Jehovah-Jireh

Well, Brother Grant, how are you? First time I've seen him in a long time, Brother Groat. I'm sure glad.... You didn't drive all the way from your home over here, did you? Tonight? Say! I knowed you loved the Lord, but I didn't know quite that much. Brother Groat remembers me when I was at my very worst time, just in the break, when I had stayed in the prayer line for eight days and nights. And it was about eight months, I didn't know whether I was on earth or out of the world or what. But he stayed right with me faithfully. And sister is not with you, I guess; by yourself. Your dad with you?

Excuse me for talking to him from the pulpit here, but seeing he's over here, I don't know whether I'll get to see him or not. And I had an old friend....

So we're very happy that you're all here. And we trust that God will bless us, exceedingly abundantly, tonight. And you've been so nice. In the place where I'm staying, the people are nice. When I go down to the restaurant, the people are nice. You just got a nice bunch of people here. And it would be a very fine place, sometime, to bring that big tent and set it up here for a long, long time. Wouldn't that be fine? If He'll just permit it [audience amens], that'd be.... Thank you.

And I was noticing the map, when I was thinking of that today, and it's just kind of a hub where there's many big cities all around. Be a very good place. And that take us about a month or two, you know, for a real good long revival. That's where you get results from. [Audience amens again.] Thank you.

That makes me feel real good to think that you can put up with this old-fashioned sassafras preaching. My education, after listening to the scholars and then welcome me like that, I sure do appreciate it. That's very nice of you. And I trust that the Lord will lead me this way. I'd hate to try to think of going in an old tent and flopping around, after coming out of a place like this, but maybe, we'd, in that way, we'd just have kind of a little more room, in a large meeting where it would be, maybe, advertised for months and months ahead. And that would just bring in Minnesota, and Iowa, and North Dakota, and Kansas, and all around, the whole ring, [unclear words] like that, see. That would be a wonderful time, wouldn't it?

Have you ever read my vision, yet, in the magazine? How many has read it in here? Many of you, that's right. Brother Boze, I think, carried it, and The Herald Of His Coming carried it. I think the Voice Of Healing will have it this next month. And it's a great thing, I'm sure, that our Lord Jesus is fixing to do.

And I just can't hardly wait to get in that tent, and it's going to be something wonderful. And I just know He's going to do it, just before His coming. And I feel that we all are part in this. I never have felt like but what we're all together. Like the appearing of that light. I believe the boys has the books back there. We're not book salesmen, I buy them books myself and bring them along for the people. And just what we can barely sell them for. And the pictures, I have to have them made. They're copyrighted, you know, at Washington, so I have to get those. And just sell them, just for what I get them for, so, just to send them out like that. But the thing of it is, is the message, the encouragement, it'll give to people, you see.

And God didn't have His picture taken there with me just to say that it was me. He just had His picture taken there to show it was us. Amen. All of us together.

And that pillar of fire that led the children in the days of Israel.... How many remembers reading that, I believe it's in Exodus the 13th chapter, how He led the children of Israel by a pillar of fire. Is that right? We all know that.

And then, that was God in the Fatherhood of God, when He led the children of Israel. And then when He represented Himself in a body of flesh, His own Son, that He overshadowed, He was.... Then Jesus said, “I came from God, and I go to God.”

Now, God in Christ reconciling the world to Himself. Then when He left and God raised His body up and set it on the right hand of His Majesty in Glory, and the Holy Spirit came back, and we find out that the Holy Spirit is in the same form that it was when it was in the wilderness. Did you know that? A pillar of fire again. How many knows that? All right. Might seem a little strange. Let me tell you.

When Paul was on his road down to Damascus, there Jesus Christ met him. How many believes that to be the truth? And when it met him, what was it? It was a great light. Is that right? And Paul looking at it, till it almost put him ... well, it did blind him. The light was so.... But to them who were standing around, they looked; so the big light was standing there, and it blinded Paul. And he said, “Saul, it's hard for you to kick against the pricks.”

And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

And He said He was Jesus. So Jesus then, according, after the resurrection, the only time, and the first time to appear to anyone after the ascension and Him going up, He was in the form of a great light. Is that right? Well, then haven't we got faith to believe that this same light is the same Jesus here with us today, in the world? Certainly it is. It's with all. It's all the body of Christ.

And He just happened to appear in them times. And as a vindication that when I was a little boy, that same light come in the window. You've read the story back there. And so, that's true. You can go to Kentucky and hear the rumor of it, yet, down there, around places.

So then, people thought, “Well, that's just psychology, mass psychology. So then, you know It kept appearing before hundreds of people and thousands. And then they take pictures. And the newspaper men would get on the camera, got the picture, two or three times, and they put that in the book. So then, after a while, the association, the American Photographer Association got the picture real close. Then they took it to Washington, DC first. They took it before George J. Lacy: that's the head of the FBI in fingerprinting document. And he put it under ultra-ray lights and so forth. The examination is there. He said, ”No, the light struck the lens.“

And he said to me, he said, “You know the mechanical eye of this camera won't take psychology.” That's right. And it struck the lens.

And about six months ago, down in Germany, after a little girl, totally blind, had been healed on the platform, and the mother run out of her shoes getting to the platform, and the girl saw her mother for the first time. The next morning, when they went down and had a great roller-type camera, (Those Germans really have some real glass.), and they taken the pictures of, perhaps, maybe, this many people, of the state church and many of the interdenominationals and the Pentecostals and all, at this great breakfast. At eleven o'clock that morning.... Luncheon, it was. And while we were taken up, they kept asking me questions, the Germans did, and Swiss, and all of them, sitting there, and French. And I said, “Well, I cannot tell.” I said, “I don't know when it will happen. But it's true.” I said, “You'll just have to take my word for it. That's all.”

They said, “Well, how do you feel when He comes?”

I said, “Well, I can't explain, because it's another dimension.” And so, as I'd put it to them like that. I said, “Just another, another world.”

And he said, “Well, we notice you that in speaking to people you don't.... You can't say their names, so you just spell out their name.”

I said, “I can't pronounce those German words, where they come from, the city and so forth.” So, they couldn't understand that.

They thought, “Well, it can't be a telepathy there, because it was.... Telepathy don't work that way.” So they....

I said, “Well, now, don't misjudge it.” I said, “They said of Jesus He was Beelzebub, chief of the fortune-tellers, that could do that, you know.” So, I said, “I expect people to get the wrong slant to it, but,” I said, “if they only knowed the day we were living in, then would know and believe.” So, just then, it happened to be by God's sovereign grace, I said, “Here He is now.” And just then, everybody looking around, nobody saw it; but the big camera turned on and shot a picture. And there was a man sitting over there with a turned around Roman collar.

I said, “Now the man sitting here to my left,” it was from the dinner where I was sitting on this side. I said, “The man at the left,” I said, “this man sitting here, he isn't eating. Why?” I said, “Because he has an ulcerated stomach and he can't eat. He hasn't eat for some time.” I said, “He's just become a Christian, the last two or three years.” I said, “He is not a German.” And I said, “He's not a Frenchman.” I said, “He's an Italian.” And I said, “He's been the leader of twenty-two thousand communists.” And the man just fainted over on the table. That was the truth.

And I said, “Then he become a Christian. Now he's working a little orphanage way up in the mountains where he's hiding from a group of people of the religions, the Catholic people of his country.” And that was every word the truth.

And all the time this German was sitting there snapping these pictures to see if he could get it. They taken them right away to the place and developed them. Here it come, they could see the Angel of the Lord coming down when it made what it said. Then when it went and went away. And everything right into it. And that swept Germany all the way through. Jesus Christ is everywhere, isn't He? He hasn't got no certain place. He's omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient. So, we just know that He's everywhere, can be with everybody at all times. And He just covers the whole space, doesn't He, everywhere? He is our Lord.

Well, last night we had kind of a little strange one. I never did get to really my text where I was started at. But, maybe, we'll try to finish it tonight. I just love the Bible. Oh, my! I like the Old Testament, because with no education I have to become a typologist to type the Old with the New.

Now, many people are smart, and had a chance to get schooling, which I appreciate; wish I could have. And they know how to lay those big names and go into it, but I don't. So the only thing that I can do to make sure that I'm going to teach the truth, I can watch it by type.

And see,

now, the Old Testament was a type or a shadow of the New. Now, if I had never seen myself, and never seen a human being, and I seen my shadow, and I seen that I had arms and legs, I'd have some conception of what I looked like if I seen the shadow of myself. Then if I see what the shadow was in the Old Testament, I'll have a pretty good idea what the positive is, when you look at it. And then, when you bring it.

So, I think the Old Testament is just a wonderful book. I remember in my tabernacle, when I was pastoring my tabernacle, Baptist church, at home, we had.... I'd take for instance, a year to go through the book of Exodus. Oh, my! If it isn't full of golden nuggets, I never.... All Exodus, or Genesis. I stayed over two years one time on the book of Job, just Job alone. I never ... the whole thing, I got over there, just.... You couldn't get out of it. Oh, it just put it all the way through the Bible, you know. And I had Job on the ash heap, I think, for about six weeks. And so there was a lady kind enough to write in, she said, “Rev. Branham,” she said, “I sure do appreciate your teaching, but when are you ever going to get Job off the ash heap?”

That was a crucial moment for me. I had everything wound up to catch those souls just at that time, you know. When Job, when really he got the revelation from God, and the Spirit of God came on him. He was a prophet, you know. And when it finally soaked through, whatever He was trying to get to him, then he got in the Spirit.

We got him off the ash heap, all right, and plumb over in the resurrection. And I believe he was in it.

And now, you know, this is ... we dig into the Old Testament. A prospector always goes down, and digs down to get the jewels, and he polishes it up. And every nugget, you find out of the Old Testament, just polish it off a little bit, and it'll point right straight to Calvary. Everything was taken care of at Calvary.

And I just kind of like to prospect, don't you? Just dig them out of here, you know, all the types and the shadows.

And now, I wish to read in Genesis 22 just for a starting place, and try to let you out a little earlier tonight, if I possibly can. I've been holding you late. Sorry, but, I just.... You're such a nice audience, and I don't have to say that. I could just let that by-pass and went on. But you are a very nice audience. And I just wondered if they were going to have a night.... Did you want a night for the sick people to be prayed for? How many wanted to have a night of prayer for the sick? Let's see. Well, we can have it any time you want it. How about tomorrow night? Would that be all right? All right.

Go, get out and get all the sick folks and bring them in tomorrow night then. We'll have prayer for the sick. And let's see. Maybe we better give out some prayer cards, because there's so many we won't have ... whose going to be first in line. I'll have Billy to come down, or Gene, or one of them here. By the way, Mr. Goad, here, Gene Goad, and Leo Mercier, he was sitting right back there a few moments ago, they're recording boys that goes with me in the meeting. They take these messages and the prayer line, and so forth on tapes. And if you'd want the tape you could just see them.

Now, better be here about six-thirty tomorrow night and get you a prayer card, because of you who has got sick now. Bring them in. The prayer card, don't take the prayer card, come here and get your prayer cards, 'cause they're inexchangeable. You have to come here to get the card, then you'll be called in the line by your card. And now, let's expect a great time in be in prayer. Now this will call for fasting and so forth for tomorrow. And maybe our Lord will break through and give us a great healing service, tomorrow night. We trust that He will.

And now, in the 22nd chapter of Genesis and the 7th and the 8th verse, and then the 14th verse, we wish to read just a portion of the Scripture for a text tonight. And then go back where we left off last night to dig up some of the context of this book of Genesis. Which, my, we could stay in it here for two years, and still go right back over it again and get more than we did the first time. That's how God's Word is written. All right, the reading now.

And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for the burnt-offering?

And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for the burnt-offering: so they both went together.

Now the 14th verse:

And Abraham called the name of the place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

And for a text, I want to take: Jehovah-jireh.

Now the Lord has seven compound redemptive names. We know that. And Jehovah-jireh is the one. The Lord will provide for Himself a sacrifice. Then He is still Jehovah-jireh. That's how Mr. Bosworth won the debate that night with the Baptist minister at Houston, Texas, when the Angel of the Lord's picture was taken, on that very one thing.

Said, “Is He still Jehovah-jireh?”

He said, “Yes.”

He said, “Then, them compound names is inseparable. He has to be the same because He.... As I said the other night, His attitude at the first, if He was Jehovah-jireh, then, and not Jehovah-jireh now, He was wrong being Jehovah-jireh in the first place. And if He's Jehovah-jireh, ”the Lord's provided sacrifice,“ and all those compound names was met in Christ, and then if He were Jehovah-jireh, ”the Lord's provided sacrifice,“ He's Jehovah-rapha, ”the Lord that healeth thee.“ He has to be, or if He isn't the healer, He isn't the Saviour. 'Cause you just can't take part of Him. It's got to be all, because them compound redemptive names is inseparable. He's the same. If He was Jehovah-jireh back there, and Jehovah-rapha, the healer back there, and isn't Jehovah-rapha today, then He was wrong when He introduced Himself as Jehovah-rapha, if He isn't still Jehovah-rapha today. Jehovah-rapha, ”the Lord that healeth thee.“

If He isn't the same today, then He was wrong, in His meeting with them back there, as a healer. If He met with them as a healer, in otherwise, and don't meet today as a healer, He was wrong with them people back there to begin with, see. So He can't be, 'cause He's infallible. He's God. So He has to be the same.

And the Bible said, “He's the same.” And He is the same. And we found last night in the blessed old Bible, which is the truth, that God, when He makes a promise, He will stay ... if you'll stay with that promise, it'll produce just exactly what it said it will, because God's Word has to produce what it says, or it isn't His Word. So, just.... Isn't that wonderful that we have this blessed assurance? Do you have that tonight? Say, “Amen.” Good. The blessed assurance.

When I think of the word, it reminds me of a good friend of mine. And I hope if there's an insurance agent here, that he won't think hard of me. But one time my father had taken out insurance on us children when we were little bitty tots, and it was supposed to be some kind that would pay off in ten years. Well, the poor old fellow, worked seventy-five cents a day, till his shirt would burn to his back, to pay that policy up. And when he got through, the agent had read it wrong to him; it was only worth two dollars and seventy-five cents, when it was supposed to be worth five hundred dollars. Well, that soured me on insurance. So I just never would have it.

So then, when the agent come to my house, he said, (a good friend of mine, I went to school with the boy), he said, “Billy, what about insurance now?” Said, “I tell you, there's no need of you feeling that way about that.” He said, “There's not a bit of need of it.” He said, “Now look. You got your family here.”

I said, “They're all right.”

He said, “Now you need insurance.”

I said, “I have it.”

“Oh,” he said, “you have insurance?”

I said, “Yes, sure, I have insurance.” So, he turned around and looked at me, and my wife looked at me.

He said, “Well, Billy, what kind of insurance you got?”

I said:

“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchased of God,

borned of His Spirit, washed in His blood.“

He said, “Now, Billy, that's all right. But that won't put you over here in the graveyard.”

I said, “I know, but it'll get me out. I'm not worried about getting in there.” I said, “I don't want.... I'll get in there all right, but the thing, I want out. That's the main thing.”

So that's what we have to look forward to and this is the assurance. Jesus died in our stead, was made sin for us, and He raised up before day.... God raised Him up for our justification, that we are just in His sight when we accept Him and believe on His name. Amen. That's the insurance. My, how wonderful it is to have it. And have the policy signed by the Holy Spirit, as a witness that it's all, all right.

The Bible said, “Grieve not the Holy Spirit,” Ephesians 4:30. “Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed until the day of your redemption.” Think of it. How long? Until the day of your redemption. All done packed up, the seal on the car, she's bound for her eternal destination. Oh, I hope each one has that policy tonight with that seal of God as approval upon it, and moving on towards your destination, knowing this that He who promised is faithful and will come some day and we'll see Him face to face. Then, now we see through a glass darkly, but when we see Him, face to face, then, we will be known as we're known.

Now, we find out, last night we left Abraham on the 17th chapter of Genesis when God appeared to him in the name of El Shaddai. Shaddai, some of them pronounce it. I don't know just exactly the term of it. But I always pronounce it Shaddai. And the word, I looked it up, and searched it, and I come to find out, that it means, “the breast.” And God appeared to Abraham in the name of “the breasted One.” Isn't that a marvelous name to appear to a man, a hundred years old now? It's gone, his strength the blood steam has dried up, his body is practically dead. And Sarah, his wife, her womb was dead. And all this, and then God appears in that name, as the nourisher, or the life-giver, the strength-giver.

“Abraham, I am your strength.” Oh, sick folks, can you believe that tonight? Then that'll make a man rise from a cot under the strength of the Holy Spirit, walk right out. It'll make him when he's crippled, the arms come straight, or legs straight, and walk right away. When you feel and know by assurance, by the revelation of God, that God is your strength.

I've seen them, when they hadn't stood for ten years or more, little bitty limbs not that big, eat up with cancer—well people tonight, because they rose in the strength of the Lord—God's strength.

Did you ever see a maniac? They got about five times the normal strength. In the insane institutions, they are terrible, how they fight and they're twice to three or four times their strength. If the devil can give you double strength, what could the Holy Ghost do, when you're completely surrendered to Him? You don't walk....

You say, “Oh, it's impossible. I can't do it. I can't raise up, I....” When you feel that way, then you're still.... You haven't received the promise yet. But let it once get sunk down in your heart, and you take a hold of Jehovah as your strength-giver, watch what takes place. You won't stay there very long. You'll come right out of it.

He said, “Abraham, I am Thy exceeding great reward.” Oh, my! God testing Abraham. Do you believe God tests you? He has tested me a many time, and He'll test every son that comes to Him, no matter who it is. Not any exceptions! Everyone that comes must first be tested, child-trained, brought up. You know, that's what makes a good child, sometime, when you give him a little testing, you know. Papa used to give it to me with a hickory switch, about this long, you know, with all the ten commandments wrote on it. When I.... All of them, you know, that was the golden rule at home. And he sure knew how to use it right, too.

Well, it's an honor, tonight, when I pass by his grave, and look where the ... my dear, old dad. “You was the one who kept me in the right road,” see. Sure. Testing, trying. No chastising for the moment is pleasant, but afterwards, it yields the fruit of righteousness, if you'll just stand the testing. Yes, sir. God gives testing.

And Abraham was tested. After God had give him the promise and he had left his home, his father, and his loved ones, and become a pilgrim and sojourner for years, and promised him a child, and Abraham constantly believed God. He said, “Yes, sir, it'll be so. God said so.” Wouldn't we just like to have that now?

You look in the Bible: Every person that ever amounted to very much were people who took God at His Word. Look at little Mary. Compare her with Zacharias. Zacharias at the temple, when the angel told him that he was going home, after the days his ministration there at the temple, burning incense, that he would be with his wife—her past the age of bearing. And she would have a child. That was a natural thing there. A little phenomenal because her past the age, but he had plenty examples. Sarah here, and Hannah at the temple. But that priest doubted God. And when he did, he was stricken dumb.

But Mary, when the angel met her, she didn't doubt God. She said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it unto me according to Thy Word.” And never was there anything like that done before. But she didn't question. She didn't reason. She just took God at His Word, and went along rejoicing, telling people she was going to have a baby, knowing no man, when that had never been done before.

Oh, wouldn't it be fine, if all these Marys in here tonight would take that kind of an attitude? Wouldn't it be wonderful if all the people could take that attitude? Don't question. If God said so, that settles it. That's all. That settles it. If God said so, that makes it right. Now, He's the final voice on all authority. He has all the authority of everything; God has the supreme authority.

Then Abraham believed Him. And when he did, Abraham hadn't questioned. But God said, “I'm going to tell you how it's done, Abraham. I am the bosomed One. I am your mother,” in other words. “You're just a baby to Me. You're a hundred years old. You're just a baby. And the natural stream of life has passed from you. But I am your life-giver.” Get it? “I am your mother. Now, don't fret; just nurse from Me, and you'll have your strength like a young man.” We're going to get to that in a minute and see if he did. All right.

“You just stay right with Me, Abraham, and nurse right from Me, because I am the breasted God. I have all.... I can give you eternal life, after you are gone from this world. And I can heal your body and make you a different person while you are here on earth. I can prolong your days. I can give you good health. I can do that because I am the breasted One.”

Look at Jesus when He said, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness....” What for? A compound reason. The people were chiding against Moses and God. And they were sick and needed healing. So, for the forgiveness of their sins, and the healing of their bodies.

God appeared to Abraham as El Shaddai for the forgiveness of sins and healing of the body. El Shaddai, “the breasted One.” Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, with His stripes we are healed. We can take from either resource. Amen. Oh, my! When Christians begin to get that, Satan begins to get ready to leave. He's finished when people can say, “I don't care. No certain healer has to come by. No certain this has to happen. Only thing I want to know is to hear that God said so, that settles it with me then. I'll take it and go from right there.” Then you got it. Amen. That's what we need.

Pure, unadulterated Gospel teaching the church is dying for it, that's right. You believe that? The world is. That's right.

Notice. Then Abraham, he was happy about that, of course. He went on. And then we find out that there come a strife between Lot's herdsmen and so forth. And I want to show you just a little thing here, on the coming of the Lord, just while we're in tonight. And I'll try not to be late, to get quickly to my point. But, watch here. Just, Abraham was an heir to the world. And Lot was a type of the lukewarm believer. He was a believer. He had left his homeland to sojourn with God. But always, never fully surrendered. And that's what's the trouble in the full Gospel church tonight, along with the rest of them. It's people who has left the world, and keep out of the world. They don't want to go to gambling and drinking and carrying on. They are a believer, but have never made a complete surrender.

Oh, if you only knew what that inside hidden life. Where you're in there with Christ and all the walls has dropped around you. In the Old Testament, that hidden life was beautifully typed, in the journey of the children of Israel.

Notice. Manna fell every night. And the people would go out and pick it up every day. Now, in the old courts, there was a court on the outside; the brazen laver was out there. Then there was a Holy Place, where seven-pronged candlesticks burned. And then there was the Holiest of holies.

Now, when the manna fell they picked it up and put it in a golden pot, and set it on the inside of the Holiest of holies. Now, on the outside, the people eat the same kind of manna they were eating in here. But that manna only lasted for a little while. But it was the same kind of manna.

So many people today think because they have received the Holy Ghost that settles it. Oh, you're just beginning. You haven't started yet, hardly, see. There's so many people.... The people picked up this little manna, which was a type of the Holy Spirit, Christ, come down, give His life for the world. And they took this and made it into cakes and eat it. But many times they found out, by nine or ten o'clock they were getting hungry. The sun had done melted it away.

And that's the way many people think today. In a great big revival they get all pepped up, you know. And as soon as the revival is over, down they go again. Have to come back, maybe, and repent again, and come back to church and take their vows over. And some of them wants to be rebaptized again, or something like that. Some religious service to be done to them to try to boost them along. Those people are never happy.

Now, but the man who was on the inside where this golden manna of ... pot of manna was, it never run out. It never got old. It never diminished. The man who lived there had the victory all the time. Amen.

Now, watch the different light. The people out in the courts, they walked by the sunlight, and the moonlight, starlight: the light that the solar system gives. Well, in there sometimes they had dark days, cloudy days, rainy days—all kinds of days out there. The man who lived by the holiest place, by the altar, under what we would call, say, “That's justification.” We'll just call it this for the talk's sake, just now. Say, in the courts it was justification. At the altar represented sanctification. Why sure, they had light. They didn't have to depend on the sun, and the moon, and the stars. They had seven candlesticks that give them light. But many a time, they smoked up, went out. And that's the way people do.

But when they went into the Holiest of holies, and those veils dropped behind Aaron, once a year, they didn't live in no moonlight, starlight, or seven golden candle sticks. Under the interlocked wings of the Cherubim, the Shekinah Glory was in there and they lived in that light, which never did diminish or go out. They lived by the pot of manna. They could eat any time they wanted to. It never got old. What a life to live! That's the kind of life Abraham was living: a complete surrendered, sold out, consecrated, dedicated, life to the Lord. Amen.

And as we call it, sanctification. They thought when they shouted they really had it, the Methodists and Nazarenes. Said, “Boy, that's it, as soon as you shout.” But they found out they didn't have it. The Pentecostals, boy, when they spoke with tongues, they really had it. But they find out they didn't. It doesn't lie upon shouting or speaking with tongues. Those things are all right. But to have Him is different. That's attributes of Him. That's right. It means a sold-out consecrated daily, hourly, live in the Shekinah Glory with Him all the time. That's right. Not as I'm saying things against shouting, or speaking with tongues. That's fine. That's the attributes of the Holy Ghost and so forth. We need all those things, but yet, that's not it. That's not it. It's that hidden consecrated life. Remember, those people out in the courts was eating the same kind of manna, there was in here behind the golden omer, back in behind the Holiest of holies.

And there was Lot walking right along with Abraham who was a believer, too. But he didn't have that constant abiding Presence of God. So, when the herdsmen got to arguing, Abraham said, “We're brethren, let's not have any argument.” And said, “You take the east, I'll take the west. Or if you take the west, I'll take the east. Which way you go, I'll go vice versa.” That's the way to make a decision.

“God, You do the leading.” Amen. I hope that sinks way down deep. Look. “You do the leading, God.”

And Lot, of course, as worldly minded as he was, he looked down towards the well-watered plains of Sodom and Gomorrah, and away he went. And let's say he become the chief man of the city, sat in the gate where the judge always sat. He become the judge, or the mayor of the city. His wife belonged, perhaps, to every sewing circle there was down there. And she really got into the class. Certainly. But look what a crowd they mixed up with. God told Abraham to separate himself. That's what God wants Christians to do today is separate yourself from all the things of the world.

The Bible said, “If you love the world or the things of the world, it's a good sign that the love of God is not even in you.” Amen. As we were saying last night, if you love every other woman and your wife too, it's a good sign you don't love her. That's one thing sure. Why didn't you women say, “Amen.” I wanted you to say it so bad. I was going to give the brethren a chance. All right.

Right. If you really love her, you're sold out, that's all. And if you love God, you're sold out also—when you love Him.

Now, notice. Then there come a time where there had to be a separation, or we call it a junction time. You know what? We're now facing that seventh junction. We're at that separating time now, where God is separating the church. You believe it? [Congregation says, “Amen.”]

We have time for a few hours to go into the adoption to show how God pulled His people out. And his son was adopted into the family; after he was already a son, born in the family, He become adopted in the family, also. He was adopted, taken out and put a white robe on, and he was adopted into the same family he was borned into, if he proved to be a fine man until he was of age and correctly about his father's business.

God done the same thing to His Son: took Him apart and put Him up on the mountain and there overshadowed Him. And His garments glistened like the sun, in its strength like that. And a voice spoke from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, hear ye Him.” God placing His own Son. That's right. God still places His children in His church. And the time of adoption is at hand. Separating.

Now, look in the antediluvian world, when God raised up, spread from His hands, and made the world and created the heavens and earth and made man. Done all things in His great plan of miraculous, and the life of God was in man. Man believed in the supernatural, but sin separated him. Then after a while, they become builders and builders, and the first thing you know, they become ... had great buildings and cities. And when cities and buildings and people congregate together, then violence sets in; all the time. Look at today.

Talk about a sign of the coming of the Lord, look at the building going on today. Never been known in the world. That's a sign of the coming of the Lord. Look how in the days before the flood how they begin to work with metal and so forth: another sign of the coming of the Lord. Sure. All these are mileposts. But, look, just as the people got formal and indifferent and separated themselves from God, there become on the earth and there appeared prophets, there appeared angels, there appeared the supernatural, just before the junction. It was the same thing took place in Israel. They had done got plumb away from God, and everything. And there, what happened? An angel appeared, a prophet appeared, the supernatural was done, just at delivering time.

Look here at Abraham, again. There at the time of separation there appeared angels, there appeared prophets, just before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, which was a type of the destruction coming on now. Look how they got away through judges and so forth, after that. And look at the time of the coming of the Son of God, there appeared an angel to Zacharias, there appeared one to Mary, there came a prophet on earth, John. There came Jesus working miracles. He begin a small miracle and begin working up and working up till after while, when they hung Him on the cross, the heavens turned black and the sun refused to give its light, the moon and stars wouldn't shine.

And on Easter morning, I'm telling you, the world shook with such a nervous prostration till it shook the dead bodies out of the grave, and the sun turned into convulsions, and wouldn't give its light. Amen.

What was it? That supreme miracle. God said, to Joel 2:28, He said, “In the last days, it will come to pass I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and daughters shall prophesy. Upon my handmaids and maidservants, I will pour out of my spirit. And I will show signs in the heaven above, on earth beneath, and wonders and so forth on the earth.”

And today, look what's happened. We're promised we'll have prophets again. We're promised we'll have healing again. We are promised we'll see sights in the skies, flying saucers. And on the earth distress between the nations, and the earth getting nervous, begin to belching forth big tidal waves that's killing thousands.

What is it? What's all this sign of healing? What's all this sign of persecution against it? We're at the junction time. Amen. It's the coming of the Son of God is at hand. Right now. And these are the things that you're seeing taking place. Now it's showing, a sign post. Jesus said these things would happen. And we're looking at them today. Oh, brother, one of these days, things are going to change.

I'll see Adam say, “Eve, honey,” shake her and say, “wake up, sweetheart. It's here.”

I see Eve go over and shake up Seth, and say, “Seth!” Seth will go and shake a little bit on Noah, and say, “Noah, raise up,” and so forth. And on down through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, on down to the last saint that's in the grave, when Jesus comes again. And the earth will break forth and every redeemed will be caught up in the air to meet Him. We're at the end time, junction time.

Look at this junction between the separation of right and wrong with Abraham. What a time! Abraham, seemed like that he had got the raw deal. It seems like tonight, because that you've separated yourself from the things of the world, that you got the raw deal. “Don't be weary in well doing. For in due season you shall reap.”

“He that endureth to the end,” Jesus said, “the same shall be saved.” Just keep looking on. Keep moving, slowly. God knows what He's doing. We're the only one gets in a hurry, not Him. He let the Hebrew children walk right in the fiery furnace, before He even turned a page over to write a new article. Sure. God's in no hurry. He knows what He's going to do. We don't. But we believe it by faith, 'cause He said He would do it. Amen.

Now watch Him. God moving to Abraham, sitting out there in the old dry country, the cattle all getting poor. Sarah, the most beautiful woman in all the land—had been. There she was sitting up there getting old now, a hundred years old, right about it. Abraham old, sitting out under the tree. Just before the junction time, what taken place? Angels appeared on the earth. Amen. They were in the form of men. And God Himself appeared on earth with His angels. Oh, I hope this don't go too far over you. Catch it.

Someone said the other day, said, “Preacher, do you believe that fellow that walked up there that day, with dust all over His clothes and talked to Abraham, was God?” He said it was. Amen.

“Why,” you say, “God in flesh?” Yes, sir. Oh, what's that to God to make flesh? Maybe it was Him and Gabriel. And maybe Michael, for all I know. Wormwood, or some of the rest of the angels.

I can hear Him say, “Now, we're going down on earth just a while. Come on.” They was all supernatural then. I can see Him grab up just what we're made out of, a little petroleum, some cosmic light, and some atoms, and so forth. And He just blowed them together. Stepped over and said, “Here you are, Gabriel, get in here. Here you are, Michael, get in here.” And He got Himself a handful and walked down in the earth. Hallelujah!

Oh, you're going to say I'm a holy-roller anyhow, so you might as well get used to it. Oh! When I think of that, it makes a holy-roller out of me, if that's what you want to call it. My Heavenly Father, what's that to Him? My! Sure! What are you made out of anyhow? Just a little oil, a little light, and some atoms put together.

I asked a doctor the other day, we was talking about it. And I said, “Doctor, I want to ask you a question.” Oh, he was a great scientist, you know. I said, “I want to ask you a question. Is it true that every time I eat, I renew my life by the blood that's taken in by the food?”

Said, “That's exactly right, Reverend.”

I said, “I want to ask you a question then. Why was it? when I was sixteen years old, I eat the same kind of food I eat right now, and every time I eat then, I got bigger and stronger. And I eat now, I get older and weaker. Tell me how it is.”

Now, I said, “That's all together against science. I'm pouring water into a glass, and it starts filling up, and after while I pour it in, and it starts going down. What's happening?”

“Oh,” he said, “we can't explain that.”

I said, “No, but God's Bible said so.” Hallelujah! That's right.

What is it? I was one time nothing, nowhere. But there'll never be a time, but what we'll be something, or somewhere. Our body was made out of the earth, of petroleum and stuff. And our Heavenly Father.... These old atoms are breaking. And one of these days, they'll go away and there'll be none of it left. But there was....

I was combing my hair by the dresser, what I got left. And my wife said to me, she said, “Billy, you're getting bald-headed, honey.”

I thought a minute, and I said, “But, praise God, I haven't lost a one of them.”

She said, “Then, tell me where they're at!”

I said, “I'll answer you when you answer me. Tell me where they was before I got them.” Wherever they was then, they are now, waiting for me. Hallelujah! Sure they are! They wasn't, then they was, then they are not, and they will be again, because God said so. I'm not excited. I know where I'm at. Yes, sir. I'm just happy about it. I know what I'm talking about. So do you. Sure. There's not one bit of it lost.

“I'll raise it up at the last day,” God said. Amen. It'll be there, don't worry.

Look at Him. God stepping down. Was it a hard thing for Him to do? Just to step into a little bunch of flesh? “Well,” you say, “was it flesh?” Sure, He got hungry in that body, while He was here, about an hour. He just stayed on, here, about an hour, Him and them angels. The angels stayed all night till the next morning, because they had a job to do. But God just come down to walk around on earth a little while, in a body of flesh, with old clothes on, dust all over it. God Himself. And went out and ate a cow ... calf; drank her milk; ate some corn bread, some hoe cake. He did! He ate the butter, and the milk, and the calf, and the hoe cake. He got hungry while He was in this cosmic body down here. Hallelujah!

What's a resurrection to a Father God like that? What's the matter with the people? They're scared today. Don't be scared. Our Heavenly Father watches over everything. He knows just exactly where it's at. Amen.

A man of God who could go, “Wheww” and jump right in that body, come down and talk to you. What is it for Him to raise us up again? Amen. Only thing He done, He was just drawing a picture of it, that's all, just getting a picture drawed up here what you will be. Amen. See, this is a frail, its got to go back. No matter how good you treat it, its got to go back. You know people are very fond about this body. Oh, my!

I was standing, not long ago, to a great big museum. There was two young men standing there looking at the human body. A man weighing a hundred and fifty pounds, worth eighty-four cents in chemicals. Eighty-four cents! Could you imagine that? You'll put a hundred dollar suit on eighty-four cents. Ten dollar Stetson hat on the top of him. And some of the sisters will put a two hundred dollar mink coat around eighty-four cents and walk down the street. If it would rain, it would drown you. Taking care of that eighty-four cents. That's right. That's all your body is worth. But you got a soul that's worth ten million worlds. What about that? Amen. What about that soul? You'll certainly take care of the eight-four cents, but what about the soul that's worth ten thousand worlds? What about that?

Brother, it behooves you to consecrate your life to Jesus Christ, walk after Him, love Him, make ready for His coming. For only at the.... Wish we had time to go into the chemical things to prove to you, if your body is not born again ... it can't resurrect if your soul is not born, rather; it can't go in the resurrection, it's impossible. It's like running a car without gas in it, you wouldn't do it. No matter how good your car is, that don't have a thing to do with it. It has got to have gasoline to run it. All right.

Notice. And Abraham sitting out there in his tent, he looked up, standing out there in the bushes, stood three men. And you know Abraham was a prophet. He looked over there, and he said, “Oh!” He run out and fell down, he said, “My Lord, You've passed by this way, now, come get Your feet washed, and sit down just a while, and I'll get you something to eat.” He slipped into the tent and he said, “Sarah, quickly knead some bread, put it on the hearth and cook it right quick.” Went out and got a little fat calf, and killed it, and said, “Now, dress this right quick now, and make some steaks. And let's get ready.”

And so when he got out there, and he sat out there by the tree, and he watched them as two angels and God Almighty Himself, sitting eating calf flesh, drinking milk, with corn cakes and butter smeared over it. Oh, my! God and two angels. That's what “Thus saith the Scripture!” That's right. There they sat. Stepped down here on earth to talk to mankind, just before a junction.

Then people don't believe that He can come down and heal the sick, today. Oh, my! What's the matter with people? Something is wrong. But the junction is here! Hallelujah! He's doing it anyhow.

No matter how much Zacharias disbelieved God, He said, “My words will be fulfilled in their season. You'll be dumb till the time.”

And some people will be left out until the time, they see the church go home in the rapture; and that'll be too late then.

Notice. While they was sitting there, and Abraham watching them. He turned around to Abraham, God did, and He said, “Abraham, now according to the time of life, about this time next year, I'm going to visit you.”

And Sarah was in there, she heard that. And she said, “[Brother Branham snickers].” It was to His back, He had His back turned to her. He looked at Abraham, He said, “Why did Sarah laugh?” He had discernment of Spirit, didn't He? “Why did Sarah laugh?”

And Sarah said, “I never laughed.”

Said, “Ah, yes, you did. Yes, you did. You laughed.” Cause she was about half scared to death when she seen who it was.

So, they went on to Sodom. And Sodom was wiped out. And then I want you to notice a beautiful thing here, that gives us a little on our talk just now, and a lot of encouragement for us all. If we got a few more minutes before we get to the point, the place.

Look here. Did you notice that Abraham kind of got out of the will of God after that? And he went down to Gerar, which was down in Philistine country, because there was a famine in the land. And when he got down there.... I want to show you what God did. Now, you might not agree with this. I preached on this about six years ago, one time, at a place; a fellow wrote a book on it.

Now you're going to have to read between the lines. Now you know, the Bible is written ... the message is not altogether right on the letter, but it's between the lines. Did you know that? You know, any love letter is written the same way. My wife write me a letter, when I'm overseas. And she'd say, “Dear Billy, I'm sitting here tonight. I'm thinking of you.” And she goes ahead tell me about different things. Now, she puts that on the page, but I can read right between the lines. I know what she's thinking, because I love her, she loves me. And I know....

And the Bible said, “I've hid these things from the eyes of the wise and prudent, and will reveal them to babes such as will learn.” So, there's no need of trying to get a scholarship to know God. You have to get in love to know God. That's right. Your scholarship does ... it's all right, it's fine, it helps you a lot. And I'm not trying to say anything against scholarship to support my ignorance. But, I'm trying to say this, friend, that no matter how much scholar you are, you've got to know Him to have life, see. Now, it's written between the lines, a lot of times.

When we get our big tent up out here somewhere, we'll take plenty of time and go through them in between the lines. Watch the resurrection thing how it moves in there. Just beautifully! Just get in love with Him and He will reveal it to you. And then, I noticed that....

You know what God did to Abraham and Sarah there? I tell you what He done. He turned them back to a young man and woman again. “Oh,” you say, “Brother Branham, that's ridiculous!” But He did! He turned them back to a young man and woman. He made....

I can just imagine Abraham walking around, he said, “Sarah, dear, you know what? You know, your hair is turning blacker all the time.”

I can hear her say, “Abraham, you know, you're not as stooped in the shoulder as you was. You're coming up.” In a few days, they were back to about twenty-five years old a piece. That's right. That's what they did, see. You have to admit this, now scholars. I know that didn't go so good, but listen.

I want to ask you something. Let me show you something. God had to perform a miracle. Did He? Sarah was past the age of bearing. In other words, her womb was dead. And she was about forty-five or fifty years past the menopause. You know what that means, don't you? And she had lived with her husband since she was sixteen or seventeen years old, perhaps. Just a kid, a girl, married. It was his half-sister. And he had lived with her since she was a young lady, and no children.

And now, look. This is a mixed audience, but you'd listen to your doctor, so I'm your brother. And I want you to remember me as that, if we was in the doctor's office. Now, look. In order to have this baby (They didn't have bottles and health and hygiene nipples in them days.), so they absolutely had to create new milk veins for the baby. It had to nurse. And then a woman of a hundred years old, He'd have to give her another heart, because she couldn't go in labor like that. You know that! So, God don't patch up things. He made her brand new again to give a promise to you and to me who's getting old and weary.

Watch what he did. They taken a journey from there, from the place where they were at there at the fields of Sodom and the slime pits. Measure it on your map and see how far it is to Gerar; about three hundred miles. It's a long ways down there. Quite a journey for an old man a hundred years old, and a little ninety-year-old grandma, going down, isn't it?

And you know the strange thing it was, when they got down there, Abimelech, the king down there, with all those beautiful Philistine girls, he was hunting a sweetheart, and he fell in love with Sarah, grandma. A little dust.... That's what the Bible said he did. He fell in love with Sarah. Thought she was the most beautiful thing he ever saw, a-hundred-year-old woman. Grandma, a little dust cap, you know. And he fell in love with her. And he said, “That's who I've waited for.” Ridiculous!

She was a beautiful woman. God had turned her back like He's going to you and I some day, (Hallelujah!) at His coming. Don't worry about gray hair and getting old. Hallelujah!

“If this earthly tabernacle be dissolved, we have one waiting.” He proved by Abraham, the father of the promise, what He'd do for all of his children. And we're Abraham's seed. That's right.

You say, “Oh, Brother Branham, they just lived longer then.” They did. The Bible said a few verses before that, “They were well stricken in age.” They were old. Grandma. Did He turn them back? Sure He did.

Look after years they ... when Isaac was about twenty years old, Sarah died, or maybe a little older. Sarah died and Abraham married another woman and had, I believe, nine boys besides the girls. Glory!

Oh, I know you think I'm crazy. Maybe I am, but let me alone. I feel good this way. I got a hope this way, where I didn't have no hope the other way. Amen. Don't worry, grandmother, that won't hurt.

You remember, the day that dad took you down—grandpa—and married you? Beautiful little thing! You remember it, dad? How pretty she looked? You remember how strong he looked? One day you noticed the gray coming in his hair, and his wrinkles in his face, and them beautiful eyes of yours, looked like a dove when he married you? They're fading away, but don't worry. Don't worry. God let you grow like a rose until it's complete and the bud's just right, then when the petals goes to dropping, remember, that's a picture in His mind. That's what you'll be in the resurrection.

What happened? When you got to a certain age, about twenty-five years old, you begin to failing; begin to getting gray, begin to fail, and you wasn't the man you used to be, dad. That's right. After while you found yourself old now, and shaking, and wrinkled. What is it? Death set in. Death set in.

But when Jesus came, He came to destroy the works of death. In the resurrection death will be forgotten on what you was, and wherefore, you're growing eating this food and its building you up to a beautiful young lady or man. That's what you'll be in the resurrection. God's only painting the negative picture. And we live in the negative. But when it's developed to the positive.... Amen. What you scared about? Amen.

We're the seed of Abraham. We got the promise. And God promised it. And the time of the promise is drawing nigh. Amen.

I feel like traveling on.

Amen. You get it? Oh, my! What was it? God giving this food for as a little boy and little girl? Them little rosy cheeks, coming up, and that beautiful black or blond hair, whatever.

You say, “In the resurrection, will I still be a brunette?” Yes, sir. Oh, yeah.

“Well, if I was a blond, will I be a blond?” Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Resurrection don't mean “recreation.” It means “bringing up that what fell down.” Amen. When you were....

Mother, when you were twenty-five years old, you was a beautiful young lady. You're falling all the time, crumbling. You're going down. But the resurrection means, “Bringing you right back what you was at your best.” Hallelujah!

It was God bringing you up to that time, and then He said, “All right, Satan, there you are.” You can take that body, but you can't destroy that life. Hallelujah!

I just feel like turning loose, preaching a little while. Honest, I do. I feel good. You can't destroy it. Then death set in, gray hair started, all the sign posts. After a while down you go. But, look to drop this on the floor, it's not to raise this up in its place. If a yellow grain of wheat goes in the ground, it'll bring forth a yellow grain of wheat. If a red grain of corn goes in the ground, it'll bring forth a red ear of corn. Is that right? God's a God of variety. We'll not all be the same. No, sir. He ain't a Sears and Roebuck uniform. No, indeedy. He's a God of variety. He makes great big mountains, and little bitty mountains. He makes deserts and plains. He makes little streams, big streams, white flowers, green flowers, blue flowers; pink flowers. He's a God of variety. He has black heads, red heads, white heads. He has big men, little men. He's a God of variety. Glory!

And not only that, but He's a God of resurrection, He's a God of life. Amen. “I'll raise it up in the last day,” said Jesus, in Saint John 6. “All that comes to Me, I will give him everlasting life. He that eats My flesh and drinks My blood hath,” right, in present tense, “everlasting life, and I'll raise him up again at the last days.” Oh, my, my! Get that kind of faith in you. Watch what happens to sickness and troubles and things. They just vanish away. Don't even pay any attention to them anymore. You're moving on. Now, that's not some mythical story, that's God's Word.

Sarah, a beautiful young lady again. Sure, she become fertile in this body. And she brought forth little Isaac, a beautiful little child. She loved him. She was a young mother then. She could take care of him. And mother, you'll be that way again some day, too, back young again. Dad, you'll be the same thing in the resurrection, if your heart is right with God.

Remember, “He that loses his life, shall find it. But he that keepeth his life shall lose it.” Is that right? If you want to give your life.... If you want to keep your life and go ahead, say, “I'll do this and I'll do that. I'll just have my own way. I don't care what the Bible says.” All right. You're going to lose it. But if you'll lose your life for Christ's sake, you'll find it, just exactly. It'll be there again. So, let's just lose it.

We used to sing a song:

Let me lose myself and find it,

Lord, in Thee.

Amen. Notice. The days passed by. What a lovely Abraham, a young fellow now. And Sarah, with her lovely little boy raising him up, little Isaac. God had promised all through those old years what would take place. Now He changes them and brings them right back to have them start over new again, showing what He's going to do to all the seed of Abraham at the resurrection. The time come. Now, what was the junction then a sign of? The destroying of Sodom and Gomorrah? A sign of the junction time. And what's these things happening for? Angels appearing, prophets appearing, and signs and wonders appearing. We're at the junction time to be changed again, right at the time. Oh, my! That just makes me feel good.

Notice. Now God gave Abraham a test again. All of life is full of testings. And Abraham said.... One night when he was speaking with God, God said, “Now, Abraham....” Now, in closing, listen. He said, “Now, Abraham, I want you to take your only son, you're only begotten son, and I want you to take him to a certain mountain, that I will show you, and I want you to kill him there for a sacrifice.”

Did it stagger Abraham? No, sir. God said so. Well, He said.... The Bible said in Romans 4 that he had received him as one from the dead. He knew that God was able to raise him up from the dead, from the figure from where he got him. There you are. That's it.

So, I imagine Abraham said, “I can't tell Sarah this. My, those beautiful eyes and those rosy cheeks, how to see them stained again with tears, I couldn't do it. So, I'll just take the child.” And he took a mule, and put some wood, chopped it, and put it on the mule for the sacrifice of the burnt ... for the burnt offering. And he took little Isaac by the hand. And he took two servants. And he walked three days.

Now, I used to be a patrolmen. I could walk anytime, six days a week. I used to have to walk around thirty miles every day, through the jungles. Well, I know a man of them days, which didn't have the travel like we have today of automobiles they walked where they went, they could easily walk, say, twenty-five miles a day. All right. Say, he went twenty-five miles each day and three days, would be seventy-five miles. Then he lifted up his eyes and saw a way off in a distance, the mountain where God had told him.

Now, at least a hundred miles, nearly, away. You can see a mountain maybe, fifty or seventy-five miles away. But say, we said, at least it was a hundred miles. Then when he drew near the mountain.... I just love this. Listen at it.

He said, “Now,” to the servants, he said, “you stay here.” Took the wood off the mule, laid it upon his son's back. Beautiful type of Christ here, at Calvary. Laid it upon Isaac's back, which through Isaac.... That's Isaac's obedient to death was the same as Christ obedient.... And through Isaac was the seed of Abraham, through Isaac come Christ. And through Christ comes you and I, by the Holy Spirit who woos us to God, gives us the same promise, the same hope, the same life, the same Spirit; everything that they had, same children. We being dead in Christ, we take Abraham's seed and are heirs according to the promise. And look now, in this type here.

Little Isaac with the wood laying on his back, and he said (Now, I love these words of Abraham.), he said to the servants, “You abide here.” Maybe not in that tone of voice, that word. “You wait here, while the lad and I go yonder to worship. And the lad and I will return.” Amen.

How is he going to return? If he's going up to kill him, how is he going to return? There you are. That's the trust in God. Oh, he didn't know how it would be. That's the reason he could call it Jehovah-jireh, the Lord will provide.

So he said, he started up the hill. Isaac packing the wood, just the same as Christ packing the cross going up the hill, the sacrifice place. And when he got way up the winding mountain to the top, way up in the rugged rocky country, up in there where he was at. Then he laid up some rocks and made an altar. And he laid the wood down here. And he set the fire.

Then he said, little Isaac said to him, he said, “Father?”

He said, “Here am I, my son.”

He said, “Here is the wood, and here is the altar, but where is the lamb for the burnt sacrifice?”

Abraham, looked down at him, he said, “My son, God will provide for Himself a lamb for the sacrifice.” Look at that: sitting there, knowing what was in that father's heart. It was that crucial moment, ready for a decision.

Are you at that spot tonight, sinner friend? That crucial moment where there must be a decision made in a few minutes?

He said, “God will provide for Himself a sacrifice.” And they got everything ready. Then, Abraham took his only son, and took his hands and bound them, and laid then behind. Laid him up on the altar, pulled the knife out of the sheath, and maybe, he was choking back the tears. But he had to make the decision. Would he obey God? Yes, or no.

What are you going to do about it?

Pulled the knife back, reached over he stroked the curly hair of his boy, laid it back, raised his little head back, and raised the knife to plunge it into his own son's throat. Not sparing his own son because God asked him to do it. And when he did, the Holy Spirit caught his hand.

Said, “Abraham, stay your hand. Stay your hand, Abraham. I know now that you love Me.” And just about that time, a little ram bleated behind him (That's a male sheep), caught in the wilderness by its horns.

I want to ask you something. Where did that ram come from? Now, he was a hundred miles from civilization. He was up on top of a mountain where there's no food, nor neither water. Where did that ram come from? Do you know who it was? It was Christ, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. God created the ram because there was a need for one. It wasn't a vision. No, he never saw a vision. He laid the ram up, and cut it, and blood run out of its throat and it was a sacrifice. It wasn't a vision. It was actually a ram. It was a lamb that died there.

What happened? God seen need for a ram, and he spoke the ram into existence in one minute. And five minutes later, it went out of existence. Why? Abraham said, “We will call the name of the place, Jehovah-jireh, 'the Lord will provide Himself a sacrifice'.”

No matter what your need is now, God has already provided a ram for your sacrifice. God has already provided a way for your eternal life. God has provided a ram for your resurrection. God has provided a ram to take those gray hairs and wrinkled face and return them back to a new man and woman again. God has provided a way to straighten that crooked hand. God has provided a way to take death of cancer away from you, put life in there. God's sacrifice has already been provided.

Shall we pray?

Heavenly Father, oh, when I think of that word, Jehovah-jireh, the Lord will provide Himself a sacrifice. In other words, You are the All-sufficient One, yet. You can meet every condition.

When Abraham needed strength, You spoke to him. And said, “I am the breasted One. Just nurse here. And I'll show you, I'm going to turn you back to a young man again, Abraham. You're old, but I'm God.”

O Father, and when the need came for a sacrifice, You had one provided. You just spoke it into existence, just at the time to save the life of Isaac.

And Father, how much more have You provided a sacrifice tonight, for these Your children who has come through the snow out here tonight, to listen to the Gospel. You've got a sacrifice provided, just now for them. God's Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, that their life might be spared, that their fears might be over, that their dreads of death, and the old cold grave out there, and the snow sweeping across it tonight; knowing that maybe, this time next year, they'd be in the same place. But, God has provided a sacrifice for resurrection. God has provided Someone for the old. God has provided Someone for the sinful and unclean. He's ready. He's offered, and the blood flows freely.

You provided a sacrifice for their healing. You provided a sacrifice to take away all their worries, and troubles, and their frets, and fears. Thou art still Jehovah-jireh. And we love Thee supremely with all of our hearts.

And we now pray, Heavenly Father, that You'll anoint this group of people tonight. Bless them, I pray. Answer the prayer of Your unprofitable servant. Tomorrow night starts the great healing service, we believe. They'll see Your great power open the eyes of the blind, make the lame to walk down through here whole again. And tonight, how to start the meeting is surrendering all and come to Him.

God, I pray now that You'll speak definitely to every heart. Anoint every one with a sweet humble spirit. And the sinner man, woman, boy, or girl, who doesn't know Thee, may they come, lay themselves prostrate at the altar, just now. And say, “Dear God, I now, by faith, receive Jesus Christ, Thy sacrifice for my sins. He died in my stead.”

And while we have our heads bowed, Christians praying. I wonder if there's a sinner here tonight. No matter how old or young, that you have heard the Word, and you believe with all your heart that that's the truth. It's God's Word. And you want to be remembered just now, to God you'd raise your hand to Him, saying, “God, remember me. I now want to accept Your provided sacrifice. All of that in shadow, it was fulfilled at Calvary, when Jesus my sacrifice died in my place. He went to torment for me, down into hell. And You give me justification by rising Him up again on the third day. And now, I raise up, all I have, Lord, my heart and my hand to You, to accept that what You raised up at Calvary, or on Easter morning for me. I raise my hand to Him now.” Will you do it?

Is there one here tonight that would raise your hand, saying, “Dear God, here's my hand. I raise up my hand because I believe You raised up Jesus for me. And I accept Your sacrifice by placing my hand up towards Yours.” And saying, “Yes, Dear God, I now believe. And here's my hand. Take me just now, the way I am.”

“Just as I am without one plea, but that Thy blood was shed for me.”

Will you raise your hand? Is there a backslider here, say, “Oh, God, I've got far away from You. I've slid back. But tonight, I feel like I want to renew myself with You. I want to come back. I'm going to raise my hand up. And Lord, You take me, just as I am.”

Will you do it? I don't know your heart. God does. But could you turn Him away after seeing such glorious promises? That was just types and shadows. Dad, have you wandered a long time? Mother, look at you. Kiddies are all here. Maybe some of them has gone on. Sister, or brother, probably old mother has done gone on, you stood right by her old checkered, calico dress. She prayed for you. Will you just now say, “I want to serve God, raise up my hands. I want to meet mother. I want to meet dad. I want to meet my children. I'm not right with God, Brother Branham. I want to be right now.”

Is there one? While we wait just a moment, I don't want to miss anything because it might be....

.........calling now to Thee

Wash me, cleanse me in Thy blood

That flows from Calvary. (With our

heads bowed. Let's sing again.)

I am coming, Lord, coming....

Praying now, Christian. Sinner friend, backslider, will you raise your hand? “I'm coming now.”

Wash me, cleanse in Thy blood

That flows from Calvary.

[Tongues and interpretation are given from the audience. This portion is not clear enough to be written out.]

Now, with your heads bowed. If I understand the Scriptures right, that's God speaking through gifts of unknown languages and interpretation, which the persons that done it, knowed that they'd be guilty before God if it was anything else but Him. And it give the message according to the Scriptures.

For the message you've heard tonight, Jesus is coming soon. This is the day of mercy. And if you spurn mercy, there's nothing left but judgment.

Will you think it over just now, while we sing one more time: I am coming, Lord, coming now to Thee.

All right, sir.