Easter Sunrise

...sow in tears, come up in joy. Amen. Oh, because I live ye shall live also. Oh my, if the Old Testament saints could think that, what ought we to think this morning, after nineteen hundred years of seeing suffering and toils and so forth; knowing that we're right into the front door of the resurrection. Amen. The church has moved right up to the hour now where the resurrection can come at any time. And I'm thinking what would it mean to us at that day, the believers, what will it mean on the day.

I can see on that early morning when Martha and Mary went out to the grave. They were coming along the side of the hill after a night... Think of that poor mother's heart. Her Baby all the way, when she was—when It was born, they said It was an illegitimate Child, that It absolutely didn't belong to Joseph, and the—and It was—or It was Joseph's, and they were... The Baby was born out of holy wedlock. She'd had all that to go through, and the—on—think about your baby, and how It'd been rejected, and despised, and spit on, yet he claimed it. And she somehow with a quivering heart, said, “God brought me that Baby, how could it be?” Seeing Him yonder in that great crucial hour.

She thought surely, when they went to put a crown of thorns on His head, and beat Him till the Blood showed through His back, striped Him up and down and all these things; she thought surely that any moment He will throw that cross down and turn around, hit His foot on the ground, and the earth will quake from one side to the other, and proclaim Who He was. But He had died yonder, like a poor, defeated malefactor hanging on the cross.

He had died in disgrace. You see the picture of course with the clout around Him, that was wrong. They stripped every bit of clothes off of Him, just...?... and disgraced Him to the world and everything they could, and they nailed Him to the cross. And there He seemed to be standing helpless. Standing, the earth didn't want Him, heavens couldn't have Him, He was a sinner. Oh my! if you could only realize, just think, the earth didn't know its Creator. Heaven couldn't receive Him because He had the sin of the earth on Him. They didn't even have a place... talk about a place to be born, didn't have a place to die. That's right. The earth didn't want Him. They rejected, said, “Away with such a Fellow.” Heavens couldn't receive Him because...?... He was a sinner.

Oh, what a Saviour! Coming from glory and becoming that for me. So rejected by His own, that “He came to His own, His own received Him not.” No place to be born, no place to die. What did the world want? What could they do but cast Him into hell. But there was Somebody who loved Him. “I'll not leave His soul in hell, neither will I suffer Him to see corruption.” But He raised Him up from the grave, and He come forth on Easter morning, triumph. Hallelujah! Broke every...?... and every fear and everything, rose again and stands alive today, forevermore.

His presence is here, He's at this place this morning of worship. He meets where ever two or three are gathered together...?... all I have. He know that the very promises He made in the Bible, “The things that I do, shall you also. I'll be with you to the end of the world.” The poor, rejected, despised people of this world can still have His presence with us. “I'm a...?... I'm a...?...” always, all present, all powerful, everywhere at all times. How He made a way of escape, in every hour of—of trouble. “I'm a very present Help in the time of trouble,” He said.

Now, this morning He lives. He's with us today, we may be just a little church today. We may be just a little, old boarded up tabernacle here, not very much to look at; but there's never a place too humble, but what He will come to. He's alive today among the living. He's not dead, but He's alive. And He lives among the living.

Sinner friend today, if you're dead in sin and trepasses, why not live? Why do you stay in death? Why—what have you gained by staying in death? Why not come to life? Why not live today with Him? Live, great blessed hope, that even death itself separates you from your loved ones, can never stain or mar or take away anything from. What a blessed hope. What a wonderful thing that we have today, because of His resurrection. And He lives, and we live with Him, and someday He will come, and we'll go with Him. For, said, “Go tell my disciples and Peter that I go before them into Galilee.”

He always goes before us to make a way. Where there is no way, He said, “I am the Way. I'm the resurrection, I'm the Life.” And may today, as we gather here today... You love Him?

Isn't that marvelous? How many has this blessed hope this morning, will you raise your hand? Sure. Is there one here without the hope, that would say, “Brother Preacher, this morning, you in this congregation, knowing that I'm assembled with you here on the resurrection morning, and yet, there is not immortal Life resting within me, and this hope doesn't lie within my bosom. I'd like for you all to remember me today in prayer that this will be the resurrection in me, that my soul will be resurrected into this marvelous hope knowing that someday I must press a dying pillow and must be buried in a cemetery somewhere, in the graveyards, or out in the sea, or wherever it may be my lot to fall; but I want to have that hope. I raise my hand and ask you to pray for me”? Is there a person? Would you raise your hand that's without…? I suppose you're all Christians then. That's wonderful. Let's…

I believe today, after the returning back, coming back, I believe that God Almighty will send the Lord Jesus here to this platform today, and will prove to you beyond a shadow of doubt that Jesus is alive and among people today. Amen. I know He is right here now. Amen. He's here. He lives. We see Him. We…He said to Thomas, “How much greater is their reward who has never seen Me and yet can believe.” Amen. He's wonderful.

Now, let's sing this. Give us a chord, Sister Gertie, on that, He Lives. I just like to hear that sing this morning. Oh, we see the sorrows and the toils and what the price was, but now, just think, it's all over. Hallelujah. Daylight has come. Sheol is finished. Hades is no more. Death is for a principality. All darkness is faded away. We live. Amen. We live and He lives. He lives, and we live in Him. Amen. All together now:

And He walks with me, He talks with me along life's narrow way.

Shake hands with somebody sitting next to you and say, “Praise the Lord.” You're all Christians. You're a fellow citizen. Oh, my. Doesn't that make you feel good? Past all forgotten, it's all over. Who did it? He lives, He did it. Who did? Christ. Let's sing it again, now, top our voice.

Oh, my. Isn't that wonderful? Somehow, another, that just has a special ring this morning to me. Your voices all blending together, sounds so beautiful. Did you notice it? Just seem like it's really coming from the depths of your heart.

The cares of the past is gone now. The resurrection has been proven. Jesus has risen from the dead, and He lives, and I live with Him. Amen. He appears to us, and talks to us along the way; shows us visions, things that's passed, and things that will come. He heals our sickness and He gives us joy. He gives us peace. And when death stares in the face, we holler, “I'll fear no evil, for Thou art with me.” How I love that! “Oh, death, where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory? I'm going from victory on to victory.” Is death a victory? Absolutely, death is a victory. Amen. Death is a victory now, not a sadness. It's, well, it's a victory. Amen. I've…

Paul said, “Leaving those things behind, I press to the mark of the high calling.” Amen. When they was fixing to cut his head off, and beheaded there at Rome, he said, “I've fought a good fight, I've finished the course, I've kept the Faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a—a crown of righteous, the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me at His appearing: not only me, but all those who love His appearing.”

You love to see Him come today? Would you love to see Him? And when we meet Him in peace, just think, be standing there, these old vile bodies. May…they may be young and youthful, but they're going to get old. The gray hairs and the…and teeth gone, and eyesight dim, shoulders dropped over. But just beyond this veil here, there stands a brand-new man. When this earthly tabernacle be dissolved, we step right into the new one, like that. [Brother Branham snapped his fingers—Ed.] Sure. For, He lives; we live, also. And we live in this blessed hope.

If He could take our faces this morning, and pull the veil back and show us, it wouldn't be faith no more, then. We just believe it now. And we feel, from the other World, the echoes of Glory moving back into our souls, indicating, “It's true! It's true! Press on to the mark of the high calling!” What a wonderful time! Amen. Oh, He's so real!

Now, folks, it's almost time for services to close. And we want you to get your breakfast, slip back now for—for the continuation of the service. I hit around the borders of it today, I'll…and hit the resurrection. But this morning, in about couple hours; I want to go home and shut myself away for prayer now, for I—I pray that God will give us a real, real prayer line today. And—and then I want to preach, after a while, about a couple hours from now, on the ascension, what He did when He went up. We see what He did here with the price, now we want to see what He did when He went up, and what God did by Him, and what He is today.

May the Lord bless you, is my prayer. Everybody feeling the resurrection? Do you just feel the resurrection in your heart?

All right. Let's bow our heads for prayer. Brother Neville, I wonder if you'd dismiss us, in a word of prayer, if you would, while we have our heads bowed. God bless you, brother.