying there, and He knew that he had been in this condition. Is that what the Bible said? Jesus knew. Then the Jews questioned Him. Saint John 5:19, I am now. Listen what Jesus said. No wonder the Jews probably said (like they would tonight), “Go heal that one, and I will believe it.” That's the same thing Satan said, “Turn this stone into bread.” “Come down off the cross, and we'll believe You.” “Perform a miracle before me, and let me see it.” God never did or never will do that. No, sir. He doesn't do it that way.

And so these Jews said, “Well, wonder why He didn't heal the rest of them, and so forth. There's thousands: I know old Brother Jones down there, John Doe, and all them, they're good members of our church, and there they are, been crippled all these years; if He's a healer let Him go and heal them.” The same thing's said today, see.

But God didn't do it that way. He went to a man that only had a prostate trouble, or something that he had thirty-eight years, and healed him, and walked away. So, they questioned Him. They do the same thing today. Now, listen what Jesus said; Jesus said, “Verily, verily.... (That word verily is ”absolutely, absolutely“), I say unto you, The Son can do nothing in Himself, but what He sees the Father doing: that doeth the Son likewise.” Saint John 5:19, is that right?

Then Jesus' own words said that He did not perform any miracle or do anything, until the Father showed Him by a vision, first to do ... what to do. Then He went and done what the Father showed Him. Now, Jesus said, “These things that I do, shall you also.” Is that right? “More than this shall you do, for I go unto My Father.” He said, “A little while and the world (not world; it's kosmos, the ”world order, the world unbeliever“), the world will see Me no more. The world won't see Me no more after I'm crucified; they won't see Me no more, Yet ye shall see Me (the believer), for I, (personal pronoun), I will be with you, even in you, to the end of the world.” “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and for ever.”

And what He did yesterday: He stood in the audience; what the Father showed Him to do, He did it; He spoke. He could ... Jesus said that He knew their thoughts. Jesus perceived their thoughts. Is that Scripture? Total. Why reason you? “Your faith has healed you.” “Thy faith” has made blind Bartimaeus there whole, all of these things like that. And when the people was brought to Him, He did just as the Father showed Him.

Now, if He's raised from the dead, He'll do the same tonight. Is that right? If He'll do it, will you believe Him and love Him? Once more let's pray.

Father, now in the name of the Lord Jesus.... After the resurrection, Cleopas and his friend went walking down to a city. And on the road down there, a stranger stepped out and begin to talk to them. They talked all day long, and He explained the Scriptures to them. They didn't know it was He. And when they drew near to the city, He made as if He would go on. But they bid Him to come in and abide with them. And when once in the house and the doors shut behind them, He did something. It was different from what a ordinary man done. He did it His way, and the people knew that it was Him. And oh, how they run from Emmaus, all the way back up to Jerusalem to tell them, “The Lord has risen indeed, and we've seen Him.”

Jesus, will You tonight come in this meeting and do something different than what's done in religious meetings? Do it Your way, Lord, the way You did it when You were here on earth, that the people might know that You've raised from the dead. You just didn't just only raise on that Easter; You've been risen ever since. And You'll always be alive; You're alive forevermore.

O Christ, please in Your holy name, I ask that You'll pardon all of our sins; take all of our iniquity away from us. And, Father, forgive Thy servant, of my misdoings, and sanctify us tonight with Thy Holy Spirit. And come, Lord, into the body of this unworthy person, that's speaking to You, and use it as a mouthpiece, as You promised to do. And use the ears out there; circumcise the heart and ears out there, to hear Your Word. And altogether may we be in the Spirit, expecting. And may You fill this room with the Holy Spirit, and heal every sick person in here, save every sinner, and may it be to the glory of God. We commit ourselves unto Thee for this service, in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.

Did you give prayer cards out over at the church today? [Blank spot on tape.] Look on the back of it; it's got my.... [Blank spot on tape.] ... you.

Just now take yourself, any of you out there, and put you here before this woman with about, at least fifteen hundred or sixteen hundred people sitting here tonight, looking right down, and Satan moving around trying to make one flaw if he can. Put yourself here in my position now.

This challenge to the audience, to you people out there, to believe and watch the Holy Spirit move out, tell you about it, to heal. See, it looks simple, but come try it. Then you know what I mean. Now, I'm expecting you Christians to be in prayer for me, to pray for me. It's our Lord that we're speaking of.

Those tonight who held up their hands accepting Jesus, serve Him; maybe thirty, or forty of them did. But look, friends, they couldn't have held up their hands 'less God called them. Jesus said, “No man can come to Me, except the Father calls him first. And all that comes I will give him everlasting life.” Now, they're babies, just beginning. Now, they want to know who this Christ is that they accepted. They've heard of Buddha; they've heard of idols. They've heard of other religions, and so forth, outside of Christianity, but who's this that they've just accepted, Christ? They did it by faith.

Now, I say He raised from the dead; He's not a dead one—God. Mohammed, Buddha, and all the rest of them has been dead for thousands of years, but Jesus raised from the dead, and He's alive tonight. That's the only thing can prove it.

Now, here we are, this little handful of people, but the resurrected Jesus Christ, who represents Christianity, is here tonight to prove that our thoughts.... All of you Christians, you're on the right side, absolutely. You can't fail; you're in Christ.

Now, say.... If the woman, she may be sick; she may have affliction. She may have troubles in her heart. She may not even be standing for herself; maybe somebody else she's here for. She may be ... she's got financial troubles, maybe she's got children somewhere that she wants prayed for. I don't know; I can't tell you. There's only One Who does know, and that's God.

But it's the same thing like the woman at the well. Jesus talked to the woman at the well till He.... First thing, He begin to speak to her, then after He carried a conversation with her, He said to her, “Go get your husband.”

She said, “I have none.”

Said, “That's right; you got five.”

“Why,” she said, “Sir, I perceive that You're a prophet. Now, I know when Messiah cometh, He will tell us these things.” Saint John 4. “He will tell us these things, but who are You?”

What was the sign of the Messiah? What was the sign? He'll know the secrets of your heart. Is that right? The sign.... Said, “I know ... we know, we Samaritans know that when the Messiah cometh, He will do these things, but Who are You? You must be a prophet.”

He said, “I'm He that speaks to you.”

And she went in the city and said, “Come, see a Man....” That's right. That's right. You go tell the same thing tomorrow, “Come, see a Man at church in the morning (see), Jesus Christ the Son of God, who knows all the secrets of your heart.”

Now, this woman, believing her to be a righteous woman. And now, she is a Christian, or it'd done been told me. If God will tell me what she's here for, just like He did the woman at the well, like He did all through the Bible, will you believe then that Jesus really has risen from the dead and is here tonight? Will you do it? Will you just raise your hand and say, “I'll do it, if I know.... If it can be proven to me, it'll take all the skeptic out of my mind.” Now, may the Lord grant it.

I just want to talk to the lady just a moment. And then, that's going to be up to you, whatever you think about it. Now, you'll have to know it's supernatural. I'm sad to say: Some of you don't believe it, but it's so anyhow, see. You can't hide yourself now, see. He's done anointed me now, see. That's right. But you'll see then it's your attitude towards it will determine your destination. That's right.

Now, sister, as I turn to you, knowing that you are a Christian, 'cause as soon as the Holy Spirit just a few moments ago.... I want to ask you something: There was a strange feeling come to you there, just kind of like a sacred feeling; isn't that right? Even to bring tears to your eyes.... That's right. That's when the anointing struck me, the Angel of God you see on the paper; He's here now. That's what you feel right now. Such a sweet feeling, no one, oh, if you could just only feel this wonderful, heavenly atmosphere. It's His presence.

Now, you all seen that Angel on the picture? Almighty God Who will judge me at the day of judgment, knows that that Angel is right here now. You looking this way, looking right straight towards it. Not me; Him. I can just feel it moving in the audience, everywhere. Now, if I can talk to the lady just a moment.

Now, sister, being a stranger to you, never seen you in my life. Then if God will let me know what you come here for, and will tell me something that you know that I don't know nothing about, you'll know it has to come through supernatural power. But will you believe it's the Lord Jesus and will accept whatever you're after, as He gives it to you and will believe Him, that I've represented Him right? Now, I've been speaking about Him and telling what He is, now it's Him to reveal to me; isn't that right?

Now, if the audience can hear me, which I know not how loud my voice is, the lady is moving away from me. And I see her; she's at some kind of a place; it's a doctor's office or a hospital. She's having an operation. And it's on her hand; it's her right hand and her middle finger. And she's got.... The doctor says there.... I believe he says it's a malignancy. And he operated, but it didn't do it any good. And it's moving again.

And the woman is also suffering. I see her where she's changing her garments. And she's suffering with something in her leg; it's a varicose vein that she's rubbing, which cramps her in her leg. Those things are true, are they, lady? [“Amen. Yes.”] If they are, raise up your hand. Do you believe?

Now, I do not know what I said to the woman. There wasn't me talking; that was that Angel you see on that picture. Now, whatever He said, test it and see if it's truth or not. Now, if that anointing is here, and I lay my hands on the woman.... When the last words that ever come from Jesus' mouth, He said, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel; he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. These signs shall follow them that believe.” The last thing He said, “If they lay their hands on the sick, they shall recover.” Is that right? Then whatever it is, I pray for sister while you pray too. Would you come close, sister?

Heavenly Father, Thou knowest this person, and I ask that You heal her, and make her well, or give her the desire of her heart, and may she live long. And may her testimony stir the neighborhood where she lives. This blessing I ask in Jesus' name, Amen. God bless you now, sister. Go, don't doubt Him, but believe Him with all your heart, that Jesus gives you the victory.

Praise the Lord. He is great, marvelous. He cannot fail, for He is the Lord God. Amen. How we love Him and praise Him!

Lady sitting right back there, right back the end of the row there, has got heart trouble, setting there looking at me like that. Don't fear; your faith saved you just then. You believe with all your heart? Do you? If you do, you may have your healing. Thank you.

Here, that you might know, just about two rows in front of you, second ... second in: arthritis. If you believe that Jesus Christ'll make you well, you may have what you ask for. Amen.

Little lady clapping her hands here, right here in front, has been having a fluttering when she lays down, especially at nighttime after she eats. That's right. Isn't that right, sister? Put your hand up to your mouth like that, isn't that true? right here with the little shawl around your shoulders? When you lay down you smother; you think it's heart trouble, but it isn't. It's indigestion; your eating, and it pushes through the tube up and makes your heart flutter. You won't have that no more; your faith's made you well. You don't have a prayer card, do you? You don't need one, you see; you just have faith. Amen.

Now, the man before me....

Isn't Jesus the same? What happened? The woman's faith, she was praying; it touched Jesus, not me. But we are His.... Our lips are the only lips He's got on earth. Our hands are the only hands He's got. “I will be with you, even in you....” manifesting Himself to the world. “Things that I do shall you also.” Just using our lips to speak....

“What is it, Brother Branham?” It's yielding to the Holy Spirit; that's all: yielding. Find out what He wants to use you for, and then yield to Him. If it's to go talk to somebody, yield yourself and go talk. Believe.

Now, the man standing here.... Good evening, dad. We are strangers to each other, aren't we, brother? I have never seen you in my life. And I'd imagine if my father was living tonight, he'd be about your age. He was kind of a man about your size. Dad, I'd give the world tonight if he was standing where you are. I'll never see him no more on this earth; he's gone on. God rest his soul, his gallant soul in peace.

But Jesus is alive; He rose from the dead. Now, you know I know nothing of you, dad. I just ... I'm just a man standing here. Probably you're old enough to be my father. And I never seen you, never met you; only God alone knows anything about you. That is true, isn't it? But Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, knows all about you, doesn't He? He certainly does, certainly.

Now, this man, if the audience can hear me.... I don't know how loud I speak, but I'm somewhere else. I know I'm on a platform, but I'm also standing at a hospital. The man is being operated on; it was for a hernia. And he had two operations. And one of them hurt him real bad, and that was the first one. The second one wasn't so bad. And you are a married man; your wife, she's here, and she's got trouble with her leg. And you got a boy, and the boy's a middle-aged man, and he's had polio; and he's got crippled hands. And he's here with you tonight. Those things are true. [“Yes, sir.”] Do you believe? [“Yes, sir.”]

O God, my Saviour, I pray that You'll give this, my brother, the deep desire of his heart, whatever it is, Lord, that he has need of. I pray in Jesus' name, as I hug this dear old brother to my bosom, may You give him his desire. Amen. God bless you, my dear brother. Receive what you come for (Amen) in the name of the Lord Jesus. All right.

Brother Wood, if you would come here and stand by me if you will for a few minutes, to kind of help, if they would.

Are you believing with all your heart? Just have faith. Oh, how wonderful! Praise be to God!

Sir, do you believe God can heal you of that trouble with your knees, sitting there praying, sitting right back here, about seven rows back, six or seven right here, sitting on the front, got trouble with the knees. Do you believe God, right in.... Lay your hand back, you, sir, there with the red shirt on, turn around and lay your hand on that lady sitting right behind you, right behind you, right back behind you. You looking at me so earnestly, sitting right behind you.

Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus, I pray that You'll grant this blessing to the person that I'm asking for, for You're glory. Amen.

Wouldn't hurt you, sir. I'll show you something that you might not know. To the lady that had the trouble with your knee, lay your hand on the lady next to you, 'cause she's suffering with a gall bladder trouble. That's right, isn't it, lady? If it is, raise up your hand. All right. Now, lady, you lay your hand over on her. Now, in Jesus' name may it never bother you again. That you might know too, the lady sitting next to you has a neck trouble, back trouble. That's right, isn't it, lady? If that's right, raise up your hand. Amen. He's here.

Jesus is raised from the dead. He's alive among you. I challenge your faith to look and live. Believe with all your heart. You can have what you ask for.

How do you do, sir. We're strangers to each other, I suppose, sir. I don't know you, but God does know you, doesn't He?

He said to me the night that He met me, that I was called to pray for sick people. That's why that Light come when I was only three minutes old. And I told Him, “People wouldn't believe me.”

He said, “As Moses was given signs to prove that he was sent from God to deliver the children of Israel, you'll be given signs, too.” Said, “You'll tell them the very thought that's in their heart, and by this, they will believe.”

Do you believe that? Me being a stranger to you, not knowing you, but God does know you, and if He will reveal to me the secret of your heart, or the desire of your heart, then you will accept what you come for? Will the audience do the same thing? God bless you, brother.

Now, the man moves from me (if the audience can hear me). The man is here for somebody else. It's his wife, and she's in a hospital. And there's something.... They got bandages wrapped around her legs. And she's got some kind of a breaking out all over. And you've come tonight to stand for her. And that you might know that I be God's servant, His prophet, you suffer also. And it's a stomach condition. Your stomach burns all the time. It's because you're so nervous and worried. It's an ulcer in the bottom pit of your stomach. Sometimes when you belch, you're ... you get keep so sensitive, like that, with sour belches. And then you've got a stopped-up tubes up in here, in your passage. That's the truth, isn't it? Do you believe you're going to go home and find what you've asked for? Then go and receive it, in the name of Jesus Christ. God bless you.

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory. If you'll only believe, you'll see the lame walking in a few minutes, the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, the dumb speaking. Watch just a moment. They're in here. Just wait till faith gets that place. I'm expecting it.

How do you do, sir. We're strangers to each other, sir. I don't know you, but God does know you, doesn't He?

Now, try to be just reverent. Something happened then; I didn't get to see where it was at. Somebody was healed. I got real weak, and I seen that light coming over the audience, but I couldn't see where it was at. Don't move around; be real reverent. I believe it was in the balcony above me, but I couldn't tell just where.... It come from that direction.

Now, we're before God; we're in the presence of God. Be real reverent, see. Just believe with all your heart. Now, it makes me awfully weak, so do pray, in your heart.

Now, this man.... Here stands a man here I've never seen. He's here for some purpose; I don't know. I wish I could heal him, wish I could, but I can't. Nobody else can; it takes God. He has to have faith in God. By a gift that God gave me, maybe I can cause his faith to rise up to where he will believe. You are.... You believing, sir? What's your trouble is you've got tumors. The tumors is in your shoulder. That is right. Now, being that your coat's swelled out with (that the public might think that I was looking at that).... You believe me to be God's prophet? Look to me and just.... Don't think of nothing; just look to me and think of Jesus, and say, “Jesus, I believe You,” so that the public will see that it won't be that. Maybe He'll show me something else.

Yes, I see something else. You got a wife in trouble. She's with you, and she's suffering with something wrong with her leg. It's her left leg, and it's wrapped up in bandages right now. That's right, isn't it? Don't fear, sister. Now, go receive what you've asked for. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, may it be healed. That you might know something else: That trouble—the reason her legs—is ulcers. That's right, isn't it? That's what the doctor said. I heard him when he said it. Have faith now; don't disbelieve. Believe with all your heart. Now, have faith everyone.

There's somebody sitting right in here that just is wonderfully having faith. I hope you get healed, ever who it is. It's coming from everywhere.

How do you do, lady. Now, we're strangers to each other. I've never seen you, I suppose. We're strange to one another? You know me? You don't know me? All right. I didn't think I'd ever seen you. Sometimes I see people and never.... Just they sit in the audience, you know, but I don't know what you're here for, don't know nothing about you. You know that. But Jesus does. If God will reveal to me what you want, will you believe that He's here to give it to you? Will it settle it with you forever? Will you accept it? Now, don't be scared. You're warding off that anointing, see. That's the only thing that can help you.

Wasn't there a man here just a few minutes ago, had something on his shoulder, was prayed for? Some man.... Is that him? Oh, yes. That's right. I just seen you pass the platform again, just a few moments ago. Seemed like you come from somewhere, a place called Indigo, something another like that. Is that where you live? Oh, I seen you leave the city. I couldn't tell. You're still here before me. Don't worry; have faith; it's all light around you now. Just have faith. That was the interruption.

Now, you're here because you're nervous. And that's the reason you act the way you do, is because you're nervous, and you're suffering from a shock. Isn't that right? A shock. And I see you: You was in an automobile accident that caused a shock that's brought this on to you. And you're not from this city; neither you're from this state. You're from Michigan, and you've come from a place called Crystal Falls or something another on that order, away from here. That's right. You want to go home and be well? Then believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, believe you're in His presence right now. Do you do it?

This man sitting behind you come with you. If you believe with all your heart, you can be made well. Do you believe it? Come here.

O God, our Father, in the name of Jesus, Thy Son, take away the curse and may our sister be made completely whole. I ask in Jesus Christ's name, with my hands upon her. Amen. Something's quiet now. You feel all right now? Now, if that's right, tell the audience. You feel all right? [The lady says, “I feel all right.] Jesus makes you well. [She says, ”Yes.“] Amen. See? Are you German? [The same lady says, ”No, Finnish.“] Finnish. Kiitos. Have faith in God.

Now, while you were sitting there, and I turned, and said what I did, do you believe me to be His prophet? Then go eat your supper. Your stomach trouble will go away from you, and it won't bother you no more. Do you believe that? Then go do as I tell you. Quit worrying. You're a deep thinker. You're always taking other people's troubles to yourself and crossing bridges before you get to it. You're always planning something that never happens. Quit thinking like that; be happy and rejoice. It's a peptic ulcer; can't help it, makes your food sour and everything else in your stomach and cramps you. It won't hurt you no more. Go on and eat, and be happy, and rejoice, and serve Jesus Christ. Amen. God bless you.

Brother, coming with you comes a black spirit, which is death. It's a devil: cancer. There's a lady sitting there, also with cancer, cancer on the pelvis bone. Is that right? I see you ... you're ... you are.... I hear somebody.... Your name is.... You're Mrs. Roy Zuke, Zeeks, or something like that; isn't that right? wave your hand. That's right. Now, the devil pulling between you; it's off of both of you now; it's light between you now. Go, believing with all your heart.

Praise be to God. Satan lost that battle. Hallelujah! You know the devils calls one to another. They're screaming and calling one for help, and that's the reason I call for your prayer. Pray for me; it helps; keep praying, you see. It's a power; it's a battle. It's the devils fighting: wrong fighting against right; right against wrong. Quit being skeptic. Believe with all your heart. Be expecting you to be next. The Holy Spirit's healing all through the building. Be expecting to be next.

Now, what the outcome of that is, I know not. I know the thing left them. There was a dark streak between them, and this one was calling for mercy, “Help, help, help. Keep him from believing. Keep him from believing.” I looked down to see where it was, and I seen the woman. I seen another woman calling her and called—I don't know what it was—called something another. I couldn't make it out just right. And that dark streak all left then, and it turned light, and the Holy Spirit was moving between them. The life of it left. Have faith.

And, sister, God would cure you of that diabetes and make you well if you'd believe it. Do you believe His...? Do you believe it? Then in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ may it be so. Amen. Have faith in God now.

Come, sister. Look this way now, to live. Look and believe on the Lord Jesus with all your heart. Now, you're suffering from a mental oppression, which is nervousness. You keep having strange and crazy thoughts running through your mind, especially right late of a evening. You get real weak. Many times you have to sit down. And when the sun's a setting, you get a gloomy spell comes on you. And the devil's trying to tell you you're going to lose your mind. Those things are true, lady.

You were praying before you come. You prayed and said, “God, if you'll give me a prayer card and put me before the platform, I believe You'll heal me.” That is right. If that's right, raise your hand. That's right. I see you where you were kneeling there. Now, God has rewarded you and your faith has healed you. It's gone from you. It was caused from menopause, but you're going to be well. So, go on your road rejoicing. And I bless you, my sister, in Jesus Christ's name. Amen.

Let's say, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Sister, if you'd stand there and believe that God will heal you with the heart trouble, you'd go right back down the steps and be made well. Do you believe that? Then turn and go right back down the steps and be whole in the Name of Jesus Christ. Hallelujah! Do you believe? Now, don't be scared about, “Hallelujah.” The word hallelujah means “praise our God.”

Now, everybody bow your head. Here's a blind woman—blind spirit. [Brother Branham speaks aside to the woman.]

Our heavenly Father, knowing what it is: see a blind person on the street, a little white cane. And the lady said practically all of her life she's been like this. Thou can make her see. Thou has power. The One who healed blind Bartimaeus that day, has raised from the dead. They said when the blind spirit went away from the man, he could see. Will you, by the name of Your holy Son, Jesus, make the blind spirit leave our sister? And as Your servant, I lay hands upon her and rebuke this blind spirit. You evil thing, that would shut the sight of this woman off, cause her to walk before a vehicle somewhere, and be killed, and send her to a premature grave—come out of her. In the name of Jesus Christ, I adjure thee to leave the woman.

I want every person to keep their head bowed till I ask you to raise your head, please. Keep your head bowed, your eyes closed, please. [Brother Branham speaks aside to the woman.]

Raise your head a minute. Watch this. If you can see, touch my nose, lady, with your finger. Take your hand, touch my nose. How many fingers do I have up? [“Five.”] Five. How many have now? [“One.”] One. Let's say, “Praise be to God.” Oh, sister, now, walk right on off the platform [unclear words]. Walk. Don't lead her; let her go herself. Let's say, “Praise the Lord,” everybody.

Our heavenly Father, we raise our hands to Thee, to give praise and glory. Today, O Lord, who killed and drove away the cataracts out of the woman's eyes.... O Jesus, Son of God, we worship Thee for Thy goodness and praise Thee for all Thou has done. In Jesus Christ's Name, we praise Thee. Amen. Look at the lady going on, shaking hands with the people.

What was it? Cataract. What is a cataract? Let me take a moment, just a moment. Give me your attention.

What is a tumor? What's a cancer? It's a devil. Look here. Where did you come from? From one little germ. If I tear your body down, you go down to one germ. Where did that germ come from? Your father. What's beyond.... That germ is a teeny little cell. You can only see it with High-powered glass. What's beyond that little cell? Is life. Where did that life come from? God.

What's a cancer? Is a life. Look, there's no cancer on my hand. But there might be sometime. What does cancer come from? Everything in the natural represents the spiritual. A cancer would be a scavenger, buzzard, eats dead things. A cancer comes from a bruise. And then when that bruise comes, there's a little cell in there that's bruised, that backslides. A life, another life, not your life, a germ, comes in there. It's a spirit first that develops itself around it by a germ ... or, takes the germ that's already in your body, and takes its place.

Satan cannot create. He can only pervert what God has created, so he comes into that little germ. And what does he do? He begins to build cells, growths. A cataract does the same thing. Now, it gets bigger. What's it to do? Your little germ is to make you live. That germ is to suck the blood from you to kill you. Tuberculosis, everything else.... It's devils, live. It's malignancy. It's growing; it's growths.

Now, looky here. The cataract in that woman's eyes—blind. What happened? Now, there's.... I'm not dealing with that growth; I'm dealing with the life in that growth.

Just like here. What if there was a transparent band around my hand shutting off the circulation. The doctor, only thing he can ... oh, operate, is what he can see or what he can feel. He can't neither see or feel that. He said, “Well,” just like on the sight, “you went blind.”

“What made you go blind?”

“Well, the optical nerve died.”

“Well, what killed it?”

You went deaf. What did it? What made you go deaf? Well, the nerve in your ear died.

“What killed it?” Your nerves didn't die all over.

“Well, now,” the doctor says, “the nerve died.”

What does the Bible say? The Bible said it's a spirit. “When the deaf spirit come out of a man (deaf spirit), he could hear. When the blind spirit left the man, he could see. The blind spirit....”

So that cataract in the woman's eyes.... What happened? It was just like that transparent band. It was growing a growth and shutting off the sight. All right, what happened? Now, as soon as this transparent band.... Now, it don't kill it back this way; it kills it up that way. That's the reason when you go blind, your nerves don't die all over your body. When you go deaf from the nerve, it don't die all over the body; it just dies there. What is it? It's a supernatural force that shuts it off. Now, if that's released immediately, it'll hurt a little, but the circulation will start back.

Anything that interrupts nature is the devil. God intends you to be healthy and strong, but the devil comes and interrupts what God has did. You see what I mean?

Now, that cataract had growed a body, going over her eyes: eating and living from the mucus from her eye. Now, I wasn't dealing nothing with the growth. The doctor might look in there. The growth's still there. But what happened? I called the spirit, the life in the growth. What happens? Out goes the life. Anyone knows....

Any hunters in here, that hunts deers? Let's see your hand? Got a lot of brethren, haven't I? Notice, you kill a deer tonight, and tell the boys how much it weighs. Be careful in the morning. It'll be pounds lighter. Is that right? Sure, it'll shrink. Let it lay there a few days, and it'll be pounds heavier. Is that right? Let a little dog get run over on the street (or a undertaker in here), watch it tomorrow. It'll ... the body.... If a person dies, and got a false eye, false teeth, they'll take it out. Why? It'll push out: the body will shrink. And let it lay there, it starts rottening, decaying, cells breaking down. After seventy-two hours, it starts pushing up. Now, what happens?

Now, when this spirit of that cataract went out of the woman's eyes, now she can see. She'll see better. Tomorrow it'll be better. Next day it'll be better. Then it'll go getting bad again. Getting bad. What's the matter? The thing's a swelling. What with the cancer? The cancer: Say, “Whew. The pain's gone. Oh, I feel so much better.” The tumor: “Oh, my, I feel so much better.” Why? It's dead; it's shrinking.

Watch out. It'll do that for seventy-two hours. After seventy-two hours you start getting sick. Mmm. Right then, is where the danger line comes. You'll say, “Oh, I lost my healing.” No! That's the best sign in the world you've got your healing. The thing is dead. And it's a piece of rotten flesh there, and it's certain, the bloodstream's got to pack off the impurities of the body. And it picks that up, and it causes fever. Even a bad tooth will cause you to have a fever. Any infection.... What about a strip of meat that long, like a cancer, or that big around, that's dead, laying in your body! See, don't doubt. Believe. If it's anchored up here, you'll reason it out and say, “Well, I guess I lost it.” But if it's down here, all devils in hell can't make you doubt it. You'll believe it anyhow, 'cause something took place—not intellectually, but revelation.

That's where Jesus built His church. Everybody's in it, is built on the same thing. “I say, Who does men say, I the Son of Man am?”

“Some say, Well, You're Moses or You're Elisha, or You're the prophets or....”

Said, “Who do you say....”

He said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Look: The Catholic says that it was built upon Peter. The Protestant said it was built upon Christ. Neither one. Jesus didn't say that. He said, “Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father which is in heaven has revealed it. And upon this rock I will build My church (the spiritual revelation of Jesus Christ)—upon this rock I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” A spiritual revealed truth of Jesus Christ. Wonderful!

Dad, are you tired of taking insulin, and want to get over that diabetes? Want to be well? You believe that He healed you? Then just go on off the platform and serve Him then with all your heart. God bless you.

Let's say, “Praise the Lord.” If you can believe.... Have faith in God. Heart trouble and everything else believes when Jesus gets a hold. Isn't that right, dad? Do you believe He makes you well now? Go on your road rejoicing. That's the way to do it. Amen. Believe Him, that He does it. Say, “It's true; it's powerful; it's God. It can't fail.”

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, may it leave our brother. Amen. Hallelujah.

If I told you was healed, sitting there in the chair, would you believe it? Then, go rejoicing, for you are healed. Jesus Christ has made you well.

Now, here comes a blind woman, again. Bow your heads everywhere. Have faith in God. Sister, if I was able, my poor sister: hair graying, wrinkled hands. No doubt, she's done a many a hard day's work, standing here blind. I seen them leading you up the steps and leading you out when I called your number. I seen them leading you up here, blind, but you can be led by the Master's hand if you can believe. I can only pray.

It's been a long time, hasn't it, sister? And a walk around in blackness and darkness is horrible, to sit in a world all to yourself, in a world of blackness and darkness. May Jesus give you sight, tonight, sister. I'll ask every man, woman, boy, and girl in here to keep your head bowed and pray with me. In Jesus Christ' name.

Now remember, we're dealing with blind spirits. When they come out of one, they try to go to another. So, just that you might know, keep your head bowed until you're asked to look up, for it might be a few days from now you might not have sight. Wait till you hear me say, “Raise your head.” 'Cause when you look, the eyes is the gate to the soul.

You say, “Brother Branham, that's psychology.” If it is, Jesus used it. He took a blind man, and led him away from the crowd, and took him outside the city, and prayed for him: get him away from the crowd. Now pray. When He went to raise Jairus' daughter, He put everybody out of the house. He's still Jesus tonight. Whether the woman will be able to see, I don't know. She's standing here totally blind in darkness. Now, have faith in God and believe while I pray for her, please.

Now, sister, now keep your head bowed, and let the lids over your blind eyes be closed while I ask our Lord Jesus.... Believe that He's going to break forth and shrink up these demons in here, that you'll be able to see. O Father, dear, as I stand by a blind woman.... “One sat along the highway begging.... Then Jesus came.” O come near, Lord. There might've been many there that had faith. I don't know; I wasn't there, Lord, but I know you give Bartimaeus his sight. When he seen he could see, I believe he tried to follow You.

This poor old mother standing here, she's blind, Lord. You know her. I'm just a man; I've tried to represent You. Push back the blackness for her, will You, Lord? Break forth sight in these blinded eyes. We don't ask for miracles, Lord, but just something to encourage her, that would make her know that You're the Son of God, and I be Your servant, Lord, to tell them the truth. I believe if You'd do it, Lord, everyone in here would accept You, right then. Please do. Now, will You hear my prayer, as I ask You with all my heart, in Jesus' name.

Now, Satan, this duel of faith: You claim her, and I claim her for Jesus. I claim that you have no power over her. I claim that you have no power over nothing. Jesus Christ, my Lord, stripped and robbed you of everything you had and every legal rights, at Calvary. I stand here as His representative. And you know He's on the platform. You know all about this gift. You know about where He ministered and how He did it. And I charge thee, by the living God, that you come out of the woman. Leave her, in Jesus Christ's name.

Every head bowed. Let me see her eyes first. I'll call you if something happens. Now, just raise your head. Can you see me? Put your hands on my nose. Amen. Open your eyes. The woman can see. She's got her sight.

Praise the Lord! Let's stand and say, “Praise the Lord,” everybody. You want to be healed? You want to be healed? Stand up right now and raise your hands to God. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray the prayer of faith. Almighty God, in Jesus Christ's name, I rebuke every devil's spirit, every blind spirit, every deaf spirit, every person that's crippled.... Oh, Satan, you are exposed; you're defeated; you've lost the battle. Come out of here. In the name of Jesus Christ, I adjure thee to leave every person here and go in [unclear words].